Chapter Fifty: The Streamer Is Lovesick

The woman had left, and Chen Bo did not chase after her, for the commotion here would surely attract the patrolling mentors of Tianyang Academy. If caught, he wouldn’t be expelled, but he would certainly have to pay another fine. The urgent matter now was to get away from this troublesome place, lest he be caught by the patrol. He didn’t know what possessed him, but as he fled, he instinctively grabbed Yu Xin’er’s delicate hand—it was soft and smooth.

After running for an unknown time, Chen Bo finally stopped, panting heavily. He turned to look at Yu Xin’er, whose expression was blank, and forced a bitter smile. “Sister, what exactly do you want from me? I admit that last time I accidentally saw you bathing, but it was truly an accident. Who would have thought that someone would be bathing in such a wild and remote place?”

Yu Xin’er’s face flushed. Hearing Chen Bo mention the incident and admit to it, anger flashed in her eyes. But seeing his current state, she sighed softly and said, “You helped me today, so we’re even. From now on, let’s go our separate ways and not cross paths again.”

“But can we really ignore each other now?” Chen Bo’s bitter smile did not fade as he continued, “Now it’s even worse. Some bastard is spreading rumors outside, and now your stepmother and your relatives know about it—I’ve completely offended her.”

“We’ve jumped into the Yellow River and can’t wash ourselves clean now. Those rumors won’t die down; you know the academy’s full of bored cultivators. When they hear about this, they’ll just stir it up more and more.”

“In a few days, you and I will be seen as a match made in heaven.” Chen Bo paused, then his tone turned flippant. “Actually, I wouldn’t mind.”

“Do you want to die?” Yu Xin’er’s words struck Chen Bo dumb. He could hear a hint of murderous intent in her voice. This woman’s temperament was truly strange—one moment she says they’re even, the next she wants to kill him over a single word.

All along, Chen Bo never realized he was the one bringing trouble upon himself.

He didn’t know how long they sat there before Yu Xin’er suddenly spoke, “You heard everything just now, didn’t you? I hope you won’t spread it. Consider it that I owe you a favor.”

“Oh?” Chen Bo was surprised. “My favors aren’t so easily repaid.”

“Suit yourself.”

Yu Xin’er’s voice carried a trace of melancholy. Gazing at the twin crescent moons in the sky, she spoke softly, “Actually, I am an abandoned child.”

Chen Bo’s heart jolted. Why was Yu Xin’er telling him such secrets? Was she interested in him? Or was she making him her confidant only to silence him afterward?

As Chen Bo let his imagination run wild, Yu Xin’er brushed aside wind-blown hair and said, “I was picked up by the head of the Yu family in Tianyang City. At that time, there was a jade pendant around my neck, engraved with the character ‘Xin’, so they named me Yu Xin’er.”

“You’re not actually of the Yu family? Isn’t it said outside that your mother left Tianyang City after giving birth to you, and that you lived with the family head?” Chen Bo was shocked. He’d heard the rumors about Yu Xin’er these days, but it seemed they were all false.

Yu Xin’er did not answer, continuing, “When I was three, my father married a wife—the woman you saw just now. After their marriage, she always treated me as a thorn in her side. Even at the age of three, I can’t count how many times she tormented me. She would beat me, scold me.”

As Yu Xin’er spoke, her tone revealed her fear of that stepmother. Childhood shadows are not so easily erased.

Chen Bo could not imagine how a little girl had survived, or what else she had endured. Looking at Yu Xin’er again, his wariness faded. This girl was like him—a kindred spirit, both pitiful souls.

She spoke for who knew how long, then rolled up her sleeve. Her slender, fair arm, like a jade lotus, was marked with hideous scars—old wounds by the look of them.

“These scars are from my childhood. I have over a dozen like them, mostly on my hands, feet, or back.” She did not cry. Her eyes, tinged with fear, held a trace of determination deep within.

“It wasn’t until I met my master that, guided by her, I came to Tianyang Academy. I learned the arts of forging, cultivation, and many things I never knew before. I learned to choose my own marriage, to decide my own fate.”

“But for some reason, there’s always a trace of timidity in my heart. I don’t dare defy her. I don’t dare anything.”

Chen Bo wanted to embrace the beauty before him, but he knew that if he tried, he’d likely lose his head to her sword.

After a moment of silence, he said, “I once heard a teacher say, ‘Anger at the lack of resistance, pity at misfortune.’”

“Some things are easier to accept if you let them go. It’s just a lousy marriage! That Guo Liu fellow is obviously no good; even a sow wouldn’t want to marry him. Of course, he’s not worthy of a sow.”

Chen Bo wasn’t skilled at comforting girls, so he rambled, displaying a questionable sense of humor. Unfortunately, Yu Xin’er’s sense of humor wasn’t so low; she ignored his nonsense, and instead murmured, “Anger at the lack of resistance, pity at misfortune.”

“That teacher must have been quite talented. Maybe I am just one of those unfortunate, unresisting people in his words.”

The conversation grew ever gloomier, and Chen Bo disliked such an atmosphere. He preferred hanging out with a bunch of scoundrel friends, bragging and testing the limits of decorum. Leisurely drinking tea, or hiring a few henchmen to tease women in the streets—that was real life.

“How does that song go? ‘Sunshine always follows the storm, please believe there’s a rainbow.’ Right now, you’re surrounded by a fog that blocks your path, but if you keep moving forward, maybe you’ll part the mist and find your own rainbow. Though, the odds aren’t great.”

At this point, Chen Bo stopped abruptly, fearing that if he continued, his hard-won words of encouragement would turn into poison for the soul.

By accident, Yu Xin’er was pulled back from her confusion by Chen Bo’s ‘soul poison’. Reflecting on his words, she was both amused and helpless. Was this really how one comforted a girl?

“It’s getting late; you should be on your way.”

Yu Xin’er’s words startled Chen Bo, making his face pale as he stammered, “I didn’t hear anything you just said, hero, my blood is dirty.”

“I meant you should leave, let me be alone for a while.” Yu Xin’er rubbed her forehead, exhausted by Chen Bo’s ability to misinterpret her words.

“Say it more clearly! You scared me—I thought you were going to kill me to keep me quiet!” Chen Bo feigned fear.

“If you don’t leave, I really will kill you!”

“All right, all right, I’m going, isn’t that enough?” Chen Bo walked a dozen steps, then turned back and shouted, “If you ever feel lonely, you can come to the freshman dorm, room 666, and find me! Guaranteed safe, no risk of pregnancy!”

With that, he took off running.