Chapter 85: Waking from a Dream
When Shen Zhishu woke up from the bed, it was already past noon, and the sunlight was streaming in through the window lattice.
She had not slept properly, and she hadn’t even taken off her clothes. Her head was dull, so much so that she lay there for a long time before the dream of yesterday flooded into her mind like a tide.
The last scene in her dream was the immortal sect war.
Yellow dust filled the sky, and blood flowed into rivers. She knelt by Jiang Yu’s corpse, lowered her head piously, and after kissing the pale lips of another person, she formed a seal to send Jiang Yu’s soul to rebirth.
Jiang Yu had already become a high immortal at that time, and her life had been ended by her own hands. Her obsession could not be erased, so much so that she had enlightened her for three days and three nights before she could send her soul to the Bridge of Helplessness.
And then, with her back to the cliff, she had sealed her spiritual power and jumped into the Immortal Execution Platform.
At this point, all twelve high immortals had fallen, and the immortal sect war had come to an end.
The sunlight outside the window was just right, and it drew a strip of light on the bed, cutting the bedding into two not-so-regular halves.
Shen Zhishu sat on the bed with her legs bent, letting the past events of her previous life roll in like a snowstorm.
It was unclear whether it was a headache from a hangover, or because the amount of information was too large, but she only felt that her brain was dull and was turning very slowly.
So much so that she sat there in a daze for half an hour, until her legs were so numb that she couldn’t feel them, before she suddenly changed her posture.
All the reasons were recalled one by one, and Shen Zhishu finally realized that this was her previous life.
How absurd, she thought in a daze. So there really is a previous life and a present life.
The previous life was unbearable to look back on.
At that time, the three realms had reached a dead end, and the spiritual energy was thin. Only the twelve immortals could save the common people by sacrificing themselves.
And if she and Jiang Yu had not met, she would probably not have become an immortal. With one less immortal, the immortal sect war might not have broken out…
Shen Zhishu closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again, she suddenly didn’t know how to face Jiang Yu.
—In her previous life, she had always hidden those dormant emotions well. Only after she had had those absurd and colorful twisted dreams would the overwhelming affection erupt for a while, and then be suppressed by her again. It was like this, in a cycle, until it was completely digested.
Jiang Yu probably never knew from beginning to end.
Then in this life… has she remembered her previous life?
Probably not. She had always been direct. If she had remembered, she would have definitely mentioned it naturally at some point.
Or… she had remembered, but was unwilling to say.
It was no wonder. The previous life was so unbearable to look back on.
She didn’t know if she would still be willing to be her friend after she remembered.
Shen Zhishu let out a self-deprecating laugh and got out of bed, propping her head on her hand.
The sunlight came in through the window lattice, and it cast a few clear marks by the window.
The hangover made her head dizzy, and her thinking was half a beat slower.
So much so that when Shen Zhishu pushed open the door and met Jiang Yu’s eyes, she had not yet completely emerged from that green twisted dream.
Jiang Yu stared at Shen Zhishu without blinking, but Shen Zhishu quickly looked away.
“You’re awake,” she heard the person in front of her say.
It was a statement, and the tone was no different from the “You’re jealous” in her dream.
So… why had she had so many dreams before, but had never recognized her friend?
Shen Zhishu’s gaze swept over the ground a few times and finally found a foothold in the sunlight.
She lifted the hem of her clothes and stepped over the threshold, saying, “Mm,” as if nothing had happened.
Jiang Yu asked again, “How did you sleep?”
Shen Zhishu lowered the hem of her clothes, “Alright.”
“Really?”
“Mm.”
Jiang Yu was quiet for a few breaths and suddenly asked, “Then why aren’t you talking?”
Shen Zhishu’s fingers, which were hanging by her side, curled, and she raised her head and said, “Wasn’t I just talking?”
“I ask a question and you answer,” Jiang Yu said in a faint voice. “You’re not usually like this.”
“Is that so?” Shen Zhishu replied casually.
“Yes,” Jiang Yu said.
Shen Zhishu’s brain was dull, and her gaze landed on the shadow by Jiang Yu’s side. After a while, she said, “Then I’m probably not fully awake. Did Your Highness sleep last night?”
“I dozed off for a little while,” Jiang Yu said frankly, and suddenly changed the subject. “I had a dream. Did the General have one?”
Shen Zhishu suddenly raised her eyes.
She was standing under the eaves, and Jiang Yu was a little further out, with half of her face exposed in the warm sun. From that emotionless face, she could not see any excessive emotions.
She also couldn’t see what kind of dream she had had.
So Shen Zhishu answered irrelevantly, “What did Your Highness dream of?”
But Jiang Yu kicked the ball back, “What did the General dream of?”
“Me?” Shen Zhishu took a step out and said without thinking. “I dreamed that my friend was making tea for me. What about Your Highness?”
“I dreamed that the General gave me a pot of porridge, but there was poison in the porridge. After I drank it, I was not poisoned, but instead, I gained the ability to see ghosts. So I used this to set up a stall outside and tell people’s fortunes, and I earned a lot of money.”
Shen Zhishu’s tense back relaxed, and she smiled, “What a mess.”
“Aren’t dreams always like this?” Jiang Yu said. “They’re always a mess, with no logic.”
Shen Zhishu said, “Mm,” “Your Highness is right.”
…It seems Jiang Yu does not know about her previous life, she thought.
Very good.
Shen Zhishu couldn’t really describe the feeling in her heart. She was clearly relieved, but there was also a faint and imperceptible sense of loss.
It was as if she were watching her sweetheart walk gracefully past her window, and at that time, her face was disfigured and ugly. You didn’t want her to see your disheveled appearance, but you also secretly hoped that she would push open the window and turn from a passerby into a returning person.
Her brain was still very dull.
Shen Zhishu tied her hair up, tucked her sleeves, and walked onto the corridor, asking casually, “Where are Lantiao and the others? Why are they not to be seen?”
Jiang Yu said from behind, “They’re still asleep.”
Shen Zhishu stopped and suddenly turned her head, somewhat in disbelief, “Still asleep??? They’re not dead, are they?”
“They’re not dead, don’t be surprised, General,” Jiang Yu’s tone was light. “The aftertaste of that wine is strong.”
Shen Zhishu muttered, “I’m already awake.”
“Mm,” Jiang Yu replied casually. “So I thought the General had dreamed of something, so you woke up so early.”
The topic had changed back again. Shen Zhishu’s back tensed up again.
For a moment, Shen Zhishu almost thought that Jiang Yu had already recovered her memory and knew that she had dreamed of the past. But the next moment, Jiang Yu just shook her head, “Since the General said the dream was very ordinary, I suppose it’s because you didn’t drink much last night.”
Shen Zhishu gave a vague “Mm” and walked down the corridor.
And after she had stepped into the sunlight, those dormant emotions in the darkness had also dissipated in a flash.
That’s right, Shen Zhishu thought. The previous life is the previous life, and this life is this life.
It was an accident that she had remembered her previous life, and she should not let it interfere with her life’s trajectory.
Not to mention those absurd emotions that should not have emerged.
She blinked and said, “I have to go back.”
Jiang Yu raised an eyebrow and asked, “So early?”
“Is this still early? The sun is already high in the sky,” Shen Zhishu smiled. “It’s the first day of the new year. If I’m not at home, the people in the General’s Manor will probably be in an uproar. Those who know will say that I came to wish Your Highness a happy new year, but those who don’t know will probably make up all sorts of stories.”
Jiang Yu nodded and then asked, “You’re not having breakfast at the manor?”
“Lantiao and the others are not awake. Is Your Highness going to cook yourself?”
Jiang Yu shook her head, “A few of the cooks have come back, and they made it.”
Shen Zhishu said, “Oh,” and thought seriously for a moment, “Since Your Highness didn’t make it, it’s not a must-eat. I’m in a hurry to go home, so I’ll have breakfast at Your Highness’s manor next time.”
Jiang Yu was very good at grasping the main point, “So, if I had made it, it would have been a must-eat?”
Shen Zhishu paused.
She could have said grandly, “Your Highness, don’t cook yourself, be careful of cutting your hand,” or she could have agreed in one go and said, “Alright,” but she didn’t.
She asked, “Can Your Highness cook?”
“No,” Jiang Yu said frankly. “But I learn things very quickly.”
Shen Zhishu closed her eyes in the sunlight and thought, The Jiang Yu of my previous life was a very good cook.
She was most greedy for the taste of that bowl of red bean and lily porridge, so even though she had already stopped eating grains in the later stages, Jiang Yu would always make it for her.
Since Jiang Yu didn’t seem to know about her previous life… it wasn’t impossible to indulge herself once.
So Shen Zhishu said, “Alright, I want to have red bean and lily porridge.”
She stared at Jiang Yu without blinking, not missing a single expression on her face.
But Jiang Yu just said, “Ah,” her expression as usual, “So the General likes to have this. That’s not difficult, I’ll learn to make it.”
It seemed that she really didn’t remember her previous life. Otherwise, she had almost given away the flaw without reservation. How could she not have noticed?
Shen Zhishu let out a breath impassively, unable to describe the feeling.
She probably still hoped that Jiang Yu would remember her previous life, she thought. People always hope to have a deeper bond with their close friends.
But this was not good.
The past was so vivid and unbearable to look back on. She didn’t dare to bet that there was no rift in Jiang Yu’s heart.
And if she and Jiang Yu had no dealings in their previous life… Jiang Yu would probably have become a carefree high immortal, free and unrestrained for a thousand autumns.
So—in this life, let Jiang Yu live a smooth and easy life.
Don’t get entangled with her anymore.
