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墨書 Inktalez
"Can you give me your face? Although I may not be able to cure you completely, understanding the cause of your condition might help me improve your face a little."
"Really?" Winter Pearl covered half of her face with her hand, raising her head, her eyes filled with hope.
After all, even ghosts can change; she could choose to transform her face into the most beautiful version from the day of her engagement. However, Winter Pearl's mother clearly did not want her to know that she was already dead, and Winter Pearl was very concerned about her appearance, so she had maintained the look she had at the moment of her death.
"Actually, I don't remember much," Winter Pearl said, slightly furrowing her brows as she recalled carefully. "I only know that I wanted to go out to find him, my future Husband. At that time, outside Luoyang City, it wasn't very peaceful. I hadn't gone far when I encountered a group of Rascal. They surrounded me and spoke to me in such a way... I felt both ashamed and angry, wanting to escape, but one of them grabbed my wrist. In my struggle, I hit that person with my bag, and then they retaliated by hitting me and pushing me into the grass by the roadside."
Winter Pearl hugged herself tightly, starting to tremble all over. "At that moment, I was very scared. I vaguely understood what they wanted to do to me. As a single Maternal Family member, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't resist those Rascal. So I thought of dying; I bit down hard on my tongue and thought that if they dared to bully me, I would immediately bite my tongue and end my life."
"What happened next?"
Winter Pearl paused for a moment. "I only remember someone lunging at me. Instinctively, I sidestepped, and that person fell onto the grass with a piercing scream. Before I could see clearly what happened, I felt a sharp pain on my face. Then many black bugs crawled out from the ground, and those people screamed and fled. Oh, one of them kicked me hard as they left; everything went dark before I knew anything else."
When I woke up again, I was back home. It was my mother who found me. Everything was fine except for this face; it was ruined. I cried, made a fuss, and felt resentment, but later I realized something. Even if my face was ruined, at least I was still alive. As long as I'm alive, I have the chance to wait for my Husband to return.
"Ruyi, is that you?"
"Yes, if a person is dead, then there is nothing left; but being alive means there is still a glimmer of hope."
"Yes! I'm grateful that I managed to get through that time. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had the chance to see him again."
"Him? Your Husband!"
"Yes! He has returned!" Winter Pearl shyly nodded. "But he doesn't recognize me anymore. I think it's because my face has become too terrifying for him to recognize."
"This is why you and your mother want to heal your face, isn't it?"
"Mm!" Winter Pearl nodded, "Actually, I didn't have much hope either. My face has been injured for quite some time. If it were easy to treat, my mother would have definitely hired a doctor to help me by now. But if I give up just like that, I feel a bit unwilling. I've waited for him for so many years; I can't just watch him... watch him not recognize me."
"So this is your wish!" Xing Ruyi said, standing up and walking to the counter. She took out a few dried black silkworms from a hidden compartment at the bottom.
These black silkworms were fed with Ghost Mulberry leaves. The so-called Ghost Mulberry leaves come from mulberry trees that grow in graveyards. Due to being nourished by the yin energy for years and having deep roots that absorb nutrients from corpses, the mulberry leaves produced are greener than those from ordinary places. Silkworms raised on these leaves are also known as ghost silkworms.
These few ghost silkworms were considered a treasure by Xing Ruyi. After all, while ghost willows and ghost locusts are common, Ghost Mulberry trees are rare, especially this type that thrives in heavy yin energy; there are hardly a few in all of Luoyang. Silkworms that can withstand the yin energy and grow this large are also quite few.
Xing Ruyi crushed the black silkworms and added them to the original formula to create a new Yurong Powder, which she handed to Winter Pearl: "This is my newly formulated Yurong Powder. It contains a new ingredient; while it may not completely remove the traces left by the poisonous insects on your face, it should help lighten them somewhat. Additionally, this cream is for improving your complexion; you just need to apply it evenly on your face, and unless you encounter heavy rain, others won't be able to tell."
"These must cost a lot of silver, right?" Winter Pearl glanced at the label behind the counter. Although it looked somewhat unusual, she could still clearly see the amount of silver written on it.
"No need for silver. After all, I've listened to your stories for half the night; consider this medicine as my gift to you. If it works well, you can help me promote it in the future."
"Promote?"
"Oh? Just tell others that my Rouge and Face Powder is very effective and that my medicine works well."
"That's certain, but my mother taught me that even though we are poor, we should have dignity in our poverty. I can't just take your things without reason." Winter Pearl stood up and searched her body for a moment, her expression falling: "Unfortunately, I have nothing of value; at this moment, I don't know what I could offer in exchange for this medicine."
"I think the embroidery on your handkerchief is quite good. Did you embroider this pattern yourself?"
"I did it myself, but it's not done in the Central Plains style; it's from my maternal family's hometown. Compared to the craftsmanship of brocade shops, it's still far behind." Winter Pearl said shyly as she tightened her grip on her handkerchief.
"I actually find it quite beautiful. Although things from brocade shops are exquisite, anyone with money in Luoyang can afford them. Your embroidery style and patterns are unique and cannot be bought by others." Xing Ruyi pointed at the medicine on the table: "To be honest, I'm about to get married soon. However, my hands can manage making Rouge and Face Powder or mixing medicinal powders but can't do any needlework at all. If Miss Winter Pearl is willing to help me, perhaps you could embroider a pair of pouches using your maternal family's embroidery style."
Xing Ruyi gestured for Li Mao to bring some fine silk: "Please take this fabric back with you, Miss. If there are any leftovers, you can see what else can be made."
"Just to make two pouches, how could I possibly use so much fabric! If you don't mind, Ruyi, I can help make some embroidered clothes or shoes," Winter Pearl replied.
"In that case, I would appreciate your help, Miss Winter Pearl." Xing Ruyi then sent over some medicinal powder and skincare cream.
Winter Pearl's face turned slightly red. After hesitating for a moment, she reached out to accept them.
"Winter Pearl knows well that Ruyi is not really interested in her embroidery skills; you are just trying to ease my difficulties with this method. Don't worry, I will do my best with these items. I won't waste your kindness."
"I truly want to get married, and I genuinely admire your embroidery skills, Winter Pearl. So please don't take my earlier words to heart. Our relationship is one of equal exchange, so you don't need to feel indebted to me." Xing Ruyi glanced at the time: "It's getting late; you should head back. If you wait until dawn, your mother might worry unnecessarily. I'll have Li Mao deliver the fabric later; it will be left at your back door for you to pick up. It wouldn't be appropriate for him to go inside."
Xing Ruyi was very considerate. Winter Pearl nodded and left with the medicine.
Li Mao looked at the fabric on the table and asked Xing Ruyi, "Are you really asking her to help you make things for your wedding?"
"Is that a problem?"
"Of course it is!"
"Why is it a problem?"
"Shopkeeper, are you pretending not to know? Others may not see it clearly, but can't you? She is a ghost, and a rather strange one at that. The aura of yin energy around her can be felt even from across the street. Haven't you noticed that it's already icy outside our shop in the middle of the night?"
Xing Ruyi looked up and saw that indeed there were several icicles hanging outside the shop; they looked quite beautiful.
"I remember there are some red beans in the kitchen. Have Deer Lady make them into red bean paste. As for you, don't just stand there; break those icicles at the entrance and put them in a box. Later, we can make Ice Cream to eat. Hmm, eating Ice Cream around the fireplace in this cold weather isn't too bad!"
"Ah, my shopkeeper, you really have a big heart! At a time like this, you're still thinking about eating Ice Cream. By the way, what is Ice Cream?" Li Mao scratched his head. "Forget it, no matter what Ice Cream is. Let's get back to the fabric issue. Your wedding is a big event; what will it be like when you wear a Bridal Gown made by ghosts?"
"This is serious! There are rules for doing things in the human world, and there are also rules for doing things in the Underworld. As for the wedding, the fox has already agreed with me to hold one in Qingqiu. I'm thinking that when we return to Luoyang City, we should hold another one. After all, we don't know the customs of Qingqiu. What if it doesn't meet my expectations? Even if it does meet my expectations, I can't bring all my good friends from Luoyang to Qingqiu. So I must hold one here in Luoyang.
"Since we're having one in Qingqiu and another in Luoyang City, shouldn't I invite my friends from the underworld? Not to mention anyone else, but the Ghost King, Underworld Lord, and that big shot in the Underworld, can we not invite him? You all have cultivated for hundreds or even thousands of years; it's no problem for you. Even if you get tired of living in the future, you can't go anywhere but the Underworld. I'm different; I'm just a mortal who can only live for forty or fifty years at most. Soon enough, I'll be down there drinking tea and chatting. If I don't build good relationships now, won't they just leave me out in the cold later?"
"So?" Li Mao asked, confused.
"So I also want to hold a ceremony down there. While I may not be able to invite too many people, I still need to invite key figures like the Underworld Lord, close acquaintances like Cui Fujun, Judge, and others I work with regularly, such as the various City Gods and Ghost Messengers in town. Since I'm inviting them, of course, I need to wear new clothes. The attire from Qingqiu isn't quite suitable, right? And clothes made by Jinxiu Workshop are from the mortal realm and aren't quite appropriate either. So this outfit you've made for me, Winter Pearl, is it fitting for the occasion?"
Li Mao was left puzzled by Xing Ruyi, unable to untangle his thoughts.
Xing Ruyi smiled down at him and kicked him lightly with her foot: "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and break those icicles for me. What if they melt and fall on someone?"
"Don't worry; I won't let anyone get hurt."
"Wait!" Xing Ruyi called out to Li Mao: "After you've dealt with those icicles, go find out about Winter Pearl's fiancé. I have a feeling there's something fishy going on here that hasn't been clarified."
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