Chapter 8
Lately, I have not been feeling well.
My body always feels light and floating.
Fox Sister has not appeared for a long time, and I do not know where she has gone.
Shen Yutang said he wanted to paint me.
He used my likeness to paint a Moon Goddess Riding a Luan Painting.
Then, holding my hand, he inscribed a poem on the painting, writing each stroke with utmost care.
By the clouds, the Moon Goddess rides a luan at night,
Under the moon, her rainbow dress and wide sleeves dance.
The purple flute plays as wind and dew descend,
Her jade-like face and dark hair cannot withstand the cold.
I glanced sideways at him. His face was very close to mine, his breath lingering between us, his cheeks clean as jade.
I could not help but lick my teeth and kiss him on the cheek.
He immediately smiled, turned his face slightly, and placed a kiss on my forehead.
A breeze rose in the courtyard, trees rustled, and moon shadows danced.
The Tianqie Flower, which had been in full bloom since dusk, quietly gathered its buds, its white color enchanting.
Suddenly, Shen Yutang seemed to remember something. Looking at me, he said, “Niannian, I once had a dream. In the dream, the Moon Goddess descended to the mortal world to seek me. I clearly remember she was stunningly beautiful, but for some reason, I cannot recall her face.”
He is truly foolish. Ever since I came to his side, the image of the Daomei Fairy from that night has gradually been erased from his mind by me.
I looked at him with a bright smile and said nothing. Yet, just like when we first met, he pressed his forehead to mine and chuckled softly, “I cannot remember her face, but I always feel she should be as beautiful as you.”
Shen Yutang is not foolish at all.
Our one-year promise was voided.
Because even he noticed that I was becoming weaker and weaker.
He said his father’s mourning period was not yet over, but he wanted to marry me.
Only one bridal chamber was decorated in the Shen Mansion, with two red candles burning.
Shen Yutang looked so handsome, dressed in a bright red wedding robe, his skin pale, his brows and eyes strikingly beautiful.
He carried me to the bed and untied the sash of my wedding dress.
I had finally waited for this day. I thought I should be overjoyed.
But he cried before I did.
Tears fell on my neck as he murmured my name, “Niannian, I’m sorry…”
The red candles flickered gently in the room. I lay on the bed, my eyes dazed.
My clothes were disheveled, my long hair in disarray. When his hand interlaced tightly with mine, I called softly, “Shen Lang.”
The wedding could never be completed.
Because I knew, at that moment, he had made all the preparations, intending to pierce a Silver Needle into my skull.
I looked at him steadily, right in front of him, and then disappeared.
Those tightly interlaced fingers, in the end, could not hold on.
Not long ago, I had a dream.
In the dream, Fox Sister, who had not appeared for a long time, was pierced through the body by a sword.
She turned her head, her face full of terror, and told me, “Niannian, Shen Qilang has long known you are a Monster meant to harm him. He has always been thinking of ways to deal with you.”
“The great Daoist of Qingtai Temple in the Capital gave him a Silver Needle, hidden in the Study Room of the Shen Mansion. He is waiting for the moment when you are at your weakest to pierce this needle into your skull, and you will be instantly reduced to ashes.”
“Don’t eat the chicken soup Shen Qilang made for you. He burned Talisman Paper from the temple in it. You will grow weaker by the day.”
“Niannian, I was killed by the Daoist. I came to you in a dream on purpose. Remember, there is an official in the Capital named Cao Huan, the Vice Minister of Revenue. Last year, 4.5 million shi of autumn Official Grain was submitted from Zhexi. Cao Huan delivered 600,000 shi to the national treasury. The Mortal Emperor is investigating his embezzlement, and 1 million shi of Official Grain is unaccounted for.”
“Half a year ago, I transformed into a grain merchant named Hu Di and did business with the Second Master of the Shen Family, delivering him a batch of Official Grain-enough to have the entire family executed.”
“The Imperial Court is about to trace it to them. Go find the grain transaction ledger, stamp it with Shen Qilang’s seal, and Shen Qilang will surely die. The Mortal Emperor hates corrupt officials most. None of their family will escape.”
“Niannian, don’t be soft-hearted. This is your only chance. Remember to avenge me…”
……
That dream was too cruel.
When I woke up, I was trembling all over.
Then, I really did find a box in the secret compartment of Shen Yutang’s Study Room.
When I opened it, inside was a Silver Needle.
I have been a Jiangshi for two hundred years, but never have I felt so cold to the bone.
My body grew lighter and lighter.
Shen Yutang’s restaurant was indeed renovated for me.
Pepper-salt pork knuckle, Dongpo pork, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, stewed chicken soup…
Once eaten, my insides were broken.
The long streets in the city were as lively as Suzhou Prefecture.
The moonlight was cool as water, shadows flickered on the bluestone road, and boats glided under the arched bridges.
I half-lay at the bow of the boat, drinking a pot of wine.
It was meaningless. The wine was like a gust of wind-how could it dispel the sorrow of a Monster?
I was still wearing the bright red wedding dress from my escape.
Lying on my back on the boat, I gazed at the moon.
A Jiangshi basking in the moonlight, unconsciously shed a tear.
Shen Yutang is a good man. What fault does he have?
Passing by Deer Enclosure Mountain, he kindly buried a set of white bones, only to be entangled by a Monster who wanted his life.
He is human. He wants to resist, to slay the Monster. It is only natural.
But what fault do I have?
I was buried at five, devoted to cultivating Indestructible Bone. Except for those villagers back then, I have not harmed anyone in over two hundred years.
What fault do we have, that because of this damned Karma, one must die for the other to live?
A person with false feelings and a Jiangshi with false feelings performed an absurd farce.
I have long said that all things in the world are but White Dog as Calamity.
Shen Yutang once said, the evil of others has already been suffered by oneself. The kindness left in one’s heart should be used to forgive oneself, not others.
Forgive oneself, not others.
Shen Qilang, Shen Qilang, in the unseen world, you had already pointed out the path for me.
You die, I live.
The Imperial Court’s Official Grain embezzlement case was traced to the Shen Family in Yuhang.
There never was a grain merchant named Hu Di. It was all self-directed by the Shen Family, colluding with Vice Minister of Revenue Cao Huan to swallow the autumn Official Grain.
The Mortal Emperor’s Flower Picking Scholar was also arrested and imprisoned.
In the blink of an eye, the world was turned upside down. Wealth and glory were but an illusion.
All the men of the Shen Family were sentenced to be beheaded and displayed to the public.
The women and children were exiled to the remote regions of Qiongzhou.
Madam Shen died of illness on the second day in Prison.
Shen Yutang also died in Prison.
He did not wait for the day of execution. He took his own life in the cell.
I returned to Deer Enclosure Mountain, found a Cave Abode, and hid for nearly thirty years.
Thirty years passed in a flash.