Fairy, Don’t Be Afraid, I’m Blind

Chapter 63: Confessions in the Cave 

You Su stared at the somewhat decayed ceiling, taking a long time to regain his senses.

At the intersection of the beams, there was a tangled and intricate spider web that resembled a bizarre painting.

A hapless insect was stuck on the web, struggling futilely as if defying its fate. The spider, hiding somewhere, was likely watching and waiting for the moment when the insect would completely exhaust itself so that it could leisurely enjoy its meal.

You Su turned over, his eyes telling him that he was lying on his own bed in his room.

But his consciousness told him that he had just been in a bloody battle and should be at the bottom of a well leading to who knows where. He needed to wake up quickly and take Junior Sister away with him.

Yet even though he realized this, the scene before him didn’t change.

He walked out the door.

The familiar courtyard was free of mist, and the loquat tree he had planted himself still stood tall and lush.

However, the strangely shaped Junior Sister and Master’s wife were nowhere to be seen.

Thinking about it, it had been a long time since he had entered this dream landscape where the consciousness of Junior Sister and Master’s wife resided.

He had always suspected that it was because the monstrous Junior Sister had fallen into a deep sleep. Now that he had entered again, did this mean that it had awakened?

Had it been roused by the main consciousness?

You Su felt a deep sense of guilt. He hadn’t fulfilled his duty. He hadn’t protected Junior Sister and Master’s wife well enough, allowing those self-righteous outsiders to pierce through the unspoken secrecy between them.

Considering the current situation, although You Su was extremely reluctant to admit it, it seemed that Master’s wife had likely been controlled by evil spirits, which was why she had secretly left to do something. Only Junior Sister hadn’t been completely corrupted yet.

That being the case, he couldn’t afford to wallow in self-pity here. The real Junior Sister was still in grave danger, and he had to get out quickly to save her, or else there would be no chance to make amends.

With this in mind, You Su ran to Ji Lingruo’s door, intending to have the monstrous Junior Sister send out his consciousness as it had done before.

“Junior Sister?”

You Su knocked on the door, but there was no response for a long time.

You Su grew anxious. He had never entered Junior Sister’s room before, but now was not the time for propriety.

He kicked the door open with a powerful blow.

Junior Sister’s room was pitch black, and only after the door opened could he barely see anything. You Su immediately began searching for the monstrous Junior Sister.

He found it-right next to the large wardrobe, in the darkest corner of the room where no light reached, six fish-like eyes were staring directly at him.

It was Junior Sister! She had indeed woken up!

Just as You Su was about to call out to her in delight, a dizzying sensation washed over him. The colors before him began to twist and blur, and a strong feeling of weightlessness first disoriented him, then brought him back to consciousness.

The first thing he felt upon regaining consciousness was the excruciating pain throughout his body, followed by the softness pressing against the back of his neck.

“Wuwu… Senior Brother…”

“Senior Brother, don’t die… wuwu…”

“I’ll never be stubborn again, please wake up… let’s escape together… wuwu…”

Was… Junior Sister crying?

You Su struggled to get his eyes half open. Through the faint shadows of his eyelashes, the first thing he saw was the twin peaks of the young maiden’s Divine Mountains.

Well, at least he could still see her face…

Previously, he had only caught fleeting glimpses of Junior Sister’s face. The first time was on that morning after killing Elder Ling, when he had seen her from afar. But in such a situation, who would pay attention to her face?

Then there was the time when he had been carrying Junior Sister while fleeing, but he hadn’t gotten a good look at her then either.

This was the first time that You Su had gotten such a close look at Ji Lingruo’s face. Even from this unflattering angle, even with her dirty face, it was clear that she was truly beautiful.

Her eyes slanted upward, and her brows were sharp, giving her delicate features a hint of fierceness. If you ignored the lingering childishness on her face, she looked exactly like a cold, snake-like beauty with an air of disdain for the world.

Now, she was crying so hard that the tears streamed down her face like rain. She kept wiping them away with her hands, but the more she tried, the more they fell.

“Junior Sister…”

You Su murmured.

Ji Lingruo immediately snapped out of her daze and looked down at You Su, whose eyes were half open. At this moment, You Su’s eyes were completely black with no white visible, but Ji Lingruo showed no fear or disgust.

Plop, plop.

Two tears that she hadn’t wiped away fell from her chin onto the corner of You Su’s lips.

Ji Lingruo felt a bit embarrassed and was about to wipe them away, but You Su slowly stuck out his tongue and licked the tear-stained corner of his mouth.

After licking it, he forced out an awkward smile.

“You!”

Ji Lingruo was both shy and annoyed, and her tears abruptly stopped. She took a deep breath and asked coldly, “Feeling better, aren’t you?”

You Su’s smile froze, and just as he was about to respond, he turned his head and began coughing violently. Ji Lingruo’s cold expression immediately softened, and she gently patted his back until he coughed up a mouthful of black blood, which finally stopped the coughing.

Ji Lingruo then adjusted You Su’s head to rest more comfortably on the softest part of her thigh, trying to make the pillow of her lap more comfortable. Then she took out a somewhat dirty handkerchief and wiped the blood from the corner of You Su’s mouth.

You Su could do nothing but watch as Ji Lingruo silently took care of him. His heart felt like a dry riverbed that was gradually fed by a trickling stream.

After coughing up the blood, he felt a bit better and tried to speak. Sensing this, Ji Lingruo placed her delicate hand over his lips and commanded him:

“Don’t speak. Rest first.”

You Su blinked and could only comply obediently.

Ji Lingruo then spoke softly, “I know what you want to ask. When I woke up, it was pitch black all around. I thought you must have taken me to a hiding place when you escaped. I was afraid those bad people would catch up with me, so I carried you on my back and groped around in the dark. I walked until I was almost dead tired before I found this place, the only place with some light.”

You Su finally began to take in their surroundings. They were in a small cave, with thin rays of light shining through the gaps between the rocks and dirt. The air was filled with the damp smell of earth.

You Su glanced at Ji Lingruo again. His eyes were still pitch black, showing no expression, but Ji Lingruo seemed to understand and said:

“I… I’m fine. You should take care of yourself first.”

After saying this, You Su didn’t look away, continuing to stare at Ji Lingruo. Ji Lingruo, feeling uneasy under his gaze, said:

“Ugh, I’m really fine! You already knew about it anyway…”

Her voice grew softer as she spoke, and she buried her head, choking back sobs:

“Senior Brother, I’m sorry… It’s all my fault. Everything that’s happened to us is my fault, Wuwu… I’m the one who got you into this mess. You shouldn’t have taken care of me. Why did I get possessed? I didn’t do anything wrong… Why, why did this happen to me? Wuwu…”

Ji Lingruo seemed to be questioning her own fate, overwhelmed by guilt and resentment. She could not hold back any longer and began to cry.

Seeing Junior Sister crying so bitterly, You Su felt even more pain.

He wanted to comfort her, but Ji Lingruo’s hand was still covering his mouth. Unable to move, he could only flick his tongue against the palm of her hand.

Ji Lingruo reacted as if she had been bitten by a snake, quickly pulling her hand away while still crying.

She rubbed her palm on You Su’s clothes, crying even harder:

“Wuwu… You’re so gross…”

You Su felt a bit awkward, but this was the only way he could communicate with her. He swallowed twice and said:

“Junior Sister… It’s not your fault.”

“Don’t say that, Wuwu… It’s obviously the fault of that ugly thing on me!”

Ji Lingruo’s tears were like a burst dam that could not be stopped.

You Su had no choice but to remain silent. When a girl truly wants to cry, there’s no stopping her. It was better to let her vent her pent-up emotions, and You Su could use the time to rest quietly.

Only when her tears finally ran dry did Ji Lingruo’s sobbing gradually subside. The cave was suddenly plunged into silence, except for the occasional sniffling that echoed softly.

“Senior Brother… when did you find out?”

“The day you celebrated my birthday.”

Ji Lingruo’s face was streaked with black and white tear stains. She asked in confusion, “How did you figure it out?”

You Su was momentarily stunned. The fact that Junior Sister was asking this question meant that the part of her consciousness that was hidden in his mind hadn’t returned yet. She was still in a state where she vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but she wasn’t entirely sure.

If that was the case, there was still a chance to fix things!

“When I went down the mountain that day, I met an old Taoist priest. He said that I was contaminated with evil energy.”

“And then?” Ji Lingruo raised her delicate brows.

“He said he wanted to save me. I didn’t trust him, so he gave me a stone – the same one that the official used to test you earlier. It’s called an Evil Repelling Token. If there’s evil energy nearby, it turns black and hot.”

“But… I’ve been hiding at home all this time. Who would have thought that I was possessed?”

You Su furrowed his brows as well. He couldn’t figure out why Qi Daodong had suddenly come to secretly test Ji Lingruo. How had he noticed that something was wrong?

Was it just because he was the last person to see Elder He?

You Su didn’t say it outright. Instead, he told Ji Lingruo about the great crisis Chuyun City was currently facing. As for the test, it was something that the city lord had ordered everyone to undergo. He regretted not returning sooner; otherwise, he might have found a way to stop that man.

Ji Lingruo nodded, seemingly accepting You Su’s explanation, and then asked about the old Taoist priest.

“That old Taoist was not a good person. He was an evil cultivator. He saw that our sect was isolated and wanted to use me to turn all of us into evil creatures. The evil spirit possessing you was probably released by him.”

“What!” Ji Lingruo’s beautiful eyes widened in shock. “How could there be such an evil person?”

“It’s okay. I turned the tables and killed him. My only regret is that I didn’t find a way to remove the evil spirit that possesses you.”

“How… how did you kill him?”

You Su smiled and blinked. “I was possessed too. How could I let Junior Sister suffer alone? When I fought with City Lord Qi, he stabbed me in the stomach. Look, because of the possession, the wound has already stopped bleeding.”

You Su tilted his head slightly, trying to show Ji Lingruo the hole in his abdomen. But Ji Lingruo didn’t look away, her gaze fixed on You Su’s completely black eyes. With a trembling voice, she asked, “Then why didn’t you tell me earlier? You thought I would just get in the way!”

The lies became harder and harder to maintain. You Su, eager to deny her accusation, moved too abruptly and accidentally aggravated his abdominal injury. He winced in pain and sucked in sharp breaths.

Alarmed, Ji Lingruo looked at You Su’s blood-stained wound, unsure of what to do. She asked worriedly, “Are you okay?”

You Su, gritting his teeth through the pain, rasped, “I was too cowardly and arrogant. I foolishly thought that if I didn’t break through this layer of secrecy, we could go on living as before. I tried to shoulder everything on my own. Junior Sister, I’m sorry… ah!”

“Y-You don’t have to say anything! I’m not angry!” Ji Lingruo said urgently.

Junior Sister trusted him too easily, and every time You Su acted to deceive her, he felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.

He slowly relaxed his pained expression. “I won’t do this again, Junior Sister. From now on, we’ll face everything together.”

“Mm…” Ji Lingruo lowered her head.

“By the way, Junior Sister, do you know where Master’s wife went?” You Su was eager to change the subject.

Ji Lingruo shook her head. “I don’t know. I didn’t even know that she was possessed until she told me herself. She also said…”

“Said what?”

“She told me to stay hidden with you in the sect and not to wander around.”

“When did she tell you this?”

“That night… after your match with Wu Cheng.”

Upon hearing this, You Su’s heart was filled with suspicion. With danger lurking outside, Master’s wife had somehow foreseen it and warned them to hide. It seemed that Gu’s death, the evil spirits, and the mystery of the mist were all connected to Master’s wife.

You Su sighed inwardly. There were too many things he couldn’t figure out, so he decided to stop dwelling on them. The most important thing now was to determine whether this place was safe and to recover his strength as quickly as possible. Only then could he face the impending crisis with confidence.

“Help me lean against the wall.”

Ji Lingruo’s cheeks flushed. “Uncomfortable?”

“Too comfortable.” If possible, no one would want to leave the soft, fragrant lap of a young girl. “But now is not the time for comfort. There’s something important I need you to do.”

“Oh.” Ji Lingruo complied, helping You Su to sit up and lean against the stone wall beside her.

Their shoulders pressed together, and the warmth of their bodies seemed to make the cold cave a little more bearable.

You Su struggled to raise his hand. At this point, there was no need to hide the existence of his dimensional bag. He pulled out a candle and a fire starter, handing them to Ji Lingruo.

Ji Lingruo looked shocked, and You Su explained, “It’s a relic from that evil Taoist. A storage magic tool.”

“So that night, you weren’t really going to teach those people a lesson, were you?” Ji Lingruo said as she took the candle and lit it. The cave immediately brightened, and their shadows flickered on the stone walls.

“Mm.” You Su nodded, and then took out a spool of black thread. “Junior Sister, take this candle and try to find the path we came from. I’ll hold on to this end and you take the other end to wrap the thread around the entrance several times.”

Ji Lingruo understood immediately and didn’t hesitate. She got up and felt her way along the stone wall, heading out of the cave.

“Be careful, Junior Sister.”

“Mm.”

Before long, Ji Lingruo returned, having completed her task. She snuggled up to You Su again, even closer than before.

As if that wasn’t enough, she quietly leaned her head on You Su’s shoulder. You Su breathed in her sweet scent, and his heart filled with warmth.

Both of them fell silent. Even though there were a thousand things they wanted to say, they were too exhausted to speak. Only the warm, orange glow of the candle kept them company.

“Junior Sister, are you hungry?”

“A little.”

You Su then took out a box of mung bean cakes from his dimensional bag and handed it to Ji Lingruo with anticipation.

Ji Lingruo smiled sweetly, opened the box, and fed half a piece to You Su. Then she held the other half and slowly nibbled on it, as if she was afraid to finish it too quickly.

“It seems that Junior Sister is really hungry. You never touched mung bean cakes before…”

Ji Lingruo paused, her lips still pressed together. Her long lashes hid the look in her eyes. “When there’s nothing else to eat, you have to eat it… I can’t just starve, can I?”

You Su didn’t respond. She looked at him in the candlelight.

The young man’s jawline was sharply outlined by the flickering light. His eyes were closed – he had already fallen asleep.