13 Pining Sorrow

Just as Qiu Qiu was about to get a reaction out of Grandmistress Qian, the Grandmistress suddenly pushed away her shoulder, then stood up and backed away.

Qiu Qiu turned turned her head to look at the Grandmistress. Her eyes were as cold as ever; seeing this, Qiu Qiu felt extreme despair.

"Isn't this what the Grandmistress wanted?" Qiu Qiu asked.

The Grandmistress did not reply. She turned around and walked away, waved the door open, and then left behind only one cold word:

"Confinement."

And so Qiu Qiu was imprisoned here.

A few fleeting months passed. For a cultivator, this time passed in the blink of an eye. For Qiu Qiu, every day felt like a year. Her body was irrevocably damaged.

In the last month, she was no longer able to bear the cold anymore. She had developed a cold several times. As time passed, her body became weaker than even an ordinary mortal's.

Grandmistress Qian came to visit her. Perhaps it was because Qiu Qiu was too weak, but the other treated her much more affectionately now. She had found many doctors from the mortal world, many immortal physicians from the cultivation world, but none could stop Qiu Qiu's life from slowly decaying away.

After another few months, Qiu Qiu was unable to mobilize her magic entirely. Her body wasted away, making her illness all too apparent.

The Grandmistress finally ended Qiu Qiu's imprisonment. However, in her current state, Qiu Qiu was unable to walk for long anyway.

She no longer had to pretend to be weak. When she gave Grandmistress Qian a faint smile, that kind of pitiful, sickly appearance was enough to thaw the Grandmistress' heart.

Grandmistress Qian was unable to let her go.

Qiu Qiu understood this too much.

It did not snow in the Demonic Realm, but there were times when the weather became wintry. Qiu Qiu could hardly bear the frigid chill that overcame her body when she stepped outside of her room.

That day, she slowly made her way out of her courtyard. She could still vaguely remember where Grandmistress Qian's courtyard was.

Her footsteps were slow, and her body was covered with a thin layer of sweat. Whenever the wind blew, she felt an icy chill spread through her entire body.

She felt too cold.

She tried to quicken her footsteps. On the way, she met one of the disciples of the Qian family that she happened to recognize. Enlisting their help, she was brought to the Grandmistress's courtyard.

All of the servants in the courtyard knew Qiu Qiu, and so she was quickly brought straight to the Grandmistress's room. She immediately closed all of the doors and windows to block out the outside chill.

The Grandmistress had not returned yet. Qiu Qiu took off her outer robes and crawled into the Grandmistress's bed, waiting inside the quilt.

She slept for a while then woke up. After another long wait, the Grandmistress finally returned.

The Grandmistress pushed open the door. Qiu Qiu's blank eyes immediately revealed a content emotion. She pushed her head out of the blankets and whispered, "Grandmistress."

The Grandmistress heard her.

She pulled Qiu Qiu out her blankets, and, realizing that she was only wearing underclothes, had her re-dress.

For once, the Grandmistress's expression was not cold. Seeing this, Qiu Qiu felt happier.

The joy in Qiu Qiu's eyes were brimming to the point of overflow. This was an expression that the Qiu Qiu of the previous life had never shown. Grandmistress Qian attentively watched her. She liked it when Qiu Qiu looked at her like this, she liked it when Qiu Qiu was obedient and cute. However, all of these only existed on the surface. What Qiu Qiu felt towards her was not love.

After they had been together for so long, the Grandmistress was extremely familiar with Qiu Qiu. In the previous life, Qiu Qiu had feared and loathed her; after she had reincarnated, the other cared about her and had many regrets of what she had done — but she did not love Grandmistress Qian.

The other was only returning a life, returning emotions, and nothing else.

What she truly wanted, Qiu Qiu had never been able to give her.

Qiu Qiu did not know what the Grandmistress was thinking. She put on her outer robes, then reached out her hands, gesturing for Grandmistress Qian to hug her. Recently, because of her body's weakened state, she constantly desire intimacy. The Grandmistress rarely indulged her, but today was a pleasant surprise.

The Grandmistress hugged her in her arms, carrying her to a nearby chair. However, she didn't let go. Instead, she sat down herself, letting Qiu Qiu sit in her lap.

Qiu Qiu happily threw herself into the Grandmistress's embrace, wrapping her arms around the other's neck and giggling.

But after a short bout of laughter, she was tired. She looked silently at Grandmistress Qian, then gently kissed her.

The kiss was only for a second. Qiu Qiu pulled away and looked at the Grandmistress's expression, which had not changed. However, she could faintly make out an indescribable hint of sorrow.

Qiu Qiu pressed her lips together. "Grandmistress, when did you begin to love me?"

This, Qiu Qiu could never understand.

Grandmistress Qian's hands around her waist tightened. After a moment, her cold voice said, "I forgot."

Hearing this, Qiu Qiu laughed, then hugged Grandmistress Qian even tighter. She pressed her lips against the Grandmistress's ear, her breath warm, "I can't remember, either."

"Or maybe, it's not the same kind of emotion as the Grandmistress's."

"But in these past two lives, I've only had the Grandmistress…"

"Only you…"

"Grandmistress, what you want… is it not me?"

"I'll never be able to leave you…"

"If there's another lifetime after this, in the next life… I only want to be at the Grandmistress's side… I'll love the Grandmistress for sure…"

She couldn't hold back the tears that formed in her eyes as she spoke. She grabbed Grandmistress Qian's robes desperately, then raised her head, revealing her red, tear-stained face.

After only these few words, her body began to shake from exertion. The Grandmistress quickly carried her to the bed.

Qiu Qiu smiled again. With the tears still streaked over her face, this kind of smile made the onlooker feel unbearable pain.

The Grandmistress could not bear it for any longer. She pressed Qiu Qiu's acupuncture point, letting her instantly fall asleep.

The Grandmistress watched her for a long time, then climbed into the bed, holding the sleeping Qiu Qiu in her arms until dawn.

And so Qiu Qiu moved to Grandmistress Qian's courtyard, staying by the Grandmistress's side. Her broken body was able to endure for one more year.

When Qing Ruo and Hua Meng married, the Grandmistress held her in her arms to watch. However, in the middle of the banquet, Qiu Qiu suddenly fainted. A doctor managed to revive her, but there was only one breath of life within her. After another two days, she breathed her last.

The Grandmistress was not willing to bury the body. She guarded the body for three days, looking at Qiu Qiu and remembering all of the memories they shared.

On the fourth day, Grandmistress Qian dispersed all of her cultivation. Then, she laid by Qiu Qiu's side… and died.

This was the time of the year when the Pining Sorrows bloomed. In the Demonic Realm, a floral fragrance lingered in the air.

With great difficulty, the Grandmistress opened her eyes.

As she looked around, she estimated that this was around the time she had been instated as the Grandmistress of the Qian family. At her side was a Qian family disciple who had long died.

"Grandmistress, the Elders have requested you to meet them in the hall to discuss business," the other respectfully said,

Grandmistress Qian stood up. Seeing the Pining Sorrow blossoms around her, she suddenly smiled.

[ End. ]