Aunt Mei waved, restoring the normal order of heaven and earth"s workings. She said with a smile, "Lingxi, the fact that the red light upon you that doesn"t discriminate between friend and foe distresses you, doesn"t it?"
"It"s alright now. It"s still useful…" Ji Lingxi blushed.
Aunt Mei beamed meaningfully and asked, "Would it still be really useful if I told you that I could get rid of it for you?"
Get rid of it?
Ji Lingxi was startled once again.
This would be Yun Yang"s biggest wish all this time.
Ji Lingxi could very well see that Yun Yang was utterly and absolutely resentful of the red light upon her. If she were to get rid of it, he would have devoured her easily within days – and she would not be able to resist him either.
"Better not." Ji Lingxi was still bright red. "This is a goal to strive towards for the short term. The benefits outweigh the drawbacks anyway…"
"Oh… the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, do they?"
Aunt Mei made a long, meaningful "oh", fl.u.s.tering Ji Lingxi further.
"Oh, women…" Aunt Mei hugged Ji Lingxi"s shoulders and told her, "Sometimes, they must know to endure and tolerate. Sometimes, however, they can"t take even a step back. The judgment of this will only come to you during that moment. You can"t just know it, you must seize it. You have to strike when it"s time to strike."
Ji Lingxi hummed and nodded to agree instinctively, but there was still a sense of confusion in her gaze.
"Appreciate those in front of you," Aunt Mei added with a low sigh when she saw that the girl did not really understand what she had meant. These young girls…
…
In the small yard, Shangguan Lingxiu was gazing at Yun Yang. Her delicate face was pale and her eyes were oozing with adoration.
For a moment, both of them were quiet.
Yun Yang felt a wave of sadness surging and consuming him from within. Usually sharp-tongued and eloquent, he could not utter a single word now.
They harbored feelings for each other, and they knew that the other reciprocated their feelings. They had never avoided it intentionally. However, when it came to intimate contact, it was basically nonexistent.
They were worse compared to Yun Yang and Ji Lingxi. Ji Lingxi"s red light was annoying and domineering, but a buffer had been triggered following Yun Yang"s semi-proactive attempts. They could still touch each other"s hands occasionally, but of course, the consequences were still severe.
However, Shangguan Lingxiu and Yun Yang had actually never even held hands.
"I"m leaving." Shangguan Lingxiu wore her usual gentle smile and said softly, "This is goodbye…
"I know," Yun Yang said after a deep breath.
"I won"t be by your side from now on… You – take care," said Shangguan Lingxiu.
"I will, definitely," Yun Yang answered warmly, staring at the pretty face in front of him, "Aunt Mei is someone masterly. It"s immense serendipity for you to be able to become her disciple, Sister Lingxiu. You must cultivate diligently and improve fast. Don"t miss us too much."
Shangguan Lingxiu hummed and said sadly, "Yun Yang, I understand everything you say but… we won"t be meeting for a long, long time…"
"It won"t be long. You have a great master, your improvement will be swift. I won"t bind myself to the current state too, I"ll work hard to progress. I believe that our reunion at the Bound of Universe won"t be far away," Yun Yang replied earnestly.
Reunion – the word was incomparably important to Shangguan Lingxiu now. She felt her drifting heart quiet down immediately; it became resilient and secure, no longer filled with doubts.
"You must be well!" Yun Yang urged in a low voice.
Shangguan Lingxiu lowered her head and hummed her agreement demurely.
Yun Yang sighed softly and said, "Aunt Mei"s ident.i.ty, origin, and force far exceeds my knowledge. My little farewell gift to you probably won"t be significant to them."
He chortled and continued, "However, my woman is about to go far away. This departure gift can"t be found lacking!"
His wrist flipped and a ring was retrieved.
"This contains cultivation resources that I will give to you. Keep them well. When you arrive at your master"s, we have our confidence as well. No need to overly diminish yourself."
Shangguan Lingxiu was astounded, blood rus.h.i.+ng to her face.
My woman!
The shock that came to her accompanying these words was indescribable. Shangguan Lingxiu"s eyes were moist. Her gaze was surprisingly shy when she stared at the black ring before her. She extended her right hand and said softly, "Help me wear it."
"Once you wear it… you won"t have to take it off this lifetime." Yun Yang smiled tenderly.
Shangguan Lingxiu"s face was crimson as she said, "If it has to be taken off… then why should I wear it?"
Yun Yang laughed. Picking up the ring, he gently brought it through Shangguan Lingxiu"s right ring finger. Shangguan Lingxiu trembled throughout the process, fl.u.s.tered, but did not move away. She stared at Yun Yang longingly, fully intending to commit this face to her deepest memory.
In this lifetime, she did not want to ever forget this scene and this very moment.
After a long time, Shangguan Lingxiu went near Yun Yang slowly, as if hesitating. Suddenly, she stood on her toes, trembling, and slowly pressed her lips on Yun Yang"s own mouth.
Yun Yang could feel the unusual iciness on his lover"s lips and her trembling body. The indescribable fragrance from her was soothing and it was laced with bittersweet tenderness and love. He could not help bringing his arms forward and pulling Shangguan Lingxiu in by her waist.
Petals of lips separated after another long moment.
Shangguan Lingxiu gazed at Yun Yang devotedly and slowly stepped back. "I"m going now, I have to go now."
"I"ll work harder. Let us antic.i.p.ate the day we meet again," Yun Yang told her fondly.
Shangguan Lingxiu stared straight into Yun Yang"s eyes and after a beat, a teardrop slowly fell. Finally turning around, she rushed out of the door like she was taking off and kept herself from turning back.
Two drops of tears fell onto the floor.
Ji Lingxi was still waiting at the door, almost colliding into Shangguan Lingxiu.
Just as she took a step to avoid the collision, she was hugged tightly by Shangguan Lingxiu. Then, Ji Lingxi felt her shoulder being drenched with tears.
It was a wonder that the guarding red light was discriminating of s.e.x or it could accurately judge an approaching person"s intention as it did not flash and create havoc.
Realization hit Ji Lingxi when she saw how Shangguan Lingxiu was behaving. Tears escaped her eyes as well as she hugged Shangguan Lingxiu tightly.
"Sister Lingxiu, take care! I"ll wait for your return with Yun Yang! I"ll try my best to catch up to you as soon as possible!"
Both girls sobbed against each other"s shoulders, pouring out their sorrow.
Aunt Mei stood aside and watched the girls" tears with a sharp gaze. After a while, she lowered her head, softening her expression, especially when she saw Ji Lingxi"s tears.
"The heart of a pure one is the most precious."
Finally, under Yun Yang and Ji Lingxi"s aching gaze and Old Mistress Shangguan"s longing stare, Aunt Mei spoke lightly, "Is there an end to romance? Don"t sink your hunger for the path to heaven. Today we depart; who says that girls can"t take charge?"
Swiftly, she pulled Shangguan Lingxiu along. "Goodbye!"