Deviation (2)

At this moment, Xuan Yuanbing cursed her limits. If only the feeling could reach every corner of the world!

Sadly, that wasn’t possible. The furthest they could be apart from each other without disappearing off radar couldn’t even cover a city.

If that was the case, Ye Lang would’ve felt Xuan Yuanbing’s presence as soon as he stepped foot into Sheng City instead of noticing it only when he arrived at the Cloud Palace.

It was the same for her. When Xuan Yuanbing woke up, she hadn’t felt Ye Lang’s presence either, it was her proximity to the arena that allowed her to notice him.

With that being said, god was fair. Ye Lanyu felt some sort of relief- if Xuan Yuanbing’s strong bond with Ye Lang couldn’t be used to find him, it gave her some hope that they’d be able to shake Xuan Yuanbing off after this!

A radiant smile appeared on Lanyu’s face. That was great news!

“Go ahead, laugh all you want. Are you happy now that we can’t find Ye Lang?” Ye Lanyu’s happy expression irritated Xuan Yuanbing, the Lady could guess what the girl was thinking.

“I’m glad you can’t find him. I didn’t realize your bond was so weak, he shouldn’t be far!” blurted Ye Lanyu, intending to hurt Yuanbing.

“At least I can sense his presence, you have nothing!” sneered Xuan Yuanbing.

The insult was ineffective, Ye Lanyu swiftly retorted, “I have everything. Everything he does passes through me first.”

Xuan Yuanbing bit her lip, refusing to carry on with this useless argument. She knew there was no way she could win this. She knew she couldn’t top Ye Lanyu’s spot in Ye Lang’s heart.

Looking back at the beginning of their friendship, Xuan Yuanbing knew the boy had a sister and they were inseparable, she was evidently irreplaceable because he had always mentioned Ye Lanyu.

Then again, she wasn’t hoping for anything. She wasn't looking to replace anyone. The Lady only hoped to be closer to Ye Lang and nothing else!

“M’lady, you could just ask the Riders patrolling the city if you’re searching for Mr Ye,” it hurt her Light Riders to see their Lady like that.

They could ignore it if Ye Lang teased Xuan Yuanbing, but not anyone from the Teachings, especially not an outsider. Ye Lanyu was an outsider and there was no way the riders would remain silent.

“Oh right, how could I forget that. The Light Riders would surely pay attention to his whereabouts...” Xuan Yuanbing lightly slapped her forehead, how could she forget that?

The entire Sheng City was her territory! She could definitely find Ye Lang.

“Oh, come on, do you really need to ask? Ye Lang is with Zhen Xiaoyan, so he’s most probably back at our lodge,” muttered Ye Lanyu in disdain, quickly leaving the Lady behind.

“....I guess you’re right, he mentioned that he wanted to rest. The seventh princess and Zhen Xiaoyan would surely be together so they must be at their lodge!” mumbled Xuan Yuanbing, the answer was obvious.

If that’s true, I should go now!

Xuan Yuanbing made a quick decision and chased behind Ye Lanyu to her place. Unfortunately, the Lady was halted by another message from the Pope.

The Pope had been trying to meet her, but the Lady had ignored the rider’s messages which left the Pope no choice but to send her a message under his name.

“Lady, Archbishop Will and the others wish to see you. Please return to the Cloud Palace this instance,” announced one of the riders as soon as she received the message, stopping the Lady before she could go far.

“I’ll return later, I’ll bring along that little bastard,” blurted the Lady. She was adamant on getting Ye Lang to enjoy his sole focus.

The rider felt the need to say something, the Lady was straying too far. “My lady, I understand you enjoy the prince’s company. However, forcing him to spend time with you would REALLY turn things sour. He might start to avoid you.”

“...” Xuan Yuanbing fell silent, the rider made sense.

“Please don’t push him, he won’t like it. The same goes for the rest too,” the rider shook her head. Though she wanted to help the Lady, she felt that they were crossing a line, Ye Lang deserved some degree of freedom.

“Miss Lanyu may sound rude and barbaric but she has always respected the prince’s decision, not once has she gone against him. These were master Feng Xing’s comments on Miss Lanyu, hopefully, you’ll find it helpful,” elaborated the same rider, hinting for Xuan Yuanbing to reconsider her actions.

On the surface, Ye Lanyu was aggressive, always wanting Ye Lang to do as she pleased. However, many had forgone the fact that her requests were simple, something any sibling could achieve.

She was supportive, always cheering Ye Lang on no matter what he decided to do. The sister would never put him down, she had faith in him.

Her role as a sister didn’t just stop there, she cared about Ye Lang’s life, always worried if he was doing alright out there…

“Perhaps that is why Ye Lang loved Ye Lanyu so much, she is genuinely a good sister. Looks like there’s still much for me to improve!” pondered Xuan Yuanbing for a long while, staring in direction Ye Lanyu had disappeared to. She let out a sigh.

“Yeah, a relationship should be mutual. The balance between giving and receiving is a must, if one is expected to only give and never receive, the relationship would undoubtedly be jeopardized…” elaborated the rider with a nod.

“...” Xuan Yuanbing had no words, she knew it but the rider’s words had triggered a storm of thoughts in her brain. She and Ye Lang’s relationship was always in an odd balance, both of them were alternating givers.

However, as soon as she woke, the balance was gone. Perhaps due to her unfamiliarity to the new situation, causing her to lose herself.

“Alright, I understand. Let’s go back to the Cloud Palace first, there are matters to be settled,” said Xuan Yuanbing in clarity, her tone was cold but she was still as ethereal as ever. She was the Sacred Lady after all.

Gathering her thoughts, the first thing she decided to do was to meet the Pope. Even if he had not summoned her visit, the Lady would still look for him. The fated visit wasn’t out of courtesy as the Lady wanted an answer, to understand what had happened that particular year.

Anyone who was frozen for twenty-one years would naturally want an answer to the circumstances that put them in this position. The Sacred Lady needed answers too.

The issue was probably settled and done with, guessed Xuan Yuanbing. They had twenty-one years to resolve it! If it wasn’t done by now, the issue would surely remain unsolvable till forever.

As for her relationship with Ye Lang, the Sacred Lady decided to reconsider her actions. She was adamant on fixing their increasingly off-track relationship.