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墨書 Inktalez
After much consideration, I finally decided to bring Guilin along to Wanzi Mountain. First of all, I was afraid of death; secondly, dying at the hands of a ghost would be utterly pointless. Moreover, Guilin was from the Jade Balance Bureau, so he was definitely one of us. Even if we weren't familiar with each other, there wouldn't be any harm.
I couldn't tell if it was because this official, who moonlighted as a shaman, had an abundance of yang energy, but ever since he became my companion, I hadn't encountered any mishaps. This gave me a sense of reassurance.
I followed his arrangements: resting at night and traveling during the day. After two days, we smoothly arrived at Wanzi Mountain.
Wanzi Mountain was my first stop after crossing over; I had lived here for half a year, so I was well-acquainted with the situation and the people here. Upon arriving at Wanzi Mountain, I first went to pay my respects to Second Sister Qianrihong and introduced Guilin to them. I fabricated a story about a mild plague in Yichuan County, claiming that I was feeling weak and feared catching it, so Nie Qiuyuan had asked Lord Gui to send me over.
Everyone naturally believed me without question and soon held a welcome feast, celebrating with lively drinks. Guilin had a cold and stern appearance but was quite affable in dealings; he quickly bonded with the brothers of Wanzi Mountain, sharing drinks and engaging in cheerful conversation. We ended up settling down late that night and returned to our rooms.
The next task was to figure out how to tackle the technical challenge posed by Ye Liuhui.
Since crossing over, all my attention had been focused on Nie Qiuyuan, while Ye Liuhui had only disturbed me in dreams a few times without ever bothering me otherwise. Therefore, during my six months at Wanzi Mountain, I had never thought about what kind of person the original owner of this body was or paid any attention to the items in her room.
Of course, given Ye Liuhui's poor reputation, I had no interest in her either, which was another significant reason.
However, things were different now. With her frequent disturbances and having left me with no memories, any trace she left behind could become the key to unraveling the mystery.
Ye Liuhui did not die a natural death but rather met an unforeseen demise. This meant that when she died, everything in her life had not been tidied up or organized; it must have still looked like her daily life when she was alive. So if she had any secrets, she certainly hadn't had time to hide the keys to those secrets.
Through my unusual behavior these days, I felt there were two mysteries that needed solving. One was that her body seemed to have practiced some kind of martial art that was entirely different from orthodox martial arts and even conflicted with them. What could have been her purpose in practicing such skills? The other mystery was what unfulfilled wishes Ye Liuhui might have had.
Everything felt utterly perplexing.
I told myself not to rush and to calm down and think seriously before starting from scratch bit by bit.
I rummaged through the items in Ye Liuhui's bedroom. Having lived here for half a year without focusing on this aspect meant I hadn’t organized or discarded her belongings. After I went to Yichuan County, this room had been well-preserved; it was only cleaned regularly. It made sense—given my temperament, who would dare touch my things?
As I sifted through the items, I heard someone knock on the door. When I opened it, it turned out to be Guilin.
"What are you doing?"
As a detective from the Jade Balance Bureau, his keen perception was undoubtedly sharp as well; thus, his question quickly turned into self-answering.
"Oh, memories? Well, starting with the items at hand is indeed a good method."
To prevent me from sneaking out to dig in the night again, I specifically instructed to have his room arranged next to mine. He came over for a stroll after finishing dinner.
I didn't mind; after all, I had already seen the disgraceful act of digging, and everything else was trivial.
He walked over to my side, glanced around, and then smiled lightly.
"As a young lady's boudoir, it truly is..."
Before Guilin could finish his words, he was interrupted by a woman's voice.
"Lord Gui, oh, I hear you are quite the gentleman! Our place is rather crude; if there is anything lacking, please do not hesitate to point it out."
We hadn't closed the door in the room. I looked up and saw someone standing at the entrance holding a tray; it was none other than Second Sister Qianrihong.
Guilin cupped his hands in greeting. "How could I dare? I am much obliged for your kindness, madam."
Second Mother hesitated for a moment before smiling and saying, "My lord, we are all rough folks here; there aren't many rules. But Liuying... after all, she is an unmarried girl. It seems... rather inappropriate at this late hour."
Guilin was taken aback for a moment but quickly understood. He politely replied, "Madam, you are right; I have indeed been rude. I shall take my leave now."
After saying that, he turned back and smiled at me. "Liuying, I'm just next door. If you need anything, just call for me."
I thanked him. I couldn't tell what he was really thinking; from his expression and words, it seemed he didn't take Second Mother's advice to heart at all. Instead, he addressed me more casually.
Once Guilin left, Second Mother closed the door behind her, placed the tray on the table, and sat down beside me with concern in her eyes. "Have your injuries healed completely? I heard you were hurt earlier; I was quite anxious about it. It's just that some matters came up in the mountains that kept me from coming sooner. I've had someone prepare some nourishing soup for you; drink it while it's hot."
Having just finished dinner, I found it hard to drink more. However, seeing Second Mother's caring gaze made my heart swell with emotion, and I pushed myself to drink it down.
"Liuying," Qianrihong said as she watched me wipe my mouth. For some reason, her eyes glimmered with unshed tears. "Your mother passed away early; you've been so lonely and have truly suffered a lot. Over these years, I've sincerely wanted to treat you well. But ever since four or five years ago, your temperament changed drastically; I really didn't know how to handle it back then. That's why we—Mother and Daughter—haven't been able to sit down together properly all these years. Thankfully, old blessings remain; although Chief... has passed away, your temperament seems to have returned somewhat. Perhaps it's the spirit of Chief watching over you..."
At this point, her voice choked with emotion.
Although I was quite moved, some of the information in her words still caught my attention.
It seemed that my notorious bad temper was not something that had developed from being spoiled, but rather something that had suddenly changed four or five years ago? What exactly was going on?
“Liuying, speaking of which, you’re already a young lady. Seeing you grow up so beautifully, Second Mother is delighted. Now that you’re of age, it’s time to talk about marriage. Second Mother hopes to find you a reliable man. I’ve spent my life wielding weapons and galloping around, but ever since I married your father, I’ve come to understand that a woman needs a good man by her side to feel fulfilled in life.”
“Second Mother, this…” I was taken aback. It wasn’t that I turned red, but the shift in topic was just too abrupt!
“Today’s Lord Gui seems quite good. Second Mother isn’t dismissing him for any reason. Liuying, it’s just that I have a preference for our two children. Qiu Yuan and Da Chun have been here for five or six years now; as the saying goes, time reveals a person’s heart. If you could end up with one of them in the future, Second Mother would be truly at ease.”
Ah, how did we get to this point! My face began to feel a bit hot; even my own mother had never discussed this topic with me!
“Liuying,” Second Mother affectionately took my hand, “what do you think of Da Chun? Over the years, you’ve been particularly arrogant in front of him and have caused quite a bit of trouble; sometimes I couldn’t help but reprimand you. Yet he has never minded and has never complained even once. He may not say it, but he cares for you deeply—can’t you see that?”
All these years, Luo Dachun? Suddenly, I felt a wave of panic wash over me. Since I arrived here, Luo Dachun had always been gently by my side, like a generous older brother. He had never revealed his inner thoughts. Could it be that he had silently harbored feelings for me, the original Ye Liuhui?
A profound sadness unknowingly invaded my heart.
He could never have imagined that Ye Liuhui was already gone without a trace. He certainly wouldn’t think that there existed such a sorrowful and unnoticed way of dying in this world.
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