CSMCDB - Chapter 48

Chapter 48

After the First Princess's apology and the imperial family's clarification of their stance, Wen Yuncheng thought the matter was completely behind her. However, she never expected that a week later…

That morning, Wen Yuncheng was sitting next to Lin Jinyu as usual, looking over her notes and occasionally wanting to ask her a few questions. However… today's Little Ice Mountain seemed particularly cold.

After her third question went unanswered, Wen Yuncheng belatedly realized that the Lin Jinyu of today seemed… angry? At first, she thought this oppressive atmosphere was just an upgrade to Lin Jinyu's usual icy demeanor, but it wasn't until Lin Jinyu's attitude did a complete one-eighty that Wen Yuncheng finally caught on.

"Are you angry?" Wen Yuncheng closed her notes, rested her head on the desk, and turned to look at Lin Jinyu's profile. "Angry at me?" she asked in a low voice.

But… why? Wen Yuncheng thought back on everything she had done this past week. She couldn't think of anything that might have made Lin Jinyu angry. Wen Yuncheng scooted closer and nudged Lin Jinyu's arm with her head. "Why are you angry? If you don't tell me, I won't know. Being angry is bad for your health…"

"Are you hiding something from me?"

Something… there was nothing. This week, she had been diligently training under Yan Ling, her level hadn't increased, and she hadn't gotten into any conflicts. With the Third Prince under house arrest, her life this week had been quite pleasant… Wait, the Third Prince?

Realization dawned on Wen Yuncheng. "I-I received two million Star Stones in compensation and didn't tell you… I, I thought you wouldn't care about that. How about I treat you to lunch? Then we can go shopping, we…"

Lin Jinyu suddenly stood up, gathered her books from the desk, and turned to leave.

It seemed… she was even angrier now.

[She's probably mad that you didn't tell her about the assassination attempt… There's no way Lin Jinyu is someone who cares about Star Stones.]

"But wasn't the news suppressed? How did Lin Jinyu find out… I just didn't want her to worry!"

[What if Lin Jinyu was attacked by three Star Lords and didn't tell you…]

"…Alright." Wen Yuncheng scratched her head, quickly packed her things, and hurried after her. It suddenly occurred to her that Lin Jinyu was, after all, the daughter of the Flowing Cloud Sect's master. The news of the Third Prince's sudden house arrest probably couldn't be hidden from her, and a little investigation would reveal the reason… Besides, her teacher was Qiu Fei.

"Lin-Lin Jinyu, I really didn't mean it, I… I'm sorry, I just didn't want you to worry. And look, I'm really fine!" Wen Yuncheng caught up to her, but no matter what she said, Lin Jinyu's expression remained the same. "I'm sorry…"

"You said we were friends, but you don't tell me anything."

"I… I just didn't want to make you worry. And-and I really wasn't hurt… It's my fault. I won't do it again." Wen Yuncheng wanted to explain further, but after meeting Lin Jinyu's eyes, she deflated and lowered her head, apologizing sincerely. "I didn't consider your feelings. I'm sorry."

"There won't be a next time. From now on, I'll tell you everything that happens to me, okay? Don't be angry. It's bad for your health. You… you can hit me or scold me if you want." Although she said this, Wen Yuncheng couldn't imagine what Lin Jinyu would look like scolding someone. She actually felt a little urge to laugh at that thought but managed to suppress it.

"I'm just angry at myself," Lin Jinyu said. "I've never had a friend before. I don't know how far I should go with you. I don't know if I should be angry about these things, but I still am. I… I'm sorry."

"I'm the one who should be sorry. I'm sorry, I handled it poorly. It's normal to worry about a friend, and it's normal for you to be angry that I hid it from you. …I-I'm very happy that you care about me." Wen Yuncheng wanted to hug Lin Jinyu, because at that moment, the Little Ice Mountain seemed incredibly fragile. But she held back, merely taking Lin Jinyu's hand. "Don't apologize to me," she said.

Wen Yuncheng thought to herself that she really wasn't mature enough. She should have considered Lin Jinyu's feelings sooner; she knew exactly what kind of person Lin Jinyu was. It was true she was afraid of worrying Lin Jinyu, and it was true she didn't want her to know, but if Lin Jinyu was going to find out eventually anyway, Wen Yuncheng deeply regretted not being the one to tell her.

The Little Ice Mountain made up with her quickly, which made Wen Yuncheng feel as if she were bullying her. Lin Jinyu… was really easy to appease, she thought.

In truth, Wen Yuncheng hadn't escaped the attack completely unscathed; three of her turrets and five of her guardians had been destroyed. But compared to two million Star Stones, those losses were negligible. Coupled with Wen Yuncheng's personality, a week had passed and she had almost completely forgotten about the incident.

She had forgotten that not everyone was like her. When an ordinary person heard that a Star Warrior-level student was besieged by three Star Lords and a Star Master, even if she survived and others said she was fine, their imagination would fill in the gaps. They would inevitably cast her as the pitiful, weaker party and imagine the pain and suffering she must have endured, even if she was truly unharmed. After all, Wen Yuncheng had never officially used her turrets and guardians in public.

And the person who found out was Lin Jinyu.

That night, soaking in her medicinal bath, Wen Yuncheng didn't doze off for once. She silently stirred the water in the wooden tub and said to 1947 in a low voice, "I feel like… this side of Lin Jinyu isn't good."

[What's wrong?]

"I feel like I can hurt her so easily." Wen Yuncheng sighed heavily. How could this be? she thought. The cool, aloof, expressionless Little Ice Mountain shouldn't care so much about anything. Lin Jinyu had always been a cultivation fanatic. But this incident made Wen Yuncheng suddenly realize that she… she could very easily hurt Lin Jinyu. She could make Lin Jinyu angry, and she could make her sad.

She was the one who wanted to be friends with Lin Jinyu. She was the one who had initiated contact. Being cared for like this made Wen Yuncheng very happy. But at this moment, in this instant, realizing this possibility, Wen Yuncheng was suddenly filled with guilt.

[But she can easily hurt you too.] 1947 didn't understand what Wen Yuncheng was upset about. The old Long Aotian had never lamented such things. [Feelings are mutual. Isn't that normal?]

Wen Yuncheng held her breath and submerged herself in the medicinal bath, only coming up to gasp for air when she couldn't stand it any longer. Her wet hair was plastered to her back. Wen Yuncheng had never felt so conflicted.

It was normal… but she, she couldn't help but feel this way… Why?

[You wouldn't hurt her, though.] 1947 thought for a moment and tried to comfort her based on her earlier point of distress.

"No, that's not… I might, even unintentionally. I don't want that possibility to exist."

Human emotions were truly complex. 1947 thought helplessly, was this what it felt like to raise a daughter? It began searching its database for words that could comfort Wen Yuncheng, only to hear her speak again, hesitantly.

"I don't really understand my own thoughts anymore." Wen Yuncheng closed her eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted. The unfamiliar emotions made her feel like a stranger to herself. "Maybe it'll be better tomorrow. I need a good night's sleep," she told herself reassuringly.

[Yes, maybe you're just too tired,] 1947 agreed.

Time passed, bit by bit, and soon it was October. The time when they could participate in the Beast Tide had arrived.

Wen Yuncheng and Lin Jinyu's interactions were the same as before. If 1947 hadn't noticed its cub frequently sighing in the medicinal bath, spacing out while studying her notes, or staring blankly at Lin Jinyu, it would have thought everything was normal too.

[What's wrong with you?]

"I'm not quite sure yet," Wen Yuncheng said. "Maybe I'll find the answer after the Beast Tide."

[I hope you can keep your wits about you in the Demonic Beast Great Forest. The demonic beasts won't spare your life just because you're daydreaming.]

"…Okay, I know."

[No, you don't! You've assembled the parts wrong again! Wen Yuncheng, it's been four days, and you haven't even finished a single turret!]

Wen Yuncheng looked at the parts in her hands. She smiled, but it seemed somewhat listless. "Alright, I'll… figure it out as soon as possible."

[…Cub, I want you to be happy.] 1947 sighed. It didn't understand why Wen Yuncheng was like this, but the source of this state was clearly Lin Jinyu. [You're making me dislike Lin Jinyu a little. If I had known, I would never have issued any missions related to her.]

"Don't say that. It's my own problem. 1947, Lin Jinyu is a good person, you know that." Wen Yuncheng looked at the half-finished turret in her hands and sighed again. "I'm the one who's not good enough. I've lived two lives, and my age combined is so much greater than Lin Jinyu's, but I'm not mature at all. I'm just a coward."

[What?]

But Wen Yuncheng put the turret away. She thought about the departure for the Demonic Beast Great Forest. It was the day after tomorrow. She still hadn't prepared properly, yet her mind was filled with all sorts of miscellaneous thoughts. She had a suspicion but didn't dare to confirm it. Wen Yuncheng thought of that annoying Third Prince, then of Lin Jue, and of many other people. Including Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan was her friend, too.

But Wen Yuncheng realized that if Zhou Xuan came to dislike her, she might be sad for a while, but she would get over it quickly.

Wen Yuncheng went out, walking to the foot of the girls' dormitory. Then she suddenly remembered that Lin Jinyu didn't stay in the dorms. She took out her communication stone, activated it, and heard Lin Jinyu's voice.

—"What is it?"

"…I… I want to see you." Wen Yuncheng's voice trembled slightly. She quickly repeated herself, "I want to see you."

—"Where are you?"

"…No, never mind. I'm sorry. You should focus on your cultivation." Wen Yuncheng quickly lost her nerve. She felt her emotions were all out of sorts. A possibility was staring her in the face, but she didn't want to confirm it, or rather, she was afraid to. And even if she knew the result, what could she do?

She probably already knew the answer in her heart. But she felt she could return to her original mindset. She was just Lin Jinyu's number one fan.

"1947, why is Lin Jinyu so beautiful?"

[…She was born that way?]

"But she's just too beautiful, and every beautiful thing about her is exactly what I like most." Wen Yuncheng clutched the blue communication stone tightly and sighed. "What am I supposed to do? She's clearly a little ice mountain, clearly cold and curt with everyone else. It… it shouldn't be like this."

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