Chapter 17: A Stage Within a Painting, A Fox Disrupts a Marriage...
"What's this……"
Qingyu murmured to herself as she looked at the scene before her.
The low-hanging sky was as heavy as lead, and the oppressive darkness seemed to be squeezing and swallowing the entire world.
Beneath their feet, a small river meandered silently, its waters, shrouded in the thick darkness of night, appearing deep and eerie, like a terrifying, black python, gleaming with a cold, sinister light. Faintly, they could hear the faint, mournful sound of the flowing water.
Qingyu looked up and gazed into the distance. A massive stage, so enormous it was almost despairing, came into view. It was a huge building that seemed to rise from the abyss and stretch into the endless void, with no end in sight.
This enormous stage is not made of real wood, stone, or bricks, but rather of twisted and coiled dark red vines. Upon closer inspection, the red vines are crisscrossed and spread wantonly.
They intertwine, outlining countless seemingly orderly yet eerily strange spatial squares. These small spaces are layered upon each other, row upon row, like a finely woven net, densely packed—
From a distance, it looks like a giant stage. Upon closer inspection, the small squares separated by vines reveal indistinct human figures, like cages that imprison souls. Looking at it from afar sends chills down one's spine.
"That looks like... a stage?"
Qin Tianshu looked closely and saw that in the distance, the figures in the square were intertwined, and the light and shadow were changing, like one play after another on a small stage.
He sighed unconsciously, "You know, the big stage with the smaller ones inside, all in one compartment, is quite suitable for storing things."
Wen Chuan frowned as he looked at the so-called stage. He felt that there were too many cries hidden in the painting, which could easily arouse people's emotions. "...Let's find the person first."
As Qingyu narrowed his eyes and gently twirled his hand, intending to use the formation to build a bridge across the river, a suppressed and desperate cry suddenly resounded all around. The sound was filled with pain, fear, and despair, instantly sending chills down one's spine and tightening one's heart.
At the same time, a strange smell of ink permeated the air, crisp yet slightly bitter, as if seeping from every stage, intertwining with the strange and heavy atmosphere.
Wen Chuan looked around, gently sensing the strange scent of ink. "It seems there's someone in charge of this painting."
Qin Tianshu covered his nose with his fan, shook his head slightly and sighed, "No wonder she was able to break my illusion. Every square in this painting is a play."
Qingyu: "So this means they're inviting us to watch a show."
...
A certain square in the painting.
Zhang Xuan, carrying a knife on his back, sat on the ground with his legs crossed, his hands supporting him behind his back. He looked up at the red vines above with a bored expression.
"Thank goodness for you, Cai Cai."
Cai Cai nestled on the ground. The chicks had been chirping so much they were tired, and now they were obediently drawing circles on the ground.
Zhang Xuan found it amusing. "Cai Cai, I'm here with you. Don't rush, let's wait a little longer."
Let's wait a little longer. At worst, we'll die together.
Perhaps because he had been waiting for so long, Zhang Xuan felt a bit tired even sitting, so he simply changed his position, held the Blood Moon Blade in his arms, and leaned against the wall for a short rest.
He couldn't get into character because he never got out of character.
The boy sat there peacefully with his eyes half-closed. Even the Blood Moon Blade, which usually trembled, was quiet and obediently nestled in its master's arms.
Softly, footsteps sounded.
Zhang Xuan weakly raised his head and opened his eyes listlessly.
In a blur.
A scholar in blue robes approached, fanning himself, his phoenix eyes brimming with interest.
...
Qingyu watched a very boring show.
The story begins with a little fox demon encountering danger on a mountain and being saved from the brink of death by a virtuous and upright cultivator.
Young girls are easily understood, and she fell in love with that gentlemanly monk.
The little fox was sincere and passionate, and also very beautiful. In the midst of their entanglement, both of them fell in love.
Unfortunately, fate played a cruel trick on them. Just as the fox was about to express her feelings, she discovered that the man was already engaged.
The girl wept, and the man silently watched over her.
When they parted, the little fox didn't believe he would really get married. Using the excuse of being saved, she traveled thousands of miles for love and secretly followed him to Shengjing. However, she was targeted by everyone. As time went on, the little fox and the man's feelings for each other only grew stronger.
However, due to the pressure of the powerful and influential, the man ultimately married his fiancée.
The little fox was heartbroken. She was not one to stoop to lowly status, and from then on, she returned to the mountain and never came out again.
Years later, the man's first wife passed away, and the two finally became husband and wife.
...
What a terrible, lousy show.
Was she rescued and developed feelings of love for someone?
What do you mean? Isn't repaying a life-saving debt with one's body a bad habit of humans? Her demon race repays kindness with kindness and revenge with revenge, why bring up that disgusting custom?
Running for love, abandoning marriage to hide three?
Didn't they already say they were engaged? Why did he rush to his fiancée's arms?
Silently guarding, this man knows how to kiss a demon just by opening his mouth? Self-degrading, treacherous, you've revealed your true colors with your human skin.
After his first wife passed away, they finally became a couple?
...How could such a scoundrel emerge from my great demon race! Kill them! Kill them all!
Qingyu watched the scene in silence, slowly exhaling a sigh of relief.
Who wrote this lousy play? If Qin Tianshu wrote such a script, she would definitely laugh at it mercilessly.
Amidst a burst of white light, a woman chuckled softly.
"Does the girl also think this story is ridiculous?"
Qingyu smiled but didn't say anything. She came to her senses and felt that some patients were hard to talk to. It was all just a play within a play, so it was best to just enjoy it.
As the light and shadow shifted, accompanied by the soft laughter of a woman in the air, Qingyu opened her eyes and saw another version.
There was a daughter in a certain family, who was gentle, kind, and well-mannered.
At ten years old, the boy rode a bamboo horse and played with green plums around the bed.
At the age of twelve, the two families entered into a marriage agreement, uniting their families in harmony.
At the age of fifteen, her fiancé hid a strange woman in their home. During the commotion, she was pushed into the water, which left her with a chronic illness, and she has stayed at home ever since.
At the age of sixteen, she was implicated in court politics, her father resigned from his post, and her family was threatened. In desperation, her fiancé came to visit.
Amidst the swirling snow, the young woman, her eyes slightly red, accepted his marriage proposal.
Seventeen years old, married in spring, sweetness sometimes.
In winter, the couple were blessed with a son.
At twenty, a female demon was hidden in her husband's study, and she dreamt of those days.
The mother missed her daughter and wanted to visit her relatives, but she fell ill on the way and it was too late for medicine.
Upon hearing this, the father was heartbroken and followed him in death.
At the age of twenty-five, on a snowy winter day, the son, already aware of the situation, served his mother at her bedside. His voice was clear and bright, and he often spoke with laughter, hoping to bring a smile to his mother's face.
The medicine soup reflects a solitary figure; a young girl becomes a wife and mother, a gentle smile on her face.
Amidst the white snow, she departed with peace of mind.
The snow fell heavier and heavier, and the sharp, panicked cries of children suddenly rose up, like a heavy stone being thrown into the lake of people's hearts.
Qingyu snapped out of her daze. In the vast expanse of white, the sound of crying grew fainter and fainter. Her eyelashes trembled, and she suddenly realized that tears were streaming down her cheeks.
The woman's eyes were so beautiful. Qingyu recalled her gaze and felt that she was such a gentle person, such a gentle person...
"A person like that shouldn't have left like this..."
The woman in the air murmured softly, "Such a good person should be happy and have everything go smoothly..."
Qingyu lowered her head slightly, her mind filled with the woman's gentle persuasion.
"Her life was not particularly bitter, but it was certainly not worthy of her gentleness and kindness."
"She deserves a better life."
"She should have more rights to choose for herself."
“Draw her, bring her back to life, you can help—”
The woman's voice abruptly stopped, and at the same time, the white space began to shake. The woman's attempts to coax him were gradually drowned out by the tremendous wind.
A circular array of red and black rose from beneath Qingyu's feet. In an instant, the array rotated, and countless red petals emerged from the patterns within it. As the wind rose, the girl raised her eyes, and the thousands of petals instantly transformed into sharp blades that shot out in all directions—the space shattered in an instant.
White fragments danced with red petals, just like that winter day when the snow was stained with blood.
Qingyu walked forward in silence, petals swirling around her, even tearing a piece of her skirt. But the girl only sighed and finally left the stage.
The countless stages in the painting still remained, but the dark river beneath their feet when they arrived had vanished. She looked up and saw Wen Chuan standing before her, holding Cai Cai and smiling gently. Qing Yu couldn't help but smile at this sight.
"Qingyu, do you have anything to eat? I'm so hungry—"
Before Qingyu could speak, Zhang Xuan, standing behind Wen Chuan, called out weakly to her.
Qingyu: "..."
She almost forgot that the time inside these magical artifacts is unpredictable. Although she was rescued, Zhang Xuan probably hadn't eaten in a long time. She looked down and rummaged through her bag. Luckily, she had the foresight to buy a lot of pastries today, otherwise there wouldn't be enough to give away.
"It seems like there are still some pastries left from what I bought during the day..."
She muttered to herself as she found the small bag, took it out, and handed it to Zhang Xuan. Zhang Xuan took it and ate it slowly and quickly. He ate slowly because he had good table manners, and he ate quickly because he was really starving.
Qingyu: "Slow down, don't waste all your time trying to save you and end up choking to death..."
"Cough cough—" Zhang Xuan patted his chest. He hadn't choked on his food, but Qing Yu's words had made him choke.
Qingyu ignored him and turned slightly to look at Wen Chuan, "What kind of show did you see?"
Wen Chuan looked at her, his gentle smile unchanged. He lowered his head slightly, as if thinking carefully, and finally said helplessly, "A... time-travel story."
"Time travel?" Qingyu asked in confusion, "Space travel?"
Wen Chuan smiled and shook his head. "It's about time... The general idea of this play is that a person dies, and when they open their eyes again, they find themselves at another point in time, doing various things that affect the future or the past."
Qingyu: "It sounds complicated. This person must be blessed by God."
Wen Chuan touched the vegetables and replied gently, "Perhaps."
Wen Chuan actually found the story interesting, and in a sense it seemed to be telling him something. However, he was worried about Qing Yu and also felt that things could be done by human effort. So he didn't watch the play to the end and just forced his way out of it.
Since he had come out early, he rummaged around in the theater. After a short while, he heard the sound of pages turning. Following the faint sound, he saw Zhang Xuan lying unconscious.
Cai Cai: "Coo coo coo".
Wen Chuan: "By the way, what did you see?"
Qingyu: "Me?"
The girl seemed thoughtful. "It's hard to say... I just suddenly realized something."
Zhang Xuan ate some pastries on the side, "What's the reasoning behind that?"
Qingyu said seriously, "You can't hide loving someone, but you must hide loving two people."
Wen Chuan: "..."
"Cough cough—"
"This is it," Zhang Xuan patted his chest, swallowed the last bite of pastry, and some color finally returned to the boy's face. He looked at them, "...So how do we get out of here now?"
Wen Chuan: "No rush, there are still some people who haven't arrived yet."
Qin Tianshu is most skilled in illusions, so it's impossible for him to be slower than them. The only possibility is that he was intentionally watching the show.
Qingyu clicked her tongue twice. Could it be that Qin Tianshu, this storyteller, is using this place as a source of inspiration?
Zhang Xuan: "...Yes...that scholar in blue, the one who was carrying the book basket earlier?"
"That is indeed me!"
The scholar's clear voice came from ahead, and the three of them looked at him simultaneously—
Qin Tianshu held a scroll in his hand and waved at them, looking rather comical.
Qingyu tilted her head, "What is this painting?"
Qin Tianshu walked up to them. The scholar raised his chin, held the scroll in his hand, and gently shook it. The scroll slowly unfolded—it was the same painting of a beautiful woman that they had seen in Shen Dongsheng's study.
Wen Chuan raised an eyebrow, and Zhang Xuan also stepped forward to look.
Qin Tianshu curled his lip and simply tossed the painting into the air—
The yellowed scroll danced in the air for a moment, then the fragrance of ink wafted through the air, and the scroll closed automatically until it disappeared at the moment it closed.
A woman in purple, who was unconscious, appeared on the ground. Judging from her face, she was the person in the painting.
Qin Tianshu: "This woman is the murderer who committed the serial killings in Danzhou City these past few days."
Zhang Xuan leaned closer and frowned, asking, "Is it a painting spirit?"
This painting has become a magical artifact. This woman can control the world within the painting, drawing them into different scenes. Could she be the spirit of this painting?
Qin Tianshu sighed softly and shook his head. "Yes and no."
She can exist within the painting, and even control a portion of its power, yet she is undeniably a mortal, a real person.
Qingyu looked at Qin Tianshu. The fact that he was able to capture this woman meant that he already knew most of the truth.
Qin Tianshu smiled smugly, opened his fan with a "snap," and began his presentation.
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