Chapter 67 Resurrection: He Actually Didn't Die
Outside the inner chamber, Guan Ye and A Jiu had been waiting for quite some time. The guards said that Lou Cangyu had already gone in, and no one else was allowed to enter without Wushuang's orders. Guan Ye tiptoed and peered in, listening intently. There was no sound from inside the inner chamber, which meant that the two hadn't made a move yet. As long as they hadn't drawn their swords, nothing serious would happen, right? Guan Ye thought to herself, then turned to look for A Jiu. A Jiu had a somber expression and didn't say a word, but Guan Ye could tell that he was also worried.
The weather had changed drastically, and before they could even find shelter, the raindrops soaked them. Ajiu pulled Guanye under the eaves of the inner courtyard. The rain was cold and the wind was chilly. Seeing Guanye shiver, he took off his outer garment without hesitation and draped it over her shoulders, his actions so decisive that she had no choice but to accept it.
Guan Ye pulled the warm robe around her neck tighter, hunching her shoulders to sniff it. It was that familiar, light scent, so faint it didn't seem like something a rough man would wear. Guan Ye squinted, savoring it, and couldn't resist rubbing her cheek against it. The robe was smooth as silk, a touch of pure bliss. She glanced at A Jiu, noticing his slightly furrowed brows, yet his eyes remained resolute. Even if the sky were to fall, he would protect her, protect everyone else. Guan Ye's thoughts wandered, and suddenly she felt a strange sense of peace.
"—Miss Wushuang," the guard said respectfully, "there are two more people waiting outside the brothel, saying they are looking for their swordsman."
Lou Cangyu couldn't help but look at Wushuang again. He didn't know how such a woman, who had just arrived in Rongdu, had won the favor of the inner court.
"They've come to see you, haven't they?" Wushuang stopped and looked at the open gate in the distance. "Since someone is waiting for you, I'll see them here."
Lou Cangyu took a half step forward and then pulled back, glancing sideways at Wushuang's beautiful face, feeling a sense of loss.
"Have you mentioned me to anyone else?" The misty rain separated the inner and outer parts of the workshop. There was no one outside the workshop. Wushuang knew that the person who came must be taking shelter from the rain under the eaves. She handed the umbrella handle to Lou Cangyu. Her long eyelashes were covered with crystal raindrops. With a blink of her eyes, a drop fell onto the back of Lou Cangyu's hand.
Lou Cangyu shook his head and said honestly, "They all know that there is an extraordinary female swordsman in the inner workshop, but I have never said a word about the rest."
Wushuang seemed quite satisfied with his answer. Seeing Lou Cangyu hesitate and not take it, she directly shoved the umbrella handle into his hand. "Aren't you leaving?"
"—It seems they're coming out." Guan Ye heard the noise and peered into the inner gate of the workshop. She could vaguely see two people standing under an umbrella. The tall man was Lou Cangyu, and the woman beside him… Guan Ye wiped her rain-drenched eyes. That woman…
Ajiu turned to look, "Lou Cangyu!"
Wushuang suddenly turned her back, half of her body exposed to the rain. Lou Cangyu quickly tilted the umbrella towards her. Wushuang lifted the umbrella slightly, revealing her wet cheeks. "Aren't you leaving?"
"They...they've gone." Lou Cangyu had lost his usual sharpness. At this moment, his mind was completely muddled. If it weren't for Wushuang's guidance, he probably wouldn't even know where the inner gate was.
Just as Lou Cangyu was about to say something more to her, Guan Ye and Ajiu appeared outside the inner gate. Guan Ye waved her hand fiercely, signaling him to come out quickly.
Lou Cangyu took a few steps, but couldn't help turning around to look for Wushuang again. But behind him was only the pouring rain and Wushuang's unattainable back.
"Lou Cangyu," Ajiu whispered, "Aren't you leaving yet!"
"They're here." Lou Cangyu quickly ran out of the inner workshop.
"Who is that person next to you..." Guan Ye turned away from him, craning her neck to search, "Who is that person?"
"Who is it?" Lou Cangyu asked, wringing out the water from his clothes.
"That's it." Guan Ye rubbed her eyes hard. The figure of that person had a strange sense of familiarity, as if she had seen it somewhere before. It was just that the rain was too heavy and she couldn't see it clearly. "The person who held the umbrella for you, that woman."
"Is there?" Ajiu looked in the direction of the umbrella. "It seems there is someone there, otherwise where did Lou Cangyu get his umbrella?"
"You're all seeing things." Lou Cangyu twirled the umbrella in his hand. "Guan Ye, you've got such big eyes, but there's no one here. I just took this umbrella from inside. Are you leaving or not?"
"That's strange." Guan Ye frowned, looking puzzled. Lou Cangyu seemed to have seen through her, and the umbrella he was spinning suddenly stopped. "Lou Cangyu, you came to the inner quarters to demand an explanation, so why..." Guan Ye looked Lou Cangyu up and down, seeing that he had no resentment on his face and even looked somewhat refreshed. "That Wushuang, did she admit it?"
Lou Cangyu half-opened his umbrella to hide his unnatural expression. "Xiao Ma said that although we were tricked, we still ended up with the same result... I think there's some truth to that... We're new to Xingguo Fang, and we haven't done anything yet. We can't make enemies beforehand. Wushuang is just a female swordsman, nothing more. Why should I... hold a grudge against her..."
"Hey?" Guan Ye jumped in front of him, snatched his umbrella, and slung it over her shoulder. "Is this still the Lou Cangyu who's always ready to fight to the death? You came to the inner quarters, and that's it?"
Lou Cangyu pulled Ajiu aside and pointed at Guan Ye, saying, "You two chased after me because you were afraid I would cause trouble in the inner quarters. Now that everything is peaceful, you, Guan Ye, seem a little unwilling. What, do you want me to cause some trouble before you're satisfied?"
Guan Ye lowered her umbrella sullenly. "I just felt... there was someone who came out with you, like... like I've seen them somewhere before... Ajiu didn't see them, and you said there was no one... could it be that I'm seeing things, or maybe I'm seeing a ghost?"
Lou Cangyu took out his umbrella and touched Guan Ye's forehead with one hand, exclaiming in surprise, "Guan Ye, you have a fever? You must be delirious from the fever."
Upon hearing this, Ajiu quickly reached out to touch Guan Ye's forehead, checking her palm and the back of her hand several times. "Is she? She must have gotten wet in the rain. Why aren't you going back?"
Lou Cangyu gave Guan Ye a sly smile, took a few steps with his umbrella, turned around and waved to the two of them, "It's raining so hard, why don't you come and squeeze in?"
Guan Ye didn't stand on ceremony with him, darting forward and pulling the umbrella handle towards herself. A Jiu lowered her eyes and chuckled softly, following behind the two at a distance, letting the rain soak her body, feeling quite content.
As the rain subsided, the night market stalls gradually came out, and the stall owners set up their awnings. All sorts of items were soaked by the rain. The shopkeepers along the street, who had thought they could take advantage of the heavy rain to fish, were all disappointed when they saw that the rain was about to stop. They grumbled as they went to remove the door panels. The street suddenly became lively, with shouts and cries filling the air. Sparks flew from the stoves, and steam rose from the pots when the lids were lifted.
Guan Ye had already eaten a meat bun, but the aroma made her want to rub her stomach again. She blamed Lou Cangyu for making a fuss; it was already dark, and she probably wouldn't be able to have dinner.
"—Xiao Ma said," Lou Cangyu swallowed, "there's a fried dough shop that's really delicious. If I remember correctly, it's on this street."
Guan Ye's eyes lit up. Oil cakes, oil cakes, they sounded so delicious. Guan Ye slowed down and looked around for the shops on both sides. A Jiu found it amusing and pointed ahead, saying, "I noticed it when we came. It's over there. Let's go, we can take some back for them to try."
Guan Ye and Lou Cangyu exchanged a smile, their steps light as if they could fly away. A large crowd had gathered in front of the fried cake shop on West Street, the aroma of freshly fried oil wafting for miles. Guan Ye sniffed hard, afraid of missing out if she was too late, and quickly ran towards the shop, leaving Lou Cangyu behind.
"Look how greedy she is." Lou Cangyu slowly put away his umbrella, carefully dusting off the water droplets. Seeing Ajiu staring at his actions, he lowered his eyes and pretended to be calm. "West Street stretches for several miles, with no less than three or five hundred shops and stalls of all sizes. Half of them sell food. You could eat at one shop a day for half a year. If we stay in Rongdu, we'll have plenty of opportunities to try them all."
“Rongdu Imperial City is a strategic location, densely populated and prosperous, with thriving commerce. Guan Ye has suffered a lot since childhood, and only hopes that from now on, there will be no more suffering, only sweetness.” Ajiu looked across the long street, then turned to look at Guan Ye squeezed in the crowd, her eyes filled with pity.
"Don't push, don't push." The shop assistant at the fried cake shop looked sullen and his tone was already quite impatient. "This batch is finished, but we'll make more. Each person can only buy a maximum of three. If you buy more, you'll have to wait in line again."
"Only three for one person?" Guan Ye turned her head to find A Jiu and the other person, urging them to come over quickly.
"Hey, hey, hey, I'm talking to you." The waiter banged on the table and pointed at Guan Ye, who was looking around. "How many do you want? If you're not buying, go to the back and don't hold up the others."
“I want…” Guan Ye raised her head, saw the face of the oil cake shop assistant, and was so shocked that she froze on the spot.
The waiter was about to curse when he met Guan Ye's gaze. The fried cake in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter, rolling under the feet of passersby and being trampled to pieces. "You...I think I've seen you before..."
At that moment, a thought flashed through Guan Ye's mind—today is an inauspicious day for everything, and now she's seeing a ghost again.
The oil cake shop worker, squeezed into thin, slender stalks, resembled withered grass, his face gaunt, his skin sallow, and his eyes drooping, yet his features and expression bore a striking resemblance to the young man on the boat with the scallop pole…
All the boys on Hu Xian's ship, except for himself and Ajiu, were thrown into the sea. Only one person was not thrown into the sea by Hu Xian. Before the ship arrived at Canglang Island, he had already foreseen the fate of everyone. He would rather die than drift with the tide, and jumped into the boundless sea without hesitation... rising and falling with the waves until he disappeared.
It was him! —Song Mian!
Song Mian must have recognized the woman who wanted to buy fried cakes. His lifeless eyes suddenly revealed a large shadow, like an ancient corpse that had been in darkness for thousands of years suddenly crawling out of its grave and ushering in a new life of rebirth.
"It's you..." Song Mian grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, "You...are still alive..."
"What are you daydreaming about!" A man who looked like a shopkeeper slapped Song Mian on the head, making his thin body spin around. "Are you not going to do business or not?"
Song Mian steadied himself, a smile playing on his lips. He wrapped a few fried cakes in lotus leaves and handed them to Guan Ye. “One copper coin each. I’ll charge you three coins for these five. The other two are… a gift from an old friend.”
Guan Ye dared not accept anything from someone who was either dead or alive. She took a step back and almost tripped over her own feet. Song Mian's forked hand was still outstretched, his long, black fingernails resembling the claws of an eagle. Guan Ye turned to run away, but was so frightened by his sudden shout that she dared not move.
"—I remember now, he called you… Guan Ye." Song Mian picked up a piece of fried cake and swallowed it whole, chewing it greedily as the oil dripped down. He'd been frying these cakes for three years, but he'd never tasted a single one. No wonder the people of Rongdu flocked to them; they were truly a delicacy. "Yes, your name is Guan Ye. Guan Ye, don't you recognize me? I am…"
Just as Ajiu and Lou Cangyu were about to reach them, Guan Ye suddenly blocked them and pulled Ajiu away.
"What's wrong?" Lou Cangyu asked, looking puzzled. He turned to the fried cake shop. "Where are the fried cakes? There are still some left. Aren't you going to eat them?"
"I'm not eating." Guan Ye didn't even turn her head. "Xiao Ma and the others must have saved some food for us. Let's go."
Ajiu turned around alertly, and a chill ran through him at the mere glance. With just that one look, he recognized Song Mian, the young official who always stood out on Hu Xian's boat.
Song Mian, surprisingly, did not die.
Inside the fried cake shop, Song Mian watched the boy's departing figure and swallowed the last piece of fried cake.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
