001. Haunted
Clouds obscured the moon, the wind howled, and Qing Ling stood in front of the window in a thin white dress. His hands hanging by his sides were clenched tightly. His handsome face was haggard and pale, and his eyes were bloodshot. He was staring straight at a bronze mirror placed in front of the window.
In the bronze mirror, there was a dark shadow standing behind him.
Someone is standing there.
But the room was empty, with only Qingling staring stiffly at the bronze mirror. It was clearly the beginning of autumn, but he felt as if he was in the biting wind of winter, as if he had fallen into an ice cave and was chilled to the bones.
He has been entangled with this thing for three days, without any reason or cause. His life, which had been as peaceful as stagnant water for eighteen years, has suddenly turned upside down.
The strong wind suddenly blew open the window, and the oil lamp in the room flickered a few times before going out completely. Qingling staggered back trembling, and his back hit a cold chest, which was like the cold river water covered with a layer of ice in winter, without a trace of the warmth of a living person.
The next moment, coldness fell on my shoulders.
It was a kiss.
That thing… was kissing him.
Qingling's struggling movements seemed to be frozen. He was hugged from behind by that thing, and the cold hand stroked his waist.
He had nowhere to escape. He had struggled, but his struggle was like an ant trying to shake a tree. So he could only turn his face away with difficulty and let out a hoarse refusal that sounded like a plea for mercy.
"No…"
The response was a cold and sarcastic sneer.
"Oh…"
Qing Ling knew that he would not let him go. He raised his eyes suddenly and saw scarlet bloodstains appearing out of thin air on the bronze mirror. Twisted words gradually took shape one by one - death.
That thing was going to kill him! But he was hesitant to take action, and just moved slowly as if he was teasing a prey caught in a net, wanting to peel it open and crush it before swallowing it. How cruel!
Anger and fear were intertwined.
"Let me go...!" Qing Ling finally roared at the top of his lungs, "Let me go... Don't touch me! Get out of here!"
The slender, cold hands just gripped his throat, as if despising his arrogance, or as some kind of silent and powerful threat.
When Qing Ling thought he would be strangled to death, the hand suddenly loosened and he was thrown onto the couch. Qing Ling's eyes were red and he asked with trembling teeth, "Who are you...?"
The movement behind him paused, and a rusty, low, and obscure voice slowly sounded, carrying a mixture of mockery and malice. "My wife..."
He didn't answer, but Qingling was completely frozen by these three words, and his thoughts were suddenly pulled back to the night three days ago.
It was always gloomy at the foot of Zhanlong Mountain, with little light. Qingling had been here since he was born. Three nights ago, Qingling was half asleep when he heard the sound of wind and percussion instruments coming from the mountain. The strange and cheerful tune seemed gloomy and strange, which was unprecedented in such a remote mountain.
He wanted to take a look, but he couldn't open his eyes, and his mind gradually became unclear. In a trance, he was manipulated like a puppet to wear complicated clothes, and then there was a long and bumpy ride. He was in a daze and had no idea where he was being taken. He only vaguely remembered the pale dragon and phoenix candles, the white "囍" character posted, and the ice-cold embrace and kiss.
"My, wife..."
Each word was spoken slowly, like a rusty blade being unsheathed, sounding so cold and resentful.
Perhaps because he was not fully awake, when he woke up, Qing Ling was still wondering why he had such a dream, and it was with a man...
But it was not until he sat up in the familiar room and saw the scarlet dress neatly placed on the couch, with wide sleeves and a long, curved hem, which was the style of women's wedding gowns in countless previous dynasties, that Qing Ling was stunned and recalled his experience that night. He was shocked and ashamed for a moment, and when he finally reacted, he was left with only fear.
The clothes could not be thrown away or burned. No matter what was done, they would always be put back in his house intact. Qingling also found that there was a heavy fog outside and he could not get out of the yard.
There were no stars or moon in the night outside the courtyard, and the gloomy clouds seemed to be about to fall down and swallow the entire world. Qing Ling was lying on the couch, unable to break free, feeling humiliated and unwilling. Apart from the servants serving in the yard, he had never seen outsiders, let alone been close to anyone. He never imagined that one day he would be bullied by an unknown creature.
"Why?" Qing Ling asked in a tearful voice, "Why, why me?"
This time the response was a kiss on the back.
Qing Ling couldn't resist. His body was no longer his own, but fell into the control of the other party.
...It was unknown how long it took before Qingling finally escaped from control. He sat up awkwardly and curled up in the corner, pulling up the quilt to cover himself. Even though this action seemed useless and ridiculous, it was the only way he could think of to maintain his remaining dignity.
Boom—sudden rain poured down, lightning and thunder roared outside the window, in a moment of light, Qingling could clearly see the handsome face of the man standing in front of the couch, wearing a black robe and with loose hair, but his face was too pale, and he was clearly smiling with his lips raised, but his eyes were filled with resentment and sinister intent.
The moment the thunder sounded, his figure gradually faded away, but his lips moved slightly.
——You can’t escape.
Qing Ling saw it clearly, and his face, which was already as pale as gold paper, became even paler. He struggled to grab the clothes that had just been stripped off and put them on. He staggered to the window, and the cool raindrops splashed on his face. Even though it was raining so heavily, the fog surrounding the courtyard still did not dissipate.
Even the servant who had been serving here was nowhere to be seen. The wind and rain were howling in the empty mountain. There were no stars or moon, as if he was the only one left in the world.
But Qingling breathed a sigh of relief.
In the past three days, this was the only moment when he could get rid of that thing. What exactly was it?
Mountain goblins or evil spirits?
No matter what it was, he couldn't go on like this. Qing Ling picked up the bronze mirror that had fallen on the table at some point. The horrifying scarlet and distorted words on it were still as clear as before. That thing... would kill him.
Now these are just appetizers. His body, his life, that evil spirit who is not sure whether it is human or demon wants it, and Qingling doesn't even have the ability to refuse, just like these few days...
Qingling closed his eyes.
If you want to escape, you must escape from here...
Going to Lincang City, the butler Yu Bo who passed away a few years ago said that his family was the Qing family in Lincang, and he was abandoned in this desolate mountain and wilderness for eighteen years. Qing Ling knew that his family might not be able to accommodate him, but that was his only place to go.
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