Chapter 23 Overcoming the fact that nails grow quite fast

"Did Tamao sense it?"

Jiang Yuzhi not only sensed it, but also saw it.

Her face was burning, and the person opposite her wasn't feeling much better.

Two bright red faces stared at each other stubbornly, as if whoever looked away first would admit defeat.

"You have a fever too." As he spoke, Bai Yan's warm breath brushed against Jiang Yuzhi's cheek, like a gentle breeze in spring.

Their noses almost touched, yet they maintained a delicate distance that made their hearts race.

Jiang Yuzhi could smell the slightly bitter medicinal scent on his body, mixed with the faint dampness in his breath, creating a dizzying intimacy in the small space of the bed.

"Okay, okay, I know, it's awful hot."

Jiang Yuzhi was the first to give in, raising her hand to shove Bai Yan, trying to get him away from her.

Cool air filled the space between the human and the ghost once again.

They both turned their faces away at the same time. Jiang Yuzhi pressed the back of her hand tightly against her burning cheeks, and her heart, which had not been beating for a long time, seemed to be revitalized.

Bai Yan's Adam's apple bobbed as he pretended to examine the gaps in the floor tiles, but his bright red ears betrayed him.

"Shall I make you a cup of herbal tea?"

"good."

He didn't actually want to go out, but he didn't want to pressure his wife too much.

Just then, the Black and White Impermanence returned.

After checking the records of the families in Zuo Huai's household that had shown unusual behavior over the past year, they found that...

The biggest changes are seen in Zhang Yun and his wife; everything else is still fluctuating within a controllable range.

The young couple should have lived to be seventy, surrounded by children and grandchildren, with one of their descendants even becoming a high-ranking official in the current dynasty, known for his integrity, incorruptibility, and service to the people.

Now that he has died young, this lineage has been cut off by Zhu Xuanwei.

Even the ghost messengers, who had witnessed countless human tragedies, couldn't help but curse him fiercely, pondering which level of hell would be more suitable to throw Zhu Xuanwei into, or perhaps to go through each level several times.

"How is Xiaozhi?"

Two ghosts and one person met face to face, and Xie Bi'an casually asked.

"She's awake. I'll go make her some tea."

Fan Wujiu noticed Bai Yan's ears, which were red to the point of bleeding, and his suspicious gaze shifted to Bai Yan's face.

He was no different from usual, but even more composed.

"Then go quickly and let Zhisanqi do it. She knows what will help Xiaozhi recover."

Bai Yan nodded and left in a hurry.

The atmosphere inside the room returned to normal. Jiang Yuzhi was still sitting on the headboard, staring at the loquat tree outside the window with its newly sprouted buds, lost in thought.

"Has the Great Emperor come? Where is Di Ting?"

Xie Bi'an scanned the area but didn't see a single familiar figure.

“I’ve been here. The Emperor said I’m fine and just need to rest and recover. There’s no need to worry about me.”

Jiang Yuzhi snapped out of her daze and gave the Black and White Impermanence a forced smile.

"Tonight..." Xie Bi'an grabbed Fan Wujiu's wrist, interrupting him, and gestured with his eyes that he should not mention scumbags to provoke Xiaozhi now.

Fan Wujiu always believed that they had been overprotecting Xiaozhi. Some things should be decided by Xiaozhi herself. Didn't she pull through this time and not lose her memories like she did the first time?

Facing it head-on is the best option.

Zhu Xuanwei was the turning point for change.

Only by finding an outlet for the hatred in her heart can she truly alleviate her guilt.

The death of her mother-in-law, the deaths of Zhang Yun and his wife, the execution of her entire family, and the disappearance of her relatives' souls—none of this was entirely Jiang Yuzhi's fault, but she always attributed it to her own lack of strength.

Ever since Di Ting secretly told Fan Wujiu that Jiang Yuzhi might have remembered the obsession she had forgotten after meeting Zhao Qingyun back then, Fan Wujiu immediately connected it to the reason for Hua Li's appearance this time.

Xiaozhi blamed herself for dragging her family down, failing her mother-in-law's trust, and being powerless to help her enemy who was right in front of her.

Ignoring his colleagues' objections, Fan Wujiu said, "Go see Zhu Xuanwei tonight. Before the judge pronounces his sentence, you can do whatever you want. As long as it's not excessive, the ghost messengers won't stop you. Heaven will not tolerate those who are utterly wicked."

Her red eyes were stunned.

God knows how much not only Zhu Xuanwei, but also Jiang Yuzhi wanted that evil ghost imprisoned in the underworld to be utterly destroyed.

As long as Zhao Qingyun exists, her hatred will never be satisfied.

Even eating its flesh and drinking its blood would not satisfy their hatred.

Jiang Yuzhi will never forget the uproar during the raid on her home.

As she was being executed, she saw a man in a scarlet robe standing on the high palace wall. His eyes were indifferent, and he sneered disdainfully as if looking at an ant.

She also inappropriately thought that the robe must have been made by her aunt, using the craftsmanship of the Imperial Clothing Bureau, the craftsmanship of the Jiang family.

Was the dark red color dyed with the blood of the Jiang family and the common people?

Is it my aunt's blood?

I heard that my aunt had been ordered to commit suicide by the so-called Emperor, who claimed to be the chosen one, the day before.

Her mother's comforting voice completely disappeared from her ears, and she knew it was her turn.

Jiang Yuzhi thought everything was moving in a positive direction, but she never imagined that her mother-in-law's daughter was already gone.

If only I had left the underworld a little earlier, without taking Bai Yan with me out of selfish desires, would everything have turned out differently? My mother-in-law wouldn't have died, and there would still have been a chance to stop Zhu Xuanwei from doing what he did...

My neatly trimmed nails are about to grow wildly again, and my hair, which is almost entirely white with little black hair left, is turning white.

The shimmering white light only flashed briefly before Jiang Yuzhi calmed down on her own.

The transformation also stopped.

The wicked and evil still live in the world. If she goes mad first, wouldn't that be exactly what they want?

Xie Bi'an was pulled back by Fan Wujiu, and seeing this, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay." Jiang Yuzhi closed her eyes, trying to sort out her chaotic thoughts.

"Don't worry too much. Now you can think about what you can do when you see Zhu Xuanwei tonight," Fan Wujiu said, stepping forward to pat his sister's head reassuringly.

He really seems like a gentle and kind older brother; if the little devils saw him, they'd probably be terrified.

Among a group of subordinates who never give a ghost any peace of mind, it's rare to find a sweet and caring girl who can understand ghost language. Anyone would be pleased to give her a kind look.

What's more, she's a skilled embroiderer.

Jiang Yuzhi has focused most of her talent on family skills. With the added bonus of the Sheji Tu (a magical map), she can easily upgrade her robes and magical artifacts.

The white paper on Xie Bi'an's mourning stick often wore out, so Jiang Yuzhi simply replaced the side that was frequently used to beat ghosts with a dead person's face covering cloth, making it more secure.

Fan Wujiu's soul-snatching locks are not so easy to break, but the soul-snatching locks of his subordinate ghost messengers are mostly made of yellow paper and then reinforced by Fan Wujiu's ghost power.

Normally, Fan Wujiu would complete this task on his own. The soul-snatching locks made by other little devils were either crooked or incomplete, and would break after only a few uses. Since Jiang Yuzhi came, Fan Wujiu's workload has been greatly reduced.

She can make the soul-snatching locks quickly and skillfully, and she can even help repair the broken ones.

Once he mastered it, Fan Wujiu only needed to condense his ghostly power into a liquid state and put it into a porcelain bottle.

After Jiang Yuzhi shaped it, she dripped a small drop of water on it, and she was all done.

It was getting late, and Bai Yan brought out some freshly brewed tea and some snacks.

The number of ghosts in the room was excessive, and coupled with the chill of dusk, Bai Yan couldn't help but shiver even before entering.

The two impermanent beings sat on a small couch, each looking through something.

Jiang Yuzhi was also holding a booklet. When she saw him coming, she casually stuffed the booklet into the inner corner.

It was the version of the storybook that the little devil had copied.

Jiang Yuzhi, who never read a book after her death, had a great fondness for reading storybooks during her lifetime.

It was quite different from what she had seen before; the plot had a rather thrilling twist.

The book was given to her by Di Ting after he returned, who said that the Great Emperor asked her to look for clues inside. In reality, it was to distract Jiang Yuzhi and prevent her from overthinking.

Di Ting has gone off to play somewhere again.

The tea is cold, made with ingredients from Meng Po's soup, but without the part that causes amnesia; it's a superior tea for preserving the soul.

Bai Yan silently handed the teacup to Jiang Yuzhi, his eyes constantly glancing at the booklet on the inside of the bed.

Jiang Yuzhi, who hadn't looked in a mirror since waking up, saw her reflection in the tea.

White hair, red eyes, and a faint red mark on his cheek that was almost gone, left by tears of blood.

I thought only her hair and nails had changed, but her eyes too... No wonder the Emperor had to use magic to cover them up; they should be able to turn back, right?

Remembering Bai Yan, who had spoken to her without batting an eye, Jiang Yuzhi looked up. "Has it always been like this since I woke up?"

"Hmm, your nails have grown long again. Why are they growing so fast? Should I trim them again?"

"……good."

Practice makes perfect. The pastries were placed on the small table between the Black and White Impermanence, and the scissors made of yellow paper were taken by Bai Yan and trimmed for his wife again.

How could I accept it so readily? It's really strange, but this scene feels so familiar.

There was a time when He Ji, seriously injured, lay in bed, and she had carefully trimmed his hair in the same way.

A stray strand of hair brushed against Jiang Yuzhi's fingertips, tickling her slightly. She couldn't help but pull her fingers away, but Bai Yan pinched them firmly.

"Don't move, be careful not to cut your flesh," Bai Yan said earnestly, looking up at her.

"oh."

Her amber-like eyes seemed to bewitch Jiang Yuzhi.

As if possessed, she reached out her other hand and tucked that lock of black hair behind Bai Yan's back.

"Your hair...it's itchy..."

"Thank you for helping me, Yuzhi." Bai Yan smiled, his eyes gentle and tender, before he quickly lowered his head to focus on her fingers.

Xie Bi'an's wrist was pinned down by Fan Wujiu, and a pastry was stuffed into his mouth to prevent him from speaking.

Those vessels possessing the same power will naturally grow closer, and the more complete the map of the state, the more difficult it is to control.

It doesn't do any harm, and it can even help Xiaozhi recover faster.

Xie Bi'an knew this, but all he saw was that his cabbage was about to be eaten by a pig, and after the pig finished eating it, the cabbage might even be struck by lightning.

It wasn't until Steward Chen arrived that Bai Yan left a message to get some rest before heading to Bai Wulan's place.

Once the two had completely disappeared, Jiang Yuzhi rolled out of bed, patted her shoulders and back, and found that her limbs were stiff from lying in bed for too long.

The Black and White Impermanence put away the Book of Life and Death, and the three ghosts swiftly disappeared, not forgetting to lock the courtyard gate from the inside before leaving.

The prefectural capital is right next door, and the road to the prison has already been explored during the day.

Zuo Huai's prison is more heavily guarded than the one in the capital, perhaps because Bai Wulan reorganized it after his arrival.

There were many new recruits among the yamen runners, mostly temporarily recruited from the common people to fill the manpower shortage and provide a few jobs to make a living.

Although the staff were new, they were extremely alert and no one dozed off. During shift changes, there were also yamen runners patrolling in turn to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the situation.

Seeing this, Wuchang, who had a group of unruly ghost messengers under his command, couldn't help but ask Bai Wulan and the prefect how they had trained them.

No matter how strictly mortals guard the place, they cannot stop ghosts from passing through walls.

There were quite a few people in the prison, men, women, young and old, all kinds of people.

It was already late at night, and a bailiff sat between every two cells.

Zhu Xuanwei's cell was a bit hard to find; without the Book of Life and Death to guide him, it was unclear how long it would take to find it.

There were at least five or six people in the cell. Zhu Xuanwei was huddled in a corner, with an injury near his eye and blood at the corner of his mouth, clearly having been beaten up by the others.

On the thickest layer of dry grass, several burly men lay fast asleep, their snores deafening.

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Author's Note: I love writing about our everyday interactions, but the main storyline doesn't seem quite right for it right now. I'll just include a few of those here and there, and I'm really looking forward to writing lots of side stories.