Chapter 37
Chapter 37
The Transient Realm (End)
It turned out that Third Lady Liu was also brought here when the two of them disappeared. However, instead of winding up in the same place, she appeared directly in this forest and had stayed in this house for a whole day.
“Your face…”
Under Zheng Wan’s puzzled gaze, Third Lady Liu smoothed a hand across her face. “It’s strange, isn’t it?”
“When I got here, the red rash on my face healed… If only it was like this in reality as well.”
Third Lady Liu forced a smile and took out a neatly wrapped handkerchief from her scented pouch. “By the way, Lady Zheng, I found something before I warped here… is it yours?”
Zheng Wan’s heart thumped, but it was too late to stop her—Third Lady Liu had already unwrapped the handkerchief. “This zan is the same as the one I pawned three days ago. That hairpin also had a ‘Cui’ on it, it was given by a young boy……”
Zheng Wan glanced reflexively at Cui Wang; his expression was still and dark as deep waters, and the look he gave her was chilling to the bone.
“…I have always respected you, Lady Zheng, for your noble and lofty character, but I did not expect you to stoop so low as to impersonate me… Have you ever thought about how lonely I am, and how hard my life is with the reputation of being an ugly woman…”
“I……”
Confronted by the victim, Zheng Wan had neither argument nor defence.
“Zheng Wan! Wake up!”
Just as Zheng Wan fell into an endless tirade of abuse, a clear whistle came to her ears—a cool and refreshing sensation flowed into her from her Baihui acupoint1, and she swiftly came to.
When she opened her eyes, there was nothing in front of her but a dilapidated thatched hut—there was no Liu Yi, and no zan.
“What happened…… to me?”
“You fell into an illusion.”
Cui Wang withdrew his hand. “Those who think too much are easily ensnared.”
Fortunately, it wasn’t real.
Zheng Wan smiled.
“I saw you, Mister Cui, leaving with another woman. I was so sad.”
Cui Wang pursed his lips and didn’t answer. After a long while, he let out an “Oh”.
“Are we going to explore the thatched hut?”
“We shouldn’t stay here for too long.” Cui Wang took a long look at the thatched hut and turned away. “A long night is fraught with dreams2; it will be better to find the exit quickly.”
“But I——my feet hurt.”
Zheng Wan lifted the hem of her skirts to show him her utterly frayed pearl shoes. There was a hole in the toe of her shoe, through which a small toe was exposed. He could vaguely see the blood blisters that had developed.
“It’s bleeding here, too.”
She kicked off her shoes and stood barefoot on the green grass. Her fair and lustrous feet were no longer lovely; the heels of her feet suffered serious abrasions, and many blood blisters had formed on all her ten toes. Some of them had burst open and were hanging loosely from her toes, looking terrible and pitiful.
Zheng Wan tugged on Cui Wang’s sleeve and pressed:
“Mister Cui, how about… you carry me again?”
Cui Wang remained silent. Just when Zheng Wan thought he would half-heartedly comply as before, he shook his sleeve and handed her a jade bottle from his Qiankun pouch.
“Apply it externally; it will heal in half a moment.”
“Then, will Mister Cui please help me into the hut?”
Zheng Wan gave in and asked for the next best thing. She continued awkwardly, “I… I twisted my foot.”
“Lady Zheng, you’re overstepping.”
Cui Wang flicked his sleeves and turned.
The mountain wind whistled; the verdant trees and desolate hut rendered the figure of his back like an ink painting. Zheng Wan could tell from his posture that he was determined not to touch her again——
Yes, she had overstepped.
After going through a few encounters together, she thought she could willfully act spoiled and pampered—if what he had done so far could be considered pampering, that is.
Zheng Wan limped to the hut to apply the medicine. When she took off the white cotton socks, a large piece of skin tore off. The severe pain instantly brought tears to her eyes, and she cursed herself for being good-for-nothing as tears fell.
By the time her tears stopped, the medicine had also been applied.
Zheng Wan tried her best to smooth out the dirty cloud brocade dress, and straightened her appearance in the Puppet Mirror. When she stepped out, a quarter of an hour had passed.
“Ready?”
“Ready.” Zheng Wan smiled and bobbed a curtsy. “Thank you for the medicine.”
Cui Wang nodded and turned to leave, but he paused in his tracks. Suddenly, he shook his sleeves again, and a black object was handed to Zheng Wan.
Footnotes:
1 Baihui acupoint: 百会穴; Baihui is the uppermost point on the human body, located in the centre of the top of your head, and is used generally to “clear the senses” and “calm the Spirit.”
2 A long night is fraught with dreams: 夜长梦多 ye chang meng duo; A Chinese idiom meaning “A long delay may give rise to many a hitch.”