For two entire days, snow fell endlessly upon the mountain slopes and valley plains, hindering and blockading the landscape. I proposed that we should wait at Huoyan Mountain, but this idea was rejected by Yin Zi under the pretext that he was feeling unwell, and that flying long distances and high altitudes would be difficult. Wawa desperately feared the heat, but loved the snow and cold like crazy. She didn't want to leave here one bit. Everyday, she would run out and stay in the snow and play, waiting to see when Bi Qingshen Jun would come find us. But the reality of this was just playing around in the snow all day. Sometimes she would go out and transform back into genuine form to absorb the cold air.
She became an enormous snow lotus blossom, in the center was a purple heart, and on the outside, there were large blooming petals of a white and green gradient. It exuded faint but fresh smelling fragrance, containing none of that hateful scent of flower pollen, which was very beautiful.
Yin Zi knew I hated the cold, I don't know from where, but he brought back a bundle of firewood to burn. He also handed me a mink robe bought in the human town the other day to keep me warm and stuffy. I comfortably move to the deepest part of the cave and collapsed onto the rug, curiously asking, "Why did you know to buy these kind of items?"
Yin Zi was refueling the fire just now, and casually answered, "It was pretty so I bought it, I didn't think it would be so conveniently used today."
The flames of the fire illuminated the cave, exhibiting our flickering silhouettes on the cave walls. Seeing Yin Zi's gentle smile all of a sudden, the images of us three hundred years ago in Luoying Mountain was brought forth in my mind, so warm and sweet.
At that time, the snow storm was also strong and cold like today. We had also been confined and hidden away in a cave no bigger than ten square feet. He was always the one that started and tended to the fire, boiled the fish soup, and then went back to polishing his gems. The two of us would occasionally bicker and quarrel, but if I was sad or unable to sleep, then he would gently play his flute to coax me to sleep.
The sound of his flute was very relaxing, very mellow and pleasant, like a song. Listening to his melodies would allow me to easelessly fall into a dream, and in my dreams, Bi Qingshen Jun was constantly calling for me. His expression appeared quite frantic, asking and searching everyone from the demonic realm to the mortal realm for my whereabouts, but unfortunately no one knew where I was.
When I turned around, I wanted to throw myself into his arms to tell him that I was here, but my body had actually passed through his. I was unable to touch him, I could only see Bi Qingshen Jun's bloodshot eyes gradually grow dull, and his face twisted by pain and hatred. He scoured the entire boundary bordering the demonic realm, until his sword was stained with blood, and until corpses of demons lay in a pile. A murderous aura spread about, causing the birds and beasts of hundreds of miles away to flee frantically. The huge forests and vast plains instantly turned into a battlefield of death.
In the distance, Haiyang ran towards him and said, "Shen Jun, you should take a break, if you continue on killing like that, you won't be able to find out about anything. Who knows, maybe Miao Miao didn't come here at all."
"Luo Sha said Yin Zi brought her to this area to play. Since we haven't found anything yet, there's definitely something strange about it. Whether this is true or not, from the fact that the spell casted on the bell was broken and Luo Sha's statements…..there's an eighty percent chance it has something to do with that white crow," Bi Qingshen Jun wildly spat out his words as if he was from hell, "No matter what his purpose, I'll definitely kill him."
A terrifying aura leaked from him, causing me to instantly awake from my dream looking left and right. Seeing Yin Zi huddled in blankets and smiling in his dream, he seems very happy, I wasn't too sure, but he was most likely dreaming of his sparkly gems again. Wawa was sleeping by the entrance of the cave facing the wind, and occasionally muttering a few nonsensical words.
I walked over to Yin Zi, and under the radiance of the flames, Yin Zi face appeared very pale and very pitiful. His hair was long, so long it scattered all over the ground. I reach over to grab a bunch of hair, glided my hands over his silky hair, and then untangled the knots within, leaving no trace of my presence.
"Yin Zi…..Yin Zi….." I was somewhat anxious and worried, so I whispered his name to call for him.
"Food is in the pot." Yin Zi rolled over to sleep.
I frowned, and then quickly and simply, but viciously, bit down on his arm. After hearing his painful cries, I then smiled and said, "I had a dream….."
Yin Zi angrily sat up, pointed at my nose, and angrily said, "Even if you had a dream, you don't have to bite me! I'm not ribs!"
"You guys are so loud….." Wawa called out from her sleep in stupor, using her hands to cover her ears, she went back to sleep.
I immediately became silent. Looking at Yin Zi's puzzled and confused face, I quietly whispered, "I just dreamt of Shifu looking all over the place for me, he looked really scared. Said that he was going to kill you. How about we hurry and think of ways to go back."
"You're just dreaming, the stuff in dreams aren't real." Yin Zi's face showed signs of frustration, "Who knows, maybe he isn't looking for you at all, but is waiting at Xuan Qing Palace waiting for you the entire time."
"But…..I'm really worried….." I held onto Yin Zi sleeves and pled.
"The snow storm is really strong right now, so I can't do anything about it. I'm a crow, not a penguin." Yin Zi wanted to go back to sleep, but he suddenly held onto me, "Do you still remember how we first met?"
I obediently sat next to him, gently asking, "Was it the day when I thought you were tasty delicacy and bit you?"
"It's not that time, why is it that you heartless cat do not remember….." Yin Zi's voice contained a deep concern and regret, "That time, I still haven't been able to attain a human form, my body was weak, and no one in the mountain was willing to give shelter to the anonymous crow. I was once again kicked out, and just as I was about to fall into despair, I met you at Luoying Mountain."
I didn't understand any of the words that were entering my ears, as if it was a completely different story.
"That day, the radiance of the sun spread for tens of thousands of miles, you were wearing light green clothes and standing in the grass staring at me. Your face wore a confident and brilliant smile, it was incomparably beautiful. And myself who was covered in stains, was strikingly the opposite in comparison. You laughed loudly that I was a coward who could only escape, so you kept me by your side to manage finances and protected me from being bullied by other monsters."
"I don't remember….."
Yin Zi ignored me and continued to ramble on, "I worshipped and admired you. You were such a smart and powerful cat demon, you caused all the other monsters to surrender to your feet, and caused waves of suitors to flood to you. But you still remained your composure, you didn't care about any of the people, nor did you felt love towards any of them. Whatever you wanted to do, you were able to do. No one dared to interfere."
"I really don't remember….."
[TN] : In case you guys are confused about the what Yin Zi is talking about or forgotten about earlier chapters, the current Miao Miao and the Miao Miao that Yin Zi is talking about is not the same. Of course, Yin Zi doesn't know this and neither does Miao Miao, but our current Miao Miao time traveled (and possibly crossed dimensions) to enter in the body of a cat demon (the Miao Miao that Yin Zi knows) due to reasons unknown. Refer to Chapter 1.
"Afterwards, compared to the others, I tried hard and gave twice as much effort as them in anything I did, and finally when I was able to attain a human form, I also passed through the trials of the purification of the heart. You happily congratulated me and asked what kind of gemstone I would like in return. I didn't want any gemstones, I just wanted you to agree to one thing….." He raised his head and stared at me bewildered, let out a sigh, and then continue to speak, "You promised to never leave me behind. I really thought that this promise would be never-changing just like how gemstones won't change into another object."
"I didn't leave you behind though."
"But you've changed…..around three hundred years ago, you displayed a sudden change. But I still continued to like you, although the current you has become a bit more stupid and a lot more easy to approach, and also a lot cuter. That doesn't matter, as long as it's you, it's ok, I just want to continue to spend my days with you happily and warmly."
"Of course we can spend our days together!"
"But not in the cold and reclusive heavenly realm, not with three people! You made me a promise, I forbid you to break it, you absolutely can't!" Yin Zi's voice became coarse, "The feeling of being abandoned, the feeling of loneliness, the feeling of exclusion, are all more painful than the pain from purifying one's heart, I'd rather die than feel it again."
"Yin Zi…..I don't understand what you're talking about, why are you grabbing me with so much force?" I glanced at the blue veins protruding from his arms due to the excessive force utilized, my heart was thrown into even more confusion.
"Something that belongs to me, I'd rather die than let it go. If someone wants to steal it from me, then he'll first have to behead me first."
"Who ever that wants to kill you, I go all out with them!" I hurried to console, "Yin Zi, you shouldn't to continue talking about this stuff anymore, Miao Miao is scared."
"What if it's him?" Yin Zi lowered his head, leaned on my shoulder, closed his eyes and smiled.
"Who is him?" I asked.
"What if your Shifu wants to kill me?"
"He won't, Shifu loves Miao Miao the most, if I plead to him, he definitely won't kill you." I let out a sigh, and gave an honest reply.
"Stupid cat, you're still that stupid, even if someone sold and kidnapped you, you wouldn't even know." Yin Zi murmured softly, "What if I was the one that did something bad?"
"No matter what, I will not allow Yin Zi to do anything bad!" My volume slightly increased.
Yin Zi suddenly hugged me, he hugged me in silence for a long time. Under the glow of the flames, his eyes appeared clouded and misty, and after a very long time, he softly muttered the words, "I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry." I also softly apologized to him. After I had sincerely and genuinely chanted the magic spell, my heart prayed that we would always be good friends, never to argue again and never parting.
Not far from us, Wawa rolled over again, and then complained, "Quit bickering already, it's already dawn…..you guys really are too much….."