Maybe My Soulmate! (GL)-Chapter 206: "You have returned!"

After tea, hunger returned. They rose and made their way to a well-known but unpretentious restaurant tucked down a side alley. Lanterns of carved teakwood swung above the door. Inside, marble tables rested beneath carved screens, and lantern light danced on porcelain plates.

A gracious hostess guided them to a table draped in pale silk. "Please try our house specialties," she said with a respectful bow.

Mo Yuxin ordered simple dishes: porcelain bowls of clear broth with shredded chicken and winter bamboo, plates of steamed dumplings glistening with pork and chive, and a platter of stir-fried morning glory leaves.

Su Yubing poured them each a small cup of warm golden rice wine. "To home," she toasted.

"To home," Mo Yuxin echoed, clinking her cup lightly.

They ate slowly, savoring each bite. The chicken was tender, the soup clear and soothing. Outside, the city hummed with life.

As they rose to leave, they passed a table of three women in peasant dress—two tending a small child, one leaning in to whisper. The child clutched a nearly empty cup of tea. One woman said, loud enough for them to hear:

"I heard the young lady of the Su family vanished more than a year ago—no word since. Some say she died beyond the mountains."

Her companion shook her head. "It can't be. And Mo Yuxin, the new head of the Mo family—she's gone too. Who would dare leave without so much as a farewell?"

The third woman nodded gravely. "Yes. And rumor says the Lan family tried to bully Mo Yuxin's mother, Lan Xu, and her little sister, Mo Feng. But they were driven off by a mysterious woman—foundation-level cultivators couldn't touch her. She's stayed with the Mo family ever since."

The first woman leaned forward, eyes bright. "They say anyone who troubles the Mo family is beaten back by this lady. Even sword-schooled warriors tremble at her name."

Mo Yuxin and Su Yubing paused, exchanging a glance so brief it could have been a heartbeat. Their lips curved in gentle amusement.

They left the restaurant, slipping into a quieter lane lined with plum blossoms. Petals drifted to the ground like pale snow.

Mo Yuxin was a bit curious about the mysterious woman who helped her family but she put the thought to the back of her mind and continued strolling along the streets with Su Yubing.

..

..

The lanterns along Jade‐River Street had just been lit when Mo Yuxin and Su Yubing strolled into the evening market. The air was soft with the scent of osmanthus and sizzling skewers; paper lanterns swung gently overhead, casting pools of golden light across cobblestones. Everywhere, vendors were packing up—cloth stalls folding their bolts, tea merchants stacking painted gaiwans, and children chasing one another in the last warmth of the day.

In simple dark cloaks that brushed their ankles, they walked hand in hand along the winding cobblestone street, the air rich with the scent of jasmine and roasting chestnuts. No one paused to stare at their faces—tonight, they were merely two travelers blending into the city's evening tide.

Soft laughter drifted from a sugar-hawthorn vendor whose stall had stood here for decades. Su Yubing paused, the corners of her eyes crinkling with nostalgia. "They still dip them in honey," she murmured, voice light as moonlight. Mo Yuxin reached across to pluck two bright red fruits, handing one to Su Yubing with a gentle smile. Their teeth met the sugar's snap in perfect unison, and for a moment, the years apart dissolved into sticky sweetness.

They wandered past a teahouse where paper lanterns swung in the breeze, shadows dancing behind rice-paper screens. "I used to come here often to calm my mind," Su Yubing said, tracing the carved jade railing with a fingertip. Mo Yuxin leaned closer, letting the warmth of Su Yubing's memory settle between them. "Then and now," she whispered, "What's the difference?"

Su Yubing leaned slightly in Mo Yuxin's warm embrace, smelling the faint and refreshing scent of osmanthus emanating from Mo Yuxin as she said with a smile on her face,

"The difference..... It's you."

Mo Yuxing laughed quietly in her ears, her warm breath spreading around Su Yubing's ears, making her feel itchy and her cool voice entered into her ears,

"Umm... Let's come here later, together."

Su Yubing smiled as she said with a simple nod,

"Ok."

As they strolled deeper into the market, Su Yubing's beauty began to draw silent awe. Even at a distance, passersby caught glimpses of her graceful posture, her robes falling around her like liquid moonlight. An herbalist paused mid-weighing, potions quivering in her wooden scoop. A young girl tugged her mother's sleeve and pointed. "Mama, look at that lady—she's like a blossom made of starlight." Whispered voices followed in their wake:

"She walks like spring.""A face that could bring down a country.""Is she a visiting noble?"

None dared to speak aloud, but their eyes lingered. Su Yubing was unbothered—she held her head high, lips curved in a serene smile that seemed to light the evening around her. Yet Mo Yuxin's heart clenched. Each lingering glance felt like a claim on her beloved's grace, and the dusk air grew thick with unspoken promise and dark jealousy.

They reached the silk-weaver's quarter, lantern light flickering across bolts of brocade. Mo Yuxin tightened her grip on Su Yubing's hand—protective, possessive. When two young straw-hatted men paused to stare at Su Yubing's slender silhouette, Mo Yuxin stepped forward. In one swift motion, she circled her arms firmly around Su Yubing's waist, drawing her close. Then, before any might intervene, Mo Yuxin tilted Su Yubing's chin upward and pressed her lips to hers.

The kiss was both tender and domineering, a silent vow louder than any shout. Around them, the market's hum faltered; pottery rattled on carts, and a child's laughter caught in his throat. A breeze stirred—perhaps from Mo Yuxin's aura, crackling with restrained thunder—and flickered the lantern flames. Strangers froze, wide-eyed, as if watching a private moonrise.

When they finally broke apart, Mo Yuxin's gaze swept the silent crowd in a deathly glare—an unspoken warning that none dared ignore. Only then did she release Su Yubing, her arms lingering possessively. Su Yubing's cheeks blossomed in rosy light; she ducked her head and laughed, a soft, breathless sound. "Childish," she whispered, amusement dancing in her eyes. "But sweet."

Mo Yuxin allowed a rare grin. "No one else will claim you tonight." She brushed a stray lock of Su Yubing's hair behind her ear, fingertips trembling with both power and adoration.

They resumed their walk, the market's rhythm resuming around them. Lantern-lit stalls offered fragrant pastries, carved wooden toys, and spiral incense that trailed blue smoke into the night. At each turn, merchants and patrons whispered:

"Did she just—kiss her?"

"A woman's lips… on another woman?""They must be powerful cultivators.""No one here would dare offend them."

"They look so good together!!"

Su Yubing paused before a flower stand, petals of lotus and peony spilling like spilled promises. She plucked a single pale lotus, its fragrance cool and serene. Mo Yuxin handed her a slender bamboo hairpin and tucked the bloom behind Su Yubing's ear. "There," she said, voice soft. "Now you wear the moon's favor."

Su Yubing blinked, then leaned forward to brush a kiss across Mo Yuxin's temple. "I love you," she murmured, her eyes shining like polished jade.

Mo Yuxin's chest throbbed. "I am yours," she replied, voice low and fierce. "Always."

The night air was cool as Mo Yuxin and Su Yubing slipped from the flower‐lined lane back into the heart of Jade‐River Street. Lanterns gleamed like soft moons overhead, and the faint hum of merchants winding down drifted between stalls. They walked hand in hand—two figures in dark cloaks—but tonight, even in shadows, something about them felt different.

Up ahead, a broad storefront caught Mo Yuxin's eye. Three giant gold characters glinted above the door: Kunlun Jade Association. Her heart gave a quiet leap. "That's the jade shop I visited back then," she murmured. Su Yubing turned to look, curiosity in her soft eyes.

They slowed their steps. The shop's wooden door was carved with mountain peaks and swirling clouds. Inside, warm light spilled over glass cases filled with jade of every shade—emerald green, pale lavender, milky white. Mo Yuxin remembered the last time she'd been here. She and Ji Yanran and Yun Yifeng, a kindly gay couple who ran this association across the continent, had shared tea and laughter. They'd shown her jade rings meant for lovers—"Couple rings," Ji Yanran called them—offering gently to help her choose one for herself and a partner. Mo Yuxin had laughed then, shaking her head. "I will never have a lover," she'd said.

Now she couldn't help but smile at the memory. She glanced at Su Yubing and replayed the matter from back then and Su Yubing couldn't help but smile as she listened with amusement in her eyes.

Su Yubing's eyes glowed. "We should get two this time," she said, a playful tilt to her voice. "One for me, one for you."

Mo Yuxin laughed softly. "Yes. Let's go and get them then."

Mo Yuxin suddenly decided and entered the shop with Su Yubing.

The lantern light trembled over the polished jade cases as Mo Yuxin and Su Yubing stepped back inside the quiet shop. The front door swung shut behind them, and an alert guard in dark green robes fell into a rigid salute.

Mo Yuxin reached into her cloak and produced a small, carved wooden token—the very one Ji Yanran had pressed into her hand long ago. It bore the Kunlun Jade Association seal inlaid with mother-of-pearl. She held it out.

The guard's eyes widened. Without a word, he dropped into a full ninety-degree bow so deep his cap nearly brushed the floor. "Lords," he murmured, voice hushed. "Highest-ranked guests of the Kunlun Jade Association."

Before Mo Yuxin could respond, the guard scooted off down a side corridor. Su Yubing watched his retreating back in surprise. "You left something behind," she whispered, but Mo Yuxin only smiled and tucked the token safely away.

Moments later, the guard returned, bowing even more deeply. "Manager Qin," he announced, and stepped aside.

Through the carved jade arch came a stocky man in simple robes—Manager Qin. His face was lined, his hair shot with silver, but his eyes were keen. He dipped into a bow, respect clear in every gesture. Only then did he glance at Mo Yuxin's face.

His eyes flickered with recognition. "Miss Mo!" he exclaimed, straightening so fast his jade hairpin tinkled. "You… you have returned!"

Mo Yuxin inclined her head calmly. "Manager Qin, it's good to see you again. It's been a year."

Manager Qin's mouth fell open. "A year—almost no news… until now." He ran a hand through his greying hair. "I heard tales of your journey, but I never dreamed—" He cleared his throat, offering them seats on a carved teakwood bench. "Come, please rest. You are more powerful now—far beyond what I could imagine."

Su Yubing settled beside Mo Yuxin with a grateful nod. Manager Qin bustled off to bring fresh tea and a small tray of sweet lotus cakes. As he poured, he could not keep his eyes from flicking to Mo Yuxin's pale-green jade ring.

The shop's peace shattered when the door flew open again—and in swaggered a young master in black silk robes, trimmed with gold. His long sleeves billowed as he strode straight to the glass case where Mo Yuxin had placed the jade ring.

"That ring," he snapped, voice sharp. "Hand it over."

Mo Yuxin looked up, her gaze steady. "I intend to purchase it," she replied quietly. "It is mine."

The young master sneered. "Don't play games. I, Lord Lan Xuan of the Azure Condor Clan, demand it." ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

Su Yubing rose, sliding between them. Her serene beauty did not waver, but behind her calm eyes lay a warning. "This ring belongs to none but us."