Chapter 131 Slaying Tai Sui (19) Desecrating the Immortal in the Painting
A jumble of thoughts flooded into Song Qiling's mind, giving her a splitting headache. She held her forehead and tried to calm herself for a while before getting up to wash.
The clear water in the copper basin reflected her slightly pale face. She scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on her face. The cool touch made her a little more awake. When her gaze swept across the table, she couldn't help but frown: "Why is there only one set of bowls and chopsticks?"
Turning to Gu Lianzhou, who was leisurely sipping tea in a round-backed chair, she suddenly remembered that he had been acting strangely these past few days, always holding his teacup and watching her eat, while he himself didn't touch his chopsticks.
A strange thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
After a moment of silence, she hesitated and asked, "You... can't eat anymore?"
Seeing the hands holding the cup pause slightly, and the way the eyes darted away, Song Qiling realized she had guessed correctly, "Is it because of the demon transformation?"
After a moment of silence, Gu Lianzhou slowly sat up straight.
He put down his teacup, looked up, and forced a smile: "I still can't hide it from my senior brother."
Just as she said, he no longer needs to eat and is no longer like a human being.
After a moment of silence, Song Qiling sighed softly, "It's fine if we don't eat it. It will save a lot of food and give us time to do other things."
Having said that, she picked up her chopsticks and focused on eating breakfast, quickly dismissing the matter.
After the meal, the two went to Yunzhi Workshop to keep their appointment.
As early summer approaches, the workshop has already been adorned with a batch of light and soft fabrics, with gauze as misty as smoke and light gauze as cloudy as clouds, attracting noble ladies from all over the city to flock there.
Wan Hongling had been waiting in the main hall since early morning. When she spotted Song Qiling stepping over the threshold, she immediately went to greet her.
"Sorcerer Song." As he approached, his gaze swept from the top of Song Qiling's head to the hem of her clothes, and he noticed something was amiss. He quickly pulled her sleeve aside.
Gu Lianzhou, who was following closely behind, stopped in his tracks: "?"
This is treating him as superfluous.
“Young Master Song, today…” Wan Hongling raised her hand and gestured in front of her chest, then said with difficulty, “Why didn’t you cover yourself up?”
Although Song Shushi was not plump and could be described as slender, she had an upright posture and walked like an unyielding bamboo, making even the slightest changes in her appearance particularly noticeable.
Looking at him today, there's not a trace of manhood left.
Song Qiling followed her gaze and looked down, not noticing anything amiss: "This is a long story, but in short, from now on I no longer need to pretend to be a man, and Miss Wan no longer needs to address me as such."
She looked up at Wan Hongling, her expression frank: "If you don't mind, you can call me Qiling from now on."
As soon as she finished speaking, Wan Hongling's face slowly flushed red, and she blinked her large, grape-like eyes. "What do you mean by this? Young Master Song, no, Lady Qi... Lady Qiling, are you going to revert to your female identity?"
Seeing Song Qiling nod in agreement, the girl's face suddenly broke into a smile.
Suddenly, she grabbed Song Qiling's hand and headed to the second floor of Yunzhi Workshop, saying emphatically, "If we're going to be women, we should throw away our old tattered clothes. There's a batch of newly made garments upstairs. Let's go and pick some out together."
While going upstairs, Song Qiling turned her head and waved to Gu Lianzhou: "Junior brother, come on over."
-
The second floor is a hidden gem, with silks and satins neatly arranged, and a subtle fragrance wafting between the beaded curtains and embroidered screens. Cleverly designed, this floor also has a private room for female guests to change clothes and do their makeup.
Wan Hongling flitted among the clothes racks as if she had found a treasure, occasionally taking down a piece to compare with Song Qiling.
“This moon-white silk dress with butterfly patterns suits you best,” she said, picking up a flowing, wide-sleeved gown, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “And this one in lotus-root color embroidered with azure clouds and mist patterns—the fabric is so cool and breathable…”
Upon hearing this, Song Qiling looked over, her gaze sweeping over the pile of clothes embroidered with lotus blossoms and sprinkled with silver thread, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes.
Back when she was at Tianji Sect, she only cared about wearing loose and comfortable clothes so that she could easily meditate and practice her Qi. She rarely even saw such a colorful and brocaded fabric. But seeing the bright and expectant look in Wan Hongling's eyes, she couldn't bring herself to refuse and simply said, "Okay, whatever you say."
As soon as she finished speaking, Wan Hongling rushed forward and deftly helped her take off her outer robe. When her fingertips touched Song Qiling's plain-colored inner garment, she couldn't help but mutter, "Look at you, there's not a single bright color on you, which makes you look even more aloof."
She picked out a light red ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), personally helped Song Qiling change into it, then bent down to stretch the hem of the skirt, clapping her hands in satisfaction: "It really looks good! This color suits you perfectly."
Before Song Qiling could react, she pulled her to sit in front of the mirror and opened the dressing case.
The box was filled with a dazzling array of rouge and face powder, which stunned Song Qiling. Just as she was about to say "No need," she saw Wan Hongling apply a little light pink rouge to her cheek without saying a word.
"Really, no need." Song Qiling subconsciously tilted her head, but didn't actually dodge, letting Wan Hongling's fingertips gently press on her face.
Soon, Wan Hongling untied her hair bun, and her long, black hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall.
She took the comb and carefully combed it, her movements gentle, occasionally glancing at it: "Your hair is so beautiful. If you loosely tie it into a bun like this and add a jade hairpin, it will definitely look even more elegant."
As she spoke, she deftly styled her hair into a cloud-like bun, adorned it with a warm white jade hairpin, and then selected a small pearl hairpin and a peony hair ornament to place at her temples.
Once everything was in order, Wan Hongling pushed Song Qiling toward the bronze mirror.
The woman in the mirror wore a light red dress that made her skin look as white as snow, with a light pink blush on her cheeks. Her eyes and brows had lost their usual coldness and gained a touch of gentle vitality.
Wan Hongling rested her chin on her hands, leaned close to Song Qiling, and gently touched her shoulder with her chin. Her eyes were full of joy and pride. "Look how beautiful you are now. You used to wear rough clothes and loose robes, which covered up your good looks."
Looking at her unfamiliar yet familiar reflection in the mirror, Song Qiling lightly touched the rouge on her cheek with her fingertips, feeling the hair ornament tremble slightly in her hair, and said rather uncomfortably, "I feel like my makeup looks a bit too heavy..."
I feel so down, I really want to wash my face.
"Where is it heavy?" Wan Hongling said dismissively. "To me, it looks a bit bland, like something is missing."
After pondering for a moment, she slapped her forehead and said with annoyance, "Look at my memory, I was so focused on staring at you that I forgot to put lip rouge on you."
After saying that, she took out an exquisite box from the bottom of the dressing case, opened the lid to reveal the bright red cream underneath, and took a brush to apply makeup to Song Qiling.
With this makeover, Song Qiling has undergone a complete transformation.
Wan Hongling pulled her up and spun her around twice, then clapped her hands happily and said, "So beautiful, more beautiful than any girl I've ever seen."
Listening to her boasting, Song Qiling didn't take it seriously. She smiled and shook her head, walked to the clothes rack, picked out two plain clothes for herself, and then went downstairs to pay.
As soon as the two stepped out of the cubicle, they saw Gu Lianzhou leaning against the vermilion pillar, idly fiddling with the jade pendants at his waist, the jade ornaments clinking together and making a soft tinkling sound.
Hearing the noise, he looked up and his dark eyes suddenly met Song Qiling's.
Song Qiling suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Her light red skirt swayed gently with her movements, and the pearl hairpin in her hair trembled slightly, reflecting shimmering light in the shadows of the corridor.
Upon seeing Gu Lianzhou, Wan Hongling's smile froze instantly, and then gradually turned cold.
Seeing his calm gaze as he looked at Song Qiling, he already understood.
Gu Langjun must know that Qi Ling is a woman.
This realization crept into her mind like a fine thorn, inexplicably making her heart feel heavy. Her gaze towards Gu Lianzhou turned colder, and even her tone became indifferent, "Hey, Mr. Gu, I've kept you waiting."
Gu Lianzhou seemed oblivious to her sarcasm. His gaze slowly swept over Song Qiling, from the hem of her light red dress to the pearl hairpin swaying at her temple, finally settling on her slightly flushed cheeks. His Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly before he spoke, "Senior Brother?"
Song Qiling: "..."
Wan Hongling: "..."
So you're only recognizing me now?
Seeing his appearance, Song Qiling raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but chuckle, "What, do you really think I've become someone else just because I changed my clothes?"
"No..." Gu Lianzhou quickly looked away, then couldn't help but turn back, "It's just that I've never seen you like this before."
After a pause, he stammered, "It's very beautiful."
These words were spoken bluntly, yet he still looked somewhat embarrassed, his ear tips turning almost red. Wan Hongling, who was watching from the side, saw this clearly, and her previous sullenness instantly dissipated. She couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Young Master Gu's reaction is as if he's never seen a young lady before."
Her words made Gu Lianzhou's ears burn even hotter. He simply stopped looking at the two of them, turned around, and mumbled, "Now that you've made your choice... you may leave."
The three of them went downstairs. Song Qiling pulled Gu Lianzhou to stop briefly in the men's clothing section. They picked out two pieces of breathable summer cloth and asked the shopkeeper to tailor them to his body shape. In a short while, they finalized the style and paid the bill.
As I left the cloud weaving workshop, the warm sun shone down on me.
Song Qiling, carrying the package, turned to Wan Hongling and said with a smile, "Since you have some free time today, why don't you come to my house for a visit? My junior brother just bought an old duck this morning, and I'll make some soup for lunch. Let's have a taste together."
Wan Hongling's eyes lit up, and she immediately agreed: "Okay, then I won't be polite."
She glanced at Gu Lianzhou, who had a cold face, and felt even more pleased. She took Song Qiling's arm and said affectionately, "Then I probably can't come empty-handed. Qiling, let's go to the pastry shop up ahead and buy some lotus root starch and osmanthus sugar cake. I remember you like to eat it."
"Okay." Song Qiling smiled and agreed, letting the girl pull her forward.
Gu Lianzhou carried the two people's clothes and bundles, following behind at a distance that was neither too close nor too far, his gaze always fixed on his senior brother's back.
Upon arriving at the pastry shop, Wan Hongling familiarly called the shopkeeper to pack the sugar cakes, then turned to wink at Song Qiling: "The sugar cakes here are the most delicate, sweet but not cloying, perfect with your old duck soup."
Song Qiling smiled and nodded, glancing at the counter before ordering another serving of jujube paste cake.
After paying, Wan Hongling carried the oil-paper-wrapped sweet cakes and continued walking forward with Song Qiling by her arm, chattering about the latest happenings in the city. Every now and then, she would deliberately raise her voice, as if she were talking specifically to the person behind her, "Qiling, have you ever heard the story of the Painted Skin Ghost?"
“I’ve heard of it.” Song Qiling nodded. “It’s mostly about demons and evil spirits transforming into beautiful women to seduce men with weak wills, in order to find an opportunity to absorb their vital energy.”
As they were walking, Wan Hongling suddenly stopped, pointed to a shop not far away, and whispered in her ear, "Do you see that Hongyan Bookstore up ahead? There's a painting of a lady hanging in the bookstore. I heard that a few days ago, a scholar said some frivolous and foolish things to the beauty in the painting. Who would have thought that on his way home that night, he stepped into a latrine and drowned."
She paused for a moment, then continued, "He had just blasphemed the fairy in the painting during the day, and then suffered a terrible misfortune at night. Isn't that a coincidence? Now everyone in the streets and alleys is saying that the scholar wasn't just unlucky, but that he had run into a ghost in a painted skin."
Song Qiling had initially dismissed it as mere gossip, a faint smile still playing on her lips. But upon hearing this, her smile froze slightly.
She looked in the direction Wan Hongling pointed, her gaze lingering for a moment on the plaque of "Hongyan Academy" before turning back to the girl beside her. "That painting of a lady has such magical powers? Hongling, your story is so detailed, it's as if you witnessed it yourself."
Upon hearing this, Wan Hongling tightened her grip on her hand slightly. "How could I have witnessed such a filthy thing? It was a distant cousin of mine who happened to be a classmate of the drowned scholar."
A hint of seriousness appeared in her eyes. "According to him, the scholar was just drunk and talking nonsense that day, mocking the beauty in the painting for her lifeless eyes and affected posture. He even said... if she were truly beautiful, why wouldn't she come to him in his dreams at midnight? Such frivolous and reckless behavior really offended that painted-skin ghost and cost him his life."
As soon as they finished speaking, a cool breeze swept through the alleyway, ruffling the hems of their clothes.
Song Qiling listened quietly, her heart sinking.
It is common for scholars to misbehave after drinking, but for a casual remark about "entering a dream in the middle of the night" to become a deadly hook goes beyond the realm of ordinary supernatural mischief. Instead, it reveals a ruthless and calculating nature, a desire for revenge.
She couldn't help but look at the library again.
Even in the sunlight, the open door seemed to exude a chill.
Lately, there have been many evil spirits in the city.
Is this... another of Chu Yue's tricks?
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