Chapter 8: Birth (Part 3)

In the boudoir, Xu Qianyu sat in front of the dressing table, combing her hair.

She had just taken a bath moments ago, changing out of her clothes that were damp from the pond. Now, she wore only her undergarments, her long, wet hair draped around her shoulders, giving her a somewhat pitiful appearance.

After being confined at home for over half a month, she felt stifled. She had finally managed to go to her family’s pond to feed the fish, only to encounter that troublemaker from the west wing.

Absurdly, she hadn’t even touched him. It was Shui Weiwei who stumbled on her own when the water gently pushed her, and she lay on the ground without getting up, leaving her furious.

On the day she was pushed into the water as a child, Guan Niang pulled back the quilt in the evening and found her huddled under the covers, trembling in grievance. She grasped Guan Niang’s hand tightly and asked if Guan Niang could be her mother instead because she didn’t want a mother like the one in the west wing. If that were possible, she promised to treat Guan Niang very, very well in the future.

She didn’t mind that Shui Weiwei was embarrassing; rather, it was that Shui Weiwei didn’t recognize her at all. The look in Shui Weiwei’s eyes was particularly vigilant and strange. In his eyes, Qianyu was a burden, someone who had sought sympathy as a child, and as she grew up, she became a seductive woman competing for attention, but certainly not a daughter. Therefore, in Xu Qianyu’s eyes, he was not a mother.

However, Guan Niang listened with tears in her eyes, looking at her repeatedly, and still humbly and restrainedly said, “Miss has her own biological mother; I cannot.”

Xu Qianyu held a deep grudge. From that moment on, she never mentioned it again, insisting that Guan Niang be her maid for eternity.

If Guan Niang hadn’t persuaded her, she would have attempted to jump over a few more fire basins today. Now, unable to do so, she drove all the maids out and sulked alone.

At this moment, the spacious boudoir was empty, becoming particularly quiet, and she could hear the faint creaking of the windwater cart.

A strong, unusual fragrance wafted past her nose. Xu Qianyu heard some movement, her eyelashes fluttered, and a fluffy hand had already taken the comb from her.

In the mirror, the one diligently combing her hair was a brown fox standing upright, with a long bow-shaped face, sharp nose, slender, curved eyes, and two fluffy pointed ears. It had two bushy tails that swayed slowly like clouds.

Xu Qianyu felt no surprise and allowed it to comb her hair while she picked up a notebook to browse.

Since childhood, she had been able to see certain magical creatures and even communicate with them. This creature had been hiding in the back garden of the Shui Family, often sneaking out to keep her company when no one was around, and it had been seven or eight years now.

She was not like ordinary people who feared magical creatures. Because Shui Rushan never restricted her or pressured her to study, Xu Qianyu was wild and daring, mixing with the infamous young rakes of Nanling since childhood. Horse riding, archery, wrestling, climbing trees, and cricket fighting—whatever was fun, she played.

Making friends with magical creatures was also part of Xu Qianyu’s playtime. This fox was extremely flattering towards her, skilled in appealing to her interests, often performing little tricks to attract her attention, and could come up with clever ideas to invite her friends to play. She was not stingy either; if it pleased her, she would reward it with gold and silver treasures.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, Miss. How have you been lately?” The fox’s voice was like a beautiful woman’s, diligently smoothing her long hair and gently massaging her temples with its paw.

Xu Qianyu replied, “I haven’t been out of the house for half a month; the master can’t come either. Stuck at home all day, what good could it be?”

The fox suggested, “Then how about inviting the two young sons of the minister’s family to ride in the garden?”

Xu Qianyu snorted, “They wouldn’t come.”

Although Xu Qianyu loved to play, she never dressed as a man. The common people in Nanling would cover their daughters’ eyes when they saw Xu Qianyu riding a horse through the streets, her silk dress billowing in the wind, to prevent their daughters from learning bad habits, while they themselves stood at the street corner, curiously stretching their necks to see the spectacle.

It was probably because she was too fresh, that nearly all the young ladies in Nanling City were gently advised to avoid associating with her, to prevent ruining their genteel manners and ending up without suitors in the future.

As for the young scions of Nanling City who had been friends with her since childhood, as they grew older, they began to indulge in another pursuit—visiting brothels. This was something she had no interest in at all, and with the loss of common topics, she gradually grew distant from them.

In short, she lacked friends.

Xu Qianyu grew more and more annoyed as she thought about it, flipping her book closed. Suddenly, she remembered something and picked up the red string that her maid Xiao Dong had given her from the table.

The string was made of two strands of red thread twisted together, with a gilded pixiu (a mythological creature) threaded through it. Although it wasn’t valuable, it looked exquisite and cute. Xu Qianyu felt it in her hand and suddenly noticed that the back of the pixiu was engraved with small characters; upon closer inspection, it was Xiao Dong’s birth date and time.

Xu Qianyu was slightly taken aback. She also had something engraved with her name and birth date.

It was a solid gold necklace that her grandfather had given her when she was born.

With this exchange, she understood that this was a precious gift her parents had given her at birth.

She was accustomed to giving gifts, and others naturally accepted them. This was the first time someone had returned the most valuable item they owned to her.

Xu Qianyu’s heart skipped a beat, and she immediately tied it around her wrist, quickly pulling down her sleeve to hide it from view.

A strange joy welled up inside her, and all the irritations and gloom of the past few days began to dissipate.

The fox had skillfully restored half of her double bun: “Miss, I thought of something fun to do that will definitely ease your worries.”

“I have a sister who works as a temple lady in a wild temple on the hillside of Luanshan in southern Nanling City. She usually receives offerings. However, five days from now, she cannot miss her grandson’s full moon celebration. The temple is lacking a substitute temple lady…”

Xu Qianyu’s attention was immediately piqued.

The so-called “temple lady” refers to a high-level spirit like a fox or skunk, who disguises themselves as a deity using minor spells to trick the common folk into offering incense and offerings, thus living off their contributions.

Now, in Nanling City, apart from the brothels, Xu Qianyu had grown tired of all the places to have fun. There wasn’t really anything fresh to explore. But the idea of pretending to be a Bodhisattva in a temple was indeed a first and could not help but intrigue her.

However…

“Guan Niang said it’s been unstable outside recently.” Xu Qianyu remained seated, “Every year on my birthday, I have to host a banquet in the city. This time it was canceled, and they said I would celebrate at home, which likely means that the big demon is frightening. She won’t allow me to go out.”

“Miss, you know you’re different from others. With our protection, the demon won’t be able to get close to you.” The fox rolled its eyes and smiled, “If you want to go, you can sneak out at night. There’s no need to inform Guan Niang, and you can return by morning as if nothing happened. Isn’t that perfect?”

Xu Qianyu lowered her gaze and remained silent.

Though she was willful, she held Guan Niang in high regard and respect. She had never once deceived her with lies throughout her life. Thus, even though she felt tempted, she was somewhat conflicted in her heart.

“Look.” The fox crouched down and climbed to Xu Qianyu’s other side, lifting a paw to gently hold up the neat double bun it had arranged, with narrowed eyes it said, “Miss, dressed like this, you’re even more graceful and beautiful than the daughters of our fox clan. Playing the role of a Bodhisattva is more than adequate, isn’t it?”

*

In the study, the chairs and table were pushed aside, leaving a clear space, and a layer of bedding was spread on the floor.

Someone carried two furry, lifeless creatures and placed them on the bedding: “Miss woke from her nightmare that night, and there was a thunderclap. This thing is called ‘struck by thunder,’ having rolled down from the beam, and the night watchman picked it up.”

Shui Rushan stood with his hands clasped behind him, frowning as he bent down for a closer look.

There were two unknown animals, one large and one small, resembling skunks but with horns on their heads, appearing bizarre. They were not ordinary animals but rather spirits with some magical ability.

Another two people carried an iron frame that held a basin. When they loosened their grip, the frame had already broken in half: “Also that day when the Miss got out of bed and couldn’t steady herself while supporting this frame, it fell apart at night.”

“This is the fire pot that the Miss crossed over.” Someone brought a copper basin to Shui Rushan, carefully extracting the charcoal residue inside and brushing off the ash to reveal the bottom of the basin.

On the bottom, there was a thick, winding, charred scar that looked extremely terrifying.

Upon seeing this, the housekeeper, who was over seventy, stepped back in shock and said to Shui Rushan, “Oh dear, the thunder scar… this is not normal.”

Looking at the scattered evidence, Shui Rushan’s expression turned extremely poor, but he said nothing and only said, “Take it away. If it’s broken, just replace it with a new one. Handle it quietly; there’s no need to disturb the Miss.”

“Yes.”

He then asked, “How is Weiwei?”

“Miss Weiwei also has a faint scar on her neck, resembling the bottom of this copper basin. She cried almost to the point of fainting after waking up, and the maid had a hard time comforting her to sleep. The doctor said that this scar would heal with time, but she is still a mortal; she cannot withstand being struck by thunder. If it deepens, the consequences could be severe—either leaving her disabled or, at worst, beyond healing by medicine or stone.”

Shui Rushan’s face grew stern: “From today, lock the west wing. Send food in, but don’t let her come out for now.”

He waved his hand, “Everyone leave.”

The room quickly fell silent.

Only Shui Rushan and Guan Niang were left.

Shui Rushan slowly walked to the wall adorned with ink paintings of flowers and birds and looked up at the sword hanging there.

High on the wall hung a wooden sword with peeling lacquer. From Guan Niang’s perspective, this sword hung sharply downward, appearing as if it were poised right above his graying head.

Shui Rushan said, “I’m afraid this sword will soon no longer be able to conceal the power within that girl.”

Guan Niang heard his voice, slow and desolate, and quickly said, “I’ve heard that the immortal sect only accepts children under seven; they even think nine is too old. The Miss is already a young lady now; it’s unlikely she will be accepted into the immortal sect again.”

Shui Rushan shook his head: “To have escaped the selection of the immortal sect for these years is already a stroke of luck. Now, with the spiritual energy in the world becoming increasingly scarce, the competition among the four immortal sects is growing fiercer, and even demonic creatures are anxiously competing for power. The world is becoming more chaotic; possessing special abilities is like a child carrying gold through a bustling market. The world changes daily; we cannot be so optimistic.”

“If they really come looking for us…” Guan Niang was pondering words of comfort when Shui Rushan sighed, “You should find a few upstanding young men and send them to Qianyu’s room. Just make sure they have average abilities, each with their strengths, and none should be too outstanding; we cannot let her favor any one of them.”

“My Shui family daughters are all ensnared by love. I regret not listening to you and arranging this early; time, however, waits for no one.”

Guan Niang’s heart skipped a beat. “There’s no need for the master to worry too much. It may not be so bad; the young lady is a blessed person. No matter where she is, she will do well.”

Shui Rushan snorted with a disdainful smile, raising her finger meaningfully to point at Guan Niang. “You’ve learned to speak in falsehoods as well. What is fortune? You and I, who have seen so little of it. We only know that life is full of hardships, and the future is uncertain. Even if we give our all, it’s hard to predict a lifetime. That is fate. Anyone who wants to live must endure.”

*

Xu Qianyu woke up to a changed world.

Due to her bad temper upon waking, others were uncertain of her disposition. Usually, Guan Niang would gently wake her.

But today, she groggily called out “Guan Niang,” and sure enough, a hand reached into the curtain. She grasped the hand but suddenly felt something was off.

The bones were slightly long, rigid, and very cold.

After feeling it a couple of times, Xu Qianyu abruptly threw back the curtain and, unprepared, saw the face of a strange young man.

“Who are you?” She recoiled in horror, letting go of his hand.

The boy, about fifteen or sixteen, had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes; he was quite handsome but looked very nervous, repeatedly swallowing. The lines he had rehearsed countless times fled from his mind: “I, I, I came to serve the young lady…”

“I don’t like you,” Xu Qianyu decisively interrupted him, “You can leave.” As she spoke, she leaned her head to the side and asked suspiciously, “Where are the others?”

Immediately, ten unfamiliar young men emerged from various corners and quickly lined up in front of her, saying in unison, “We are here, young lady. Good morning.”

Xu Qianyu felt a lump in her throat.