Editor: Sahloknir
The sound of horses’ hooves were getting closer and closer—even the earth began to tremble. The sound of this formation was by no means from a single horse, but rather like a whole troop had come. Yuchi Xiao couldn’t help but say, “Could it be that Lord Xu is so deeply in love that he has brought a large number of disciples from the Cang Yang Sect to greet his lady? But why not ride on his sword?”
Meng Yunfei suddenly said, “Something’s not right.”
“Why?”
Meng Yunfei’s face showed a vague expression of worry, “Cang Yang Sect has never recorded that their master suffered injuries to both eyes, let alone leading a large number of disciples from the mountain to receive his bride. Is the illusion we are experiencing a reenactment of what actually once happened twenty years ago, or is it…”
Before Meng Yunfei completed his sentence, the earth trembled violently then abruptly stopped, followed by countless horses, “Neigh—!”
The war horses were reined in to a stop, and then their front hooves hit the ground with heavy thuds. It sounded like the troop had halted. Meng Yunfei stopped talking, and the two of them concentrated on the scene at the same time, only to hear the distant soldiers draw their swords while shouting, “Who is blocking the road?”
Surprisingly, no reply came.
The sudden silence across the valley was extremely eerie, no scolding, no conversation, not even the slightest sound of any other swords being unsheathed.
The two men looked at each other, each seeing uneasiness in the other’s eyes.
—What was happening in the distance?
What had suddenly plunged the army, which had just been speeding along, into complete silence?
A soft breeze swept through the grass fields, insects chirped like an orchestra, the moonlight shrouded the mountain streams and the peach blossom petals drifted across the night sky. Everything was so calm that even a pin dropped on the ground could be heard, but a great and ominous sense of foreboding grew heavier and more imminent—
At that moment, a tall, lone figure suddenly appeared at the end of the stone path.
Xu Shuangtze emerged slowly from the depths of the valley, dressed in flowing white robes with wide sleeves, his hair was lifted and swept in the wind, under the moonlight he looked like an exiled immortal. His sword, No Way Out, which was gripped in his hand, reflected a clear, cold light. The blood groove of the sword was too full, so blood was dripping down the tip of the sword, trailing behind him, forming a seemingly never ending path.
“…” Yuchi Xiao finally found his voice, “Lord…Lord Xu…”
Xu Shuangtze appeared calm, as if the killings which he carried out earlier in silence were just their imagination. He brushed past Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei and headed straight to the door of the small courtyard, before turning back to the two of them and asking, “What are you doing here?”
He actually took the initiative to speak!
Without thinking, Yuchi Xiao replied, “My Lord, you have fallen under the Mirror Art, and this around us is an illusion, a projection of your memories from twenty years ago. At present, you true body is in Linjiang City, you must wake up now so that we can—”
“Are you guests who have come to observe the ceremony?” Xu Shuangtze interrupted him.
Yuchi Xiao stopped abruptly.
“All who come are our guests. But the wedding feast will not be held until tomorrow, so you can come back at dawn.”
Yuchi Xiao’s pupils suddenly contracted, but it was all too late. As soon as Xu Shuangtze finished his sentence, four walls suddenly rose from the ground and transformed into a house, trapping both Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei inside, the door closed behind them with a thud.
Yuchi Xiao was infuriated. “Lord Xu!” He rushed up and tried to split the door open.
Zfcu Tecofl rabqqfv tlw, “Gbc’a jma gjrtis!”
Dea bearlvf atf tberf, We Vtejcuahf vlv cba fnfc ibbx yjmx, “Qts jgf sbe wjxlcu j gemxer lc atf wlvvif bo atf cluta?”
Just as he finished his sentence, an invisible force gushed forward and lifted Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei up without a word. Thud! Thud! They were each tossed onto a bed respectively. Then, some transparent ropes descended from the air and instantly tied them to their beds!
Temtl Wljb, “P—”
Ktf cfza rfmbcv, j rlifcmlcu rqfii kjr mjra bc tlw, rabqqlcu tlw ogbw wjxlcu jcs rbecv ja jii!
Meng Yunfei forcefully turned his head to look out the window, only to see that night time had fully arrived outside the house. Xu Shuangtze reached out and pushed open the courtyard door, walking unhurriedly to another door of the opposite house before pausing and saying, “I’m back.”
The blood on No Way Out still trailed behind him and flowed down the steps, yet his voice was very soft as he spoke,”I have missed you so much.”
Meanwhile inside the house, Gong Wei’s back was against the door and his pupils dilated.
The room before him had been completely transformed—he beams and walls were draped in a red ceremonial decorations, the bed frame now had large red and gold letters pasted, and against the wall was a gilded rosewood bridal trousseau with eight large lit wedding candles crackling as they burned. In front of the mirror drawer, a woman was seated in her wedding dress, back facing Gong Wei. She wore a red bridal veil covering her head and her hands, which were as white as snow, were gently folded on her lap.
Everything was the exact same as in Gong Wei’s own memory, except for one detail.
Back then, the person under the bridal veil was in fact Gong Wei himself.
The moment General Bai left the valley, the ‘peasant girl’ waved her hand and Taoyuan Village vanished without a trace. ‘She’ then happily followed him into the Capital. Although the Lotus Immortal was well-known for causing trouble, he did have one virtue and that was he would be committed and wholeheartedly complete any task which he was assigned to in all seriousness. After Ying Kai had repeatedly instructed him not to let Xu Shuangtze’s soul be harmed in the illusionary realm, Gong Wei went to great lengths to ensure that all went smoothly and well for General Bai. He even snuck into the royal palace, found an imperial physician to possess, and spent endless nights reading up medical books and researching ancient texts to cure General Bai’s blinded eyes.
As Gong Wei completed his task, he clapped his hands and sighed in relief, tapping his fingers and calculated the death counts by Xu Shuangtze on the battlefield. His killing barrier would soon be overcome. Just as he was thinking about whether or not he should possess the emperor and spend a few years in extravagance and debauchery, suddenly a thunderbolt from the sky came crashing down—
After restoring his sight, General Bai rounded up his troops in preparation to return to Taoyuan Village to receive his bride.
He hadn’t forgotten about that ‘peasant girl’ called Ah Tao!
Gong Wei was so frightened out of his senses that he immediately rushed back to reality by crawling out of the mirror and waking Ying Kai up in the middle of the night, “No matter what happens in the illusionary realm, one won’t retain any memory of it once they return to reality, right?”
Ying Kai said, “As long as a person completes his journey in the illusionary realm without any irregularities, it is true that they typically don’t retain the memories…”
Gong Wei just let out a sigh of relief when he heard Ying Kai continued seriously, “But there is one thing that is absolutely forbidden.”
“What is itb?”
“Getting married.”
Gong Wei’s breath instantly stopped.
“Lord Xu cultivates the Path of No Emotions and will never desire another person, so if the thought of marriage arises in the illusionary realm, then he will definitely experience the love barrier. Love barriers are major obstacles to ascension, so we must prevent it at all costs and never let him stray from his path, got it?”
Gong Wei: “…”
Gong Wei had no idea what had gone wrong in the illusionary world to cause Xu Shuangtze to encounter the love barrier. He pondered and dwelled on it but he was clueless and helpless about it. Gong Wei then returned to the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm in disgrace, only to find himself groomed and dressed up by the village girls and sitting poised in the bridal chamber.
It was the exact night before the wedding, and the crisp breeze outside the window was gentle, yet quiet. General Bai’s footsteps could be heard pacing outside the door for a long time before he finally couldn’t resist knocking, “Ah Tao?”
Gong Wei did not dare to say anything.
“I’ve missed you very much in the past year.” Xu Shuangtze became even more gentle and softened his voice further, “Can I come in and see you?”
Of course not, absolutely not!
In this illusionary world created by the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm, Gong Wei was considered an anomaly in the construct. As soon as General Bai saw his face or heard his voice, the dormant soul that belonged to Lord Xu would be awakened and the illusionary realm would immediately collapse!
Gong Wei lifted the bridal veil and stared wide-eyed at the mirror for a long time, then suddenly had a bright idea and used his mind to direct a village girl to stop General Bai outside the door. The girl was made to explain in a soft voice that the wedding couple should not see each other before the auspicious hour, and that it was a bad omen to do so, especially for the bride.
Xu Shuangtze was a resolute man but that day, he was persuaded by the village girl. He stood outside the door for a while, urging ‘Lady Tao’ to rest early, before stepping out of the courtyard in the night.
Gong Wei pressed his body behind the door and listened intently to Xu Shuangtze’s footsteps as he walked away, with only a single thought in his mind, How did this man fall into love? The illusion I made was obviously correct for the purpose, it must have been his own weakness!
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock on the door interrupted Gong Wei’s thoughts, and he heard Xu Shuangtze outside the door once again calling out Ah Tao, in the same manner and tone as in the illusionary realm twenty years ago.
“Are you asleep?”
Gong Wei calmed himself and settled down, he crouched down and moved beside the ‘bride’, lifted the bridal veil, and snapped his fingers at the blank, smooth ‘face’.
The next moment his vision turned into a flash of darkness, the wind brushed softly past his ears, and when he opened his eyes again he had replaced the faceless puppet and was sitting upright in front of the trousseau. Before him, bright vermillion candles were crackling and his own reflection was now in the mirror. He was now covered under a bridal veil and donned in a wedding dress.
Twenty years ago, if Xu Shuangtze had pushed through that door, he would have encountered this scene—there was no peasant girl at all and the ‘Ah Tao’ he remembered, never existed in the first place.
The only person sitting in the chambers in a wedding dress was the Lotus Immortal, who was now in a gravely difficult position.
Gong Wei took a deep breath, anticipating that this was the very moment which the illusory realm was about to collapse, and swung open the door with a flick of his sleeve.
Creak…
The door slowly inched open, and the night breeze gushed in through the gap, filling the chambers with cool air.
Gong Wei’s view was blocked by the large, ceremonial, red satin gauze, and by the moonlight that crept in through the door, he could only vaguely make out that Xu Shuangtze was standing across the courtyard. Half of his figure was behind a door panel and cast a long shadow stretching out on the ground.
The shadow finally moved and it was Xu Shuangtze who raised his hand and slowly placed it on the door.
At last, he could come in and meet his bride who he had longed to see.
—But as soon as he lifts the veil and sees the face of Gong Wei, who had died sixteen long years ago, Xu Shuangtze would immediately realise that the world before him was a facade. And as the spirit and consciousness of the Realm Master returns, the illusionary world would fall apart, and pull everyone back to reality at Linjiang City simultaneously.
The room was terribly quiet, and Gong Wei’s entire spine was tensed up and almost completely stiff.
At that moment, Xu Shuangtze suddenly spoke, and every word was indescribably warm and affectionate, “Remember when I said that the next time we meet, you and I will be husband and wife? How wonderful it is right now.” Then he seemed to smile faintly but sighed after.
“But it is not good for the bride to see me before the auspicious hour. It is late, so rest early.”
Gong Wei was startled. But before he could react, he saw the train of Xu Shuangtze’s robes swish as he gently closed the door and turned to walk away along the stone path.
He hadn’t come in!
Gong Wei had been mentally prepared for everything, Xu Shuangtze’s uncontrollable rage, No Way Out’s merciless slash, and even planned how to escape after everyone returned to reality at the same time—and yet, Xu Shuangtze didn’t even come in!
“…” Gong Wei sat there, blinking in daze before slowly coming back to his senses, he leaped from his chair. He then lifted his veil, pulled up his sleeves and attempted to chase after Xu Shuangtze when he suddenly heard a deep and long tune from the distance.
Outside the window, the mountains could be clearly seen and tiny peach blossom petals fluttered softly from above. In the distant starry sky, he saw Xu Shuangtze’s silhouette as he sat at the top of a tree, his sleeves and hair gently raised by the breeze as he whistled a tune on a bamboo leaf.
The tune was crisp and clear, gentle yet distant, seemingly an intertwinement of happiness and sadness melting into one, with the pale moonlight accompanied by the wind.
Gong Wei was drawn in, stood still and stared at him through the window, thinking to himself, In his previous life, was that man also sitting in that tree at this time, waiting for the dawn?
Xu Shuangtze is really good looking, but unfortunately…
His mind stalled here and did not continue with this train of thought. For the next moment, that innate and unmistakably familiar consciousness once again emerged from the depths of his soul, resounding with such clarity in his ears, —Pity, I have to kill him.
Gong Wei blinked his eyes and let out a long, regretful breath.
He then reached out and pushed the window open, but before he could chase after Xu Shuangtze, the tune from the bamboo leaf changed slightly.
With this change, an overwhelming and irresistible wave of fatigue emerged from all directions, like a tidal wave that instantly flooded the entire chamber, causing Gong Wei’s eyelids to become heavy all of a sudden. He involuntarily slumped on the small stool by the windowsill, only having time to force out just two words, “Xu Bai…”
The soft trailing voice was enveloped with the breeze and disappeared into the night. Gong Wei leaned with his head tilted between the window panes, his thin, fair arm supporting his chin as he slowly sank into a peaceful slumber.
“The auspicious hour is here—”
“Step into the palanquin…”
The sound of a suona pierced the sky, followed by joyous music and a clamour of gongs and drums. Gong Wei was jolted awake from his dreams.
Outside the window, it was already dawn, and all the men, women and children of the village were out in full force, out and about the main road in a joyful manner. Gong Wei was shaken as he realised that he didn’t know when he had fallen asleep the previous night. He quickly got up and went outside.
But as soon as he got up, he heard the door knocked upon twice, and then it was thrown open, and in came two women draped in red and green robes. They were the faceless village women!
Although they had no mouths on their smooth, blank ‘faces’, a dull laughter continued to emanate from their throats like two cotton-stuffed dolls, one of them was saying, “Bride, it is the auspicious hour!
The other one said, “Bride, step into the palanquin!”
The two of them came forward, one on the left and one on the right, taking Gong Wei by each arm and carrying him towards the vermillion palanquin outside the door.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Sahl: Welp, Gong Wei ‘bout to be married to Xu Shuangtze, I’d say. I can’t help but wonder how ‘aware’ Xu Shuangtze is of what’s going on… (just my personal speculation – I don’t know any more than this.) So, things are finally getting cleared up a little and we know a bit of what happened…
Editor: Sahloknir
The sound of horses’ hooves were getting closer and closer—even the earth began to tremble. The sound of this formation was by no means from a single horse, but rather like a whole troop had come. Yuchi Xiao couldn’t help but say, “Could it be that Lord Xu is so deeply in love that he has brought a large number of disciples from the Cang Yang Sect to greet his lady? But why not ride on his sword?”
Meng Yunfei suddenly said, “Something’s not right.”
“Why?”
Meng Yunfei’s face showed a vague expression of worry, “Cang Yang Sect has never recorded that their master suffered injuries to both eyes, let alone leading a large number of disciples from the mountain to receive his bride. Is the illusion we are experiencing a reenactment of what actually once happened twenty years ago, or is it…”
Before Meng Yunfei completed his sentence, the earth trembled violently then abruptly stopped, followed by countless horses, “Neigh—!”
The war horses were reined in to a stop, and then their front hooves hit the ground with heavy thuds. It sounded like the troop had halted. Meng Yunfei stopped talking, and the two of them concentrated on the scene at the same time, only to hear the distant soldiers draw their swords while shouting, “Who is blocking the road?”
Surprisingly, no reply came.
The sudden silence across the valley was extremely eerie, no scolding, no conversation, not even the slightest sound of any other swords being unsheathed.
The two men looked at each other, each seeing uneasiness in the other’s eyes.
—What was happening in the distance?
What had suddenly plunged the army, which had just been speeding along, into complete silence?
A soft breeze swept through the grass fields, insects chirped like an orchestra, the moonlight shrouded the mountain streams and the peach blossom petals drifted across the night sky. Everything was so calm that even a pin dropped on the ground could be heard, but a great and ominous sense of foreboding grew heavier and more imminent—
At that moment, a tall, lone figure suddenly appeared at the end of the stone path.
Xu Shuangtze emerged slowly from the depths of the valley, dressed in flowing white robes with wide sleeves, his hair was lifted and swept in the wind, under the moonlight he looked like an exiled immortal. His sword, No Way Out, which was gripped in his hand, reflected a clear, cold light. The blood groove of the sword was too full, so blood was dripping down the tip of the sword, trailing behind him, forming a seemingly never ending path.
“…” Yuchi Xiao finally found his voice, “Lord…Lord Xu…”
Xu Shuangtze appeared calm, as if the killings which he carried out earlier in silence were just their imagination. He brushed past Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei and headed straight to the door of the small courtyard, before turning back to the two of them and asking, “What are you doing here?”
He actually took the initiative to speak!
Without thinking, Yuchi Xiao replied, “My Lord, you have fallen under the Mirror Art, and this around us is an illusion, a projection of your memories from twenty years ago. At present, you true body is in Linjiang City, you must wake up now so that we can—”
“Are you guests who have come to observe the ceremony?” Xu Shuangtze interrupted him.
Yuchi Xiao stopped abruptly.
“All who come are our guests. But the wedding feast will not be held until tomorrow, so you can come back at dawn.”
Yuchi Xiao’s pupils suddenly contracted, but it was all too late. As soon as Xu Shuangtze finished his sentence, four walls suddenly rose from the ground and transformed into a house, trapping both Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei inside, the door closed behind them with a thud.
Yuchi Xiao was infuriated. “Lord Xu!” He rushed up and tried to split the door open.
Zfcu Tecofl rabqqfv tlw, “Gbc’a jma gjrtis!”
Dea bearlvf atf tberf, We Vtejcuahf vlv cba fnfc ibbx yjmx, “Qts jgf sbe wjxlcu j gemxer lc atf wlvvif bo atf cluta?”
Just as he finished his sentence, an invisible force gushed forward and lifted Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei up without a word. Thud! Thud! They were each tossed onto a bed respectively. Then, some transparent ropes descended from the air and instantly tied them to their beds!
Temtl Wljb, “P—”
Ktf cfza rfmbcv, j rlifcmlcu rqfii kjr mjra bc tlw, rabqqlcu tlw ogbw wjxlcu jcs rbecv ja jii!
Meng Yunfei forcefully turned his head to look out the window, only to see that night time had fully arrived outside the house. Xu Shuangtze reached out and pushed open the courtyard door, walking unhurriedly to another door of the opposite house before pausing and saying, “I’m back.”
The blood on No Way Out still trailed behind him and flowed down the steps, yet his voice was very soft as he spoke,”I have missed you so much.”
Meanwhile inside the house, Gong Wei’s back was against the door and his pupils dilated.
The room before him had been completely transformed—he beams and walls were draped in a red ceremonial decorations, the bed frame now had large red and gold letters pasted, and against the wall was a gilded rosewood bridal trousseau with eight large lit wedding candles crackling as they burned. In front of the mirror drawer, a woman was seated in her wedding dress, back facing Gong Wei. She wore a red bridal veil covering her head and her hands, which were as white as snow, were gently folded on her lap.
Everything was the exact same as in Gong Wei’s own memory, except for one detail.
Back then, the person under the bridal veil was in fact Gong Wei himself.
The moment General Bai left the valley, the ‘peasant girl’ waved her hand and Taoyuan Village vanished without a trace. ‘She’ then happily followed him into the Capital. Although the Lotus Immortal was well-known for causing trouble, he did have one virtue and that was he would be committed and wholeheartedly complete any task which he was assigned to in all seriousness. After Ying Kai had repeatedly instructed him not to let Xu Shuangtze’s soul be harmed in the illusionary realm, Gong Wei went to great lengths to ensure that all went smoothly and well for General Bai. He even snuck into the royal palace, found an imperial physician to possess, and spent endless nights reading up medical books and researching ancient texts to cure General Bai’s blinded eyes.
As Gong Wei completed his task, he clapped his hands and sighed in relief, tapping his fingers and calculated the death counts by Xu Shuangtze on the battlefield. His killing barrier would soon be overcome. Just as he was thinking about whether or not he should possess the emperor and spend a few years in extravagance and debauchery, suddenly a thunderbolt from the sky came crashing down—
After restoring his sight, General Bai rounded up his troops in preparation to return to Taoyuan Village to receive his bride.
He hadn’t forgotten about that ‘peasant girl’ called Ah Tao!
Gong Wei was so frightened out of his senses that he immediately rushed back to reality by crawling out of the mirror and waking Ying Kai up in the middle of the night, “No matter what happens in the illusionary realm, one won’t retain any memory of it once they return to reality, right?”
Ying Kai said, “As long as a person completes his journey in the illusionary realm without any irregularities, it is true that they typically don’t retain the memories…”
Gong Wei just let out a sigh of relief when he heard Ying Kai continued seriously, “But there is one thing that is absolutely forbidden.”
“What is itb?”
“Getting married.”
Gong Wei’s breath instantly stopped.
“Lord Xu cultivates the Path of No Emotions and will never desire another person, so if the thought of marriage arises in the illusionary realm, then he will definitely experience the love barrier. Love barriers are major obstacles to ascension, so we must prevent it at all costs and never let him stray from his path, got it?”
Gong Wei: “…”
Gong Wei had no idea what had gone wrong in the illusionary world to cause Xu Shuangtze to encounter the love barrier. He pondered and dwelled on it but he was clueless and helpless about it. Gong Wei then returned to the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm in disgrace, only to find himself groomed and dressed up by the village girls and sitting poised in the bridal chamber.
It was the exact night before the wedding, and the crisp breeze outside the window was gentle, yet quiet. General Bai’s footsteps could be heard pacing outside the door for a long time before he finally couldn’t resist knocking, “Ah Tao?”
Gong Wei did not dare to say anything.
“I’ve missed you very much in the past year.” Xu Shuangtze became even more gentle and softened his voice further, “Can I come in and see you?”
Of course not, absolutely not!
In this illusionary world created by the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm, Gong Wei was considered an anomaly in the construct. As soon as General Bai saw his face or heard his voice, the dormant soul that belonged to Lord Xu would be awakened and the illusionary realm would immediately collapse!
Gong Wei lifted the bridal veil and stared wide-eyed at the mirror for a long time, then suddenly had a bright idea and used his mind to direct a village girl to stop General Bai outside the door. The girl was made to explain in a soft voice that the wedding couple should not see each other before the auspicious hour, and that it was a bad omen to do so, especially for the bride.
Xu Shuangtze was a resolute man but that day, he was persuaded by the village girl. He stood outside the door for a while, urging ‘Lady Tao’ to rest early, before stepping out of the courtyard in the night.
Gong Wei pressed his body behind the door and listened intently to Xu Shuangtze’s footsteps as he walked away, with only a single thought in his mind, How did this man fall into love? The illusion I made was obviously correct for the purpose, it must have been his own weakness!
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock on the door interrupted Gong Wei’s thoughts, and he heard Xu Shuangtze outside the door once again calling out Ah Tao, in the same manner and tone as in the illusionary realm twenty years ago.
“Are you asleep?”
Gong Wei calmed himself and settled down, he crouched down and moved beside the ‘bride’, lifted the bridal veil, and snapped his fingers at the blank, smooth ‘face’.
The next moment his vision turned into a flash of darkness, the wind brushed softly past his ears, and when he opened his eyes again he had replaced the faceless puppet and was sitting upright in front of the trousseau. Before him, bright vermillion candles were crackling and his own reflection was now in the mirror. He was now covered under a bridal veil and donned in a wedding dress.
Twenty years ago, if Xu Shuangtze had pushed through that door, he would have encountered this scene—there was no peasant girl at all and the ‘Ah Tao’ he remembered, never existed in the first place.
The only person sitting in the chambers in a wedding dress was the Lotus Immortal, who was now in a gravely difficult position.
Gong Wei took a deep breath, anticipating that this was the very moment which the illusory realm was about to collapse, and swung open the door with a flick of his sleeve.
Creak…
The door slowly inched open, and the night breeze gushed in through the gap, filling the chambers with cool air.
Gong Wei’s view was blocked by the large, ceremonial, red satin gauze, and by the moonlight that crept in through the door, he could only vaguely make out that Xu Shuangtze was standing across the courtyard. Half of his figure was behind a door panel and cast a long shadow stretching out on the ground.
The shadow finally moved and it was Xu Shuangtze who raised his hand and slowly placed it on the door.
At last, he could come in and meet his bride who he had longed to see.
—But as soon as he lifts the veil and sees the face of Gong Wei, who had died sixteen long years ago, Xu Shuangtze would immediately realise that the world before him was a facade. And as the spirit and consciousness of the Realm Master returns, the illusionary world would fall apart, and pull everyone back to reality at Linjiang City simultaneously.
The room was terribly quiet, and Gong Wei’s entire spine was tensed up and almost completely stiff.
At that moment, Xu Shuangtze suddenly spoke, and every word was indescribably warm and affectionate, “Remember when I said that the next time we meet, you and I will be husband and wife? How wonderful it is right now.” Then he seemed to smile faintly but sighed after.
“But it is not good for the bride to see me before the auspicious hour. It is late, so rest early.”
Gong Wei was startled. But before he could react, he saw the train of Xu Shuangtze’s robes swish as he gently closed the door and turned to walk away along the stone path.
He hadn’t come in!
Gong Wei had been mentally prepared for everything, Xu Shuangtze’s uncontrollable rage, No Way Out’s merciless slash, and even planned how to escape after everyone returned to reality at the same time—and yet, Xu Shuangtze didn’t even come in!
“…” Gong Wei sat there, blinking in daze before slowly coming back to his senses, he leaped from his chair. He then lifted his veil, pulled up his sleeves and attempted to chase after Xu Shuangtze when he suddenly heard a deep and long tune from the distance.
Outside the window, the mountains could be clearly seen and tiny peach blossom petals fluttered softly from above. In the distant starry sky, he saw Xu Shuangtze’s silhouette as he sat at the top of a tree, his sleeves and hair gently raised by the breeze as he whistled a tune on a bamboo leaf.
The tune was crisp and clear, gentle yet distant, seemingly an intertwinement of happiness and sadness melting into one, with the pale moonlight accompanied by the wind.
Gong Wei was drawn in, stood still and stared at him through the window, thinking to himself, In his previous life, was that man also sitting in that tree at this time, waiting for the dawn?
Xu Shuangtze is really good looking, but unfortunately…
His mind stalled here and did not continue with this train of thought. For the next moment, that innate and unmistakably familiar consciousness once again emerged from the depths of his soul, resounding with such clarity in his ears, —Pity, I have to kill him.
Gong Wei blinked his eyes and let out a long, regretful breath.
He then reached out and pushed the window open, but before he could chase after Xu Shuangtze, the tune from the bamboo leaf changed slightly.
With this change, an overwhelming and irresistible wave of fatigue emerged from all directions, like a tidal wave that instantly flooded the entire chamber, causing Gong Wei’s eyelids to become heavy all of a sudden. He involuntarily slumped on the small stool by the windowsill, only having time to force out just two words, “Xu Bai…”
The soft trailing voice was enveloped with the breeze and disappeared into the night. Gong Wei leaned with his head tilted between the window panes, his thin, fair arm supporting his chin as he slowly sank into a peaceful slumber.
“The auspicious hour is here—”
“Step into the palanquin…”
The sound of a suona pierced the sky, followed by joyous music and a clamour of gongs and drums. Gong Wei was jolted awake from his dreams.
Outside the window, it was already dawn, and all the men, women and children of the village were out in full force, out and about the main road in a joyful manner. Gong Wei was shaken as he realised that he didn’t know when he had fallen asleep the previous night. He quickly got up and went outside.
But as soon as he got up, he heard the door knocked upon twice, and then it was thrown open, and in came two women draped in red and green robes. They were the faceless village women!
Although they had no mouths on their smooth, blank ‘faces’, a dull laughter continued to emanate from their throats like two cotton-stuffed dolls, one of them was saying, “Bride, it is the auspicious hour!
The other one said, “Bride, step into the palanquin!”
The two of them came forward, one on the left and one on the right, taking Gong Wei by each arm and carrying him towards the vermillion palanquin outside the door.
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Sahl: Welp, Gong Wei ‘bout to be married to Xu Shuangtze, I’d say. I can’t help but wonder how ‘aware’ Xu Shuangtze is of what’s going on… (just my personal speculation – I don’t know any more than this.) So, things are finally getting cleared up a little and we know a bit of what happened…
