Chapter 90: Hearts Divided
One second Ru Yi had been standing and watching. Next, Qingyue was in her arms.
"Qingyue..." her voice came out softer than she had expected. Careful. Like something fragile had just been placed in her care.
Qingyue’s head rested on her shoulder, her body far lighter than Ru Yi had imagined. The strength, the sharpness, the overwhelming presence she once carried were all gone.
Now she was just warm. Too warm.
Lieyin moved immediately. "Give her to me." She reached forward, ready to take Qingyue. But the moment she touched her arm, Qingyue stirred.
Barely.
A faint frown creased her brows, her fingers tightening weakly in the fabric of Ru Yi’s clothes. A single word, faint and soft, escaped between her lips. "No..."
Lieyin froze.
Ru Yi blinked severally, unsure of what was happening in front of her.
Qingyue’s grip tightened, subtle but unmistakable. Holding onto Ru Yi, even while barely conscious.
"Qingyue," Lieyin tried again, softer this time. "Let go."
But Qingyue didn’t.
Instead, she leaned further into Ru Yi, her breath uneven against her neck. "I said...I’m fine..." The words slurred slightly.
Ru Yi put the back of her palm on Qingyue’s forehead. "She’s burning up."
Lieyin’s expression shifted immediately. "What?"
Ru Yi adjusted her slightly, her hand coming down to brush against Qingyue’s cheek. It was too hot.
"Her temperature is too high," Ru Yi said. "We need cold water, and a small towel."
Lieyin didn’t argue. She turned immediately and went to get them.
Ru Yi carefully lowered herself to sit on the floor, repositioning Qingyue in her arms so her head rested more securely against her shoulder. "Why do you keep insisting that you’re fine, when you’re clearly not?" she murmured softly.
Qingyue didn’t respond. Only breathed...shallow and uneven.
Ru Yi took that time to really look at the woman in her arms properly for the first time. Qingyue’s face, usually so composed, looked different up close.
Softer.
Her lashes rested lightly against her cheeks, her brows slightly furrowed even while unconscious, like her body refused to fully let go of control.
Even now, there was a quiet intensity to her, but without the edge. Without the distance she always kept with everyone.
Ru Yi swallowed.
While she looked like her sisters, she was also very different. Lieyin was fire, impulsive with a loud presence. Yexue was more emotional, almost unpredictable. But Qingyue was cold, controlled, like a blade that moved only when necessary.
Ru Yi moved Qingyue’s hair from her face, noticing two twin moles that sat at either side of her neck. Perfectly mirrored on her slender neck. It was nothing short of beautiful.
It was balanced, precise, and it really suited her.
Ru Yi looked up when footsteps approached.
Lieyin returned with a bowl and cloth, setting them down quickly. "Here."
Ru Yi nodded. "Thank you."
She dipped the cloth into the water, wringing it slightly before gently pressing it against Qingyue’s forehead.
Qingyue flinched faintly, then went still again.
Ru Yi moved carefully, wiping along her temple, down the side of her face and her neck. Her touch was gentle. Deliberate.
The door opened again, with a bang this time. Yexue walked in, the tension in her shoulders filling the room.
Her eyes landed on the pair sitting on the ground. She froze when she saw Ru Yi holding Qingyue like her life depended on it.
They were close. Too damn close.
Something dark flickered across Yexue’s expression. "What is going on here?" Her voice came out tighter than intended.
Lieyin glanced at her. "She collapsed after healing the girl."
"I can see that," Yexue snapped, her gaze not leaving Ru Yi. Didn’t leave the way Qingyue was resting against Ru Yi like she belonged there.
"What I want to know is why Ru Yi is the one holding her?" The question was direct, vicious and accusing.
Ru Yi stiffened, feeling guilty even though she’d done nothing wrong. "She wouldn’t let go..." Why then did she feel like someone that had been caught cheating on their partner?
"I’ll carry her," Yexue cut in immediately. She stepped forward, but before she could reach them—
"Stop!"
Lieyin’s voice cracked through the room. Firm and warning.
Yexue turned to her, irritation flaring. "What?"
Lieyin’s expression hardened. "Qingyue just exhausted all her spiritual energy saving a life," she said. "She’s unconscious. And what you’re worried about is who is holding her?"
Yexue’s jaw tightened. "I’m not—"
"Then act like it! Your sister might be in literal danger right now." Lieyin was fuming. "Take your heart out of your ass for once and try using your brain!"
Yexue looked back at Qingyue. At her hand that was still gripping Ru Yi’s clothes, still refusing to let go. The dark feeling from before twisted painfully in her chest. Because she knew Qingyue, knew her better than anyone else in the room.
Qingyue didn’t let people close. Didn’t let herself get vulnerable or depend on others. Not even her sisters. Not like this.
So why—
Why Ru Yi?
"She wouldn’t do this," Yexue said slowly, voicing her concern.
Lieyin frowned. "What?"
"This," Yexue gestured sharply. "She wouldn’t let anyone else hold her like that even if she was dying." Her gaze snapped to Ru Yi with suspicion.
"Not unless..." Yexue didn’t finish her sentence. But the thought was already there, clear and dangerous.
Qingyue shifted slightly in Ru Yi’s arms, her fingers tightening faintly again. A quiet murmur slipped past her lips. "Don’t move..."
"I won’t," Ru Yi whispered, slowing down her movement. She dipped the towel again and squeezed the water out, before cleaning the crease between Qingyue’s brows. Working with so much concentration she almost forgot the others in the room.
That was enough for Yexue. She saw and felt the bond between the two of them. And it burned into her heart, jealousy and denial blending into one.
Because for the first time, it didn’t look like hatred was the only thing Qingyue felt for Ru Yi. And that—was far more dangerous for everyone involved.
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