Chapter 485: Chapter 361: You Secretly Like Me (Part 3)
Chen Yi frowned slightly, his foot tapped the ground, and with a single leap, he soared into the air.
The fierce wind surged as he rode it, and in an instant, he appeared before Yin Weiyin. The female crown had no chance to evade and was subdued by him, her hands tightly gripped as he pulled her into his embrace with forceful determination.
She stiffened for a moment, then saw Chen Yi’s wandering hand. Pointing toward the terrace, she hastily said:
"Someone—there’s someone!"
Chen Yi paused, looking around, only to see Dong Guifei leisurely sipping tea by the tea table. Her long hair was not cascading to the ground but was instead coiled neatly upon her lap.
"What are you doing here?"
Chen Yi asked with a soft smile, his voice gentle.
It was thanks to Dong Guifei’s aid that the former emperor could be slain. Not to mention her crucial role during the Capital City’s Secret Realm, the single stroke of a sword she blocked in Yingdu was of paramount importance.
Chen Yi felt profound gratitude in his heart, and so, behind Zhou Yitang’s back, he sneaked into a secluded corner and stole a kiss from Dong Guifei.
At this moment, Dong Guifei’s complexion hadn’t fully recovered, but her foundations were apparently unscathed. This woman, wrapped in secrets, surely had her own methods of healing.
She gave Chen Yi a tender smile and chanted softly:
"Namo Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, this poor nun was merely conversing with Benefactor Yin about the teachings of Tao and Buddha."
So it turned out to be a debate on Tao-Buddhist philosophy. Chen Yi never had the slightest interest in such matters and, even now, remained unwilling to release Yin Weiyin. The female crown’s cheeks faintly flushed pink, but with an outsider present, her emotions quickly returned to calm.
She seemed as pure and ethereal as a jade sculpture, refusing to spare Chen Yi even a glance.
Chen Yi gazed at Dong Guifei for a long time before softly saying, "Thank you."
Dong Guifei shook her head and replied, "It was a trifling effort."
There were many things Chen Yi wanted to ask Dong Guifei—such as the cause of Diguan’s death—but he suspected he wouldn’t receive any answers now even if he asked.
This woman from Goryeo carried too many secrets.
Noticing the two of them lingering together at this moment, Dong Guifei didn’t tarry further. After finishing her tea, she slowly rose.
She still remembered how Chen Yi had said their relationship would not be just a fleeting romance. Yet between him and her, the time they’d known each other was ultimately too short; they were unfamiliar with one another’s character, let alone deeply understanding.
Thus, Dong Guifei hadn’t placed much weight on this relationship, not even entertaining thoughts of jealousy or rivalry.
After joy comes indifference.
Such is the nature of romance. It is neither a fleeting moment of physical closeness that drives one to passion nor a single act of assistance that roots deep affections.
They had not yet imagined the kind of love where they would truly cherish one another.
"No need to dwell on it, Benefactor. If fate allows, we will meet again."
The tea in her cup now finished, Jueyin rose and departed slowly, her figure gradually disappearing from view.
She spoke of fate bringing them together again,
but perhaps, just like Buddhist teachings,
it was as fleeting as dew or lightning.
Dong Guifei’s form gradually vanished, and Chen Yi gazed after her for a long while, saying nothing of farewell, only quietly holding onto Yin Weiyin.
The female crown poked him, bringing him back to himself. She spoke clearly:
"A fleeting romance it was. I wonder, when we part this morning, will we meet again someday?"
Chen Yi, unsure if he detected her faint reproach, said calmly:
"We will."
"Why?"
"I believe in karma," Chen Yi reflected on the journey so far. "One link ties to another."
Yin Weiyin frowned slightly. If he were to retreat into the Buddhist path utterly, wouldn’t that leave Tingxue a widow in all but name? She then asked:
"Don’t you not believe in Buddhism?"
"Correct," Chen Yi chuckled. "Which is why I only believe selectively."
As he spoke, Chen Yi gave her chest a firm pinch and said coldly:
"So about all that Taoist nonsense about desecrating a Daoist’s purity, I’ve never believed it."
Yin Weiyin let out a muted hum, her cheeks blooming with pink. After a moment’s hesitation, she said:
"You treat her with such respect; why is it you act like this around me?"
Hearing this, Chen Yi released her chest, took hold of her waist, and smiled:
"Do you want to know?"
His words made Yin Weiyin’s heart restless. Wouldn’t this just lead to her embarrassing herself? However, outwardly, she remained composed and serene.
"Because there was a woman who yesterday, on her birthday, screamed at me to return so insistently it hurt my ears, so full of resentment I had nowhere else to vent."
Chen Yi’s voice sank, his chest slightly heaving, as if harboring some anger.
The white-robed female crown faintly trembled, seemingly flustered.
As a gentle breeze whisked by, her lips almost imperceptibly murmured:
"Do you want to vent on me?"
Chen Yi’s gaze fixed upon her, his eyes softening slightly as he replied:
"Not yet."
The two of them remained embraced like this for a long moment. On the terrace, the breeze continued to sweep past, intertwining their hair, entangling them as if they couldn’t be separated.
She still feared him, and he remained her ignorance, yet he was also her husband.
Much later, Chen Yi finally let go of Yin Weiyin.
The female crown lightly waved her horsetail whisk, and the wind on the terrace stilled.
She gazed into the distance, her voice suddenly clear as she asked:
"After so many days in the underworld, do you know aside from yesterday, which day I was happiest?"
"Which day?"
"The day you and I transformed into mice again."
Yin Weiyin smiled gently, tilting her face as the breeze toyed with her hair. The aura of both the Taichua Goddess and Jing Princess seemed to blend and ripple out from her.
Chen Yi naturally knew she had been genuinely happy that day; otherwise, she wouldn’t have insisted on being called "good sister."
Yin Weiyin asked softly:
"Shall we transform again for a while? In the future, I’ll agree to whatever you say."
Chen Yi, however, let out a cold laugh and rejected her:
"Even if we don’t transform, you’ll have to agree to me regardless."
This tone was far from kind,
but the people of Great Yin were never ones to concede easily. Though goosebumps rose on her skin, she still pleaded in a soft voice:
"Just for a short while, only a while."
Chen Yi felt himself weaken slightly at her plea, and before he realized it, he nodded.
The female crown didn’t give him a chance to regret it. She chanted a spell, and mist immediately enveloped them. In the next instant, Chen Yi transformed into a tiny black-cloaked mouse, lying in her palm.
Chen Yi crossed his arms, raising his head to look at the colossal figure of the female crown.
He demanded, "Why haven’t you transformed yet?"
Yin Weiyin smiled triumphantly and replied:
"You’ve been tricked. If you don’t call me ’good sister,’ I’ll turn and leave right now, never to bother you again."
Chen Yi widened his eyes at her, refusing to give in.
Yin Weiyin ignored his glare and casually tossed him to the ground.
When he clumsily raised his head again, he saw her leaving.
She was really leaving?
Her silhouette disappeared by the doorway, and as she left, she shut the door. Chen Yi felt as though he had been played.
Just as he contemplated reversing the spell to chase and drag her back,
the door reopened. Yin Weiyin’s head peeked back in, and she returned briskly.
"Did you really think I’d ignore you?"
Chen Yi was stunned.
As she approached, taking him back into her palm, his heart unexpectedly skipped a beat. He realized something...
He really had been tricked!
Chen Yi took a deep breath to calm himself, crossing his tiny hands over his tiny waist as he tried to sound stern:
"Hurry and transform back yourself."
"Wait, first let me ask something."
Yin Weiyin lightly pursed her lips before softly speaking:
"The hairpin."
Only two words.
Chen Yi smiled warmly, showing no intention of hiding anything:
"It’s already prepared. I should’ve given it to you yesterday."
"There’s no need to gift it to me."
"Oh?"
Chen Yi’s lips parted slightly, his voice brimming with curiosity.
"Because, in a way, you’ve already given it to me."
Her serene, otherworldly smile radiated as she said:
"I can already guess that you’ve secretly liked me for a long time."
"...Enough."
Chen Yi turned his face away, avoiding her gaze.
Now reduced to his tiny form, Yin Weiyin seemed no longer afraid. Gently, she placed him down on the ground.
Mists swirled again as chants rang out, and when they dissipated, Yin Weiyin had transformed into a small, robe-wearing female mouse.
Chen Yi stared at her, his gaze growing softer and more affectionate.
She had brought him back. Although there may have been times when they were utterly at odds, guarded against one another, even now she feared him to the core, yet she had already fallen for him. As the waters of the Huangquan River surged, all she could think of was him coming back. But, bound by her training to forget passion, she neither said a word nor let it show.
Yin Weiyin didn’t let him gaze at her for long.
Suddenly, she leapt from the terrace, riding the breeze down to the bustling street.
Chen Yi paused, unsure why, but a sudden urge to chase her gripped him. Without hesitation, his four paws moved in unison as he jumped down after her.
Seeing her form receding into the distance, he took a deep breath and darted out with all his might.
It was February 8th,
the day after the Jing Princess’s birthday,
and two tiny, transformed mice playfully pursued each other through the shattered streets...