Chapter 17 Doesn't Lady Yuantian like it?
However, Jiang Geyun was quite lucky this time.
Cheng Xi's outstretched hand wasn't aimed at the painting on the ground, but at the dagger on the wall behind Jiang Geyun.
The dagger gleamed with a cold light, its quality clearly exceptional, but its sheath was nowhere to be found, and it sat forlornly on the wall.
The painting beneath Jiang Geyun had been secured by this dagger, which is why she was able to pull it down so easily—the securing rope was cut by the dagger with just a little force.
Cheng Xi easily pulled the dagger off the wall. He returned to Jiang Geyun, deftly turned the dagger, and, holding the blade, handed the hilt to her.
Cheng Xi said, "So it turns out that my wife noticed Shou Zhuo. It's really... so easy to come by."
Jiang Geyun frowned and examined the dagger carefully.
The Cheng family crest was originally stamped on the leather sheath of the dagger, but now that it was missing its sheath, she could hardly recognize whether it was Shouzhuo or not.
She didn't know much about swords. Just like it's really hard for someone who isn't a birdwatcher to recognize different kinds of birds, even if she had good observation skills, she wouldn't be able to tell if a blade she hadn't seen many times was a dagger!
Judging from the handle, there seems to be no difference?
Seeing that she didn't move, Cheng Xi called softly, "Wife?"
As if waking from a dream, Jiang Geyun was about to get up and take Shouzhuo's sword, but after thinking about the painting beneath her, she looked up at Cheng Xi and asked, "Where did the scabbard go?"
Cheng Xi remained calm: "If my wife wants it for self-defense, a scabbard will suffice."
Isn't she worried that Cheng Xi, as a member of the Cheng family, would care about losing or damaging his own belongings?
Since the person involved doesn't care, then she doesn't care either.
Jiang Geyun nodded and said, "What you say is true, sir. I was too attached to appearances. Could you please find me something that can be used as a scabbard to temporarily cover my expenses?"
Cheng Xi smiled and said, "Of course."
While Cheng Xi turned around to search among the bookshelves, Jiang Geyun stood up and forcefully rolled up the painting on the ground, making sure it was completely covered.
Cheng Xi quickly found a suitable scabbard. He opened the box in front of Jiang Geyun and asked, "How is it?"
The size seems appropriate, but compared to the previous leather, it's a bit too... conspicuous.
Jiang Geyun asked, "What material is this?"
Cheng Xi said, "The tortoiseshell is probably inlaid with ordinary rubies."
Seeing Jiang Geyun hesitate, he asked with a smile, "Does my wife not like it?"
Jiang Geyun honestly replied, "I can't say whether I like it or not, but as you mentioned before, many things here are from other companies. I'm afraid that if I use them, the original owner will find out. This thing looks quite expensive, so it's hard for me to explain..."
Cheng Xi said, "I see. My lady, there's no need to worry. There are no patterns on it. In my opinion, it's not something from a prominent family."
Jiang Geyun was trying to combine the sheath with Shouzhuo. If it didn't fit, she could refuse. Unexpectedly, Cheng Xi had a good eye and picked out a sheath that fit perfectly at a glance.
She was thinking it would be a pity if it couldn't be used, but upon hearing this, she happily said, "That would be perfect, thank you, my lord."
Cheng Xi said gently, "No need to thank me, I'm just using your help to offer my own."
That's right, this thing belongs to Yunling Manor.
It's only right to compensate for imprisoning innocent people. This resort has tormented her so much, so it's reasonable for her to ask for some compensation for emotional distress!
Jiang Geyun tucked Shouzhuo back into her waistband and put down her outer robe.
The dagger had always been concealed by her clothes, and even now that it was in a different sheath, nothing could be seen.
Not bad, not bad, Jiang Geyun patted her face in satisfaction.
She was happy, and Cheng Xi, looking at her, also seemed happy.
"Ahem," Jiang Geyun cleared her throat and said, "Now that we've found Shouzhuo, let's leave quickly!"
Cheng Xi naturally followed her arrangements.
However, before leaving, Jiang Geyun suddenly smelled a familiar scent. Thinking of her plans, she put the painting in her hand on the shelf and then casually stuffed the other item into her pocket.
It's nothing more than compensation for emotional distress!
*
“Gods, immortals, ghosts, and monsters,” Cheng Xi said, “different schools of thought have different interpretations, but these four are generally accepted categories.”
The journey was smooth, and the two arrived at the mountain god temple.
Inside the temple, just as Jiang Geyun had predicted, was the statue of the "Mountain God".
The same tolerant and kind face, the same dark red markings, the same dazzling array of bat, child, snake and rat stone sculptures.
And similarly—in great numbers.
She had assumed that the center of the temple must contain an even larger statue of the "Mountain God," but to her surprise, there was another statue directly opposite the main entrance, while the "Mountain God statues" appeared on the side, neatly arranged on a specially made shelf.
The cells are stacked neatly and orderly, seemingly reaching towards the heavens.
She then looked at the unfamiliar statue in the center.
The statue's eyes are lowered and covered by a band, making it impossible to see its exact appearance. However, one can vaguely discern that its face has the benevolent look typical of civil official statues, unlike those of martial gods, whose faces are always somewhat ferocious.
Furthermore, compared to the mountain god next to him, this deity's attire was quite simple.
This god is much simpler; he seems less likely to ask believers for money.
Seeing her puzzled by the scene inside the mountain god temple, Cheng Xi explained in a timely manner: "'God' and 'Tao' are synonymous, not just referring to specific people, but closer to a kind of 'spirit' that can manifest in countless forms; 'immortal' generally refers to more specific people and things that have gained supernatural powers."
Of course, this classification cannot affect the way people address each other. For example, when people call someone a "mountain god," the person in question is definitely not a "god" in this world. However, the way people address them will always be a bit exaggerated.
“Then,” Jiang Geyun speculated, following his words, “‘Ghosts’ and ‘monsters’ should be like the Night Watchers and cultivators, they are beings that haven’t become immortals but have some abilities…?”
Cheng Xi nodded: "That's a fair understanding, but... monsters might have a chance to become immortals, but ghosts have a hard time. They've already suffered a death calamity and lost their spiritual energy. Most of them can only become rootless resentment, and they can hardly even have any consciousness."
Jiang Geyun realized: "Evil Shadow?"
Cheng Xi smiled and shook her head, saying, "Close, but not exactly, so these four are the generally accepted major categories."
It's a bit complicated, but thankfully she doesn't need to understand it; knowing the main categories is enough.
“So,” Jiang Geyun turned her gaze back to the colossal statue in the center and asked, “is this a ‘god’?”
Cheng Xi glanced at it, his expression unchanging, and said, "There is such a saying, but some say it is a high-ranking immortal. This one is called 'Yuan Tian Shen Jun' (Lord of Fate), who has many incarnations. He is often mentioned for his ability to perform divination and prediction, which is very accurate. In addition," he chuckled softly, "he also controls fate."
Jiang Geyun nodded and said to the other "mountain god statues": "And these 'mountain gods' are the 'immortals' who have to take a secondary position?"
Cheng Xi clapped his hands and said, "What my wife says is very true."
Jiang Geyun smiled and responded.
The main reason is that Cheng Xi explained it clearly, and combined it with the things in front of her. If it were just explained in the air, it would be difficult for her to understand it instantly.
The system popped up and said: "Since the host already knows, the system will not explain further."
The system is useless as always.
Jiang Geyun replied perfunctorily, "Of course."
The hindsight system has fallen silent.
Perhaps because the target of her pursuit was too far away, the system couldn't push her to do tasks. After entering the territory of Yunling Manor, the frequency of the system's time announcements and urgings decreased, and it would only pop up occasionally when something happened.
Jiang Geyun was happy to see this happen.
In the quiet, she walked up to the mountain god statues and carefully observed the statues and offering tables.
Looking at it this way, I discovered quite a few new things.
The statues still look the same as those in the town at the foot of the mountain, but instead of the usual food or incense burners, the tables are filled with stacks of accordion-fold calligraphy books on plates.
The calligraphy book's cover was made of exquisite wood, the specific material of which Jiang Geyun couldn't identify. The clasp on it was either ivory or some kind of jade, but in any case, it matched the atmosphere of the manor perfectly, giving the impression that it must have cost a lot of money.
She hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at Cheng Xi, who did not stop her.
She reached out and took the calligraphy copybook, slowly unfolding it.
The contents... even included Jiang Yu's name!
In addition to names, there is other information. Skipping over some content that appears to be formatted, the main text is roughly as follows:
"...As Heaven and Earth establish their order, and human relationships begin, though the living and the dead are different, reason and emotion remain the same... Now, there is a young man surnamed Bai who unfortunately died young, before his marriage could take place... A young woman surnamed Jiang, named Yu, also perished in her prime..."
"...We have carefully chosen an auspicious day to respectfully conduct the marriage ceremony in the netherworld, with the betrothal gifts made in accordance with established customs...so that the two souls may have a place to rest in peace, that they may have no sorrow in the netherworld, that their families may live in peace and that their lineage may be blessed with longevity..."
She didn't understand the local culture very well, but she could tell what this thing was.
Wedding invitations for a ghost marriage?
But Jiang Yu is indeed a living person...
Is that really true?
Jiang Geyun suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
She put the calligraphy copybook back in its original place and then selected some other calligraphy copybooks on the altar to look at. The names and reasons on them were all different.
According to the contents of these calligraphy scrolls, everyone in this manor is dead.
...
So Yao Ji really shouldn't have captured her!
From this perspective, the manor lord is long dead, so what does it have to do with her?
That's so unreasonable!
Perhaps seeing that they had arrived at their destination and had already given a good "explanation," Cheng Xi put his hands behind his back and said softly, "Madam Jiang asked me to observe from the sidelines. Now that we have arrived at this mountain god temple, I wonder what Madam Jiang intends to do?"
Upon hearing the question, Jiang Geyun snapped out of her thoughts, her expression calm and composed, showing no sign of panic at being suddenly questioned.
She smiled and said, "It will be soon, my lord. Before that, do me a favor."
After giving her explanation, she put her mask back on, found the most eye-catching spot in the temple, and calmly looked towards the temple gate.
*
At 3:45 PM, Hua Biezhi pushed open the main gate of the mountain god temple.
With the manor lord dead, there should be a successor. Jiang Yu and Gu Xiang have no intention—and probably wouldn't dare to—so this position is rightfully hers.
The temple reeked of decay, filled with the same chaotic fragrance as outside. The estate owner only knew how to squander the estate's wealth; he was a complete...
She's just like the Hua family.
If outsiders or members of the Hua family knew what she was thinking at this moment, they would certainly disagree. Although merchants did not hold a high position in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Hua family was different.
However, Hua Biezhi saw things differently.
When Master Bai saw Hua Biezhi arrive at Yunling Manor in her wedding dress, he was quite surprised. What he didn't know was that Hua Biezhi was bound to come here. The connection between the Hua family and Yunling Manor was much deeper than that between him, the "manor lord".
Thinking of this, Hua Biezhi couldn't help but sneer.
But the scene before her made her slowly withdraw her mocking smile.
The blend of sandalwood, woody, and floral scents creates a slightly intoxicating atmosphere, a scene reminiscent of something found only in dreams.
A veiled girl in white sat on the altar of the main deity, with a huge statue of the Heavenly Lord of Fate behind her, his expression one of compassion. On the girl's lap was a statue of the Mountain God, which she had taken from somewhere in the temple.
The girl in white held the statue of a deity in both hands. Because her face was covered, her expression was unclear, and it was impossible to tell whether she was serious or teasing. The scene was strange yet sacred. The girl seemed to be both willful because she did not believe in the gods, and also as if she was favored by the gods and therefore acted as she pleased.
Before the flower branch opened the door, the girl in white must have been bowing her head and gazing at the statue of the deity.
Hearing the temple gate open, the girl in white looked up and met Hua Biezhi's gaze.
Jiang Geyun smiled and said, "Zhi Niang."
A note from the author:
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Ugh, I'm sadly missing a turn, but don't worry, I'll still be updating as usual!
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Wedding invitations are just cobbled together from various sources and written randomly; they're meant to create an atmosphere, so don't take them too seriously.
Also, I searched for ages for a two-character allusion that could express the meaning of "stealing the beams and replacing the pillars" or "a cat replacing the prince" to use as the chapter title, but I couldn't find one. How annoying!
I'm unfortunately sick again (it's nothing serious), and I'm so worried about running out of drafts. I'll try my best to get better soon!!
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