Opening Heart

• Chapter 21: Opening One's Heart (lol obviously not in literal sense.)

『Thank you Stoic_Enjoyment, phamtomof57, Favour_Agbaje_9284, Blanc0, sami_funges and MahiroD20 for your power stones!!』

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Pei Xuanyin sighed and reluctantly walked over to the desk, attempting to pull Su Mu out of the bookshelf.

Half of Su Mu's body was already inside the shelf, occasionally tossing out a few trinkets.

"No, not this one either... Ugh, where is it?!" Su Mu growled in frustration, her legs flailing wildly.

Pei Xuanyin, with no other choice, approached and grabbed Su Mu's waist, pulling her out with effort. Finally, Su Mu quieted down.

Seeing Su Mu's angry expression, Pei Xuanyin felt a pang of guilt. "Foxy, I'm sorry…"

Su Mu shook her head firmly and said, "It's not your fault. No need to apologize."

After seating Su Mu on a cushion in front of the desk, Pei Xuanyin nervously twisted the hem of her dress and said, "Actually, my sister didn't mean any harm. I can tell she really likes you…"

Su Mu was still upset. "Likes me? Ha."

She picked up a chain from the floor and asked, "Is this what you call 'liking'? Am I her pet? Or a toy? What right does she have to restrict my freedom!"

Su Mu's pent-up emotions burst forth. Her constant patience only led to the Empress's increasing oppression.

"What right does she have to treat me as her property out of nowhere? She's the one who begged me to come back to keep you company."

"Yes, I agreed, but not because of what she said. It was because I wanted to be with you. I saw a reflection of myself in you."

"But now? Has she ever respected me? Has she? Why should I fulfill her selfish desires?"

Su Mu's usually soft voice turned sharp, but expressing her anger made her feel relieved.

Pei Xuanyin's shoulders trembled, and large tears rolled down her cheeks. She kept shaking her head, "No, it's not like that. Foxy, I'm sorry, it's all my fault."

Pei Xuanyin's sudden tears made Su Mu feel uneasy.

Through her sobs, Pei Xuanyin said, "Foxy, blame me if you must, but don't blame my sister. She's just... so lonely. I know, it's my fault. I shouldn't have been so selfish, just because I thought you were beautiful, I dragged you from your free life into the human world... I'm the selfish one…"

Su Mu stared at the self-reproaching, sobbing girl before her and regretted her harsh words.

With a sigh, she gently pulled Pei Xuanyin closer, letting her rest her head on Su Mu's lap, and softly wiped the tears from her eyes.

Su Mu looked at her with a complex expression, wanting to say something but hesitating.

The sudden burst of anger was doused by the girl's tears.

"I don't blame you, Xuanyin," she said softly.

"I was just too anxious, and I need someone to help me. I can't accomplish my goal alone."

"I need to go home. Someone is worried about me, thinking of me. Can you understand that, Xuanyin?"

Pei Xuanyin looked up, her tears no longer falling.

Su Mu's voice became gentle, "Actually, I'm very grateful to have met you. You're kind, brave, and gentle. I'm happy to have you as a friend."

"Honestly, I have my own selfish reasons too. I want to use you and your sister's abilities to find a way home. That's why I agreed to stay with you."

Thinking about it, Su Mu couldn't help but laugh a little. "As soon as we got off the carriage, your sister played a trick on me. I thought I'd leave quietly and come back when I was stronger and could protect myself, then look for a teleportation array to cross states."

Pei Xuanyin gradually stopped crying, her head nestled on Su Mu's lap, looking up with sparkling eyes. "So... Foxy, you stayed for me?"

Su Mu snorted and looked away. Pei Xuanyin pouted and tugged at Su Mu's dress, "Tell me, Foxy, say it!"

"No."

"Foxy, you're lying. You did stay for me." The little girl's mood brightened, her face still tear-streaked but now smiling.

Pei Xuanyin scratched her nose, which itched from her tears, and laughed heartily.

"No wonder, those days on the boat, you were always asking questions. Foxy, can you tell me about your home? Where is it... and the people you miss."

"My home…" Su Mu's pink eyes showed a mix of joy and longing.

"My home isn't in Qizhou, it's in Qingzhou."

"My master is an old man, but he's very good to me. He pulled me out of the mud. To me, he's like a father. Although he's unreliable and often plays tricks... he even picks his toes," Su Mu said, her tone shifting from tender to disdainful.

"My senior brother doesn't talk much. The most he says is 'Mm.' But I know he cares about us a lot. When we were in danger as kids, he was always the first to help. My senior sister and I would clap and cheer, saying he was so cool! Even though he looks pretty average."

"My second senior brother... he has a sharp tongue and is very cunning, always bullying my senior sister and me... He's the worst! But he makes delicious pills. My senior sister thinks his pills are too bitter and once threatened him with a knife to make sweet ones." Su Mu laughed, her eyes crinkling.

"In the end, my second senior brother, looking pitiful, said, 'I'm an alchemist, not a confectioner. If you want sweets, go buy some...' But when my senior sister frowned, he obediently made sweet pills."

"As for my senior sister... I miss her a lot."

Pei Xuanyin listened quietly, her mind wandering, then looked up as Su Mu paused.

Su Mu's expression was soft, a blush on her cheeks. "My senior sister was the best to me. When I first joined the mountain, I didn't talk or smile. She tried every day to make me laugh, sometimes with silly jokes, sometimes with stories about my second senior brother's embarrassing moments. She'd take me to play in secret, watch my senior brother practice swordsmanship, and put fishy herbs in my second senior brother's furnace, then laugh when it exploded in his face. She often took me shopping."

Pei Xuanyin admired the sparkle in Su Mu's eyes. "I understand, Foxy and your senior sister are like me and my sister."

But Su Mu shook her head. "It's different because... I love my senior sister. I love her."

Su Mu's blush deepened. "I planned to tell her after my training, but then I got lost."

Su Mu looked dejected and rubbed her face hard.

Pei Xuanyin was delighted. "Then... Xiaobai, do you love me?"

Su Mu looked at the girl's bright eyes and smiled, "I like you, but it's a different kind of love."

Pei Xuanyin pouted, "No, I want you to love me like you love your senior sister."

Su Mu chuckled and flicked her forehead. "Don't be silly."

Pei Xuanyin turned away, murmuring, "I'm not being silly…"

To be continued...