Chapter 26, "Plum Blossoms Peering Through the Window," reveals a patch of smooth, fair skin...
Lou Yan felt like she was about to die.
For a moment, he couldn't tell whether he was standing on the thick snow in the alley or on the frozen surface of the Fuzhu River where General Tan Qiqi had been imprisoned and died.
The cold seeped into his bones, and he couldn't help but curl himself up into a tight ball, letting out a sob involuntarily.
Immediately, someone picked him up and held him in their arms. Warm breath brushed against his cheeks, and a surge of spiritual energy poured out from above, gathering and merging in his dantian before flowing into his limbs and bones.
The body, which was about to freeze, was warmed up in this way.
Lou Yan sniffed in her sleep and successfully caught a faint, ethereal lotus fragrance.
Lotus fragrance.
He suddenly opened his eyes and met Heng Qichun's eyes, which held a hint of concern yet were extremely clear and gentle.
"Master," he said, his voice hoarse like a piece of rotten wood about to break.
Heng Qichun withdrew one hand and supported Lou Yan's neck, pulling him closer to his chest. The spiritual power condensed at his fingertips continued to flow into Lou Yan's body.
"It's good that you're awake," Heng Qichun said.
Lou Yan finally regained some consciousness.
He sat up, leaning on Heng Qichun's hand, and looked around, his sharp eyes narrowing involuntarily.
Beneath my knees are the pebbles of the Fuzhu River, and in the distance, the water surges and green branches intertwine, weaving the grove into a dense, impenetrable spider web.
As dusk settles and the summer heat recedes, a long-absent cool breeze, having traversed a fierce storm and snowstorm, finally brings down a welcome rain.
Lou Yan took a deep breath, and when she opened her eyes again, the daze had dissipated. She turned her head to look at Heng Qichun behind her.
The deity was dressed in white, his hair flowing freely as the wind whipped up his locks. His features were refined and elegant, making him seem unapproachable.
But that clear voice was right beside my ear, "You were sucked into the illusion created by Tan Qiqi's death curse, do you remember?"
Lou Yan paused, then nodded blankly, her muddled mind finally managing to distinguish between illusion and reality.
He sat up, shook his head, and remembered Heng Qichun, who had also appeared in the illusion. He couldn't help but ask, "Didn't Master go to find Xi Niang? Why is he also in that illusion?"
Heng Qichun shook his head gently. "I entered the illusion through Xi Niang's dream."
Lou Yan paused, "What?"
Heng Qichun countered, "You should still remember what happened in the illusion."
"Of course I remember." Lou Yan pursed her lips, her thoughts drifting away with that illusion.
Looking back from the very beginning, it was Tan Chengyi's family sharing a delicious meal of braised goose, a time of loving husband and wife and a peaceful family life.
Until that unexpected and enchanting event.
Lou Yan bit her lower lip involuntarily, as if a hazy veil had floated before her eyes, a gentle breeze stirring her clothes and revealing her fair, smooth skin, followed by the word "husband" escaping from Heng Qichun's lips...
"Slap!" Heng Qichun slapped him on the head. "What are you thinking?!"
He had clearly also recalled the scene on the bed, and his tone was anything but amicable as he warned, "It's just an illusion, don't take it seriously."
Lou Yan thought to herself, "Who's going to take this seriously? Besides, why are your ears red?"
Afraid of dying, the wolf cub could only cover its head and whimper twice, suppressing all those inappropriate thoughts.
"Master," Lou Yan said solemnly, "Tan Qiqi was murdered by her closest relatives. Tan's father poisoned her, Tan Wangshi threw her away, and Tan Chengyi drowned her in the river."
“I know,” Heng Qichun said.
"So I think... ah, you know?"
Heng Qichun didn't speak, but silently offered a hand, allowing Lou Yan to support herself as she stood up from the ice.
He stood up and looked at the churning river before him, a layer of sorrow gradually settling in his eyes.
“Xi Niang didn’t leave,” Heng Qichun explained. “She was forced to leave by Tan Chengyi that day, but she was actually hiding in an alley outside the Tan residence. The next day, Tan Wangshi took Tan Qiqi out of the residence, and she sneaked back to the Tan residence with the help of that old servant. Unfortunately, Tan Qiqi had already been murdered by then, so it was all in vain for her.”
Lou Yan was unaware of this hidden story. Upon hearing this, he was stunned for a moment, then slowly turned his neck and suddenly realized, "No wonder, I always felt that the old servant surnamed Li was hiding something."
On the day he and Heng Qichun first visited the Tan residence, they followed Xi Niang all the way there, but the old servant said he had never seen Xi Niang—it seems he was not unaware of the situation.
“But Master…” Lou Yan suddenly looked up as if something was of great importance, “Tan Qiqi’s death curse was drawn by Xu Shengzi. It’s one thing to lure me into the illusion, but why would Xi Niang lead you in?”
Guessing that he was going to ask this, Heng Qichun simply smiled faintly and asked in suspense, "Want to know?"
Lou Yan nodded, "Mmm-hmm."
"Come with me if you want to know."
Heading west up the mountain from Fuzhu River, passing through several towns along the way, the locals were still selling talismans, their calls echoing endlessly, and there was nothing unusual about it.
As the sun hid behind the mountains and the sky hung low, Lou Yan finally felt alive again as evening approached and night fell.
That suffocating illusion has truly vanished.
Lou Yan's thoughts wandered, and when she came back to her senses, she bumped into Heng Qichun.
He cried out "Ouch!" and took a half-step back, clutching his forehead, looking at Heng Qichun who had suddenly stopped with a hint of reproach.
"We've arrived," Heng Qichun said.
Lou Yan paused for a moment before realizing what was happening and looking at the alley in front of her.
It is still a custom in Huatan Town that the corner walls and pillars are covered with talismans, which are rustling in the wind.
The sound was chilling, and one could vaguely hear the cry of a baby crying at night.
Here we go again. Such an utterly bizarre night.
"What are you looking at?" Heng Qichun's voice suddenly came.
Lou Yan was startled, hunched her neck and shivered, looking in the direction Heng Qichun was moving.
He raised his hand and knocked twice on a wooden door, and immediately heard rustling sounds coming from inside.
Lou Yan frowned warily, and just as the wooden door was about to be opened, he rushed forward, his face immediately covered by something cold and hard.
It's over.
The wolf was enacting a grand drama in his mind—this must be some trick that cunning old Taoist priest, Xu Shengzi, is playing again.
Before the thought had even formed, a familiar voice suddenly reached his ears.
"Whoosh!"
Lou Yan thought of something, pursed her lips awkwardly, and grabbed the "thing" clinging to her head with both hands.
Then he met the longing gaze of the Pixiu cub.
After two days apart, the little beast seemed to have grown a bit. Its scales were neatly arranged, and its eyes were filled with tears. It was about to stick its four paws to Lou Yan.
"Whoosh!"
I miss you so much, Little Wolf!
"Huh?" Lou Yan was flattered and took two steps back before she could finally see the true face of the mansion in front of her.
The eaves were simple, and there were no talismans pasted on the door. A faint medicinal aroma wafted out.
Lou Yan's nose twitched slightly, discerning that it might contain the spiritual energy of Hezi Island.
This was where Nanxu had stayed.
He had almost forgotten about the child.
Lou Yan suddenly remembered what Tan Qiqi had said in her dream. She turned to tell Heng Qichun, but before she could speak, she saw Nan Xu come out from inside.
The child still had a mature and composed demeanor. Upon seeing Heng Qichun, he first raised his hand in greeting, "The Divine Lord has returned."
She didn't forget Lou Yan, adding, "And Senior Brother Lou too."
Lou Yan had a gut feeling that Nan Xu must have known Tan Qiqi for a long time and that he had probably returned to Huatan Town for another purpose. Therefore, she did not give him a good look and gave him a cold "humph". Before Heng Qichun could speak, she carried the Pixiu cub into the door.
All that's left is a haughty, arrogant back view.
It seemed incredibly rebellious, but fortunately, Heng Qichun was too lazy to argue with his ill-tempered disciple.
Nan Xu hesitated and said, "Senior Brother Lou, what is this...?"
"Never mind him," Heng Qichun said, turning the question around to ask, "Is Xi Niang inside?"
“Yes, yes.” Nan Xu extended his hand. “Please come in, Your Majesty.”
As night deepened, the cries of infants in the town grew louder, adding an eerie and strange atmosphere to the courtyard.
Heng Qichun seemed to have gotten used to it. He rolled up his sleeves and pushed open the door to the side hall. The first thing he saw was an old screen.
A sprig of winter plum blossom, covered in snow, peeks through the window with an ancient charm, just like a screen with plum blossom tips entering the room.
Heng Qichun's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
The woman's soft murmur came at that moment.
"At the fourth watch of the night (1-3 AM), there are no taboos."
Xi Niang was squatting behind the screen with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her clothes were dirty and disheveled, and her hair was all hanging down, covering most of her face, revealing only a pair of extremely gentle almond-shaped eyes.
He was indeed someone he had personally experienced and acted for in that environment.
"Why is she..." Lou Yan, who was already holding the Pixiu cub and looking over with curiosity, couldn't help but peek behind the screen when she heard the voice. Her eyes were filled with shock, and she could only stammer, "Why is she still reciting the night watchman's song? Isn't that night watchman dead?!"
Nan Xu echoed, "The night watchman is indeed dead; his body is still outside."
Lou Yan felt a sudden sense of realization.
Before she could figure out what was so strange about this, Xi Niang slowly stood up from the ground. She was dressed in rags and moved slowly. It took her half a cup of tea's time to stand in front of the three of them.
Then she was seen to lightly raise her right hand, her palm seemingly holding something, and then she made a gesture of tapping it in the air.
"Bang—"
One slow beat followed by three fast beats, one long beat followed by three short beats—this is the motion of a night watchman striking a clapper!
A thought exploded in Lou Yan's mind, her expression changed, and she immediately turned to look at Heng Qichun, asking without warning, "Master! How many times did you get punished by your uncle in the Yingjie Hall that day?"
Heng Qichun didn't know why he asked this question, but he still answered truthfully, "Once, why?"
once.
How could it only happen once!
Lou Yan suddenly recalled the scene when he saw Heng Qichun being punished in Yingjie Hall.
It wasn't a two-day penalty, but only once.
No wonder Heng Qichun never mentioned it afterward; they were in different times, and Heng Qichun actually had no idea that he had seen him being punished!
Once Lou Yan understood this, his pupils contracted sharply. Forgetting about the little Pixiu cub that was jumping around in his arms, he grabbed the little beast by the scruff of its neck and threw it aside, immediately baring his sharp canines at Xi Niang.
He felt sweat beading on his forehead, his clothes clinging damply to his back, and the hot air around him brought back that oppressive heat that felt like it was going to dry him out.
The sound of lectures from Nanyu Mountain occasionally reached my ears.
"The evil spirit is the manifestation of a vengeful and malevolent soul. It manifests at midnight, devours people's vital energy, and causes plants and trees to wither and die wherever it passes."
—"It often uses the appearance of an old friend to lure people closer, then suddenly reveals its fangs; those who are hit will surely die within three days."
The imitation of a night watchman striking a clapper causes time to become chaotic, children to cry at night, and resentment to erode people's vital energy.
This is the night watchman's curse!
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Author's note: [Keep it up!][Keep it up!][Keep it up!]
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