Chapter 911 - 352: Like a Dream Tune (Part 3)
"So you’ve decided to play hide-and-seek."
The sound of the flute suddenly grew clearer and louder.
Fan Wubing whipped his head around, only to see a girl in azure clothes with her hair loose, sitting on the branch of an ancient pine, leisurely playing the flute.
She wasn’t looking his way, but gazing off into the distant sky.
When the tune ended, she finally looked at Fan Wubing and called out with a smile,
"Well, well, Evil Fan, you actually dare bully the beast guarding my door."
Fan Wubing played along and called back,
"That beast of yours is ill-behaved. Looks like it wasn’t trained properly to guard the house."
The loose-haired girl flicked out the flute in her hand. The flute turned into a sword and shot toward Fan Wubing, aiming straight for his neck.
Fan Wubing raised his right hand, his index and middle fingers together, and pinched the sword between them. At his fingertips, the sword turned back into a flute. He glanced at it; the flute was covered in mottled marks, as if the slightest force would crush it to dust.
He laughed and said,
"Who would’ve thought—you’re actually sentimental. You’ve treasured this broken flute for so long."
The loose-haired girl lay lazily along the ancient pine branch, her long hair spilling down and fluttering in the wind. Reclining sideways, she propped her cheek and said with a smile,
"Can’t be helped. That Great Demon just wouldn’t give me anything nice."
Fan Wubing smiled faintly. With a flick of his fingers, he sent the flute back to her, then said softly,
"Long time no see, Yao Yue."
Baili Yao Yue laughed and said,
"Long time, my ass. You Great Demon only know how to sweet-talk. It’s been this long and you only come looking for me now—really determined to let that tiny shred of feeling dry up completely, aren’t you?"
Fan Wubing let out a dry laugh,
"Senior Sister wouldn’t let me come find you."
Baili Yao Yue couldn’t bear to hear Si Jiuyou’s name; she clapped her hands over her ears and shook her head over and over,
"Can’t hear, can’t hear, can’t hear!"
Fan Wubing said helplessly,
"She said you tricked her on the Path of Eternity and made her waste a lot of time."
Baili Yao Yue sat up, that pure, stunning face filled with indescribable vexation,
"How much longer before you finally grow up? All day long it’s ’Senior Sister’ when you open your mouth, ’Senior Sister’ when you close it. Is she your mother or your grandmother?"
Fan Wubing gave a bitter smile.
Baili Yao Yue was just that kind of person—when it came to something she didn’t like, nothing good ever came out of her mouth.
She lifted an eyebrow,
"What, did I say anything wrong?"
"But in both my lives, it really was Senior Sister who took care of me."
"You actually treat her like your mother?"
"No..." Fan Wubing was clearly in the wrong, his words lacking confidence.
Baili Yao Yue said bluntly, "People call you a ’Senior Sister slave’ and you still argue back."
As soon as she said this, Peach Blossoms in the Purple Mansion immediately popped out, flew to her side, and chimed in nonstop, making a whole scene of ’searching across the world and finally finding a kindred spirit.’
Baili Yao Yue arched an eyebrow at Fan Wubing in smug triumph,
"See? Even Peach Blossoms, who’s been with you for so many years, says you’re a Senior Sister slave."
Fan Wubing scratched his head and grumbled,
"It’s not that bad, right? It’s not like I obey Senior Sister in everything. And she really does care about me, treats me well—of course I’d keep her in my thoughts."
"So then what kind of stupid thing did she do? Without a word early on she just ascended, delaying you for a thousand years and dragging me along for another thousand." Baili Yao Yue rolled her eyes. "I was stupid back then too, actually handing my chastity over to you, you heartless bastard."
"Wasn’t it that righteous and demonic couldn’t stand together back then?"
"Excuses! You really think I’m hopelessly dumb, can’t tell you’re so obsessed over that Senior Sister you’re about to go berserk?" Baili Yao Yue stretched lazily, her voice languid, "Fine. I’m just a stand-in anyway. Once you find the real one, of course the substitute can be tossed aside."
Fan Wubing took a deep breath and said seriously,
"Yao Yue, I don’t know how I’m supposed to make it up to you. When it comes to this kind of thing, I’ve never had much wisdom, even less clear enlightenment. The only thing I can say is that I’m very fortunate—it was you who let me truly understand what love is."
Baili Yao Yue gave a faint smile,
"Spare me, I don’t buy that. Save the sweet nothings for those little girls; I only recognize one thing. Marry me, call me your wife in front of the whole world. You took my chastity and still don’t want to give me a proper name? Do you take me for some brothel girl? Where in the world is there such logic, don’t you agree?"
"..."
Seeing him stay silent, Baili Yao Yue mocked herself,
"Did you ever imagine that a lofty Saintess, adored by the world, would end up a pitiful woman who begged and still got cast aside? Ah, the Immortal Path is all hardship, the Path of Eternity is even more dull. After stumbling along in such sorry fashion to find you, all I get is a cold shoulder. I might as well have picked some random gentleman back then, married into a mortal family, and enjoyed the pleasures of human bonds."
"No, you’ve misunderstood me."
"Then what are you going to do?" Baili Yao Yue’s brows and eyes were displeased. "This half-heartedness, that refusal to speak—am I supposed to keep performing a one-woman show?"
"I just think your demand is far too low—I was wondering if I’d heard you wrong."