Weining flew through the air, somewhat distracted.
She had simply taken in too much over the past two days, and her mind struggled to keep up. Her thoughts were in total disarray, with previous scenes replaying endlessly in her head.
Now it was her fierce and exhilarating spar with Yaoji; now it was the couple standing together in a tight embrace; now it was Yang Tianyou dying willingly for Yaoji while Yaoji was driven to the depths of despair; and then again, those words Yang Tianyou had spoken...
Weining felt today's sunlight was unusually blinding, making her head spin with heat. She shook her head, focused her gaze below, and realizing it was no longer a village or town, but a stretch of woods, she safely descended.
Once her feet touched the ground, the dazzling sunlight was mostly blocked by dense branches and leaves, filtering through only in scattered flecks. Freed from the scorching tyranny of the blazing sun, she felt a bit better.
Letting out a long breath, Weining no longer felt like flying. Without bothering to distinguish direction, she simply walked at random.
Reviewing everything that had happened over the past two days in detail, she had not only witnessed many things she had never encountered before, but she had also accumulated a host of difficult and perplexing doubts.
More importantly, she had committed a monumental and unthinkable act—she had actually let go of Yaoji, who had violated the Heavenly Statutes!
Ultimately, the ignorant are fearless; she did not know the specific penalties, but at the very least, this counted as dereliction of duty, covering for a fugitive, and failing to report what she knew. She was not afraid of the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother; it was just that thinking of A-Jin made her feel somewhat guilty.
As the Law Enforcement Deity, he was directly in charge of the penal matters of the Heavenly Statutes. Instead of helping her friend share his burdens, she was creating more trouble for him. It was truly disloyal of her.
Thinking of this, Weining sighed inwardly, feeling rather dejected.
Suddenly, she missed her footing and nearly took a fall. Recovering her balance and looking closely, she couldn't help laughing at herself.
Lost deep in thought, she hadn't watched her step and had walked right into a stream. Fortunately, the river wasn't deep, and she had only stepped into the shallows; otherwise, she might have taken a full tumble into the water today.
She pulled back her soaked foot and the hem of her skirt, not bothering to fuss over it.
It was so hot out anyway that she would be dry in no time. Looking at the clear river water, she instantly felt a wave of coolness wash over her, wonderfully refreshing.
Weining closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and stretched, immediately feeling much more energetic. She then found a large tree, sat down with her back against it, and faced the crystal-clear river water.
After a long while, Weining couldn't help smiling. Although what she had done violated laws and principles, from start to finish she had followed her own heart.
Mistaken though she was, she felt no regret!
As for A-Jin, she would just have to make it up to him by helping share his burdens all the more in the future.
Weining was not one to overthink things; once she figured something out, she let it go.
She let out a sigh of relief, hoping only that the heavens would bless Yaoji and her family so her efforts wouldn't be in vain.
Yet there shouldn't be any accidents; after all, a day in heaven is a year on earth. Judging by Yang Tianyou's age, another two or three months in heaven at most should be about right.
By then, Yaoji could ascend to heaven unburdened to confess her guilt. Surrendering voluntarily would surely incur a lighter punishment than being captured after a failed escape.
By that time, their child would also have grown up, leaving her with no worries behind—everything should be fine!
Having considered every angle from front to back and side to side, Weining nodded, deciding it was sound, and therefore there was nothing left to worry about.
She shifted her body to make herself more comfortable against the tree. Weining closed her eyes and didn't want to move a muscle.
A gentle breeze, the murmur of flowing water, fresh and tranquil—it was truly comfortable!
Suddenly, a thought struck Weining. Her heart skipped a beat; she opened her eyes instantly and sat up straight.
Once that Yang Tianyou grew old and died, what if Yaoji couldn't bear to part with him, and after he was reincarnated they became husband and wife all over again, guarding each other for a lifetime? If this cycle repeated endlessly, then... what then?
At this thought, Weining could no longer sit still. She stood up and paced back and forth. After a moment, she stopped and shook her head with a smile—she really was overthinking this.
Based on her current superficial understanding of them, they wouldn't do such a thing. After all, Yaoji understood the consequences of violating the Heavenly Statutes far better than she did; this lifetime was already a stroke of fortune they had stolen by the grace of heaven.
For everyone's sake, they surely wouldn't repeat their mistakes. And should they happen to act foolishly again, she would never turn a blind eye a second time.
She, the "accomplice," would simply have to keep a closer eye on them. Who told her to muddy these waters anyway!
Having cleared up these knots in her mind, she felt much relieved.
When matters came to a head, she would simply resolve them properly; why worry about things that hadn't even happened yet?
Come to think of it, Weining had never been one to dwell on things, and it was a rare occasion for her to be so fretful and pensive. This was all brought on by this complicated situation and Yaoji's capricious behavior.
Coming to her senses, Weining cast off all her vexations and laughed at her own sentimentalism.
With her worries gone, she finally settled down to take a good look at her surroundings. Lush vegetation and verdant greenery surrounded her, with red and yellow wild flowers scattered sparingly among the grass, all alongside a clear little stream... truly a magnificent view!
Only... she looked around and found the place somewhat unfamiliar; she didn't think she had been here before. In her spare time over the past few years, she had wandered all through the mountainous terrain around Mount Qingcheng and its various towns. It seemed she had flown in the wrong direction.
With no other choice, she found the tallest tree nearby, flew up to the treetop, and looked out into the distance from a height to figure out where she was...
Standing at the top of the tree, Weining carefully scanned all around her and, just as she expected, she had taken the wrong path.
The original direction of Nuwa Palace was to the southeast of the village where Yaoji lived, but in her distracted state she had flown straight south all the way here.
Having figured out her bearings, Weining looked up at the sky; the sun was already slanting westward.
To think it was already this late! It seemed she had spent quite a long time lost in her wild thoughts!
Shaking her head, she leaped down from the treetop.
Weining had no desire to fly anymore, so she decided to walk back. Fortunately, the distance wasn't far, and she was in no hurry—she would get there whenever she arrived.
Walking slowly along the quiet forest path, Weining's mind drifted with idle thoughts the entire way. It wasn't that she was troubled by past events or worried about the future; she was just thinking about this and that, frowning one moment and smiling the next.
She didn't know how long she had walked before the Peach Grove came into view right before her eyes. Weining shook her head vigorously, trying to chase away all the messy, tangled thoughts in her heart.
She couldn't help smiling. What on earth was wrong with her? She had never been like this before; it was truly bizarre!
She couldn't help mocking herself—sentimentalism and the like didn't suit her at all. If Qingluan and Huofeng found out, they would surely make fun of her. Sighing to herself, she continued walking at a leisurely pace.
The day was growing late, the sun was sinking behind the western hills, and tired birds were returning to their nests. Gazing into the distance, the evening glow filled the sky, the peach blossoms were in full bloom, and the air was alive with birdsong.
Birds chirping and flowers blooming bathed in the evening glow—what a beautiful scene. All the wild thoughts filling her mind dissipated completely.
Seeing that the sky had darkened and the thatched cottage was right before her, Weining stopped in her tracks and prepared to summon Danxin, ready to stretch her limbs out of habit.
At the thought of Danxin, she naturally recalled her fierce battle with Yaoji today—it had been truly exhilarating! Remembering this, Weining felt her heart swell with joy.
Wait a minute. If not for Yaoji's sneak attack at the end, she would have won.
To think she could actually defeat the Heavenly Court's premier female warrior showed that her martial prowess had progressed quite a bit.
Ha... thinking of this, Weining couldn't help letting out a soft laugh. Her years of tempering herself in the Mortal Realm had certainly not been wasted; the harvest was not small at all.
"What good thing are you thinking about that makes you so happy?"
The sudden voice snapped Weining back to her senses. She spun around sharply, her gaze locking onto the direction from which the voice came.
At the sight of him, Weining was overjoyed and immediately hurried over. "A-Jin, why are you here?" It was none other than A-Jin, whom she hadn't seen in a long time. He was leaning casually against the wooden door of the thatched cottage, wearing a rare, lazy expression with a faint smile on his face.
*Was she really so lost in thought that she didn't even notice someone was in the Peach Grove? That is simply unforgivable. If an enemy had come, it could have been quite dangerous.* The Great Golden Crow raised an eyebrow, though his face betrayed none of his thoughts.
Seeing him behave so completely out of character from his usual stern and solemn self, Weining found it rather novel.
As she walked toward him, she looked him up and down while speaking without missing a beat, "What an unexpected honor to have such a distinguished guest grace my humble dwelling today! I failed to welcome you from afar, please forgive me, please forgive me!" With that, she even put on a theatrical bow.
The Great Golden Crow, who had just straightened up, froze. The smile on his face stalled as he looked at her with a peculiar expression.
Weining was chattering away to herself and couldn't help giggling, but she noticed he didn't reply.
Instead, he simply looked her up and down, a trace of amusement flashing in his eyes.
Uncharacteristically lacking their usual back-and-forth banter, Weining finally reacted. Feeling a sense of impending doom under his rare gaze, she immediately lowered her head to inspect herself.
At that single glance, her face instantly burned with heat. Between stepping into the river earlier, sitting directly on the ground, and walking the whole way here, her dress and shoes were an absolute mess. Remembering that she had also leaned against a tree, she figured her back and hair probably weren't looking any better.
And here she was, completely unaware of her bedraggled state while still thinking about teasing someone else—this was truly... asking for death!
The situation was intensely awkward, and thick-skinned as Weining was, she had no idea how to smooth things over or salvage the moment.
Before she could even react, she saw the Great Golden Crow bring one hand behind his back while extending the other forward. With a flash of golden light, a palm-sized Condensing Light Mirror appeared in his open palm.
Weining stared blankly as the Great Golden Crow thrust the mirror right in front of her face, nearly bumping into her nose.
Too mortified to blame him for giving her a fright, Weining wished she could bite off her tongue right then and there.
The glowing surface of the mirror clearly reflected her face: her forehead hair was clumped together, her sideburns were disheveled, and a tender green leaf was resting quietly atop her hair bun. None of that even mattered; the most crucial thing was a grayish, mottled smudge of mud across her left cheek, running straight down from her brow bone all the way to her left temple.
For a moment, Weining was overwhelmed with shame. She wanted nothing more than to burrow into the ground and vanish on the spot—she simply had no face left to show anyone...