My wish
"Wu Huan, look, those are Kongming lanterns!" After finishing his meal, Wang Xiaoxia grabbed Wu Huan's hand and pointed to the Kongming lanterns by the river, shouting.
"Mmm," he replied, always looking at her with a doting expression.
"Wu Huan, let's go release sky lanterns and pray for blessings!" Wang Xiaoxia grabbed his hand and ran happily into the crowd.
"Okay," Wu Huan always agreed unconditionally.
"Wu Huan, my life is too short for you, so I don't ask for lifetimes to come. I only wish that we can be together forever in this life," Wang Xiaoxia said, standing to one side of the Kongming lantern with her eyes lowered.
The candlelight, encased in a huge lamp, cast flickering shadows. On one end of her pen, Wang Xiaoxia wrote: "Only this lifetime, hand in hand, shall we be."
Wu Huan held the lamp but wrote nothing; he didn't believe in gods, only in himself.
"My little one, I will never let you down in this life," Wu Huan said firmly.
They released their hands, and the huge Kongming lantern slowly floated up, flying into the sky together with many other Kongming lanterns, like stars.
Wang Xiaoxia and Wu Huan locked eyes. Wang Xiaoxia lowered his head shyly, just in time to see the small vendor next to them excitedly shouting again:
"Wu Huan, look over there they're selling ghost masks!"
"Um"
"Wu Huan, let's go see if there are any acrobatic performances there."
"good"
"Wu Huan, let's buy some pastries to take home and eat!"
"good"
Wu Huan, Wu Huan…
Wang Xiaoxia only fell asleep on Wu Huan's back when they were tired from walking. Wu Huan carried her step by step towards their cave. Even after his magic power was restored, Wu Huan never used it again. He wanted to accompany Wang Xiaoxia through her short human life like a real person.
If he could, he would gladly trade his long life for these few short decades.
"Wu Huan, I like you, I like you the most," Wang Xiaoxia murmured in a daze.
Wu Huan just smiled indulgently; he liked her just the same, and she was his favorite.
Wang's father returned three months later. Upon hearing the news, Wang Xiaoxia dragged Wu Huan home. She immediately knelt on the ground, hugged her father's leg, and looked at him pitifully, saying:
"Father, please! I want to marry Wu Huan!"
Wu Huan also knelt on the ground, obediently.
Wang's father was originally invited away overnight by a stranger. However, while treating a patient, he suddenly discovered that the patient might have contracted a plague. Due to the urgency of the situation, Wang's father did not have time to send a message home and stayed there to treat the sick and save lives. He only learned about the situation after his wife returned to her parents' home. The messenger who delivered the message fled in haste upon seeing the plague in the area where Wang's father was, so Wang's father was unaware of what had happened at home.
The king knew from the beginning that the lady was a member of the Ghost Clan. Years ago, when he went to the capital to take the imperial examination, he accidentally entered the Netherworld Ferry and happened to meet Si Ye, who was visiting a friend there. Si Ye was so beautiful that the king fell in love with her at first sight.
Later, Siye broke with the Ghost King for him and fled to the human world to marry him. Because Siye had forced her way through the Ghost Gate while pregnant with Xiaoxia, Xiaoxia's soul was damaged after birth, making him very susceptible to attracting demons. So Siye used up all her cultivation to repair Xiaoxia's injured soul, but she also injured her body and could no longer conceive. Therefore, Wang Xiaoxia grew up spoiled and developed an unruly personality.
Without his cultivation, Si Ye was no different from an ordinary mortal, and it would take him at least half a year to return from the Ghost Realm.
Wang's father was only in his thirties, with still-black hair. His hands, which were often soaked in herbs, had turned somewhat white, and his body reeked of the bitterness of Chinese medicine. He gently took Wang Xiaoxia's hand, looked at her with some helplessness, and then glanced at the butler standing beside him.
The old butler also knelt down on the ground with a thud, looking pitiful.
He had been Master Wang's page since childhood. Master Wang lost both his parents when he was young. Although the family was wealthy, they were all alone. From Master Wang's childhood to his marriage and having children, he had always been by Master Wang's side, busy with his affairs. He had also raised the young lady by himself. However, this child was too naughty, and he couldn't control him at all.
"Master, as soon as you left, two outsiders came and took Madam away. And as soon as Madam left, Miss jumped over the wall and ran away. I couldn't catch up with her," the butler said with a wronged expression.
Master Wang knew his daughter's temperament better than anyone else. Helplessly, he turned back to look at Wang Xiaoxia, then at the boy kneeling behind her, dressed in his clothes. The boy's face was as pale as snow, his pupils were deep, and he looked exactly like his wife. Judging from his appearance, he was probably also a member of the ghost clan. Master Wang sighed helplessly. The more his wife tried to hide from the ghost clan over the years, the more the ghost clan would come looking for her.
"I understand. You may all leave. The two of them will stay," Master Wang said to the steward.
The steward immediately understood and led the two maids out. Only when no one was in the room did Master Wang reach out and help Wang Xiaoxia up.
"Get up too! Looking at you, you're not human, are you?" Master Wang said to Wu Huan directly, but his face was gentle.
Wu Huan stood up. He hadn't intended to hide his identity anyway, and instead looked at Master Wang with a frank expression, respectfully replying:
“Uncle has a good eye. I am a ghost. I was injured some time ago and accidentally entered the mortal realm. Fortunately, I was rescued by you. Although I am with you every day, I have never done anything out of line.”
Wang's father nodded, quite satisfied with his answer.
If it were an ordinary mortal, it would be fine; they could simply move into the Wang family's residence. However, the ghost race is not like the human race. They are long-lived and possess magical powers. What kind of women haven't they seen? In their eyes, I am probably just a novelty.
“You know, I am just a mortal. Mortals don’t live for more than a few years. In a few decades, she will be old, while you will still be the same as you are now. At that time, will you still be willing to stay with her?” Father Wang said to Wu Huan earnestly.
Wu Huan himself was well aware of this, but all he wanted was these few decades.
"Xiaoxia is the only person I want to spend my life with. She is the love of my heart. I am willing to be with her alone, whether in life or in sickness or in health," Wu Huan said frankly, his gaze fixed firmly on Wang Xiaoxia.
Their eyes met, and Wang Xiaoxia became even more determined to be with Wu Huan.
“Father, I only wish to marry Wu Huan in this life. I will not marry anyone else but him,” Wang Xiaoxia said with the same firm gaze.
She then looked at her father beside her; from childhood to adulthood, her father had always been the one who stood by her side.
"Father, please, talk to Mother properly and let me marry him!" Wang Xiaoxia gently shook her father's arm and pleaded pitifully.
From childhood to adulthood, whenever she asked him for something, he, as her father, would soften and give in to her every whim.
However, this is my life's most important matter, and my father is in a dilemma. It's not that he doesn't like Wu Huan, but my wife once said that she wanted me to be a carefree mortal in this life. If she finds out that she is going to marry a ghost, I don't know how angry she will be!
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh, and looked at Wu Huan and Wang Xiaoxia again, his heart still softening.
After all, it would be difficult for his daughter to marry anyone but a ghost. If she married Wu Huan, she could still live in his own home. Even if Wu Huan really abandoned her and left alone a few years later, she could still live freely by their side. Why should he worry too much?
"Wu Huan! In that case, you can stay at home from now on! We'll discuss your marriage when Madam returns," said the father, patting Wu Huan's shoulder and letting out a long sigh of relief.
Xiaoxia is all grown up now. Since she insists on marrying this ghost, he can't just force them apart. Besides, Wu Huan treats Xiaoxia with respect and is a decent person.
Upon receiving his father's approval, Wang Xiaoxia jumped up with joy and generously praised his father. Wu Huan was also surprised by his success and smiled happily. He had smiled more during the time he spent with Wang Xiaoxia than he had in his entire life.
After dinner, Wang Xiaoxia took Wu Huan's hand and strolled around the street. Today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and lanterns were hung everywhere, illuminating the entire street as if it were daytime.
"Xiaoxia, Uncle seems to know a lot about the Ghost Clan?" Wu Huan asked Wang Xiaoxia softly beside him, the two walking side by side with their fingers intertwined.
He recalled that during the day, his father must have recognized him as a member of the ghost clan at a glance, but how could an ordinary mortal have such insight?
Wang Xiaoxia, however, disagreed.
“My father was well-versed in poetry and books from a young age. If it weren’t for my mother giving up her official career to become a doctor when he went to the capital for the imperial examination, he would probably be a prime minister by now! He taught me to read from a young age. All the rare and exotic animals I know were things my father saw in ancient books and then taught to me. It’s just that I’m not cut out for studying and I end up getting beaten all the time,” Wang Xiaoxia explained, as if it were a matter of course.
Wu Huan was relieved and a smile returned to his face. He was afraid that this hard-won happiness would be taken away again.
“Then your mother must be very beautiful,” Wu Huan said with a smile.
"They all say I look a lot like my mother, Wu Huan, do you think I'm pretty?" Wang Xiaoxia suddenly stopped and looked into Wu Huan's eyes, asking innocently.
Wang Xiaoxia had fair skin, and her dark eyelashes made her eyes look even darker and brighter. She had a high nose bridge, red lips, and white teeth. Such a face was actually quite common in the ghost realm, but she was indeed beautiful. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also beautiful without the slightest imperfection.
Wu Huan was stunned, a blush creeping onto his face, and his heart began to race.
"Wu Huan, am I beautiful?" Wang Xiaoxia thought he hadn't heard her clearly, so she asked again.
The light from the iron-making fireworks not far away poured down like a sea of stars, making both of their eyes sparkle. Wu Huan's heart beat faster and faster, as if some emotion was stirring wildly within him.
"Look! Iron flowers!" a pedestrian shouted excitedly as he sped past Wang Xiaoxia, nearly bumping into her.
Wu Huan quickly reached out and pulled Wang Xiaoxia into his arms to protect her. Once again, the light, like a sea of stars, shone down. Wang Xiaoxia looked up at Wu Huan, and a certain emotion stirred within her. She lowered her eyes shyly, not daring to look at him again.
Wu Huan continued to gaze at her with deep affection, increasingly unable to control his emotions. He lowered his head and passionately kissed her lips, sucking them vigorously. Wang Xiaoxia also wrapped her arms around his waist, responding to his fervor. Their lips and teeth clashed and intertwined intimately.
If love could be measured in time, then this moment for them would be eternity.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com