Chapter 59

The night in Red Forest Village merged seamlessly with the enveloping darkness. The entire village lacked even the faintest glimmer of light, and even the moonlight seemed miserly, reluctant to bestow a single ray upon the humble hamlet.

Song Qian saw Liuli again, this time meeting her gaze face-to-face.

Song Qian glanced around. White mist shrouded the two of them, obscuring everything else from view. It felt as though they were the only ones here.

“Hello,” Liuli said suddenly, her eyes brimming with profound sorrow as she looked at Song Qian.

Song Qian froze for a moment. She had assumed this encounter would be like the last one, where she was merely a bystander.

“You… can see me?”

Liuli nodded gently. Her form was exceedingly faint, even more translucent than Ji Wuxin had been in her injured state.

Song Qian sensed that she could no longer hold a human shape. Without her eyebrows and the color of her hair, Liuli would blend entirely into the surrounding white mist.

“You must be wondering why we can talk,” Liuli said, forcing a smile before extending her hand. It was incomplete, the back shattered like fragments of glass.

“You’re the first person I’ve been able to sense in years. Could you pass a few words on to her for me?”

Song Qian knew she meant Yun Chu. “What do you want to say?”

Liuli extended her hand further and opened her palm. There lay a small fragment of the Liuli Lantern, emanating a faint glow.

“Tell her I don’t blame her. I’ve always been by her side.”

Tears welled in Liuli’s eyes. Song Qian took the fragment; it was genuine Liuli Lantern. Liuli’s fragmented spirit could cling to nothing more than this tiny shard.

“You’ve been by Yun Chu’s side all this time. Do you know how she feels about you?”

Liuli lowered her head, a single tear falling onto her shattered hand.

“I know…”

“I regret not understanding back then. If only I’d realized her feelings sooner, I could have responded properly, and she wouldn’t have ended up like this.”

Song Qian opened her mouth, unsure how to offer comfort. She could hardly say it was because Yun Chu hadn’t taught her.

“Don’t blame yourself so much. Spirits simply don’t know these things by nature.”

Liuli lifted her head again, her eyes softening with a gentle smile. “It’s all right. I understand now.”

“If you could… would you tell her that Liuli likes Yun Chu?” Liuli hesitated, then shook her head. “No, forget it. I can’t ask you to say something like that.”

She muttered to herself for a moment before growing despondent once more. “I can’t see Yun Chu anymore.”

“I can pass it on for you.”

“Thank you…”

“Song Sensen, wake up. Song Sensen—”

Ji Wuxin’s persistent voice echoed in her ears. Song Qian slowly opened her eyes, only for a hand to cover them before she could focus.

“Open them slowly—the sun’s bright.” Ji Wuxin carefully helped Song Qian sit up while checking both of her hands.

Once she seemed accustomed to the light, Ji Wuxin removed her hand and leaned in closer to examine those dark eyes.

“They really do look better.”

Song Qian instinctively leaned back as she drew near; they were so close that she could make out the fine hairs on her face.

That small retreat soured Ji Wuxin’s mood. She leaned in even further and planted a quick kiss on her lips.

“Why dodge me?”

Song Qian’s ears grew warm, her gaze sliding away from the woman before her. “…I didn’t.”

“Hmph.”

Early that morning, Liu Changsheng had borrowed Wu Yizhi’s name to distribute so-called Longevity Water to every villager, and along the way, she had inquired about a local old herbalist.

She was bringing the Old Herbalist back just as Song Qian and Ji Wuxin stepped outside.

Liu Changsheng beckoned to her. “You’re up? Come here and let him check your hand.”

Song Qian walked over. The Old Herbalist, peering through a pair of reading glasses, scrutinized her wrist from every angle.

“No major problem. Just too much friction. Keep it out of water and let it rest for a few days.”

He prescribed a few topical herbal remedies, his eyes filled with curiosity as he regarded these unexpected visitors from afar.

“What’s your connection to Wu Yizhi?”

Liu Changsheng made a dismissive shooing gesture. “Just friends, sir. We’re here for a visit.”

The Old Herbalist sighed and shook his head as he turned to leave, muttering under his breath, “Such fine young ladies—how do they end up friends with a man like that?”

“Wait a moment.” Liu Changsheng strode after him. “What do you mean by that? What’s wrong with Wu Yizhi?”

Judging by his tone, Wu Yizhi did not enjoy a favorable reputation among the villagers.

“Him?” The Old Herbalist snorted derisively, his eyes thick with disdain. “Scams, swindles—not to mention. Always digging up mud to make those Liuli Lanterns, crafts them but never sells them. Can’t afford food, so he goes door-to-door begging scraps.

“A grown man with hands and feet, too lazy to work or earn an honest living. Just fiddles with mud all day, and nothing ever comes of it.”

After giving her a once-over, the Old Herbalist shook his head with deep regret.

Once he had gone, Song Qian voiced her suspicion. “The Liuli Lantern in the Mountain God Temple—wasn’t it made by Senior Wu?”

Liu Changsheng nodded.

From what the Old Herbalist had said, those lanterns were indeed Wu Yizhi’s handiwork. So he had learned those skills just to make Liuli Lanterns?

“Creeeak—”

Lin Qing’s door swung open. Jiang Yi emerged with a mop of tousled hair, stretching lazily. He froze at the sight of the group in the yard, his mouth hanging open.

Lin Qing shoved him aside. “What are you doing, blocking the doorway? Move.”

Jiang Yi scratched his head awkwardly and took a couple of steps forward. His skin was fair, the veins beneath a faint blue.

“Morning, everyone.”

Liu Changsheng glanced around. “Where’s Qi Buyu?”

Song Qian let out a small exclamation. “Wasn’t she with Master?”

Perhaps it was the lingering effect of last night’s events, but the word “with” made Liu Changsheng feel distinctly uneasy.

“No.” She had spent the night in the yard with Yun Chu and had been distributing Talisman Water to the villagers from dawn.

“No sign of Yun Chu or Little Zhang either?”

“Little Zhang? She left with her boyfriend this morning.” Lin Qing splashed some water on his face, looking much more awake. “Last night, I got up to use the toilet and saw Little Zhang leading her boyfriend out.”

In the middle of the night?

“I didn’t see anything like that,” Liu Changsheng said, a vague sense of unease stirring within her.

She had been outside for nearly the entire night, and aside from Yun Chu, no one else had stirred.

Seeing Liu Changsheng’s reaction, Lin Qing began to doubt his own memory. “…Maybe I saw wrong?”

“Her boyfriend was so frail—could he even walk on his own?” Song Qian remembered how the male student had needed support just to move, his eyes dull and lifeless.

“This probably isn’t so simple.”

Song Qian was growing ever more convinced that something eerie was afoot in the village. She wondered whether she should mention her encounter with Liuli last night. After all, they hadn’t exchanged much.

“What are you all up to?”

Qi Buyu’s cheerful voice rang out from the gateway. Her pant legs were rolled up high, a grass basket in her hands, her clothes and face speckled with mud.

It looked as though she had gone down to the river to catch fish.

Liu Changsheng frowned at her disheveled state. “Where have you been?”

Qi Buyu held up her basket proudly, sidling up to her like a child seeking praise. “Catching fish.”

Liu Changsheng’s eyes flicked involuntarily to her mouth, the memory of last night’s kiss flashing through her mind. Her tone cooled. “Mm.”

Qi Buyu pouted and set the basket on the stone table. “Some people really know how to pull up their pants and pretend nothing happened. You weren’t like that last night.”

Song Qian: “!?” What had she just heard?

Ji Wuxin: “?” Gossip?

Lin Qing stared in shock at Liu Changsheng, who seemed on the verge of losing her composure.

Senior Liu actually…

Jiang Yi remained the calmest of the bunch, though he was puzzled by everyone’s reactions. It was just a lovers’ quarrel, wasn’t it?

In the ensuing silence, Jiang Yi realized with some delay that perhaps they weren’t lovers after all.

A faint blush crept across Liu Changsheng’s fair cheeks. She glanced helplessly at the now-misunderstanding group, shooting Qi Buyu a glare sharp as daggers. “What nonsense are you spouting?”

“I was in the yard the whole night.”

Qi Buyu hung her head, looking every bit the jilted wife. When she lifted it again, her eyes were rimmed red, tears spilling freely.

“Whatever you say.”

Ji Wuxin leaned toward Song Qian, giggling under her breath. “Who knew Liu Changsheng was like that.”

Song Qian caught Master glancing their way and nudged Ji Wuxin with her shoulder. “Don’t say such things.”

For the first time, Liu Changsheng felt she had misjudged Qi Buyu, seeing her play the delicate flower. If she hadn’t known exactly what Qi Buyu had done the night before, she might have believed the act herself.

Liu Changsheng fought down the urge to lash out. Keeping her face cold, she asked, “Have you seen Yun Chu?”

Yun Chu was still in soul form for now, and without that vicious Ghost Qi, she was even weaker.

“I saw her. She’s sitting under the tree at the village entrance.”

Wu Yizhi had once said that Yun Chu loved sitting under that tree, cradling the Liuli Lantern.

Afterward, Lin Qing and Jiang Yi went door-to-door, handing out Talisman Water and items to dispel curses. Qi Buyu clung to Liu Changsheng, wheedling for some fish. Liu Changsheng nodded just to shake her off—and if you ignored the murderous look on her face, the two of them actually seemed quite harmonious.

Song Qian told Ji Wuxin to return to the Jade, then headed to the village entrance to find Yun Chu herself.

The tree at the village entrance was centuries old, its roots thick and gnarled. Yun Chu’s slight frame looked all the more fragile sitting beneath it.

A gentle breeze stirred the air under the tree, carrying the faint scent of flowers from the other side.

Song Qian walked over and sat down beside Yun Chu, her gaze falling on the Liuli Lantern cradled in the girl’s hands.

“Why’d you bring it back again?”

Yun Chu traced the cracks on the Liuli Lantern, her voice still hoarse. “I don’t know. I just feel like Liuli’s still inside it.”

“Maybe it’s been with me so long, I’ve gotten attached.”

Song Qian reached out her hand, just as Liuli had the night before. A small shard of the Liuli Lantern lay quietly in her palm.

Yun Chu’s eyes stiffened for a moment as they shifted, then locked onto the fragment. Her entire body trembled, and a spark of life suddenly flickered in her previously vacant gaze.

“Liuli said she doesn’t blame you. She’s been right by your side this whole time.”

“And Liuli likes Yun Chu.”