Chapter 287 Conversation with a ghost
“What do you mean?” Xi Bao asked with tears on her face, “Are you the one behind?”
Lu Ping raised her head and smirked, “Yes! To be honest, Zhou Jinglan is just a piece on my chessboard. Didn’t you notice that something is different in the Mansion? The Lord has been away from her for a long time. You know? I have once reminded the Lord that it was Zhou Jinglan to set Concubine He up only because of her jealousy. As a result, the Lord doesn’t trust her though there was not solid evidence.”
Zhu Quan, Qi Xuanyu, Shangguan Mingri, and Sima Mingyue came over at this time. The hair of the middle-aged Zhu Quan turned white completely. He was holding a white porcelain jar, inside which may be Concubine He’s ashes.
Suddenly, Zhu Quan gave the jar to Sima Mingyue and then strode ahead. Under the unbelievable gaze of Lv Ping, he squeezed her neck with one hand, making her be at death’s door. Lv Ping was shivering and tried to explain something. However, no one could hear her words. She tried to release his hand, but it was in vain.
This scene suddenly stirred He Danggui’s sorrows. Everyone in the Mansion was in the same tragedy. She didn’t want to stay here anymore. So, she released her spirit to a corner. Dry branches in winter cut the sky into a lot of small pieces. She leaned on the tree, wondering if the numbers of men and women were exactly the same, would a man only marry one woman? Would wars between women be gone forever?
“Miss He?” A voice came behind a tree, gentle and magnetic.
It was Qi Xuanyu, the middle-aged Qi Xuanyu. He Danggui asked puzzledly, “Are you the one in the fantasy or the real one?”
Qi Xuanyu smiled as if his smile was the answer. He stepped forward, “Actually, you are different from the tenth princess, though you are prettier. However, she has one thing that you don’t possess.”
He Danggui frowned. Why did he mention the tenth princess? What else did he know? She considered for a moment and then asked, “Did you make the Dream? Why?” Indeed, Bai Yangbai was an expert in Fantasy Dream. He even wrote guidance on it. However, only the one who made the Dream could see “intruders”. A wild guess suddenly hit her. Perhaps three years later, the reason for Meng Xuan asking Qi Xuanyu to send him here was that the Dream was made by Qi Xuanyu.
Qi Xuanyu stepped forward and covered her eyes with two fingers. He sighed, “Her eyes are similar to yours, but they were surprisingly pure and crystal, carrying no worries at all. Yours are sharp and sad. Most importantly, you are not as inclusive as her. I can see your aggressiveness through your eyes. What happened to you?”
She tilted her head to the side and said coldly, “I was in a jar. Shouldn’t I be aggressive? What would you do if you were in my shoes?”
Qi Xuanyu continued gently, “Yes, you died, but you are luckier than any other woman in the Mansion. When you died, you also took away the most precious treasure – Zhu Quan’s heart. Since then, their beauty and youth had lost the value because the Lord would never see them anymore.” Seeing He Danggui’s expression, Qi Xuanyu added, “He did be responsible for your death. However, you did see his overwhelming grief. You know him. A man who never cared about women became a nut because of you.”
“Save it! We both know it is not true.” He Danggui looked at the swing in distance, “Maybe you should check whether he was infected by diseases, poisons or venomous insects. If an ambitious man suddenly gives up all his fame and interest, then he must be invaded by the evil.”
Qi Xuanyu smiled, “You are special. You could melt a man if you love him; you could also be ruthless enough to destroy a man if you don’t love him. Anyway, you don’t have to worry. The Dream is just a reflection of your mind. I used my Qi to build it based on reality. I can’t create a world from nil.” Qi Xuanyu whispered, “As the Dream maker, I can assure you that everything you see comes from people’s true aspiration. They may not be the reality, yet they are people’s obsessiveness. That is to say, Zhu Quan really regretted what he did to you. He is even willing to die for his fault.”
He Danggui stepped back to get away from him, “Are you his persuader? What do you want?”
Her body indicated her nervousness: stiff back and clenched fists. It seemed that she was ready to fight with him. He stepped back and laughed, “Don’t be afraid. I am just a shadow in the Dream. I have no connection with the outside world. I am not malicious to you.”
“A shadow in the Dream?” Looking at him, He Danggui speculated, “You are from the previous life, and you came here with that thorn star?”
Qi Xuanyu paused and then admitted, “Yes, I came here with you and Zhu Quan’s spirit fragments. We parted in the air. You went to Shui Shang Temple for your reincarnation. However, we were trapped in a stone cave. That was just a tragedy for two men being together. Except for your name, he couldn’t even say a complete word. Later, when the young Zhu Quan went into the cave, we certainly would follow him.”
He Danggui couldn’t help thinking of a scene that young Zhu Quan was haunted by two ghosts in a cave. It seemed that people should always keep away from those ominous places. Sayings like “There is no ghost” and “I am not afraid of ghosts” were not true. She determined that she would never go to Bitter Bamboo Grove in the future.
He Danggui continued, “You are the dream maker, and you must know those shadow walls of the seventh stage. I saw what happened after my death, and you weren’t there. When that thorn star flew away, Bai Yangbai was the only person present!”
Qi Xuanyu nodded, “You are right. These scenes were all true. I deliberately showed them to you. As for why you didn’t see me, that was because I was dead at that time. I died in a worse way than Zhu Quan. I couldn’t even keep my spirit intact. I just attached my memory to an eagle, so I witnessed everything.”
“You...you are a ghost!” He Danggui felt creepy, so she stepped backwards.
“Well, I am close to a ghost,” Qi Xuanyu smiled, “Please calm down. You are in the Dream where I cannot hurt you while you can hurt me. In addition, I mean no harm to you. I just want to tell you the truth because we were best friends back to the life before the previous life.”
However, the real Qi Xuanyu was a calculating person. Back at Qi Lu Yard, he tried to infuse Zhu Qian with “He Danggui is a siren, and you can’t marry her.” He was hostile to her. In short, that man was totally not as kind as this ghost. So, she remained vigilant, “To be frank, why did you show me the memories? What is your purpose?”
Qi Xuanyu recalled, “I have never loved somebody. But I can’t forget the Tenth Princess who I met when I was young. I wanted to find out who killed her and revenge for her. Later, I met a Taoist friend. He was more powerful than me. I didn’t know his identity. But I had to count on him. I showed him my base card in trade for his help to initiate Time Traceback, which revealed the truth of the Tenth Princess’ death. After a few years, Lord Jin died. That is to say, there was only one man left – Gao Jun. I have been looking for him, but there is no progress.”
“Revenge for a girl you haven’t known each other for a long time? And at a cost of several years?” He Danggui questioned, “It is not your style. Don’t you love her?” That princess was never a simple character. She had so many secrets. Well, from a certain aspect, she was against herself.
Qi Xuanyu smiled, “I didn’t deliberately revenge for her. I just would think of her occasionally. That’s why I wanted to help her. I had lovers nationwide, and I would never love a disfigured girl. A woman’s face is her most valuable asset. No one will care about a girl without a beautiful face.” Then he lowered his tone to explain his death, “That Taoist friend later invited me to Nihon for a Tao forum. I didn’t want to go at first. However, somebody told me that Xu Fu, who found the immortal medicine there, was still alive. He lived more than a thousand years! Besides, he could calculate one’s past and future. I wanted to know where my princess was in this life, so I went there.”
Listening to his story, He Danggui laughed and asked, “What’s the end? Did you find Xu Fu?”
Qi Xuanyu didn’t answer her but continued his story, “Later, I heard that you married Zhu Quan and moved to his mansion. So I decided to visit you immediately. But I fell into a long-plotted trap, which was the most ruthless one I had seen in my life. It would drain people’s blood and Qi. And then I knew his intent. He wanted my power.”
He Danggui asked, “I guess you escaped, right?”
Qi Xuanyu shook his head. He showed his chest to her, “As you see, I was killed and sucked dry. Even my spirit was dispersed.”
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