Chapter 20 Part 2
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
This chapter is edited by omileye nofisat. Thank you for your contribution!
Chapter 21: A Heart Like Clear Glass (3)
To continue like this, even when she became a white-haired old woman, Yu Ying might still not have found the right person.
While she was lost in thought, Bai Lian asked, “Miss Yu Ying, why are you so persistent in finding a sword owner for that sword?”
Yu Ying hesitated before answering, “This is the sword my mother left me…”
Her family story was complicated, and she didn’t elaborate much. She only mentioned that her mother had once been the eldest daughter of a sect destroyed by Heluo Country. In a desperate bid to save her fellow disciples, her mother had married her father.
“It seems that Miss Yu Ying’s family background is unusual,” Bai Lian remarked.
Bai Lian’s usual gentle smile faded as she listened quietly to Yu Ying’s story.
Yu Ying recounted how her mother had never been valued at home, and how she, as a child, was treated poorly. She was bullied, ignored, and denied even the simplest pleasures of childhood.
Her opportunities to study or cultivate were nonexistent. Even the secret cultivation method her mother had passed down could only be memorized; practicing it would have resulted in harsh punishment for both of them.
—
Things took a sharp turn when Yu Ying was twelve.
On a stormy day, her mother fell ill and was confined to bed. Alarmed by her mother’s pale, weakened state, Yu Ying sought help from her family.
Her pleas were met with cold indifference. Her father was away, and no one else cared to lend a hand.
Yu Ying could only watch helplessly as her mother’s life ebbed away.
That night, in the darkness of her despair, her mother handed her a rusty sword.
The words her mother spoke as she clasped the sword were etched into her soul:
“Until you find its owner, don’t think about anything else. To see you grow up safely is my greatest wish in this life.”
Yu Ying asked through her tears, “How can I find its owner?”
Her mother’s voice was faint. “You are looking for someone whose heart is like clear glass and whose mind is like an ever-burning lamp.”
When Yu Ying expressed her fears and loneliness, her mother offered one final comfort. “Then close your eyes. Close your eyes, and you will see me.”
Her mother’s eyes closed that night, never to open again.
Yu Ying clutched the rusty sword tightly, her heart filled with grief and determination.
—
From that moment, Yu Ying’s life changed drastically.
She discovered a strange new ability after her mother’s death—Heart’s Eyes, as she called it. By closing her eyes, she could sense the emotional fluctuations of others. Sour, sweet, bitter, hot, and salty—every feeling was laid bare before her.
Her newfound ability was accompanied by a measure of freedom. She was sent away from her family’s mansion to a small village, where she was allowed to roam freely within its confines.
For four years, Yu Ying quietly cultivated her mother’s techniques. Her progress was slow, hindered by her limited talent. Even with the medicinal pills her mother had left, it took her years to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage.
This pace wasn’t enough.
She needed more strength to uncover the truth about her family, but she couldn’t achieve it alone. So, Yu Ying set out to find the sword’s owner, guided only by her mother’s cryptic description.
Her journey began with an escape from the village. From there, she traveled across Heluo Country, visiting lakes, mountains, and famous sites.
Again and again, she failed to find the one she sought. But in the process, she helped many others, earning their gratitude and encouragement.
“Girl, your wish will come true!”
Those words fueled her resolve.
For years, Yu Ying wandered the world, resisting the temptation to abandon Heluo. She couldn’t bear to leave without uncovering her mother’s true identity.
—
When she met Bai Lian in Hening City, something changed.
For the first time, Yu Ying felt a glimmer of hope—a light in the darkness, similar to the feeling she’d had when holding the rusty sword for the first time.
But the events of the present day made her question even that. Was it her Heart’s Eyes that had failed her, or was she the one unworthy?
—
After hearing Yu Ying’s story, Bai Lian couldn’t help but note how much it resembled the trials faced by protagonists in epic novels.
“Do you want revenge?” Bai Lian asked.
Yu Ying shook her head but didn’t deny it entirely. Her confusion was evident. She couldn’t give up her search for the truth, yet she feared what she might uncover—especially if it implicated her father.
Suddenly, Yu Ying declared, “I’ve decided!”
“Decided what?” Bai Lian asked.
“I’m going to take a year off. I’ll rest, rediscover myself, and only then will I return to find the sword’s owner!”
Her renewed determination was evident in her voice.
Bai Lian nodded. This world seemed to specialize in producing troubled girls. If they all gathered together, they could probably hold a collective therapy session—complete with a fitting soundtrack, perhaps from Persona 5.
Changing the subject, Bai Lian asked casually, “What does Miss Yu Ying’s heart see when it looks at me?”
“Sweet!” Yu Ying blurted out.
Then, after a pause, she added, “Sometimes salty.”
Bai Lian chuckled. “Sounds good to me.”
—
As the bonfire dwindled, Bai Lian added more firewood.
It was a long, quiet night, with no entertainment to pass the time. Bai Lian decided to showcase her cooking skills. She caught one of the geese raised by the Hu family and roasted it in the front hall.
By midnight, Yu Ying was full from the delicious meal. She sat by the door, gazing at the mulberry trees beyond the wall, feeling a rare sense of peace.
But that peace would be short-lived.
When dawn came, she would return to her little world.
