CH 174

Villainous Undercover (13)

Fu Xi Yu felt somewhat astonished.

Because she noticed a noticeable change in her junior sister’s attitude towards her after waking up from her coma this time.

It’s not that her junior sister’s attitude became bad. On the contrary, her junior sister’s attitude became exceptionally good, so good that it made Fu Xi Yu feel like she was dreaming.

In fact, Fu Xi Yu had always understood that her junior sister was somewhat reserved. In Fu Xi Yu’s eyes, her junior sister’s character was like a cautious cat. She appeared soft and gentle on the surface, as if she could be manipulated by anyone, but deep down, she carried an imperceptible sense of detachment. Once someone crossed a certain boundary, she would silently reveal her claws and push them away to a safe distance…

In the past, Fu Xi Yu actually appreciated her junior sister’s personality. With such a disposition, her junior sister could protect herself well and prevent the impurities of the world from truly hurting her heart.

But these past few days, Fu Xi Yu noticed that her junior sister seemed to… shed the last layer of detachment towards her.

However, her junior sister lately…

Fu Xi Yu couldn’t quite describe the feeling. It was perhaps an overwhelming joy that made it feel like a dream, so she even felt a bit apprehensive.

Her junior sister no longer kept her guard up and distanced herself. She would proactively feed her medicine, support her to admire the scenery, and tell her many stories she had never heard before…

The story that left the deepest impression on Fu Xi Yu was one her junior sister told, called “The Foolish Old Man Removes the Mountains.”

At the end of the story, the Foolish Old Man removed the mountains and led the villagers to live a peaceful and happy life. When her junior sister told this story, she glanced at Fu Xi Yu several times and then tightened her small face. “During Foolish Old Man’s process of moving the mountains, he must have experienced moments of wanting to give up, questioning himself. He might have even contemplated jumping off a cliff to end the long agony… But in the end, he persevered and achieved the desired result. From this, we can see that as long as one is alive, they will always overcome difficulties…”

Fu Xi Yu nodded at that time, not thinking much of it. She just looked at her junior sister’s tense little face and felt immense joy and sweetness in her heart. Perhaps her junior sister herself didn’t realize it, but she had spoken more willingly to her in this period of time than ever before…

Until late at night, before going to sleep, Fu Xi Yu couldn’t help but recall the story again. She realized that her junior sister had actually told it wrong.

Fu Xi Yu believed that the Foolish Old Man would never entertain thoughts of giving up. Because in his heart, there was only one thought: the pure desire to act. Whether he could achieve the desired result in the end wasn’t important to the Foolish Old Man himself. He found joy in the process of doing it, and that was enough.

Just like herself to her junior sister—many times when she did things for her junior sister, it was simply out of her own heart, without expecting any feedback from her junior sister.

But now, her junior sister gave her unexpected feedback.

Fu Xi Yu covered her face with the blanket, feeling a bit apprehensive. More than anything, she suppressed her own joy, restraining the upward curve of her lips:

—She didn’t dare to hope.

Things were already good as they were now! If it continued, she feared that she couldn’t help but develop greed, wanting to possess and compete for her junior sister’s attention. In that case, her junior sister would surely grow to despise her…

In contrast to Fu Xi Yu’s joy, Song Xu Yi felt somewhat defeated during this time.

She tried her best to counsel Fu Xi Yu, but it seemed to have little effect. Although Fu Xi Yu would listen attentively to Song Xu Yi’s words, she still appeared distant and unaffected, as if she hadn’t really taken in what Song Xu Yi said…

Song Xu Yi could only console herself and not be too hasty. After all, Fu Xi Yu’s injuries were not fully healed yet. When Fu Xi Yu’s injuries were completely cured, then she would take her on a journey to see the world’s wonders. By then, Fu Xi Yu’s mindset should change.

While taking care of Fu Xi Yu, Song Xu Yi also began learning the unique acupuncture technique from Master Song. Currently, only Master Song and Fu Xi Yu had mastered this technique in the world. In order to regulate the chaotic true qi within Fu Xi Yu’s body, one must possess this acupuncture technique.

Perhaps it was because Fu Xi Yu’s repeated rejections had hurt Master Song’s heart, or perhaps she had other unknown intentions. Just like in the original plot, Master Song spread the word that she would pass on the Medical Valley to Song Xu Yi.

Song Xu Yi did not refuse. Her enemy was the cunning and unpredictable Lu Dun. Medical Valley had always been benevolent and had made many friends in the martial world. If she inherited Medical Valley, it would give her an advantage when facing Lu Dun in the future.

Song Xu Yi also began planning the itinerary for their journey, which covered almost the entire country, stretching from the coastal regions to the deserts inland.

In her view, the longer the duration of the journey, the better, as it would help them stay away from Lu Dun’s control.

With Fu Xi Yu’s participation, Song Xu Yi sent a message to Song Xu to inform Lu Dun to depart for Song County directly, without needing to return to Nan County to pick her up. They would all meet in Song County.

The reason Song Xu wanted to come and pick up Song Xu Yi was because he was worried about her safety during the journey. Now that Fu Xi Yu accompanied her, Song Xu felt relieved. After all these years under Fu Xi Yu’s guidance, Song Xu had experienced numerous failures and battles, and had come to truly respect and admire Fu Xi Yu.

In the letter, Song Xu praised Fu Xi Yu’s strength and then proceeded to shower praises on his brother Gong, praising his wit, attentiveness, and his ability to take care of people.

As Song Xu Yi read the letter, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation, remembering Song Xu’s reaction upon discovering that the female lead, Gong Huan, was actually a woman.

In Song Xu Yi’s anticipation, one month later, Fu Xi Yu’s injuries had completely healed. They packed their belongings, borrowed two horses from the Medical Valley, and embarked on their journey.

With the current weakness of the imperial court and the chaotic state of affairs in the southern regions, injustices were frequent occurrences. Song Xu Yi believed that having experienced so many worlds, she had grown accustomed to the suffering of humanity. However, when she witnessed injustices, she found herself unable to turn a blind eye and couldn’t help but intervene. In these situations, Fu Xi Yu became Song Xu Yi’s greatest reliance. With Fu Xi Yu by her side, no matter what formidable opponents Song Xu Yi provoked, Fu Xi Yu effortlessly resolved the situations.

Every time Song Xu Yi asked Fu Xi Yu for help, she felt guilty. After all, the main purpose of their journey was to help Fu Xi Yu regain confidence in the world, yet Song Xu Yi seemed to expose her to darkness instead. Therefore, after receiving Fu Xi Yu’s assistance, Song Xu Yi always felt remorseful. She would often treat Fu Xi Yu to a delicious meal or inquire about beautiful local places to visit, seeking to compensate for her actions.

With such an itinerary planned, they encountered numerous sights and, similarly, helped many people along the way.

However, what left Song Xu Yi feeling frustrated was that as they were about to reach Song Xu’s meeting point in Song County, while enjoying the scenery and drinking tea in a waterside pavilion, Song Xu Yi couldn’t help but probe Fu Xi Yu’s state of mind.

She gazed at the picturesque view outside and half-jokingly sighed to Fu Xi Yu, “Senior Sister, this mortal realm is truly bustling and the scenery is like a painting. I wish I could spend my whole life exploring the mountains and never return to the sect.”

However, Fu Xi Yu still wore a faint smile and slowly poured a cup of tea for Song Xu Yi, saying, “I’ve grown tired of the scenery outside. We should always return to the sect.”

Song Xu Yi immediately felt a sense of defeat. Fu Xi Yu seemed completely unaffected by the external scenery, always appearing calm and indifferent. Song Xu Yi had no idea how to help Fu Xi Yu adjust her mindset…

She forced a smile, struggling to maintain it on her lips. But when Fu Xi Yu uttered those words, Song Xu Yi noticed a momentary hesitation and a slight bowing of her head after pouring the tea. There was a phrase that rolled on her tongue several times, only to ultimately fade away into silence.

“To me, the scenery in the world is no different. Wherever junior sister is, it’s the most beautiful sight in my eyes!”

A few days later, Song Xu Yi and Fu Xi Yu finally met with Song Xu, and behind him stood Gong Huan disguised as a man. When Gong Huan saw Song Xu Yi and Fu Xi Yu, her eyes widened in shock.

As fellow disciples, they naturally recognized each other. Gong Huan was familiar with Fu Xi Yu, but within the Taiji Sect, there were simply too many people. Having traveled with her father in her earlier years, even though she was familiar with Song Xu Yi’s face, she didn’t know Song Xu Yi’s name. Therefore, when she heard Song Xu talking about his sister coming and praising her to the heavens, Gong Huan didn’t think much of it. Little did she expect that Song Xu’s sister would be someone from the Taiji Sect.

Gong Huan’s face immediately turned pale.

Song Xu Yi didn’t want to expose Gong Huan, so she subtly winked at her, reassuring her. She then tugged at Fu Xi Yu’s sleeve. Fu Xi Yu, being astute, pretended not to recognize Gong Huan and let Song Xu introduce them to each other.

Song Xu Yi originally thought that the matter would just pass by. She didn’t want to interfere with the developing relationship between Gong Huan and Song Xu. Perhaps Song Xu himself hadn’t noticed, but Song Xu Yi had observed it: from the extensive descriptions of Gong Huan in every letter from Song Xu, it was evident that he held extraordinary fondness for his “brother” Gong Huan.

However, Song Xu Yi didn’t expect Gong Huan to be so sensitive. She appeared extremely uncomfortable, keeping her head down and hurrying forward throughout the journey. She was completely different from the lively and cheerful “brother” described in Song Xu’s letters. Observing Gong Huan’s demeanor, Song Xu grew puzzled and asked several times if Gong Huan was feeling unwell.

At this rate, Gong Huan would definitely reveal her true identity.

Song Xu Yi had no choice but to approach Gong Huan and initiate a conversation–

Knowing that Song Xu Yi wouldn’t expose her, Gong Huan relaxed. Taking advantage of Song Xu’s and Fu Xi Yu’s inattentiveness, Song Xu Yi whispered to Gong Huan, “I believe in you. You will surely become my sister-in-law in the future!”

In the original plot, Gong Huan had a bold and straightforward personality when it came to love and hate. But of course, feeling unrequited love would also make her feel tired. This time, Song Xu’s character was much better than the summary of the original plot, and Song Xu Yi naturally hoped that he and Gong Huan would take a more direct path in their relationship.

Gong Huan was taken aback, her face turning bright red as she lowered her head, but she didn’t deny Song Xu Yi’s words.

Meanwhile, Song Xu turned his head to look at Gong Huan, whose face was flushed, and he also felt a bit strange.

He realized that he had a strong affection for his “brother” Gong Huan and wanted to make him a part of his family. Gong Huan excelled in various aspects, and Song Xu thought of introducing Gong Huan to his sister.

However, now that Gong Huan and his sister were getting along as he had hoped, Song Xu couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off. He felt a pang of jealousy and suddenly didn’t want Gong Huan to blush in front of his sister…

Song Xu couldn’t help but shake his head, trying to dismiss the strange thoughts from his mind. He turned to look at Fu Xi Yu beside him and forced a laugh, saying, “Gong Huan has a thin face, he often blushes when talking to me—”

Fu Xi Yu didn’t respond, leaving Song Xu momentarily stunned. He then noticed the icy gaze in Fu Xi Yu’s eyes as she looked at the two of them…

?!

Song Xu’s heart immediately tightened – it was the first time he had seen Fu Xi Yu with such an expression.

…Could it be that Fu Xi Yu has also developed feelings for Gong Huan?

Their relationship with Xi Yu is so good, and there is only one Gong Huan. If the two of them were to become at odds because of this, what should be done?

Moreover, Xi Yu’s martial arts skills are still shallow, and she is definitely no match for Fu Xi Yu…

For a moment, Song Xu felt a headache coming on – Gong Huan truly seemed to be a source of trouble!

The author has something to say:

Xu Yi: Blah blah blah, trying to persuade my senior sister to appreciate the beauty of the world.

Little Fu: My junior sister has told me so many words. My junior sister is really kind.

Xu Yi: Oh no, I made my senior sister fight, showing her the darkness of the world…

Little Fu: My junior sister helps me build my reputation. My junior sister is really kind.

Xu Yi: Taking my senior sister to see the scenery, hoping she can broaden her mind and feel happy.

Little Fu: My junior sister is more beautiful than this scenery. My junior sister is really kind!