Chapter 52 Opening the Window, He Saw Her Hair Intertwined
The night was deep. If you walked a little further and looked back, you would find that everything in the distance had been swallowed by the silent darkness. Ordinary lamps could only illuminate a very limited area, far less than the one in Jiang Geyun's hand.
That's for sure.
She lit this lamp with her natal fire. Although the effect was not as good as using her natal fire directly, it was still better than ordinary lamps. In addition to being much brighter, it also had a bit of the effect of warding off evil spirits.
Jiang Geyun picked up the lamp and looked at the group of buildings in front of her.
On one side was an official post station, with two lamps hanging on either side of the door. The word "post station" was faintly visible on the lampshades. The door was tightly closed, and the stone walls surrounded it completely, so not a trace of the interior could be seen.
On the other side, opposite the post station, was a privately run inn. It had an old cloth banner hanging over its door, and three or five lanterns of different sizes and brightness hung in front of it. Through the windows, one could vaguely see figures moving about and hear laughter and conversation. It had a more lively atmosphere than the official post station.
Jiang Geyun recalled that, in principle, official post stations did not receive ordinary people without official business. Strictly speaking, post stations should be considered official guesthouses rather than hotels.
Thinking of this, she suddenly frowned slightly.
She didn't ask Cheng Xi whether he held an official position.
I think there probably is.
Otherwise, why would the attendant report that "we have arrived at the post station" instead of "we have arrived at the inn"?
Jiang Geyun held the wooden handle of the lantern and looked back sideways in the middle of the road.
With a hint of inquiry in her eyes, she asked, "Young master... are you going to the post station?"
Cheng Xi stepped forward, walked to her side, and took the lantern from her hand. He gazed at the candlelight inside and replied gently, "Is my wife worried about the heroes?"
Jiang Geyun paused.
Her first concern was naturally Cheng Xi.
Based on her understanding, Cheng Xi didn't seem to hold any official position, so she didn't understand why the servant announced that they had "arrived at the post station."
Of course, it can also be understood that the "inn" is a landmark building here, and even if you can't stay there, you subconsciously use this term to represent that you have arrived at your destination. She doesn't really need to care too much about this misunderstanding.
But for some inexplicable reason, she cared a lot about it.
She couldn't understand why; she felt as if her heart was shrouded in dark clouds, and she couldn't breathe unless she found out the reason.
Jiang Geyun nodded and said, "You gentlemen are probably temporarily employed by the young master. If you do not have proof, you may not be able to stay at the official post station."
Cheng Xi nodded and said, "That's right. I'm afraid the servants will be the same; they'll have to stay separately from us tonight."
"Us"?
Cheng Xi's gaze shifted to Jiang Geyun's waist, and he said with a smile in a low voice, "I haven't congratulated you yet, my wife, on your extraordinary adventure."
He recognized the jade plaque from Xuandujian.
That's not surprising; he had seen it up close at Yunshui Temple before.
However... being suddenly reminded that she was already the Night Watcher made her a little embarrassed.
She had been chatting with him a lot in the sedan chair, but in the end, she forgot to tell him this important matter. It wasn't until he brought it up that she realized it, making it seem as if she had deliberately concealed it.
The vague and unclear doubts vanished instantly.
Jiang Geyun immediately said, "We'll discuss this later. It's getting late, let's rest first!"
Cheng Xi was always easy to talk to, and at this moment he was even more "compliant," nodding in agreement and whispering a few words to the leading attendant.
The servant accepted the order and led the rest of the group towards the inn.
Only Jiang Geyun and Cheng Xi remained, and they pushed open the door of the post station.
The main hall of the post station was quite spacious, but in other words, it wasn't very lively and felt rather chilly even in midsummer.
Upon seeing the two men enter, the postmaster in the hall greeted them, bowing and saying, "Gentlemen, do you have any official documents or warrants for us to examine?"
Cheng Xi took out the document from his pocket and handed it to the postmaster.
The postmaster took it, examined it carefully, and then respectfully handed it back. "So this is Scholar Cheng. And this gentleman is..."
Jiang Geyun watched the two exchange and suddenly realized what was going on.
Cheng Xi should be a candidate for the imperial examination. Although he has passed the examination, he is temporarily unable to take up his post due to health reasons. Even so, as a scholar, he is still able to stay at the post station temporarily.
Jiang Geyun completely put her doubts to rest.
She removed the jade pendant, revealing her name, and said, "I am on official business and passing through this place. I need to rest for the night."
The postmaster was startled.
The fact that the girl could utter the name Xuandujian indirectly proved her identity. After all, given the mysterious nature of Xuandujian, no matter who wanted to impersonate her, they could never do so.
However, she still accepted the jade pendant from Jiang Geyun with both hands, returned to the stage to examine it carefully, and returned it after confirming that it was correct.
The postmaster said, "Please come in, both of you."
After saying this, she called over the courier and led the two to the guest room.
At the door of the guest room, the postmaster said to the two men, "There is hot water in the stove at any time. If you need food, you can ask the kitchen to prepare something light later. If you need anything at night, just call the postman on duty."
After saying this, the postmaster bowed and was about to turn around.
Seeing that the innkeeper was about to leave after giving his instructions, Jiang Geyun stopped her and said, "Would you mind sending this lantern to the inn across the street, innkeeper?"
Jiang Geyun came with a mission.
Lianzhou has not been so peaceful lately.
The postmaster took the lantern and handed it to the postman beside him, who then left to carry out his orders.
Just as Jiang Geyun was about to turn to Cheng Xi and say goodnight to him, she saw that the postmaster had not left, but instead seemed to want to say something to Jiang Geyun but hesitated.
Seeing the postmaster's expression, Jiang Geyun guessed what she wanted to say.
Without hesitation, Jiang Geyun opened the door in front of her and said to Cheng Xi, "My lord, go and rest first."
Cheng Xi gave her a deep look, smiled and agreed, then went into the room.
After the door closed, Jiang Geyun gestured for the postmaster to follow her a little further away before asking, "What do you want to ask, postmaster?"
The postmaster had initially thought Jiang Geyun wasn't going to talk to him, but upon hearing this, he realized that Jiang Geyun had no such intention and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Lord Jiang, did the Night Envoy come to Lianzhou because that thing has reappeared?"
The postmaster looked very nervous.
Jiang Geyun wanted to comfort her and said no.
But the answer is—yes.
Several murder cases have occurred in Lianzhou recently, with highly similar circumstances.
The victims all claimed to have seen a strange figure, a silent woman in white with disheveled hair whose face was not visible. Then, the victims would say that the strange figure was getting closer and closer, and the victims gradually became terrified, anxious and exhausted.
Finally, regardless of the victim's original personality, age, or gender, they all exhibited the same mental state: disheveled, silent, always going to high places, and finally, on the seventh day after seeing the strange figure—bang.
He fell from a height and died on the spot.
When the strange occurrences first appeared at Yunshui Temple, before anyone had lost their lives, Zhaoye Shi rushed to the temple. This was because Su Guang and Abbot You had foreseen the event, and the abbot had a way to quickly contact the capital, allowing Xuandu Jian to make preparations in advance.
Normally, when such things happen, it's only after some misfortune has occurred and local officials are helpless and unable to suppress the situation that the case is reported to the prison.
After receiving the mission from Zheng Yi, Jiang Geyun stopped her training and came to Lianzhou.
The reason for this strange occurrence is still unclear.
According to the analysis of the surveying and investigation personnel, knowing about this matter means there is a possibility of being "infected". Then, if one is in Lianzhou, the possibility will increase even more. With various other factors, until the conditions are met - the blurry figure begins to appear in sight.
The specific reason is still unclear. Even disregarding the issue of confidentiality, in order to protect the postmaster, Jiang Geyun could not tell her the whole story directly.
After a moment's thought, Jiang Geyun said, "Now that I'm here, the postmaster doesn't need to worry. Just let me know if anything seems amiss."
Judging from the postmaster's expression, there was still an unshakeable worry.
Jiang Geyun can understand.
Xuan Du Jian is one thing, but the Zhen Yi Si (镇异司) is what it is; coming here is never a good thing.
The worried postmaster bowed to her one last time and withdrew.
Jiang Geyun was left alone in the corridor for a moment.
The lantern had been sent out, and the surroundings were much dimmer. She gently closed her eyes and felt the flickering light.
Everything is normal, and the area should be safe.
She opened her eyes, yawned slightly, found an empty guest room, and pushed open the door to go inside.
On her way here, she had also thought about how the evil spirits in this incident were formed.
Jiang Geyun took off her outer garment and casually hung it aside.
As she had previously understood, the birth of an evil spirit must be accompanied by a great injustice. As far as she knew, there was a filthy shadow, an evil spirit, and even the floating ghosts in this place were so ferocious... Lianzhou was probably not very clean.
It's unavoidable that officials aren't so easy to keep clean.
However, the rules of the gods are not as easily corrupted as those of the human world.
Those who seek the "Tao" and persevere in upholding it will possess special abilities and the possibility of becoming gods or immortals; conversely, those who deviate from the original "Tao" will easily fall from their position and lose everything they have gained.
In other words, the so-called "becoming an immortal" in this world is not a carefree existence, nor does it bring good fortune like being remembered for generations or having one's entire family and friends ascend to heaven.
They did not seize power, but became part of it, thus elevating themselves from ephemeral beings to eternal rules. In other words, this world encourages beings to come from disorder and change and go to something unchanging.
As for Xuandujian, the Night Watchers use blood to "exchange" in a logical way that is easy to understand and grasp—blood is used as a catalyst to obtain special abilities, and once the magic is seen to be effective, it becomes easier to embark on this path.
Moreover, what in the world is more in line with the principle of "exchange" than "goods for the emperor"?
Demons and ghosts possess special abilities for the same reason: immense grievances, desires, and obsessions...
What exactly turned the demon in this mission into a demon?
If we can find out their obsession and eliminate it at its root, that would be the best outcome, saving us from having to fight each other again.
As Jiang Geyun pondered, she was about to remove the hairpin.
Suddenly, looking out the window into the deep darkness of the night, her vision caught—
A figure in white appeared.
Her hair was disheveled, she stood silently, her face indistinct.
Almost as soon as the figure appeared, Jiang Geyun rushed towards it without hesitation!
The figure seemed startled by her sudden attack and paused for a moment.
Then, the figure in white turned and fled, flitting between the eaves.
Jiang Geyun is no longer the Jiang Geyun who just arrived. Having undergone hellish training, she has plenty of strength. A faint light flashed on the back of her hand, and golden flames suddenly appeared in the night, following closely beside her and chasing after her, gradually closing the distance!
After chasing each other under the eaves for a while, the white-clad figure, in a panic, stumbled back into a room.
The windows of that room were tightly closed.
For the figure in white, entering without opening the door was possible, but not for Jiang Geyun.
She frowned slightly.
Considering that the figure in white might endanger others, she no longer hesitated!
Jiang Geyun turned to the side and, with a little force, crashed into the room!
She had just smashed open the window when, unexpectedly, she bumped into a solid person. Both of them lost their balance, and before she could react, they had fallen down inside the room, right under the window.
With the person who was bumped into as a cushion, Jiang Geyun didn't feel any pain from the fall. However, the unexpected development disrupted her original rhythm, and she couldn't help but let out a soft "hiss".
The pale moonlight streamed into the room, casting a dim glow on the two intertwined figures, like a dark and ambiguous collage.
Their bodies inevitably pressed tightly together, and for some reason, Jiang Geyun felt a sense of familiarity. Through the thin summer clothes, she could almost clearly feel the outline and temperature of the other's body. Beneath the coolness, there was a gushing heat.
Their breathing became rapid due to the sudden change in events.
The golden flame realized something before Jiang Geyun did, and instead of continuing to pursue and investigate, it stopped on the spot, like an ordinary candle that would float in mid-air.
Jiang Geyun propped herself up from the side of the man's neck.
She rubbed her elbow, feeling incredibly embarrassed, and pondered how to explain herself.
Before she stood up, she heard a very familiar, refined voice:
"...My wife?"
Jiang Geyun stood there stunned for a long time.
After mentally preparing herself, she slowly lowered her head.
Like her, Cheng Xi had already taken off her outer garment, her black hair falling to the ground and intertwining with hers. The two had different shades of hair, densely intertwined, and she could still tell which strand was hers.
...Although now is not the time for that.
Cheng Xi looked up and stared at her intently, her gaze filled with pure doubt, but deep down, there was a faint smile.
Jiang Geyun did not respond, so he called out again, "Wife."
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Author's Note: Let's thank Miss Ghost for her help! (?)
I'm late, so sorry! [crying emoji] I'm getting more and more of a corporate slave lately, with so many trivial things to do. I'm so sorry!
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