Many doubts
That night, Tang Zhou slept very restlessly. Just as dawn was breaking outside his window, he was awakened again by the sound of a flute. The flute music was plaintive and sorrowful, as if the player had endless grief. Tang Zhou put on his outer robe and followed the sound without thinking. He found the courtyard he had explored the night before deserted, but a large pit had appeared in the ground.
He held the sword sheath and slowly approached.
The pit was covered with a thin layer of peach petals, which Master Shen had buried the previous night. However, the petals were no longer fresh and had become dry and wrinkled. He bent down and used his sword to pry open the layer of petals, revealing a hand underneath, which still looked as delicate and soft as porcelain.
The people buried underneath might still be alive!
Tang Zhou had no hoe or anything else to dig with, so he used his longsword to dig. Fortunately, it wasn't buried very deep, and soon the man's face slowly emerged. He reached out to check for breath; there was no sign of life. Tang Zhou lifted his sleeve and gently wiped the sand off the man's face, gradually revealing clear features.
It was a woman's face, with exquisite features and a slight smile on her lips, three parts playful and seven parts obedient, as if she were still alive.
Tang Zhou paused, then heard soft footsteps behind him. He turned around and frowned slightly: "How did you get out?"
Yan Dan held up a talisman and shook it. "I told Miss Shen that the paper outside the door was too ugly, and it would be better to tear it off, so she did as I said." She walked closer to the pit, looked at the person inside, and let out a soft "Huh?" "What's going on here? Could it be that you're trying to cover up the crime?"
Tang Zhou looked at her and said, "Don't you think the people in here look familiar?"
Yan Dan squatted down and examined it carefully for a while, then rested her chin on her hand and said, "Yes, it seems like I've seen it somewhere before..."
"...This person looks exactly like you."
Yan Dan was startled and stood up, saying, "Now that you mention it, it really does look alike. How could there be someone in this world who looks so much like me?"
Tang Zhou slowly spoke, "Not only do they look alike, but their expressions are identical. Do you really believe that such a person exists in this world?" Yan Dan looked at the woman buried in the pit and murmured, "Indeed, there won't be any more." Sorrow filled her eyes as she slowly raised her head, "So, I'm actually already dead, and I didn't even know it?"
Tang Zhou remained silent, only Yan Dan's face was pale, she murmured, "So that's how it is, so that's how it is..." She suddenly turned around and grabbed Tang Zhou's sleeve, a smile on her lips: "I'm like this because of you! Tell me, how are you going to repay me?" Her fingers were pale, and blood slowly seeped from her body: "If it weren't for you... if it weren't for you, how could I have ended up like this? When do you plan to repay what you owe me?!"
Her expression was sorrowful, her eyes filled with despair, something he had never seen before.
Tang Zhou didn't struggle, nor did he intend to break free. He simply asked, "What do I owe you? What do you want me to repay?"
Yan Dan looked at him intently for a long time before slowly saying, "You owe me half a heart, and I want you to give it back to me... You should give me back this half heart..." Her voice was no longer gentle; it was tinged with sobs, making her sound even more pitiful.
Tang Zhou was terrified and took a step back, but he bumped into something and his head started to throb.
He opened his eyes and found himself lying on the bed in the guest room, his pillow on the floor, having bumped his head on the headboard. Tang Zhou sat up and rubbed his temples. It turned out it was just a dream. But why did he have to dream about Yan Dan? It was a nightmare within a nightmare. He got out of bed, washed himself with water from a basin, and then slowly put on his outer robe.
Suddenly, he heard birds chirping outside the room, along with a girl's silvery laughter; it must be Shen Xiangjun arriving. Tang Zhou recalled what he had seen the previous night and hesitated.
Then Yan Dan's soft, gentle voice rang out: "Miss Chen, you're up so early."
Shen Xiangjun smiled and said, "The early bird catches the worm; it's what woke me up early."
"Miss Chen, may I say something to your bird?"
"Go ahead and say it, but whether it understands or not, I don't know."
Tang Zhou walked gently to the door and pushed it open a little. He saw Shen Xiangjun standing in front of Yan Dan's door, with the spotted parrot she had seen yesterday perched on her shoulder. Her smile was as beautiful as spring flowers.
"Hey bird, don't you also find those tattered pieces of paper by the door really annoying? Do you think I should tear them all down?"
Tang Zhou immediately understood that the lotus spirit wanted to use Shen Xiangjun to escape the restrictions at the entrance. He remained calm and stood there, waiting to see what she would do next.
Shen Xiangjun couldn't help but chuckle, "The bird said these pieces of paper are really ugly, why didn't you tear them up sooner?"
Yan Dan sighed, "This was drawn by my senior brother. My skills are too low, and he was afraid I would be haunted by evil spirits." Her eyes flickered, and then she smiled again, "Never mind, although it's an eyesore, it is still my senior brother's hard work." After she finished speaking, she took a few steps forward, and suddenly swayed and bumped into the door.
Shen Xiangjun stepped forward and placed a talisman on the threshold: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" She took another step forward, and the talisman stuck to the sole of her shoe and was torn off the threshold.
Yan Dan smiled slightly and said, "It's nothing. I just suddenly felt dizzy for some reason." The talismans Tang Zhou had pasted on were all very elaborate; if even one was missing, they wouldn't be able to trap a demon of her profound cultivation. Yan Dan smiled brightly and walked lightly, but paused for a moment as she stepped out the door, then smiled and said, "You're up so early too, Senior Brother?"
Tang Zhou crossed his arms, a half-smile on his face: "I woke up when Miss Chen first arrived."
Yan Dan smiled charmingly: "So, Senior Brother was worried that I would bully Miss Shen. How could I do that? Miss Shen is both beautiful and kind. If she became my sister-in-law, I would be very happy."
Tang Zhou's lips twitched slightly: "Junior sister, you're overthinking it."
Yan Dan immediately put on a puzzled expression: "Really? But I still really want Miss Shen to be my sister-in-law."
Shen Xiangjun asked the parrot on her shoulder, "What is a master's wife?"
Tang Zhou's face darkened, and he grabbed Yan Dan's wrist and pulled her outside. Once they were out of Shen Xiangjun's sight, he stuck a talisman on her wrist: "I just drew this yesterday. I didn't expect to have to use it so soon."
Yan Dan watched as the talisman emitted a brilliant light, and then a heavy bracelet was fastened to her wrist. She weighed her wrist in her hand, nonchalantly asking, "What level of restriction is this? Even if we're fellow disciples, we should still avoid suspicion between men and women. I can't possibly share a room with you, can I?"
Tang Zhou smiled slightly and said, "This time, it's just that we can't leave the Shen family's residence."
She thought about it for a moment and still wasn't angry: "Anyway, it doesn't seem too bad for me."
Tang Zhou glanced at her and saw that she still had a very pleasing smile on her face. He then turned and walked towards the flower hall. After taking a few steps, he turned back and said, "I forgot to mention that earlier."
Yan Dan was still looking at the bracelet on her wrist when she casually asked, "What?"
"Here's the thing," Tang Zhou said slowly. "When I was drawing this talisman yesterday, I suddenly felt that drawing just one restriction to prevent you from leaving the Shen family didn't seem enough." "So I added another one, sealing most of your demonic magic. In case you really get entangled by evil spirits, the remaining one should be enough to deal with it."
Yan Dan gritted her teeth, casually plucked a blade of grass from the side, and threw it, roots and all, behind Tang Zhou. Tang Zhou dodged to the side, only to hear her let out a soft "Huh?" as she looked down at the soil, as if she had seen something. He had spent some time with Yan Dan, and whenever she did this, it was usually for no good reason, so he simply pretended not to see it.
Yan Dan stared for a moment, then gasped, "Tang Zhou, come and see!"
Tang Zhou replied without hesitation, "Just tell me directly."
Yan Dan raised her head, her expression complicated: "You need to bring that herb back. I'm not kidding. There might be other changes in this matter."
Tang Zhou understood that the "matter" she was referring to was his exorcising the ghostly aura from the Shen residence. He picked up the blade of grass from the ground and walked toward Yan Dan. She slowly said, "I've been wondering for a long time why the flowers and plants here grow so well, while they don't grow like this anywhere else in town."
Tang Zhou looked down and saw a white, bluish object protruding from a patch of black soil, resembling... a finger bone! He recalled his previous dream and couldn't help but turn to look at Yan Dan. He saw her lower her eyes, her eyelashes obscuring them, when suddenly her eyelashes fluttered, and her dark eyes stared at him without blinking.
Tang Zhou stared into her eyes, unable to look away. There was no hint of jest in her eyes; her pupils were dark and clear, like those of a docile little animal. Suddenly, she smiled slightly: "Why does your face turn pale and then red?" She touched her cheek, muttering to herself, "Why are people always getting scared of me lately? Do I look too imposing?"
Tang Zhou raised his hand and put the grass back in its original position, then dusted off his sleeves: "It's not that it's imposing, it's probably just too scary."
Yan Dan muttered something under her breath, raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, and pouted, "Would it kill you to say something nice once in a while?"
Tang Zhou sighed softly, "That's not it. But why should I say things against my conscience? You might feel better that way, but I won't. Don't you agree?"
Yan Dan stood there with her fists clenched, and after a moment she gave a smile that looked like she had a toothache: "You're absolutely right."
The Shen family was a well-known wealthy family in town, so their breakfast was naturally very lavish.
Yan Dan politely broke off a lotus seed paste bun, took a small bite, then another small bite. Although her eating manners were elegant, the bun was gone in no time. So she used her chopsticks to pick up a mutton bun.
Seeing that she only picked up steamed buns, Master Shen smiled kindly: "Miss Yan, these steamed buns are for filling your stomach. Why don't you have some porridge? The butter tea over there was brought back from the Northwest. It has a very unique taste. If you don't like it, you can have some ginseng tea."
Yan Dan shook her head: "I've never eaten steamed buns much before, but I really like them."
Master Shen immediately said, "Could it be that the young lady has been practicing Taoism since childhood and has reached the point where she can go without food?"
Tang Zhou sighed.
After thinking for a while, Yan Dan actually said, "I can probably go seven or eight days without eating."
Master Shen was filled with respect: "Young lady, you have already achieved such cultivation at such a young age. I truly admire you."
Tang Zhou couldn't help but say, "Master Shen, don't believe her. My junior sister is very mischievous; eight out of ten things she says are just for fun."
Yan Dan picked up her chopsticks and placed a beef-filled bun in his hand: "Senior brother, I know this is your favorite."
Tang Zhou looked at the steamed bun, unsure whether to eat it or throw it back to her. After some thought, he decided to swallow it. He had barely finished eating when another bun was placed on his plate. Yan Dan said obediently, "Senior brother, let me get you one."
Seeing them like this, Master Shen touched his nose and said, "Young Master Tang and Miss Tang are truly very affectionate." He sighed and added, "I was originally thinking... well, it seems I shouldn't."
Yan Dan smiled upon hearing this and then stuffed another steamed bun into Tang Zhou's mouth: "Master Shen, my senior brother and I are just like brother and sister. Could it be that you have misunderstood something?"
Master Shen's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands, saying, "Actually, it's like this. Xiangjun was talking to me about her master's wife just now. My youngest daughter is shy, and she must really like Young Master Tang. Young Master Tang is handsome and talented, and he treats Xiangjun very well. I was originally very supportive of this marriage. It's just that Xiangjun... sigh, she's a silly girl after all."
Tang Zhou was about to speak when Yan Dan interrupted him, saying, "If I had a sister-in-law like Miss Shen, I would be very happy. Besides, Miss Shen is very smart and kind, so my senior brother would definitely not mind."
Tang Zhou coughed lightly: "Mr. Shen, actually I..."
“I grew up with my senior brother since I was a child, and I have never seen him care about that woman like this before.”
Tang Zhou put down his chopsticks: "You..."
"You're a grown man, if you like someone, you like them, and there's no big deal about admitting it."
His face darkened: "Junior sister, have you said enough?"
Yan Dan shrugged and continued dealing with Baozi: "I'm done talking."
Tang Zhou paused for a moment before slowly saying, "Master Shen, your daughter is beautiful and kind, and deserves a fine husband. However, I still have some things to take care of and cannot settle down to start a family. I am truly sorry."
Master Shen waved his hand and said with a smile, "I understand, I understand. It's enough that Young Master Tang has this intention. As for Xiangjun, I think she will never get married. If Young Master Tang finishes everything and still remembers my silly daughter, even if he takes her as a concubine, I will be at peace."
He had barely finished speaking when a slender figure entered the flower hall. When Master Shen saw the figure, his face suddenly turned ashen, and even the hand holding his chopsticks trembled.
"With a father like you, Xiangjun is truly pitiful." The woman who walked in had a face exactly like Shen Xiangjun's, but her expression was gloomy and her eyes held a hint of fierceness.
Tang Zhou suddenly realized that the person he had met last night was not Shen Xiangjun, but the woman in front of him.
Yan Dan caught a glimpse of Mr. Shen's every move out of the corner of her eye, from his expression to his subconscious little gestures, everything was clearly visible. Why was he so afraid? That woman looked exactly like Shen Xiangjun, she must be his eldest daughter, why was he afraid of his own daughter? Why were two people who looked so alike so different?
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