Chapter Sixty-Five: Another Amnesiac Arrives

“Heh, it seems the information I have is true. Miss Wan, you truly are the daughter of the Divine Physician Wan. The softbone powder I scattered may not match the finest from your family, but it is far superior to the common ones found in the marketplace. Yet, you remain utterly unaffected.” Silver Yao smiled as she spoke, her eyes half-lidded as she looked at Wan Youxue. She didn’t dislike her in the least.

“Is that so?” Wan Youxue replied without fear, offering Silver Yao a polite smile.

Seeing Wan Youxue’s reaction, Silver Yao’s smile broadened. “Aren’t you afraid I’m here to kill you? After all, it’s easy to invite disaster in this palace.”

Wan Youxue looked steadily at Silver Yao, still smiling. “But you are not here to kill me, are you? I believe you simply wish to speak with me alone.”

“Haha, clever as expected! I like that!” Silver Yao laughed heartily. In the twenty-first century, she had a habit—neither good nor bad—that set her apart: while others shunned clever people, she sought them out as friends. She was never afraid of being outmaneuvered, for she was confident she could never be deceived.

Though her blind confidence had led her to suffer unjustly more than once, she never regretted it. Now, as things returned to their essence, the habit naturally resurfaced.

“Can you tell me who you really are?” Wan Youxue slowly approached Silver Yao, her face still smiling.

“Are you truly not afraid I might harm you? Perhaps we are enemies, you know,” Silver Yao spoke softly, a teasing smile on her lips. She simply wanted to see how Wan Youxue would react.

“You and I? Impossible. This is our first meeting, and I don’t know you. Besides, I believe there is no grievance between us. Unless—unless you have something to do with someone close to me…” Wan Youxue paused, seeming to realize something. Her gentle smile suddenly froze.

Silver Yao saw Wan Youxue’s reaction and guessed what she must have thought of. With a wicked smile, she stepped closer. The two drew nearer.

“Well? Aren’t you going to finish your thought?”

Wan Youxue was stunned, standing motionless. She had realized it must be connected to Ji Muyu. For a moment, she was at a loss, as if two figures were debating in her mind.

The one in white smiled gently and said, “It doesn’t necessarily mean it concerns Mu. Maybe she’s simply teasing you, isn’t she? Besides, she gives you a good feeling, doesn’t she?”

The one in black snorted, “Anything is possible! If she truly is Mu’s enemy, your current attitude is inviting trouble into your home!”

...

The argument between the two little figures almost made her head explode. Wan Youxue reached out and gently rubbed her temple to ease the headache.

Silver Yao watched her reactions without expression. Seeing her sudden headache, she felt curious and wondered about it, but for now she restrained herself. What mattered most was Wan Youxue’s response to the possibility that Silver Yao might be her enemy.

Wan Youxue released her hand and suddenly smiled brightly. “That doesn’t seem to prevent us from becoming friends, does it?”

Silver Yao was surprised to hear Wan Youxue echo her phrasing. She hadn’t expected such an answer—quite the opposite of what she’d anticipated. It made her smile, and she wondered if the various toxic plants in Wan Youxue’s courtyard had caused her to hallucinate.

Heh~

Silver Yao thought a moment and smiled radiantly. “Of course! That doesn’t stand in the way of our friendship.”

She walked with easy steps toward Wan Youxue. At that moment, Wan Youxue extended her right hand and took Silver Yao’s. Together, they walked into Xuan Yu Palace. Wan Youxue closed the door and brewed a fine tea for her new friend.

“I still don’t know your name. Now, will you tell me?” Wan Youxue held a cup of tea in both hands, carefully placing it before Silver Yao, her smile gentle.

“Have you ever heard of Silver Yao the Serpent Maiden?” Silver Yao said, still in a playful mood. She picked up her cup and took a sip. “Excellent tea!”

“So you are the Serpent Maiden, Silver Yao! That’s quite unexpected.” Wan Youxue glanced at Silver Yao, who nodded slightly. Wan Youxue’s smile grew brighter. “May I call you Silver Yao?”

“Of course, it suits me perfectly. I trust you won’t mind if I call you Youxue.” Silver Yao continued sipping her tea, her smile serene.

“Good!” Wan Youxue could not deny that making such a friend as Silver Yao made her genuinely happy and excited. For a moment, she forgot that her new friend might truly be Ji Muyu’s enemy.

“Youxue, all the plants in this courtyard must be medicinal herbs, right? Have you inherited the true teachings of the Divine Physician Wan?” Silver Yao appeared to idly fiddle with her teacup lid, but in truth, she was closely observing everything around her. Earlier, she had noticed that Wan Youxue seemed to have a hidden illness, making her appear exceptionally frail.

Yet she was the daughter of a legendary physician, the most accomplished among Wan’s many children, and rumored to be the likely successor to his name. No matter what, she shouldn’t be in such a state.

The sudden question left Wan Youxue puzzled; she wasn’t sure why Silver Yao had asked it.

Noticing Wan Youxue’s confusion and hesitation, Silver Yao explained, “No need to be nervous. I simply noticed you seem to have a hidden ailment, and your body is very weak. For a woman of your skill, that’s quite strange.”

“Mu has said so as well. She called me a lady healer, devoted to helping the poor. I have an innate familiarity with medicines, yet I remember none of it. Mu says I lost my memories—I’ve forgotten the past, and I suffer frequent headaches, which leave me physically weak.”

As Wan Youxue spoke, her eyes brimmed with tears. She truly hoped to regain her memories; she did not want to live a life without a past.

“Amnesia?” Silver Yao was somewhat surprised—another case of lost memory? The news was unexpected, but not entirely bad. Thinking of the massacre of the Wan family, Silver Yao realized it wasn’t simple. Moreover, when the tragedy struck the Wan family, the Night Pavilion nearly faced destruction as well.

Silver Yao surmised the two events must be connected. It seemed the intelligence branch of the Hidden Sect would be busy.

Wan Youxue looked at Silver Yao and nodded. “Yes.”

Her tears flowed, and though Silver Yao disliked tears, recalling her own past made her suppress her annoyance. Yet, she found Wan Youxue’s tears oddly unoffensive.

And according to what she’d heard, Wan Youxue was not a girl given to tears, nor a woman defined by frailty. It seemed Silver Yao was about to meddle once more…