Chapter 59: The Shadow Manor's Lament (Part 1)

  I feel myself floating in the darkness, a burst of crying sounds come over, I dazedly see a little kid in white clothes crying there, I walk over and pat his head: "Yang Er."

  The child lifted his tear-stained face and said happily: "Muxin, you really recognized me!"

  I smiled: "Where are you going to take me this time?"

  Yang Er shook his head and smiled: "I just want to see Mu Jin."

  He pulled me to sit under a kumquat tree, tightly hugging my arm, smiling sweetly, thinking of Yuan Qingwu and Ming Fengyang, couldn't help but let out a soft sigh, stroking his small face: "Yang Er, you've had a tough few years, haven't you?"

  Yang Er shook his head vigorously.

  I asked again: "How did you get to know me?"

  He just smiled and said nothing.

  The breeze gently swept across my face, and Yang Er said worriedly: "Mù Jīn, you have to be careful of the big bad guy with purple eyes."

  Thinking of my lost innocence, to be honest I didn't place much importance on that thin layer of membrane, but how I wish I could have given my first time to Fei, unexpectedly he came and went in vain, ultimately not fulfilling his wishes. I know the fate of those who lose their chastity in ancient times is miserable, I couldn't escape Ziyan's curse after all.

  Even if I were strong enough and didn't mind losing my virginity, even if time could wash away everything, I still can't forget the first person who gave me the most.

  For a moment, I felt a lump of gloom and discomfort in my heart, sitting there with my head bowed in silence.

  A pair of small hands supported my face, and he looked at me with difficulty: "Muxin, you've been wronged, haven't you?"

  Tears streamed down my face, and I swore it wasn't for Duan Muyun. So I smiled bitterly: "Why didn't the poisonous insects on me kill him? How hateful."

  Yang Er gazed at me deeply, his black eyes shining like black gemstones, reflecting my tear-stained face. He gently wiped away my tears: "Don't cry, Mu Di, you are the bravest and strongest Mu Di in Yang Er's heart."

  My tears fell harder, he sighed and pulled my hand saying: "I want to ask Mu Di to promise me one thing, okay?"

  I smiled and said: "Now I may be going to see your parents soon, I don't know what else I can do for you."

  He patted the dirt off his body with his small hands, stood up and smiled at me: "I just wanted to ask Mu Yin not to blame me."

  Suddenly the sunlight behind him surged, I couldn't open my eyes, could only raise my hand to block the intense light, lowered my head, but saw Yang's shadow in the sunlight slowly stretching into a tall and handsome man's silhouette, his boyish voice however remained unchanged, gentle yet firm as he said to me: "Farewell, Muxin."

  I lifted my head, but all I could see was a fleeting figure disappearing into the distance.

  I stared blankly into the distance, but someone was blowing air in my ear. I turned around to see a strange purple mass pouncing towards me.

  I suddenly woke up and opened my eyes, only to find myself lying in a simple house. This house looked so familiar, wasn't this the North House of Xifeng Garden where I used to live?

  I sat up excitedly, opened the door, rubbed my eyes, and it was Xiaobei's house. I rushed out and ran to Meiyuan. It really was Xifengyuan. Every tree in Xifengyuan was in a position that I remembered. I ran to the edge of Moyu Lake, leaned against a plum tree, and looked inside. Sure enough, I saw several golden snakes swimming around, their scales shimmering with gold light.

  I got excited for a while and then strangely thought, where are the people? Why is there no one in the entire Xifeng Garden? Am I still dreaming?

  I pinched my face, oh! It hurts so much.

  I called out and someone giggled in response. I turned my head to see a little boy with a face full of freckles, so I ran over and hugged him, tears streaming down: "Su Ge"

  Su Hui strangely pushed me away: "Mu Ya Tou, what's wrong with you."

  He took a step back in disgust: "Look at you, you've gotten my clothes all dirty."

  I burst out laughing: "Su Hui, how could I go back to Xi Feng Yuan?"

  "Sui Hui asked strangely: 'Huh, Mu Ya Tou, why are you so strange today? Weren't you always in Xi Feng Yuan?'"

  I was stunned: "Wasn't Xi'an City captured by Nanzhao, and we escaped to An Zhuang? Then I took Second Brother's place and went down the mountain"

  I muttered something about that terrible past, but Su Hui stared at me blankly for a moment before bursting out laughing: "Wooden girl, are you dreaming? When did this happen? Come on, hurry up, White San Ye is waiting for you to serve him."

  I was pulled by him, and I felt like I was in a daze, arriving at the Xīn Yuè Lóu. The peerless Persian cat sat there with a cold face, next to Mr. Han. San Niang brought over a red lacquer tray with a teapot on it. Xi Ge spoke warmly, saying: "San Niang."

  Xie San Niang handed me the plate with a smile: "The girl is awake, San Ye is unhappy, hurry up and take it over."

  Uh! I was blocked again, so I had to obediently send the tea in. Yuan Ran didn't even look at me, but just coldly said: "You got up late today."

  Mr. Han smiled and said, "Third Master, Mugui's body is not good, sleeping more is normal." After saying that, he gave me a look and had me leave.

  I'm somewhat perplexed, what's going on? The old affairs in my mind, were they all just dreams? Duan Yue Rong slaughtered Xianyang City, the double killings of Chuanbei, Yuan Qing Wu, I clearly dreamed of Yang Er just now, which ones are dreams and which ones are real.

  At this moment, a figure flashed in the distance, and it was Wei Hu who had passed by. My heart shook, and I hurried to the stable. He was indeed preparing his horse. As I walked over, I saw him respectfully bowing towards me. I grabbed his left arm, which was intact and unharmed.

  I was stunned, and Wei Hu's eyes flashed with surprise: "Miss, what are you doing?"

  I took a step towards Wei Hu: "Wei Zhuang, have you forgotten that it was you who sent me and Su Hui to hide in the secret villa?"

  "Wei Hu's face was stern: 'Miss must be very tired lately, I'll send you back first.'"

  I was forced back to the small northern house, and calmed down. If everything before were just dreams, then why not go find Fei Ge and Jin Xiu?

  I slipped out of the door and was just about to exit the vertical gate when I saw two cold-faced guards suddenly appear: "Third Master has an order, please return, Mu'niang."

  I glanced at the two expressionless guards, nodded slightly, and turned to leave. At this moment, Lu Yuan, with a face full of scars, walked towards me from the opposite direction. Seeing me, he was overjoyed: "Mugui, you've finally woken up."

  I smiled and walked up to him: "Hello, Mr. Lu."

  He nodded and smiled at me, holding a stack of drawings in his hand. I said honestly: "Mr. Lu, I had a very strange dream, dreaming that Xifengyuan and Ziyuan were ravaged by the Southern Yan army, but when I woke up, I found that nothing had happened."

  I stared at his expression, and his eyes indeed flickered for a moment, then he chuckled and said in a low voice: "I've had such a dream too, but don't worry, it's just a dream, Wooden Girl."

  After he finished speaking, he hastily brushed past me.

  I watched his back, still with a smile on his face, walking back to my small northern-style house as if nothing had happened.

  At dinner time, I told Xie San Niang that I was not feeling well and stayed in the small north room. Xie San Niang brought me a bowl of medicine and said I had to drink it all down. I stretched my waist, drank it all at once, and only then did she walk out with satisfaction. As soon as she stepped out, my head felt dizzy. I bit my hand and woke up a bit, slipped out, and walked towards Lu Yuan's house. Unexpectedly, before I even got close, I heard the voices of someone and a child.

  "Dad, good girl, Dad will play with you." A child's voice, very clear and crisp, but somehow strange, as if there was a slight change in tone.

  "Don't spoil her anymore." At this time, another child's voice came, also with some changes in tone.

  Lu Yuan said inside: "Ah Nuo dear, Daddy will give you candy."

  "Don't always"

  "But you haven't eaten anything for so many days, how is that?" Lu Yuan's voice was somewhat anxious. I felt a stir in my heart and used my hand to moisten the window paper with saliva and poked a hole through it. A small child with his back turned towards me shook his head vigorously at Lu Yuan. Next to him was a child who had been facing away from me, but suddenly looked over in my direction.

  Her face was very delicate, but it was pale as paper, with a dark blue-black patch under her eyes, and no focus in her pupils. At this time, the child also turned his face around, and on that child's face hung a strange smile, with a black eye bag, and an inexplicable eerie gaze. I immediately crouched down, tightly hugging my trembling body, covering my mouth to prevent myself from screaming out loud.

  The window on top was open, and Lu Yuan asked strangely: "What are you doing?"

  "It seems like someone is outside." Zǐ said, then let out a stiff laugh: "I must have made a mistake."

  She closed the window again, and I slowly crawled away from Ruyuan's window, shaking so hard that I almost fell apart. Not far from Ruyuan's house, I touched a wisteria plant, and under the faint moonlight, my fear erupted like a volcano. The thick, purple passionflower was blooming with big flowers, as if it was laughing at me with its mouth wide open. In my mind, I still saw the smiling face of Ah Rong, and I remembered that on that day, the few children who were going to take me away were not human beings. That's why their voices were a little off-key, and their smiles were terrifying. Where was I after all? Just now, I still remembered being with Moon Container in the same alley

  Duanyue Rong! Thinking of those purple pupils, I calmed my mind. Was this demon also caught by these people? Or was this a trap he set up? I remembered the smile in his eyes before I fainted, what was he smiling about?

  I remembered that Chuanbei Shuangsha said this was a person of the Youming Sect. When Qing Shui wanted to kill Duan Yu, Duan Yu said that Qing Shui was a person of the Youming Sect and tried every means to prevent her from approaching his father, so he had been with her for several years, which also means that Duan Yu should not be a person of the Youming Sect.

  I returned to my small northern house, felt my way to the table, and found the token of affection was still there, but the Longxiang Shouhu Quan had disappeared. That Moon Container must have been seized as well. Why did this Youming Sect want to capture me? Why did they set up such a scheme?

  I suddenly thought of the stack of drawings in Ruyuan's hands during the day, and I felt a sense of clarity. The Youming Sect must be using Ruyuan to do something for them, they knew that what Ruyuan loved most was his son who was killed by Duan Yueyun, so they created a fake son to deceive Ruyuan and shift his attention. And as for me, what did they want to use me for?

  Why not use real people then?

  I suddenly thought of the secret mansion I escaped from, Yuan Bai had mentioned that Yuan Qingwu and Youming Sect had dealings with each other. That day she also forced me to open the gate of the secret palace, so was this group trying to trick me into opening the secret palace?

  What a clever plot this is, if Mu Yin hadn't experienced the war, he might not have been able to keep his cool and would definitely think of opening that secret chamber, then the mastermind would know the specific location of the secret chamber.

  That Moon Container, this demon is so unscrupulous, if I could meet him, he would fight with the underworld, who knows, maybe I can escape in the chaos.

  He thought again and broke out in a cold sweat, he had been poisoned by the deadly poison of the "Living Deathless", that's why he was caught without any martial arts skills, it's very likely that he has already been killed.

  I've thought it over and over again, and I can only turn to Lu Yuan for help. I have a premonition that in this courtyard, only Lu Yuan's heart is as clear as mine.