Chapter 77
Chapter Seventy-Seven
Whether Ling Daozi said anything or not made little difference, Meng Yuan wasn't about to let it go so easily. She pretended to understand and nodded. Then she went over and massaged his shoulders: "Master, have you been tired lately? I haven't been by your side for a long time, let me massage your shoulders?"
Ling Daozi's gaze followed Meng Yuan's movements, filled with suspicion: "Unsolicited kindness is either a sign of ulterior motives or theft."
Meng Yuan massaged his shoulder: "What are you saying? It's only natural for a disciple to massage his master's shoulders." She then looked at Kong Fusheng: "Fusheng, don't you agree?"
Kong Fusheng, who was stuffing a steamed bun into his mouth, readily agreed: "Of course."
Ling Daozi closed his eyes to enjoy the sensation, while Meng Yuan gently massaged him. Then, he slowly asked, "Does what Grandmaster said have anything to do with me?"
Ling Daozi nodded comfortably a few times, then realized what he meant and stepped back: "Don't ask anymore. What's meant to be yours will come naturally, and why bother acknowledging what isn't?"
Ling Daozi patted her head, picked up the roast chicken in his hand, and said, "I think it's time for me to have breakfast. Let's go. There's no better smell than delicious food than thinking about problems."
Meng Yuan was reluctantly pushed along: "Master, hey, Master, just say a little bit."
Ling Daozi feigned ignorance: "I told you long ago that eating is the most important thing in life. Let's go, let's go, let's go eat something delicious."
Helplessly, Meng Yuan crossed her arms and was pushed all the way by Ling Daozi. After turning the corner, she saw someone coming out. When Meng Yuan saw that it was Shang Mang, she immediately stopped and her lips inexplicably started to itch.
Shang Mang, with his eyes straight and his voice steady, walked into the room, even more adept at putting on an act than she was.
Meng Yuan let out a snort, "You think you can pretend? I can too."
The table was laden with dishes, the aroma of which whetted everyone's appetite. Only one person looked grim; he was all smiles, seemingly trying to impress no one, and wouldn't even glance back at Meng Yuan when she looked at him a couple of times.
The table was quickly surrounded, and Meng Yuan glanced around, surprised to find that her grandmaster had also arrived. Her grandmaster had her eyes lowered, and her pale eyelashes couldn't conceal her purple eyes, making her appear even more piercingly veiled.
Meng Yuan couldn't help but take a few more glances.
Her master suddenly raised his eyes, their gazes meeting. For a moment, her mind went blank. When her master lowered his head, Meng Yuan's mind returned to its chaotic state. A dull ache throbbed in her throat, and she raised her hand to rub it.
As she lowered her gaze, another gaze fell upon her. She was too preoccupied with reminiscing to grasp the fleeting feeling of the moment, as everything happened too quickly.
"Get out of the way!" Meng Yuan suddenly looked up, and Zhou Xiuqi grabbed her shoulder and threw her away. At the same time, someone clicked their tongue in her ear. Meng Yuan was still in a daze when a sharp object was right in front of her.
From the black hole that passed through, crimson slowly soaked into his clothes.
She touched it lightly with her fingertips, and the sensation spread until it dripped.
Shang Mang coughed, spitting blood onto the ground. Zhou Xiuqi flew out of the window, a large sliver of light piercing through the torn opening. The whole process happened quickly; the arrow was originally intended for her.
Once again, his life was saved.
Meng Yuan reached out her hand and opened her mouth, but Shang Mang suddenly stood up. He had his back to Meng Yuan, so she couldn't see his expression.
Kong Fusheng reached out and grabbed Shang Mang: "Where are you going? Your wound is bleeding, sit down quickly!" Meng Yuan, having recovered her senses, chimed in: "Yes, sit down quickly."
"Wouldn't it be to your liking if I died? Why bother with me?" He flung his sleeves aside and strode away.
Meng Yuan stood up from the stool and remained standing in place.
Kong Fusheng looked at his hand that had been flung away, and angrily put his hands on his hips: "This is outrageous!"
A cool fragrance wafted past Meng Yuan, and her grandmaster's voice slowly rang out: "Love and separation, resentment and hatred, death and return to the west, all are meaningless. It is nothing but empty flowers before the eyes, a mere illusion."
Meng Yuan lowered her head: "Grandmaster's words last time were meant to be pointed at me."
The Grandmaster's voice was clear and gentle: "Now that you have taken shape, what is there to fear?"
Meng Yuan took off after him, and Zhou Xiuqi also caught up from outside. He pursed his lips and said, "It's invisible and intangible. I chased it outside and it disappeared without a trace. There's no trace of it anywhere in the mansion."
The grandmaster lowered his eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Ling Daozi looked at his grandmaster and said, "Grandmaster, is it...?"
The grandmaster put a finger to his lips: "Since it's a matter for the younger generation, let them guess."
Kong Fusheng sat down: "A perfectly good meal has been completely ruined. Who on earth is responsible?"
Xiao Zheyu picked up his chopsticks: "Let's eat first."
Meng Yuan chased after him, ran to Shang Mang's room, and knocked twice. Footsteps sounded inside. Meng Yuan took a step back, the door opened, and Shang Mang stood inside. He didn't say anything when he saw it was her.
Meng Yuan swallowed silently, a little nervous, her voice hoarse: "Your wound needs to be bandaged, right?" Shang Mang braced his hand on the door frame, gripping the deeply embedded arrow, and snapped it with a forceful twist. He smiled and said, "No need. As friends, we need to maintain some boundaries."
Meng Yuan thought to herself, "You were the one who kissed me yesterday, and you're the one who's drawing a line today. You're so unpredictable, such a two-faced person."
Meng Yuan calmed down and said, "You were injured because of me, so it's only right that I bandage you up."
Shang Mang let out a long "oh" and said, "Men and women shouldn't touch each other, so let's not."
Meng Yuan looked up at his expression, still that fake smile. What was wrong? It was so strange. Meng Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Shang Mang, what's wrong? Why are you suddenly like this?"
Shang Mang raised an eyebrow and smiled: "None of your business."
Meng Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and she looked at him: "What did you say?"
Meng Yuan's vision went black as Shang Mang covered her eyes with his hand, his voice very close to her ear: "You've always wanted me to leave, and now I've fulfilled your dream."
After a long silence, Meng Yuan opened her eyes; the door was already closed. She lowered her brows, her eyes turned cold, and she turned to leave.
After she left, Shang Mang, inside the door, touched the ring, looked up and smiled: "How far will you go?"
...
"Really? We're going to the palace together tomorrow?" Kong Fusheng asked in shock, almost spilling his tea. Ling Daozi sighed and said, "Look at you, you're so careless."
Kong Fusheng shrank his neck: "I've never been to the palace before, and I'm a little excited."
Zhou Xiuqi put down his teacup: "The reason there are so many people is to avoid things like today from happening. If it's a scheme, we can fight back if we all gather together."
Zhou Xiuqi looked at his master, who was standing silently in the corner: "What does Master think?"
The Grandmaster nodded: "I went to see His Majesty a few days ago. That person is gone, but he is gradually able to absorb His Majesty's aura. This is extremely rare. You must be careful."
Meng Yuan walked in from outside and heard these words. She sat down beside Kong Fusheng. Seeing her strange expression, Kong Fusheng asked, "Senior Meng, how is he?"
Meng Yuan rested her chin on her hand: "He won't die."
Kong Fusheng looked at her without speaking, and Meng Yuan looked away and asked, "What's wrong?"
Kong Fusheng said repeatedly, "Strange, strange, your eyes seem to have changed."
Meng Yuan smiled, her eyes narrowing: "No way."
Kong Fusheng: "Did you two have a fight?"
Meng Yuan pushed his face away with one hand: "You talk too much. Who would dare to argue with a ghost fetus?"
Kong Fusheng couldn't discern her thoughts, so he had no choice but to give up and said, "Senior Zhou said we will go to the palace together tomorrow."
"Meng Yuan, that arrow was aimed at you today. Be careful these days and don't let your guard down," Zhou Xiuqi warned her. Meng Yuan said she knew. The arrow came too fast today, and Shang Mang blocked it too quickly. Meng Yuan didn't even have time to see which direction it came from. If she had known, she would have gone to check that direction tomorrow.
"Did you see where the arrow came from today?" Meng Yuan asked. Seeing them all shake their heads, she lowered her head. How could that be? If it was an arrow that came in, how could they not see its direction?
Meng Yuan persisted: "Senior brother, didn't you see anything even when you chased after him?"
Zhou Xiuqi: "When I chased after him, there was no sign of life on the spot, and I didn't see anyone."
Whether it's a human, a ghost, or a demon, as long as it can breathe, it's impossible for it not to leave a trace of breath. There has to be some sound when an arrow is shot, but she heard nothing; the arrow just flew towards her.
Something's 12 out of 10 about it.
In the afternoon, everyone went back inside; there wasn't much to do. Meng Yuan took out a notebook from under her pillow and placed it on the table. She carefully wrote and drew. Every event inevitably involves countless small details. Meng Yuan looked at the last arrow on the notebook. She circled it, but an arrow without a source was impossible.
She pressed her forehead, feeling a throbbing discomfort.
After Shang Mang massaged her head, the headache had eased a lot, but now it started hurting again, and it was even more painful and throbbing.
She thought of him again. Meng Yuan remembered what he had said and felt a little uncomfortable. She knew why she felt uncomfortable, but she couldn't face it directly.
Are those memories all there are? Meng Yuan pressed her forehead, feeling that these memories were not complete enough.
It's all scattered and fragmented, revealing something yet seemingly incomplete. For example, the grandmaster—it's clear he knew her. One mystery is solved, but a new one arises.
She picked up her pen and wrote down those words, but staring at them, she still couldn't make heads or tails of them.
A buzzing sound filled her ears, forcing her to put down her pen.
Shang Mang... Shang Mang... His name kept echoing in Meng Yuan's mind, and she couldn't shake it off. She could only stumble into the thin blanket and growl softly while biting the blanket.
Why is my head hurting so badly?
She could only grit her teeth and persevere; going to see him was out of the question, and she hadn't yet figured out how to handle it.
It hurt, it hurt so much. Her head felt heavy and she felt dizzy. After a moment, she lost consciousness. A figure emerged from the shadows and tapped her forehead.
Meng Yuan finally relaxed her brow. The lamplight flickered, and in the shadows, the white eyelashes of the figure trembled slightly: "Silly girl."
Meng Yuan's eyelids twitched, and when she opened her eyes, there was no one in front of her. She rubbed her forehead and got up; she must have fainted from the pain. This dizziness must have a source.
"System, system?"
[Host, what is it?]
"Why have I had a persistent headache lately?" Meng Yuan asked.
System: [Because you bear the memories of two lifetimes, an ordinary person's body can only hold the memories of one lifetime.]
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