Yangzhou Nineteen

"Spell?"

"Yes, that is a spell passed down by Taoism." The person sitting behind the crystal ball was wrapped tightly in black cloth and black clothes. The exposed hands were fair and slender, but the voice coming from under the cloak was old and hoarse.

You look like a Westerner. Isn't it a bit too much to talk about Taoism with her? Aruo looked at the person in front of her suspiciously, not quite believing her words.

"It's always good to have many skills. Who says fortune tellers can't learn Taoist spells?" As if seeing through her suspicion, a disapproving voice came from under the cloak.

Ah Ruo recalled hearing someone talk about a forbidden technique in a Yangzhou teahouse. "I've heard that some people use babies as sacrifices, injecting them with mercury to keep them from decaying, and use them in ritual sacrifices to bring the dead back to life."

It seems to be some kind of yang-returning technique?

"Hehehe..." The laughter was low and dry, and the witch's hand trembled as she stroked the crystal ball. "That's just a rumor. This kind of spell can't bring the dead back to life, but... it can rejuvenate the living."

"Rejuvenation?" Aruo was startled, stroking his chin in thought, "So this is what returning to the yang means? Reverting to childhood?"

"No, it's eternal youth." The witch corrected softly.

"Who wants something like this?" What's so good about being immortal? Aruo couldn't understand it at all. In her opinion, true happiness lies in living a peaceful and happy life, surrounded by children and grandchildren and dying a natural death. "Is this spell simple?"

"Once this spell begins, it cannot be stopped or failed, otherwise, there will be backlash." Her voice suddenly became gloomy, as if it came from underground.

"What backlash?" Aruo was made a little nervous by her.

"The loss of a loved one, like the one you loved most..."

"What?" Aruo subconsciously clutched his purse tightly and shouted, "Let me see what kind of curse dares to touch my money!"

The young man who had been listening silently beside her slowly moved his hand that was covering his hair to his face. It was so embarrassing.

The young man had black hair tied into a ponytail, which was a bit too thick. He wore a straight blue robe, looking elegant and clean. However, he seemed unaccustomed to this hairstyle and kept touching his long hair uncomfortably.

Su Zirui looked over in the direction of the voice and immediately saw her face that was concerned about money. Just as he was feeling sarcastic, his eyes fell on the face of the young man beside her who turned his head to the side.

At that moment, his body froze, and the resentment deep in his memory suddenly surged. He was deeply impressed by that outline!

Meng Batian...

"Hu Zi!" Before he could react, Zhang Liang beside him had his eyes lit up and shouted in surprise.

The two people over there were startled and turned their heads quickly. The moment they saw them, the young man suddenly stepped back without moving his eyebrows, and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Aruo stared blankly at the imposing man over there. His mind raced, and he suddenly smiled brightly and waved at him, "Su Feng, are you here too?"

Zhang Liang was a little confused. He clearly saw a man who looked very much like Hu Zi, but why did the man suddenly disappear after he called out to him? Instead, the girl next door came jogging over as if she was very surprised.

The girl wore a narrow-sleeved top, a pleated skirt with a pattern of flowers and butterflies, and simple double buns, with the rest of her hair braided into two pigtails. She looked charming and lively. She came towards him, just like in countless dreams, with a smile as bright as the sun and a fragrance of peach blossoms all over her body.

His stern face softened unconsciously, his eyes cleared from the cold murderous intent. Su Zirui reached out and pulled her past the pedestrians who were about to hit him, "Slow down!"

Aruo stuck out her tongue sheepishly, looked up at him and asked, "Su Feng, why are you here? Could it be... are you here to check on the baby as well?"

He was there when Lin Ya talked about this that day, and later she heard Qin Zhi say that he and Luo Ziran had both visited the Hu Mansion.

"Just now... who was that?" Su Zirui raised his eyes and looked in the direction where the young man left.

Aruo was confused. "Who? I was just asking that Western Region witch, and I didn't notice anyone around me..."

"Oh?" Su Zirui's eyes were cold, with a hint of sarcasm in them, which he did not hide at all.

This gaze was too sharp, but Aruo still took it calmly, but his fingers involuntarily grabbed the sleeve of his black robe embroidered with gold patterns and shook it unconsciously.

A glint flashed in his eyes, and Su Zirui curled his lips, "Let go, I don't accept this."

Her bright black eyes looked at him eagerly. Aruo pursed her red lips, hooked her fingers, and shook them. Her voice was soft because of the faint feeling in her heart, "I really came here to ask about the baby."

As for the rest, she had no comment.

"So what did you ask?" Su Zirui was annoyed by her shaking and asked unhappily.

Zhang Liang, standing behind him, glanced sideways, raising an eyebrow in surprise. This guy clearly was quite taken with this. But the girl in front of him…why did she look a little familiar?

"Rejuvenation." Aruo told him what the witch had said just now, and said thoughtfully, "Could it be that Lord Hu wants to return to his childhood? But I saw him at the Qin Mansion yesterday, and he still listened to the vicissitudes of life. Could it be that I am wrong?"

Hu Tongzhi has been busy with salt administration affairs recently, running around all day. His complexion is worse than before, and he looks much older. He really doesn't look like he's regained his youth.

Su Zirui lowered his eyes and whispered meaningfully, "Perhaps it's not him who has rejuvenated."

His voice was too soft, and she happened to be thinking about other things, so she didn't hear it clearly for a moment, and couldn't help asking, "What?"

A large hand with beautiful bones was placed on her head, and Su Zirui said indifferently, "What can you come up with with your brain? Stop messing around. This is not the place for you. Go back quickly."

Aruo was turned around by him and quickly said unconvincedly, "Don't be like this. Although I am not as capable as you, I was born with talent and it will be useful."

"But you're completely useless." Su Zirui snorted coldly. Seeing her unconvinced look, he asked coldly, "What do you say you can do? Third-rate Qinggong, mediocre boxing and kicking skills, and you rely on your silver tongue to ask for information by calling brothers and sisters?"

"No! Besides, being eloquent is also a talent." Aruo widened his eyes. This guy can't speak himself, and he looks down on others who can speak. Does he deserve it?

"Humph, you're not too shameless."

"My sister said that since I have no special abilities and am not outstanding, I need to be thick-skinned to live a better life." Aruo puffed out her chest with confidence. She had relied on her thick skin to get by, traveling all over the country.

Su Zirui suddenly didn't know what to say to her and sneered, "Really? Then why don't you ask yourself if you can find a husband with handsome features, a decent family background, a good personality, and a loving wife in the future?"

He glanced at the stall over there. The woman, who was wrapped up completely without revealing a single flaw, was still stroking the crystal ball in the air, but he was keenly aware that she was always looking at the girl in front of her.

"Hehe..." Seeing him looking at her, the witch laughed, "She is about to reach her eighteenth birthday. If she can make it, she will have a worry-free life, with a husband and children by her side. If she can't, then there will be nothing left."

Su Zirui's heart trembled, and with a single move of his hand, he pulled the person in front of him into his arms, covering her ears. His cold gaze shot out like an arrow, and his voice was filled with anger, "Stop talking nonsense!"

Aruo was inexplicably hugged. She looked up in a daze and met his clear eyes. "Su Feng... I, I don't believe this. Don't be angry."

Ever since she was first deceived by a fake charlatan monk, she no longer believed in fortune-telling or predicting the future.

Zhang Liang, who had been pondering over this, finally remembered who her features resembled. It was only because girls change so much when they grow up that he finally confirmed it after a long while. "It's you, you are..."

Just as he opened his mouth, a man carrying a large bag came running over, shouting anxiously at Zhang Liang, "Boss, why are you still here? Mr. Zhang died instantly after taking that medicine, and now his family is coming to kill him... Run away!"

What? Zhang Liang was startled. He didn't remember who Mr. Zhang was, but he could clearly hear someone coming to kill him. He quickly lifted the hem of his robe, said hurriedly, "See you later," and disappeared into the crowd.

Aruo stared in amazement at the large bundle that swiftly slipped into the narrow stalls, and asked in confusion, "Su Feng, who is he?"

"I don't know him. Come on, I'll take you to visit the long-famous Yangzhou Ghost Market." Su Zirui raised his eyebrows, and his cold brows seemed a little tender in the interlaced lights of the ghost market.

The ghost market was in full swing, with more and more people coming in, a mix of good and bad people. He extended his hand towards her, and before Aruo could react, he had already subconsciously given it to her.

A hint of smile appeared in those cold eyes. He didn't let her hand fall into his palm. Instead, he passed over her slender fingers and gently circled her wrist, rubbing the wrist bone with the tip of his thumb.

Aruo's heart skipped a beat. The temperature on her wrist was only warm, but it seemed to burn her. The slowly burning feeling spread from her wrist and burned to her ears.

It was a bit sudden, causing her heartbeat to be a little irregular, but... she didn't hate this feeling.

The girl raised her head and smiled at him, her dark eyes curved into crescents, the flickering candlelight seeming to hide tiny stars, easily softening one's heart. For that smile, a heart of pity and protection arose.

Yangzhou's ghost markets at night are unlike those elsewhere. Besides businesses like shamans who tell fortunes, there are also numerous masked scholars selling copied calligraphy and paintings, and the merchandise on offer is even more diverse. Of course, authenticity can be difficult to discern, and once you've made your purchase, there's no looking back, so buyers should be careful.

This was Aruo's first time visiting this informal market. Having completed her initial mission, she could now wander freely without any pressure. With great interest, she approached an unassuming stall. Hundreds of round beads of varying sizes lay on a black velvet cloth, emitting a faint blue glow under the dim candlelight hanging overhead.

"What is this? A pearl?" She picked one up and squinted her eyes curiously to look at it.

It is round and shiny, and looks like an ordinary product.

The stall owner raised his head. He wore a black eyepatch, a wildly growing beard, and a string of fist-sized skulls dangling from his waist. He even smelled of the salty sea. His cloudy, single eye glanced at her and he said calmly, "These are mermaid tears."

That look made her shudder for no reason. Aruo subconsciously wanted to step back, but unexpectedly leaned against the person behind her. The familiar breath instantly soothed her anxiety and made her relax.

A warm hand reached over her shoulder and took the beads from her hand. Su Zirui raised an eyebrow and said, "It is said that mermaid tears are worth a thousand gold. I feel a little wronged here."

"The value lies in it, not the place." The man replied without moving his posture, lowering his head to count the beads on the velvet cloth.

"Do you want it?" Su Zirui asked her with his head down.

Aruo shook her head decisively. It was only worth a thousand gold coins, so she couldn't bear to part with it. "Are those mermaid tears too?"

There was a bunch of strange beads on the other side, but they looked like cat's eyes with a little pattern in the middle.

"That's a fish eye," the stall owner replied with a patience that didn't match his appearance.

"What fish eyes?"

"There are fish eyes of all kinds."

Aruo was stunned for a moment and looked at Su Zirui, "Is this what I understood?"

Su Zirui raised his eyebrows and pulled her wrist, "Let's go, let's go over there and take a look."

Aruo looked back as he walked, but the one-eyed man didn't even raise his head, still counting the treasures on his velvet cloth.

"No, will anyone buy it?" she asked in a low voice. It was the fish eyes. For a while, she loved to poke them out and eat them when steaming fish.

"There's a legend in the East China Sea that using fish eyes to light a lamp can lead the way in the waves. Some people who go to sea all year round or...pirates will collect them." When he mentioned the word "pirate", his voice was low and soft, and there was a strange sense of danger in the dimness.

Aruo was startled, remembering that he had gone to Jiangnan to fight pirates several years ago, and Beili had said that he had been seriously injured during that time. Unable to find the right words, she silently followed his footsteps, wandering along this narrow, sparsely populated path.

There was a crisp ding-bell sound, and Aruo suddenly stopped and looked to the side.

It was a candleless stall; all one could see, in the moonlight, were a number of oddly shaped objects placed on a table. On a pen holder, several delicate silver chains swayed gently in the breeze, the tiny bells tinkling clear but unnoticeably.

Women still have a preference for this kind of exquisite jewelry. Aruo pulled someone over and picked up a chain and gestured, "It's beautiful. Is this a bracelet?"

"It's an anklet." The masked woman narrowed her cat-like eyes and said with a smile, "But it's not for a little girl like you."

"Why?" Aruo didn't understand the mystery of this thing, and looked at Su Zirui with confused eyes. When he saw him, he found that his ears were already red. "Master Su, what's wrong?"

Su Zirui looked into those pure black eyes and was speechless. He was well-informed, a quick learner, and had covered a lot of ground over the years. He naturally knew what this was and when it was used, but...how should he tell her?

"This is Yuchunling, it's..."

"There's food for sale over there. Are you hungry?" Before the woman could finish her laughter, Su Zirui's heart skipped a beat and he quickly interrupted her. The palm of his hand holding her wrist also became hot.

Aruo was stunned. "I'm not hungry...what is this?"

The items in this shop all looked exquisite. She picked up a small, delicate bell. It was the size of a longan, with a carved, hollow shell. There was something inside that made a sound when shaken.

"This is... a good thing that can make you happy." The woman glanced at the man beside her with a smile.

Aruo looked up in confusion, only to find the woman's eyes a bit strange, but not malicious, but rather a kind of playful teasing. She shook the bell, a look of curiosity on her face, "How can this thing make people happy?"

She was genuinely curious; it didn't look like a normal bell, nor did it look like one for pets.

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Zirui beside him suddenly coughed lightly. Aruo looked at him hurriedly, "What's wrong?"

"No, shall we go over there and take a look?" Su Zirui turned his eyes away and said softly.

But she still didn't know how that bell could make people happy? Aruo lowered his head and pointed at something on the other side that was not clearly visible but was shaped like a short stick and looked to be made of white jade. "What is that?"

The woman looked over, her eyes curved with a smile, and said meaningfully, "You don't need that, do you? Don't you already have it?"

Did she have one? Aruo couldn't recall ever buying something like this. Could it be a rolling pin? Facing the woman's strange gaze, she leaned forward to get a closer look.

Su Zirui couldn't help but pull her back by the back of her collar and said firmly, "You don't need that."

"Don't I need it?" Aruo looked up at him and asked with a puzzled look.

Her eyes were clear and innocent, but in Su Zirui's eyes, they were a mixture of innocence and evil. He felt strange and could not look directly into her eyes.

"Haha, not necessarily. Maybe when the ones you already have are useless, you'll need them. This thing..." The woman spoke in a soft and gentle voice, with a hint of meaning.

"She can't use it!" Su Zirui said coldly, tightening his grip on her wrist.

What is that? How can you be so sure she can't use it?

Aruo looked over curiously. The moonlight just happened to be shining, illuminating that corner. The long object was as thick as a baby's arm and looked like...

Aruo reacted immediately, his mind exploding! Then, how could that be...

She looked up in panic, and the woman nodded with a playful look in her eyes. The temperature of her wrist seemed to be even hotter, just like her face, burning.

"I, I, I'm not..." She looked at the woman, then at the man beside her who turned his head away, his ears red, and spoke incoherently in panic. "I didn't..."

The woman was so amused that she doubled over in laughter. She immediately grabbed the potential customer's hand and said, "Hey, hey, hey, don't leave so quickly. These are all good things. For example, this Yuchun Bell doesn't ring normally. It only rings when skin touches and passion is aroused. It rings when you shake it. It's quite interesting. And there's also this Jade Maiden Pill. It can make a woman's virginity painless, adding infinite interest... I'm really too shy. And there's also this Su Nu Jing, with its pictures and text, which can help couples enjoy themselves while maintaining their health..."

"Ahem..." Aruo was pulled by her, his face flushed red, and he almost spit out a mouthful of blood, "No, no need, we are not..."

The woman was talking excitedly, even picking up the bell she had just held at her fingertips, "How about trying this female Burmese bell? Using it during sex can bring people to a state of bliss, a unique experience..."

Her face suddenly turned red to her ears, and waves of heat continued to burn on her cheeks. Aruo quickly shook her off and hurriedly pulled Su Zirui away.

After blending into the crowd, she realized that her wrist was terribly burned. She broke free abruptly, looking around in panic, not daring to look at him at all. "Ah, there are cakes over there. I'm hungry. Let's go and have a look!"

Having said that, he ran away quickly, and his back looked like he was fleeing in panic.

After she walked away with her face covered without looking back, Su Zirui slowly raised his hand and gently touched his burning ears with the back of his hand.

"Sir, are you really not going to buy one? I don't need it now, but she looks so young, but in the future..." The woman leaned her chin on the table with one hand, smiling meaningfully.

The footsteps of leaving suddenly stopped, Su Zirui turned around, his eyes deep.

Aruo fanned herself for a long time and drank a glass of cold water before she recovered. She was so embarrassed. Why did she have to come across this kind of stall when she was with him? What kind of a ghost market is this? They only sell weird things.

After randomly ordering a few pastries, Aruo recovered and realized that he had left the person behind in a panic.

She stood up suddenly and looked around, and immediately saw the slender figure walking towards her. His cold, pale face had returned to its usual calmness, but the look he gave her was still a little awkward.

I don't know whether it's about her or the other person.

"What...did you order?" He came and sat down beside her, asking in a gentle voice.

Aruo was still confused just now and ordered a few things casually. Only after hearing his question did she look down.

There were three dim sum dishes, two of which had red double happiness characters written on them. She choked, covered her face with her hands, and lowered her head. "I said it was the store owner's idea. Do you believe me?"

"I believe it." His voice was smiling. Aruo felt warm on the head and his hand rubbed it gently.

All the awkwardness and dissipation seemed to disappear suddenly. Aruo bit her lip and paused for a moment, then secretly raised her eyes to look at him, and unexpectedly met a pair of gentle eyes.

The heartbeat that had just calmed down became wild again, and a strange feeling of helplessness suddenly came over her. Her fingers subconsciously tapped the table, and the rhythm was messy.

Su Zirui's face flushed red again when he looked at her, and there was a hint of grievance in the corners of his eyes. He laughed and said, "That's all you can do."

His eyebrows softened slightly, revealing her panic and the weakness in his heart that he couldn't suppress.

"My body can't keep up with the strength of my soul." She wasn't shy at all, she just... lacked experience.

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Zirui's heart suddenly skipped a beat. The information he had just received and the impression he had from many years ago, the contradictory little girl's eyebrows and eyes in his mind, and the girl in front of him slowly overlapped. An indescribable heartache and regret surged in his heart.

"You... have worked hard these years." If he had not been so bloodthirsty at the time, and had not wanted to tear Meng Bahai, who almost destroyed him, into pieces, if he had slowed down a little and gone to find her, could she have grown up safely under his nose earlier?

His sudden pity made Aruo stunned for a moment, and she shook her head subconsciously, "It's not that hard. It's quite fulfilling to say the least."

Even in the world long ago, she was too busy with her life to travel all over China. But in the past few years, she was forced to keep moving, from initially shrinking in fear to facing it calmly, walking through desolate places and into prosperity.

"Da Qi is beautiful, and the people are very kind." Aruo smiled and tilted her head to look at him, "I'm fine too."

Su Zirui looked at her deeply, his black eyes clear and calm, even with a hint of indifference. That indescribable heartache kept raging in his heart. He raised his hand, gently stroked her forehead, and hummed hoarsely.

His eyes were slightly closed, and all the surging thoughts were hidden in his eyes.