Chapter Ninety-One: Never Draw Blades Against Each Other Again

That night, someone was destined to be sleepless.

In the inn, Silver Yao tossed and turned, unable to find rest. She awaited Wan Youxue’s arrival the next day, both longing for it and dreading it—such a tangled mess of emotions!

Unable to sleep, Silver Yao climbed out of bed, moved to the table, poured herself a cup of tea, and drank it in one gulp, hoping to calm her restless heart. Yet, it had little effect.

Supporting her head with both hands, she tilted her gaze toward the round moon outside the window. In her mind’s eye, she saw the scene on the city wall from last time, when she unexpectedly encountered Chu Suyi.

He had asked, “Do I know you?”

But at that moment, she had no intention to get entangled with him and hurried away. Chu Suyi’s sudden recovery of memories in Cold Spirit Valley had shocked her, yet after a single night’s sleep, he had forgotten everything...

Every fifteenth day, he would remember her, but it was only ever a dream. When would he wake from the dream and finally recall everything?

Chu Suyi, Ji Xuanyu—when will you regain your memories?

With a silent, bitter smile, Silver Yao blamed herself for her wandering thoughts. She was supposed to be worrying about Wan Youxue, yet another person crept into her mind, and she cared so much!

Thinking and thinking, sleepiness crept over Silver Yao, and she drifted off in a daze.

The next morning, upon waking, Silver Yao was surprised to find herself actually asleep—it was a small, unexpected delight. After washing up, the innkeeper brought breakfast, and Silver Yao sat down, eating slowly and methodically.

When the sun was high, Silver Yao stood at the window, still seeing no sign of Wan Youxue. Was she not coming after all? Silver Yao shook her head—she simply couldn’t think of a reason Wan Youxue wouldn’t come. She didn’t believe Wan Youxue was someone who would shy away from reality.

A little disappointed, Silver Yao returned to her room and took a seat. She reasoned that Wan Youxue must be on her way—after all, leaving Xuan Yu Palace without Ji Muyu’s consent was no easy feat, and Ji Muyu would hardly approve.

Noon soon arrived, and the innkeeper had brought dishes. Silver Yao sat and ate, though she had little appetite—Wan Youxue still hadn’t appeared.

Yet, at that moment, her heart was inexplicably calm.

She hadn’t specified a time to Wan Youxue, so as long as she came at any point today, Silver Yao’s plan would proceed without flaw. There was no need for haste—let things take their course.

With nothing else to do, Silver Yao sent for Li Yue and Yin Rou. They arrived quickly, a little surprised to see Silver Yao—after all, the master hadn’t planned to summon them after emerging from seclusion. This wasn’t part of the original plan.

“Tell me, what happened after we secluded ourselves?”

“As you predicted, Ji Muyu launched a surprise attack—on the very first day of your seclusion! Clearly, he’d been preparing for some time. Gu Xinyu was gravely injured in his duel with Yin Su, but as you anticipated, after three days’ rest, he entered true seclusion. Afterwards, Ji Muyu, whose strength was greatly diminished, made no further moves, as if he were truly recuperating.”

Yin Rou summarized the key events. Li Yue nodded in agreement.

Silver Yao listened without much reaction—it was all expected, nothing unforeseen. That was good. She nodded: “Continue, and remember, don’t reveal my whereabouts.”

“Yes! We’ll take our leave.” Li Yue and Yin Rou exchanged glances and departed the inn.

The sun gradually sank, the fiery sunset setting half the sky ablaze with beauty beyond words. Silver Yao watched the sunset, lost in thought.

Suddenly, a figure appeared before her eyes—a woman shrouded in a massive black cloak, walking hurriedly. For reasons she couldn’t explain, Silver Yao instinctively knew it was Wan Youxue.

Her intuition proved true. The woman entered the inn, spoke with the manager, and was led by the innkeeper upstairs to Silver Yao’s private room.

“Miss, your friend has arrived.” The innkeeper didn’t name names, but everyone understood.

“Come in.” Silver Yao forced herself to remain calm, but as Wan Youxue truly arrived, she was unexpectedly overwhelmed.

The door opened, and the cloaked figure stepped inside. Only after the innkeeper left did she remove her cloak in front of Silver Yao. The sight of Wan Youxue beneath the cloak startled Silver Yao.

Red hair, red eyes!

She had thought Wan Youxue wore the cloak to avoid Ji Muyu’s men, but hadn’t expected her to have red hair and red eyes—surely she didn’t want others to see her in this state.

“Youxue, what happened to you?” Silver Yao asked in alarm.

Seeing Silver Yao’s concern, Wan Youxue’s eyes silently filled with tears. “Silver Yao…”

This vulnerable Wan Youxue tugged at Silver Yao’s heartstrings. Watching tears spill from those crimson eyes, like drops of blood, Silver Yao reached out to wipe them away. “Youxue, don’t cry! Seeing you like this, I truly regret it.”

“No, no!” Hearing Silver Yao speak of regret and sensing her guilt, Wan Youxue quickly protested. “It’s not your fault. It’s just that when I woke this morning, so much flooded my mind, I couldn’t process it all at once… You know, after waking, I became like this—the same as when I once lost control and fell into madness!”

Who would have thought that regaining her memories would also restore her former appearance?

“Youxue, do you regret it?” Silver Yao looked into Wan Youxue’s eyes and asked slowly.

Wan Youxue’s gaze grew distant. “Regret? Perhaps. I don’t regret remembering everything from before, but I don’t wish to lose what I have now either. Am I being selfish? Yet these two things can never coexist.”

At this point, Silver Yao didn’t know what to say, so she simply listened, hoping Wan Youxue could vent her thoughts and not suppress them.

“I remembered everything, and my martial skills returned—even stronger than when I was lost to madness. I remembered your words, so I came to find you. I used poison to subdue everyone—perhaps out of anger, the poison ended up killing them all.” As she spoke, Wan Youxue wept bitterly.

“I didn’t want to! I didn’t want to! I tried to save them, but when they saw my red hair and red eyes, they screamed that a demon shouldn’t come near. In that moment, my heart was shattered. I just wanted to help them! Sob, sob…” Wan Youxue was consumed with grief.

Knowing how fragile Wan Youxue was now, Silver Yao drew her into her arms, gently resting her head on her shoulder and comforting her. “Youxue, don’t think about it anymore! Don’t think about it! Let me see if I can get rid of your red hair and red eyes, all right?”

Hearing this, Wan Youxue immediately lifted her head, looking at Silver Yao in disbelief. “Is it really possible?”

Patting her shoulder to reassure her, Silver Yao said, “Don’t you trust my abilities?”

“No, no! I trust you!” Wan Youxue shook her head and then nodded quickly.

Afraid and lost like a child, Silver Yao shook her head. “Youxue, you must calm yourself. Listen to me—take a deep breath. I’ll feel your pulse and check.”

Wan Youxue obediently held out her hand. Silver Yao took it and said, “There’s nothing major. I have a pill that can suppress your red hair and red eyes for a while. At nightfall, they’ll return, but with the first crowing of the rooster, you’ll look normal again. Will you accept this?”

Without hesitation, Wan Youxue nodded. Silver Yao took out the pill and handed it to her. After swallowing it, Wan Youxue watched her red hair turn black, and from Silver Yao’s gaze, she saw her eye color return to normal.

“Thank you, Silver Yao!” Wan Youxue said earnestly.

“No need for such formality. Youxue, what are your plans now? Will you return to the palace?” Silver Yao voiced the question she’d long wanted to ask.

“If I decide to return, will you look down on me?” Wan Youxue looked at Silver Yao.

Silver Yao shook her head. “No, I respect your choice.”

Wan Youxue smiled warmly. “Silver Yao, having you as a friend makes me truly happy! Thank you for always respecting my wishes. Rest assured—even if you all go to war, I won’t get involved, won’t make things hard for you or for him. I won’t let you be caught between sides.”

Silver Yao smiled. “Youxue, I’m thankful you’re so considerate of me. Please forgive me for the less-than-honorable motives I had when I first sought you out.”

“No, I understand. You’re rivals—targeting those close to your enemy is normal. The unexpected thing is, we became friends!” Wan Youxue had come to terms with it all and wouldn’t blame Silver Yao. Perhaps it was all meant to be.

Ji Muyu, who had tried everything to rid himself of his troublesome affliction, never anticipated his enemy would solve it for him.

Looking at Wan Youxue now, Silver Yao suddenly understood what Chu Suyi had once said—that Wan Youxue was someone who loved and hated boldly. It was true.

“Youxue, once you return, you’ll pretend your illness hasn’t healed, won’t you?”

“Of course! I know that’s the best approach for now.”

“Then, Youxue, please don’t mind if I use your illness as part of my plan. I’m sorry, but I have no other choice.” Silver Yao glanced at Wan Youxue several times before speaking.

Wan Youxue smiled. “My unexpected circumstances have already caused you enough trouble! Your honesty is more than I could have hoped for. I understand this is part of your plan. I have no reason to stop you. Go ahead—don’t let me change anything unnecessarily. You owe me nothing; I owe you too much, far too much.”

Wan Youxue’s open-mindedness amazed Silver Yao. Perhaps this was the true Wan Youxue—bold in love and hate.

She could regain her memories, pretend nothing happened, and return to his side. She could learn of the dangers he faced and smile, saying she wouldn’t interfere.

She loved boldly, but held firmly to her principles.

“Good! I hope we never have to draw blades against each other.”

“I won’t let that moment come.”