Chapter 22 Origin and Fate: I had no intention of doing bad things, but I will be punished by the goddess...
Spring sunlight filtered through the gauze curtains, revealing a courtyard bursting with new greenery outside the window. A gentle breeze carried fallen petals to the windowsill, where they swayed and drifted into the room. The woman lay quietly on the bed, her dark hair cascading over the pillow, her eyelashes drooping. If it weren't for her barely audible breathing, one would almost think she was simply still sleeping.
Shen Ci gently touched Ming Ying's face, then walked out of the room looking exhausted. She was dressed in plain white, her long hair tied in a low bun. She walked through the flower-filled courtyard to the main hall, and asked the visitor in a hoarse voice, "What was the result of the five-party trial?"
The head of the Ming family removed his crown and held it in his hand, slowly replying, "The Emperor is merciful and grateful for the virtue of the Shen family, so the calamity will not befall the Shen family. However, the country has its laws, and Yichuan must be imprisoned in the water dungeon for life to atone for his sins."
He reached out to support her: "Aci, I know you are grieving, but the matter of the spiritual vein cannot be resolved peacefully. The old lady is willing to pay with her life, and the Shen family's fate is not yet over, so this is the best outcome."
Shen Ci closed her eyes briefly, a single tear sliding down her cheek: "If I had known this earlier... how could it have ended like this, and what about Manman..."
The Ming family head put his arm around her shoulder, looked at the vast sea of clouds in the distance, his gaze deep and dark: "The formation has been activated, and I will not let anything happen to Manman."
——
Xiao Jingze glanced at the message on the communication board, then threw it back into his ring. He sat on the rooftop and looked out over Mingshanfang, which was two streets away. People were coming and going, and everything was in good order. The life and death of the goddess seemed to have nothing to do with them.
He expressionlessly stroked the gold ring on his wrist. That day, the Imperial Preceptor had only brought Ming Ying to the Ming residence before returning to the palace without offering any explanation. Although the Ming family head seemed surprised, he didn't seem to mind. Unable to linger at the Ming residence, he bowed and took his leave. His mind calming somewhat, he had initially thought that a simple talisman drawn by someone from the Ming family, like last time, would suffice, and he would wait. But today, even the Five-Party Trial had ended, and Ming Ying remained asleep, her condition clearly worse than he had anticipated.
Xiao Jingze put away the golden ring, flipped over and jumped down. He saw two children playing under the tree, their laughter clear and crisp. Feeling somewhat displeased, he casually cast a spell, and the windmill floated into his palm. He half-squatted down and beckoned to the two children with his finger: "I have something to ask you."
The two children stopped laughing and shoved each other as they walked forward. One of them looked at the windmill in his hand, glared at him, and said, "You outsider, don't you know? Doing bad things will get you punished by the goddess!"
Xiao Jingze paused before he could ask a question. He looked at the two children, who were not even as tall as his knees, with an inscrutable expression. What exactly was the image of the goddess of the Ming family? Could she possibly stop a child from crying?
He said slowly, "Your goddess will die in a dozen years."
"The goddess will not die! Mother said that the goddess will return to heaven and protect the entire Yunchuan."
Xiao Jingze remained silent for a moment, glanced at the two wary children, handed the windmill back, and smiled slightly: "Since that's the case, why don't you make a wish now to let the goddess come and punish me?"
The children took back the windmill, held hands, and ran away quickly, deciding to stay away from this strange man.
Xiao Jingze straightened up, his smile fading slightly. He found a good spot in Mingshanfang and sat down with his legs crossed, where he could see the plum trees in the courtyard.
The clerk at the counter had gotten to know this person well over the past few days. Seeing that he still had a cold expression and was looking down at the roster, pretending to be busy making notes, if it weren't for the fact that this person was also on the admission list and had been added by Miss Ming herself, he would have thought that this person was here to cause trouble.
Just as he was inwardly complaining, Xiao Jingze stepped forward and knocked on the table in front of him: "Where is your goddess?"
The waiter paused for a moment, then replied after a moment's thought, "Miss Ming is ill and probably won't be able to come for the next few days."
"Why is Miss Ming sick? What illness is it that can't be cured? Why do you all seem so used to it? Isn't she the goddess you've always worshipped?"
The shopkeeper scratched his face: "Miss Ming's health has never been good. Headaches and fevers are common. She's not in the shop every day. She's pulled through all her previous illnesses, big and small."
Seeing the man's gloomy face, he added with a forced smile, "The imperial physician once predicted that Miss Ming would not live past thirty, but Miss Ming is not yet twenty, she still has a long time ahead of her."
Xiao Jingze was so angry he almost laughed. He felt he couldn't reason with the Ming family. Staring at the ring on his hand, he decided to go and see for himself.
——
Mingyan stepped into the house with a sour face. Qin Lan glanced at her a few times and said, "Why don't you go and see Mingying?"
Ming Yan pouted: "I'm not a medical cultivator, and I don't know how to cure diseases. What's the use of seeing me? Do you think Patriarch Ming and Madam Shen would let her die?"
Qin Lan sighed softly, rubbed her forehead, and said calmly, "Patriarch Ming has taken your father away."
Ming Yan's heart skipped a beat. She patted her chest and sat down quietly. What was she thinking? Evil lives on forever. Ming Ying wouldn't die so quickly.
She shifted her body, feeling restless. Remembering the talisman she had drawn last time, she was about to tell her mother about it when she poured herself a cup of tea. Mingyan looked at her hand, opened her mouth, and then closed it again. For some reason, she felt that her mother probably didn't know the details of this matter either.
Qin Lan could tell that she had something to say, so she picked up her teacup and blew on it: "Go ahead and say it. Do you think I don't know what kind of person you are? Tell me so you don't do anything stupid again."
This was the first time Mingyan had kept something from her mother, but she wasn't good at lying. After holding it in for a while, she finally blurted out, "I'm going to see how Mingying is doing."
Qin Lan watched her hurried departure with a puzzled look, shook her head helplessly, and felt very worried. This girl was almost old enough to take charge of the household, but she only had a clever face. She always acted without thinking things through. On the other hand, Ming Ying looked obedient and well-behaved, but any one of her eight hundred tricks was probably more cunning than her.
She took a sip of tea and felt relieved. The Ming family was different from her own family. There was no jealousy or scheming in the inner quarters. Apart from Ming Ying, most of them were just a bunch of simpletons. Ming Yan could probably climb to the middle. Alas, it was a pity that the skills and tricks she learned when she was young were completely useless.
——
The room was filled with the scent of herbs. A bluebird tapped on the tree trunk. Mingying's eyelashes trembled, and she finally opened her eyes. She was still a little groggy. She turned her head to look at the lush loquat tree outside the window, but the first thing she saw was Xiao Jingze sitting on the tree. The afternoon sun shone on him, and he was peeling her loquat in his hand.
Xiao Jingze seemed to sense something, raised his eyelids and stared at her without blinking. Mingying's eyes widened. Just then, Shen Ci pushed the door open and came in. She quickly turned her head away, her mind filled with a hundred questions. But when she looked at her mother's attire, she suddenly burst into tears.
Shen Ci helplessly wiped away her tears and chuckled softly, "Why are you crying like a little kitten as soon as you wake up?"
Mingying held her hand, tears still streaming down her face: "Mother... I'm sorry."
Xiao Jingze paused in peeling the loquat. Mingying always had a smiling face, and this was the first time he had seen her cry so hard. Her crying made him feel uneasy. Anyway, he had finished looking at her, so he straightened up and prepared to leave.
Mingying hugged her mother and sobbed, sniffling as she asked, "Did Xiao Jingze bring me here? But why is he sitting in a tree?"
Mingying spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for Xiao Jingze, who was sitting in the tree, to hear, as well as for Mingyan, who was standing at the door with a conflicted expression.
Shen Ci's expression didn't change much. She smiled gently and said, "The Imperial Preceptor and Prince Xiao brought you back together. Since he's here to visit you, please sit down and have some tea."
The four of them sat around the table, with several loquats on a plate. Shen Ci poured a cup of flower tea for each of them. Ming Yan readily thanked him, and Xiao Jingze politely picked up his teacup and thanked him as well.
In front of Mingying was a bowl of medicinal soup. Her eyes were still red, and she was burying her head in her drink with a wrinkled nose. After hearing this, she raised her head slightly and saw that he was sitting upright. She couldn't help but glance at him a few more times.
Shen Ci looked thoughtfully at her daughter, thinking that she also had many questions to ask, so she got up and left the room for the three younger generation to talk.
After Shen Ci walked away, Xiao Jingze lowered his eyes and stared at the tea: "Don't you wear an outer robe?"
Mingying tilted her head. She had just gotten out of bed. Why would she wear an outer robe in her own room?
So she answered directly: "The Ming family doesn't have that many rules. You can wear whatever you want in your own room."
Mingyan, having been repeatedly instructed by her mother, knew a bit about the proper separation between men and women, but she didn't particularly care. There was no difference between the inner garment and the outer robe to her. However, since Xiao Jingze had said so, she got up and casually took one out of Mingying's closet and threw it over: "The Xiao family has many rules, so you can wear it."
Mingying said "Oh," and slowly put on her outer robe. She hadn't finished the bowl of medicine yet, and her mouth was terribly bitter.
She was about to finish the remaining half bowl in one go when Xiao Jingze finally looked up and frowned again: "Why didn't you comb your hair?"
Mingying, holding the medicine bowl, mumbled, "I don't want to comb my hair."
Xiao Jingze originally thought he was one of the few people in the world who didn't follow the rules, but he never expected that there were always people more powerful than him. So what did he mean by those years in the Xiao family?
His expression shifted unpredictably before he compromised, saying, "Then just tie your hair up with a headband; you can't keep it loose all the time."
Mingying covered her mouth and burped, listlessly picking up a peeled loquat from the plate. While chewing, she mumbled, "My hand is injured, so I can't comb my hair."
Mingyan coldly watched her actions: "Anyway, your hair isn't going to fall into the bowl, so it's fine to leave it there."
She would never comb her hair.
Xiao Jingze was silent for a moment. He wanted to say that it was fine, but when he saw Mingying's hair lying loose, he felt that everything was not right. He tapped the table with his fingertips: "Where's your hairband? I'll tie it up for you."
Mingyan pointed to the dressing table and vanity case: "Her hair combing tools are all over there."
Xiao Jingze stepped forward and picked up the hairband from the table; it was the same one he had given her earlier.
After Mingying finished eating a loquat, she noticed he was still not moving. She turned around, looked at him, and leaned on the back of the chair, saying, "It should be quite clean. Do you want some more? If not, you can give it to me."
Mingyan looked over warily: "What are you giving me?"
"The headband, I used it to tie my hand up because I hurt it before."
Mingyan stared at her hands: "What have you been doing again?"
Mingying wiped her mouth and gave a brief account. Mingyan naturally knew about the Five Parties Joint Trial. She originally thought Mingying was just an unlucky person who accidentally bumped into something, but she didn't expect there to be more to the story. She grabbed Mingying's hand and examined it. Aunt Ming was already at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and her healing had left almost no trace. She snorted lightly, "Is this little injury worth all the fuss about?"
Mingying replied with a smile, "If you were here, the formation could be broken very quickly, and then..."
Halfway through her sentence, her lips fell again, and she lowered her head to look at the empty medicine bowl. Xiao Jingze walked over and pressed her forehead without any politeness: "Look up."
He stood behind Mingying, her black hair flowing like cool, smooth silk across his palm. Xiao Jingze's fingers twitched, his gaze passing over the tips of her ears before settling on the exposed skin on the back of her neck. The scent of medicine mingled with a faint fragrance of plum blossoms. He pursed his lips and suddenly felt a little thirsty.
Mingying raised her face with a serious expression: "Young Master Xiao, do you not know how to comb your hair?"
Otherwise, what's the point of all this dawdling?
Xiao Jingze snapped out of his daze, silently gathered her hair together, quickly tied it up with a hairband, and sat back down to drink two cups of tea.
Mingyan stared at Mingying for a while, noticing that she seemed a little crooked, with a few strands of hair still untied.
Mingying hadn't looked in a mirror, so she naturally didn't know what her hair looked like. Neither of the two people on the field reminded her, and she didn't care much. She pushed the bowl aside, finished her medicine, and could now get down to business.
She opened her palm, and celestial fire appeared in it. Mingying pursed her lips and gazed at it, remaining silent for a long time. Everything began when she left Yunchuan to borrow celestial fire from her grandmother. The moon waxed and waned, and everything went awry.
When she refused to become a goddess, Heaven pushed her forward, making her bear the destiny of a goddess. She was willing to take on the responsibility, but then it reminded her that she was just a mortal with a short life. The entire Ming family was keeping it from her; without the life-extending talisman, she could die at any moment.
She sighed, raised her eyes, and both of them looked at the heavenly fire in her hand. Mingying smiled and said, "We can burn the marriage certificate now."
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