Chapter 5 Entering the Mortal World

That night, Shen Qingmeng sat by Chu Wangshu's bedside, holding his hand, her chin resting on her hand, and using the moonlight seeping in from the window to vaguely look at Chu Wangshu.

She wanted to protect Chu Wangshu, but she didn't know what she could do.

The root of all this trouble is probably Chu Wangshu's innate ability to predict the future, but it's not Chu Wangshu's fault. How could he have chosen his own path?

So, it seems that the only remaining option is...

The current emperor is a tyrant.

The recapture of lost territories was real, as was the plundering of treasures and beauties. Not only did neighboring countries offer tribute, but various counties within Daqing were also required to regularly send young women of marriageable age to fill the harem. Those women never returned; no one knew how many days they could even catch their breath after entering the capital.

Emperor Qing believed in the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues, especially the idea that men were the most important people, and the common people naturally took the emperor as their role model.

Shen Qingmeng spent her days at the escort agency and the Wang family restaurant because these were the only two places in the entire capital that didn't constantly remind her that she should have married and had children long ago.

Seventeen-year-old Wang Wanwan and eighteen-year-old Shen Qingmeng are like two oddities in the capital. One wants to find a son-in-law to marry into the family, and the other is thinking about the Imperial Advisor. Neither of them has married yet.

But for the first time, Shen Qingmeng wondered why the world couldn't change, and why the rise and fall of dynasties wasn't static...

Shen Qingmeng was startled by her own thoughts. How could she have such an idea?

When she came to her senses, she saw that Chu Wangshu had already opened her eyes. Shen Qingmeng quickly stood up, intending to call for Physician Li, but Chu Wangshu grabbed her sleeve, "No need..."

Shen Qingmeng had no choice but to feed him some water and then sit back down, but she moved closer to Chu Wangshu so that she could hear what he was saying more clearly, even though his voice was very soft.

"Sorry, I probably scared you again..."

Shen Qingmeng nodded, her eyes slightly red: [You lied to me!]

"I thought... by the time you arrived, I would have fully recovered."

[It's not like you haven't experienced pain before, so why bother going to a fortune teller?]

Chu Wangshu was stunned. He had never thought about why. It seemed that ever since he could remember, he had been told that he was the only descendant of the Chu family and the only one with the ability to divine, as if he was born to continue the destiny of Daqing until he burned himself out.

He shook his head, his words filled with helplessness: "This is my fate..."

Shen Qingmeng reached out and covered Chu Wangshu's mouth, interrupting him: "No one is born to die. The fate of the Qing Kingdom shouldn't depend on you. How long can a country survive by sucking the blood of its own people? Perhaps it should have ended long ago!"

Chu Wangshu looked at the girl's eyes, reddened with excitement, and felt a complex mix of emotions. He reached out and gently touched Shen Qingmeng's cheek: "She really is... a very bold... girl."

Shen Qingmeng calmed down a bit before slowly exhaling and slumping down beside Chu Wangshu's bed, looking somewhat dejected.

But there's nothing I can do.

"Sixth page".

Shen Qingmeng was puzzled: [What?]

“This is the sixth time I’ve seen you,” Chu Wangshu said softly. He seemed a little sleepy, but he still forced his eyes open, wanting to see Shen Qingmeng. “Although it’s only been less than a month, seeing you is the only thing I’ve been looking forward to in recent years.”

You can see me for a maximum of two more years.

"...Why? You want to...leave the capital?" Chu Wangshu turned slightly to the side, wanting to get closer to Shen Qingmeng.

Uncle Li said, "After two more sacrificial ceremonies, you will die."

Chu Wangshu chuckled: "Uncle Li said a few years ago that I wouldn't live past eighteen."

Shen Qingmeng didn't want to continue the topic, so she simply lay down beside Chu Wangshu's bed and gently held his hand.

I'll sleep a little longer, I'm so sleepy.

Chu Wangshu nodded, responded, and obediently closed her eyes.

That night wasn't long. The next morning, when Physician Li saw Chu Wangshu already up and being helped by Shen Qingmeng to bask in the sun, he didn't know whether to thank her for the tonics, marvel at Chu Wangshu's strong vitality, or find the allure of being with this girl named Qingmeng too strong.

The first thing Chu Wangshu said to Physician Li was about Shen Qingmeng's muteness: "Uncle Li, could you please take a look at Qingmeng's voice? Is there any way to cure it?"

"Why are you mute?"

Shen Qingmeng shook her head. [I don't remember.]

Uncle Li placed his hand on Shen Qingmeng's neck, "Try making a sound."

Shen Qingmeng tried in vain and shrugged indifferently. Her father used to take her on escort missions and had long sought out many famous doctors, but none of them could help her or even figure out why she had lost her voice. However, it certainly didn't seem like a congenital illness.

"Just like when you first entered the attic that day, try again." Uncle Li remembered that Shen Qingmeng had made some sounds in her haste that day, though they were muffled and unclear.

But Shen Qingmeng couldn't find the feeling she had before; her neck still couldn't generate any vibration.

Just as she was about to give up, she saw Chu Wangshu suddenly clutching her chest, slumped over the table, seemingly in extreme pain. She instinctively lunged at Chu Wangshu, and a sound escaped her throat again in her haste.

Chu Wangshu smiled and took her hand: "Yes, that's it, why don't you try it again?"

He was faking it all along.

Shen Qingmeng sighed softly. The Imperial Advisor really enjoys deceiving people.

She recalled the feeling from before and tried a few more times. She could make some sounds, but it was extremely difficult.

Uncle Li took Shen Qingmeng's pulse again before saying in a serious tone, "It seems to be a kind of poison from the royal family. If the dosage were any higher, her throat would be completely ruined. But there might still be hope for her."

"Royalty?" Chu Wangshu was no less shocked than Shen Qingmeng. "Aren't you the adopted daughter of the Shen family's escort agency?"

Shen Qingmeng shook her head again: "My father found me in a mass grave, but I had been burning for many days, and when I woke up, I didn't remember anything from the past. My father saw that I was slightly older than Wanwan, so he set the day he adopted me as my birthday, making me a year older than Wanwan. As for the royal family, I really don't know anything about them. According to my father, although I wasn't wearing tattered hemp clothes, it didn't reveal my status, and I didn't have any tokens of authority."

"I'll go back and look for the girl's medicine. Let me check on you first." Doctor Li touched Chu Wangshu's pulse without saying a word. His body was severely depleted, and the pulses at the cun, guan, and chi points on both sides were weak and feeble.

He glanced at Chu Wangshu, and it was clear that Chu Wangshu did not want Shen Qingmeng to know the truth about his health.

"Take good care of yourself, and I'll prescribe some more medicine for you." Physician Li paused slightly as he packed his medicine box, then handed Chu Wangshu a small porcelain bottle. "Two hours."

Qingmeng asked, "What do you mean by two hours?"

"Take it once every two hours to strengthen your body." Chu Wangshu smiled as she accepted the porcelain bottle.

"Don't eat too much, you're too weak to take any more tonics right now." Doctor Li didn't really expose him, it sounded more like a reminder. He picked up his medicine box and prepared to leave, "The old man is leaving now, I'll come back in a couple of days. Girl, keep an eye on him, don't let him catch a cold, and make sure he wears warm clothes when he goes out."

Where's the food?

"She really is a girl who thinks food is everything." Physician Li looked up at Chu Wangshu. Logically speaking, someone should bring food every day, but Chu Wangshu probably only eats a little to keep him alive.

"It's not poisonous, as long as the Imperial Preceptor likes it," before closing the door, Physician Li added with a sigh, "He's very picky."

[The food that was delivered was really hard to eat.] Shen Qingmeng didn't think Chu Wangshu was picky, since she herself couldn't eat much.

"Mm." Chu Wangshu nodded in agreement.

"Shall I make you something to eat?"

Chu Wangshu suddenly became interested in the matter of dining. "What are we making?"

What would you like to eat?

Chu Wangshu thought about it, but he had no clue what to do. He had never thought about such a thing before.

Have some vegetable porridge first, and I'll make you some wontons tonight.

Although Chu Wangshu no longer felt physically unwell, he was still in low spirits. He pestered Qingmeng to make some porridge with him, and after eating, he was already quite tired. He then took Shen Qingmeng's hand and leaned on her shoulder to fall asleep.

Chu Wangshu only slowly opened her eyes when the moon was high in the sky.

Shen Qingmeng was actually looking at the celestial phenomena recorded by Chu Wangshu over the years with great delight.

Seeing that the person in her arms had woken up, she put down her book and lit the oil lamp: "It's getting late; I might not have time to make wontons."

Chu Wangshu was somewhat disappointed. "Will it take a long time?"

I'll make it for you tomorrow. How about we have some yam soup for tonight?

"Okay." Since we can eat it anyway, it doesn't matter whether it's sooner or later.

Chu Wangshu thought the yam soup was just a bland and tasteless soup, and didn't have high expectations. Unexpectedly, Shen Qingmeng used the ingredients in the kitchen to make two bowls of soup that looked very delicious.

When Shen Qingmeng ladled the yam soup out of the pot, she first scooped up a small spoonful, blew on it, and fed it to Chu Wangshu to taste.

"So delicious!" Chu Wangshu smacked her lips in satisfaction. It seems there are still many delicious foods in the world.

On the fourth day of the first lunar month, after having breakfast and taking a nap, Chu Wangshu and Shen Qingmeng kneaded dough together in the kitchen after waking up.

Chu Wangshu's hands were beautiful, with long, slender, and fair fingers. Because they were thin, the knuckles were slightly prominent, and the flour covering them added a touch of earthiness to them.

Shen Qingmeng shaped the wontons into many different shapes, and she taught Chu Wangshu how to make them one by one.

Goldfish wontons, ingot wontons, candy wontons, hand-pinched wontons... Shen Qingmeng looked at Chu Wangshu's hands, which used to hold the tortoise shell compass, now covered in flour. She suddenly found it hard to believe that the Grand Preceptor, whom she could only see in books a month ago, had really been brought into the mortal world by her.

"Qingmeng, I'm a little tired," Chu Wangshu put down the wontons in her hand and said to Shen Qingmeng, "I'll go back and rest for a while."

Shen Qingmeng didn't think much of it, nodded, quickly washed his flour-covered hands with warm water, and then pushed him out of the kitchen.

Chu Wangshu returned to the attic, took out the medicine that Physician Li had given him yesterday, poured out one pill, and put it in his mouth.

This is indeed a tonic, and it's a tonic that will ensure Shen Qingmeng won't notice anything unusual about him for two hours.

Shen Qingmeng is really a very easy girl to fool. Earlier, when Chu Wangshu casually asked her about her escort mission the next day, she told Chu Wangshu the whole itinerary.

The candlelight inside the attic was dim, and the faint scent of Shen Qingmeng's perfume lingered.

Chu Wangshu took out the compass and placed it on the table. He quietly looked at the Heavenly Pool, the Inner Plate, and the Outer Plate. On the layers of circles, the dense runes and star markings shone with a faint light under the dim light.

This was the second time he had voluntarily gone to have his fortune told, both times for the same person.

Ordinary people can only use a compass to observe the recent dynamics of a certain place, but Chu Wangshu can see even a year in advance. He used to hate this talent, but now it has become somewhat useful.

Buzz—

The compass emitted a barely audible hum, the needle trembled violently, and then began to spin rapidly on its own, creating a hazy halo around it.

Chu Wangshu closed his eyes and focused his mind entirely on the rapidly spinning pointer. He kept his eyes closed and tried his best to feel the guidance of the compass.

Suddenly, the rapidly spinning pointer stopped abruptly, stopping precisely at a certain mark.

The images flashed through my mind so quickly that I didn't have time to think about them.

"Uh..." Chu Wangshu felt a sweet taste in his throat and suddenly opened his eyes, only to see Shen Qingmeng squatting beside him with a worried expression.

Chu Wangshu slowly lowered her head and looked at the compass.

The pointer, forged from black iron, showed no signs of alteration at its tip.

Chu Wangshu took a deep breath and slowly withdrew his hand. He had just opened his mouth, wanting to say something to Shen Qingmeng, when she covered his mouth.

I don't want to know.

Chu Wangshu smiled and took her hand in his. "Look, I'm perfectly fine."

Uncle Li said you changed someone else's fate and will be punished by heaven again.

“You paid me a fee to interpret your fortune, so it’s only right that I do so,” Chu Wangshu said slowly, holding the jade pendant at his waist. “Besides, my divination this time was only to save someone. My merits and demerits cancel each other out, so there will be no divine punishment.”

Seeing that her attempts to dissuade him were futile, Shen Qingmeng stubbornly covered her ears with both hands, closed her eyes, and stopped reacting to Chu Wangshu's actions.

Chu Wangshu took Shen Qingmeng's hand and placed it on his heart, letting her feel his heart beating normally. Taking advantage of Shen Qingmeng's dazed state, Chu Wangshu spoke of the future he had envisioned: "On the return journey, when passing through Bichuan Kingdom, take a detour and do not travel at night; take the official road."

Shen Qingmeng felt helpless about Chu Wangshu's behavior, but also looked at him with great concern.

Only after a moment, when Chu Wangshu showed no discomfort, did he smile again and say to Shen Qingmeng, "See, there's no backlash."

Shen Qingmeng glared at him, pulled her hand away, turned around, closed her eyes, and stopped looking at Chu Wangshu.

Chu Wangshu walked around to Shen Qingmeng and put on a bright smile. "Didn't you say I look good when I smile? Why aren't you looking anymore?"

Shen Qingmeng pouted, but still crossed her arms and did not respond.

Suddenly, she was pulled into Chu Wangshu's arms.

"Qingmeng, you are very important to me. I wish I could spend these two days with you forever, but how can I keep you confined in my little world? All I can do for you is to use the compass."

Shen Qingmeng withdrew her hand, gently patted Chu Wangshu's back, and then slightly pushed him away, using sign language: "Wait for me to come back, I'll come find you immediately. I don't need you to do anything for me, I just want you to suffer less."

"Yes," Chu Wangshu nodded, "Please forgive me, okay?"

Shen Qingmeng reached out and gently lifted the corner of Chu Wangshu's mouth.

This will not be repeated.

“Okay,” Chu Wangshu pointed to the wontons on the table, “Shall we go eat wontons?”

Shen Qingmeng then suddenly remembered that there was still the wontons, and hurriedly pulled Chu Wangshu up and walked quickly to the dining table.

The Imperial Advisor still acted as if he didn't have hands, trying to get Shen Qingmeng to feed him the wontons.

Surprisingly, Shen Qingmeng refused him: "It's not hot anymore, eat it yourself."

"You fed me this morning," Chu Wangshu said with a hint of resentment. "You're leaving after breakfast..."

Shen Qingmeng looked at Chu Wangshu and couldn't help but laugh. She never expected him to have this side to him.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Shen Qingmeng ran over without telling anyone, leaving only a note. She figured she should go back and apologize to her father, and later say goodbye to Wanwan. She didn't have time to stay with Chu Wangshu any longer.

Before leaving, Shen Qingmeng handed Chu Wangshu a piece of paper covered in writing, repeatedly reminding him: "Don't stand in the cold wind again!"

“Okay,” Chu Wangshu put away the paper and recited Qingmeng’s words fluently and consciously: “Don’t be exposed to cold wind, light a charcoal brazier, wear thick clothes, eat more and sunbathe more every day, touch the compass less, and talk to people as much as possible.”

[There's one more thing I forgot to mention.]

"Hmm? What else?" Chu Wangshu really couldn't think of any other misdeeds he had to be reminded of.

Remember me, remember what I told you, that I love you.