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墨書 Inktalez
When I learned this news, aside from the initial shock, there was an uncontainable surprise. The fact that the Betrothal Gift from the Underworld was being sent meant that Jun Chong had agreed to this marriage.
He had said more than once that he did not love Su Yi, that he had never loved her. So if he didn't love her, why would he propose?
The one delivering the Betrothal Gift was Jun Rui. His gaze was intense, clearly showing no signs of sadness over his brother marrying the woman he liked, which piqued my curiosity.
However, no one could see the expression changes of the dark shadow.
Su Xun looked at the lavish Betrothal Gifts scattered on the ground, his brows not furrowing even slightly. He simply asked Su Yi a question, "If I were to ask you to marry, would you?"
Su Yi's expression revealed neither joy nor sorrow. She stood tall, not even glancing at the pile of Betrothal Gifts that made everyone envious. She said seriously, "Ayi's life was saved by my master. Everything my master does is for the Su Family's sake. If Ayi is needed for something, there’s no need to ask about Ayi's feelings; everything should be left to my master’s decision."
At that moment, I realized that Su Yi truly did not love Jun Chong, but only because they were strangers to each other.
Su Xun said nothing in response and neither accepted nor rejected the Betrothal Gifts. Jun Rui didn’t seem angry either, which puzzled me.
Logically speaking, the Su Family was just a family of yin and yang in the human realm, while Jun Chong led the entire Underworld. One was a ruler of the human world and the other a king of the Underworld; it seemed obvious that the latter would suppress the former.
Yet they gave me the impression that the Underworld was at a disadvantage unless Su Xun held something in his hands that forced Jun Chong to bow his head.
But it certainly wasn’t an alliance against the Demon Realm.
Returning to my bedroom, Su Yi lay on the table, gloomy and unhappy. I walked over to her side and tugged at her embroidery. Su Yi looked up and smiled at me, taking my hand as I sat down on a stool.
Su Yi gazed at me and finally sighed, "Wing Spirit, if I were like you—just a shadow who understands nothing—how wonderful that would be? Then I wouldn’t have so many worries."
I remained silent, simply watching her quietly without moving.
Su Yi gently touched my head, her words laced with a sense of helplessness. "Although I know that I am destined to give everything for the Su Family in this lifetime, as a woman, I selfishly hope to marry someone I love. My master has never mentioned my marriage before, and now he suddenly decides this. I guess he must have his own reasons, so even if I don't like it, I have no choice but to comply because he is my master! Wing Spirit, do you know what it means to have a master?"
I nodded, then shook my head.
Su Yi smiled. "There is a saying in the human world: 'A teacher is like a father for life.' My master has raised me, but what I feel for him goes beyond that."
I was taken aback, wondering if she might actually have feelings for Su Xun.
Su Yi confessed, "I have always liked him. He has been by my side since childhood, teaching me many things; he is the most important person in my life. But now he wants me to marry someone else. However, my master has always loved someone in his heart. I've seen him staring at a painting in the middle of the night several times, his expression serious. The woman in that painting seemed beautiful, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't see her face clearly."
She sighed at this point, propping her forehead with her hand to hide the mist in her eyes.
"What good does it do to say more? Some things are destined to be unchangeable for a lifetime. Perhaps my master can only be my master! I vowed not to have such thoughts about him anymore until today when he asked me to marry the King of Hell. I want to refuse, but I can't."
Her voice trembled with suppressed emotion and a hint of unwillingness, yet she could only endure it silently.
"I just want to marry someone I love. Is that really so difficult? Wing Spirit, tell me, isn't it best for a woman to marry someone she loves?"
I wanted to answer her, but as merely a wisp of consciousness, I couldn't control the actions of the shadow. The words pressed against my lips remained unspoken.
Marrying someone you love is indeed wonderful, but if that person doesn't love you back, forcing yourself into such a marriage would only bring endless pain.
Some might say that marrying someone who loves you would be better.
But if he loves you and you don't love him back, marrying him would still lead to suffering.
The best scenario is mutual affection, but with so many complexities involved, how often does true mutual affection actually occur?
The word "love" is so simple to write, yet truly understanding it is incredibly difficult.
It only adds to a lifetime of troubles.
I watched Su Yi cry; she was already beautiful, and her tear-streaked face evoked an inexplicable sense of pity. Each time she wept, it was hidden within this bedroom, and when she stepped outside, she remained a strong woman.
I waited until she cried herself to sleep, then took a thin blanket and draped it over her. Just as I was about to close the door, I noticed Jun Rui standing at the entrance. He seemed to have overheard everything. Realizing he had been discovered, he showed no embarrassment and simply waved me over.
I walked over, and he pulled me aside, handing me something. "When she wakes up, give her this to soothe her eyes."
I looked at him suspiciously; in my palm was a jade bottle, cool to the touch.
"Don't look at me like that; I didn't mean to eavesdrop. It's just that someone like Su Xun could never truly like her." Jun Rui glanced at her deeply. "Sometimes it's worth trying to like someone else; it might lead to a different kind of change."
I stared blankly at his retreating figure, then turned back to see Su Yi stir but not rise.
Try to like someone else to forget an old love?
I bit my lip and looked down at myself, speechless. So that's how it is!
In the end, Su Xun agreed to the marriage with the underworld, and Jun Rui took this opportunity to invite Su Yi to visit the underworld and get accustomed to the environment there. Su Yi did not object, but when she said she wanted to bring me along, Su Xun opposed it.
At that time, Su Xun said, "Wing Spirit is just a shadow; it's not a complete spirit. The Eerie Aura of the underworld is overwhelming and could greatly affect her. You should go familiarize yourself with it while she stays at Xiuling Mountain. With her master there, no one would dare bully her."
His words were indeed considerate of me, so we didn’t think much of it. Su Yi soon set off with Jun Rui.
After they left for fifteen days, I lit a lamp and lay on my bed trying to sleep when suddenly a gust of wind swept through the tightly shut room, extinguishing the candle. Startled awake, I found myself in pitch darkness where I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. A chill ran through me as I curled up, seeking a source of light.
In the past, when Su Yi was around, that lamp was always lit. She said it was infused with her magic, and unless someone stronger than her came along, no one could extinguish it at night.
I couldn't help but feel sensitive; a chill was creeping closer in the pitch-black space.
A strong, powerful hand easily found me on the bed, gripping my neck tightly. A forceful binding enveloped me from head to toe, wrapping around me like a net, leaving me unable to move.
Suddenly, a tile above my head was lifted, and the massive light of the Full Moon poured down directly onto me. The newcomer tugged at me, positioning the moonlight to shine right on my forehead, and then a buzzing chant filled the air.
As soon as I heard that voice, discomfort washed over me. My head throbbed painfully, and my body shook violently. The net's grip tightened further, restricting my struggles.
I felt a powerful force surge into me through my forehead, like a flood breaking through a dam—fierce and unstoppable. I could only endure it; not just my shadow but even the consciousness I had hidden within her could not withstand it.
"Be a good Container; I won't mistreat you."
The voice was hazy. I didn't know who the other person was, but there weren't many experts capable of infiltrating the Su Family like this. Targeting someone as useless as me—a mere shadow without a complete spirit—was almost unheard of. Aside from Su Yi treating me like treasure, everyone else would only bully me.
So who was this person?
As my consciousness faded, I gradually slipped into sleep.
When I awoke, I found myself still lying in bed. The sky outside was already bright. I immediately jumped out of bed; everything felt dark and empty around me, yet I felt no discomfort. Could it be that last night was just a dream?
As I got out of bed and moved around, I noticed I felt as light as a swallow. Although shadows have no weight, something about today felt different from before. The shadow sensed nothing unusual, but I could tell.
Suppressing my doubts, I opened the door and immediately spotted Su Xun standing in the courtyard. He wore a golden robe, his black hair tied up neatly, looking immaculate.
Noticing the movement behind him, he turned around, holding a bowl in his hands.
"Are you awake?"
He smiled as I nodded, then walked over and placed a bowl in front of me. "I specially prepared this for you. Although you don't need to eat, being just a shadow, it's easy to become scattered over time. This is a sacred object that can help you consolidate yourself. Don't let Ayi find out you're gone when she returns; it would make her sad."
His kind words seemed to be for my benefit, but when Su Xun spoke, his eyes weren't clear; they held a human-like greed. Yet he controlled it well, transforming into a warm elder in the blink of an eye.
Such rapid changes in demeanor can sometimes go unnoticed by a shadow. Even if she did notice, she wouldn't think much of it; after all, Su Xun was Su Yi's master, and she wouldn't doubt him.
With joy, I accepted the bowl from Su Xun and drank it down without hesitation, allowing everything to unfold.
Su Xun wouldn't act without purpose. Just like his alliance with the underworld, he aimed for Su Yi to become the Queen of the Underworld. To achieve such dominance at such a young age over the Su Family and even the entire Yin-Yang Family was no simple feat.
I was curious about what he truly wanted from a shadow like me.
For seven consecutive days, he brought me a bowl each morning, while the night before I would be bound and lose consciousness.
The shadow remained unaware of everything, but I was certain that the person who appeared at night was indeed Su Xun.
For seven nights in a row, he infused a significant amount of spiritual energy into the shadow's body. Yet neither the shadow nor I felt anything—whether it was due to that liquid or something else remained unclear.
After seven days, he stopped appearing altogether, and the shadow showed no signs of change day by day.
Life continued as usual until one day when I went out to play again. Before I could reach the water's edge, someone embraced me from behind, their teasing voice ringing in my ear. " Little Shadow, it's been so long! Did you miss me?"
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