"By the way, Xiaoyou, you just said you had a question for me. What did you want to ask?" Bai Yuxiao's voice rang out from above. Qin Xiaoyou paused for a moment, then slowly replied, "I forgot."
"It's alright, just forget about it. Ask again when you remember." Bai Yuxiao hugged the person in his arms tighter, quietly enjoying this rare moment of intimacy.
"Xiao You, Xiao You." After calling twice without getting a response, Bai Yuxiao looked down and saw that Qin Xiaoyou had fallen asleep against his chest at some point. "This girl, she can fall asleep standing up." Although he said that, Bai Yuxiao still gently picked her up, carried her back to the room, carefully placed her on the bed, and left quietly after making sure she was covered with a blanket.
She slept soundly through the night without any dreams. Qin Xiaoyou sat up in bed, rubbing her messy hair, staring blankly at the foot of the bed.
When Zui Linglong walked in, she saw Qin Xiaoyou looking dazed and silly. She covered half of her face with her fan and laughed. Zui Linglong asked, "Xiaoyou, what are you daydreaming about so early in the morning? Did you have a good dream last night and are you reliving it now?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Xiaoyou blushed but didn't argue. She hadn't dreamt last night; her dazed state upon waking was simply because she belatedly remembered falling asleep in Bai Yuxiao's arms, and then nothing more. However, seeing her clothes neatly folded to the side this morning, with only her undergarments on, it was obvious even to a fool that Bai Yuxiao had undressed her. Tsk tsk, what a sensual scene! It's a pity she slept like a log, feeling nothing at all, and she didn't even know if she had talked in her sleep or drooled.
Seeing Qin Xiaoyou looking lost in thought again, Zui Linglong couldn't help but step forward and shake Qin Xiaoyou's shoulder: "Come on, snap out of it. Did you forget that we agreed to go to the Bodhi Temple and the Matchmaker Temple to burn incense together today?"
"Oh right, the Temple of the Matchmaker! I almost forgot." Upon hearing Zui Linglong's words, Qin Xiaoyou hurriedly got out of bed and started getting dressed. She had heard before that every year on Double Ten Day, young women would go to the Temple of the Matchmaker to pray for marriage, and Qin Xiaoyou had been clamoring to go and join in the fun. It just so happened that she had only been back at Chunfeng Yidu Tower for a few days when the annual Double Ten Day arrived, and Qin Xiaoyou had said countless times that she must be reminded to go that day. Because she had heard that almost all the women in the city would be out on that day, and the streets would be incredibly lively. There would also be many more stalls selling trinkets and snacks than usual.
Why wait to join in such excitement? Qin Xiaoyou quickly tidied herself up, casually tied her hair back with a hair tie, and dragged Zui Linglong out to see what was going on.
Chapter 79, It's Time to Get Married
Although they came out to watch the excitement, Qin Xiaoyou and her group ended up being stared at more often than not. This was understandable; Bai Yuxiao and Wenren Qi, one handsome and dashing in white robes like an immortal, the other gentle and refined with extraordinary bearing, attracted the attention of passing young women and wives, who glanced at them repeatedly. Some of the bolder ones, encouraged by their companions, even disregarded the fact that the two were already accompanied by women, blushing as they approached and offered handkerchiefs, sachets, and other small embroidered items they had personally made.
Wenren Qi and Bai Yuxiao naturally wouldn't accept these things, but Qin Xiaoyou unceremoniously scooped them all up. When Bai Yuxiao scolded her, she retorted confidently, "These things are offered to me for free, so why not take them? Besides, I think these things are quite well-made. I can sell them at a stall somewhere else and earn some pocket money. And besides, I'm the one who accepted these things, not you. Are you expecting them to come after me, a young lady, for responsibility?"
Seeing Qin Xiaoyou's shameless expression, Bai Yuxiao knew she was jealous that so many girls were openly or secretly interested in him, so he didn't say anything more and let her be.
Arriving at the Temple of the Matchmaker, they looked up and, wow, it was a sea of people—enough to rival the Great Wall during the National Day holiday! Qin Xiaoyou and Zui Linglong exchanged a glance, realizing neither of them intended to squeeze in, and decided to abandon their plan to draw lots at the temple. However, they were reluctant to go back after such a lively occasion, so Qin Xiaoyou, dragging Bai Yuxiao along, and Zui Linglong, arm in arm with Wenren Qi, began to wander aimlessly around the area.
"Miss, please wait a moment." As they walked, an old man dressed as a Taoist priest called out to Qin Xiaoyou and her companions.
Qin Xiaoyou pointed to her nose: "You called me?"
The old Taoist priest smiled mysteriously: "I'll call you and that young lady, the two of you."
"Is there something you need?" Qin Xiaoyou looked him over and made sure she didn't recognize the old man.
"I've been wandering the martial world for decades, and my friends in the martial world respect me and call me 'Iron Half-Immortal.' I don't usually tell fortunes for people easily, but today, I feel that I have a connection with these two ladies, so I'll make an exception and tell your fortunes. As for the fee, you can decide for yourself," the old Taoist said, stroking his goatee.
"Tch, so he's just a charlatan who rips people off," Qin Xiaoyou muttered, turning to leave. But the old Taoist priest darted in front of the four of them, spreading his hands and saying, "I've already told your fortunes. Whether you listen or not is up to you, but you absolutely must pay for the divination."
"Oh, they're even trying to extort money from me, Qin Xiaoyou! They think I'm some kind of pushover just because they haven't shown my teeth yet?" With her hands on her hips, Qin Xiaoyou was about to give this old Taoist priest a good lesson, from Marxism-Leninism to Mao Zedong Thought and Euclidean principles, to make him fully realize that openly extorting money from people on the street is very bad behavior. Just then, Zui Linglong spoke up, "Oh? You've already done the divination? Then tell me what you've calculated. If it's accurate, I'll give you the fortune-telling fee. If it's just nonsense, don't blame me for destroying your business." After saying that, Zui Linglong winked at Qin Xiaoyou. Qin Xiaoyou understood; Zui Linglong was planning to use her psychological knowledge to teach this old Taoist priest a lesson. So she abandoned her ready-to-fight posture and retreated gracefully to Bai Yuxiao's side.
"Oh dear, you look so delicate and frail, yet you're always tearing people apart. So fierce, be careful no one will want you in the future." The old Taoist priest didn't rush to tell the divination, but instead teased Zui Linglong. However, after receiving a icy glare from Wenren Qi, the old Taoist priest shrank back and said, "The divination for you two ladies is actually a mixed blessing."
"How so? It's a mix of good and bad fortune?" Zui Linglong asked, squinting her eyes. She seemed to be threatening to pluck out all your beard if you couldn't give a proper explanation.
"Actually, it's not by chance that you two came into this world. It's only because someone in this world has such a deep obsession with you that, accumulated over many lifetimes, you have this destiny today. However, you are ultimately outsiders. If you don't form a bond with this world soon, I'm afraid you won't be able to stay for long. Time is running out, time is running out." At the end, the old Taoist shook his head and sighed.
Wenren Qi and Bai Yuxiao, seeing the old Taoist priest speaking incoherently and seemingly rambling, decided to leave with Zui Linglong and Qin Xiaoyou. However, upon turning around, they saw that both women were pale, as if they had suffered a great shock. Bai Yuxiao, both anxious and angry, grabbed the old Taoist priest's collar and asked, "What do you mean by 'not having much time left'?"
"Cough cough, let go first." The old Taoist priest was almost suffocating from the tightness of the collar. After Bai Yuxiao let go, he took a few deep breaths of fresh air before continuing, "What I mean by 'not much time left' is that if the two of them don't get married soon, I'm afraid there will be big trouble. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they will be separated forever."
"Is it that serious?" Bai Yuxiao lowered his head and pondered.
Wenren Qi, in a good mood, took out a silver ingot from his money bag and threw it to the old Taoist. Although the old Taoist was talking nonsense, it seemed that it was time for him to get married.
On the way back, the four were preoccupied with their own thoughts and didn't speak much. Wenren Qi was thinking that once they got back, he should have his men start preparing the wedding hall. Chunfeng Yidu hadn't held a wedding in a long time, so this was a good opportunity for everyone to have some fun. Bai Yuxiao was thinking about quickly writing a letter home to tell his mother that he was about to have a daughter-in-law. Every time he went home, his mother would drag him by the ear and force him to meet this girl or have tea with that girl. This time, he was bringing a daughter-in-law home; let's see what his mother would say then. Qin Xiaoyou and Zui Linglong, however, were still reeling from the old Taoist's words. They couldn't understand who the old Taoist was. Although his words sounded crazy to others, they knew he was right; they were indeed not from this world. And judging from the old Taoist's words, if they didn't get married soon, they might have to return to their previous era.
Although Qin Xiaoyou had never imagined she could go back, when the opportunity to return was presented to her, she began to waver. While she was also reluctant to leave Bai Yuxiao, she also missed the bustling, modern life with computers, televisions, and vibrant traffic.
Unlike Qin Xiaoyou, Zui Linglong was very clear about her feelings. Her parents were being cared for by her younger brother, so there was nothing wrong with her not going back. Therefore, she decided to stay, and now it was just a matter of waiting for Wenren Qi to propose.
Chapter 80, Heartbreak
"Xiao You, are you alright?" Bai Yuxiao asked with great concern, seeing that Qin Xiao You had been absent-minded ever since she heard the old Taoist priest's crazy words that day.
"I'm fine." Qin Xiaoyou rubbed her temples, feeling conflicted about whether or not to go back.
“If Xiaoyou, you’re worried about what that old Taoist priest said—that it was a mixed blessing—actually, I…” Bai Yuxiao started to say, about to formally tell Qin Xiaoyou about his marriage plans, but Qin Xiaoyou interrupted him, “I’m a little tired, I want to go back to my room to rest.” “Oh, then I’ll take you back,” Bai Yuxiao said. “No need, I can walk back myself,” Qin Xiaoyou refused.
Watching Qin Xiaoyou's departing figure, Bai Yuxiao was puzzled. Qin Xiaoyou's attitude towards him had been lukewarm lately, and he didn't know what was wrong with her.
After a relaxing bath that evening, Zui Linglong was about to get some sleep when Qin Xiaoyou floated in through the window like a ghost. Zui Linglong quickly got up and asked, "Xiaoyou, is there something you need so late?"
"Sigh." Qin Xiaoyou sighed heavily, looking at Zui Linglong with a resentful expression. Zui Linglong felt a chill run down her spine, wondering if Qin Xiaoyou was possessed by something. Zui Linglong tentatively asked, "Are you okay?"
Qin Xiaoyou glanced at Zui Linglong speechlessly: "Why are you suddenly speaking English to me?"
As long as she understands English, that means Qin Xiaoyou is still Qin Xiaoyou. Zui Linglong relaxed, then said, somewhat annoyed, "Who told you to wear all white and stare at me like that late at night? I thought you were possessed, so I deliberately spoke some English to test you. Are you alright? You've been acting strange lately."
"Sigh." Qin Xiaoyou sighed again. Just as Zui Linglong was about to throw her out of the room, she spoke again, "Sister Linglong, do you want to go back?"
Zui Linglong was stunned for a moment before realizing what Qin Xiaoyou meant by going back. Zui Linglong felt a little sad and said softly, "Of course I want to."
"Do you want to stay?" Qin Xiaoyou continued to ask.
Zui Linglong nodded firmly.
"Then why do you seem so unconcerned?" Qin Xiaoyou asked, puzzled.
"What's there to hesitate about? Although I really want to go back, I want to stay and be with Wenren Qi even more. It's not easy to meet someone you truly love in this life, and I want to cherish it. I can't bear to let go." Zui Linglong's words were firm.
"But I want to eat ice cream," Qin Xiaoyou said pitifully to Zui Linglong.
Zui Linglong, exasperated, tapped Qin Xiaoyou on the head and asked, "Is ice cream more important or the white jade flute?"
"White jade flute." Without the slightest hesitation, Qin Xiaoyou answered quickly.
"That settles it, what are you so worried about? You clearly can't let go of Bai Yuxiao either, so why are you still thinking about going back?" Zui Linglong said, acting like a caring older sister.
"But..." Qin Xiaoyou hadn't finished speaking when Wenren Qi arrived. Adhering to her principle of never being a third wheel, Qin Xiaoyou gave Zui Linglong an ambiguous smile and quickly left Zui Linglong's room.
But where to go next? I don't want to go back to my room, and it's scary to be alone in the courtyard. Ah, maybe I should just go chat with Bai Yuxiao.
"Xiao You?" Bai Yuxiao opened the door and was surprised to see Qin Xiaoyou standing outside.
"What? Don't you want to see me?" Qin Xiaoyou pretended to be angry.
"Of course not." Bai Yuxiao quickly ushered the person inside.
When the two finally sat down together, Qin Xiaoyou suddenly found herself at a loss for words. They chatted idly, but Bai Yuxiao seemed preoccupied. Qin Xiaoyou suddenly felt incredibly bored, wondering if she should have come to see him tonight.
"Xiao You, there's something I've always wanted to ask you." Just as Qin Xiao You was debating whether she should be sensible enough to get up and leave, Bai Yuxiao suddenly asked.
"Okay, go ahead and ask." Qin Xiaoyou nodded.
"That day at Yucheng Manor, did you ever suspect that my approach to you was truly for the 'Blood Evil Manual'?" Bai Yuxiao asked with a serious and nervous expression.
"No." Qin Xiaoyou shook her head.
"Why?" Bai Yuxiao asked.
“Because they all suspect you,” Qin Xiaoyou replied.
"Just because of this?" Bai Yuxiao's expression betrayed his disappointment.
"Of course not only." Qin Xiaoyou smiled playfully, then continued, "It's also because I believe in you. I know you wouldn't do it."
Qin Xiaoyou's words, "I know you won't," stirred Bai Yuxiao's heart. He took out a small wooden plaque with the character "Qin" carved in childish strokes from his pocket and handed it to Qin Xiaoyou, asking softly, "Qin'er, do you still remember this wooden plaque?"
Qin Xiaoyou was about to correct Bai Yuxiao for calling her by the wrong name, but Bai Yuxiao continued talking to herself: "It doesn't matter if you don't remember, I've always remembered. This is a wooden plaque you gave me when you came to Medicine King Valley with your master when we were little. I remember you were only five years old then, but you spoke with the air of an adult. You put the wooden plaque in my hand and said, 'Bai Yuxiao, once you accept this wooden plaque, you're mine. Wait for me to grow up and marry you.' I originally wanted to correct you, that only men should say 'marry,' and women should say 'marry,' but you left with your master the next day. You don't know, after you left, I regretted for a long time that I hadn't been able to say goodbye to you because I got up late that day because I was afraid of the cold."
Bai Yuxiao spoke with tenderness, but every word struck Qin Xiaoyou like thunder, causing her eardrums to ache. It turned out that Bai Yuxiao had been so kind to her only because he thought she was Qin Qin. It turned out that all the affection Bai Yuxiao had shown her was also because he thought she was Qin Qin.
Qin Xiaoyou dared not imagine what Bai Yuxiao would do if he knew the real Qin Qin was dead and the one standing before him was merely an imposter. After speaking for a while without hearing any response from Qin Xiaoyou, Bai Yuxiao looked up and saw that the person opposite him was pale. Thinking she was grieving over his amnesia, Bai Yuxiao deeply regretted bringing up the past and upsetting Qin Xiaoyou, and quickly said, "Qin'er, it was my fault. I won't mention these things again."
Qin'er, Qin'er, it's Qin'er again! Why, even though she's tried so hard, can't she escape Qin Qin's shadow? Qin Xiaoyou felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her, chilling her to the bone. She had no desire to stay any longer; she was afraid that if she stayed another second, she would jump up like a madwoman and yell, "Since you like your Qin'er so much, why don't you go find her!"
Without saying goodbye, Qin Xiaoyou stumbled to her feet and ran towards her room. She didn't hear a word Bai Yuxiao called after her.
Chapter 81: Revealing the Truth About Time Travel
The next day, seeing that Qin Xiaoyou hadn't gotten up even when the sun was high in the sky, Zui Linglong was a little worried and went to knock on the door. Qin Xiaoyou asked listlessly, "Who is it?"
“It’s me,” Zui Linglong replied.
"Come in." Qin Xiaoyou's voice was listless.
As soon as Zui Linglong pushed open the door, she saw Qin Xiaoyou wrapped up on the bed like a dumpling. She was about to tease her, saying she was hibernating before winter even arrived, when she noticed Qin Xiaoyou's eyes were swollen like walnuts. Zui Linglong had never seen Qin Xiaoyou like this before! Startled, she thought something terrible had happened and hurriedly asked, "What happened? You look like you've been crying all night."
"He doesn't like me at all," Qin Xiaoyou answered sullenly, burying her head in the blanket.
"You mean Bai Yuxiao? How could that be?" Everyone could see Bai Yuxiao's feelings for Qin Xiaoyou, and Zui Linglong absolutely did not believe that Bai Yuxiao would dislike Qin Xiaoyou.
"It's true! He likes me so much just because he thinks I'm Qin Qin." Qin Xiaoyou's voice was trembling with tears.
Hearing this, Zui Linglong was at a loss for words. It wasn't entirely out of the question. She had heard Qin Xiaoyou mention before that Bai Yuxiao and Qin Qin seemed to have known each other since childhood, but she hadn't taken it to heart then. However, now that they were talking about marriage, if Bai Yuxiao was truly only kind to Qin Xiaoyou because of Qin Qin, then Qin Xiaoyou in this world certainly had no intention of persisting.
"Does Brother Wenren know about your situation?" After not hearing any sound from Zui Linglong for a while, Qin Xiaoyou lifted her head from under the covers and asked with red eyes.
“He knows.” A gentle smile appeared on Zui Linglong’s lips as she spoke of Wenren Qi. She had told Wenren Qi about her time travel when they first met. At the time, Wenren Qi had said that she, a young woman, was shameless enough to stare at men bathing. Zui Linglong, forgetting that she was no longer in that modern society, blurted out her own words, inadvertently letting slip that she had transmigrated. Under Wenren Qi’s persistent questioning, she simply confessed. Fortunately, Wenren Qi was only slightly surprised at the time and didn’t treat her like a monster and threaten to burn her alive.
"You're so kind," Qin Xiaoyou exclaimed.
"Meeting Young Master Wenren is indeed the greatest blessing of my life." Zui Linglong smiled happily, then pondered for a moment before cautiously suggesting, "Why don't you also tell Bai Yuxiao that you're not Qin Qin and see what he says? Perhaps there was nothing between him and Qin Qin before, and he only started liking Qin Qin after you appeared?"
"But what if he ignores me after I tell him what happened?" Qin Xiaoyou asked, her face full of worry.
"Don't worry, Bai Yuxiao won't!" Zui Linglong assured him, but she wasn't entirely sure. She and Bai Yuxiao weren't close, and besides, she didn't know if Bai Yuxiao would react excessively to such a miraculous event.
"Okay, I'll tell him tonight," Qin Xiaoyou made up her mind.
The next day, Qin Xiaoyou spent in a state of anxiety, constantly thinking about how to start the conversation, how to phrase it, and how to make it clear and understandable. But before Qin Xiaoyou could figure out a suitable way to express herself, Bai Yuxiao came to Qin Xiaoyou's room shortly after dinner.
Qin Xiaoyou said nervously, "Please sit down, I have something to tell you."
"Okay." Bai Yuxiao remained as gentle as ever.
"Um, I, I'm not Qin Qin." Qin Xiaoyou decided to get straight to the point.
"Xiao You, even if you're angry with me, don't make jokes like this." Bai Yuxiao didn't believe it.
"I'm really not Qin Qin. The real Qin Qin died that night. The one who woke up later was me, Qin Xiaoyou! I have absolutely no relation to Qin Qin. Uh, no, the body I'm using now belongs to Qin Qin." Qin Xiaoyou finished speaking in one breath, then lowered her head, not daring to look at Bai Yuxiao's expression.
Bai Yuxiao gave a somewhat forced smile: "Xiao You, what you're saying is strange, I don't understand. What do you mean Qin'er died, and then you took over her body? Are you trying to tell me you're just a wandering soul?"
"Yes, I'm just a lonely soul!" Having already started, she had to grit her teeth and continue. Qin Xiaoyou mustered her courage, looked up into Bai Yuxiao's eyes, and began to recount her origins, word by word. Bai Yuxiao's expression grew increasingly grim as he listened. After Qin Xiaoyou finally finished, he asked coldly, "So you're saying your amnesia was just an excuse? You're not Qin'er at all?"