Chapter 111: Us, Us

Meiji coughed softly and asked, "Shall I return tomorrow?"

Weishao Qianyu looked at Meiji. She had noticed that Meiji treated her differently at first, but now, her attitude toward Feng Qingxuan and Feng Jinye was even more distinct, as if she had become a completely different person. The traces of the assassin she once carried had vanished, replaced entirely by the demeanor of a concerned elder.

Weishao Qianyu hesitated for a moment before asking directly, "How old are you?" She had long suspected that Meiji's youthful appearance was a facade.

Meiji shook her head. She did not know her own age; ever since she appeared at the Twilight Pavilion over a decade ago, she had maintained this appearance of a woman under thirty. Weishao Qianyu was secretly astonished to learn that Meiji was, in fact, approaching forty.

"What do you know about the Xuanyuan family?" Feng Jinye asked, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.

"When the Heavenly Maiden emerges, the twins shall claim the world."

Meiji’s voice was calm, yet the eight simple words struck Weishao Qianyu and Feng Jinye with the force of a blow. The "twins" undoubtedly referred to the children of the Xuanyuan family. Both Weishao Qianyu and Feng Jinye had speculated about the continuation of the prophecy—"The Weishao line produces a Heavenly Maiden every hundred years"—and knew it was linked to the Xuanyuan family, but they had never anticipated a mention of "twins."

"The Weishao line produces a Heavenly Maiden every hundred years; the Xuanyuan twins shall seize the world," Meiji repeated indifferently.

Weishao and Xuanyuan were both ancient surnames, and it was natural for incredible legends to surround them. Yet, Weishao Qianyu had never imagined that such mystical prophecies would one day manifest in her own life. She immediately thought of Huangfu Chen and Huangfu Xi; were they not twins? It was clear why Xuanyuan Ran believed the prophecy so firmly, spending years plotting to seize the world for her sons.

However, Weishao Qianyu could not fathom why Xuanyuan Ran, having secured her "twins," would not let Feng Jinye and his family be. Was there some deeper, hidden grudge?

Sensing Weishao Qianyu’s confusion, Meiji continued, "Regarding the succession of the Xuanyuan family head... I only remember that the family had two daughters and two swords, the Hidden Star blades. On his deathbed, the old sect leader passed the Cangyuan sword to the eldest daughter and the Xingyuan sword to the then-master of the Twilight Pavilion."

Weishao Qianyu frowned. Did this mean the Twilight Pavilion had originally belonged to the Xuanyuan family? "Are you saying that the original master of the Twilight Pavilion was not Xuanyuan Ran?" she guessed.

Meiji closed her eyes and nodded. "Xuanyuan Ran somehow mastered the art of gu-poison. She poisoned everyone in the Twilight Pavilion, seized control of it, and destroyed the Xuanyuan family."

Meiji spoke calmly, yet Weishao Qianyu could sense the raging fire within her. She could empathize with that feeling—it was much like the day the Weishao estate was burned. Xuanyuan Ran’s ruthlessness was evident. Weishao Qianyu glanced at Feng Jinye, realizing that Xuanyuan Ran must have wiped out the Xuanyuan family, and since Feng Jinye’s mother had escaped, Xuanyuan Ran was determined to hunt them all down.

The atmosphere grew heavy. Suddenly, Weishao Qianyu asked, "How can we take Xuanyuan Ran’s life?"

Meiji shook her head; she did not know. Perhaps it would only be possible when the game reached its end. Weishao Qianyu felt there were too many inconsistencies, but she did not know where to begin.

"How do you know about Xuanyuan Ran?" Feng Jinye asked quietly. Weishao Qianyu realized this was a problem too; even though they had suspected the identity of the Twilight Pavilion’s master, they had never been able to find a single shred of evidence.

"Because of Xuan’er..." Meiji replied. When Mianyin had faked her death, Feng Qingxuan was taken to the Twilight Pavilion by Huangfu Chen to become the new Mianyin. It was then that Meiji witnessed Xuanyuan Ran forcing Huangfu Chen to take a blade to Feng Qingxuan.

Meiji suddenly remembered "Xuanyuan Ran," a name she hated to the bone. Weishao Qianyu paused; it seemed that the memory loss caused by pupil-seizing or hypnosis was merely a blockage of consciousness that could be awakened.

Seeing Weishao Qianyu lost in thought, Feng Jinye asked softly, "What are you thinking about?"

Weishao Qianyu was wondering if she could use hypnosis to help Meiji recover her memories. She also thought of Feng Qingxuan. Feng Qingxuan could also be treated with hypnosis, though she was difficult to manage, and she hadn't expected yesterday’s outburst.

"What exactly happened to Feng Qingxuan?" Weishao Qianyu asked again.

"She said Huangfu Chen tied her to a tree and she saw you kill her brother," Meiji explained, covering the cause and effect.

Weishao Qianyu suddenly realized that Feng Qingxuan must have also forgotten certain memories; originally, Feng Qingxuan knew about the plan between Huangfu Chen and Weishao Qianyu to help Feng Jinye break his gu-poison. Feng Jinye looked at Weishao Qianyu. When Meiji mentioned the past, Weishao Qianyu’s reaction was different from what he had imagined—it seemed she, too, had forgotten something. Feng Jinye felt a thread of worry; he sensed there was something behind all this that they could not control.

Weishao Qianyu organized her thoughts, and Feng Jinye signaled for Meiji to withdraw. He stood up and scooped Weishao Qianyu into his arms. She had been so lost in thought that she was startled and tried to push him away, but she could not budge him. Feng Jinye would not give her another chance to push him away; he had been pushed away enough times yesterday, and he did not want to end up back on the tree acting as a hidden guard.

"Let me go," Weishao Qianyu said. She knew Feng Jinye was stubborn. After the things she had said to him yesterday, he would certainly insist on having her take them back. But she did not want to forgive him easily; even if her heart ached for him, she could not simply let everything go.

"I have something to tell you," Feng Jinye said, showing no intention of releasing her.

"Put me down first, then we’ll talk," she replied, biting her lip. Feng Jinye hesitated, then set her down. The moment her feet touched the ground, she tried to push him away again, but he remained unmoved.

"Qianqian, I don’t like being pushed away by you," he said.

Weishao Qianyu stared at him, stunned. Suddenly, all her grievances welled up, and she said coldly, "Then why don't you just stop liking me?"

"That’s not it," Feng Jinye said, confused by her sudden outburst. He felt at a loss as he watched her eyes redden, thinking that if there was one "not liking," there would soon be more.

"I understand," she said coldly, turning away. Feng Jinye sighed, followed her, and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Qianqian, what do you want me to do?" he asked helplessly. "You are angry because I put Dongnuan in danger, but you must know that I cannot allow *you* to be in danger..." Every time he pictured the scene of Feng Qingxuan’s dagger piercing Weishao Qianyu’s heart, he broke out in a cold sweat. He could not permit any threat to her existence, yet Feng Qingxuan was his only remaining kin.

Weishao Qianyu actually understood this. She couldn't blame him, but she was still angry—especially in front of him. Her logic and her emotions were constantly at war. Feng Qingxuan’s repeated actions were indeed intolerable, but her rational side reminded her that Feng Qingxuan was a patient. It wasn't until Feng Qingxuan hurt Dongnuan that Weishao Qianyu finally snapped. Ultimately, she was protective of her own. She could handle being hurt herself, but not those she cared for.

She also felt frustrated that everyone, in the name of doing what was best for her, made the choices she least wanted to see. She felt powerless, because she had made those same choices herself.

She remained silent. Feng Jinye slowly turned her around to face him and placed his index finger against her lips. She opened her mouth and bit down hard. Feng Jinye winced, enduring the pain in his fingertip. As she released his finger, her gaze shifted to his ear. Before she could tell him to lean closer, he leaned in and kissed her lips.

Weishao Qianyu was furious; he had clearly seen through her intent. Ever since he recovered his memories from the past few years, she found it harder and harder to bully him.

"I don't like being left alone on a tree..." Feng Jinye said, picking her up once more. Weishao Qianyu was bewildered. He had actually brought her up to the tree—the same one he had been waiting on.

"Feng Jinye, you..." Before she could finish, he sealed her lips with his.

"You..." she tried again, but he blocked her again. She felt he was a madman, acting like this in broad daylight. Suddenly, sensing something was wrong, she found a gap and admitted, "I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong..."

Feng Jinye stopped, waiting for her to continue.

"Our Feng family, our Xuanyuan family, we—we!" She pouted, gesturing for him to let her go so she could leave.

Feng Jinye would not give an inch. "And the Prince Zhan’s estate..."

"Fine, our Prince Zhan’s estate..." she said helplessly. It was truly childish, just a few angry words.

After she finished, he still wouldn't let her go. "And..."

Weishao Qianyu looked up at him, then lowered her eyes, utterly defeated. "As long as Feng Jinye lives, I live."

The moment she said it, she jumped in frustration, kicking and hitting him to vent her anger. "Feng Jinye, are you being childish? Are you three years old?"

"How can you be like this?"

"If you keep acting this way, I’ll be stifled to death sooner or later..."

"No, no, absolutely not!"

A smile spread across Feng Jinye’s face. Watching her get so worked up reminded him of how she acted when she was woken from a dream—it was adorable. Weishao Qianyu racked her brains, trying to figure out how to win a round, but her skin was simply not as thick as his.