Yixuan showed no trace of decorum as she cheerfully tugged at her dignified older sister. Paying no heed to Yijiang's status as sect master, she pulled her down onto the cold bluestone steps.
She reached into the cloth bag she carried and produced a warm oil-paper bag as though presenting a treasure, her eyes crinkling with delight.
"Here, Sister! I brought you your favorite big meat buns!
They're from the shop we used to eat at when we were little. They taste exactly the same! Hurry and try one!"
Yijiang was slightly taken aback. A faint trace of tenderness flashed through her cool eyes, an expression she had never shown in front of many people.
She took a bun, still warm to the touch, and gently bit into it. The familiar flavor welled up in her heart.
Yijiang chuckled softly.
"You've always been the one with a craving for them, yet you insist on saying you brought them for me. They do taste good, though."
Yixuan didn't stand on ceremony. She grabbed a bun and stuffed a big mouthful in, speaking indistinctly with her cheeks puffed out.
"Sister, you're not thinking of that person just because you're eating a meat bun, are you?"
The words were like a fine needle, gently piercing the calm Yijiang had deliberately maintained.
She raised a hand and lightly smacked her sister's arm. "Show some respect. You should call him Lord Dragon Emperor. If he hadn't stepped in all those years ago, you'd have died long ago!"
"I know, I know."
Yixuan waved a hand dismissively and teased her with a carefree smile.
"Anyway, he was practically half a brother-in-law to me back then! He saved me, so I'll put in a few more good words for you.
Then I can find a chance to get you away from this cold, dreary Mount Yunkui. Wouldn't that be nice?"
Yijiang fell silent at that, lowering her eyes and quietly nibbling the bun in her hand.
But Yixuan seemed unable to see how much her sister was holding back and kept pressing her.
"Sister, tell me honestly. Do you actually like him or not? One look at him and you can tell he cares too much about saving face. He'd never confess first.
If you'd been a little braver back then and taken the first step, you wouldn't have had so many years of regret..."
"Enough! He's been dead for a long time, Yixuan!"
Yijiang's eyes shot up, her cool voice trembling slightly. It was the first time she had lost her composure in front of her sister.
But in the past, Yixuan had rarely brought that person up in front of her either...
"Don't mention him in front of me again. It hurts."
She turned her head away, her fingertips whitening. The longing and regret she had forcibly suppressed for so many years were like a balloon that would burst at a single prick.
Seeing how desolate her sister looked, Yixuan grew serious and gazed at her.
"Sister, you've been cultivating in seclusion on the mountain all this time, so you haven't heard the news from below.
When I went down the mountain today, I heard a rumor that's spread throughout the city. A lot of people say Lord Dragon Emperor never died at all."
The words struck Yijiang's heart like a bolt of lightning.
"What if he's really still alive?"
Yixuan spoke solemnly. "The major powers are all searching for him in secret now. If you miss this chance, you may never see him again in this lifetime!
If you still can't let him go, are you really not going to find him and bring him back?"
Crack.
The half-eaten meat bun slipped from Yijiang's hand and fell onto the bluestone ground.
She shot out her hands and gripped Yixuan's shoulders tightly, her fingertips turning slightly white from the force. Her face was as pale as paper.
"What did you say?! Where did you hear this? Is it true?"
"Don't panic, Sister!" Yixuan hurriedly brushed her hands away and spoke softly to calm her.
"You've been staying inside the sect lately, so it's only natural you haven't heard.
Some time ago, a phenomenon erupted in a Hollow, and dragon might filled the sky and swept in every direction.
The aura was so familiar that everyone could recognize it. It's almost certainly Lord Dragon Emperor!"
At those words, all color drained from Yijiang's face, which had remained free of emotion for so many years, but her eyes reddened.
"I'm going down the mountain."
Her voice was firm, carrying an unshakable resolve.
Ye Shunguang, who had been eavesdropping from a corner, froze.
Her master was completely unreliable, so she could only follow Sect Master Yijiang from time to time.
Yet in all these years, she had never seen her so flustered and panicked, her emotions in such disarray.
A jolt of panic ran through Ye Shunguang, and she instinctively stepped back. Her heel struck the cold wall of a water jar, making a faint noise.
"Who's there?"
Yijiang and Yixuan instantly came to their senses. Both looked toward the corner where she was hiding and strode over to investigate.
Ye Shunguang's heart pounded wildly. She turned and rose onto her toes, using the forest path for cover as she raced down the mountain without looking back, successfully evading the two women's search.
Only when she reached a safe place at the foot of the mountain did Ye Shunguang lean against a tree trunk and catch her breath, her face full of helplessness.
"Now all I can really do is wander around down here."
Just then, Xiaobai's familiar voice rang out in her mind.
"Why let other people's emotions and private affairs interfere with your decision?"
Ye Shunguang shook her head and quickly put all the secrets she had just heard out of her mind. Her eyes lit up again.
"You have a point. Forget it! I'm going to enjoy myself down here!"
It was a rare day off, and she absolutely couldn't waste it!
Chenghui Terrace.
Ye Shunguang looked around, her eyes shining with excitement.
"Wow! It's even livelier than last time!"
Xiaobai eagerly directed her from inside her mind.
"We don't get out often, so we have to try every delicious thing here. Otherwise, we're missing out!"
Ye Shunguang obediently followed the aromas through the crowd. She had just taken a bite of piping-hot grilled squid when she began hearing passersby talking all around her.
"Have you heard the latest rumor? Lord First-Generation Void Hunter Dragon Emperor didn't die in battle back then after all!
TOPS set him up and seriously injured him. He lost his memory and stayed hidden somewhere, but now he's appeared again!"
"That's outrageous! TOPS will stop at nothing!
Lord Dragon Emperor was devoted to the greater good, gentle and kind. How could they bring themselves to be so ruthless to him?!"
"That's not all! I heard a lot of TOPS employees have gone on strike in protest, and crowds of people are taking it upon themselves to demand justice and make a fuss!"
A news station by the street was also broadcasting the latest information on a loop.
"The First-Generation Void Hunter Dragon Emperor, who tragically fell in a Hollow battle a year ago, is reportedly suspected to be alive. Phenomena have occurred frequently in Hollows of late, and the dragon might unique to the Dragon Emperor has appeared once more.
According to a source at the highest level, the Dragon Emperor's disappearance and serious injuries are suspected to be connected to covert machinations by certain top powers. This station will continue to follow the story..."
Xiaobai spoke again. "News this big, and you're not even a little curious?"
Ye Shunguang took a big bite of the fragrant grilled squid, her mouth full and her words muffled as she spoke without a care.
"Mmm, delicious! Curious about what? That's the sect master's private business. It has nothing to do with me.
I've been stuck in that little courtyard on Mount Yunkui for years. I've never had anything to do with the legendary Lord Dragon Emperor.
What's he going to do, drop out of the sky in the middle of the night to find me? I'm not thinking about it. Time to focus on the food!"