the truth
After everyone left, the ice chamber was completely silent. It seemed as if water droplets were constantly dripping from the walls, accompanied by the howling sound of the wind breaking through the walls, like a mournful lament.
Xie Lingxi followed the trail to a corner and came across a low cabinet with fine lacquer carvings. These lacquerware items were favored by high-ranking officials and nobles, and were decorated with flowers, birds, butterflies, peacocks, and scrolls. She had quite a few of them in her home.
Therefore, the owner of this ice room must be either very rich or very powerful.
After thinking about it, she reached out and groped around, but apart from her hands being covered in dust and filth, she didn't touch anything like a door crack or a mechanism.
Is there no way out here?
But she could tell from the sound that the doctor must have left from somewhere nearby.
Since Xie Lingxi woke up, she had not heard any unusual sounds or movements. Even when the doctor left just now, there was no sound at all. It was so seamless that it was simply terrifying.
She was trapped there, unaware of what time it was. There were no flowers or trees around her, and the lively people and scenes, such as birdsong, storytelling in teahouses, and shouts from neighbors, were all estranged from her.
Xie Lingxi thought of Liu Xu again. Although she hoped that this man would come to find her and rescue her from the dark room, Xie Lingxi knew that the situation outside was probably very bad. Liu Xu was already struggling to take care of himself and had no time to care about her.
If everything repeats itself, the Wave Terrace will surely collapse.
She was unaware that the man who had captured her and was being treated so well intended to use her to coerce her father into doing something sordid. But she was determined to fight for her own way out, to not be a caged bird.
She checked the area repeatedly, turning over each drawer in the low cabinet, and found a jade Pixiu the size of a sugar pill, which she then hid in her sleeve without a second thought.
Just as she lay prostrate on the ground trying to hear some noise, a faint, almost imperceptible breeze brushed past her ears. Xie Lingxi had a sudden inspiration and tapped the wooden board beneath her, which indeed produced a crisp sound.
The bottom part is hollow.
There must be some kind of mechanical manipulation here that could move the board away and make the figure disappear into thin air.
Xie Lingxi searched the room thoroughly but found nothing suspicious. However, there were several paintings hanging on the wall, but since they were not visible, he could not know their significance.
She searched the small area of wall hidden by the painting, but to no avail. Then, she inadvertently tripped over the long, hanging scroll and instinctively reached out to grab it—
"ah."
Suddenly, her feet lost their footing, and like a bird losing its wings, Xie Lingxi's body fell uncontrollably downwards, her short gasp of surprise cut short in her throat.
Beneath the dark room lay another dark room. After falling, she rolled several times before finally finding herself stuck against something, unable to move.
The smell of blood suddenly filled my nasal cavity.
Xie Lingxi's arm stiffened, and when she raised her hand, she touched the body of a dead man. The corpse was dressed in rags, and the flesh on its chest was shattered and mangled by the whip.
At this moment, her blindness became her refuge. The place was filled with white bones, and Xie Lingxi always felt that there were wronged souls floating in mid-air, silently observing her.
She accidentally kicked a head covered in blood.
The sound startled some lone geese—"Who's there!"
As the guards' footsteps drew closer, Xie Lingxi moved backward slowly like a ghost. The next moment, a bloody hand covered her mouth, and she fell to the side.
"Oh, it's a mouse."
The two sword-wielding guards quickly surveyed the pile of corpses before returning to their respective rooms, leaning against the wall, and falling asleep.
Xie Lingxi ripped off the tattered, blood-stained clothes covering her body, subdued the intruder, and whispered, "Who are you?"
The man replied, "Tan Shijun."
"Lord Tan?"
Xie Lingxi recognized his voice and loosened her grip on his neck. "Why is my lord here?"
Whether due to injury or something else, Tan Shijun's voice was weak, yet his words were clear and forceful. He pleaded, "My lady, please call me Tan Shijun."
"Alright, Brother Shijun, do you know where this place is?"
This man's request is certainly strange, but if we want to get out, we'll need his help.
Tan Shijun then changed the subject: "Madam Xie, you are always so straightforward."
Xie Lingxi: "What?"
She never expected that in this treacherous dungeon, she would be taught about human kindness and courtesy by a man more than ten years her senior who seemed to be of unyielding character.
"'Who are you?' 'Where is this?' 'Why are you here?'—Madam Xie, it's not that I want to criticize you, but it's not always appropriate to greet others with such a strong sense of purpose."
Xie Lingxi: "Huh?"
Tan Shijun wiped the blood off his face and said seriously, “‘How are you feeling?’ ‘Are you doing well?’ ‘Are you hurt?’ These three questions are full of warmth and should be said often.”
"For example, if your husband were here now, would you also coldly interrogate him with those first three questions?"
Not really.
Xie Lingxi recalled the days after she and Liu Xu fell into the river together, and how she received numerous words of concern and comfort, all of which she spoke with great anxiety.
For example... on the bed, "Ah Xu, does your back still hurt? How are you feeling? Where did you hurt yourself?"
"..."
"Wait a minute," Xie Lingxi said, coming back to his senses, "Brother Shijun, are you lecturing me?"
Tan Shijun waved his hand: "No."
He offered no explanation, but instead answered the previous question, "Thank you, Madam. I came here with you."
"Follow me?"
Xie Lingxi wondered if Cui Yu's drugging and kidnapping of her was also part of Tan Shijun's scheme.
"Yes and no. I originally wanted to find his lair, but now I realize that I was too inexperienced. That person deliberately led me here to see these skeletons and to make me realize that I am nothing more than an ant."
"Ants?"
Xie Lingxi scoffed, "So what if they're ants? Even the sturdiest house is eventually eaten away by ants. Of course, that's a harsh way of putting it. Brother Shijun, have you found out anything about that person or about this matter?"
Tan Shijun shook his head and led Xie Lingxi forward. "There are no land deeds, letters, seals, or anything like that. His identity is impossible to determine."
"The grain reserves in Jingzhou have run out. The mountain bandits have not been quelled, and floods have struck again. The people are unable to make a living. If this continues, the Jingchu region will be doomed."
Xie Lingxi understood, "Ling Shuang has already reported this matter to the Emperor, and the new disaster relief funds and supplies are already on their way."
"As for the corruption case..."
Selfishly speaking, Xie Lingxi did not want the Emperor to notice the case immediately. With everything still shrouded in mystery, she worried that the matter would implicate the Xie family and punish her father, just like in her previous life.
She then fell silent.
Tan Shijun watched her from the side and noticed that the woman's hair was wet, as if she had been caught in a heavy rain.
Now there was indeed a living person beside her looking her over, but that gaze was sharp and clear, like a pool of clear water.
Xie Lingxi, recalling the unfinished matter at the Guanyin Temple, asked, "May I hear your story?"
"Alright, let's just use this to pass the time."
Time seemed to stand still in the private prison, oblivious to the changing seasons. A few drops of ice would often melt and fall from above their heads, their hearts burning like candlelight as they toiled alone through the night.
"Once upon a time, there was a man named Tan Shuo. The 'Shuo' in 'strong and robust' means that he followed the emperor in the eastern expedition. Because of his bravery and skill in battle, he made great contributions and his official rank rose higher and higher... until the order came down from above, asking him to be the governor of a prefecture."
"He has parents and a wife, all of whom are kind and generous people. He also has many relatives, all of whom are reasonable and virtuous."
Xie Lingxi commented, "It sounds like this person's life must be very fulfilling and happy."
“Yes,” Tan Shijun chuckled, “but one day, he befriended a wicked man.”
“That wicked and wicked man was jealous of everything he had, and for no reason, he drugged him. The drug could drive a person to lose their mind and become violent and out of control.”
"then--"
At this point, Tan Shijun paused, seemingly reluctant to continue.
After a moment of silence, Xie Lingxi continued, "So, on the eve of his departure to take up his post as governor, he went mad, drove his wife to her death, and injured several elders in his family. From then on, his son fled and disappeared without a trace."
“That wicked man is me.”
Tan Shijun looked wistful. "Madam Xie, you probably never imagined that someone as seemingly pure and upright as me would have such a sinister past."
Although Xie Lingxi was blind, her mind was not. She could tell whether others were lying or not, so she replied:
"This story does sound fascinating and legendary, but it's not true."
She continued, "A wicked person thus usurped the position of governor of Tanshuo, and actually repented and became a good official who cared about the country and its people. Such irony is truly heartbreaking to hear."
Xie Lingxi suddenly gripped Tan Shijun's hand tightly, saying each word slowly and deliberately, "You are the real 'Tan Shuo'."
...
“Oh, thank you, Madam Xie,” after a moment of deathly silence, Tan Shijun smiled gently, “Please call me Tan Shijun.”
Things turned out exactly as Xie Lingxi had imagined, but the other version of the "truth" was even more bizarre and unbelievable, causing one's heart to break.
For example, the reason why Tan Shuo was named "Shuo" was not because he was born strong and powerful, but because he was born weak and frail. Therefore, his name expressed his parents' high expectations for their son.
The so-called "joining the army" was actually a case of someone stealing Tan Shuo's name and exam papers to obtain an official position, only to discard it like worn-out shoes due to greed.
Tan Shijun's hard-earned academic achievements were abandoned by this scoundrel, who went to the battlefield where the war was just ending to engage in speculation and steal others' military merits, thus becoming a phoenix in one fell swoop.
When their secret was discovered, they ruthlessly killed him, disregarding blood ties and family ties.
How did he die?
Tan Shijun sighed, "It's laughable. He enjoys wealth and honor, yet he can't bear to part with even a little bit for his wife. That woman bought a jar of fake wine that day, and after he finished killing someone, he drank it, his neck stiffened, and he died."
"Later, a dispute broke out, and the woman went to great lengths to get rid of the treasures he left behind."
I see.
Xie Lingxi nodded.
But then he felt the person he was holding stiffen.
A blinding white light flashed before my eyes, like a dream.
The wound on Tan Shijun's chest, which he had been pressing down on for a long time, began to bleed, staining his clothes, which had been washed so much that their original color was no longer visible, red like a large red peony suddenly blooming.
Behind me came a flurry of hurried footsteps—
"call out!"
An arrow pierced his back and emerged from the flower blooming in his chest, its tip gleaming like silver moonlight.
At the same time, Xie Lingxi was shoved hard and stumbled forward.
The moment his head slammed heavily against the ground, the stone door behind him slammed shut, and a hoarse, heart-wrenching voice—
"In this world, who in this world does not know you!"
...
That mournful cry was like a thunderclap, making Xie Lingxi dizzy and disoriented. Her thin back trembled uncontrollably, and she lay on the ground unable to move.
In her arms lay the thousand-character book that Tan Shijun had just given her in the blink of an eye. It was full of wrinkles, and dark ink stains mixed with blood trickled out.
"Ugh—!"
In an instant, it felt as if her heart was being devoured by thousands of ants. Xie Lingxi pounded her chest heavily and unexpectedly spat out a mouthful of blood.
The scenery before her gradually cleared, and the shadowy rooftops and wild grass swirled menacingly above her head, spitting out a long, forked tongue that seemed to spew fire without warning.
Xie Lingxi's eyes were terribly red. She covered her face, which was ravaged by the wind and sand, revealing only one eye with bloodshot red and purple veins. She crawled and rolled, scrambling over stones and tough grass, to climb out of the slope.
Upon finally reaching the ground, I was accidentally kicked by a child playing with a shuttlecock. The child didn't even bother to apologize; the street was teeming with people.
"Run! The flood is coming!"
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