For several days, Mei Shuwei stayed secluded in the courtyard, washing her hands and cooking, playing the role of a qualified, virtuous, and gentle wife. However, ever since she realized something was wrong, she had been utterly disgusted with it all.
In public, she was known as Lady Chu, and because of Chu Tiankuo's influence, she was respected by the common people and the officials.
However, the name on the wanted poster hanging at the city gate was clearly written as Mei Shuwei, but no one called her that.
The noodle stall owner was clearly a woman, but the customers only called her "boss lady," and even said she was a widow, so how could she be a "boss"? All of this made Mei Shuwei feel extremely ridiculous.
The seemingly peaceful life in the small town was like a fine, dense net that ensnared her, suffocating her soul. Here, she could not live as herself, and her body was weak and powerless.
Mei Shuwei knew that she didn't belong here, and only Wen Yeci would tell her that she shouldn't live like this.
Sometimes she would seek solace from him, pleading about her past, but Wen Yeci never revealed everything, and Mei Shuwei dared not fully trust him either.
Because of her own weakness and powerlessness, in this strange world, as an amnesiac soul, she was all alone and helpless.
Mei Shuwei had had enough of her weakness and helplessness; she wanted to take control of her own destiny.
She saw the ruthless and malicious magic before her as an opportunity.
Tap, tap, tap—
It was late at night when a knock came at the door, followed by the sound of a thin wooden stick tapping on the ground, as if the person was fumbling for the door knocker.
Mei Shuwei's pupils contracted slightly. This person had been here before!
"I'm looking for Lady Mei." The man's clear voice was very earnest.
With a creak, the door opened. Mei Shuwei stood in the doorway, staring in astonishment at the blind man before her.
The man was dressed in a light moon-colored robe, which made him appear otherworldly under the moonlight. His features were extremely handsome and captivating, and his alluring peach blossom eyes shimmered with a gentle smile.
However, her exquisitely shaped eyes were closed listlessly, adding a touch of regret to her delicate and stunning beauty.
He took a light breath, looking somewhat disheveled, brushed the fallen flowers off his shoulder, tapped the ground with his wooden stick, and his thin lips moved slightly: "Is this Lady Mei?"
For some reason, Mei Shuwei's eyes welled up with tears. Perhaps it was the sight of imperfect beauty that stirred her compassion, and she welcomed the other person in.
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"You mean I am your junior sister, and after my death, my soul mistakenly entered this realm to undergo trials?" Mei Shuwei was processing all of this. The information An Lan gave her was extensive, spanning several decades, and even involved complex Taoist techniques that overturned worldviews.
An Lan nodded, instinctively reaching to unfold the jade fan, but accidentally dropped it to the ground with a crisp sound.
He bent down and carefully searched the ground, but couldn't find it. His hands wandered around the ground until he touched a pair of warm hands. He jerked back as if he had been electrocuted.
Mei Shuwei lowered her eyes and placed the jade fan in his hand, inadvertently noticing the slight blush on An Lan's earlobe.
She didn't say anything, but choked up for a few moments before finally speaking: "Now, I owe you a pair of eyes."
An Lan was a little flustered and hurriedly grasped her hand: "It was my own choice. As long as you don't despise me, I will have no regrets."
"I came in to tell you about your past life. Now your soul is almost dissipated and you need to find an opportunity to be resurrected as soon as possible."
An Lan took out a golden rope from his bosom and said, "This is the Spirit Binding Chain; it should be useful to you."
Thank you.
Just then, there was another knock at the door. In a moment of panic, An Lan was shoved into the wardrobe by Mei Shuwei.
The person who arrived was Wen Yeci, who was already impatient with Mei Shuwei's repeated excuses.
"Ah Jian, come with me, let's not delay any longer."
"Alright." Mei Shuwei smiled, and a golden light flashed in her hand. The next second, Wen Yeci was firmly bound. Even with some of his restored spiritual power, he still couldn't break free. Clearly, this treasure also had a strong binding ability on cultivators.
Mei Shuwei gently pinched his chin and lifted it up, smiling slightly: "Is it fun to lie to me? We are not of one mind. You just want to take me away, so you deliberately lied."
"I..." Wen Yeci blushed with panic. "Although I don't know how you are, I really like you. I just didn't want you to go astray, so I resorted to this. I'm sorry."
The wardrobe moved slightly. Mei Shuwei glanced back at it and continued to ask, "Tell me everything you know about me."
She naturally wouldn't easily trust strangers; the only way to verify the truth was to compare the two people's accounts.
Wen Yeci had no choice but to recount their meeting and everything that had happened, like pouring beans from a bamboo tube.
Inside the dimly lit cabinet, An Lan lowered her lips, her face expressionless, but her fingers curled inward.
Mei Shuwei extracted everything Wen Yeci knew, thus confirming that she was indeed the Tu Longjian they had been talking about.
"Madam, I'm back." A man's voice rang out again in the courtyard. This time it was Chu Tiankuo, her nominal "official husband."
Wen Yeci struggled but couldn't break free. Seeing that Tu Longjian wasn't moving, he looked flustered and pleaded, "Please let me go first."
Just as Tu Longjian was about to make a move, she turned her eyes and had an idea. Instead of moving, she dragged Wen Yeci toward the bed, which startled Wen Yeci so much that her face turned red.
"What...what are you going to do?"
Tu Longjian patted his smooth face and laughed, "Even a self-proclaimed righteous cultivator is afraid of being caught in bed with someone else? Well then, this is your punishment."
Wen Yeci stared wide-eyed, feeling dizzy as she was pulled onto the bed and covered with the mattress.
To his even greater surprise, Tu Longjian lay down beside him.
The warm, soft bedding was filled with a rich fragrance, and he could even occasionally touch a soft body. Wen Yeci was tied up uncomfortably, but he dared not move at all. He felt the man sit down on the edge of the bed.
Wen Yeci thought Tu Longjian was simply insane. If the highly skilled Chu Tiankuo found him, who knew what would happen? One of them was a frail sorcerer, and the other was an ordinary mortal woman without any spiritual power. If Chu Tiankuo wanted to do something to Tu Longjian, he might have a hard time protecting her.
He could only hear the pounding of his heart in his chest. His blood was frozen and cold, yet it rapidly heated up when touched, as if he were in a world of both ice and fire, an unbearable torment.
"Husband, you're back." Tu Longjian pretended to be well asleep, then slowly woke up, even kicking the blankets off a bit.
She patted the empty space beside her and called out, "Husband, it's time to rest."
Chu Tiankuo caught a glimpse of a corner of clothing out of the corner of his eye and froze. He gritted his teeth, trying his best to avoid looking at the strange bulge, and instead touched Tu Longjian's forehead, asking with concern, "Is Madam feeling a bit feverish or chilled?"
"Really? Maybe." Tu Longjian's eyes held a hint of interest, neither confirming nor denying.
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