Chapter 903: Wipe Over There

Chapter 903: Wipe That Place

“You understand again?” Ye Wuming’s tone was sardonic. “I don’t recall us ever sharing a mind—don’t use your gutter thinking to fathom me.”

Ye Jiuyou sneered. “You’re so bright and upright, yet your mouth is sewn shut, not a single word you’ll speak plainly to your partner?”

Ye Wuming said flatly, “Because he’s not worthy of being a partner yet.”

“I see your mouth isn’t sewn shut—it’s welded shut, harder than iron.” Ye Jiuyou laughed coldly. “Not worthy of partnership, but worthy of kissing you.”

With that, she leaned down directly and kissed Zhao Changhe on the lips.

Ye Wuming: “What are you doing, wait, hold on…”

The thrill of merging—or rather, a merger verging on self-annihilation—had made her forget that once she handed the reins to Ye Jiuyou, her own plight would be even more agonizing than Piaomiao’s back then.

Piaomiao could seize control of the body at any moment; Cui Yuanyang had no way to fight it. The reason she always ended up being taken advantage of was simply that a gentleman can be deceived by kindness, tricked by a little green tea. But now she had given away control for free, and once in Ye Jiuyou’s hands, taking it back was impossible.

She watched helplessly as Ye Jiuyou kissed down, unable even to stop it, struggling and pulling in her sea of consciousness, but how could she pull back?

Ye Jiuyou, merely enduring a headache, easily pressed her lips to the man’s mouth.

At the same time, she sent a thought: “I don’t care what you think—my husband is injured, and I must heal him. Either cooperate, or seal yourself off and stop dragging us down. Are you even human?”

Ye Wuming: “…”

When it came to healing alone, Ye Jiuyou possessed the power of creation, formidable indeed, but it wasn’t quite the right remedy—unlike the Azure Dragon’s Spring Revival, which nourished like the growth of grass and trees. In this regard, Ye Wuming, who encompassed the Four Symbols, was one of the best.

Whose sake was Zhao Changhe’s severe injury for this time? By all reason and emotion, she ought to cooperate in healing him.

Ye Jiuyou soon felt the struggle and tugging in her sea of consciousness vanish, her headache gone, replaced by a cool clarity that welled up from within her body and passed through her lips and tongue into Zhao Changhe’s mouth.

A strange sensation also rose in Ye Jiuyou.

Ye Wuming’s behavior was exactly like a little girl being violated, struggling desperately, then whispered a threat in her ear, her strength fading as she lay still and let herself be devoured…

She could even imagine that expression of shame and humiliation, eyes closed and head turned away. Just thinking of that look on Ye Wuming’s face brought Ye Jiuyou immense delight.

“What are you imagining over there?” came Ye Wuming’s gritted voice from the sea of consciousness.

Ye Jiuyou: “…”

Though they weren’t mind-linked, with their souls intertwined at this moment, any overly prominent thought was hard to hide from the other’s perception. Ye Jiuyou’s eyes darted, and she sent a thought while kissing the man’s lips: “Doesn’t it look like it?”

“Of course not.” Ye Wuming gnashed her teeth. “I am on top, actively healing him—what are you imagining about a violated little girl?”

“Oh?” Ye Jiuyou giggled. “Then you open the gate with your tongue.”

Ye Wuming fumed, “You control the body—how can I open it? And no, why would healing require sticking that out!”

“You really don’t understand, or are you pretending? This is called secret passage of fragrant saliva, entwining of jade fluids—it works much better…”

“What kind of nonsense is that? Healing relies on corresponding energy, not this sort of thing!”

“As the spirits of this realm, we can define the details ourselves. Before, we might have fallen short, but now that we are one, we can, my sister.”

Ye Wuming: “…”

Indeed. Defining this realm—that was the true Way of Heaven, the true Other Shore.

What Luo Chuan had tried to achieve was also this: to define everything in this realm, the fate of living beings merely one ordinary item among many.

Now that the sisters were united, they could indeed do this… except that the power of definition now lay in Ye Jiuyou’s hands, not Ye Wuming’s—she had already yielded it.

Now, if Ye Jiuyou said they needed a secret passage, needed entwining, then it was truly necessary.

Ye Jiuyou had already breached the gate—after all, she and her husband were open and aboveboard.

Poor Ye Wuming’s face was tight, her soul trembling slightly.

Mouth-to-mouth breath transfer was one thing, but this would be felt… and now, the sensations of this body were also her sensations.

Ye Wuming wanted to call out to Piaomiao, ask how she had gotten through it. But Ye Jiuyou wouldn’t even give her a moment to daze off, sending another thought: “You just said you were on top, you were healing—so now you do it.”

Before the thought faded, Ye Wuming felt Ye Jiuyou yield partial control of the body, and the sensation of kissing the man became even more vivid—it was entirely her own kiss.

Ye Jiuyou’s thought continued: “Move, why aren’t you moving? Didn’t you say you were actively healing, not a violated little girl?”

Ye Wuming fiercely embraced the man beneath her and rolled her tongue in with savage determination.

Deep in the soul sea, Ye Jiuyou stood with arms crossed, watching askance, feeling oddly uncomfortable.

Though she very much wanted to see Ye Wuming in this pathetic state… but unlike Zhao Changhe’s other women, this one stirred a strong jealousy in her, a deep unease.

So much so that, even though she had instigated it, at this moment she no longer wanted it.

She reclaimed control, as if yanking Ye Wuming aside: “This is my husband—what right do you have to kiss him? Step aside and do your supporting work.”

Ye Wuming exploded in fury: “You…”

Before the words left her mouth, Zhao Changhe let out a soft groan, as if in his slumber he felt the pain of his body and murmured unconsciously.

This was a sign of improvement—his soul had awakened to some degree.

Ye Wuming swallowed the words she was about to say and silently channeled the Azure Dragon’s law. No matter what, helping Zhao Changhe heal was the priority; everything else could wait.

Ye Jiuyou also temporarily stopped provoking Ye Wuming and focused on treatment.

In truth, even as they had been bickering, both their minds had never left Zhao Changhe’s body. They could both feel the ruin of his flesh and the marks of time’s erosion.

Sometimes Ye Wuming had to admit that, even without any interference, the concept of “fate” always operated in the unseen. For instance, after waking from those thirty years, Zhao Changhe’s deepest insights had been touched by time, and Luo Chuan’s technique had landed precisely on the direction Zhao Changhe understood best, causing him to bear the full brunt. If it had been any other direction he hadn’t studied so deeply, he might have died.

Thus, every sip and bite is predestined.

And this time, wounded but not dead, if he could be saved without lasting aftereffects, the benefits for Zhao Changhe would be immeasurable. He had truly consumed the law of the Other Shore, directly witnessed the scenery behind that door. Once digested, his path to the Other Shore would be faster than anyone’s.

But “saved” without “lasting aftereffects” was no easy feat. Simply dissolving the residual heavenly power within him was beyond most, let alone restoring his body, damaged like a tattered cloth, to its original state—at least not in the short term.

Ye Jiuyou kissed and breathed for a while, gradually expelling the last traces of heavenly power. Zhao Changhe’s pained groans finally subsided, and he fell into peaceful sleep.

She sat up slightly, gently stroked the furrowed brow he had unconsciously knit, smoothing it, then gazed steadily at his calm sleeping face and said softly, “I’ve known him for less time than I’ve watched him sleep like this from injury.”

Ye Wuming was silent.

“Both times were because of you.” Ye Jiuyou asked quietly, “What does he owe you?”

Ye Wuming pressed her lips together and still said nothing.

Ye Jiuyou sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, and said, “I originally planned to imitate Cui Yuanyang with Piaomiao, to make you helplessly ambiguous… but now I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want you using my body to do anything with my man for even a moment. What we should do now is find a way to separate before he wakes.”

Ye Wuming finally spoke: “Two issues.”

“Speak.”

“First, Changhe’s injuries are not healed—only temporarily stabilized. He still needs further treatment. If we separate now, our Other Shore realm might fall, and the healing effect will worsen… so should we separate at this moment?”

Ye Jiuyou was silent for a moment. “Second?”

“Second, maintaining this state benefits our respective insights into the Other Shore. Perhaps after separation, we can each break through. To hastily separate now—is it a waste? You decide.”

Ye Jiuyou suddenly laughed. “I thought you were the one who most wanted to separate—I never expected you to be finding reasons not to.”

Ye Wuming said flatly, “I initiated the fusion—why would I most want to separate? I don’t have a split personality.”

Split personality… Ye Jiuyou chewed on the word, not understanding, but could grasp it from context: “Is this why Zhao Changhe treats you specially?”

Ye Wuming did not answer.

“Forget it.” Ye Jiuyou sighed. “Considering you put his injuries first and breaking through to the Other Shore second… let’s maintain this state for now, each cultivate… and in the end, let him decide.”

This upheaval was not only a blessing in disguise for Zhao Changhe, but also for the Ye sisters.

Previously, even in their divided state, each could reach the pseudo-Other Shore realm, yet because neither was complete, they remained stuck at that threshold. However, from Zhao Changhe to the sisters themselves, none believed that merging was the only way to cross this hurdle; they all actively sought their own paths to breakthrough.

Ye Jiuyou truly did not wish to merge with Ye Wuming, and Ye Wuming felt the same—they had despised each other for countless years. But this was entirely different from the mutual goodwill between Piaomiao and Cui Yuanyang.

Now, both had glimpsed the Other Shore scenery after fusion, and naturally each could choose their own direction. Even if they lacked the power of the merged state, at least they could each reach the early stage of breakthrough—that would suffice.

“Then…” Ye Wuming suddenly said, “Should we still hide in the Night Palace? Shouldn’t we let them all come to care for him?”

Ye Jiuyou replied testily, “At least restore his hair before letting them see him; otherwise, even those who had no grudge against you before will now want to tear you apart. How will you get along with them afterward?”

Ye Wuming looked at Ye Jiuyou in surprise, never having thought she would consider things from the angle of protecting her.

Though the starting point might be a bit… why should I get along with them?

But the words died on her lips, and instead she said something she had never uttered in eons: “Sorry.”

Now it was Ye Jiuyou’s turn to be astonished: “What are you apologizing to me for? For harming my man?”

“No.”

“Then for the enmity between us? Our opposition was the result of malicious division; we still can’t stand each other, but deep down I know neither of us is wrong if we really argue it out.”

“I learned the truth before you… We should have been the most united allies against a common foe, yet I still regarded you as an enemy.”

Ye Jiuyou fell silent, then said after a long while, “Only after meeting Changhe did I know there is someone in this world I can trust with my back. Before that, my thoughts were no different from yours, perhaps even more extreme. So your apology should go to him, because you two met much earlier than we did.”

This sister really has changed… That thought flashed through Ye Wuming’s mind, and then she suddenly recalled an old memory of Zhao Changhe and Xia Chichi.

Xia Chichi, holding a dagger, wanted to stab Zhao Changhe in the back… He saw it with his rear eye, and the feeling at that moment.

If Xia Chichi had not dropped the dagger back then, and Zhao Changhe had turned and struck, then there would have been one more person who trusted no one.

Some paths are not entirely one’s own choice; they depend more on the people and events one encounters.

Ye Jiuyou met Zhao Changhe… but she met him earlier.

Your meeting was much earlier than mine.

Seeing her silence, Ye Jiuyou suddenly said, “We both need to meditate to comprehend the Other Shore, but someone must care for Changhe. Since we won’t let them come, we’ll take turns.”

Ye Wuming snapped back to reality and agreed: “Fine.”

“You first or me first?”

“You go first.” Ye Wuming said calmly, “I’ll take care of him—don’t worry about me killing him.”

“Hah…” Ye Jiuyou was noncommittal: “Do you know how to care for such a patient?”

Ye Wuming said, “Input energy to soothe the injuries and nourish the body.”

“The Night Emperor hangs high in the sky, playing god for too long, and doesn’t even know what I’m asking.” Ye Jiuyou said mockingly, “He is now covered in blood and grime, his clothes stuck to his scabs, needing to be cleaned. And with his injuries, he cannot avoid dirt—whether from internal secretions or external filth, he needs daily wiping. Do you know I have been doing this for thirty years?”

Ye Wuming: “…”

Ye Jiuyou said coldly, “So… can you do it?”

If Ye Wuming had a body now, she might have scratched her head.

No, I can’t.

But… it seems I should.

She sighed: “You go meditate. I’ll handle this.”

Ye Jiuyou smiled faintly and went into meditation.

In truth, she had never done it for thirty years—not even once! She deliberately used the experience of “doing this for thirty years” to mislead, making Ye Wuming momentarily forget that these things could be solved with spells, without needing to wipe manually like a mortal.

She just wanted to make her serve the man and see if she could still put on that arrogant Night Emperor air.

But it seemed Ye Wuming’s mind was very troubled… so much so that she forgot there was still Ling Ruoyu in the Night Palace who could care for Daddy. Oh well, she secretly sent a thought, telling the girl to go play elsewhere first.

…

Zhao Changhe slowly woke up and saw the stars and moon shining in the sky.

He dazedly distinguished that this was not night, but the Night Palace. In the Night Palace, it was always dark; the stars in the sky were not only symbols of Ye Wuming’s path but also the basis for her observation of fate’s tracks.

So it seemed the Heavenly Dao had indeed been repelled, dead or wounded…

Dead or wounded, his own condition was terrible—his whole body felt like it was falling apart, and he could barely move.

Fortunately, an internal inspection showed that the residual external force had been thoroughly expelled, and his injuries were slowly healing, indicating proper aftercare. But it was still severe—many parts of his body felt no pain, completely numb and paralyzed, and his internal organs were almost all damaged.

When it came to injury and recovery, Zhao Changhe was second to none in experience; he could tell at a glance that full recovery would take at least a year, and not even the Revival Art could fully solve it.

Troublesome…

Just as he thought this, he felt a cool sensation on the parts of his body that still had feeling. He strained to turn his eyes and saw Ye Jiuyou sitting quietly beside him, wiping him with a damp cloth.

He hadn’t noticed before because she was wiping the numb areas. From the look of her, she seemed to have been wiping for quite a while, so focused that she hadn’t noticed he was awake.

Zhao Changhe’s heart softened, thinking that during those thirty years, Ye Jiuyou must have wiped him many times like this…

“Jiuyou…” He forced out the words, his voice hoarse.

The wiping hand suddenly stopped, and Ye Jiuyou’s expression turned strange. She did not speak.

Because at this moment, she was Ye Wuming.

Should she tell him?

That I, Ye Wuming, am wiping his body like a little wife?

Her earlier distraction wasn’t focus—it was because she had removed his clothes, leaving him naked before her. She had thought that after watching him do those things so many times, she wouldn’t feel anything, but being this close and wiping was completely different from watching from afar. Her hand holding the cloth was trembling, unable to continue.

Wiping his body was one thing, but that place… should she wipe it?

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Zhao Changhe said with difficulty, “This time I had no choice… Don’t be angry.”

Ye Wuming pursed her lips and finally said, “No choice? How could you have no choice? It was for Ye Wuming again, wasn’t it?”

Zhao Changhe sighed: “Returning together with someone is always the most desperate option. I don’t know why Ye Wuming always chooses this, as if she doesn’t want to live. But as long as we have other choices, we shouldn’t think that way… Ye Wuming’s matter is ultimately a major affair of this world, involving many things beyond just a man-woman issue.”

This was not the answer Ye Wuming wanted… but she knew that when he thought he was talking to Ye Jiuyou, this was probably all he could say.

She shook her head, not pursuing the topic, and instead said, “You can speak so long—are your injuries fine?”

Zhao Changhe said, “Of course not. Wipe there—I need to feel if something’s wrong there… It’s very important.”

Ye Wuming’s hand paused, and she was dumbfounded.