The Song of Inquiry | The Untamed 陈情令

Chapter 19: Make Things Right

MORNING CAME WHEN ASHLEY WOKE UP LATE, they let her sleep because of what happened yesterday. She got up and realized what happened in that night, almost kissed, running away and venting all her frustrations...she can't simply be like Wei Wuxian - strong, willing to sacrifice his title and his golden core just to fight what is right and wrong...she knew her identity as him...but she can't live in this world if she ever embrace her true self...being reincarnated as the one who did everything to save what he wanted to save is hard for her...even Xue Yang compared her to him...which it even make her melancholic.

The Song of Inquiry can travel and back in your time as you wanted, but to her, she can't change the fact that the principles of this time travelling is somehow has limitations. Unable to interact with the person she mattered the most only ached her even more. She can't change someone's mind in that time or else...the history changes and so she is...but somehow, the only way she can back in her time in peace is to face what she is here for.

Although, with Xue Yang's escape and the Stygian Tiger Amulet with him...she highly admit that she failed in her plan; the plan is to arrest Xue Yang for what he did...but somehow the timeline changed and he escaped in a smooth way. To her, it's a burden to realize that she is becoming selfless, but she had no choice but to do what is right and prevent them to stop what is happening.

Confused, she gazed upon the ceiling and all her mind was about last night, her first kiss...is from Lan Wangji...she suddenly felt the guilt, she knew it's not his first kiss either...but from that time when Wei Wuxian is still alive, in the mountains while his blindfold wrapped around his eyes, he couldn't see the figure but all she knew is that Lan Wangji is the one who stole his first kiss - almost both of them did.

She chuckled about that thought, she can't believe by watching and reading history about it will help her in this situation, she can't understood why she needs to sacrifice everything...when she can confess her feelings to him and continued the quest to unravel the mysteries...but, it seems that there is a reason why she needs to do it...she felt the dilemma...yet, she sighed and got up...brushing the unrelated thoughts out of her head.

"I had no choice...I had to do this..." she silently muttered to herself as she walk towards outside the door and opened, she realized Lan Wangji is already in front of the door - waiting for her. Ashley's eyes widen when Lan Wangji entered the room and speechless, she closed the door awkwardly while Lan Wangji walked towards her.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

Ashley nodded and replied, "Where are the others?"

"Outside, they are already ate their breakfast...you need to eat as well..."

"Okay..." she replied as she was about to go, Lan Wangji grabbed her wrist, her eyes widen as she turn her head and was about to speak when his face leaned against her - both lips connect.

Wha...?? She thought to herself as she realized what was happening. No...No....not again...please...no she hesitated for a moment and struggle to let go in his grasp, but Lan Wangji didn't let her go, she realized how his strength surpass hers.

The ache in her heart increased, she gained her strength as she pull out, blinked awkwardly of what just happened, Lan Wangji stared once again from her.

"Ashley...what is going on with you? You are behaving strangely even Zewu Jun..." Lan Wangji suddenly exclaimed and look away towards her,

"You're not telling me something..." he stared at her once more as they felt the tension in the room, Ashley's eyes widen when he leaned towards her once more, the ache in her heart didn't stop and it seems she is starting to feel numb. Lan Wangji's held her wrist as he continued, "Ashley...please, tell me what's wrong?"

She thought for a moment as her hands began to tremble, "I...I...sorry...it's just that...I need t-"

"Ashley!" a voice exclaimed as they both stared and saw Lan Sizhui opened the door with the others. She let go of Lan Wangji's grasp and let out a deep sigh as they walk towards her, Jiang Cheng smiled and spoke,

"Are you alright, Ashley?" he asked as she nodded.

"Actually...I need to tell you all that I need to go back in my time..." she exclaimed as they all widen their eyes.

"Why, Young Miss Ashley?" Lan Jingyi asked as she stared at Lan Xichen, knew what she meant...they both nod in agreement.

"Ashley and I read more about the Song of Inquiry...and it seems her time is up."

Lan Wangji replied, "What do you mean?"

"The person who brought her here in the beginning is none other than Xue Yang...he needs her for the Stygian Tiger Amulet...but, now he escaped and he no longer needs her...Ashley must return back in her time and never come back in here."

"Zewu Jun..." Lan Wangji exclaimed but Lan Xichen continued, "The Song of Inquiry only brought people that are related to Wei Wuxian...he died as a demonic cultivator...Ashley is reincarnated as him...so she is the only one who can go here...although, the song of inquiry has limitations...as she is in the future...she can't stay here any longer...she needs to go."

"How did you know this, Lan Xichen?" Jiang Cheng exclaimed as he gritted his teeth in annoyance. Lan Xichen sighed and calmly replied, "Clan Leader Jiang Cheng, as I said...Ashly and I secretly venture the forbidden library and find some more information about the Song of Inquiry...that is the information we can find...she must go back..."

Lan Xichen stared at her and continued, "For her own safety..."

"If it's true...we had no choice but to say goodbye to her one last time..." Lan Sizhui replied as Ashley nodded. Lan Wangji stared at her as he walk towards and spoke, "Ashley...I can't see you now your back in your time...just remember...I don't treat you like I did to him...you are you...even you're reincarnated as him...I will never forget you and our adventures..."

Tears began to fall in her cheeks as she wiped it out and replied, "Lan Zhan...I know...I will never forget you too as well..." she sat down in her bed as she closed her eyes as if she is meditating while Lan Wangji sat and summon his Qin, where he stared at her before playing the song of inquiry while adding another music note where he composed it to Wei Wuxian himself during their days when they both got stuck in the tortoise of slaughter.

Ashley's eyes both closed and she sigh in relief, feeling the heavy weight once again...she felt the satisfaction that she needs after she left in that world. And it seems she had no choice but to do it for their own good, it seems that not every protagonist is a protagonist in every story. She first thought that if she ever embrace the both worlds she is living...it will be okay...but besides that things she wanted to experience in her life...how about her family? If the timeline changed what would happened to them?

Will she greeted by the most mattered in her life if she came back every single day?

When she woke up and saw her worried family, she felt the solace that every people yearned, she never thought that her life is normal once she came back again...but she felt the relief that she never felt the long time. Yes, living in a perspective of a modern girl who just went back in the past...who would thought that it would be her? But she realized somehow she did the right thing...and by doing so...she felt the content she need all along.