Chapter 57 The Female Official's Old Items: The True Interlocking Fingers
Jiang Yuzhi sat up from the recliner, solemnly held Diting's head in her hands, and looked at herself. "Listen to me, the most important thing now is for you to ask Chichi how it came out of the Mountain and Sea Realm. Only you can understand what it is saying, understand?"
Di Ting was secretly delighted. See, it was the only thing that could help Zhi Zhi.
It hummed modestly through its nose.
After eating and drinking together for quite some time, it's finally gotten to the point where someone can understand it, "Baa baa baa, baa baa, baa..."
A long string of bleating sounds, making their mouths dry.
The mischievous Di Ting didn't tell Chi Chi the origin of the story; it only needed to listen to what Chi Chi was thinking to know its origin.
Ignoring these little whims, Di Ting is still quite reliable when it comes to serious matters. Clearing its throat, it quickly organized the story of the delicious food in its mind: "It said that it had just finished receiving offerings from the mortals at the foot of the mountain and wanted to go back to the mountain for a nap. On the way, it encountered a rare herb that smelled delicious. After taking a bite, it found itself standing on an unfamiliar mountain, looking this frail."
“There are no mortals here to worship it, so it’s always hungry. There are only rabbits and foxes on the mountain, not even enough to fill its teeth.” Di Ting’s mouth twitched. “Just how big are the gaps between Taotie’s teeth?”
Chichi pouted unconvinced, thinking, "If there were offerings to eat, who would want to gnaw on those unpalatable wild beasts?"
"...Is that mountain alright?" Jiang Yuzhi was really afraid that the food would eat the mountain bare, as most of the people living at the foot of the mountain depended on it for their livelihood.
"Meow meow meow..."
"It says it's not bald, but it gets struck by lightning, which hurts a lot. Eating too much food in the mountains will get it struck by lightning. Once it was so hungry that it almost tried to eat a mortal, but it got struck by lightning again. It doesn't like to eat people, they don't taste good, and grass and wild animals are better than food. Offerings are the best food."
Diting felt a little sorry for Chichi. Its majestic body was gone, and it couldn't even get enough to eat, so it agreed to let it stay with Zhizhi for the time being.
"They managed to eat a little better after finding slaves...?" Di Ting began to doubt what he was hearing. "Slaves?"
Jiang Yuzhi was so anxious that she stammered. It was clear that she had been picked up by the Prince of Huai'an, so where did this slave come from?
Chichi didn't understand why they were confused and continued to bleat.
"The slave is quite dutiful, but not sincere. Otherwise, how could it not fill its stomach even with so much food offered each time? But it still generously provides protection, making the slave stronger. Otherwise, how could that small body survive? Luckily, I met you, and suddenly I'm not so hungry anymore."
It seems we know who the slave is now. Does the Prince of Huai'an know that his beloved pet views him this way? Jiang Yuzhi was somewhat amused and exasperated. "The slave that Chichi is talking about must be the Prince of Huai'an."
Di Ting often felt out of place with other mythical beasts that did not exist in this world, and now it seems that this is indeed the case.
Jiang Yuzhi sorted out her thoughts and realized that her previous guess was correct.
The grass that Chichi ate in the Mountain and Sea Realm was probably the broken junction between the two realms. A hole was opened in the barrier there, and the fortune leaked through and was absorbed by the so-called delicious grass, attracting the Taotie.
The Taotie swallowed the grass, making the hole even bigger. It then carried the grass away, and the Taotie transformed into Chichi.
Zhong Yuxiu must have had a similar experience before she came here.
Xiuxiu was all alone, having just arrived in Kyoto only to be caught in a famine. It was no easy feat for her to settle down in the capital, and now she was plagued by an unknown dream. Jiang Yuzhi lowered her eyelids, the shadow of her long eyelashes falling on her bloodless cheeks.
"Ah Ting, did you sense anything was wrong with Xiu Xiu?"
"What's wrong with her?"
"Just now, Xiuxiu told me that she had been having dreams for several days in a row. In her dreams, a voice told her that she had been chosen. When she woke up, she couldn't remember anything else, and her whole body ached, especially her throat."
"..." Di Ting felt this description was familiar. "Are there any other symptoms?"
"No, she originally thought it was because she had written too many storybooks that caused this."
Aside from those like the Emperor of Fengdu who lived as long as heaven and earth and ascended to immortality on their own, those chosen by the Heavenly Dao, such as Xie Bi'an, Fan Wujiu, and Lu Zhidao who was still the Martial Judge, all went through this process.
He received a mysterious summons during his lifetime. When the underworld was short of ghost hands, he lived a normal life during the day and was summoned to work in the underworld at night. He officially took office after death.
Only Heaven loves to do these things. Zhong Yuxiu had a sore throat and her memory was hazy when she woke up. She had probably swallowed an iron pill and went to take up her post as a judge that night.
Di Ting was talking quietly with Jiang Yuzhi.
For a long time, only Lu Zhidao, the military judge, has been in office in the underworld. The Heavenly Dao has been unable to find a suitable candidate for the civil judge, so all the cases have piled up on Lu Zhidao. Even when he descended to the mortal world and became Emperor Xiao Ji, the Emperor of Fengdu still tried to bring him back to work.
But why would Heaven choose Xiuxiu? Jiang Yuzhi couldn't figure it out.
Xiuxiu is indeed a good writer of storybooks, and she lives in an orphanage. She is a kind-hearted person, but she doesn't seem to meet the standards of the judge.
When Bai Yan entered, he saw the dog, the sheep, and the ghost all silent.
"If you're too tired, why don't you go inside and rest? I saw someone unfamiliar outside, with a dog. Is someone else coming from downstairs?"
When Yang Jian's forehead is closed, the thin slit is not noticeable unless you look closely; it is invisible to ordinary people.
Jiang Yuzhi snapped out of her thoughts, gently kicked away the two chairs beside her with her leg, and stepped forward to take the three-tiered food box from Bai Yan's hands. "What's this?"
Bai Yan didn't refuse and handed it to her, saying, "This is from your uncle, a reward for your hard work on the trip to Wannan. Don't stand in the sun, lie down in the shade."
They walked back to the tree together.
Diting and Chichi both looked at the food box with curiosity.
Jiang Yuzhi certainly couldn't actually lie down again. There was a small table between the two reclining chairs under the tree, just the right size to hold a food box.
They sat down facing each other.
As Jiang Yuzhi opened the food box, she briefly explained to Bai Yan, "He's not from the underworld, he's from heaven. He's a colleague of Sui Gu. You should have heard of his name, Yang Jian."
The first two layers of the food box contain pastries, which are exquisite and small, made by the chefs of the imperial kitchen. Eating them is the most exciting part, and of course, you can't miss out on such delicious treats.
Jiang Yuzhi picked up a piece and fed it to Di Ting, showing that she couldn't treat Di Ting the same way.
"Yang Jian...? Yang Erlang? That dog is Xiaotianquan?" Bai Yan was unable to calm down for a long time. Even though he had seen too many unbelievable things after meeting Jiang Yuzhi, he was still in shock at this moment.
The first miscellaneous book he read after he learned to read was the biography of Erlang Shen.
The story of splitting the mountain to save his mother planted a seed in young Bai Yan's heart. He even told Xiao Yao that if one day his mother was also trapped under the mountain by his uncle, he would do his best to split the mountain to save her.
He successfully moved Xiao Yao to tears, even though Bai Yan was a frail child who would be bedridden for at least three days if he caught a chill.
As Bai Yan grew older, he gradually realized that his body was good enough if he didn't become a burden to his family, let alone protect them. Thus, that childlike innocence was deeply buried within his heart.
Fortunately, his uncle and mother had a harmonious relationship, and his mother was capable enough that he didn't need to protect her.
But Yang Jian still became the person Bai Yan dreamed of becoming.
The last layer of the box didn't contain snacks, but a set of needles and thread.
Opening the cloth and needle case, you'll find several silver needles of varying lengths and thicknesses, all heavily used, along with a yellowed thimble.
"What is this?" Jiang Yuzhi felt a vague sense of familiarity, but dared not confirm it.
Bai Yan barely came to her senses. "My uncle said it was an old item left in the palace by a female official from the Imperial Wardrobe."
Jiang Yuzhi became even more certain.
She carefully stroked the fabric and found a familiar name in the corner.
Jiang Yunxiu.
Aunt's name.
The embroidery of the three characters was very rough; it wasn't my aunt's work, but hers.
When she had just learned to embroider, she excitedly wanted to show it to her aunt. A gentle woman, her eyes revealing her tenderness, handed her her usual needle case and coaxed her:
Our little weaver is so talented! Come on, Auntie's needle case is missing a name, so let the little weaver embroider it on for Auntie.
A tear of blood silently slid down Jiang Yuzhi's cheek. She raised her hand to wipe it away expressionlessly, while the remaining power of the Sheji Tu within her body emitted a shimmering white light in an unseen place.
It's best for ghosts to cry less, because without tears, they can only deplete their ghostly power, and what flows out are blood tears.
After a moment's thought, Bai Yan realized that his uncle's good intentions had backfired, and his heart tightened.
He watched as a drop of crimson blood tear left a shocking mark on Jiang Yuzhi's pale cheek, only to be wiped away without a second thought, as if the grief that burned his soul was merely a tiny speck of dust on his fingertips.
The golden thread on Bai Yan's wrist suddenly shone, and the origin of the Sheji Tu (a diagram of state and territory) within Bai Yan's body also trembled.
"Yu Zhi!" Bai Yan blurted out, his voice filled with obvious urgency and worry. He had no time to think about anything else, and instinctively took a step forward, pushing aside the stunned Di Ting. He reached out his hand, wanting to do something, but then stopped.
Jiang Yuzhi didn't look at him; her gaze was fixed on the three crooked characters "Jiang Yunxiu" on the cloth.
Aunt... the one who once gently taught her how to hold a needle and thread, who tolerated all her willfulness, and who finally disappeared into the vortex of the deep palace... her belongings have actually returned to her hands.
"Don't cry," Bai Yan said in a very low voice. In the end, he cupped Jiang Yuzhi's stubborn face and forcibly shifted her gaze, with an almost pleading tone. "Yuzhi, look at me."
He carefully and gently grasped Jiang Yuzhi's wrist, which was adorned with gold threads. The touch from his fingertips was icy cold, devoid of any human warmth. It felt as if an electric current instantly pierced through their skin.
Almost simultaneously, the dormant power of the Sheji Tu within Bai Yan's body seemed to be awakened, and a gentle yet irresistible warm current surged from his palm, passing through his cool skin in wisps.
Jiang Yuzhi trembled and suddenly looked up at Bai Yan. His amber eyes were filled with concern and anxiety, and the warmth on his wrist felt both strange and real.
The familiar forces are flowing, but in completely different directions.
"I..." Jiang Yuzhi opened her mouth, but her throat seemed to be blocked by something, and she could only utter a dry syllable.
She looked at Bai Yan's hand, which was tightly gripping her wrist. That hand, belonging to a living person, was warm and strong, and was now providing her with continuous support.
She should have withdrawn immediately. Xie Bi'an was right; they shouldn't have too much contact. She couldn't respond to Bai Yan. Humans and ghosts go against the rules of heaven and earth, and at least as long as Bai Yan was alive, they wouldn't have a future together.
Jiang Yuzhi dared not tell Bai Yan these things. For some reason, she was certain that if Bai Yan knew that they could not be together as long as he was alive, he would definitely try to kill himself.
Especially after learning about the underworld.
But at that moment, she forgot to break free.
Guided by the map of the land and the state, her icy fingers moved very slightly and tentatively, then turned over little by little, palm up, and grasped Bai Yan's hand back.
It's no longer just a touch of wrists, but a real interlocking of fingers.
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Author's note: Listen: So you think I don't exist?
Eat: I eat, I eat, I eat.
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