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墨書 Inktalez
Ruyi Rouge Pavilion
What else can hair be used for?
Xing Ruyi didn't know. In Xing Ruyi's past understanding, hair seemed to have no other use besides being made into wigs, but there were rumors that hair could be used to brew soy sauce. Whether this was true, she had never verified, as just the thought of it made her feel somewhat nauseous.
Mo Xu You was a Taoist, and a rather enigmatic one at that. In Xing Ruyi's impression, he had no particular interest in cooking and didn't seem to lack money, so he would certainly disdain engaging in shady dealings like using hair to brew soy sauce. So, what could he possibly do with the hair of the dead?
Xing Ruyi turned her gaze to Yun Sheng, who was currently offering a bowl of water to Hui Niang's lips. Due to Hui Niang's earlier struggles, most of his wounds had reopened. Strands of hair mixed with silk hung over his injuries. Xing Ruyi glanced at the fox and quietly asked, "Could it be that Mo Xu You is also using that hair mixed with silk to sew clothes?"
The fox paused slightly before shaking its head. "We cannot fathom that person's thoughts."
Xing Ruyi sighed and abandoned the idea of further speculation, focusing intently on Yun Sheng and Hui Niang, hoping to gain more information from their upcoming conversation.
"Are you feeling better?"
Seeing Hui Niang's breathing becoming steadier, Yun Sheng couldn't help but ask.
Hui Niang nodded and handed the bowl of water back to Yun Sheng.
"I'm fine now! At least I won't die before you reveal the truth."
Yun Sheng's expression changed slightly as he took the bowl but did not rise; he simply set it down on the ground.
"Alright! I will tell you the whole truth!" Yun Sheng stepped back slightly, slowly fastening his disheveled clothing, raising his head to meet Hui Niang's gaze. "Do you remember saving a beggar?"
"Of course I remember! Before coming here tonight, I thought you were that beggar. It was you who disregarded my kindness on that day and returned to my home, seducing my In-laws and causing my Husband's death. I never expected... never expected there would be two 'Yun Sheng' in this world!"
"You did not save me that day, but the beggar who later returned to the Yun Family for revenge was indeed me. Don't rush, let me tell you the whole story slowly, and by the end, you will understand why I distanced myself from you over these past two years. You will understand why I both wanted to see you and feared seeing you, why I longed to be with you yet hated how you ruined my life. Hui'er, do you know that for these two years, I have been unsure of how to face you?"
Yun Sheng sighed deeply.
"All stories begin with the day you saved that beggar..."
On a day in late spring or early summer, Hui Niang was washing clothes by the river when she saw a person floating on the water. That person happened to wash ashore not far from her.
Although Hui Niang knew her husband disapproved of her interacting with other men, she had a kind heart when it came to saving lives. After hesitating for a moment, she approached to check on him. He was a young man, appearing to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, dressed in tattered clothes like a beggar.
The beggar must have been adrift for a long time because his exposed skin was pale from being soaked in water. However, he still clung to life. Hui Niang realized that if she did not help him, this young beggar would not survive until morning.
Conflicted in her heart, Hui Niang ultimately could not resist her compassion. She quietly took the beggar home and hid him in a straw shed, not only buying medicine for him but also giving him some of the little food they had left at home.
However, paper cannot contain fire forever. Hui Niang's mother-in-law soon discovered the young beggar she had hidden away and did not even give her a chance to explain before beating her and locking her in the woodshed.
At this point, Hui Niang shivered involuntarily; it seemed she still vividly remembered that day's events.
"Yes, that indeed happened. On that day, although Hui Niang felt wronged after being beaten by her mother-in-law, she also knew it was her fault. As a married woman, how could she hide from her in-laws and her husband while keeping a young man at home? Moreover, during that difficult year after the drought, their family was already struggling; Hui Niang had no right to unilaterally give food to the beggar. Therefore, she deserved that beating."
Yun Sheng raised his hand and gently wiped away Hui Niang's tears: "You were not wrong; it is just human nature's selfishness that cannot tolerate kindness."
"That day, after being locked in the woodshed and ignoring her pain, Hui Niang crawled to the door to explain herself to her mother-in-law. But her mother-in-law was furious and intended not only to send Hui Niang and the beggar to the yamen for punishment but also demanded that her husband personally write a divorce paper for Hui Niang. The reason being that Hui Niang had violated her duties as a wife by associating with another man.
That entire night, Hui Niang could not sleep; she regretted saving the beggar and struggled with how to explain things to her husband. But after waiting two days, what she received was her husband unlocking the door and caring for her attentively while saying nothing about the beggar."
"It's not that they didn't mention it, but I agreed to their conditions, willing to be their tool for wealth." Yun Sheng smiled bitterly. "That day in the woodshed, the one who unlocked the door for you was me, and the one who took care of you by your bed was also me. But when you recovered, the one who sought to please you, to repay you, to shower you with affection became him. Hui'er, I am just an ordinary man. Watching you day after day like this, I too have resentment and hatred in my heart. I can't understand why you can't distinguish between the one who treats you well and the one who does not; they are clearly two different people."
"It is Hui Niang who is foolish!"
Hui Niang lowered her head, tears streaming down her face.
"Do you know what I promised them to prevent them from accusing you of consorting with that beggar? To keep them from sending you to the Yamen for trial? To rescue you from that woodshed? What did I agree to?"
Hui Niang guessed something but couldn't bring herself to speak as she looked into his eyes, listening to him recount events from years ago in an almost calm tone.
"I promised them that I would help them through the disaster and ensure they would have food and clothing without worry. But Hui'er, at that time, what ability did I have to fulfill those promises? I locked myself in a dark room without a glimmer of light, like a mouse hiding in the shadows, desperately thinking about how to escape from that room. Not only did I need to escape, but I also had to find a way to rescue you from another dark place.
In a corner where sunlight could not reach, the faint light in my heart gradually extinguished, along with my last shred of goodwill. When I finally thought of that solution, I knew that in this life, I could only be that person's shadow. In this world, there truly was no longer a Yun Sheng."
"What exactly did you do?"
"I killed that beggar!" Yun Sheng revealed a faint smile—so faint yet mixed with gloom, sadness, and a hint of malice. "You never expected it, did you? The beggar you saved ultimately died because of you.
I still remember that night; the moonlight was bright and quietly illuminated the grass hut. I walked into the hut, and when he opened his eyes and saw me, he eagerly tried to sit up.
He was mute. Under the moonlight, he pointed toward the woodshed. I knew he misunderstood; he thought I was your husband and wanted desperately to explain for you.
But Hui'er, what could a mute person prove for you once he was in court?
He couldn't say anything; therefore, he could not live."
I looked into his eyes and reached out to his neck, and he showed no signs of defense. Perhaps he never expected that I would think of killing him. I felt the softness of his neck and the power transmitted through my fingers. I tightened my grip around his throat, and he began to struggle, making muffled sounds from his throat.
You know, Hui'er, at that moment, I found that sound to be strangely beautiful. Because once, I had made such a sound—helpless, pleading, yet filled with infinite despair. The difference was that I had survived, while he died. He died under the bright moonlight, in the grass stirred by the night breeze.
I stared at his corpse for a long time until my parents walked out of the room. They looked at me with no hint of surprise, as if they had already thought about doing the same.
I stood up, stripped the beggar of his clothes and burned them. Then I pointed at the beggar and said to them: "He is still young; although he is a beggar, he is tender. If you are truly hungry, you might as well cut some meat from him to eat."
Although they were eager to eat meat, they did not dare to do so—at least not at that moment. However, what they did was even more terrifying than eating human flesh. Under the cover of night, they meticulously carved away pieces of the beggar's flesh and wrapped them into buns before dawn arrived to sell at the Yun Family Gathering. In just a short time, they earned a considerable amount of silver. It was only for the sake of that silver that they agreed to let you out of the woodshed.
Hui Niang felt a churn in her throat and then vomited.
Xing Ruyi initially took Yun Sheng's words as just a story, but seeing Hui Niang's reaction made her stomach turn as well. She pressed her chest several times before managing to suppress the nausea.
She asked the fox: "Is what Yun Sheng said true?"
The fox shook its head: "Cannibalism is not rare in your mortal realm."
Xing Ruyi found herself unable to refute the fox's indifference because she had indeed heard of similar incidents before.
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