Chapter 11
[Extra: The White Bone Xiao Mei]
More than three hundred years have passed in the mortal world. At a glance, everything changes in an instant, as fleeting as clouds.
Slaughter and chaos, the rise and fall of dynasties-history is both grand and shocking.
I waited so long, and at last, I saw him again.
In the twenty-fifth year of the Republic, the North China War dragged on; all living things were plunged into misery.
At that time, Japanese Soldiers had not yet entered Beiping City.
My name is Xiao Mei, and I ran a Sesame Cake Shop on the street.
The world fell into turmoil; large numbers of Refugees flooded into the city for shelter, their cries filling the air.
Late at night, the Night Patrolling Deity brothers passed by my street several times, hurriedly warning me: “The mortal world is in chaos. Even the Ghosts from the Underworld can’t be collected anymore. Don’t linger here. The higher-ups forbid Monsters from causing trouble-be careful not to be killed by mistake.”
They were overly cautious. Though I am now a White Bone Spirit, aside from never aging, I am no different from ordinary people.
How could a Monster without Cultivation commit evil?
On the contrary, my Sesame Cake Shop was often robbed in these troubled times, because there were too many Refugees.
Sometimes, even I would be shoved to the ground.
But back then, I could still get by. Grain was expensive, but it could still be bought.
Unlike a year later, when Japanese Soldiers entered the city and established the Guild, and the Local Chamber of Commerce began to ration grain by headcount; even Mixed Flour was hard to come by.
The first time I saw Xie Chengli, it was just like when I first met Shen Yutang hundreds of years ago.
History always repeats itself in astonishing ways.
Xie Chengli was in mourning for his father.
But unlike before, his father-the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce-was stabbed to death on the street.
The Xie Family had been Merchants for generations. In the twenty-fifth year of the Republic, farmers from all around flooded into the city as Refugees, left homeless.
The Chamber of Commerce set up a Temporary Relief Center, building a Porridge Kitchen and a Warm Shelter. As chairman, Xie’s father strictly demanded all Merchants donate grain and money.
Not long after, he was assassinated in the street.
Then Xie Chengli, the only son of the Xie Family, came home from school and took over all the family business, as well as the chaotic and corrupt Chamber of Commerce.
But in truth, he was nothing like Shen Yutang.
At that time, the Porridge Kitchen was in chaos. After Xie’s father died, the Chamber of Commerce sold less and less grain, no longer caring whether the Refugees lived or died.
Riot broke out in the troubled world-heads split and blood spilled.
The Refugees began to loot in the streets, while Merchants started beating people.
My Sesame Cake Shop was smashed and robbed again, and I too was shoved to the ground.
That was when Xie Chengli appeared.
Except for his face, he was nothing like Shen Yutang.
He wore a black robe and blue jacket, tall and upright, with an extraordinary air, looking scholarly and refined.
He wore Gold-rimmed Glasses, his expression cold and aloof, seldom smiling.
Facing the riot on the street, he impatiently took off his glasses, and told the dozens of men holding sticks behind him, “Hit them!”
Whether Refugees or Merchants, anyone who misbehaved was beaten mercilessly.
The street was a mess. I was being shoved to the ground, when a slender, bony hand suddenly reached out and helped me up.
Our eyes met, and I stupidly called out, “Young master.”
Xie Chengli raised his brow and looked at me with amusement.
Then he handed me his glasses: “Hold them for me.”
His voice was always deep and pleasant, with a faint hint of laughter.
In an instant, he rolled up his sleeves, picked up a Long Stick that had fallen not far away, and walked toward those causing trouble. The stick swept through the air, striking flesh with force.
He hit and kicked, eyes narrowed, his expression fierce and grim.
Soon, the street quieted down.
He replaced his father as the new chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, and promised the Refugees that as long as the Xie Family remained, the Temporary Relief Center would never close and everyone would have a bite to eat.
The crowd dispersed, leaving only wreckage and casualties.
He came to retrieve his glasses from me. As soon as he reached out his hand, I saw that his forearm, exposed by his rolled-up sleeve, was bleeding.
I grabbed his hand, tears falling. “Young master, you’re hurt.”
He still looked at me with that amused expression, speaking with careless irony: “Why are you crying? Do we know each other?”
I shook my head, but held onto his hand: “You’re hurt. You need it bandaged.”
Behind my Sesame Cake Shop were two small rooms-my living quarters.
I led him inside.
The door was low, and he was tall; he almost bumped his head coming in.
Suddenly I got nervous, standing on tiptoe to touch his forehead. “Does it hurt?”
Xie Chengli frowned, looking at me with an unreadable expression.
The room was dim, so I lit the Oil Lamp.
I carefully cleaned his wound.
I wrapped Gauze around it again and again.
He looked both amused and helpless, holding up his arm. “If outsiders saw this, they’d think I was crippled.”
Once the wound was bandaged, he was ready to leave.
I called out to him again, “Young master, are you hungry? Would you like a Sesame Cake?”
Then I added, “I made it myself.”
Xie Chengli curled his lips and let out a laugh: “I’m busy. I don’t have time to eat your Sesame Cakes.”
He was about to leave. I walked him to the door and watched his departing figure, tears streaming down once more.
Not far off, he stopped and suddenly turned back to look at me.
Through my tear-blurred vision, I heard him laugh and say, “If you’re really that confident in your cooking, why not come to the Xie Family and make it for me yourself? I’ll be waiting.”
He probably just said it casually, never expecting that I would show up at his door the very next day.
The Xie Family’s garden villa was located in a wealthy district, a three-story Western-style building.
I went over early in the morning.
Xie Chengli and Mrs. Xie had not yet gotten up. Led by the servant Liu Ma, I went to the kitchen and busied myself for quite a while.
The Xie Family didn’t have an oven for making Sesame Cake, so I switched to making flatbreads and stuffed pastries instead.
Liu Ma praised my dexterity, saying my skills were clearly well-practiced.
With her help, I also stir-fried a few side dishes and made tofu soup.
By the time Xie Chengli got up, his mother was already sitting at the dining table, leisurely enjoying her meal.
Mrs. Xie was a dignified woman, kind and always smiling. She said to Xie Chengli, “The Wen Family broke off the engagement and refused to let their daughter marry in. I thought you’d be depressed for a while, but now you’ve met Xiao Mei. I find her agreeable too-she looks clean and neat, and she’s clever. Why not let her stay in the house?”
Before he came downstairs, Mrs. Xie had already spoken to me and learned about my situation.
She asked, “Xiao Mei, your skills are impressive. Would you like to stay with the Xie Family?”
I was delighted at the prospect of staying by his side, but unexpectedly, Xie Chengli frowned, pursed his lips slightly, and said with displeasure, “She’s just a Sesame Cake seller, Mom, don’t misunderstand.”
With that, he rolled up his sleeves and said to me, “Come with me.”
I followed him upstairs.
As soon as we entered the room, he suddenly reached out, pressed my head hard, and slammed it against the wall.
See, I knew it-he wasn’t Shen Yutang.
Shen Yutang would never treat me like this.
Blood trickled down from my forehead, slowly sliding past my eyelashes.
Dazed, I looked at him. “Young Master?”
That familiar face, handsome and extraordinary, was now filled with murderous intent and cruelty-
“So you really dared to come? Tell me, who are you, and who sent you?!”
I understood.
His father had died violently in the street. Now, having taken over the Chamber of Commerce and being the Xie Family’s only son, there were plenty of people who wanted him dead.
Xie Chengli wouldn’t trust anyone easily.
Especially since I had acted so strangely, like a woman with ulterior motives deliberately approaching him.
The wound on my forehead didn’t hurt at all.
But my bones ached.
Three hundred years had passed, and the two Floating Ribs that were broken back then still felt empty.
I looked at him and said, “My name is Xiao Mei. I live in the southern part of the city. My parents died young, and I sold Sesame Cake with my grandfather since childhood. After he passed away, I sold Sesame Cake on my own. Young Master, you’re welcome to check.”
Xie Chengli’s eyes darkened, and he sneered coldly, “Why did you cry when you saw me yesterday?”
“Because I thought of your father. He was a good man-he helped Refugees and looked after small vendors like us. He ate my Sesame Cake once and said it was delicious. I just wanted you to try it too.”
I was telling the truth.
Master Xie had indeed eaten my Sesame Cake. He was a chubby businessman, always kind and gentle to us.
Mentioning his father, Xie Chengli’s hostility did subside. He let go of my head, pursed his lips, and said, “Leave. Don’t come here again.”
I had waited three hundred years and finally found him.
Unfortunately, he was not my Shen Qilang.
He had a girl he liked, named Wen Xin.
The Wen Family was also a prominent local Merchant, dealing in grain, oil, and running a fabric shop.
Later, when the Japanese Soldiers entered the city, they even opened an opium den and a morphine shop.
The Wen Family and the Xie Family had originally been on very good terms.
Until the North China War, when Refugees flooded into the city in increasing numbers, making it hard to control.
With the world in turmoil, the Chamber of Commerce was already struggling. Master Xie insisted on keeping the relief center open and forced them to provide grain, offending many people.
Naturally, the Wen Family had complaints and gradually grew dissatisfied.
After Master Xie was stabbed to death in the street, the Wen Family immediately broke off the marriage between the two families.
However, Miss Wen and Xie Chengli had grown up together as childhood friends, and their feelings ran deep.
As a result, whenever I visited the Xie Family afterwards, I often saw Xie Chengli with his legs propped up on the table, half-reclining in his chair, eyes closed, rubbing his brow, looking despondent.
I knew he was troubled by Miss Wen’s situation.
After the engagement was broken, Miss Wen was confined by her family.
I heard she even attempted suicide, slashing her wrists and being rushed to the hospital.
I had actually met her.
She had sneaked out of her house to see Xie Chengli, hiding in the Xie Family’s kitchen cabinet.
I hadn’t listened to Xie Chengli’s warning-he told me never to come to his house again, but I still came every day, sometimes making soup, sometimes flatbreads, always preparing a meal.
That day, it was noon. Liu Ma wasn’t around. I opened the cabinet and saw Miss Wen, her eyes as clear as a deer’s.
She was very beautiful. Anxiously, she raised a finger to her lips, signaling me to be quiet.
She was waiting for Xie Chengli.
But if Mrs. Xie saw her, she would be thrown out.
Because the Wen and Xie Families had completely fallen out. After Master Xie’s death, Master Wen united a group of Merchants to oppose the Xie Family and Xie Chengli, the Chamber of Commerce chairman. They wanted to bring him down.
Mrs. Xie couldn’t bear to see her son lose his appetite over the Wen Family’s daughter, even though she had watched this girl grow up and had once adored her deeply.
She even cried as she said to Xie Chengli, “Forget about her, stop thinking about her. Your father’s death-who’s to say the Wen Family wasn’t involved? You two can never be together.
After saying this, she pulled me over: “Look at Xiao Mei, what a good girl she is. When you marry, you should marry someone virtuous. She runs around all day for you, likes you so much-can’t you see it?”
Ah, of course he could see it.
But he didn’t like me.
When he saw Miss Wen crawling out from the cabinet, his eyes lit up. That look of utter joy-how could I ever forget it?
They held each other tightly.
Xie Chengli’s voice trembled, his eyes reddened.
Usually so reserved, his expression softened, full of love: “Wen Xin.”
Miss Wen was crying and laughing at the same time.
I left the kitchen, closing the door behind me for them.
Those two shadows, pressed together, tangled as if they were one.
Later, people from the Wen Family came and took Miss Wen away.
It was an ugly scene.
When it comes to matters of the heart, men are always more ruthless than women.
Just like that meeting-they were so excited, holding each other tight.
But after the embrace, through the kitchen door, I heard Xie Chengli say to her, “Don’t make a fuss anymore, and don’t come looking for me again. Take care of yourself, listen to your family, get married.”
He loved her, but he decided to let her go.
By then, the Wen Family had already arranged another engagement for Miss Wen-I heard he was an officer.
They never saw each other again.
In times of chaos, talking about love between men and women seems so ridiculous.
Xie Chengli didn’t have much time to grieve, because the Temporary Relief Center became harder to sustain with each passing day.
A year later, the Japanese Soldiers entered the city, and the Temporary Relief Center was completely disbanded by them.
The Chamber of Commerce was no longer what it used to be.
There was no longer a chairman; Master Wen became the Chamber of Commerce’s supervisor.
They listened to the Japanese, and all the important supplies-cloth, coal, grain-were controlled by the Japanese Guild.
Opium dens and morphine shops opened one after another.
The streets were filled with Japanese ronin and women in kimonos.
The Military Police became the most feared presence.
Chinese people bowed their heads, following them and shouting, “Japan-China-Manchukuo Friendship!”
If your voice was too low, you might be beaten to death on the street.
Photos of the Japanese Emperor were posted in the most prominent places in the city.
Before they arrived, Xie Chengli had already accepted my feelings.
By then, he hadn’t seen Miss Wen for half a year.
I still went to his house every day, busying myself, experimenting with dishes in the kitchen, caring for his daily needs.
Liu Ma and Mrs. Xie both liked me very much.
They always urged Xie Chengli, saying Xiao Mei was such a good girl, he shouldn’t miss his chance with her.
So, I finally waited for that day.
Xie Chengli told me himself, “The city isn’t safe. From now on, just live here-don’t go back to the Sesame Cake Shop.”
My Sesame Cake Shop hadn’t been open for a long time anyway.
Standing downstairs at the Xie Family home, I looked at Xie Chengli, and as I smiled, I started to cry.
He frowned, pulled my arm, and reached out to wipe my tears: “Why are you crying again?”
I took the opportunity to wrap my arms around his waist, hugging him tightly.
“We’ll always be together, right?”
Xie Chengli was silent for a moment, then reached out and stroked my head.
“Yes, we’ll always be together.”
I never asked him if he liked me.
But later, he gave me a ring.
It was as if Miss Wen had never existed. He would look at me gently, touch my face and ears.
Did he like me?
I didn’t know.
I only knew that on that sunny afternoon, when I was washing my hair in the courtyard, he brought out a dry towel and helped me dry my hair.
As he dried it, he slipped a ring onto my finger.
My hair was still damp, and he hugged me from behind, breathing in the scent of my wet hair.
Then he smiled and said to me, “When the North China War is over, we’ll get married.”
The North China War never ended. The Japanese Soldiers entered the city.
I knew the pressure Xie Chengli was under. He had always lived in the cracks, the Xie Family barely surviving, and he was still holding on.
In front of the Japanese Guild, he was as humble as a dog.
He endured humiliation and bore heavy burdens, because his classmates who had joined the revolution still needed him as their support.
Later, more and more people died at the hands of the Japanese Soldiers.
But what did that matter?
Compared to the Nanjing Massacre and the Panjiayu Incident, things here were already peaceful.
Some people clung to luck, scraping by.
Some were full of passion, wanting to kill the invaders.
Under the constant oppression of the Japanese Guild, the Xie Family finally collapsed.
I took Mrs. Xie and Liu Ma and moved into the Sesame Cake Shop.
Xie Chengli ran away.
He had no choice-his classmates had been exposed, and the Japanese Soldiers would soon come for him.
He hid in the city for a few days, disguised himself, and I helped him leave.
It was dark and the road was long. Someone was chasing us. I reached out with my White Bone Claw and plunged it into their throats.
Then that chilling White Bone Claw returned to a human hand.
Covered in blood.
Xie Chengli saw it.
There was shock and disbelief in his eyes, but not a trace of fear.
I wiped the blood from my hand and said to him, “Go quickly. Be careful.”
Suddenly, he smiled. For some reason, his eyes were faintly red as he asked me, “The ‘young master’ you speak of-who is he?”
I was stunned for a moment, looked at him, and smiled: “The Flower Picking Scholar of the court, Shen Yutang from Yuhang.”
“Who is he?”
“He is my husband.”
Xie Chengli, for reasons unknown, began to shed tears: “Then who am I?”
“You are Xie Chengli, the one and only Xie Chengli.”
He covered his eyes, suddenly broke down in tears, pulled me into his arms, held me tightly, and choked out by my ear: “Wait for me. When the war ends, I will come back to marry you.”
When people describe the passage of time, they always like to say time flies like an arrow.
It is a cruel phrase.
Time flies like an arrow, vanishing in an instant, slipping away silently.
When you look back, it truly becomes an arrow, piercing through your body in the countless halos of the past.
I never saw Xie Chengli again.
The war ended, but he did not return.
Miss Wen of the Wen Family did not wait for him either.
Before the Japanese Soldiers entered the city, she had already married an officer of the Suiyuan Jin Army.
But because her husband kept compromising with the Japanese Soldiers and harming the people, they quarreled constantly and eventually parted ways.
When Miss Wen returned, her family’s opium dens and morphine shops had spread throughout the city.
The opium dealers lived in luxury, while the common folk were ruined and destitute.
Japanese Soldiers filled the streets, capturing Chinese people to build airfields.
Once taken, they rarely returned.
She watched her husband and father bow and scrape before the Japanese Soldiers, and Miss Wen went mad, smashing everything in the house.
She had attended school, was knowledgeable and idealistic.
But later, she became addicted to opium, smoking away in her family’s own den.
Master Wen wept bitterly, begging her to quit, but she laughed: “Our own opium den, and I can’t smoke?”
Later, she began to consort with the Japanese Soldiers.
She entertained Mr. Okamura from the Guild, Captain Ito from the Military Police, seeking pleasure and drinking together.
Until, in the end, she shot and killed them after drinking.
“If the country is in peril, one should face life and death, not avoid it for personal gain or loss.”
That was the last thing she said.
So much time has passed, I can barely remember her face.
I only recall those eyes, clear as a fawn’s, astonishingly beautiful.
In this life, I saw Mother Xie to her end.
When Mother Xie’s hair turned white, she never saw her son again.
She held my hand, murmuring over and over: “Chengli, Xiao Mei…”
I still remember, hundreds of years ago, Fox Sister told me: “To be human is to experience birth, aging, sickness, and death-endless cycles of life and death. Reincarnation is a punishment, don’t seek suffering for yourself.”
But only after so many years did I understand that immortality is not necessarily happiness.
The arrows of time pierce one after another.
There is no going back.
Shen Yutang, Xie Chengli, and Miss Wen-all that has passed slowly faded away…
Long ago, I was a Jiangshi.
Later, I cultivated to the realm of Indestructible Bone, enduring for a hundred years.
Now, the city is ablaze with lights and neon, bustling with traffic.
Skyscrapers tower everywhere.
At the window of the central hospital, a man hurriedly sent his wife into the delivery room, pacing nervously.
He prayed: “Come on, honey, you can do it…”
The nurse came out, carrying a baby girl.
The man was overjoyed, excitedly taking his daughter, peeking into the delivery room-
“Where’s my wife? Where’s my wife?”
How wonderful, Shen Yutang, did you see? This time, their teachings were not wrong, nor was their morality.
How wonderful, the peace and prosperity Xie Chengli spoke of has finally come true.
That couple gave the girl a lovely nickname: Xinxin.
She was beautiful, with eyes clear as a fawn’s and long lashes.
In kindergarten, she met a very cool little boy.
The boy ignored everyone, never smiled, as serious as a little cadre.
Xinxin spoke to him, but got no response, and was unhappy.
After school, at the playground downstairs, they met again.
This time, Xinxin handed him a piece of candy.
Then she turned to look at me, made an OK gesture.
The boy took the candy, I smiled.
And left.
After dark, I met the Night Patrolling Deity brothers again. They asked me, “Are you going back to the mountain?”
I said, “I will.”
They nodded, sighing endlessly: “There are few Spirit Monsters left on Deer Enclosure Mountain. Chiyuan Immortal Maiden perished in a calamity not long ago. When you return, you’ll be all alone. We brothers will visit you often.”
See, Fox Sister will eventually understand, no one can be the master of this world.
If immortals fail their tribulations, they perish.
If Monsters fail their cultivation, they perish too.
Humans have birth, aging, sickness, and death-reincarnation never ends.
It’s all the same.
All things grow together without harming one another-that is the true law of this world.
Now I am going back.
Oh, I forgot to tell you, I’m not returning to Deer Enclosure Mountain.
I’m going back to find my Shen Yutang.
I know where he is buried.
Green hills and clear waters, a grave and a coffin-there should be two sets of white bones.