Chapter 97: You're Here?

Xinyun Alley.

The moon of old times shone within the ancestral home, now overgrown with weeds.

The laughter and bird songs of the past still linger in the ears, yet the old friends of that time are hard to see again.

"Jinhuan, what exactly does 'Lao Deng' mean?"

"It means climbing high in old age, rising step by step..."

"Yo~ Then Dad will call you Xiao Deng, achieving success at a young age; hmm... Meiqiu will be called Niao Deng!"

"Goo-goo~"

Xie Jinhuan sat on the ground on the steps of the main hall, a jar of wine placed beside him.

The wine was 'Hero's Tears' bought from Changle Street, priced at sixty taels in the market; in his memory, he had never seen a whole jar before, and his father had only drunk a few cups when attending a banquet at Magistrate Wu's house, bragging about it for years.

And now he could actually afford good wine, but alas, the son wishes to support his father, but the father is no longer here!

Where exactly did the old man go...

Xie Jinhuan took the wine jug and gulped a mouthful; just as he was pondering silently, the courtyard suddenly grew a few shades darker.

Looking up, the peerless great succubus, no less than five meters tall, appeared before him again, carrying a giant red umbrella on her shoulder, wearing a long red dress adorned with golden dragon patterns, just as breathtaking as when they first met.

"Didn't you go to sleep at Wan Yi's house? Why are you drinking gloomy wine?"

"I just saw a vision, felt a bit moved by the scenery, so I came home to take a look."

Xie Jinhuan gathered his thoughts, stood up, and sized up his ghost wife whose clothes blocked out the sky:

"A bet is a bet; we agreed I'd hold you while we dance, so don't make it so I can't touch you anymore."

Ye Hongshang waited expectantly: "Come on, how lewd do you want to dance?"

Xie Jinhuan walked up close and found he wasn't even as tall as the ghost wife's legs, feeling pressure like a mountain.

But raising his hand to touch the hem of the skirt, he could actually reach it; her legs were plump and smooth like jade pillars, yet even standing on tiptoes, he couldn't reach her waist...

"Uh... can you shrink a bit?"

Ye Hongshang twirled her red umbrella, looking down at the little person below:

"I, the True Person, am just this big; if Sister comes out later, you can't expect Sister to shrink just to play with you, can you?"

Xie Jinhuan thought that made sense, but with a vehicle this big, how was he supposed to drive it...

Sensing Xie Jinhuan's confusion, Ye Hongshang, being very considerate, gradually shrank her form, becoming a bit over two meters tall, and looked down at the Young Master before her:

"Are you satisfied now?"

Xie Jinhuan was naturally satisfied; he raised his hand to try hugging the peerless luxury car, but over two meters was still too tall; his line of sight was directly at her chest, where the chubby-headed Meiqiu embroidered in gold thread was almost right in his face, making the scene look like a little kid looking up at a big sister.

Combined with the ghost wife's teasing gaze, hmm...

It made one feel a tiny bit humiliated!

And a strange excitement derived from that humiliation...

Xie Jinhuan tried to straighten his posture, but even if he wore ten-centimeter height-increasing shoes, he still couldn't reach the ghost wife's shoulder; at that moment, he could only act as a small horse pulling a big cart, holding his left hand with his right, and wrapping his right arm around her water-snake waist:

"Come, follow my movements..."

Ye Hongshang followed the movements, asking in confusion:

"What are you preparing to dance?"

"The Wife Leaves and Children Scatter Dance!"

"Huh?"

Xie Jinhuan didn't explain much at that moment, supporting her waist as he shuffled back and forth:

"It's very simple; I advance, you retreat; I retreat, you advance; follow the rhythm, one-one, two-two, three-three, four-four, spin around... never mind, I'll spin..."

Tap tap tap...

Under the command of his clear voice, the two shuffled back and forth in the abandoned courtyard, their long legs lifting the fiery red skirt, creating a moving rhythm under the moon.

Because his dance partner was truly too tall, Xie Jinhuan couldn't wrap his arms over his head, so he could only hold hands and spin himself.

Ye Hongshang, being held and swayed back and forth, found the rhythm within moments, her waist displaying an elegant flow.

As they danced on, she discovered that this 'Wife Leaves and Children Scatter Dance' was indeed a bit lewd; their eyes met, they were like hugging but not quite, just like flirting.

But looking at Xie Jinhuan, who was a head shorter yet teaching seriously, she didn't know why, a sense of déjà vu rose in her heart.

It seemed like she had experienced this scene before...

Where was it...

Ye Hongshang thought for a moment, noticed Xie Jinhuan's gaze was level with her chest, so she shrank another bit, becoming face-to-face:

"How do you plan to investigate Sister's background?"

Xie Jinhuan, hugging the ghost who had returned to normal size, felt a little disappointed; he thought carefully:

"The one who wrote 'The Biography of Golden Orchids' might be the Twin Saints Ye Shrine; today, that Zhang Huaiyu's teacher, Fan Li, is the eldest disciple of the Ye Shrine and serves as the Libationer at the Imperial Academy; he might know some inside information. In the next couple of days, I'll look for a chance to see if I can go pay a visit..."

"What if you don't find out?"

"If I don't find out... sigh, we'll deal with it then; let's dance first; when life is going well, one must enjoy it fully; even the biggest matters must wait until after we've enjoyed ourselves."

Ye Hongshang nodded slightly, said no more, and seriously began to learn this Wife Leaves and Children Scatter Dance, following the steps.

Tap tap tap...

The pale moon shone inside the old house, which had no lamps or fires; the rhythmic footsteps rose and fell.

The wanderer returning from afar stood alone in the abandoned courtyard where weeds reached his knees, his left arm empty as if holding someone, dancing alone under the moon.

Although his expression showed he was enjoying it, being all by himself, paired with the desolate sight and the empty house with no people left, revealed a touch of madness...

—

Lin Fu.

Jiji jiji~~

Faint insect chirps rose from outside the window; the vast Lin Fu had long fallen silent.

Lin Wanyi sat upright beside the canopy bed, wearing a clean, neat blue long dress, her hair coiled into a demure, intellectual style—if only she had a veil, she'd look exactly like a bride.

Her mindset was much the same: behind her gold-rimmed glasses, her eyes flickered intermittently, fearing he would come—and fearing he wouldn't.

After waiting so long, a faint rustle came from outside, then a sliver of moonlight slipped through the slightly ajar door:

Squeak~

Then it closed again, and all was still.

?

The room was pitch-black; Lin Wanyi couldn't make out any figure, so she rose and squinted to search:

"Xie Jinhuan?"

"Shh~ There are maids gossiping outside; don't let your family find out."

The voice suddenly sounded beside her ear, carrying a hint of alcohol; Lin Wanyi flinched and quickly curled her hands over her chest:

"You came in—why get so close?"

It's too dark. Didn't you prepare something like a night pearl?

Lin Wanyi had never stolen a man; she only knew how to send the maids away—how would she know what to prepare?

She reached for the bedside, lit a small lamp.

Hu~

The dim yellow light illuminated a few feet around the bed, revealing the graceful curve of her back.

Because Lin Wanyi was tall and bent forward to light the lamp, her waist and hips formed a strikingly alluring curve behind her; her clothing and hairpins were flawless.

This was a woman adorning herself for the one who pleases her…

Xie Jinhuan nodded inwardly, scanning the room: the boudoir was immaculate, with no hidden, improper objects—whether it had been tidied before his arrival, he didn't know.

He sat down beside the dressing table and pulled out the silver notes he'd acquired these past two days, beginning to count—Wu Su: three thousand, Duel Champion: one thousand, Prince's share: one thousand five hundred, Han Jingchuan: negligible, landlord's share not yet received—total: five thousand five hundred; half the weekly collection task was done…

Sha~ sha~ sha…

Lin Wanyi was still nervous; she placed the lamp on the bedside table and saw Xie Jinhuan sitting in the room, counting silver notes like a man visiting a brothel—she froze, then blushed deeply:

"Y-you're doing what?!"

Xie Jinhuan paused, glanced at her, then realized his posture looked wrong; he shook his head and smiled:

"Where did you get that idea? Why would I pay you when I come here?"

So you're here to cheat on your sister?

Lin Wanyi felt these words growing increasingly inappropriate:

"Where did you get so much silver? If you want to show off, go to a brothel—why count it in front of me?"

Xie Jinhuan had roughly counted his savings; he kept only a little for petty expenses and handed the rest to Lin Wanyi:

"This five thousand taels is a deposit. Have Queyue Shanzhuang order the herbs for 'Sheng Long Huo Hu Wan'—twenty… ten days to gather them, shipped from the Southern Frontier; I'll pay the balance as soon as I can."

"Ten days?!"

Lin Wanyi frowned and sat beside him:

"Why are you so impulsive? Do you know how far the Southern Frontier is from here? If you rush it, Queyue Shanzhuang won't give you a discount. And if you spend so much silver on herbs but can't pay the balance, Queyue Shanzhuang won't refund you."

Xie Jinhuan had only nineteen days left—he had to act swiftly. But hearing the deposit wouldn't be refunded, he frowned:

"You could sell the herbs to someone else, right? With our relationship, you'd still hold the deposit?"

No matter how close we are, Queyue Shanzhuang isn't mine…

Lin Wanyi looked slightly wounded:

"There are rules in every trade—my sect holds deposits, and I can't help it. Even if I resell them, how would I explain sourcing so many rare herbs all at once?"

Xie Jinhuan realized she had a point, but right now he was only missing the 'Sheng Long Huo Hu Wan'—if he didn't fight for it, he'd just be waiting for his ghost bride to blow up the tomb.

If he lost the money, he could just steal more.

But if his ghost bride blew up the tomb and caused the Great Qian to fall, that would truly doom me…

After some thought, Xie Jinhuan said:

"Help me order it. If I truly can't pay the balance, treat it as a favor—then if anything happens later, we can help each other."

After all, if the Great Qian collapsed, he'd have to turn to the Southern Frontier witch women or the Empress Dowager of Bei Zhou…

Lin Wanyi didn't grasp Xie Jinhuan's long-term planning; seeing he insisted on alchemy, she had no choice but to push her gold-rimmed glasses up:

"Hmm… I'll order the herbs under my own name, saying I need them for Zi Su's practice."

"If you end up not using them, I'll beg to return them, so you don't lose too much."

"But you owe me a favor—remember to repay me."

Xie Jinhuan thought Wanyi was truly virtuous; he shoved the silver notes into her hand:

"Thanks. I'll gather the balance as soon as I can."

Lin Wanyi didn't know what to say; just as she was about to put the silver notes away, she noticed Xie Jinhuan fumbling in his chest and pulling out a vermilion-lacquered hairpin box.

?

Lin Wanyi blinked, her face instantly flushing red:

"Y-you're doing what?"

Xie Jinhuan opened the box and picked up the pearl-inlaid peony hairpin inside:

"Just now, passing through Changle Street, I saw a hairpin I liked, so I bought it on a whim."

Giving a woman a hairpin carried far too clear a meaning.

Lin Wanyi clearly panicked and shrank back.

"Why did you buy me a hairpin? I... I cannot accept this."

Xie Jinhuan, smiling, placed the hairpin into Lin Da's elegant updo:

"I've already bought it. If I take it back to the shop for a refund, won't people laugh at me? Hmm... it does look good on you."

Lin Wanyi still wanted to politely refuse, but Xie Jinhuan had already inserted it with effortless grace. She couldn't very well pull the hairpin out and throw it away, so she thought for a moment and said with grave earnestness:

"I have many hairpins. Don't waste money on such things in the future. You are a righteous knight; your silver should be spent where it counts..."

"Buying a hairpin for the Miss I like doesn't count as spending it where it counts?"

"?"

Lin Wanyi froze, her eyes immediately darting away:

"Y-you're drunk, aren't you? You came to teach me the Divine Scripture of Martial Arts... If you keep this up, I'll kick you out!"

"I haven't done anything."

Xie Jinhuan turned and picked up the mirror from the dressing table:

"Look at yourself. How is it?"

Lin Wanyi glanced at the mirror, only to find her face as red as a big red lantern. She quickly pressed the mirror down:

"It's beautiful, beautiful. Thanks. Hurry up and teach me the cultivation technique."

Xie Jinhuan shook his head with a smile, set down the bronze mirror, and sat on the bed to take off his shoes.

?

Seeing this, Lin Wanyi was stunned and quickly stood up:

"Didn't you say sleeping in the same room was enough? What are you doing getting into bed?"

Xie Jinhuan sat cross-legged with a straight back and said seriously:

"Meditate just like me. I will transmit the technique. If you're embarrassed, you can sit on the floor."

This is my room; why should I sit on the floor?

Lin Wanyi really wanted to drag this shameless man down, but Xie Jinhuan was indeed meditating, and it wouldn't be appropriate to make him sit on the floor. After thinking it over, she sat at the other end of the bed, assumed a posture, and waited:

"And then?"

"Close your eyes."

As Xie Jinhuan spoke, he raised his right hand in a sword finger and began to feign casting a spell:

"Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits..."

Lin Wanyi still felt a little nervous in her heart, fearing Xie Jinhuan would find an excuse to take advantage of the situation.

But before she could discern what supernatural power Xie Jinhuan was casting, a sensation of dizziness arose in her mind.

Then, the mattress beneath her vanished into thin air, and her entire body began to fall. The curtains and the bed canopy rapidly receded until they became a pitch-black abyss...

(End of this chapter)