The scene she had imagined did not come to pass. At the very least, the person she had been yearning for day and night did not run toward her as she had expected, nor did she call out "Master" or "Little Scorpion."
Instead, the woman merely spared her a calm, indifferent glance before turning away, intending to head inside.
*Impossible. This is my Ruo’er.* In that moment, Nan Muxue lost all reason. She lunged forward recklessly, blocking the other woman’s path. "Ruo’er?"
"I don’t know you," the woman replied, hurrying forward. "Zhi’er, wait for me!"
The woman ahead of her seemed to hear the commotion and turned back to investigate. "What’s wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing. Just a case of mistaken identity," the voice drifted back from the noisy lobby into Nan Muxue’s ears. "Zhi’er, let me tell you—you didn't see her, but that woman just now... one look and you can tell she’s no good. She has the face of a venomous scorpion. One look," her voice suddenly grew louder, "and you know she’s a little scorpion!"
"That’s enough," Bai Zhi’er hurriedly stopped her. "What if she hears you? Let’s go."
"Mm."
***
Night fell...
Chu Ruo was lounging on the bed with her legs crossed, staring blankly at the ceiling. *That Little Scorpion... I gave her such an obvious hint, and she still hasn't come to find me? Surely she doesn't actually think I’ve forgotten her and left in a huff? No!* She sat up abruptly. *Could it be she doesn't know which room I'm in and is waiting for me downstairs? I have to go check.*
Chu Ruo scrambled out of bed and crept out of the room. She prowled around the inn, not even sparing the backyard kitchen or the latrines, but she didn't see a single soul. *That damn Little Scorpion, why are you so stupid?* She kicked a pile of sand in frustration and prepared to head back to her room.
Truth be told, she hadn't expected to run into her at the inn’s entrance. Although Chu Ruo had fantasized about their reunion countless times—usually involving the Little Scorpion holding her and weeping—the moment she saw that face today, her nose had begun to sting. Seeing her own treacherous tears threatening to fall, she had suddenly remembered that now was not the best time for a reunion. That was why she had feigned ignorance. *Who would have thought, you Little Scorpion... it’s only been a few months and your IQ has dropped off a cliff? Or do you just not care about me anymore? I’ll draw circles and curse you!*
Closing her door, Chu Ruo was still brooding. She muttered as she walked, "Damn Little Scorpion, I’m drawing circles to curse you. Stupid, so stupid!"
"Are you seeking death?"
The voice coming from behind her was flat and devoid of emotion, but it was enough to send a surge of adrenaline through Chu Ruo. She spun around. Who else could it be but the Little Scorpion she had been pining for with every fiber of her being? *I have to say, you’re really something—how can you be so calm at a time like this?* Chu Ruo sniffled, spreading her arms wide for a bear hug.
*Slap.* She was heartlessly pushed away. Nan Muxue walked past her and sat down, casually smoothing her sleeves. "I thought you didn't know your Master. What is the meaning of this?"
*Damn your pride! What time do you think it is?* "I..."
"Speak. What trouble have you stirred up this time?"
Chu Ruo walked toward her, intending to offer a stubborn retort. But with every step she took, the sorrow in her heart became harder to suppress. Finally, she reached the woman’s back. With trembling hands, she embraced Nan Muxue from behind and called out in a raspy voice, "Master..."
Only then did Nan Muxue experience a true moment of clarity. No matter how much prideful strength she displayed for others, it was nothing more than a hollow facade. For the sake of that single word—"Master"—she could give up everything; she didn't care about anything else. And this person would never know how she had endured those endless days and nights, especially the darkness of the evenings. She turned around and pressed her lips against the other’s with desperate urgency, a kiss that was both scorching and real.
Chu Ruo clearly hadn't expected the woman who was frost-cold a second ago to be so proactive the next. However, she too missed her to her very marrow. They kissed passionately, and eventually, amidst the frantic shuffling, they both tumbled onto the bed.
Once the kiss ended, Chu Ruo lost all restraint. She began to pepper the other woman’s red lips with light pecks, her kisses trailing down to her ears and neck before wandering back to her lips. "Master..." She gazed into her eyes; in that moment, they saw only each other.
Nan Muxue finally cast aside her reserve, reaching up to caress Chu Ruo’s cheek. "Ruo’er, my Ruo’er is back." Even as she lay beneath her, she propped herself up to hold her tight. "I knew Ruo’er would return to my side."
"Mm, I promised you I would stay with you," Chu Ruo held her in a death grip. "I want to stay with you forever."
Nan Muxue, however, reached out to check her pulse. "The sachet you carried is gone, you..." Her face paled with shock. "Where is your internal energy?" Why was her pulse so chaotic? Her meridians were sealed, and there were signs of poisoning. A chill radiated from her body. "Who did this?"
"There was no other way," Chu Ruo explained. "To suppress the Hundred Flowers Gu... after I fell off the cliff, the sachet containing the medicine went missing. I think I lost it. Now, the poison in my body and the Hundred Flowers Gu are keeping each other in check..."
"I am the one who harmed you," the other woman said, her voice thick with self-reproach. "Using the Hundred Flowers Gu on you was my greatest mistake."
"It has nothing to do with you. I don't blame you, I..."
So this was why this girl hadn't dared to recognize her immediately. She stroked her face. "Ruo’er, I will find a way to save you. When the time comes, I will take you back to the Hundred Flowers Palace, and no one will ever be able to hurt you again."
"Okay." Unfortunately, Chu Ruo’s brain chose this exact moment to malfunction. She blurted out, "We should probably get up and talk. If Zhi’er finds out..."
The words were out before she could take them back. Nan Muxue narrowed her eyes. "Zhi’er?"
"Ah... well..."
Nan Muxue sat up. "That’s right. I heard you calling her 'Zhi’er' at the inn entrance today. I didn't realize that aside from your Master, Ruo’er feared someone else so much. Is your 'Lady Zhi’er' a very close acquaintance of yours?"
Chu Ruo interrupted her, "Alright, there’s nothing between us. Don't misunderstand."
"Nothing? Oh, so 'nothing' means sharing a single guest room?"
A jealous woman was the most dangerous creature on earth. Chu Ruo stepped forward to hug her. "Let’s talk about the important business first, okay?"
Nan Muxue scoffed. She knew Chu Ruo must have had a reason for not recognizing her today, but seeing her acting so intimately with that woman still filled her heart with waves of displeasure. "Speak."
"Listen carefully, I’ll make it short. The missing people were taken by the Heaven Demon Palace to be turned into walking corpses—medicine men. There is a mole for Liu Shaopeng within the Hundred Flowers Palace. Bai Zhi’er and her sister are from the Heaven Demon Palace, and they seem to have a grudge against the Hundred Flowers Palace. That mole made an appointment to meet them tonight. Right!" She jumped up. "What are we doing wasting time here? We need to go see that mole!"
"There is no need. I know who it is," Nan Muxue said calmly.
"You... you know?"
"You talk too much. You don't need to worry about that matter." Nan Muxue continued, "Right now, what I am interested in is you and your Lady Zhi’er."
"There is nothing between me and her!"
"I haven't even asked yet, and you already know?"
"I..."
Then, Nan Muxue pinched her waist without the slightest hesitation. "Are the two of you... very close?"
"Ow, ow, ow! It hurts... it hurts..."
"Ruo’er?" Another familiar voice spoke as Bai Zhi’er pushed the door open. A flash of disappointment crossed her face when she saw the person in the room. Chu Ruo looked over, her heart aching with guilt. "Zhi’er, you... you’re back."
"If I hadn't come back, I suppose you would have left by now," Bai Zhi’er said.
"Once she has the antidote, she will naturally leave," Nan Muxue interjected, calmly pulling Chu Ruo behind her. "I heard that you were the one who saved Ruo’er."
Bai Zhi’er merely stared at Chu Ruo and smiled elegantly. "So you are the 'Little Scorpion' she speaks of."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Nan Muxue turned her head to give Chu Ruo an extremely complicated look. *What did I do to deserve this?* "Zhi’er, how... how did you know?"
"That night you were drunk, you kept calling out the name 'Little Scorpion.' Today at the inn, you were specifically trying to alert her, weren't you?" Bai Zhi’er was still smiling, though she could barely maintain it. Yet, when she looked at Chu Ruo, she was as gentle as ever. "Ruo’er, you never lost your memory at all. You’ve been lying to me this whole time, haven't you?"
Chu Ruo didn't dare meet her gaze. She had indeed deceived her—this woman who had treated her with nothing but sincerity. "Zhi’er, I’m sorry..."
"As her Master, I shall be the one to repay the debt of saving her life." Nan Muxue took out a stack of banknotes and placed them on the table. "My thanks to Miss Bai for saving my disciple."
The result, however, was Bai Zhi’er curling her lip in disdain. She produced a double stack of banknotes and set them on the table. "This lady is not lacking in money."
Nan Muxue turned back and glared at Chu Ruo before saying coldly, "Hand over the prescription."
"Sister, how is your injury—" Bai Shan’s voice drifted in. Upon seeing the people in the room, she instantly stepped in front of Bai Zhi’er. "Who is she?"
"Chu Ruo," before anyone could answer, she glared fiercely at Chu Ruo, "you ungrateful wretch! You’re colluding with an outsider to deal with my sister!"
Nan Muxue’s brows shot up at those words. Her sword, Ice Soul, unsheathed instantly, and in a flash, she was locked in combat with Bai Shan.
"Ice Soul? You are Nan Muxue!" Bai Shan’s reaction upon seeing the sword was unusually intense. Every strike was a killing blow. It was then that Chu Ruo noticed Bai Zhi’er’s lips were devoid of color. She rushed over to support her. "Zhi’er, are you hurt?"
"At least you still care about me," Bai Zhi’er murmured before suddenly coughing up blood. Bai Shan turned back in alarm, retreating to check her sister’s condition. "Sister, how are you?!"
Seeing Chu Ruo holding the other woman sparked a surge of irrational anger in Nan Muxue’s heart. Because she had been driven to the brink of madness by her longing for Chu Ruo these past few days, her internal energy was unstable; falling into a state of cultivation deviation was a common occurrence. Seeing her state, Chu Ruo tried to move toward her. "Master..."
Bai Shan took in the situation on both sides and suddenly released a cloud of toxic smoke into the air. The mist instantly filled the room. Taking advantage of the chaos, she grabbed Chu Ruo and fled with the injured Bai Zhi’er.
"Ruo’er!" The toxic smoke posed no threat to Nan Muxue, but by the time she rushed out of the room, the others were nowhere to be seen. *Ruo’er, I will not let you slip away from me again.*
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
冰魄 | Ice Soul | Nan Muxue's sword.
药人 | Medicine men | People turned into mindless, walking corpses through drugs/alchemy.
百花蛊 | Hundred Flowers Gu | A parasitic poison/technique associated with the Hundred Flowers Palace.
雪若阁 | Xueruo Pavilion | The name of the shops Nan Muxue established (combining 'Xue' from her name and 'Ruo' from Chu Ruo's).
