Chapter 28: Chapter 28: A Dream Beneath the Moon
’Something’s not right...’
Jiang Ran tried to pinpoint it, but everything seemed perfectly logical.
’Who wouldn’t want to marry a beautiful woman?’
’What’s wrong with that?’
He frowned slightly, abruptly circulating sixty years’ worth of immense Inner Strength to examine his own body.
Yet he found no trace of stagnation within him; his meridians were completely clear.
When he looked up again, Tang Huayi was leaning on the table with one hand, watching him.
As their eyes met, he heard her speak softly.
"You’ve had it hard, too..."
"We know."
"The Nine Deaths Severed Meridians is a congenital condition. It’s almost incurable."
"So, by that logic, you don’t have many days left to live... You should spend your remaining time with my sister."
"It’s for the best, really."
Hearing this, Jiang Ran subconsciously started to nod, but he quickly shook his head.
"I understand Master Tang’s intentions."
"Unfortunately, I’m afraid I can’t fulfill his wishes... While the Nine Deaths Severed Meridians may be incurable, I’ve already found a way..."
"You’ve found a way?"
Tang Huayi was taken aback. "How could you possibly have found a way?"
"..."
Jiang Ran’s brow furrowed. He swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
He simply looked at Tang Huayi and said,
"In any case, I’m not going to die... That’s not what Master Tang wants."
"Furthermore, I can’t promise to spend my entire life by your sister’s bedside, taking care of her."
"If I leave, it would be unfair to her. If I stay, it would be unfair to myself."
"Therefore... I’m afraid I must refuse."
After hearing this, Tang Huayi seemed momentarily lost in her own world.
She studied Jiang Ran carefully, realizing he wasn’t joking.
Finally, she nodded distractedly.
"Brother-in-law... let’s eat."
"Okay."
Jiang Ran nodded.
Tang Huayi didn’t press the matter further. She just sat beside Jiang Ran, placing her own favorite dishes onto his plate.
When the meal was over, Tang Huayi escorted Jiang Ran to his room to rest.
The room had already been prepared for him.
It was a small, private courtyard.
Maids and servants stood quietly on either side of the courtyard, awaiting instructions.
After leading Jiang Ran to his room, Tang Huayi turned and departed.
Only then did Jiang Ran let out a long sigh.
He felt an indescribable exhaustion.
He couldn’t place its source... His mind was a tangled mess. One moment he was thinking of the old drunkard, the next of Master Tang. As his thoughts drifted... he dazedly fell asleep.
In the hazy state between wakefulness and sleep, Jiang Ran felt as if he were dreaming.
In the dream, someone was playing the zither.
The music was so graceful and captivating that he found himself unconsciously drawn to the window.
Outside, a bright moon hung high in the sky, draping the small courtyard in a hazy veil.
An old tree with a lush canopy stood in the courtyard. Beneath its shade, a woman in white sat on a stone bench, stroking the strings of her zither.
This was the source of the music.
Jiang Ran gazed at the scene, finding it beautiful—so beautiful it felt unreal.
It was as if a painting had somehow come to life in the mortal world.
After a moment’s hesitation, he stepped out of his room and approached the woman.
Her white robes fluttered in the breeze, and a light, white veil obscured most of her face.
Only her eyes were visible.
Jiang Ran had never seen such captivating eyes.
Clear, limpid, and bright, they seemed to hold the reflection of the stars.
The instant he saw them, he felt as if he could understand everything hidden within their depths.
He could feel all her joys and sorrows, her anger and delight.
Just then, a gust of wind swept the veil from the woman’s face.
An exquisitely beautiful face appeared before Jiang Ran.
Jiang Ran was at a loss for words to describe the breathtaking beauty of that instant.
It felt as if any worldly praise would be a profanity against her perfection.
’If this isn’t a dream, how could such a peerless beauty exist in the world?’
’But even in a dream, could one conjure a woman this beautiful!?’
A faint doubt stirred in Jiang Ran’s mind...
The woman whose veil had flown off let out a small cry of surprise.
But before the cry could fully escape her lips, it turned into a cough.
She coughed softly, as if worried she might startle him.
Her fair complexion flushed slightly from the effort before she slowly stopped.
"Miss... are you alright?"
Jiang Ran stood to the side, not knowing what to do.
Not until her coughing stopped did he speak softly.
"I... I’m fine. Please forgive my unseemly display, Husband."
"Husband..."
Jiang Ran was stunned. Tang Huayi’s words surfaced in his mind.
’My sister is even more beautiful!’
’She’s a celestial fairy incarnate. There’s absolutely no one in this world more beautiful than her.’
"You’re Tang Shiqing?"
Jiang Ran stared at her, astonished. ’Is this the wife the old drunkard arranged for me?’
Tang Shiqing rose slowly and performed a graceful curtsy.
"Shiqing greets her husband."
"Your... your health is poor. Why did you come out here?"
Jiang Ran returned the gesture with a fist-and-palm salute, feeling a little ridiculous.
’Since this is a dream, why be so formal?’
After a moment’s thought, he spoke again:
"Please, sit down."
"I heard today that you had arrived, Husband. I have been wanting to meet you ever since."
"It’s just... this frail body of mine is uncooperative."
A smile touched the corners of Tang Shiqing’s lips, a slight curve that seemed to tug at one’s very soul.
Jiang Ran took a deep breath, barely managing to keep his soul from being stolen by that smile.
He then heard her continue:
"It wasn’t until evening that I felt much better, so I thought I must come and see you..."
"However, you were resting when I arrived, Husband."
"I didn’t dare to disturb you, so I had no choice but to wait here."
"With your poor health, how can you sit outside for so long?"
Jiang Ran frowned slightly.
"It is no trouble."
Tang Shiqing smiled.
"No matter what, I had to see you and exchange a few words."
At this, she slowly raised her head to look at Jiang Ran.
But the moment her gaze met his, she quickly looked down again. After a moment’s hesitation, she picked up a teacup from the table and poured him a cup.
"Husband, have some tea."
’Something felt wrong, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.’
He looked down at the teacup, then looked at Tang Shiqing.
He saw a sea of stars in her eyes.
They could shift the stars and turn the heavens upside down. He watched as her delicate lips parted:
"Husband, you must be thirsty after sleeping so long. Drink some tea and soothe your throat."
Jiang Ran shook his head, then raised the cup and drank it down in one gulp.
"Good tea."
After he spoke those two words, everything before his eyes shattered.
What happened next was a blur to Jiang Ran, a hazy mix of reality and illusion.
He seemed to hear Tang Shiqing talking to him.
But he couldn’t hear a single word of what she said.
He saw Tang Shiqing walking towards him...
But what happened after that was hard to discern.
When he finally awoke from the dream, Jiang Ran opened his eyes.
He found himself still lying on the bed in the room where Tang Huayi had left him.
But a faint, almost imperceptible scent of orchids now lingered in the room.
