Chapter 43: "This is how you led me out...
The flying eaves divided the green sky into eight parts, each lifting one end and going straight into the sky.
Zhibai leaned against the pillar of the octagonal pavilion, her eyes gently and carefully gazing at the cosmetics box in her hand. Her gaze slid across the cosmetics box one by one, as if she was tracing Chen Mian's eyebrows and eyes.
"That day, Mianlang said he would go out to buy me some new lip balm. It just so happened that I was about to give birth, so I would need it soon..." Zhibai's voice was light, but still contained a hint of tears, causing her ending tone to rise slightly.
"I was at home washing the children's clothes. I kept waiting, waiting for Mianlang to come home as usual, but even after the sun went down, there was no sign of him..."
Zhibai's voice was sobbing and becoming more and more choked.
Wen Yu frowned. It was indeed dusk that day when he saw Jia Ren arresting Chen Mian in the East Market. The time matched.
"As night fell, I felt more and more that something was amiss, but I didn't think much of it." Zhi Bai changed the subject, "After all, it was almost Shangsi, and as a ritual official, it's not uncommon for him to be busy all night arranging sacrificial arrangements and unable to leave. I just assumed he was busy with official duties..."
Zhibai suddenly grabbed Wenyu's sleeves with both hands, holding them tightly in his hands, tears streaming down his eyes.
"I went to the Jiangyang government office to ask, but my colleagues at the gate said that Mianlang left the government office after noon and had not been seen returning."
"I suddenly had a bad feeling in my heart, and remembering what he said about buying lip balm, I went straight to Mingyang's shop and found the cosmetics box in the back alley."
Zhibai picked up the cosmetics box again and motioned Wenyu to take a closer look.
"I followed Mianlang's scent and found only this cosmetics box. All things have spirits, and there's still some residual divine aura on it, exactly the same as the aura of my aunt."
"So I guessed my aunt was there at the time, so I wanted to talk to her and ask about the situation."
But humans and demons are different. Wen Yu had been staying with the prefect, Song, so she didn't dare to bother him. Although she was a demon, she had been in the mortal world for a long time, so she naturally knew the rules of the mortal world.
Today, she followed Wen Yu's footsteps and followed her in Houchun Mountain for a long time. It was not until she heard from the two of them that Prefect Song was going to Xianchun Cottage to change clothes that she seized the opportunity and made some noise at the courtyard gate to lure Wen Yu out...
"Is this why you pretended to be mysterious and lured me out?"
There was a layer of frost on Wen Yu's brows. She looked at Zhi Bai coldly, not knowing what she was thinking.
"Aunt..." Zhibai also noticed Wenyu's expression and was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to say. She was indeed the one who caused the trouble, but there were reasons for it. I wonder if Auntie can sympathize...
She had come to find Wenyu on a whim. In reality, although both she and Wenyu were wood-born spirits, they had no close relationship...
She called Wen Yu "Auntie," but that was just to appear closer, and because of Wen Yu's origins in the Spring Temple, she used a respectful title. It wasn't like she was actually related to Wen Yu.
Thinking of this, Zhibai felt even more insecure and didn't dare to say another word.
"You're pregnant and have difficulty moving around, so you can just call me." Wen Yu was sweating in her heart, still a little frightened, "Do you know that if I act rashly, I'm afraid I'll hurt you!"
Wen Yu was extremely anxious, but she had no other choice but to stamp her feet to express her dissatisfaction. After venting her anger, she lifted her robe and sat down next to Zhibai.
She held Zhibai's hand with her backhand and patted it soothingly.
"Since you are the incarnation of the Gardenia, you should be able to see that my true form is the Green Wutong Tree in the Wutong Ancestral Temple. You and I are both plant spirits, and I will not leave your affairs alone."
Wen Yu's words were like a reassurance to Zhi Bai. Zhi Bai nodded repeatedly, her slightly loose hair hanging down beside her ears, making her look even more haggard and emaciated.
"Aunt, please tell me the truth about what happened that day..."
Before Zhibai could finish, Wenyu began to recall the events of that day. She recounted everything to Zhibai, from her first encounter with Lord Jia in East Street Market to the subsequent arrest at Mingyang Shop, the rescue of the lagging Lord Mu, and Chen Mian's surrender.
"Lord Song and I have visited Chen Mian in the dungeon. He is very worried about you, so Lord Song sent people to look for you in the city..." Wen Yu explained.
When Zhibai heard that Chen Mian was imprisoned and in a dire situation, she curled her lips and looked like she was about to cry. She folded her hands and secretly squeezed her palms to force herself to hold back the tears.
"Mianlang hadn't returned yet, and I knew something had happened. My aunt also knew that I was a special person, and she was afraid that someone would arrest me. So after finding this cosmetics box, she left home that night and never returned to the city."
Therefore, Lord Mu and Xiyan searched the city in vain. Zhibai was a demon, and even though she was pregnant and had difficulty walking, if she deliberately wanted to avoid a few mortals, she would have no problem.
After Zhibai finished his explanation, he pleaded with Wenyu again, "Aunt, Chen Mian is as bright as the moon and as clear as the stars. He is definitely not a corrupt person who perverts the law and goes with the flow."
"Aunt, please save Mianlang!"
Song Linsheng was the newly appointed prefect of Jiangyang. Chen Mian's affairs were Jiangyang's affairs, and no matter how you looked at it, they fell within Song Linsheng's responsibilities. If that was the relationship, then he should have approached Song Linsheng.
Wen Yu found it strange. Why didn't Zhibai just go find Song Linsheng? He should be at Xianchun Cottage right now, so he could definitely catch her. Why did Zhibai specifically lure her out and avoid Song Linsheng?
Wen Yu's thoughts also became confused, and she couldn't understand what Zhibai meant.
"Niangzi Zhibai, I have just entered the mortal world, but you have been here for a long time. In theory, your cultivation is definitely above mine." Wen Yu spoke carefully, wondering what words would make her more receptive.
"You just appeared, but why is there no demonic aura around you until now?" Wen Yu finally asked the doubts in his heart.
"Since you are a flower demon, why don't you break into the Jiangyang dungeon and rescue Chen Mian directly?"
Then take him away, find a beautiful province with mountains and rivers, hide your identities, and become husband and wife again.
Wen Yu thinks simply.
Zhibai listened attentively to Wenyu's questions. In the end, he just sobbed softly, raised his sleeve to wipe away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and forced himself to explain to Wenyu.
"I have been in Houchun Mountain for a long time. At that time, you were indeed still an uncultivated green phoenix tree."
Zhibai's voice was soft and weak, but not shrill. If she wasn't so distracted at the moment, she would have been a bright and cheerful woman, and her every frown and smile could still be seen.
Zhibai slid one hand in front of her body and stopped at her abdomen. She lowered her head and looked at her body, as if she was gently looking at the baby in her belly.
"Aunt, you don't know that all goblins and monsters have their own destiny, but among all these destinies, not one of them is to be united with mortals."
Wen Yu frowned at this. It was only natural. Even though she had only recently transformed, she still understood this simple truth. The difference between humans and demons was immense, a world of difference. It simply couldn't be summed up by the word "infernal chasm."
"I went against the will of heaven and gave birth to a child in the body of a flower demon, but it made me lose all my magic power and my demonic aura dissipated." Zhibai said these words in disbelief, but his tone was calm, without any sign of entanglement or sadness.
"Is that why Auntie couldn't tell whether I was a mortal or a spirit?"
Zhibai asked Wenyu a question, but not for her answer. The answer was obvious and self-evident. It didn't matter whether Wenyu said it in person or not.
Zhibai let out a long breath and continued, "Now that I've lost all my magical powers, I can no longer dream of breaking into the Jiangyang government's dungeons alone."
"It would be fine if I were alone, but I'm not alone now. I have to take care of the baby in my belly."
As for taking Chen Mian far away... Zhibai lowered his head and shook it slightly.
"Fate is determined by heaven. How can you and I disturb it at will?"
"If I take Mian Lang away, I'll have an easy life, but he'll have to face leaving his hometown and losing Jiang Yang, the man he's been working for for so long. This is not what I want..."
This is his life, and Zhibai doesn't want to make any decisions for him.
"I have thought about asking Prefect Song for help, but I see Prefect Song is always with my aunt, so I think you two have a very good relationship."
She thought that after all, she and Wenyu were both plant spirits, and she hoped that Wenyu would save her because of their common origin. That's why she begged Wenyu. But now, with Wenyu in front of her, Zhibai couldn't bring herself to say these words.
She hesitated for a long moment before continuing, "Prefect Song is ultimately a mortal, while Auntie is surrounded by a celestial aura. I imagine she has already worshipped the Goddess of Spring. I only ask Auntie... to save my husband!"
"He was wronged! He must have been wronged!"
Zhibai's plea lingered in Wenyu's ears. Wenyu also thought that Chen Mian was framed, but the current situation was at a stalemate. Lord Jia insisted on his point, and Chen Mian refused to defend himself, which made the situation a little tricky.
Wen Yu had no other choice but to comfort Zhi Bai, saying, "Don't worry, Madam Zhi Bai! Calm down first!"
"Don't worry, even if you didn't come to see me today, Lord Song and I would definitely not stand idly by."
Zhibai gazed at Wenyu with tearful eyes, leaning forward to bow. Wenyu was quick to stop Zhibai. She was pregnant, so it would be best if she didn't move too frequently.
Master had said that doing good deeds, accumulating virtue, and having good intentions were essential lessons for every spirit seeking to become an immortal. If she didn't even have the slightest awareness of this, there was no point in her achieving perfect merit and ascending to immortality.
Zhi Bai Niangzi was deeply moved. She probably never thought that she had come here by accident to "make friends", but would meet Wen Yu, who was also a wood elf and so enthusiastic.
Wen Yu suddenly remembered something and continued, "Oh right! You haven't been in the city these past few days, so where have you been staying? You're heavy, so I'm afraid it would be inconvenient for you."
"I was afraid of danger that day, so I left the city." Zhibai's face flushed, and he explained to Wenyu with some embarrassment, "At first I took refuge in the mountains and forests, but now I'm no longer as skilled in magic, so I later rested in a dilapidated temple outside the city."
Ruined temple?
When Wen Yu heard these two words, she couldn't help but think of something, and her mind turned...
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