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"No!" Xing Ruyi replied decisively.
"Oh?" The fox was surprised. "Why is Wife so generous?"
"Because I will personally skin you, then pull out your tendons, drink your blood, and finally make clothes from your fur and decorations from your bones."
"Tsk tsk, such cruel methods, but I quite like it. At least if I die, I would die at Wife's hands, staying by Wife's side!"
"Dream on!" Xing Ruyi's eyes shifted, and her expression suddenly became somber. "If that were to happen, I would do nothing and walk far away, so that you would never see me again in this life or the next. Fox, I'm serious; I'm not a generous person. I'm very angry, especially when it comes to feelings. And don't think that I'm calm when dealing with others; that's because those people are not you. When it comes to you, I'm afraid. If you no longer want me or betray me, I might not even have the courage to question you. I would just run away and find a place to hide. I would be heartbroken, sad, crying all night long, and thinking of you all night too. Of course, I would curse you while crying, perhaps even cursing you in my dreams. Fox, you know I'm just an ordinary woman; I'm not strong or great at all. So if one day you fall for another woman, could you give me a little hint? Just enough for me to gather the strength to escape far away."
"Fox Demon! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have made such an assumption!" The fox hugged Xing Ruyi tightly and lowered his head to kiss the tear that hung at the corner of her eye. "I will never betray you; in this life and the next, for all eternity, I will never betray you!"
"Really?" Xing Ruyi smiled through her tears.
"Of course it's true!"
"Even if it's not true, please bear with it for now. You are the Azure Fox Immortal; at least you have thousands of years of life ahead of you, while I'm just a mortal who can only occupy your time for a few decades at most. Fox, those fleeting decades are just a blink of an eye for you. So please allow me to be selfish and be a bit generous by giving me this brief moment of loyalty and tenderness. As for after a hundred years, feel free to forget me and choose your partner anew, okay?"
"I won't do that; believe me, I will never do that!" The fox murmured as he held onto Xing Ruyi's arm tighter, as if wanting to merge the woman before him into his very being.
Luoyang City · Wang Mansion
Wang Yanxing woke up once again from a nightmare. He was drenched in cold sweat as he stared out the window, confused as to why he had been dreaming frequently about Hui Niang lately, even about that child he had never seen.
He knew about Hui Niang's death and felt somewhat relieved—relieved that he could finally rid himself of that woman and the guilt that came with it. As for the child, he regretted it because he hadn't expected his new wife would be unable to bear children. If that child were still alive, they would likely be old enough for private tutoring by now. Looking at the luxurious surroundings before him, Wang Yanxing began to reflect on whether his previous desires were right or wrong. Once he was poor but had a considerate wife and perhaps a lively and intelligent child. Now he held high office and wealth but still relied on the Gu Family; whether facing his father-in-law or his wife, he always felt somewhat dependent on others and found it hard to stand tall. Moreover, without children in this vast estate, what use was it? Thinking of this made him feel a pang of sadness.
Hearing movement outside the door, a servant lifted the curtain and hurried in.
"Master is awake!"
"How long did I sleep?"
"It won't be long, just about half a tea's time!"
"Only half a tea?" Wang Yanxing sighed, thought for a moment, and then got out of bed.
Due to the recent string of nightmares, he hadn't had a good night's sleep for many nights. Thinking that white tea might be more effective, he tried it, but it turned out he only slept for a little while, and the nightmares still plagued him!
"Is the lady at home?"
"The lady went out early this morning with Winter Spring. There's a shop in the city called Ruyi Rouge; she went there to seek medicine for you."
"Nonsense! What kind of medicine can a shop selling rouge provide? I think the lady just wants to buy some things to adorn herself. Well, since we are in Luoyang, it's reasonable for her to buy some good rouge and face powder for herself. After all, with your father-in-law's promotion, she will meet more people in the future and should pay attention to her appearance."
"Sir, you are misunderstanding the lady. She really did go out this time to seek medicine for you." The servant was from the Gu family and although he followed Wang Yanxing, he still had loyalty to the Gu family. Hearing Wang Yanxing criticize his sister, he couldn't help but defend her. Although Wang Yanxing felt displeased in his heart, he managed to hide it on his face.
"Although you are from the capital, you haven't been back in many years, so you might not know. This Ruyi Rouge shop sells rouge and face powder, but the manager Xing is quite capable. Do you know Liu from Jishengtang?"
"The 'Sage of Medicine' in Luoyang? How could I not know?"
"Exactly! But even Liu can't cure certain illnesses; however, Manager Xing can. Almost everyone in Luoyang knows this. Moreover, since something happened to Liu's family, he rarely sees patients now. Many people with troublesome ailments come looking for this manager at Ruyi Rouge. The lady has indeed made an effort to inquire about it."
"Is that really true?"
"Not only that! On the day we entered the city, we also heard something unusual that is related to your hometown!"
"My hometown?" Wang Yanxing frowned slightly.
"Yes, Sister-in-law Village—the village where you were born and raised." The servant deliberately emphasized the word "village," hinting at Wang Yanxing's background.
Unfortunately, at this moment, Wang Yanxing's attention was entirely focused on what had happened in the village. He vaguely felt that those events were connected to his recent nightmares.
"Listen, some strange things have been happening in Sister-in-law Village recently. First, a man named Ma Tao suddenly became possessed for no reason, turning into something like a cat. At night, his eyes would glow green, looking frightening as he attacked villagers and livestock. Then, like a plague, nine out of ten people in the village became just like Ma Tao. People were terrified, thinking that Sister-in-law Village must have offended some deity and been cursed!"
"Is this really happening?"
"If the master has time, he can go out for a walk. Not only that, but in seven or eight tea houses in the city, dozens of people are discussing it. Moreover, this incident has already been turned into a story, and many wealthy families are listening with great interest. Even some bold young masters have gone to Sister-in-law Village to see what’s going on."
"Is there any solution to this problem?"
"There is! I heard that a man named Wang Peng from the village took many people to Li Siniang's tavern in the city to buy wine for exorcising spirits, but Li Siniang refused to sell anything. I guess she is also afraid of offending the deity and getting dragged down by Sister-in-law Village. Just when both sides were at a standstill, the manager of Ruyi Rouge shop appeared. The manager is kind-hearted; upon hearing about Sister-in-law Village's situation, he felt pity and decided to help. Can you guess what happened next?"
"What happened?"
"Not only was Ma Tao cured, but all the villagers who were possessed were also healed. However, unexpectedly, there was a hidden murder case within this incident. In Ma Tao's home, they found a girl named Cui Cui. A perfectly fine girl had her tongue cut out by Ma Tao."
"Indeed! Ma Tao is truly ruthless; his methods are even more brutal than many bandits. It’s fortunate that the manager discovered this early; otherwise, Sister-in-law Village would have been in serious trouble."
"So why did Ma Tao cut out someone's tongue?"
"It is said that Ma Tao secretly harmed a woman named Hui Niang and was caught by Cui Cui. Thus, Ma Tao harbored malicious intent and captured the girl. However, since she was quite beautiful, he only cut out her tongue but spared her life. It’s lucky for her to have survived until now. There are also rumors that Ma Tao's possession was caused by Hui Niang's spirit haunting him; after the manager intervened and captured Hui Niang's ghost, it allowed Ma Tao to escape disaster. But others say that Ma Tao was possessed by a cat spirit and had to pour a large basin of Black Dog Blood to scare it away. Regardless of the rumors, it was the manager who resolved the situation in Sister-in-law Village; this point is agreed upon both inside and outside the city. Additionally, I’ve investigated and confirmed that Ma Tao indeed exists and has harmed Hui Niang; he is currently imprisoned and will soon be exiled!"
"Hui Niang!" Wang Yanxing murmured these two words: "Could it be that you are haunting me persistently, entering my dreams every night because you want me to seek justice for you? But now your grievances have already been cleared; Ma Tao has been captured and judged. Why do you still cling to this and disturb my peace?"
"What is the master thinking about?"
"I’m thinking about what you just said and whether that manager is really as capable as you say!"
"Whether he is capable or not will be known when my lady and Winter Spring return; you can ask then." As she spoke, footsteps were heard in the courtyard. A servant peeked in and said to Wang Yanxing: "The lady has returned and brought something with her!"
Wang Yanxing looked up and saw his wife standing in the courtyard. He then noticed that the maid Winter Spring was holding a blue pillow with white flowers that looked somewhat familiar.
"Is your health feeling better, my lord?"
"Thank you for your concern, my lady. After resting for a while, I do feel much better!" Wang Yan looked at the pillow again and asked, "May I ask, what is this?"
"This? I went to Ruyi Rouge early this morning to ask the shopkeeper Xing for a prescription."
"A pillow?"
"To be precise, it's a medicinal pillow." Madam Wang took the pillow and handed it to Wang Yan. "My lord, take a whiff and see if the scent is familiar."
"This smells like ginkgo?"
"You have quite a keen nose, my lord. It is indeed the scent of ginkgo leaves. The shopkeeper Xing said that this ginkgo leaf pillow can improve one's breathing and help you sleep more soundly. Moreover, the leaves must be from trees that are at least three years old, making them quite rare. In all of Luoyang, only Ruyi Rouge has them."
"So, this pillow was also bought from Ruyi Rouge?"
"The ginkgo leaves were purchased from Ruyi Rouge, but the pillow itself was not. The shopkeeper Xing mentioned that pillows like this need to be made fresh. So after leaving Ruyi Rouge, I took Winter Spring to the best embroidery shop in Luoyang. My lord, please don't misunderstand; I initially intended to sew it myself for you. However, I realized that my own work would take longer, and I couldn't bear to keep you waiting, so I had someone else handle it."
"My lady needs not explain; I understand all of this!"
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