Chapter 22
When Ying Yue came, she was only thirteen years old. She was small and thin, with thin, yellow hair, and looked listless, as if she would fall over with a gust of wind.
She is fifteen years old this year. She does some trivial chores in the Meishan courtyard. Her body is getting stronger day by day. Her eyes are firm and bright. Although she doesn't like to talk, she is efficient in her work.
Mei Shanting never mistreated her. He was frail and for a time coughed so badly that he would vomit no matter how much he ate. Later, even the most delicious food made him want to vomit.
He could go without eating, but Yingyue was at a crucial stage of growth. So he still instructed the servants to bring him food as usual.
That was specially reserved for Ying Yue. She was so thin, and Mei Shanting didn't want Ying Yue to be like him. He pretended to eat some in front of Ying Yue, but after she left, he couldn't help but vomit it all up.
He was frail and sickly, and had to call a doctor every few days. Yingyue always stayed by his side, taking care of him tirelessly.
Sometimes Mei Shanting would cough up blood in the middle of the night, and Ying Yue would be busy taking care of him with a worried look on her face, not knowing what to do. He always felt that he had let Ying Yue down.
That summer, during the Ghost Festival, the streets outside were bustling with activity and brightly lit. It was the most lively day of the long summer.
The Mei residence was much emptier, and some servants even sneaked out to play. The stewards turned a blind eye, and as long as they didn't cause any major trouble, they wouldn't be punished.
As dusk settled, the sounds of laughter and chatter could be heard from outside the courtyard. Mei Shanting, as usual, picked up his brush and began to write, while Ying Yue stood beside him grinding the ink. Her profile was serious and delicate. Suddenly, Mei Shanting put down his brush and looked at Ying Yue. He thought to himself, "She's only fifteen; she's still a child."
She probably wants to go out too, but she's worried about him and his health.
Mei Shanting said, "Today is the Ghost Festival, and I want to go out for a walk. Will you come with me?"
Upon hearing this, Ying Yue raised her bright eyes to look at him, then looked up at the bright full moon in the sky, seemingly lost in thought. After a while, she used sign language to say, "But is your body alright? You shouldn't push yourself too hard."
Mei Shanting seemed to chuckle in exasperation. He coughed briefly, and when Ying Yue offered to help him, he waved her off, saying it wasn't necessary, and stood up on his own. Ying Yue's words only made him more eager to leave.
Even though it was true that he was physically weak, he didn't want his beloved to see him as a patient all the time, and he didn't want her to feel restricted because of him.
Mei Shanting ordered his servants to prepare a carriage, and then left the mansion with Ying Yue.
The Qingwu River is a long river with wide streets, brightly lit, and lined with shops and stalls on both banks. Pedestrians throng the river, and various performances and acrobatics elicit gasps of surprise from passersby. The long street stretches endlessly into the unseen distance.
In the river, many people were releasing lanterns to commemorate the deceased. The lanterns, like stars, floated on the transparent surface of the river, drifting towards a distant place they could never reach, to express their longing for the deceased.
The carriage stopped by the river. A slender finger lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, and Mei Shanting glanced at it before asking Ying Yue, who was holding the horse's reins outside, "Releasing river lanterns? Ying Yue, do you have someone you miss?"
Ying Yue looked back at Meishan Courtyard with a blank expression and shook her head.
Mei Shanting sighed helplessly, smiled, lifted the curtain, and got off the carriage with Ying Yue's help. Ying Yue followed closely behind Mei Shanting, doing whatever he did.
The two walked to the riverbank, where the lights flickered on the water, moving with the current. Ying Yue used sign language to ask Mei Shanting why he had put the lights on the river.
Meishan Ting said, "It is to commemorate the deceased."
In the dim light, Ying Yue's long eyelashes cast a shadow as she played with the lamp in her hand, as if examining some novel trinket. What was longing? Of course, she didn't understand. Abandoned by her family as a child and sent to the Mei family, she had lived these years without relatives or friends. If she hadn't met Mei Shanting, she didn't know how difficult her life would have been.
Looking at Yingyue, who was enveloped in the glow, Mei Shanting couldn't help but smile bitterly. He said softly, "Yingyue, after I die, will you also release river lanterns for me?"
Ying Yue's long eyelashes trembled slightly. Upon hearing Mei Shanting's words, her fingers involuntarily curled up, and her eyes inexplicably felt sore and astringent. Ying Yue raised her hand, turned her head to look at the river, and silently wiped away the tear from the corner of her eye.
Mei Shanting smiled bitterly to himself. Death was an ordinary thing to him, just like turning twenty sooner or later. He couldn't avoid it, nor did he ever think of avoiding it.
But Yingyue is different. If he were gone, would Yingyue still have someone to take care of her and care for her?
Mei Shanting used to be fearless, but now he's a little afraid. He's afraid that Ying Yue will be heartbroken if he dies.
A cold wind blew, and Mei Shanting couldn't help but cough. Ying Yue then set off his lamp. Although she didn't know who the lamp was for, Ying Yue was still very devout, as if there was someone she missed in the distance.
Ying Yue accompanied Mei Shanting for a walk on the bustling street. It was a cool summer evening with a refreshing breeze and a pleasant temperature. However, Mei Shanting was wearing a thin cloak, which made him look rather unusual.
The two walked slowly away in the dim light of the summer night, their backs both showing the same thin and lonely figures.
Behind the two men, a man's figure slowly emerged. He was dressed in blue robes and stood tall and elegant. Chu Xianyue had followed the two men here, hoping to find some useful clues.
Five years passed in the blink of an eye in the illusion. Although he was an outsider, he was in the illusion and couldn't help but feel the same way. For a moment, he even felt a pang of the ruthlessness of time.
Chu Xianyue walked to the front of a restaurant, but was suddenly blocked by a large crowd at the entrance. In the blink of an eye, Mei Shanting and Ying Yue disappeared.
Just as Chu Xianyue was about to push through the crowd, he caught sight of a group of people indulging in a life of debauchery on the second-floor terrace of the restaurant. Caught off guard by a familiar figure, Chu Xianyue frowned and went up to the second floor.
Xie Wen was surrounded by a crowd of men and women, drinking and enjoying themselves.
A large hand suddenly pulled Xie Wen up. Chu Xianyue took a deep breath. He had had enough of her antics during their time in the illusion. Now it was getting more and more absurd!
"Xie Wen, what are you doing?" Chu Xianyue grabbed her hands and pulled her closer.
Xie Wen only knew that she was now the third young lady of the Mei family, and that the fourth prince she admired was about to marry another young lady, so her relationship with that other person was completely ruined. She was very depressed today and had come to this brothel for some fun. She was the third young lady of the Mei family, who dared to speak to her so presumptuously!
Xie Wen coldly rebuked, and due to the influence of alcohol, the usually stern He Chi seemed to be charmingly naive. Chu Xianyue, who had just been filled with resentment, was now at a loss because of Xie Wen. He said in a light tone, "Have you made enough of a scene? I really don't have time to play along with you."
Xie Wen: "Who do you think you are? What right do you have to tell me what to do? I don't have time to mess around with you. You'd better get out of here before I lose my temper."
Chu Xianyue suddenly tightened his grip, clamping Xie Wen's hands and pulling her closer. "Look at me, I am Chu Xianyue! Xie Wen, you better remember, you better remember what you did in the illusion." Chu Xianyue gritted his teeth.
Xie Wen snorted, groggily leaned closer, stared at Chu Xianyue with his still unclear eyes, and said, "Remember, just remember it."
Xie Wen was drunk, and for a while she didn't even know who she was. After a while, she slumped against Chu Xianyue, her consciousness hazy. Helpless, Chu Xianyue took Xie Wen away. Although the male prostitutes were dissatisfied, they dared not do anything.
Chu Xianyue initially helped Xie Wen up, but Xie Wen looked like she was about to urinate. Chu Xianyue thought she couldn't hold it in any longer and pleaded with her repeatedly, "Xie Wen, do you want to? Hold it in. Hold it in."
To everyone's surprise, Xie Wen pondered for a long time, then suddenly seemed to have a flash of inspiration and said, "You are? Ah Chu."
Chu Xianyue breathed a sigh of relief. So she had been trying to remember who he was. Chu Xianyue sneered. She finally remembered him.
However, it was only for a moment; I remembered it for a split second, and then forgot about it again.
Xie Wen walked unsteadily, and with so many pedestrians around, he kept bumping into people and getting glares. So Chu Xianyue simply carried Xie Wen on his back.
But as soon as he carried her on his back, Chu Xianyue regretted it. Chu Xianyue really couldn't stand Xie Wen. When she was drunk, her hands were not at all well-behaved. Or rather, they were even more unrestrained than usual.
But even with regret, Chu Xianyue never intended to abandon Xie Wen.
Chu Xianyue sighed again. In the days since he entered the illusion, he had sighed more than he had in the first half of his life. He was truly helpless.
He actually accompanied Xie Wen in doing all sorts of absurd things in this illusion. It was utterly absurd.
Walking along the shimmering Qingwu River, I unknowingly arrived at the southern outskirts of the city. This area is usually sparsely populated, but due to the Central Plains Festival, it has become more lively.
Walking a few meters further south, Chu Xianyue's view seemed to open up a bit. It turned out there were quite a few people here, because there was a famous local temple in Leling City. It was said to be very efficacious, attracting people from all directions to come and burn incense and make wishes.
Chu Xianyue didn't believe any of this. He was still carrying Xie Wen on his back and was about to leave when he caught a glimpse of two people out of the corner of his eye. Under the dim candlelight of the temple, a man and a woman were supporting each other as they came out of the temple, their faces radiating peaceful happiness.
Chu Xianyue narrowed his eyes. Mei Shanting and Ying Yue came to this temple? Could it be that...? Based on his observations in the illusion over the past few days, he concluded that the Ghost City Lord was Ying Yue.
Did she start the fire at the Mei residence? At this point, it seems Ying Yue and Mei Shanting get along quite well. They are mutually attracted, and Chu Xianyue can see how much Mei Shanting cherishes her.
But why did things turn out the way they did later? Was it because Meishan Ting died of illness later? And Ying Yue was so heartbroken that she did such a thing? That doesn't make sense.
Or perhaps later, Mei Shanting betrayed Yingyue? Yingyue was filled with extreme pain and hatred? In a fit of rage, she burned down the entire Mei family mansion.
The strangest thing is that the Mei residence is heavily guarded, with patrols at all times. Even if a fire broke out, it's impossible that everyone in the residence would have perished. It's simply impossible for Yingyue, a weak woman, to have done it.
Either they have accomplices, or they received something they shouldn't have.
Chu Xianyue currently lacked magical power, so going to the Earth God Temple would be futile. Moreover, this was an illusion, and the Earth God might not tell the truth. Chu Xianyue secretly noted it down; in short, this Earth God Temple was highly suspicious.
Just as he was pondering this, the little one on his back started acting up again, pinching Chu Xianyue's cheeks relentlessly and babbling, "Ah Chu, Ah Chu..."
Chu Xianyue turned his face away helplessly, "Stop fooling around. Don't move!"
The more Chu Xian appeared as a pure, shy, and virtuous young man, the more excited Xie Wen became. Xie Wen thought: Playing hard to get? Interesting. Man, you've successfully caught my attention.
Xie Wen started touching him again, but Chu Xianyue stopped her indecent hands. She then said lewdly in a fit of anger, "What are you being shy about? Isn't this exactly what you wanted? It's your honor to receive my favor! Don't be ungrateful."
In the dim light, Chu Xianyue carried Xie Wen on his back, gradually disappearing into the depths of the lamplight. The faint sounds of a woman's unreasonable tantrums and a man's helpless sighs could be heard as they faded into the distance.
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