A faint blue light emanated from Yan Xiuzhu's body, a sign that his life was slipping away. However, just as the light was about to coalesce into words of speech, it shattered into dust like a withered butterfly breaking apart and fell back into his body.
The butterfly followed the trail and hovered in the air, fluttering its translucent wings.
[Though her body perished, her soul has entered the mortal realm. With the power of merit bestowed upon her, you can no longer interfere with the fate of those without destiny; whether they continue on their path depends entirely on their own fate.]
Yan Xiuzhu wiped away the faint red blood from the corner of his lips with his thumb, and gently curved his lips, but could not hide the bitter smile in his eyes.
It turns out that he had already lost even the chance to help her.
Unable to articulate his feelings at that moment, whether he should feel elation or disappointment, Yan Xiuzhu only hoped that the opportunity he had gained with half a lifetime of cultivation could bring her a stroke of good fortune.
An Lan's eyes darkened, but his pale face brightened again like a peach blossom blooming on a tree branch. Although he was confused by what he heard, he knew, even if he was just guessing, that his junior sister was saved.
After his ailing master rested, he followed Yan Die's trail.
"May I ask, what are the chances of Junior Sister being resurrected?"
Yan Die stopped and circled around An Lan a few times before finally stopping on his high nose bridge, staring intently into his pupils, seemingly very interested.
[Less than 10%.]
"So low?!" An Lan couldn't help but exclaim. A disciple passing by accidentally met his melancholy eyes and walked straight toward him with hearts in his eyes.
[To defy fate and have even a sliver of hope is already a blessing.]
An Lan dodged the confused disciple and guided the butterfly to his fingertips.
[Your eyes are beautiful.]
An Lan's heart skipped a beat, and a feeling that was neither panic nor excitement welled up inside him and spread throughout his body.
An Lan bit her lip nervously, not even noticing that some blood had seeped out. Her originally charming and alluring appearance became like that of a ghost due to the change in her expression.
He heard his own dry voice, tinged with a hint of secret jealousy, burst forth from his throat with a sense of relief.
[What Master can do, I can do too...]
----------------
Qingyang County.
The clatter of hooves echoed as a squad of constables rode through the bustling street.
With a crash, the leader charged wildly, his galloping hooves overturning a vegetable stall. An old man with a headscarf on his head cried out "Ouch!" and fell to the ground in a sorry state.
The head constable knocked over the old man's vegetable stall, but then sneered arrogantly, "Tsk... in the way."
The old man looked up and saw that it was the constable. He immediately knelt down in a panic and begged for mercy: "Please forgive me, sir!"
He shakily held up a small string of copper coins, his cloudy old eyes gazing reluctantly at his palm, before gritting his teeth and offering them up.
He is lame, and his elderly wife is ill. He sells vegetables on the street every day, and every single vegetable is a lifeline!
However, the officials were arrogant and domineering, so in order to continue making a living in this line of work, they had no choice but to hand over all of today's earnings.
The head constable didn't take it, but instead whipped the string of dull copper coins to the ground.
"Pah! You're trying to fob me off like a beggar!"
The old man selling vegetables covered his hand, which was burning from being whipped, and dared not speak, tears streaming down his face.
A pair of slender hands picked up the string of copper coins and handed them back to the old man.
A clear, gentle voice rang out: "Sir, I know you have a sick person in your family. Please take this money back."
He then took out a small silver ingot from a somewhat crudely embroidered sachet and respectfully handed it to the head constable: "Head Constable, official business is of utmost importance."
"Hmph, then hurry up and get on your horse. Stop dawdling, you pretentious pretty boy, always trying to be a good guy." The constable lashed the horse's rump with the whip again, spurring it forward.
If it weren't for the fact that this kid has recently solved several major cases and gained the appreciation of his superiors, he would have given him a good beating long ago, let alone given him face.
"Yes, sir." The man smiled, looking troubled but helpless. He moved with a flourish, nimbly mounting his horse, which drew gasps from a group of young women.
The handsome man, dressed in a constable's uniform, rode behind on a tall horse, and several bold women threw him sachets.
The man chuckled slightly, tossing the delicate sachets back one by one with precision. He stroked the unique sachet at his waist with his calloused fingers, smiled with his head down, and spurred his horse to catch up with the group.
"Young Master Chu is truly handsome and kind-hearted. Since he came to our county, not only does he know the situation of the neighbors perfectly, but he also helps everyone every time. This shows that he is an excellent person."
"Yes, but I heard that his frail and beautiful wife came with him. No wonder he didn't like our sachets."
“Oh, is that so? But the sachet at his waist is so…” Thinking of the poorly embroidered sachet, the woman hesitated for a moment, “…so simple and unadorned, his wife must not be an ordinary housewife.”
"Perhaps, I really want to see what kind of beautiful lady she is that makes Mr. Chu so deeply in love."
...
In a secluded room in a small courtyard, a quiet and elegant woman was embroidering. Her fingers looked nimble and her expression was focused, but her embroidery was extremely poor.
"Ouch!" The embroidery went astray again, even pricking her fingertip. The woman had no choice but to stop and sigh softly, rubbing her forehead.
Looking at the sky outside the door, it was almost dusk. Judging that her husband would soon finish his work, the woman hurriedly got up and went to the kitchen to busy herself. She managed to cook a few decent-looking dishes, but after tasting a few bites, she began to frown.
It has a beautiful color and aroma, but lacks delicious taste.
It's strange. She always follows the teaching instructions strictly, so why is she never quite perfect? It's as if she wasn't born to do these things.
The woman stared blankly at the steaming food on the table. Perhaps life was too boring, which was why she couldn't muster any enthusiasm.
The sound of the door opening interrupted her aimless thoughts. The woman looked up and saw Chu Tiankuo carrying a food box as he entered. When he saw her looking over, he smiled at her.
"Husband~" The woman ran and jumped into Chu Tiankuo's arms, looking up at him with bright eyes, her eyes overflowing with sweetness, her heart pounding.
"Shuwei, I brought back some extra food." Chu Tiankuo stroked her hair, smiling gently. Seemingly mindful of what she might think, he quickly added, "It's necessary for official business. I still prefer what you make."
The woman named Mei Shuwei buried her face in his broad, reliable chest, but her eyes were somewhat lost. That sweet, cloying voice—was it her?
Mei Shuwei touched her rapidly beating heart. It didn't seem fake. Her husband's heart was also beating a little faster. The two looked like a perfect couple, well-matched in appearance and deeply in love.
But why didn't she feel the emotions she should have? Instead, she felt that her familiar husband was also incredibly unfamiliar, as if they were meeting for the first time.
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