Chapter 67 The Immortal in the Hermitage (010) My person and my heart are both…
Suddenly, the chanting in the morgue stopped, and the surroundings fell silent. A gust of wind rustled the ginkgo leaves overhead, jolting Jiu Li awake. Her eyes darted around, and she hurriedly stepped back, her heart pounding—whether from excitement, guilt, or confusion, she didn't know. She felt as if she were bewitched, having kissed Xu Bai right there.
She wiped her mouth, glanced sideways, and found Xu Bai looking at her with a smile. His gaze had changed from coercion to ambiguity, as if she could hear a thousand words in his eyes. She herself didn't know how to interpret her actions just now—was she in love with him or just curious about intimacy between men and women? Just as she was wavering, she saw a nun emerge from the morgue. Xu Bai quickly pulled her behind a ginkgo tree, crouching down under a flower bed made of rubble.
The Buddha statue, over ten feet tall, gazed down through the moonlit mist with its dim eyes, watching a group of nuns walk past the hall one after another, each with a sorrowful expression on their face. Several dark figures, instead of hurrying back to their rooms, sat down under the ginkgo tree, and one of them began to mutter, "With Sister Liaoyi dead, I wonder who will take over the position of head cook in the future."
Upon hearing this, the nuns began to whisper amongst themselves, like mice drawn by a scent in the night—
"Anyway, such a lucrative position is not available to us."
"That's not quite right. It's definitely based on seniority. In terms of age and experience, we don't qualify."
“In terms of age and seniority, we are not as good as the older senior sisters, but are we not as good as Jingyue? But I am a little dissatisfied. There are some of us who are a few years older than her and entered the temple earlier than Jingyue, but Master made her the guest master. Look at her, she has received a lot of things from the worshippers in the past two months. Have you heard? The other day, that Master Zhao gave her two ounces of bird’s nest.”
"What's bird's nest? If she fills the vacancy of the head cook, how much food in the kitchen can she take for herself? She's not like Senior Sister Yi, who has a family and parents. Wouldn't she steal food and send it home?"
"No way, Jingyue has only been here for two months. Master can't possibly assign such an important position to her, can he?"
“Senior Sister Huixin is already the head nun, Senior Sister Cilian is currently ill, and Senior Sister Miaohua has gone to Songcui Nunnery in Liuhe County to stay for a while before she can return. We can’t just leave them hanging. Besides, Master dotes on Jingyue so much. I think she’ll probably be asked to temporarily take over her duties for ten days or half a month. That would be enough for her to make a fortune.”
When the crowd talked about it, they all complained that the abbot was biased. No wonder Jingyue dared to be arrogant and rude to the worshippers; it was probably because she was protected by Jingzhen.
Then a young nun whispered, "Hey, do you think it's possible that Jingyue killed Senior Sister Liaoyi? She had a big fight with Senior Sister Liaoyi when she first arrived."
Is that so? Upon hearing this, Jiuli exchanged a glance with Xubai. No wonder he hadn't slept and had come here; he must also feel that these nuns weren't necessarily telling the truth to the authorities, and had come specifically to hear what they were discussing in private. Sure enough, they had found something. It turned out that Jingyue had been hiding something from Jiuli, after all that she had told her before dinner.
The two of them got very close, and Xu Bai immediately thought of the fragrance she had just breathed on his face. He stared at her intently, but listened to every word the nuns were saying.
"That happened two months ago, and they're all fine now, aren't they?"
"She seems fine on the surface, but who knows if Jingyue holds a grudge? With her temper, she argues with people over the smallest things. The day she first came in, Senior Sister Liaoyi hit her. Do you think she can just let it go so easily? It's just that she was new there and had no choice but to swallow her anger."
At this moment, Huixin came over and called out to them, "You have an early class tomorrow, why aren't you sleeping? What are you whispering about here?"
The crowd dispersed like birds. After the doors of the various houses and huts were closed, Jiuli stood up from behind the stone altar. In the dim moonlight, he saw Xubai and felt awkward. Not knowing what to say to him, he mumbled, "Let's go in too."
It was nearly midnight when the chanting stopped. Zhang Da got out of bed. He had eaten a lot for dinner and was sleepy afterward. He dozed off and rubbed his stomach, complaining that the vegetarian food was damn useless and he was hungry again after only a little over an hour.
Just as I was thinking, someone knocked on the door. When I opened it, I saw it was Madam Gu, who lived in the west wing, carrying a bowl of pastries. She came in with a smile and placed the pastries on the octagonal table. “You grown men can’t last long eating only vegetarian dishes. These are pastries that Miss Guan brought me today. I was worried you’d get hungry tonight, so I packed some for you to have as a midnight snack.”
Zhang Da smiled sheepishly, "I'm saving it for the kids."
"Mr. Yu doesn't want him to eat at night anymore, so please don't be shy."
Zhang Da leaned back and glanced outside the door. The lights were on in both the east and west rooms, so he figured everyone was still awake. He picked out a few snacks and put them on a tea tray. He picked up the tray and was about to leave when he said, "I'll take some to Lord Qi and Mr. Yu."
Madam Gu smiled and pulled him, "You don't need to go. I've already delivered the message to Mr. Yu. It's just that Lord Qi and Miss Yu'er aren't in their rooms. I'm going back to my room. You should all get some rest too."
As Zhang Da pondered where Xu Bai and Jiu Li might have gone since they weren't in the room, he was about to close the door when Yu Qi opened the door from the east, his eyebrows drooping as he walked over from the corridor. "Where did your Lord Qi go?"
"I don't know either, he's not in the same room as me."
Yu Qi glanced into the room and, sure enough, didn't see Xu Bai. His expression grew even more unpleasant. "As a constable, you don't even follow your superiors when they go out at night?!"
Zhang Da was stunned by the question, and frowned. "I am a constable, but I am not their servant."
At this moment, neither of them was in the room, and Yu Qi couldn't help but worry that they had gone out together. Just as he was about to go look for them, the door next door suddenly opened, and unexpectedly, Young Master Gu ran out. He could only hear Madam Gu yelling from inside, "You child, give me the things!"
Young Master Gu ran over with a grin and bumped into Yu Qi's leg. Madam Gu arrived immediately, pulled him aside, and asked Yu Qi, "Did you bump into the gentleman?"
Yu Qi shook his head, looking at the child with a slight smile, "Young master, why aren't you asleep so late?"
"He has trouble sleeping in any new place, and besides, kids are just hot-tempered, and he's feeling hot right now. Look, he's being very naughty, crawling all over the house, and picked up this thing from some corner, I don't know whose it is, and he's playing with it without caring whether it's clean or not."
The young master Gu was holding a small money bag in his hand. Madam Gu forcibly took it from him, and Yu Qi saw that the bag was made of light blue satin with a colorful crane embroidered on it. The embroidery was exceptionally fine, unlike ordinary embroidery. He reached out and said, "May I take a look?"
Madam Gu handed it to him, and he held it in his hand, taking out the Qilin sachet to compare them. Although the embroidery on the two pieces was equally exquisite, they were from different styles and didn't seem to be made by the same person. However, the embroidery on the purse looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it before, so he asked Madam Gu, "Where did you find this, young master?"
"It's under the bed. I guess the nuns didn't clean it properly. It was probably left behind by the previous guests."
"Madam, you are very knowledgeable. Can you tell where the needlework on this money bag came from?"
Madam Gu took it back and examined it closely for a moment, then smiled and said, "This should be Beijing embroidery. Beijing embroidery has rich and elegant patterns. Judging from this, it seems to be something that only people of certain status can afford."
No wonder Yu Qi felt the pattern looked familiar; he must have seen it in the capital before. He took the money pouch back and said, "Give this to me."
Madam Gu readily agreed and took the boy back to her room. Zhang Da glanced at the money pouch and laughed, "It seems Qinglian Temple has quite a reputation; there are even pilgrims from the capital."
Yu Qi glanced at him and said, "It's not necessarily because they came from the capital. You can buy embroidery from the capital anywhere else."
Zhang Da chuckled and nodded, "That's true, as long as you have money."
As they were talking, they vaguely saw two figures enter one after the other from under the cave entrance. When they came into view, they saw that it was Jiu Li and Xu Bai. Yu Qi carefully examined the two of them. Xu Bai seemed normal, but Jiu Li's eyes darted away when they met his gaze.
He asked expressionlessly, "Where did you go when it was dark and you weren't in the house?"
Jiuli was already feeling guilty, but when she heard his icy questioning tone, she got angry too. She raised her chin and said, "What's wrong with me going out for a walk because I felt hot inside?" Seeing that he was about to speak again, she knew exactly what he was going to say, so she immediately retorted, "I didn't leave the temple. What's wrong with me just wandering around inside?"
Seeing the anger rising on Yu Qi's face, Xu Bai laughed and said, "Sir, there's no need to worry. We really just wandered around the front yard. We heard the nuns performing a ritual and wanted to go and see."
Judging from their conversation, it sounded like they had planned to go out together. Yu Qi was even more furious. He glanced at Xu Bai, then pulled Jiu Li straight back to their room. As soon as they entered, he shoved Jiu Li into the room and slammed the door shut. He turned around and glared at her coldly. Seeing that his eyes were already a little red, Jiu Li felt even more guilty. She could only avoid him by going to the left-hand cubicle, walking to the couch there, sitting down with her head down, her eyes anxiously fixed on her skirt. She didn't dare to look up at him at all.
Yu Qi then entered. The red candle on the kang table was burning brightly, its flames leaping high. The flames flickered across her face, illuminating her bright red lips. His face ashen, he lifted her chin, staring at her for a moment. He ran his finger across her lips, but no red residue came off. It wasn't rouge; either she had eaten something, or—
Just then, feeling guilty, she bit her lower lip and looked away.
He took a deep breath, still unable to suppress the burning jealousy within him, but he tried his best to maintain a calm tone, "What did you and Qi Xubai do outside?"
She remained silent for a while, so he had to ask again, "Why are your lips so red?"
Jiuli pursed her lips, glanced at him, and then lowered her gaze.
She wore a light, dark purple dress, the two panels of which partially concealed a pale purple bodice, revealing skin from her neck to her chest. He couldn't help but search this skin for any suspicious traces, as if surveying his territory. The air was too still. Jiu Li heard his rough breathing, stole a glance at him, and saw the strong, domineering look in his eyes. Suddenly, she felt a surge of excitement, and her whole body trembled uncontrollably.
"Did he kiss you?" he asked.
She remained silent, so he became even more stern, "Speak!"
She nodded, her movements barely perceptible, as if both fearing he would find out and wanting him to know. However, Yu Qi saw it clearly and immediately turned and stormed out.
Knowing his temper, Jiuli rushed over and grabbed him, "What are you doing? Don't go, don't go! It has nothing to do with him, it's my own choice!"
Yu Qi stopped, turned around, and his eyes were bloodshot.
She was clearly timid, yet somehow she mustered the courage to stand up straight and say, "What? If I can't like you, can't I like someone else? I've thought it over. Between Brother Wei and Xu Bai, I'd rather marry Xu Bai. Anyway, you're just trying to get me to marry someone, so why can't I marry someone I like?"
He growled, "No!"
"Why should I? You're in charge of everything, including my thoughts!"
"Don't I have the right to tell you what to do?" Yu Qi gripped her arms tightly. "What about you, your heart, can't I control?!"
She glared at him sideways. "Fine, I've given you my whole being, my whole heart. Do you dare to take it?"
Only at this moment did he realize that she had truly grown up, as if she had been reborn under his authority, shedding her former obedient exterior and revealing a seductive soul rising like wisps of smoke. He actually fell silent in the face of this condescending provocation, his chest heaving violently, the only sound in the room being his heavy breathing, like a wild beast lurking in a dark corner. But he struggled to restrain himself from letting it escape.
Jiuli stared at him for a long time, but he didn't dare to say a word, let alone anything else. His anger was clearly because he also liked her, but dared not admit it. She felt a surge of joy and despair at the same time. However, for the first time, she saw clearly that he wasn't all-powerful; he also had fears and weaknesses. He gripped her arms so tightly they hurt, but strangely, she felt a lust within his violence, so her pain was mixed with pleasure.
In the silence, Yu Qi felt as if someone was watching him. It turned out that the Buddha statues on the long table were staring at him with half-closed eyes in the dim light. He felt a burning sensation on her arm and could only withdraw his hand, as if he were muttering to himself, "I can't, I can't. You are the child I raised, just a child."
But children will eventually grow up, and he can't control that. She will grow into a slender yet voluptuous figure, and she realizes that he is even more afraid than she is of admitting that he has also grown up. But now, no one can escape it. She takes one of his hands and places it on her slightly protruding chest, clearly feeling his hand tremble slightly.
He immediately removed his hand, afraid that if he looked at her any longer, it would be too late to salvage the situation. So he turned his back indifferently and stood there for a while before walking dejectedly and helplessly to the couch and sitting down.
Whose fault is it? It's all his fault for spoiling her, letting her have whatever she wants without caring about what is right or wrong.
She slowly walked in, sat on the ground, and nestled her head affectionately on his lap. "Wouldn't it be better if I didn't become your child? I was never your niece to begin with, and I have absolutely no relation to the Yu family."
Yu Qi's voice was hoarse and heavy, as if he had a weight in his throat. "But other people won't think that way. Public opinion is a fearsome thing."
"What does it matter what others think?" Her tears fell drop by drop onto his leg. "Let them think what they want, I don't care."
Her tears were scalding hot, the heat rising from her legs to his heart. He raised his hand to rest on her back, but the tears wouldn't fall. She waited and waited, then looked up at him, her eyes gleaming with urgency. He looked down at her too; her face was streaked with tears of willfulness, her eyelashes trembling childlike. He was so engrossed in watching her that he was completely unprepared for her to suddenly straighten up and kiss him on the lips.
He didn't blame her, but he didn't agree either. He just felt powerless, both towards her and himself. After a while, he gave a bitter smile in her expectant eyes. "What's wrong with me being your uncle? As your elder, I can always love and pamper you. Your man is different; maybe he can only love you for a short time."
"When I was little, you showed me fireworks and said that even if the night is long, I would forget it by dawn, but the brilliance of a moment can last forever in my heart. Have you forgotten?"
"That's just something you say to comfort a child."
She pouted, a tear rolling down her cheek, "I'll do whatever you say."
He chuckled softly, "You see, if you didn't like me, you wouldn't be so sad." With that, he left her there to cry, stood up, and walked away.
After sitting limply on the ground for a moment, Jiuli wiped away her tears, grabbed her skirt, and ran outside. When she reached the door, she only saw his green robe sweep past the corner of the door and disappear into the darkness, impossible to catch.
She stood at the door, another wave of intense tears welling up in her eyes, but then she suddenly remembered something: he had once left the entire mansion without a second thought, and no one could stop him. But so what? He had still gone back and taken her away. How could he return if he hadn't left? He would come back, just like when they were children, overcoming all obstacles to return to her side. She was certain it was destiny; otherwise, how could two people from opposite ends of the earth have met?
She didn't believe in ghosts or gods, but she was always superstitious about this. So she wiped her face full of tears and comforted herself with a smile.
A light rain began to fall from the sky sometime earlier. Xu Bai held the door with both hands and looked through the flowers and mist towards the room across the way. He imagined that Jiu Li had just been scolded by Yu Qi and was standing blankly inside the door. The wind was blowing towards that side, blowing a wisp of rain and mist into the room, also fluttering the hem of her skirt and sleeves. He seemed to see her smiling at him in the hazy light, the smile of a charming woman.
The next morning, Xu Bai opened the door and bumped into Zhang Da coming in from outside. Zhang Da said that the yamen runners sent the day before had brought a midwife early in the morning and were about to tell Yu Qi. Xu Bai thought that Yu Qi had scolded Jiu Li the night before and must have something to say to him, so he stopped Zhang Da and said, "I'll go and talk to Mr. Yu."
Upon entering the room, he saw Yu Qi drinking tea on the couch, his complexion no better than the night before. He bowed slightly at the screen door, but Yu Qi, without even looking up, told him to close the door first. He closed the door and turned to come back in, already anticipating what he would say. He had long since realized that Yu Qi did not want him as a son-in-law, so he was no longer as fearful and wary of him as before, appearing calm and composed.
As expected, Yu Qi, holding a bowl of tea, said coldly, "Yu'er is currently discussing marriage with the second young master of the Wei family. I think it is necessary to formally inform you, Lord Qi, about this matter. However, I guess you already know. It's not that you, Lord Qi, are bad, but that my Yu family is not worthy of such an honor."
Xu Bai smiled and nodded, "I do know about this, but I wonder if you have asked Yu'er for her opinion? Yu'er doesn't seem to like that Second Young Master Wei very much."
"If you don't like him, do you think you like him?" Yu Qi glanced at him with a half-smile. "Lord Qi, don't be too confident."
Xu Bai's composure gradually crumbled under his mockery. "Sir, you are not her, how would you know what she is really thinking?"
“I watched her grow up, how could I not know her?” Yu Qi fiddled with the teacup lid and tea leaves, glancing at him sideways. “I not only know her, but I also know you. We both know why you want to marry Yu’er. If I’m not mistaken, the painting that Yu’er and Du Zhong saw at your house last time, I’m afraid you deliberately let them see it, right?”
So he already knew. Xu Bai was speechless for a moment, unable to explain, so he could only force a smile. "Sir, you are indeed ahead of the curve. I lived in the capital for a while when I was young. Because of my grandfather, I met an aunt in the palace. When I first saw Yu'er, I felt that Yu'er looked like this aunt—"
Before he could finish speaking, Yu Qi interrupted with a cold laugh, "What are you suspicious about? And I don't care where you got that painting. I just want to tell you that although Yu'er is young, she's very smart. She already knows all this. Her relationship with you is simply to find out what you're up to. She's just very curious. I advise you not to be so presumptuous and think that just because she's fallen for you, you've become a little carried away."
Now that he had brought it up, Xu Bai decided to get straight to the point: "I think Mr. Yu has some misunderstandings about me. My doubts about Yu'er's background do not conflict with my genuine affection for her. I have never thought of harming her."
“That’s your problem. She doesn’t like you.” Yu Qi frowned, stood up abruptly, and strode over to him with a stern expression. “I’m telling you this so you’ll watch your words and actions. If you dare to be rude to her again, I won’t care what official position you hold or who’s backing you.”
Xu Bai was slightly alarmed by his murderous aura, but still maintained a calm smile on his face. "Could it be that Xiao Yu'er told you herself that I was rude to her? I don't believe it. I don't think she would slander someone so easily."
The implication was that Jiuli was willing. Yu Qi smiled and said, "She always acts recklessly. You are different. You are a well-read person and should think carefully before you act."
Just as he was about to take his hand out of his sleeve, the door was suddenly pushed open with a bang, and Jiu Li walked in. When he saw it was her, he turned his back to her.
Jiuli sized them up. "What are you two talking about so mysteriously behind closed doors?"
Xu Bai turned to her and smiled, "It's nothing. I just came to let Mr. Yu know that the midwife has been invited."
Why close the door when you're saying that? Jiu Li moved to Yu Qi's side and saw that the coldness on his face hadn't completely disappeared. She was secretly glad that she had come in time and hurriedly pushed Xu Bai out, "Aren't you going to eat breakfast? There's food specially saved for you in the canteen. Go on."
After watching Xu Bai walk away from the doorway, she turned back in and said to Yu Qi casually, "You must not harm him. If he dies, I don't want to live either."
Yu Qiyuan had no intention of killing him, but upon hearing this, he angrily turned around and shouted, "What did you say?!"
She raised an eyebrow defiantly, "Try it if you don't believe me."
Yu Qi felt as if the sky had fallen.
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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