Chapter 153 - 152: In Your Dreams

They must have been too engrossed in their discussion, because by the time they were wrapping up, the sky outside the main hall was already growing light. A new day had begun.

"Alright, what we’ve discussed tonight is enough to work with. If anything needs to be added later, the four of you can decide amongst yourselves."

As if on cue, just as they finished talking, the six people from the private room emerged.

The scratch on Feng Qiwu’s face suggested their discussion had been a heated one, yet they had managed to keep it from Chu Liangyu’s notice, which showed a degree of restraint.

A flicker of surprise crossed Chu Liangyu’s face, but she didn’t ask any questions. Instead, she instructed, "I’ll give you all one day to rest. You can set out tomorrow."

"Also, regarding the living arrangements for He Yushu and his friend Qu Jing, that will be handled by..." Chu Liangyu glanced around, her mind racing as she considered who to assign the task to.

Just then, Xiang Qiancheng stepped forward voluntarily and announced, "I will arrange their accommodations. Female Master, you can rest assured."

Chu Liangyu gave him a longer look but didn’t refuse his offer. She nodded in agreement. "Alright. I’ll leave it to you, then."

At this point, all matters had been more or less settled. Chu Liangyu felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her heart, and she felt much more relaxed.

Though her face showed some fatigue, her eyes held a hint of a smile. She stood up from her chair, planning to return to her own courtyard.

However, just as she stepped through the doorway, she caught a glimpse of He Yushu’s back in her peripheral vision as he followed her. Her steps faltered for a moment, but she didn’t stop, continuing forward.

Once most of the people had dispersed, He Yushu quickened his pace to catch up. Chu Liangyu seemed to have expected this and showed no particular reaction.

He Yushu glanced at her profile. After a long moment, he finally spoke. "Female Master, it’s been a while. You seem to have changed a lot."

"Oh? How so?"

Chu Liangyu hadn’t expected this to be the first thing he’d say and gave him a slightly curious look.

"In many ways. But these changes are likely what you’ve always hoped for. Now that they’re a reality... you must have been through a lot."

For some reason, his words struck a chord with Chu Liangyu. Her steps slowed. "So you’re saying you know what my heart desires? Tell me."

In the past, although He Yushu had been by her side, he had always preferred to spend his time by the lake, staring at its surface from morning till night. She never knew what he was thinking.

What Chu Liangyu hadn’t expected was that He Yushu had actually been quietly paying attention to her all along, and could even discern her true thoughts.

"Back then, you didn’t seem out of the ordinary on the surface, but I could sense a faint air of melancholy around you. It was obvious you didn’t like your life at that time."

"But I didn’t know why. Now, seeing you as you are... I think I understand what it was."

He Yushu paused, his tone laced with what seemed like empathy. "You wanted to escape. And you wanted freedom."

When they first met, He Yushu had been moved by this feeling, which was so similar to his own past. That’s why he still chose to stay even after learning that Chu Liangyu didn’t have what he’d been hoping for—an endless supply of grass carp.

They were too much alike. It made He Yushu want to stay by her side.

Although he didn’t understand why Chu Liangyu gave him that feeling back then, his intuition told him that the Chu Liangyu of that time had no power to break free.

And He Yushu himself was still trapped by his own past, equally powerless to help her. All he could do was quietly stay by her side.

Perhaps it was the carefree life in the Thundercloud Area, or maybe it was the sense of familiarity he felt toward Chu Liangyu again while he had amnesia, but something suddenly clicked for him.

When he realized Chu Liangyu was going to leave, he suddenly grew anxious, and at the same time, he came to despise his own bizarre diet.

He knew it would hold Chu Liangyu back. Because of this, with the help of his friend Qu Jing, he chose to open his heart and confess his past.

After untying the knot in his heart, he miraculously found it wasn’t so difficult to accept other foods.

The shadow of being bullied by his siblings as a child gradually faded. Traces remained, but it no longer haunted him.

As a child, he had been suppressed for a long time, and what he had yearned for then was also to escape the bullying, and to be free.

Eventually, he finally snapped. With a mind bent on mutual destruction, he killed all of his so-called brothers and sisters.

His Beast Father and Beast Mother, completely unaware of the circumstances, simply saw him as a god of slaughter and ended up driving him out of the tribe.

Chu Liangyu had met him during this lowest point in his life. In a way, she had given him a place to belong.

"You’re quite perceptive. To this day, no one has ever guessed what my heart truly desired. You’re the first."

He Yushu just smiled and said, "Just a coincidence."

"Female Master, you said I was the first to guess. So... is there a reward?"

"For example, letting me stay at your place for a while."

Chu Liangyu froze for a second, then said without hesitation, "In your dreams."

’My main body still has to cultivate in the courtyard every day,’ she thought. ’If he moved in, I’d be exposed.’

For that reason alone, Chu Liangyu could never let He Yushu move into her courtyard.

He Yushu was so taken aback by her blunt refusal that he didn’t know how to react. He raised his eyebrows and said, seemingly hurt, "To think I’ve been by the Female Master’s side for so long, yet I can’t even have this one small request fulfilled. I’m truly..."

He got quite into his speech, rambling on for a long time without getting a response. When he finally snapped out of it and looked for Chu Liangyu, he found she was long gone.

He hadn’t even noticed when she left. While it was partly because he’d been lost in his own words, Chu Liangyu had also slipped away intentionally.

He Yushu was handsome, and he used to be a quiet, artistic type. Who knows what he went through to turn into such a chatterbox.

He had been preachy back in the Thundercloud Area, but at the time, Chu Liangyu had just assumed it was a major personality change caused by his amnesia.

Who would have thought it wasn’t a personality change at all, but his true nature finally revealing itself.

----

As her avatar rushed back to the courtyard, her main body, which was in the middle of cultivating, simultaneously received the item Lou Sang had sent over—something that could temporarily house a soul: the Heaven and Earth Soul Plate.

The object was about the size of Chu Liangyu’s forearm. The words "Heaven and Earth Soul Plate" were impressively engraved upon it.

It somewhat resembled the ceremonial tablet an ancient official would carry to court. It was made of jade, but the words "Heaven and Earth Soul Plate" shimmered with a brilliant gold, making them exceptionally eye-catching.