Chapter 40. Then the wedding hall faded in color, and then...
"Does Chi Wan want to marry me?" His voice was low, carrying a hint of seduction. It sounded like a casual question, but his eyes, filled with an inscrutable affection, were fixed on her, as if he genuinely wanted an answer.
Meng Chiwan was stunned for a moment, but the question had already been asked and it was not easy to take it back.
It was only at this point that she realized with a start that she had never thought about what the future would hold. In her mind, marriage seemed to be an option that was never even on the table.
All she knew was that she loved peaceful, uneventful days, and she loved having Yun Xianqing by her side. So, marriage… it turned out there was another way.
Once they're married, will Yun Xianqing stay? Will they be able to stay together forever? Can this ever-improving life continue indefinitely?
She was completely dazed, as if a veil had been drawn over her mind, and she was struggling in this sea of veils when she finally grasped at a straw.
After a long pause, she smiled and said, "I want to. But not to get married, I want to be with you."
Ever since she realized her own feelings, she has always been straightforward and direct. She doesn't like making others guess her meaning, nor does she want Yun Xianqing to be left in the dark.
She likes him. Then she should like him openly and honestly. Liking someone isn't something shameful, so why hide it?
Yun Xianqing's eyebrows were now curved in a smile, and all kinds of joy flowed from her eyes. Her long, thick eyelashes fell to the sides of her eyes, outlining a gentle arc: "After we get married, may I often transfer spiritual energy to Chi Wan?"
Meng Chiwan lowered her head.
Yun Xianqing smiled again, his dark eyes concealing some unknown thoughts. His voice was soft, yet coaxing and matter-of-fact: "Chi Wan doesn't want to answer me. Is it because she doesn't understand or doesn't want to understand? Then let me be more direct... Chi Wan, may I kiss you? And..."
Meng Chiwan also thought of what had just happened, and her cheeks flushed red. She wanted to cover Yun Xianqing's lips, but her hands were tied up. Helpless, she could only turn her head and use her lips to reply to his words, and then her voice became low: "Is the ceremony really a wedding?"
As Yun Xianqing gazed at the blush that had settled on her cheeks because of him, his heart softened involuntarily, as if it were woven from cotton.
He returned the kiss, still with that same curved eyebrow look, but now he seemed a little more satisfied, and then said in a low voice, "It's fake."
The blush on Meng Chiwan's face hadn't faded yet: "...What is that?"
So he went through all that trouble to lie to her just to get her answer?
She was speechless for a moment.
Yun Xianqing said calmly, "It's a ritual that takes their own lives."
His words were so incoherent that Meng Chiwan didn't quite understand them at first.
Seeing that she was still confused, her eyes blinking, looking as obedient and well-behaved as could be, Yun Xianqing's smile deepened, and he finally spoke with a serious tone: "Chi Wan will know when the time comes. I'm rather looking forward to seeing how these people will dress Chi Wan up."
Meng Chiwan: "...When did you start liking riddles?"
Even though she said that, Yun Xianqing only said, "Follow your heart, be free from the constraints of Yin and Yang, and everything will be perfect. Just remember, Chi Wan, never give away anything you own."
Meng Chiwan was even more puzzled.
Fortunately, judging from Yun Xianqing's current appearance, she shouldn't be in too much danger, so she unconsciously relaxed and chatted with Yun Xianqing casually.
Yun Xianqing usually answers all her questions, but sometimes his answers leave her completely baffled.
Wen Liansong, who was walking at the very front, would occasionally look back. It was unclear whether she was worried about her or about Yun Xianqing.
She had been walking for quite some time, but had not yet reached her destination. Since she could no longer see her surroundings clearly, she simply gave up and stopped looking around, focusing instead on walking.
One step, two steps. With the same steps, without the same steps. Step to the left first, step to the right first. Small strides, small shuffles, walking more and more hurriedly... then slowing down to wait for Yun Xianqing.
It was incredibly boring. There was no immediate danger, and she didn't seem to want to run away, so the people around her gradually relaxed their vigilance.
Only Yun Xianqing kept looking at her, her eyes full of serious appreciation. However, because she was so engrossed in her own world, she didn't see Yun Xianqing's reaction.
She had no idea that love could change a person beyond recognition, and that happiness could make even the most mundane thing seem utterly boring.
Perhaps even a moment of bliss is wonderful.
But everything came to an end when they arrived at their destination and saw two familiar faces. That blissful moment was almost instantly taken away.
A wedding hall, large and empty, with red lanterns and tassels hanging high. Someone stood at the door waiting for her. Sunlight slanted down.
"Little Chi Wan, your mother has prepared everything for you. Come here."
A wooden table stands to one side in front of the door, with paper and inkstone neatly arranged on it.
The person smiled, their eyes holding a tender warmth that had been absent for so long. It wasn't raining that day; it was a bright, sunny day, and it seemed as if a ray of sunlight was shining on Mother's face.
It's been so many years... It really has been so long.
Meng Chiwan couldn't hear anything for a moment. She looked at that face that was so familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar, and her eyes fell on her mother's hand, where the hairpin lay in her palm.
That year, she said she wanted to study and write, and practice drawing talismans, and that's the one her mother gave her.
What happened to that hairpin afterward? The huge shock made her mind go blank for a moment.
She remembered that the year after her mother passed away, Ma Jianshan had broken the sword and thrown it into the river.
Thinking of this, she suddenly came to her senses. Qiu Hao had long since rotted into mud in the water; this was the Immortal Demon Realm, not the revolving lantern she had seen before her death.
"Mother is probably a fake." She sighed. But that was all she sighed. Because little Chi Wan had grown up; now she was Meng Chi Wan, a woman who had come to where she was today from nothing.
She remembered Wen Liansong saying that there was still one thing missing. Could that thing be Qiuhao?
When you are confused, you need to find a way to resolve it.
She murmured slowly, her voice tinged with disbelief, as she approached step by step: "Mother..."
Although it was feigned surprise, seeing that face again was impossible to remain unmoved. That cry of "Mother" seemed to instantly overlap with the roar she had heard on the mountain when she was seven years old, causing her to momentarily lose herself in a daze.
After all, she's my mother.
Mother, I can now draw lightning-summoning talismans, and I won't lose control anymore. My health has also improved, and I no longer need Mother to ask for medicine for me.
She thought silently to herself. She looked at her mother's face, but uttered no sound. Because she knew this wasn't her mother.
"Little Chi Wan. May I ask you a question?" The warmth on her face grew stronger.
Meng Chiwan was silent for a moment, then said, "...Mother asked."
"Little Chi Wan, your mother's question is, if you had a choice, would you be willing to trade your life for your mother's?"
"I……"
"Little Chi Wan, shall your mother teach you to write?"
"Write what?"
“I am willing to write about Xiao Chiwan.”
"Mother" grabbed her hand.
Meng Chiwan said, word by word, "But I don't want to."
Why are you unwilling?
“If Mother asks me, my answer will only be no. But if I could really go back to that year, I would show her with my actions that I am willing. Little Chi Wan was not grown up then, but now Chi Wan has grown up and knows that the past cannot be changed.” Meng Chi Wan’s voice was soft, but there was no hesitation on her face. A few strands of hair fell on her face, and her small face was full of determination.
“Mother, do you still remember my full name?” she asked.
"Little Chi Wan, why are you asking me this question?"
“Mother… what you want isn’t ‘willing,’ but my name, right?” She sighed, her tone tinged with regret.
She took a few steps closer and looked at the note on the table.
Large swaths of ink spread across the paper, blurring the writing and leaving only the name.
All that's left is for her to sign.
As for what will happen after the signing, she doesn't know yet, and can only deduce a few things from Yun Xianqing and Wen Liansong's words.
Mother remained silent.
So her gaze returned to the wedding hall behind "Mother". She wondered if it was just her imagination, but the vermilion decorations seemed to have a faint hint of white showing through them. The paper-cut characters for "double happiness" and "mourning" kept changing, and the wedding hall didn't seem like a wedding hall at all.
But when she looked over again, it was just an ordinary wedding hall.
"Mother" stood to one side, the same hairpin still in her palm. Behind her, there was no one, only the wedding hall.
Meng Chiwan took the brush. There was no one beside her either.
"Can you sign it correctly?" It was unclear who she was speaking to, but she picked up her pen, and the tip of the brush slowly fell.
Meng Chiwan. The three characters leap off the page.
Then the wedding hall lost its color and was covered in a scene of desolation. The funeral banners fluttered, and new snow fell.
Her dress fluttered, her hair swayed. She raised her eyes in the wind and snow.
The mourning hall stretched endlessly, ending at a massive tower with countless stories, seemingly hanging in the sky and connecting with the distant land.
The figure of "Mother" disappeared.
Something was blown by the wind and hit her cheek. She looked down and realized that she had a soul-guiding banner in her hand.
The white light of death was blinding, and she turned to look.
Thousands of souls were behind her, their faces ashen.
"Get closer to it and climb up." Wen Liansong appeared out of nowhere, her face as pale as frost.
She stood still, looking back at the tower. Then she took a step forward.
"Can we go?" she asked the air again, but there was no response.
The soul-guiding banner fluttered towards the sky, its spirit banners swaying freely in the howling wind.
Closer. One step, two steps...
Something seemed to light up on my body.
She looked down and saw the glass lamp emerge from within her body, flickering on and off.
It is a life-saving lamp.
She immediately remembered what Lin Yudong had once said: "I hope... that lamp will never be lit."
She gazed at the flickering flame of the life-saving lamp.
In the end, he still failed to live up to Lin Yudong's good intentions.
It lit up. Is it a good thing or a bad thing?
The closer she got to the tower, the brighter the life-saving lamp within her seemed to shine. It was as if telling her to come closer, even closer.
She walked forward. A sense of unease finally crept into her heart, and she couldn't help but think of Yun Xianqing.
He said that if you follow your heart and are free from the constraints of Yin and Yang, everything will turn out well.
So she wrote her name down and came here.
The tower remains in the distance, and the road ahead is still long.
Author's Note: This chapter continues the storyline... Let me calculate how much longer the synopsis section will last...
I haven't updated for the past few days because I've been addicted to games (actually, I've been lacking inspiration, hahaha), I'm reflecting on that! [Hands clasped in prayer]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com