Found You

Ye Jianwei caught the Storage Bag precisely.

Her fingertips lightly traced the surface of the bag, her eyes beneath the White Veil seeming to see through something. "Young Master... this?"

It was another pair of Void Divine Feather.

After thinking it over, Qin Wangchuan decided to give the Divine Feather to Ye Jianwei.

After all, if it were given to Li Qingluan, it would certainly be the icing on the cake given her strength.

But the one who truly runs alongside you is ultimately the person right in front of you.

'I can't carry this girl every time I go out, can I?' He shook his head to himself.

Ye Jianwei fingers gripped the Storage Bag tightly, her eyes trembling slightly beneath the White Veil: "Such a heaven-defying item is too wasteful for me. It should be given to the Eighth Young Master or..."

Qin Wangchuan's lips curled slightly, and he made a shushing gesture. "That's why I sent her away."

Otherwise, there will be endless trouble.

Upon hearing this, her breath caught in her throat.

Her cherry lips were slightly pursed, and her eyes, hidden beneath the White Veil, were slightly red.

She held the Storage Bag to her chest with both hands, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible. "But..."

"Just accept it when I tell you to."

"What?" Qin Wangchuan raised an eyebrow, his tone slightly mocking. "Does this mean you'll be running all over the Three Thousand Dao Provinces on foot when I need you to do something in the future?"

He paused for a moment, then said, "Keep it for now, I'll teach you how to refine it when we get back."

Ye Jianwei clenched her fists tightly inside her sleeve to keep herself from losing her composure.

She knew her Patriarch all too well—he clearly wanted to give her fortuitous opportunity, but he insisted on finding an excuse to "make things convenient for himself."

Just like back then, when he could have kept the Mysterious Elder's Jade Slip for himself, but he insisted on putting it in his own hands.

This tenderness hidden beneath her domineering nature seeped into her very bones like a poison that eroded her very being, making her willingly succumb to it.

"Yes," Ye Jianwei, carefully putting the Storage Bag into her sleeve, a gentle smile unconsciously curving her lips.

Meanwhile, on the other side

Rain leaked from the eaves of the Cold Palace. Su Yingxue huddled on the edge of the confinement, hugging her knees and burying her face in her arms, as if this would isolate her from the entire world.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of raindrops hitting the bluestone.

It's raining...

She gazed at the raindrops falling from the sky, unconsciously reaching out her hand, when she suddenly remembered what her nanny had once said.

Rain is a gift from the Great Dao, washing away the world and carrying away misfortune.

Thinking of this, Su Yingxue unbuttoned her thin clothes, revealing the hideous scar on her back—the mark left after her Immortal Bone were forcibly removed.

"Take them all away..." She tilted her head back, letting the raindrops pass through the sky's barrier and fall onto the scars.

The icy touch sent a shiver down her spine, but a satisfied smile spread across her face, "Take away my pain, my very existence..."

The laughter of palace maids drifted from afar. She immediately held her breath, hurried to the barrier at the door, and pressed her ear against it.

She carefully collected those fragmented conversations, like honey: the osmanthus flowers in the Imperial Garden were in bloom, the koi in Taiye Pond were plump, and a great figure had arrived at the Palace Market...

Soon the passing palace maids were gone, and she sat down, hugging her knees, weaving the fragments of what she had heard during the day into a dream.

Sometimes it's riding a crane over the glazed tiles of the Golden Throne Hall, sometimes it's tiptoeing to pluck a bright peach blossom.

In her most extravagant dream, someone would take her hand and say, "Yingxue, let's go home."

However, even echoes seemed lonely in the Deathly Stillness Cold Palace.

Ten years have passed; she has long since grown accustomed to loneliness.

Only occasionally, a drop or two of warm liquid would seep from the corner of my eye, falling to the ground and turning into inconspicuous water stains.

"Liar..." Su Yingxue murmured, curled up in a ball, her voice so soft it seemed to dissipate in the wind and snow, "Grandma... you're lying."

"The rain couldn't take away the bad luck, it only took you away..."

The only person Su Yingxue could talk to died on her favorite rainy day, and from then on, Su Yingxue was completely alone.

Only the teachers who come from time to time, and...

"He's having unrealistic dreams again."

A cold voice echoed in her heart—that was her other side, a consciousness forged from despair and resentment.

"Ten years have passed, what are you still waiting for?"

Su Yingxue did not answer, but simply placed her fingers lightly on the barrier, feeling the coolness of the rain seep through the barrier and wet her fingertips.

Their gaze, however, was fixed on the road in the distance.

He won't come.

The voice sneered, "You're nothing but a Discarded Piece, a vessel to hold Immortal Bone."

She pursed her lips, still stubbornly gazing into the depths of the rain.

"... I can't leave. If I leave... there will be no place for me in this world..."

"Ha, self-deception."

"How could there be no place for you in this vast world?"

The rain was pouring down harder and harder, and her clothes were already soaked through, but she remained motionless, as if that would prove she was still alive.

"Admit it, you hate them."

"I..."

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

"It's all the Qin Clan's fault, it's all Father's fault, it's all this damned fate!"

"No... I... just want..."

"What do you want? A glance? A word of comfort? Don't be silly!"

Her fingernails dug deeply into her palms, and blood dripped down mixed with the rain.

"... I just... don't want to be alone anymore..."

"Don't you understand? Only power can get you everything you want."

"Let's break free of this cage together!"

The voice in her heart grew clearer and clearer, coiling around her consciousness like a venomous snake.

Just as she was about to be swallowed by darkness—

"Despair."

Footsteps.

Unlike the cautious, shuffling steps of the palace maids, these steps were steady and powerful, each one seemingly treading on the rhythm of heaven and earth.

In her panic, she instinctively tried to dodge, but then noticed the surrounding water curtains strangely frozen in mid-air.

Su Yingxue looked up blankly, raindrops sliding down her pale cheeks and condensing into tiny droplets on her eyelashes, blurring her vision.

But she could see it clearly.

A ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, outlining a tall, slender figure.

The person stood against the light, and the falling raindrops suddenly froze in mid-air, each drop reflecting a dazzling divine radiance.

Thousands of raindrops suspended in the air formed a sacred Light Wheel above his head, like a crown of a god.

"So this is where it is." Su Yingxue heard him say.

He finally saw the person in front of him clearly; it was a young man a few years older than himself, whose handsome appearance seemed Mortal World.

As he bent down, a raindrop hovered in front of her.

Through the drop of water, Su Yingxue saw his deep eyes, which seemed to contain an entire starry sky.

"Found you."

She blurted out instinctively, "You... were looking for me?"

As soon as she spoke, she froze—her voice, hoarse and unpleasant from not speaking to anyone for so long, sounded like sandpaper scraping against the ears.

She hurriedly covered her face, a blush of shame spreading across her pale cheeks.

The boy didn't seem to care; instead, he chuckled softly.

He lightly tapped her throat with his fingertip, and a suspended raindrop fell into her throat.

A cool sensation spread through her, and she immediately felt much better in her throat.

"Exactly."

"I have come to settle a karmic debt."