After Transmigrating, I Died of Depression Without My Phone - Chapter 88.2
In an instant, Long Xiang lunged at Bai Qingyin, but the Monster Queen’s form shattered under the impact of the spiritual energy. Moments later, she reappeared unharmed in another spot.
“Don’t waste your energy. You can’t kill me. You may have four fragments of the Celestial Ladder inside you, but you haven’t fused with them. You’re only borrowing their power, and you’re no match for me.” Bai Qingyin chuckled softly. “Even if you wanted to fuse with them now, it’s too late. Do you think I’d sit by and let you succeed? You’ll never get the chance.”
Long Xiang tried again, but it was clear it wasn’t going to work. Sighing, she withdrew and sat back down on the meditation cushion.
Facing away from Bai Qingyin, she gazed at the rows of soul lanterns and memorial tablets, her voice calm. “I’ve seen your methods, Monster Queen. There is something I’ve been curious about—how did someone like you ever fall for Beiting Changyuan?”
Bai Qingyin looked at her back and replied, “He held a high position and was quite handsome. To those unaware of the truth, it was easy to be deceived.”
“At first, you were deceived, but once you saw his true nature, why didn’t you cut your losses? I can’t imagine you, Monster Queen, settling for a life in the shadows, serving a man’s whims.”
Bai Qingyin didn’t answer, but this time, her laughter was more genuine.
Long Xiang didn’t need a response. She continued, “So, from beginning to end, you never had any real feelings for Beiting Changyuan. You never wanted his love, or even the title of Northern Court Queen.”
Long Xiang turned her head, glancing at Bai Qingyin from afar. “Bai Fusheng is your son, and he’s about the same age as Ah Xue, yet his true form is still that of a flood dragon. How many years did you spend in that form?”
At the mention of this, the smile on Bai Qingyin’s face faded.
Long Xiang’s next words darkened her mood even more. “Hua Lanye accidentally brought me into Ah Xue’s nightmare. There, I saw you during his youth.”
Bai Qingyin’s eyelid twitched.
“You might not expect this, but what he remembers most clearly isn’t how you tormented or abandoned him. What he’s haunted by isn’t the moment you ripped your hand from his and left him alone in this wretched place you find so repulsive.”
“In his darkest nightmares, the thing he clings to most isn’t your cruelty, but your kindness.”
“He still remembers the meals and desserts you made for him by hand. In fact, he knows how to make them now. He made them for me, and they were delicious—just as good as anything you could have made, Monster Queen.”
Bai Qingyin shot a sharp look at Long Xiang. “If you think saying these things will change the outcome, you’re thinking too much.”
Long Xiang chuckled nonchalantly. “Of course not. Ever since you tried to use that last shred of hope he had for you to kill me in the demon cave, I’ve known better than to think of you as ‘small-minded.’”
Bai Qingyin took a step forward, her eyes cold. “Then shut your mouth.”
“Didn’t you just tell me I could say whatever I wanted, ask whatever I was curious about? Why the sudden change of face?” Long Xiang smirked. “Oh, right, that’s one of your specialties—wearing different masks. Even if it means playing the role of a pitiful woman for a few years, bearing a child for someone you despise, then using that child with your own bloodline… none of it matters as long as you achieve your goal of becoming a dragon, right?”
In an instant, Bai Qingyin appeared in front of Long Xiang, gripping her throat tightly. “You know quite a lot. Did Xiao Xue tell you?”
“He might have figured it out, but he never told me. Aside from that nightmare, he never voluntarily talks about you.”
Bai Qingyin’s grip faltered for a moment.
“I figured it out myself. It’s not that hard to piece together, is it? When you were in the Northern Court, each time you were with Beiting Changyuan, it seemed like his health improved. But afterward, he’d always deteriorate even more. When you left, you transformed from a flood dragon into a true dragon, which means while he thought he was absorbing your essence, you were actually absorbing his.”
Bai Qingyin’s expression flickered between emotions as she glared at Long Xiang, who tilted her head back, calmly seated.
“You stayed with Beiting Changyuan for his imperial purple energy, didn’t you?” Long Xiang’s voice was steady.
She had begun to suspect after seeing Bai Qingyin shrouded in imperial purple energy during Xiao Xue’s nightmare.
And today, all the pieces finally connected.
“You needed the emperor’s purple aura to transform into a dragon. You needed the royal family’s fate to reverse your destiny.” Long Xiang spoke slowly and deliberately. “Beiting Changyuan thought you were his possession, but in truth, he was your cauldron. And when Xiao Xue was born, you couldn’t bear the thought of giving birth to a child for nothing. So you ensured Beiting Changyuan could never have any more children, making Xiao Xue the legitimate next ruler of the Northern Court. His fate would carry the same imperial purple energy, and both Beiting Changyuan and Changqin Yin could borrow it, just as you did. Isn’t that right?”
Bai Qingyin abruptly released Long Xiang’s throat, straightening up. “He lied to me, saying the royal family could only respond to their destined woman. All I did was make that lie come true. In a way, I helped Xiao Xue. If not for me, who knows how many children Beiting Changyuan would’ve had? By then, Xiao Xue might not even have been the crown prince. Wouldn’t it have been much harder for him to survive in the Northern Court?”
Long Xiang nodded. “Yes, it certainly sounds like a mother’s love. Even though you left him, you still arranged a decent path for him. Becoming the ruler of the Northern Court isn’t too bad. If you hadn’t come to the Northern Court today, I might have believed you.”
She tilted her head slightly. “The array you left in the Northern Court, the one that allowed you to enter, is closely tied to the array Beiting Changyuan used to borrow Xiao Xue’s luck and life force. The moment you activated it, I sensed it.”
Bai Qingyin had mentioned herself that she always liked to leave a way out.
Today, she had used that way out, and now everything was clear.
Bai Qingyin stared at Long Xiang expressionlessly as Long Xiang stretched lazily and slowly stood up.
“My spiritual root is special. I’m particularly sensitive to formations I’ve damaged myself. Had you not activated it, I might not have noticed. But once you did, I couldn’t help but sense it. A plain, ordinary member of the monster race trying to become a king, or even defeat the gods—none of it adds up. But with the emperor’s purple energy, suddenly everything changes.”
Long Xiang clapped her hands lightly. “Well, I think I’ve said enough. Let’s wrap this up.”
She tilted her head, smiling. “I imagine you’ve realized that the reason Xiao Xue hasn’t shown up by now isn’t because he’s slow. It must be because—”
“You think you’re cutting the root, but perhaps someone else is catching the turtle in the jar.”
Long Xiang’s voice rang out confidently. “Beiting Xue, come out.”
As soon as her words echoed through the hall, snowflakes began to fall. The ground and walls slowly froze over, and Beiting Xue’s tall, slender figure emerged, formed entirely of ice and snow.
This entire encounter had been a show, staged from the start by Long Xiang and Beiting Xue.
Bai Qingyin wasn’t fazed. She remained calm, even unbothered.
Her gaze settled on Beiting Xue’s face, the face of a child who shared seven parts of her own appearance. She hadn’t sensed him at all.
She smiled, her delicate eyes curving like crescent moons, her expression as tender as a true mother’s would be.
“Catching the turtle in the jar…” She sighed softly. “You’ve heard everything Long Xiang said, so you probably hate me now. It doesn’t matter. I made my choice long ago, and I don’t care if you love or hate me. Long Xiang is right about everything—except one thing. You’ve both misunderstood.”
Beiting Xue’s dark eyes skimmed over her and settled on the marks she had left on Long Xiang’s neck.
He was clearly more concerned about her injury than Bai Qingyin’s cryptic words.
Seeing this, Bai Qingyin smiled and said slowly, “I wasn’t even a flood dragon back then.”
“When I was young, I was just a snake. A weak little white snake with so little spiritual power that anyone could have cut me down.”
“And now, I’ve become the ruler of the monster realm. I’ve gone from snake to flood dragon, and now from flood dragon to true dragon. Who dares to look down on me anymore?”
Her gaze shifted to Beiting Xue.
“Only you, my child.”
“You inherited my bloodline. It’s the blood I fought with everything I had to become a dragon to pass on to you.” Bai Qingyin’s words were sharp. “You can’t take revenge on me or hate me, because the success I fought so hard for, you gained just by crawling out of my womb.”
“You can only become a Dragon God because you inherited my bloodline. Beiting Xue, I believe you have it in you to kill your father. I believe you can steel yourself to kill your mother. But before you kill me, you should return everything I gave you. You’ve repaid Beiting Changyuan for his centuries of survival and peace. But what have you repaid me?”
Bai Qingyin raised her head proudly. “Without my bloodline, how would you have transformed into a dragon, become a Dragon God? You owe me for that. And until you give it back, you can’t raise a hand against me. Want a fair fight to clear the path for your beloved? Sure. But first, give up your dragon blood.”