Chapter 13
There is a rustling sound of rain under the eaves.
The sky was dark and silent, without any stars or moon.
Gu Luoyan stood in the rain, staring at the open porch.
Qiu Niang held an umbrella for her, saying nothing. The house was brightly lit, and a cage containing a bird was placed by the porch.
It was cold, but the two did not go into the house. They stepped into the mud as the rain fell, and just looked at the bird in the cage, which was still full of life, occasionally pecking at a handful of rice.
The red leaves and flowers on the table reflected a blood-red color under the candlelight.
Qiu Niang twisted the cloak on Gu Luoyan's shoulders and looked back at the dark corner of the wine shed under the tree.
The two maids serving Gu Luoyan were tied up and had cloth stuffed in their mouths. They could not move and could only make some whimpering sounds.
The other maids stood guard around the wine shed, holding lamps in their hands and keeping a vigilant eye on their surroundings.
The peach tree in the yard has lost its flowers, but it is still lush and green.
A gust of wind blew, and the chill after the rain stirred the branches of the peach tree. The candlelight in the room flickered for a moment, and the next moment, the bird in the cage screamed miserably. Its breast feathers were stained red with blood, and it flapped its wings, and soon it was dead.
Qiu Niang sighed, unable to bear to look at the life that had just passed away on the porch.
I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but the red flowers on the table are blooming more beautifully.
Gu Luoyan walked forward and shouted into the empty room, "Mother, you're here."
She walked forward quietly to greet the unknown visitor.
No one answered her.
So she began to recite to herself: "It was my daughter who made a mistake this time. I beg for forgiveness, mother." Gu Luoyan knelt down, prostrated herself in the rain, and kowtowed to the red leaf flowers in the house.
The people behind him also knelt down in the rain.
Suddenly, there was a knocking sound from the door. Then an old woman's voice appeared:
"Girl, please come into the house by yourself."
Qiu Niang leaned on the ground and pulled Gu Luoyan's sleeve, her face full of worry.
Gu Luoyan didn't look back. She gently slapped Qiu Niang's hand away, stood up, answered "yes", stepped onto the wooden planks of the porch alone, and walked into the house.
Sitting at the table was an old woman with a rat-like face and a pair of cunning eyes on her spotted face. She stared at Gu Luoyan until she walked up to her.
With a hook of his long gray nails, the door closed.
"Aunt." Gu Luoyan called the old woman and then bowed.
"Young lady, do you know that you have caused such a big disaster?" the old woman smiled with her eyes narrowed.
"Bone Princess was possessed by a ghost for a while and lost her mind."
The old woman was tending to the red-leaf flowers in the vase and jokingly said, "But the master wants your life... Why are you hiding when you know you are wrong?" She glanced at Gu Luoyan's wet hair and sneered.
Gu Luoyan stood aside calmly and said, "I still have value to my mother."
"Oh, you're so arrogant." The old woman turned to look at Gu Luoyan and said, "Young lady, take a good look around. You've already entered the house. If the master wants to take your life, it will only take a moment."
"I have no intention of resisting my mother."
"Look, you're still so obedient." The old woman drew a circle on the table with her finger.
"You can fool others, but you can't fool this old slave."
A black hole appeared on the table, and the next moment a bunch of mice came out.
They pounced towards Gu Luoyan, baring their teeth and trying to bite her.
Gu Luoyan didn't retreat, but walked straight forward. She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a wooden sword, slashing at the flying rats. Wherever the sword passed, the rats turned into black smoke. She turned the sword and stabbed the old woman at the table.
The old woman panicked and tried to retreat hurriedly, but Gu Luoyan's sword was already at her chest.
The sword's tip was blunt, unable to injure a person, but it pierced the old woman's chest, causing her to scream strangely. Dust billowed from beneath the fabric where the wooden sword pointed, a sizzling sound emerged, and a wound appeared, as if it had been burned.
The old woman fell to the ground, her face twisted with pain. She stared at him, yelling Gu Luoyan's name, while looking at the peach wood sword in fear and backing away.
She waved her hands wildly until the sword in her hand was against her neck.
The old woman was so frightened that she dared not move, and the wrinkles on her face were gathered together in fear.
Gu Luoyan looked down at her, slightly tilting the wooden sword in his hand: "Killing me now is nothing more than destroying the Red Pavilion."
"I don't think you would do such a stupid thing, mother."
She kept staring at the old woman and pressed the sword an inch closer to the old woman's neck: "Auntie, I respectfully call you Auntie."
"But when did it become a mouse's turn to tell me what to do?"
"I don't care whether I can escape your eyes or not."
The old woman's face finally fell and she no longer maintained any attitude. Her eyes rolled around and her whole body fell out of her clothes like sand.
A large, bloated, long-tailed gray rat poked its head out from under the skirt, quickly leaped off the table, and slipped into the crack of the door before Gu Luoyan could react. There was another round of thumping, thumping, thumping noises, but they soon quieted down. The candlelight flickered, and the sound of rain outside gradually faded.
At this moment, a slight sound came from the table. The petals of the red-leafed flower in the vase began to peel off layer by layer, revealing the small insect inside. Its curled body stretched out, then fell to the ground along the table leg and crawled towards Gu Luoyan.
Gu Luoyan turned to look, trying to drive it away with his wooden sword. The next moment, the insect flapped its wings and flew up, quickly landing on Gu Luoyan's sword-wielding hand. Its front jaws tore through the skin, and it twisted its body to burrow into the skin.
In the blink of an eye, the bean-sized bug raised a small bump under the skin, it began to move, and suddenly a sharp pain came from the hand.
The peach wood sword fell to the ground. Xiao Chong's moving hand trembled uncontrollably. Gu Luoyan felt nauseous and dizzy. A buzzing sound appeared in her ears, and the light in front of her eyes gradually dimmed. She felt her breathing gradually become short, and blood seemed to fill her eyeballs. She had no strength left in her body.
Bang--
There was a noise in the house.
Qiu Niang, who was standing by the porch, looked up and wanted to take a peek inside through the screen window.
The lights in the house remained on and there was no sound.
The night rain pattered on the petals, and insects chirped nearby. The silence was almost too much.
Qiu Niang felt uneasy. She lowered her eyes to the wooden doorway, steeled her resolve, stepped forward, and listened intently. There was no arguing, no talking. She carefully pushed the door open a crack and saw Gu Luoyan, who had fainted on the ground.
"girl!"
Qiu Niang opened the door and shouted, then rushed to Gu Luoyan's side without caring about anything else, calling out anxiously. The maid in the wine shed outside rushed into the house.
The rain is getting heavier again.
There was a loud crash, soaking the world.
The red-leafed flowers on the table have closed their buds, just like usual.
Quietly...
Quietly...
Mixed with crying.
·
As autumn arrives and winter arrives, everything is withered.
There are several musicians in Miaoyinfang.
Dou Shiqiu sat on the piano stool, wiping the piano and preparing for the evening banquet.
A maid came up to her and told her that the leader was unwell today and the dance would be postponed.
Dou Shiqiu paused plucking the strings and nodded to show that he understood.
He then called a musician and said he wanted to change the song.
"Master, what song should we play today?"
Dou Shiqiu thought for a moment, and the answer came to her. She struck six notes and said, "Since it's such a beautiful day, let's play a piece called 'Spring River, Flowers, and Moonlight Night.'"
"Yes." The musician bowed and stepped back.
She plucked the strings, and the carved black bird on the zither held a branch in its mouth. From time to time, she looked up at the door, thinking, then remained silent, waiting for a new friend.
Finally someone came to tell her that the selected musicians had arrived.
Dou Shiqiu stood up and walked towards the door, a thin figure, like the gentle moon in the lake.
Dou Shiqiu saw a man with extraordinary bearing.
She was dressed in plain clothes and carrying a bag on her back. When she saw me, she bowed and saluted.
Dou Shiqiu returned the greeting and looked at her again, only to find that she was slightly taller than him and had a teardrop mole under her eye.
A person with an immortal look.
Dou Shiqiu spoke first: "My name is Dou Shiqiu from Miaoyinfang. May I know your name?"
The man in front of him was humble and spoke in a gentle voice. He then bowed again: "My humble name is Guan Qing, also known as Yijin. I am honored to meet the abbot."
"You're too polite, young lady." Dou Shiqiu looked at Guan Qing and smiled. "It's been a long journey, and the journey must have been tiring."
"Young lady, please take a good rest. I will lead the way."
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