Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"What happened after that? Out of nowhere, how could the ghost escape from the Copper Mirror, and how did the Copper Mirror end up outside the Relay Station?"
"This is a long story. The General has seen me before and recognized my face. On the day I underwent tribulation, he even asked a Military Doctor from the army to treat me and secretly helped me out of the Military Camp. So, his low shout at that moment was likely not out of fear, but because he couldn't reconcile my face with the one he sees now. Or perhaps he thought the person he saw was not the General's Wife, Mu Xi.
Although I understood all this in my heart, I still lacked the courage to face him again. I considered returning to the Mountain God Temple to continue my unfinished cultivation, but with attachments already formed in my heart, it was impossible to leave so easily.
As I wandered back and forth, unable to make a decision, his personal guard found me. The General was ill, suspected to be a recurrence of an old ailment, and urged me to return quickly. When I entered the main tent, I saw him sitting upright, his gaze fixed intently on me, while I stood there, filled with anxiety and avoiding his eyes.
Eventually, he spoke first. He asked if I had something to say to him.
I took several deep breaths before finally daring to face him. Ruyi, do you know what I replied?"
Xing Ruyi shook her head.
"I said, 'General, what else do you want to hear from Mu Xi?' The General's gaze paused for a moment before he sighed lightly and asked if he had ever seen me before and if he had seen my face. How could I answer that? Of course, I had seen him—not just once but right here in this Military Camp. Then he fell silent for a long time before asking if the mask on my face was the long-lost Human Skin Mask from the martial world. I didn't know what the Human Skin Mask was; I only knew that my skin was indeed made from fresh human skin. To avoid further complications, I nodded in acknowledgment. After that, he didn't ask anything more."
"Is that how it ended?" Xing Ruyi asked curiously.
Mu Xi revealed a bitter smile again: "I don't know if it truly ended; all I know is that he began to deliberately distance himself from me. We couldn't even return to our initial way of interacting. Deep down, I felt some regret—regret for being careless and for getting too close to him. But in this world, there is no such thing as a remedy for regret. I assumed he minded my face and started to deliberately avoid him as well. If it weren't for what happened later, we could have continued our relationship like that; it would have been quite good."
"We've finally reached the crucial part," Xing Ruyi sighed and adjusted her somewhat stiff posture.
By this time, it should have been past midnight. Looking out from the Relay Station window, it seemed that the entire Yun Family Gathering had fallen into darkness. Just as Xing Ruyi was about to look for Xing's location, she saw a lantern flickering in and out as it moved through the alley.
"Brother Chang, are you still there?"
"Here!" Chang Tai responded, appearing in the courtyard.
Xing Ruyi glanced at the lantern again and asked Chang Tai, "How many night watchmen are there at the Yun Family Gathering?"
"There should only be one!"
"A Niu's uncle?"
Chang Tai nodded, "Why did you suddenly think to ask this?"
"Because I saw a night watchman." Xing Ruyi pointed at the lantern on the street. Just as she finished speaking, the voice of the Night Watchman reached their ears: "The hour of Hai has arrived, the Vengeful Spirit returns, heavy snow is falling, close your doors and windows!"
"There is no second Night Watchman at the Yun Family Gathering; this person seems a bit strange," Chang Tai said as he ran toward the Relay Station's entrance. Xing Ruyi exclaimed and was about to chase after him when she was stopped by Mu Xi.
"Don't worry, Lord Chang will be fine," Mu Xi said, signaling to the official on duty downstairs to chase after him.
"Does Madam know who that is?"
"Mu Xi doesn't know, but Mu Xi is clear about another matter."
"What matter?"
"Even Mu Xi can tell that Lord Chang is not someone to be trifled with; how could the ghost in the Copper Mirror dare to provoke him? Moreover, although it is late at night, Mu Xi hasn't sensed any demonic energy or Eerie Aura, so it seems that the night watchman is just an ordinary person." Mu Xi said, glancing at the Yellow Talisman on the window: "Furthermore, that ghost in the mirror came for me and General. She has already harmed someone at the Yun Family Gathering, absorbed that person's soul, and accumulated a certain amount of energy. For a short time, she will be solely focused on seeking revenge and won't harm others."
"You forgot, but the Copper Mirror is in the hands of my future husband," Xing Ruyi suddenly recalled that the fox had already taken the Copper Mirror. At this moment, even if the fox was dozing off, the female ghost would not have the ability to escape from the Copper Mirror sealed by the fox. It was she who had been overly anxious.
Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Chang Tai returned, followed by another person. This person was holding a white paper lantern and wearing a large black cloak. Due to the heavy snow, a thick layer of snow had settled on his black hat, making his footsteps heavy as he entered.
"Brother Chang—"
"It's someone familiar!" Chang Tai brushed off the snow from his clothes and took off the hat from the person's head. The person shyly raised his head and squinted at Xing Ruyi, revealing a somewhat awkward smile.
"A Niu, how come it's you? Didn't you stay at your Uncle Aunt's house to help take care of things? Why did you come out? Is it your Aunt's idea for you to be on night watch?"
"No, no!" A Niu waved his hands twice and then lowered his head. "Well, I guess it could be considered my Aunt's idea. Shopkeeper, you know that my Aunt's whole family relies on my uncle for their livelihood as a night watchman. Now that my uncle is sick, my nephew seems to be scared silly; although he has woken up, he refuses to speak. Seeing this, my Aunt cried and made a fuss. I had no other method but to promise her that during the time my uncle hasn't woken up, I would take over his night watch duties, and as for the wages, they would go to my Aunt."
"Are you foolish?" Xing Ruyi was infuriated upon seeing A Niu like this. "Did you not hear or understand what I said before I left? Your uncle won't wake up. If he's lucky, he'll keep sleeping like this; if he's unlucky, he might pass away. But even if he wants to keep sleeping like this, do you think your Aunt and nephew will be willing to support him and take care of him indefinitely? Silly A Niu, let me ask you: if your uncle never wakes up, what will you do? Work for your Aunt and nephew for a lifetime without pay?"
"This—" A Niu scratched his head. "With my Aunt crying and making a fuss like that, I ended up forgetting what you told me before you left."
"You forgot. Right now, your Aunt still doesn't know you're working as a clerk in my shop; if she finds out, she'll probably cry and make a scene again, demanding that you give her your wages from working in the shop too. The reason is simple: you're all alone while they are a mother and son with no support. If you don't help them out, who will? Who told you to be kind-hearted and unable to resist others' cries and tears?"
"It shouldn't be like that!" A Niu looked up and glanced at Chang Tai for help. "Brother Chang, do you think so?"
"The Fox Demon will definitely do that," Chang Tai replied decisively, causing A Niu's face to turn even more distressed. Just as he was about to ask Xing Ruyi or Chang Tai for advice, he heard Chang Tai ask again, "Since you're taking over your uncle's night watch duties, why did you only bring a lantern and nothing else? Also, this lantern doesn't look like the kind used by regular night watchmen."
"Oh no, this is the Soul Guiding Lantern!" Mu Xi exclaimed softly as he leaped down from the window.
“Soul Guiding Lantern!” Xing Ruyi subconsciously glanced at A Niu’s hand and asked, “Where did you get this lantern?”
“A person who looked like a Taoist gave it to me when I was about to leave.”
Although A Niu didn’t know what a Soul Guiding Lantern was, she saw someone jump straight down from the second-floor window, staring at her with a grim expression. The tone of Shopkeeper seemed to carry some reproach, leaving her completely bewildered.
“When I was leaving, I originally brought my uncle’s set of tools, but just as I stepped out, I tripped over something. Looking down, I saw a person who looked like a Taoist sitting in front of my uncle’s house drinking in the middle of the night during heavy snow. Seeing him in such a pitiful state, I invited him in to sit for a while. To my surprise, he laughed three times at me and then handed me this lantern. He said it was because we were fated to meet, that he saw my kind heart, and also out of pity for my uncle’s family, which is why he passed this method to me. As long as I follow his instructions, I can bring my uncle’s soul back. At that moment, I didn’t think much about it; I just thought that if it could help my uncle recover, it was worth trying regardless of whether it would work or not.”
“Ruyi, you mean that Copper Mirror is in your future husband’s hands?” Mu Xi stood downstairs, looking up at Xing Ruyi.
Xing Ruyi nodded slightly and lifted her skirt before jumping directly down from the second floor. She dared to jump not because she relied on her own Ghost Technique, but because she knew Chang Tai would definitely catch her.
Sure enough, with Chang Tai’s assistance, she landed safely and stood in front of Mu Xi: “What did you mean by that? Is this lantern aimed at us?”
“It’s unclear whether it’s aimed at you or us,” Mu Xi replied. “All I know is that the soul of that Night Watchman was swallowed by a female ghost, who was trapped by my spell in that Copper Mirror. And that Copper Mirror is quite a rare cursed object. However, since your husband belongs to the lineage of Qingqiu, there should be no problem.”
Finally coming to her senses, Xing Ruyi grabbed A Niu and asked, “What route did you take while patrolling? Was it the one your uncle often took or one you chose on the spur of the moment?”
“Although he is my uncle, he is just a distant relative with whom I don’t have much interaction. I only know that my uncle is a Night Watchman, but I don’t know what route a Night Watchman should take while patrolling. Is there really a specific route for patrolling?” A Niu looked at Xing Ruyi in confusion. “This route was pointed out by that Taoist; to avoid mistakes, I even drew a simple map on my hand. Shopkeeper, look.”
Comment 0 Comment Count