Chapter Fifty-Four: Rising Again

Yinyao was someone who meant what she said and saw things through to the end. She believed that time could heal all wounds—a maxim held as an absolute truth in her previous world, a doctrine whose credibility was beyond question. Most people relied on time to recover, and she was certain that if others could do it, so could she—without exception! Her mental fortitude was not something ordinary people could match. It was just a matter of heartbreak, after all! At worst, she would simply forget.

She began to close herself off from the outside world, paying no more heed to that extraordinary realm, and devoted herself wholly to the Liyin Sect, assisting Lisu in handling sect affairs.

Of course, Yinyao’s decisiveness, composure, and excellence in dealing with matters left Lisu quite astonished. He truly hadn’t expected Yinyao to be so adept at management. Though her approach differed from his in some ways, the results were outstanding—her methods yielded even more effective solutions than his own.

Lisu suddenly felt that Yinyao was like a riddle he couldn’t decipher—or rather, she was becoming increasingly enigmatic to him. He had always disliked people slipping beyond his control, yet with Yinyao, instead of aversion, he found himself growing ever more curious, desiring to lift the veil of mystery that shrouded her.

Yinyao, however, lived freely and at ease. She rarely bothered to explain herself in response to Lisu’s occasional probing curiosity and doubts. In fact, she was keen to see just how much he could uncover. If he ever managed to unravel her secrets, she would be utterly impressed, for she believed that no one besides herself could truly understand everything about her.

Outside the door came the sound of a mechanism being triggered, but it soon fell silent. Dressed in blue and white, Yinyao walked in with a faint, serene smile on her lips. The men in black inside seemed quite accustomed to this by now.

This was, after all, the intelligence chamber of the Liyin Sect, entry to which required either breaking through the array of traps or possessing a pass token. Yet, ten days prior, Yinyao had strolled in unscathed and unhurried, leaving everyone present stunned. Then, they saw their leader appear behind her, waving his jade fan and smiling—a look that contained surprise, yes, but even more indulgent affection.

The sight had left them all unnerved, and then the woman uttered words that nearly made them cough blood in disbelief.

“Lisu, are you sure this is that impenetrable trap array you boasted about? How unreliable! Are you treating me like a child? Here’s a suggestion—change it at once!”

After that, Yinyao leisurely began to peruse the intelligence reports, her critical remarks ceaseless, and, to their shock, their revered leader showed no reaction—he couldn’t care less.

Yinyao handled the documents with practiced ease, her sharp eyes quickly capturing useful information. At times she would shake her head in exasperation, at others she would smile in satisfaction, all without being swayed by anyone in the room. She processed the intelligence as if nothing were amiss, leaving everyone present with nothing but respect and admiration.

Lisu, for his part, was more than pleased by Yinyao’s transformation—he was elated and excited.

“Lisu?” Yinyao waved her hand nonchalantly, but Lisu remained utterly stunned by what he had just witnessed! What had Yinyao just shown him?

She called it a weapon—something she had recently rushed to complete—yet it looked entirely harmless! The so-called weapon was a seven-colored bracelet on her right wrist, woven from seven strands of silk in different hues, with extra threads hanging down and a tiny silver bell affixed to it. It looked like nothing more than a woman’s ornament. And yet, what had Yinyao just done with it?

With a flick of her right wrist, the seven silken threads, previously drooping, suddenly elongated and snapped taut, shimmering with a faint silvery light under the sun. Yinyao’s hand flexed into a claw, and the seven threads shot out in seven different directions, each targeting one of the decorative stone mountains ahead.

The bell chimed melodiously as the seven threads pierced the stone peaks, then retracted in an instant, returning to their original form. Without answering Lisu’s puzzled gaze, Yinyao merely gestured for him to inspect the seven stone mountains.

He saw that near the top of each mountain, a fine crack appeared, quickly widening until all seven crumbled in succession! Though these were only ornamental stones, they were by no means easily destroyed—let alone by a few strands of silk. Yet Yinyao had done it, and very much for real.

Seeing Lisu’s reaction, Yinyao’s eyes shone with pride. This was her exclusive weapon from the 21st century. Calmly, she explained, “Crafted from celestial silkworm thread—no need to be so surprised. You should know the strength of celestial silk. Its power here comes from the fusion of wrist force and internal energy.”

Lisu pondered her words and nodded in agreement, for he had indeed noticed the subtle fluctuation of internal energy within her.

“I’m back!” Yinyao shouted toward the sky, unafraid that any ill-intentioned soul might overhear, for no one could possibly understand.

Her voice echoed through the empty courtyard, but she was already gone, a faint, delicate fragrance lingering in the air. Lisu’s eyes grew dark and profound: Yao’er, just how many secrets do you possess that I have yet to discover? I truly long to find out. That cool-headed decisiveness, those unconventional methods, and now this multicolored chain—my curiosity about you only grows. What am I to do?

That afternoon, Lisu found himself in a daze, his mind awhirl with countless thoughts.

No one could grasp what Yinyao felt that day.

Her heart was crystal clear and serene—she had finally come to terms with everything, completely and utterly. In that moment, she was suddenly grateful to Ji Xuanyu for all that he had brought into her life. Without him, she would not have met Lisu, or Uncle Li, would not have glimpsed another parallel world, nor met her father in dreams. Without the pain he inflicted, she would never have awakened to herself.

The thought of her former self almost sinking into oblivion now filled her with a trace of fear. Yes, when she first arrived as an infant, she had been moved by the Silver Fox, reclaiming her original nature and desiring only an ordinary life. But ever since she saved Ji Xuanyu, she should have known her life would never be ordinary.

What was truly laughable was how she had forgotten who she once was, becoming nothing more than a child at heart. It took a brush with death, the revelation of the truth, and heartbreak so profound that she was “reborn”—to finally return to herself at last.

She really wanted to say that perhaps, during all that time, her 21st-century self had been sealed away.

Now, she was reclaiming and returning to her true self. Nobody knew what she endured, shut away in her room for three days and nights. Only she understood the torment of those hours—a trial of body and soul. But only by going through it could she remember, let go of the past, and embrace new life. She’d had enough of heartbreak.

Yinyao lifted her head to gaze at the sky, smiling—she would climb back to the very top! She had no interest in looking up to anyone else—never again!

On the seventeenth night, the moon was even fuller and brighter than on the fifteenth. For someone to truly awaken on such a night, nothing could stand in their way.

—Author’s note—

The heroine’s character may seem immature for now, but I will refine it step by step.