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墨書 Inktalez
“Gan Jiang, Mo Ye! Aren't these two ancient famous swords? It is said that no one in this world can separate them.”
“According to legend, Gan Jiang and Mo Ye were two famous swords forged by the swordsmith couple Gan Jiang and Mo Ye. Gan Jiang is the male sword, while Mo Ye is the female sword. Gan Jiang is the husband, and Mo Ye is the wife. Gan Jiang is diligent, and Mo Ye is gentle. While Gan Jiang was forging a sword for King Wu, Mo Ye fanned him and wiped his sweat. However, three months passed, and Gan Jiang still could not forge the sword that King Wu desired. He felt anxious and even harbored a hidden worry. Because Gan Jiang knew King Wu's temperament, if he failed to forge the sword, not only would he die, but his wife Mo Ye would also be executed alongside him. At that time, Mo Ye was already pregnant, carrying their child.
As a wife, Mo Ye naturally noticed her husband's anxiety. The precious iron from the Five Mountains and Six Harmonies in the furnace could not melt; without the iron melting, the sword could not be forged. Seeing her husband restless and unable to sleep through the night pained her heart. Finally, she thought of a way to help Gan Jiang. She chose a sunny day, put on the dress she wore on their wedding day, and prepared many dishes for him. For an entire day, she wore a smile. But looking at Mo Ye's expression, Gan Jiang suddenly felt uneasy because he knew what his wife intended to do. However, he had no time to stop her or perhaps did not even think of stopping her; for a swordsmith, forging an unparalleled sword was even more important than his own life. Mo Ye understood his thoughts as well, so she secretly added just the right amount of sleeping potion to the food.
When Gan Jiang woke up, Mo Ye was not by his side. In that moment, it felt as if thousands of arrows pierced his heart. He rushed to the forging furnace only to see his wife Mo Ye standing atop the towering furnace wall, her skirt fluttering like a fairy. When Mo Ye saw Gan Jiang rushing from afar, she smiled as she heard his hoarse cry: “Mo Ye! Don’t!”
Yet Mo Ye continued to smile as tears streamed down her face. She said: “Husband, I am not dead; we will be together again.”
“This is truly a sad story!” Xing Ruyi said with a wrinkle of her nose. “But I do not agree with this story at all; the so-called tragedy and sacrifice are merely built upon a man's cowardice and selfishness. Knowing that he could not forge the sword, he could have chosen to leave with his wife; even if they couldn't escape, they could die together.”
“Your thoughts are always so unique,” Xiu Xiu replied softly. “But everyone has their own selfish desires. For a swordsmith, forging an unparalleled sword is an irresistible temptation. Gan Jiang feels this way; many of us do too—it's just that what we desire isn't necessarily a famous sword.” Xiu Xiu lowered her head slightly: “Once the molten iron melts, the famous sword can be successfully forged; as for what happens afterward, it no longer concerns what I want. What I think about are those missing children—many of them were thrown into the furnace like Mo Ye, their bones and blood becoming part of those tools; they have no present life or future reincarnation. I know you have misunderstandings about me; after all, I was at fault first. But I also know you have a sharp tongue but a soft heart; even if you disregard me, you will still care for those innocent villagers and those poor children.”
“I understand; I am not some kind-hearted person. My kindness comes and goes depending on my mood,” Xing Ruyi insisted stubbornly but felt touched by Xiu Xiu’s words deep down. However, she still couldn't determine which parts of what Xiu Xiu said were true and which were false.
“I know you still have doubts in your heart; that's fine—I’ve waited so many years already; what's another moment? By the way, dawn is approaching soon,” Xiu Xiu reminded Xing Ruyi gently. “You should prepare yourself mentally because what you are about to see may not be very pleasant.”
As soon as Xiu Xiu finished speaking, the sound of the Night Watchman’s bell echoed outside. Xiu Xiu's expression instantly turned grim as she began tearing at her clothes frantically; she couldn’t let them come off completely. Her hands and feet felt as if bound by something as she started to moan in pain and struggle.
A purple light flared up like a ball of purple flame that consumed Xiu Xiu's garments. The ashes of her clothing could no longer conceal the surging purple beams emanating from her body—these lights resembled ropes dipped in luminescent powder or vines turned into monsters tightening rapidly around her. Then pieces of flesh began to fall from Xiu Xiu’s body until only a pale white skeleton remained, pulled away by those purple beams or perhaps by ghostly ropes from her mouth.
Xing Ruyi didn’t even have time to react; she could only stand there in shock until the fox and Yin Yuan returned. Everything in Xing Ruyi seemed normal again as if that horrific scene had never occurred; yet an unusual atmosphere lingered in the air.
The fox asked nothing but swept past like the wind and held Xing Ruyi tightly in its embrace.
Yin Yuan frowned slightly and stepped forward to ask: “Mother, is there something wrong?”
Xing Ruyi finally came back to her senses and shook her head weakly: “It’s Xiuhe—or perhaps she prefers us to call her Xiu Xiu.”
“The female ghost from Wei Village?” The fox asked casually as if it were not surprising that Xiu Xiu was still alive.
“Yes!” Xing Ruyi nodded: “No wonder when I left earlier I felt that there were unresolved matters in that place—it turns out it truly isn’t over.”
"The matters inside there are not something we should concern ourselves with." The fox held onto Xing Ruyi, showing no sign of letting go. "Fox Demon, listen to me. All you need to do is take good care of yourself. This world was never meant to be yours, and there are not so many trivial matters for you to manage. As for that Xiu Xiu or Xiuhe, if she dares to disturb you again, I, Yin Chensi, swear I will make her disappear completely."
"Why did you let her go when we were in Wei Village?" Xing Ruyi tilted her head slightly. "Yin Chensi, how many things have you kept from me?"
"Fox Demon, it's not what you think." The fox loosened his grip a little. "The reason I didn't eliminate her in Wei Village is that I knew that place was not as simple as we imagined. Besides, you and Yin Yuan were there, and I didn't want to stir up trouble. Fox Demon, I am confident I can keep you safe, which is why I didn't cause more trouble. But I never expected she would dare to come looking for you."
"Yin Chensi, I'm so tired! Not because my body is tired, but because my heart is tired. I feel like you have never considered me as your future Wife. Yin Chensi, you know I'm not one of those women from the Golden Tang Dynasty who live their lives hiding behind their husbands. I am Xing Ruyi; I want to share hardships with you, grow old together, and fight side by side as your partner. Perhaps I may become a burden, but I will work hard to make that burden as light as possible. I know myself well; when I feel like a nuisance, I will protect myself well so that you won't have to worry about me at all. It's not about distrust; it's about knowing how to truly be a woman behind a fox immortal."
Xing Ruyi gently pushed the fox away and looked into his eyes. "Yin Chensi, actually I've never told you this: from the moment you descended and appeared before me, I knew your background must be extraordinary. When we were cast away by fate to the Golden Tang Dynasty, I also understood that there must be a reason for what the master did. Being with a fox immortal was bound to lead to certain events. Yin Chensi, I hope that I'm not just your Wife but also a comrade you can rely on—someone who can fight alongside you through life and death."
"Fox Demon—" The fox embraced Xing Ruyi again and whispered, "I just want to protect you well!"
"But I don't want to just be someone who is simply protected." Xing Ruyi smiled faintly. "Yin Chensi, I want to protect you too, and I don't want to be your Achilles' heel, making you distracted while facing danger."
"I understand now!" The fox caressed Xing Ruyi's face. "Only now do I realize why fate arranged for me to meet you."
"Why?"
"Because of you, Xing Ruyi; it is destined that in this life, you are my Yin Chensi's woman—the unique empress of Qingqiu."
Such a bold and affectionate declaration made Xing Ruyi smile.
She looked into the fox's eyes and said, "So you're not just a fox; you're also a fox with royal blood."
The fox looked at Xing Ruyi and didn't know how to respond to her statement. However, Xing Ruyi playfully beckoned him with her finger and softly asked, "So may I ask our esteemed Azure Fox Emperor how many subjects your Qingqiu currently has?"
The fox's expression darkened slightly as he replied gruffly, "Thirty thousand!"
"Well, that's not bad; at least it's equivalent to a village chief in our human world. In this case, I can reluctantly consider myself a village chief's wife," Xing Ruyi nodded while the fox's face grew even darker.
"Alright, alright, don't be angry! It was just that the atmosphere was too emotional earlier, so I wanted to lighten things up and tease you a bit. It's normal for your kind of immortals to have fewer people than us humans. Our lifespans are only several decades long; if we want societal development, we can only rely on population growth. But you're different; your lifespans are often hundreds or even thousands of years long—what's the point of having so many children when cultivation isn't exactly the most entertaining thing?"
"Our Qingqiu nation has few citizens because most have left Qingqiu and hidden in your human world. Just like yours—our Fox Clan typically has lifespans of several hundred years; even without cultivation, we live longer than humans do. Moreover, the human world has too many dazzling attractions for them: power, desire, beauty, politics, competition, war—each of these holds deadly allure for the demon race."
"So, you fell in front of me, all bruised and battered, and this has something to do with those people?" Xing Ruyi stroked her chin, feigning a look of deep concern. "You mustn't tell me that there was an internal strife in your Qingqiu Kingdom, and that you, the so-called Fox Emperor, were ousted by force."
"I just made a careless mistake and fell for the fox's trick," the fox gritted his teeth and refused to admit it.
"It's okay, I understand. Which emperor hasn't overthrown someone to take the throne? And how many emperors who sit on the throne haven't been forcibly removed? Just think of it as an early retirement; enjoy the life of a retired emperor," Xing Ruyi said, patting the fox's shoulder with great sympathy. "Anyway, we can't go back now. The current Qingqiu is still under the control of your ancestors. So don't be too upset; at worst, we can team up to deal with that old monster in Wei Village and let you vent your frustrations."
"Absolutely not!" The fox's expression darkened further as he realized that Xing Ruyi had circled back to the topic of Wei Village.
"Of course not; I currently lack the ability to confront that old monster," Xing Ruyi replied as she opened the Guanyin scroll and summoned Liu Hui. "Besides, I haven't finished dealing with the matters at hand yet."
Xing Ruyi glanced at Yin Yuan. "Since Yin Yuan has promised Liu Hui to take care of her affairs, as her mother, I can't ignore the troubles my son has caused. After a night has passed, Xu Liang should have calmed down by now, regardless of how fearless he was at that moment. I'll take Liu Hui over to see him and ask about what happened during the incident."
"Mother wants to ask because if a good person is wrongly judged, Chang Tai's reputation as the capital's top Constable might be at stake."
"You talk too much!" Xing Ruyi tapped Yin Yuan on the head and smiled at the fox. "I'm helping Liu Hui; it has nothing to do with Brother Chang. Also, you've been out hunting demons with Yin Yuan all night; you must be tired. You two should go rest first; I’ll catch up on some sleep too."
"I'm going with you!" The fox insisted without giving her a chance to refuse, taking Xing Ruyi's hand and leading her toward the bedroom while declaring domineeringly, "After dawn, I'm going with you! No sneaking around or acting alone!"
"Yes! My Fox Immortal Master, I couldn't ask for more!" Xing Ruyi rolled her eyes but turned back to give Yin Yuan a fierce glare as he smirked mischievously.
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