Chapter 214: Chapter 144: Yudie’s Diary (6k Extra for Narukami) (2)

"Hmm." You Su gently nodded his head.

The affirmative response made Yo Long cry even more fiercely, while Yo Meng on the side also showed a sorrowful and sad expression.

"Then can you take me and my sister with you...?" Yo Long asked with a sob, making her greatest plea.

"Yo Long!" Yo Meng glared with her charming eyes, stopping her sister’s rudeness.

You Su held the cup filled with fruit wine, and after a moment of silence, he said:

"Actually, you all know that I can’t take you with me, so don’t have such unrealistic dreams."

Not everyone is as clear-headed as Yudie. The helpless young girls always hope for a hero to save them. However, no one has walked out of Jade Ring Pool in fifty-four years, and this won’t change because of You Su’s arrival.

Upon hearing this, part of Yo Long’s hope seemed to die, with tears frozen at the corners of her eyes, no longer falling. One day, Jade Ring Pool will reopen, but not in her generation. She bit her lip, as if finding the last ray of hope:

"Then... then, Mr. You, won’t you stay? Just stay in Jade Ring Pool, everything is good here, plus my sister and I, and the Holy Maiden... we’ll definitely treat you better than Divine Mountain will!"

Since You Su could not take them away, they would keep You Su here.

"Is this a task given to you by Patriarch?" You Su sat up a bit straighter.

Yo Meng pursed her lips, apologetically saying, "After Jade Ring Pool withdrew from the world, it’s facing a scarcity, with only the Young Master as a noteworthy successor. But Jade Ring Pool highly values its roots and thus cannot wholeheartedly welcome talent, and can only invite cultivators who once benefited from Jade Ring Pool to join, yet the responses are few. Mr. You amazes all, having a close connection with Lotus Sword Venerable and receiving the Immortal Seed from him, you’re considered half a member of Jade Ring Pool. Since knowing you were coming, Jade Ring Pool hoped to keep you. We believe you’ve witnessed Jade Ring Pool’s sincerity."

"You Su was overwhelmed by the attention, and that’s probably why they didn’t hesitate to let an entire pool of Holy Maidens approach me." You Su’s voice was as cool as the lake wind blowing through the window.

"The Holy Maiden, she... she isn’t like that..." Yo Meng lowered her eyes. "We initially thought the Holy Maiden approached Mr. You purposefully, and even the three Patriarchs ordered special means might be used..."

"If it were fifty-four years ago, the Patriarchs wouldn’t dare speak to the Holy Maiden like that, but Yudie is just a mortal without cultivation, her status has long been nominal, and how could a pool of cultivators revere a mortal? After observing the Holy Maiden’s behavior, my sister and I realized she approached you not to fulfill the Patriarchs’ purpose, but because she was too lonely..."

Yo Meng, speaking up to this point, seemed empathetic to the Holy Maiden who had grown up with them. The Holy Maiden was far lonelier and more pitiable than they were. She wiped her tears and continued:

"Thus, after Mr. You was willing to leap off a cliff to save the Holy Maiden, the Holy Maiden dared not come to see you again. She feared truly not wanting you to leave... so she hid. My sister and I want to retain Mr. You, not because of the Patriarchs’ orders, but out of our own desires!"

The young girl blushed, as if exhausted from speaking a long heartfelt statement, looking at You Su nervously, afraid to breathe.

The scene fell into silence for a moment, the girls’ gaze was passionate yet timid, as You Su nodded slightly and simply said:

"I understand, but I will ultimately leave."

Then he drank the fruit wine in one gulp, stood up, and was as indifferent as the Ink Sword in his hand:

"You slowly enjoy the meal, I’m full, going out for a walk."

As the sky gradually cooled, the days shortened further; the lamps outside had yet to be lit, and You Su’s silhouette quickly disappeared into the night’s courtyard.

Yo Long cried more fiercely: "Sister... do we really seem so unlikable?"

Yo Meng wiped the tears from her sister’s eyes, forced a smile, and comforted her:

"It’s not that, it’s just he’s blind, never seeing us, how could he possibly stay for us..."

...

You Su walked along the wooden path by the lake, the fragrance of lotus carried by the evening breeze was very delightful, almost no passersby were encountered along the way. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

He once asked the Holy Maiden why Jade Ring Pool cultivators rarely went out. The Holy Maiden explained: the long-standing withdrawal from the world made Jade Ring Pool people weary of the beauty they were surrounded by, preferring to cultivate bitterly at home over going out. Only during certain festivals or events would Jade Ring Pool cultivators come out to join the festivities.

You Su understood, walking leisurely. This vast marsh was habitual for Jade Ring Pool cultivators but still novel to You Su.

His purpose was not simply for a digestive stroll, but to visit the small pool palace he hadn’t been to in three days.

He always felt there was another reason behind the Holy Maiden’s deliberate avoidance, and this internal curiosity drove him here.

Returning after three days, You Su felt a sense of both familiarity and alienation.

The snow-white egrets often resting atop the small pool palace seemed no longer afraid of You Su, not scattering upon his arrival.

However, the maids guarding outside the small pool palace differed from the egrets accustomed to You Su, once allowing him in, now barring his path.

"Mr. You, please stop."

You Su frowned slightly and said: "Please convey to the Holy Maiden that You Su is here to visit."