Caidie's Heart

"You... what nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly like my lord?"

Caidie's voice rose involuntarily. Her fingers twisted tightly around her sleeve, as if she were clutching at a lifeline.

"I... how could I possibly be worthy?" The words slipped out before she could stop them. Even she froze for a moment, and her voice quickly sank, as though all strength had been drained from her.

What lay hidden within was not a question, but a soft sigh. "I... I..."

At first, when she heard Cao Ying's words, she could still refute them anxiously. Yet every word was like a stone cast into the lake of her heart, the ripples steadily dismantling her disguise.

Her voice grew softer and weaker until, in the end, all that remained were her slightly parted lips and a soundless silence.

She lowered her head and stared at her crystal shoes, unable to say another word.

"See? You can't deceive yourself either, can you?" Seeing her like this, Cao Ying softened her tone, her smile full of knowing amusement. "My master is so outstanding. It's perfectly normal to like him. And you don't need to feel burdened by it."

She stepped closer, her voice light yet certain. "My master has never cared about superficial things like status. If you like someone, you like them. It has nothing to do with status."

"All right, all right, stop talking!" Caidie abruptly raised a hand to cover her burning cheeks. Even the tips of her ears had turned scarlet, and she wished she could crawl into a crack in the ground.

That secret she had hidden away so carefully had been laid bare in the sunlight so bluntly, leaving her flustered, yet strangely... relieved.

Cao Ying found it both amusing and helpless. She shook her head, then deliberately drew out her words and dealt the deadliest blow. "All right, stop hiding! And—I also know that you secretly drew a portrait of Master and hid it beneath your pillow. Every night, you have to take it out and look at it for a while before you can sleep, right?"

With a boom, Caidie felt all the blood in her body rush to her head. She felt as though she had been thrown into a steamer and thoroughly cooked!

This secret, buried so deeply in her heart that she feared even murmuring it in her sleep, had actually been revealed so casually by Cao Ying!

"Y-you stop talking! Go cultivate! Right now! Immediately!" Caidie was so embarrassed that she nearly jumped up. Incoherently, she pushed Cao Ying toward the door, caring nothing for propriety as she practically half-carried, half-dragged the little demon outside. Then, with a bang, she slammed the door shut and swiftly slid the bolt into place.

With her back against the cold door, she panted rapidly, her heartbeat booming like a war drum.

Once she had calmed down a little, she immediately sprang to the bedside like a startled deer and plunged headfirst into the soft brocade quilt. She wrapped herself up tightly, refusing to leave even a single strand of hair exposed.

The outside world was finally shut away.

The room fell into instant dead silence. Only her thunderous heartbeat and ragged breathing echoed beneath the sealed covers.

And Cao Ying's earlier words, like stones dropped into a tranquil lake, stirred towering waves in Caidie's heart.

In the darkness, her lord's handsome brows and eyes, his gentle smile, and the portrait she had secretly traced countless times beneath her pillow surfaced uncontrollably before her eyes, so vividly that her heart trembled.

Blushing as she hid beneath the covers, the words "Mistress Xuanyi," "one more mistress," and "try harder" kept echoing in her mind.

Caidie had long since buried deep feelings for Su Baichen in her heart.

That man, like an exiled immortal, possessed not only a face that captivated the heart, but also the kindness of changing the fate of both her and the entire Snake-People Tribe.

He was powerful, gentle, and seemingly capable of anything. He fulfilled nearly every beautiful expectation she had for a partner. That gratitude and admiration had, through their daily interactions, quietly transformed into affection and love.

Yet the gap in their status was like an invisible chasm stretching across her heart.

She had always believed that she was merely a little maid by his side. How could she dare entertain improper thoughts? She carefully concealed her feelings, hoping only that quietly remaining at his side would be enough.

But now, Cao Ying's words had awakened her. Sister Cailin was equally proud and arrogant, yet she dared to fight for what she wanted.

Xuanyi, one of Danta's Three Great Elders, possessed lofty status and could still become connected to her lord. If she continued to shrink back in cowardice, would she truly be nothing more than a maid who could only gaze at him from afar forever?

The desire hidden deep within her heart, like wild grass brushed by a spring breeze, began to grow wildly.

"Can... can I really do this?" Caidie murmured. Two rosy clouds bloomed across her pretty face. Alongside her shyness, an unprecedented impulse surged within her.

Looking at the mischievous Cao Ying before her, she suddenly felt that perhaps the little girl's words truly did make some sense.

Amid this whirlpool of emotions, a seed called "striving" quietly broke through the soil.

At the other end of the castle, Su Baichen, who had just returned to his room, suddenly sneezed.

"Uh, who's thinking about me?"

He remained completely unaware of the turmoil that was about to rise in another girl's heart.

Su Baichen had just finished preparing everything needed to temper Cailin's Heavenly Flame.

Rare medicinal materials and pills of every kind had been sorted into jade boxes, while formation runes flowed with faint light across the ground, all in preparation for Cailin's weakened period after successfully undergoing her tribulation.

He let out a soft breath. These preparations had taken no small amount of mental effort, but the coming fusion and transformation would ultimately have to rely on Cailin's own will and fortune.

"Finally, that's settled for now..." As his thoughts shifted, he remembered that he had not checked on his mischievous disciple for several days. "Oh, right. That girl Cao Ying has been nowhere to be seen these past few days. I wonder how far her cultivation has progressed. She'd better not be slacking off again."

A faint smile unconsciously appeared on Su Baichen's lips. Raising his hand, he was about to tear open the space before him and go check on her directly.

Just then, a somewhat aged yet exceptionally steady voice came from behind him, carrying a measure of perfectly judged respect.

"Mr. Su, please wait. There is news regarding the matter you instructed us to handle earlier."

Su Baichen paused and turned toward the voice. The Snake-People Tribe's Second Elder stood several paces away, slightly bowed.

The old man had a lean face, and the sharp gleam in his snake-like eyes was carefully concealed. His entire aura was restrained without the slightest leak.

Seeing who it was, Su Baichen felt a trace of understanding.

His impression of the Second Elder was rather complicated. The old man was undoubtedly one of the few clear-minded people in the Snake-People Tribe. He understood how to assess the situation and was the tribe's true strategist.

Before Cailin had completely taken control of the Snake-People Tribe, it had been this Second Elder who, through his methods and prestige, secretly held nearly half the tribe's authority. Yet once the overall situation had been decided, he had decisively withdrawn his edge and devoted himself to assisting her. He was a man who understood the times.

"Oh?" Su Baichen turned around, temporarily setting aside the thought of checking on his disciple. His tone was calm. "What news could warrant the Second Elder coming personally?"