Missing Thoughts Literature

After Shi Yuezhen came in, Yu Sui quietly reminded her, "Li Jinshuang's awake, but she's a little out of it."

Li Jinshuang had woken up so quickly that even Shi Yuezhen was a little surprised. She went over to check on her, then heard Li Jinshuang softly call, "Mother."

"I'm here," Shi Yuezhen gently soothed her. "You're injured, so you need to rest properly. Otherwise, Mother will be sad."

Yu Sui: ""

She raised her head and gazed at Shi Yuezhen with admiration.

Shi Yuezhen patiently and gently coaxed the dazed Li Jinshuang. Only after Li Jinshuang closed her eyes and quieted down did she turn to Yu Sui and say, "She really does need to rest. Her Five Elements Qi is in turmoil, and that's no minor injury. I used my pupil technique to forcibly suppress her mental power, but she doesn't want to rest, and her willpower is strong. So when she struggles, she'll seem confused."

Yu Sui nodded, still a little muddled. "So she'll see her mother?"

"Perhaps she's the person she misses most deep down." Shi Yuezhen applied medicine to Yu Sui's back. "Sorry for the wait. If your Senior Martial Brother hadn't reminded me, I might have forgotten again."

"You're already working so hard, Senior Martial Sister. Besides, I only need medicine applied. I'm the one troubling you." Yu Sui obediently leaned over the side of the bed.

Shi Yuezhen's gaze softened at her words, and she liked Yu Sui a little more.

"A few more injured disciples just came in. I've already called someone to help, but I'll still have to trouble you to keep an eye on Li Jinshuang for a while. Don't let her wake up," Shi Yuezhen said. "She needs to sleep through the night to recover properly."

"The people I called will take over once they arrive. You only need to stay a little longer."

"Don't worry, Senior Martial Sister. I'll watch her. But what if she wakes up?"

"Just do what I did and soothe her."

Yu Sui: ""

That sounded a tiny bit difficult. After Shi Yuezhen finished applying the medicine, Yu Sui had to wait for the ointment to take effect before she could get dressed. While she and Li Jinshuang stared at each other, Xing Chun and Cang Shu brought dinner to the medical clinic.

Cang Shu took over for Shi Yuezhen so she could eat first.

Shi Yuezhen sat at a small table and opened the food box. Cang Shu asked, "Why have they had you on duty for several days in a row?"

"They're probably all busy lately." Shi Yuezhen only gave a faint smile.

Xing Chun opened a food box and said, "When the military school opens a formation, isn't the medical school always the busiest? It's not like they don't know which day the military school is opening it. They should've been busy well in advance."

Shi Yuezhen only smiled without answering.

Mei Chengyu signaled Xing Chun to look at Cang Shu and keep quiet.

Xing Chun made a zipping motion across his lips.

After dividing up the food, Mei Chengyu picked up a food box and knocked on the door of Room Number One. "Dinner."

Yu Sui tilted her head toward the door, then glanced at the ointment still wet on her shoulder. Propping her head up with one hand, she gazed at the curtain with a beaming smile.

"Senior Martial Brother, pass it in to me from underneath. I can't get dressed yet."

Mei Chengyu passed it through beneath the curtain.

"What's in there?" Yu Sui asked.

"Look for yourself," Mei Chengyu replied irritably.

"If there's nothing I want to eat, can I ask you to go buy something else, Senior Martial Brother?" Yu Sui said. "I'll pay."

"What do you want to eat?"

Yu Sui listed a string of dishes. They were all meatballs and meat burgers, and just hearing her list them made her sound ravenous.

Mei Chengyu patiently listened to the whole thing, then flatly refused. "No."

Yu Sui dragged her skirt over to the curtain and opened the food box. With only a curtain between them, Mei Chengyu could even hear the rustling of her clothes as she moved around inside.

Then came the sound of her opening the food box. The aroma of food instantly overwhelmed the bitter smell of medicine.

Yu Sui's delighted voice came from inside. "Senior Martial Brother, no need to buy anything. These are just what I like!"

Mei Chengyu glanced into the room. What was she grinning about? He'd already said he wouldn't buy her anything.

Yu Sui had barely eaten a few bites when she heard Li Jinshuang murmur softly again. She returned to the bedside and patiently soothed her. Every time Li Jinshuang called for her mother, Yu Sui answered.

But Li Jinshuang didn't just call for her mother. She called for her grandmother too.

Yu Sui stared at Li Jinshuang for a while, then slowly answered. Li Jinshuang trembled all over as if she'd been frightened.

"Li Jinshuang, calling me Mother is one thing, but calling me Grandmother is a bit much, don't you think?" Yu Sui protested softly.

After soothing Li Jinshuang, she returned to the curtain. Mei Chengyu drawled, "You've got quite the seniority."

Yu Sui: "..."

She lowered her head and ate, mumbling, "I'm not going back tonight."

"Hmm?"

"I'm going to wait until Li Jinshuang wakes up, then tell her everything she did tonight."

Mei Chengyu laughed at the spiteful vengeance in her words.

The Medical School Disciples Shi Yuezhen had called arrived, but Yu Sui didn't let them take over watching Li Jinshuang. She stayed by the bed herself, keeping an eye on her.

Zhongli Shan and the others had planned to leave after eating, but so many injured disciples came to the medical clinic that Cang Shu kept them there to help.

Mei Chengyu looked at Cang Shu with the words "I'm an injured disciple too" written all over his face. Cang Shu slowly turned away and ignored him.

Yu Sui waited until the ointment had completely seeped into her skin before getting dressed. She lifted the curtain and peeked outside, only to find everyone rushing about. To avoid being roped into helping, she slipped back into the room and continued watching Li Jinshuang.

It was almost dawn before things finally quieted down outside the room.

Yu Sui tiptoed away from the bedside and lifted the curtain. At once, she spotted Mei Chengyu sitting opposite, playing with the Listening Wind Ruler. He noticed her movement, raised his eyes, and looked over.

Mei Chengyu lifted his chin slightly, silently asking what she was up to.

"Senior Martial Brother, I'm going back to the dormitory to get her a change of clothes," Yu Sui whispered.

Li Jinshuang's clothes were unwearable. Shi Yuezhen had cut away quite a bit while cleaning her wounds. If Li Jinshuang were a man, she might have managed to make do with them.

Mei Chengyu said nothing, only tilting his head toward the door.

Yu Sui used the Wind Riding Technique to hurry to the dormitory. Although she knew no one was inside, she still politely knocked on Li Jinshuang's door before going in to get her clothes.

When she came out, she ran into Shu Chujun.

Shu Chujun had woken up to pour herself some water. Seeing Yu Sui come out of Li Jinshuang's room holding Li Jinshuang's clothes, she eyed her warily.

"What are you doing in Li Jinshuang's room?"

"She's injured and at the medical clinic. I'm getting her a change of clothes."

Shu Chujun wasn't reassured. "Let me see them."

Yu Sui stood where she was and looked at her.

Shu Chujun was the future High Priest of Nanjing Country and a companion to its Saintess. She'd grown up alongside the Saintess, and her standing in Nanjing Country was even higher than that of the princes and princesses. Given her status, she naturally had no reason to fear a County Princess from Qingyang.

Likewise, Yu Sui wasn't afraid of Nanjing Country's future High Priest.

What did Nanjing Country's High Priest have to do with her, a County Princess of Qingyang Nation?

So Yu Sui merely smiled and walked right past Shu Chujun.

"Stop!" Shu Chujun tried to block her, but Yu Sui had already used the Wind Riding Technique to speed away.

Shu Chujun stood at the doorway, fuming. People said Yu Sui was a Normal Practitioner, yet ever since Sage Chang Gen had taken her as a disciple, the girl who used to ride the Dragon Ladder every day had become more and more adept at the Wind Riding Technique.

Li Jinshuang was from Nanjing Country. Why did she have to let someone from Qingyang get her clothes?

And of all people, Nangong Sui.

Couldn't Li Jinshuang tell that the Saintess and Nangong Sui didn't get along?

Hmph, she definitely wasn't as considerate of the Saintess as Shu Chujun was.

The more Shu Chujun thought about it, the more suspicious Yu Sui seemed. Convinced she was up to no good, she strode forward and pushed open Yu Sui's door.

As soon as the door opened, dazzling light met her eyes. The carvings on the wood at both ends of the bed gleamed with a dignified dark-gold sheen.

The ornaments on the tables by the bed came in all sizes. Precious pearls and rare jade were piled on the tables as if they cost nothing, all arranged in orderly fashion. But what drew the eye most was the open jewelry box.

The box shimmered with iridescent light. Hairpins, earrings, jade bracelets, and waist pendants—every kind of ornament imaginable—were all made from the most precious materials.

Behind the screen were dozens of sets of skirts, none alike in style. Their colors and patterns were all different, and so were their fabrics, yet every one was made from luxurious cloth that ordinary people rarely encountered, sometimes not even once in a lifetime.

Shu Chujun was dazzled by the sheer wealth filling the room. Her temple twitched violently for a moment before she slammed the door shut.

She cursed inwardly. The Qingyang County Princess had grown so extravagantly wealthy and spoiled!

She was an utter disgrace to practitioners!

When Yu Sui's emotions were repressed to the extreme, she liked to spend the Flower King's Mansion's money. Whatever was expensive, she bought. She wore the most beautiful clothes and the prettiest jewelry. When she felt miserable at night and couldn't sleep, she searched the Communication Array for all sorts of useful intelligence, then handed it to Old Man Yan so he could squeeze a hefty sum of money out of it.

So her wealth grew greater with every passing year.

By the time she came to Taiyi, Black Beard's impression of Yu Sui had swung wildly. He'd gone from thinking the Prince had misjudged her to deciding that she was the future head of the Nangong Family and that he needed to build a good relationship with her.

So when arranging Yu Sui's room, Black Beard furnished it to match the standards she'd been used to in the imperial capital. He put every good thing he could find in there. The Nangong Family had money to spare, after all, and Black Beard was determined to make Yu Sui comfortable and at ease in the Taiyi dormitory.

That way, she'd remember his loyalty.

Yu Sui didn't remember Black Beard, but Shu Chujun certainly remembered his extravagance.

By the time Yu Sui returned to the medical clinic, the sky had already brightened, and the restless strange fire inside her had gradually weakened.

Yu Sui wiped the sweat from her forehead. Mei Chengyu was still sitting where he'd been before. He glanced casually at her as she returned, then looked back at the Listening Wind Ruler. A moment later, as though something seemed off, he looked back at her thoughtfully.

"Why were you running so fast?" Mei Chengyu asked.

She was sweating so much her hair was damp.

Yu Sui only gave a silly grin without answering, then lifted the curtain and went inside.

Li Jinshuang was still muddled, murmuring for her mother. Yu Sui set the clean clothes beside her and soothed her. "Mm-hmm, Mother's here."

"That's right, you're Mother's good girl. You'll be my good girl forever."

"You're so cute and lovable. How could Grandmother bear to hit you?"

"Mother won't leave you, Li Jinshuang. She's your mother—that wasn't me saying it."

Outside, Mei Chengyu shook his head with a laugh.

It wasn't until the sunlight shone high, the candle in the room was nearly extinguished, and daylight spilled inside that Li Jinshuang gradually opened her eyes and stopped talking nonsense.

Yu Sui had brought over a small stool and sat beside the bed, propping her head up with one hand as she looked at the Listening Wind Ruler. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Li Jinshuang opening her eyes and turned to look.

This time was different from before.

Li Jinshuang was fully conscious now. She'd woken in a room with just the right amount of light and saw Yu Sui waiting beside the bed. Her gaze flickered with surprise.

Yu Sui had stayed up all night just waiting for this moment.

Seeing that Li Jinshuang's eyes were clear and she was fully awake, Yu Sui tilted her head and smiled at her, speaking softly. "My dear daughter, you're awake?"

Li Jinshuang: "..."

Yu Sui feigned surprise. "Or should I say, my dear granddaughter?"

Li Jinshuang slowly closed her eyes. Memories of the previous night, when her consciousness had been hazy, came flooding back. Looking at Yu Sui's bewitching smile and hearing her call her "dear daughter" again and again, Li Jinshuang's composure crumbled. She closed her eyes and turned away, presenting her back to Yu Sui.

Playing dead.

I'm still asleep.

My mind's still muddled.

Yu Sui watched her, waiting to see how long she'd keep pretending. "I brought you clean clothes. They're right beside you. Would you like Mother to help you get dressed?"

Li Jinshuang: "..."

"No need." Li Jinshuang continued facing away from Yu Sui, her voice hoarse. "I'll get dressed myself."

She'd actually answered.

Yu Sui held back her laughter and nodded. "My dear granddaughter has grown up and can dress herself now."

Li Jinshuang's whole body stiffened. Her lips moved, but she didn't dare say a word. From where Yu Sui sat, she could even see Li Jinshuang's normally pale ears turning red.

"All right, Mother will go outside first. You can get dressed by yourself," Yu Sui said as she stood up, being exceptionally considerate. "If you need help, call Mother. I'll be right outside."

Li Jinshuang: "..."

Yu Sui sauntered out of the room. The moment she let the curtain fall, she couldn't hold it in any longer. She covered her mouth, laughing as she crouched against the wall until tears streamed from her eyes.

Mei Chengyu was sitting opposite her. He raised an eyebrow at Yu Sui, who was laughing so hard she was crying.

The person in the room was probably about ready to cry too.

Li Jinshuang took a deep breath. Every time she tried to push herself up with both hands, she remembered how she'd gone crazy the night before, out of her mind. Yu Sui's teasing words echoed in her head, and her strength instantly left her arms, sending her slumping back down.

She considered herself strong. Her heart had been tempered a thousand times over, though it was already riddled with holes. She feared no setback. Yet one soft, gentle sentence from Yu Sui was enough to leave her too mortified to face anyone.

Li Jinshuang opened her eyes, full of regret.

Outside, Yu Sui waited and chatted with Mei Chengyu about the military school's formation-opening event.

"Senior Martial Brother, Black Wind City is opening formations for seven days. Do you plan to enter the Military Formation every day?" Yu Sui asked.

Mei Chengyu answered with a hum without looking up.

Yu Sui gazed at him, blinking. "I want to go too."

"Then go."

Yu Sui put it tactfully. "If I go alone, could I end up like Li Jinshuang, with my Five Elements Qi in turmoil, badly injured, and brought to the medical clinic?"

Mei Chengyu thought for a moment. "No."

Yu Sui was a little surprised. "Senior Martial Brother, you have that much confidence in me?"

"She had her Five Elements Qi in turmoil and still held on until she made it to the medical clinic before collapsing. You wouldn't. You wouldn't make it to the clinic."

Yu Sui crouched against the wall, propped her face up with both hands, and puffed her cheeks as she looked at him.

When she fell silent, Mei Chengyu lifted his eyes slightly and asked, "How's your introductory training going?"

Yu Sui held up a jade-white finger and showed him a number. "Soul Control First Stage."

"Then you're ready." Mei Chengyu nodded.

But Yu Sui shook her head. "Master says I'm not ready yet. I need to reach Soul Control Triple before I count as having successfully entered the discipline."

Mei Chengyu smiled. "That old man sure has high expectations for you."

Yu Sui propped her face up with one hand. "As Sage Chang Gen's disciple, I should have to meet higher expectations."

Mei Chengyu thought his junior martial sister was quite sensible, so he relented. "Fine. I'll take you to the military school's formation-opening event. But be warned: it's a high-level, first-rank Military Formation. It's far more dangerous than the low-level Military Formation you entered in the Yin-Yang and Five Elements Field. If you're in doubt, withdraw from the formation right away. Don't try to tough it out."

"Mm-hmm!" Yu Sui smiled, her eyes curving with delight. "I want to see what a high-level Military Formation is like too."

They agreed to go on the fourth day, since Li Jinshuang needed a couple more days to rest.

Mei Chengyu asked, "Will she go?"

"She'll agree," Yu Sui said.

Mei Chengyu didn't object.

Yu Sui went inside and told Li Jinshuang about it. Li Jinshuang remained silent.

"Will you?" Yu Sui asked, sitting on a stool and looking up at her.

Li Jinshuang was standing with her back to Yu Sui, straightening her outer robe. She didn't feel like talking to Yu Sui either, so she silently took out her Listening Wind Ruler and sent Yu Sui a message.

"Okay."

Yu Sui saw the message on the Listening Wind Ruler and burst out laughing.

Li Jinshuang: "..."

She'd actually laughed!

Afterward, Li Jinshuang didn't speak to Yu Sui again. If she really had to, she sent a message instead—she simply refused to open her mouth.

Yu Sui let her be awkward. She'd get over it after a while. Patiently, Yu Sui waited until the fourth day of the Military Formation's opening. At dawn, she woke her roommate and Senior Martial Brother and headed to the Military School.

The excitement around the Military Formation hadn't died down; it had only grown. Even in the middle of the night, people were still attempting the formation.

Even if they failed, they could try again as many times as they wanted.

Li Jinshuang was silent-faced, as Yu Sui had grown used to. But today, Mei Chengyu was also cool and distant. He didn't even fiddle with his Listening Wind Ruler, just walked beside them with a cold expression, saying nothing.

Yu Sui snuck several glances at him, wondering if Senior Martial Brother hadn't woken up properly yet. After all, when she'd disturbed his rest last time, he'd only half-woken to open the door, and had been just as cold—if not a little fierce.

Even though neither of them would speak, Yu Sui still chatted with them. She asked things like whether they wanted breakfast, and whether they should eat first or try the formation first.

They'd better try the formation first. Otherwise, she feared breakfast would come right back up once they went in.

She chattered on and on, but the two beside her gave her nothing but silence.

By the time they reached the Military School and arrived at the Military Formation's entrance, quite a few people were already there. Some hadn't even gone home.

The Military School's Thirteenth Realm Instructor sat behind a table, holding a cup of tea in one hand as he gestured at the tabletop with the other. "Sign in."

"Me," Yu Sui said, blinking at the instructor behind the table, "and two mutes."

Instructor: "..."

The two mutes: "..."

The instructor laughed so hard that a mouthful of hot tea sprayed out. One of the mutes, Mei Chengyu, reached out, grabbed Yu Sui, who was standing in front, and moved her aside so Li Jinshuang could sign in.