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Sister Wang chuckled softly, gently helping Qin Yaru to sit up straight, and said in a soothing voice, "Come on, what nightmare did you have with Sister-in-law? Once you come out, there’s nothing to worry about. Keeping it in your heart is even worse."
Qin Yaru hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly. Her eyes were still red, but her expression was serious. Perhaps because of her solemn demeanor, the guests in the surroundings were drawn in, and gradually, the entire Hubei Pastry Shop fell silent, only her timid voice could be heard.
"Yesterday I was very tired and went to bed early to rest. But I don't know why, I tossed and turned and couldn't sleep soundly. Half-awake, I felt my body becoming light as if I was floating in mid-air. Through the clouds, I could see the tall buildings below and the countless lights. Just as I opened my mouth to shout, unexpectedly, a powerful force from below suddenly pulled me in, and I lost consciousness."
From her voice to her body language and facial expressions, everything was portrayed in exquisite detail, making it hard for people not to believe every word she said.
"When I opened my eyes again, I found myself on a Long Bridge. The Long Bridge was paved with Blood Jade, winding and twisting with no end in sight. The surroundings were extremely dim, shrouded in thick fog, and ghostly green flames floated in the air. I was startled and couldn't help but hold onto the railing of the bridge to look around. At that moment, I felt dizzy; the river below was blood-red, filled with countless human heads and bones. It made me feel nauseous; I could barely stand."
Upon hearing this, everyone held their breath. A few who had been indifferent and eating or drinking were now intrigued by the story since it was being told by a beautiful young woman about such an eerie event.
Qin Yaru ignored the expressions of those around her and continued reminiscing. Her face grew paler, and beads of fragrant sweat appeared on her forehead as she seemed haunted by her memories: "I didn't want to move at first, but behind me were countless people pushing forward, forcing me to walk along the Long Bridge. After walking for a short while, I noticed the fog around me gradually dissipating. Suddenly, I heard piercing wails nearby. When I turned my head, there were ghosts of those being escorted in the river beside me; all of them were Azure Wind Antelopes. It was terrifying; those being escorted looked like walking corpses."
"I felt dazed and my legs ached from walking. All along the way, I was terrified and wished I could faint immediately but remained painfully awake. I watched helplessly as one person after another was dragged by ghosts or had their mouths pried open with Iron Claws that pulled out their tongues slowly and painfully or had their ten fingers cut off with huge scissors..."
Even though it was broad daylight outside, an eerie atmosphere suddenly enveloped the Hubei Pastry Shop. Everyone felt a chill run down their spines; even those who considered themselves brave shivered involuntarily.
It was no wonder; nowadays there weren't many ghost stories that could scare people into illness like this one. Her words truly captivated everyone.
Qin Yaru paused for a moment, hugging her arms as if feeling extremely cold before continuing slowly, "Along the way, I saw trees with sharp Iron Trees growing everywhere and boundless Blade Mountains. There were rolling Frying Pans filled with meat that had been fried to a crisp yellow color. Looking at these things nearly drove me insane. Just when I couldn't hold back any longer and wanted to cry out loud, I suddenly heard a familiar voice crying from beneath the bridge!"
As she finished speaking, everyone's hearts stopped along with her words.
Sister Wang's voice trembled as she spoke, "Familiar... familiar person?"
Qin Yaru lowered her head, avoiding the gazes of the crowd, trembling as she said, "I... I saw Zhou Erlang floating in a pool of red blood, two ghosts with chains pulling him from either side. He was screaming desperately, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. I was so scared that I wanted to rush over to pull him back, but then I suddenly heard a voice beside me—'Hey, which night wanderer has brought Consort Qin here and scared her? You can't afford to offend her; hurry up and send her back properly!' Then I woke up in shock."
She exhaled, and the surroundings fell silent. Qin Yaru wiped her eyes and whispered, "After waking up, I vaguely remembered having a dream but couldn't recall the details. Just now, when I caught sight of Zhou Erlang, everything from that dream became clear again."
Qin Yaru gritted her teeth and looked up, staring intently at Zhou Erlang as she said firmly, "Zhou Erlang, didn't you have this kind of dream? You should have dreamed it."
Everyone was startled and instinctively turned to look at Zhou Erlang. They saw him sweating profusely, his lips moving, veins bulging on his hands. After a long pause, he shouted, "No... nothing happened! I... I didn't dream of anything!"
His voice was so sharp that even those outside the shop were startled. After shouting, this usually honest and simple man rudely pushed aside a nearby customer and ran out as if something were chasing him.
Sister Wang was taken aback and murmured, "What... what's wrong with Zhou Erlang? Could it be that he really had the same dream as Consort Qin?"
The surroundings erupted in an uproar as everyone began to discuss. Zhou Erlang's earlier behavior clearly indicated he was guilty and might have indeed had the same dream.
Qin Yaru lowered her head to hide a strange smile at the corner of her lips—whether Zhou Erlang had any hellish nightmares or not, she didn't know. However, he definitely dreamed of something related to water, and probably more than once.
Although her profession was forensic medicine, she wasn't just knowledgeable about theory in traditional Chinese medicine. In this era, scholars often practiced medicine; her father was an expert in this field. The skills of observation and inquiry that Qin Yaru possessed were taught to her earnestly by her father. Now seeing Zhou Erlang, she could tell that he had been suffering from kidney deficiency for a long time and had problems with his kidneys, leading to frequent dreams about water. She decided to take advantage of this situation.
On ordinary days, Qin Yaru was a proper young lady who never told even small lies. This time her description was so vivid that although it seemed strange and miraculous, it wasn't too unbelievable in an era that believed in ghosts and gods. There had been many tales of powerful individuals and high officials who could judge the living during the day and the dead at night; thus, dreaming of wandering through the underworld wasn't too astonishing.
Indeed, Zhou Erlang was terrified at this moment. He had been continuously dreaming about drowning for half a month now. He kept this matter to himself and hadn't told anyone; there was no way Consort Qin could know about it.
He thought he understood Qin Yaru well enough and couldn't believe that such a gentle and timid Wife would lie. Hearing such a story all of a sudden, combined with the dream he had, made him uneasy. Although he didn't dream of hell, Consort Qin had just forgotten her dream until she saw Zhou Erlang, which suddenly reminded her.
The more he thought about it, the more afraid he became.
Sister Wang furrowed her brows, lost in thought. Qin Yaru glanced at the direction Zhou Erlang had run off to, wrapped her arm around Sister Wang's, and softly said, "As the saying goes, if one does not commit any wrongdoing, there is no need to be startled by a midnight knock. Why should Sister-in-law be alarmed?"
Sister Wang exhaled and smiled, "That's true. Let's hurry back; Da Lang must be anxious waiting for us."
Qin Yaru dismissed the discussions about ghosts and gods around them and accompanied Sister Wang to the donkey cart. She felt her body relax, and all the pent-up anxiety in her heart was released. In her past life, she had let Zhou Erlang torment her several times, leaving her terrified and even causing her to fall seriously ill. At least she had scared him a little this time; it could be considered retribution. She just hoped that it would awaken a bit of conscience in him and that he wouldn't harm their daughter as well. Perhaps it could even save Zhao Di.
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