Chapter 50: State of Mind
“Are you asleep?”
In the darkness, Luo Yingying tried calling out.
She felt no reaction from Ye Changsheng, only his steady breathing beside her. He seemed to be truly asleep.
Luo Yingying gazed at Ye Changsheng’s profile, a smile involuntarily blooming on her lips. Just being by the side of the person she liked made her feel happy.
She recalled a memory. It was the first time she met Ye Changsheng. A cold rain was falling, drenching Luo Yingying. Her entire body reeked of blood, so strong that the heavy rain couldn’t wash it away. Luo Yingying stood before Ye Changsheng, her face ashen, a bloodied sword in her hand. Ye Changsheng, however, wasn’t afraid at all. He even calmly teased her—
“If you were willing to smile, you’d be very cute.”
It was because of these words that Luo Yingying’s personality gradually began to change. Ye Changsheng’s disposition, however, had not changed much; he always maintained a nonchalant attitude towards everything. Luo Yingying understood in her heart that while Ye Changsheng harbored good feelings for her, it wasn’t to the extent of love. She had been basely forcing him, and Ye Changsheng, not wanting to hurt her, chose to indulge her willfulness.
“But, Changsheng, I can’t help but want to possess you.”
Luo Yingying quietly snuck closer to Ye Changsheng, cupped his beloved face, and left her kiss upon his lips.
Continuing the pose, Luo Yingying savored the brief moment of infatuation before finally getting up.
“Happy birthday, Changsheng. This is my gift to you.”
Luo Yingying chuckled lightly, her slender fingers brushing over Ye Changsheng’s neck. The Heartless Seal on the young man’s neck was slowly fading away, the curse binding him lifted.
In fact, Luo Yingying occasionally sensed that something was amiss with Ye Changsheng. He was hiding something from her. Although Ye Changsheng had done a perfect job, leaving no room for suspicion, when one liked someone, one would desperately want to understand everything about them. Ye Changsheng couldn’t completely deceive Luo Yingying.
Luo Yingying’s hand slowly crept to Ye Changsheng’s cheek, tracing the handsome curves of the young man’s face. Although she sensed the abnormality, Luo Yingying never delved into it or inquired. She chose to trust the person she loved, and it was this trust that unraveled Ye Changsheng’s Heartless Seal. This was Luo Yingying’s birthday gift to Ye Changsheng. Luo Yingying knew she was fantasizing, yet she foolishly hoped that Ye Changsheng would begin to like her because of this trust.
“It seems I should leave now.”
Luo Yingying looked up and saw a silhouette standing outside the window. She jumped off the bed, clad in a light white gauze robe, her beautiful bare feet stepping onto the cold floor. She walked over and opened the window, and the cool night breeze ruffled her hair.
“…Left Guardian Yin Lianxin, greetings to Young Palace Mistress.” A woman wearing a black veil entered the room and bowed to Luo Lihong.
“Left Guardian?” Luo Yingying was somewhat surprised. Yin Lianxin was Yin Yu’s younger sister. Unlike the eloquent Yin Yu, Yin Lianxin was not good with words, taciturn, but skilled in combat, ranking among the top in Wuhua Palace. She was a direct subordinate of the Palace Mistress and rarely appeared in public.
“Did Elder Sister send you?”
“Yes, Palace Mistress ordered me to protect you all the way.”
“So Elder Sister knew I would come out long ago.” Luo Yingying sighed. No wonder it was so easy for her to leave Wuhua Palace; it was with her sister’s tacit approval. Now, Luo Yingying believed Ye Changsheng’s words even more. Luo Lihong had been worried about her, just not openly, even dispatching a powerful guardian to secretly protect her.
“Did you… see just now?” Luo Yingying’s face flushed slightly. Thinking about it, it was embarrassing to be seen by others when she was being intimate with Ye Changsheng. Although she grew up in the peculiar environment of Wuhua Palace, Luo Yingying’s thick skin didn’t extend to doing strange things in front of outsiders.
“I was patrolling nearby and only just returned,” Yin Lianxin said, confused. “What did you mean by seeing something?”
“Oh, never mind then.” Luo Yingying was relieved.
“Elder Sister wants me to go back to Wuhua Palace, doesn’t she? I’ll go.”
“Palace Mistress actually accepted that so easily?” Yin Lianxin hadn’t expected Luo Yingying to be so unresisting.
“Is that strange?”
“…No,” Yin Lianxin shook her head. “However, Young Palace Mistress, Palace Mistress didn’t ask you to go back; she has other plans.”
“Oh?”
“Please come with me. I will explain in detail on the way.”
“Alright, I understand.” Luo Yingying agreed. After getting dressed, she looked back with reluctance, imprinting Ye Changsheng’s sleeping face in her mind.
“Young Palace Mistress, should we wake him to say goodbye?” Yin Lianxin asked.
“No need, let him sleep a little longer.”
…
“Mmm… Ah! So refreshing. I haven’t had such a good dream in a long time.” Ye Changsheng stretched and got out of bed. Usually, Luo Yingying would be clinging to him like a koala, but Ye Changsheng didn’t see her.
“Yingying?”
Ye Changsheng looked around but couldn’t find her. However, he saw a piece of paper on the table.
“Changsheng, I’m leaving first. Good luck with your mission, I’ll fully support you. P.S. Your persona needs a slight adjustment. You’re not unmarried; you have a cute and beautiful wife waiting to get married!”
Ye Changsheng also felt that it needed adjustment. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain when he saw Zhou Bujue at the White Emperor Sword Sect. As he tidied his clothes, he felt something was off; his mental state was even better than before. The path of True Qi circulation in his body felt unobstructed, as if the restriction that had been buried within him was gone. Gone? Could it be…
Thinking this, Ye Changsheng quickly began to verify. After a while, he couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise. The Heartless Seal that had been bothering him had indeed been broken. This was definitely Luo Yingying’s doing.
“This is truly… I don’t know what to say.” A wry smile appeared on Ye Changsheng’s lips. He felt he might have gone too far, as if he had deceived a girl’s feelings. Such trust also put a certain kind of pressure on him.
“First, I should deal with this note to avoid anyone finding it,” Ye Changsheng said, waving his hand and burning the note to ashes.
“Boundless Heaven and Earth Realm, open!” Ye Changsheng’s Spiritual Power stirred, tearing through space and opening a crack the size of a keyhole. This was a supreme divine ability related to special space, capable of opening a door to a mysterious plane. However, that plane was extremely dangerous, said to be inhabited by countless perilous Exotic Beasts, far superior to the Demonic Beasts and Spiritual Beasts of Qixia Isle. Not only Nascent Soul realm cultivators, but even Soul Transformation realm cultivators were their prey. Although this supreme divine ability had limited uses, it was quite suitable for destroying certain items.
“That’s better.” Watching the ashes being absorbed into the Boundless Heaven and Earth Realm, Ye Changsheng felt relieved. Although it might seem like overkill, Ye Changsheng believed that if a problem could be solved, it should be solved.
