Chapter 21: Frost in the Courtyard (Part 2)
"If you were still alive, you would definitely be a good official."
Xu Hexue knew that the reason why Ni Su said such words to him with such confidence might be out of trust, or perhaps, it was based on her own principles in judging people.
She clearly said something very nice.
But Xu Hexue couldn't help feeling sad about this.
He is not.
But at this moment, he couldn't say anything to her.
"Xu Ziling."
When Xu Hexue was in a trance, he heard her call again. His eyes fell on the sleeve that she was holding. He raised his head and met the clear eyes of the girl in front of him.
"Since I can summon your soul, can I also summon my brother's soul?" Ni Su stared at him.
If I could summon my brother's spirit, I would know who murdered him.
Her eyes were full of expectation, but Xu Hexue looked at her and said, "The reason why you can summon me back to the world of the living is because of the help of Youdu Tubo."
This was the second time he mentioned Youdu Tubo. Ni Su thought of the old monk with curly white beard in the cypress forest of Dazhong Temple in Que County. She took out the beast pearl from the secret pocket in her sleeve.
"This beast bead of yours is carved with the true body of Tu Bo, the god who rules the Netherworld."
Xu Hexue looked at her beast bead and said.
Since they are gods and monsters, how can they be merciful in everything? The fate of things cannot be forced. The hope that had just ignited in Ni Su's heart was extinguished. She held the beast bead in her hand and remained silent.
"Ni Su."
Xu Hexue handed her another piece of cake and said, "But with this beast bead and the remaining soul fire of your brother, I may be able to let you see him again."
Ni Su looked up suddenly when she heard this. She was about to say something, but she saw a faint dust around him. She immediately looked at his sleeves and shook her head, "But you will get hurt by this."
"The beast bead has the power of Tu Bo, so I don't need to use magic."
Xu Hexue simply sat down on the futon next to her, "But there are so many souls in Nether City. It will probably take a long time to find your brother through the beast beads."
Maybe not in time.
"Even if I can't hear him tell me in person, I will seek justice for him myself." Ni Su said, looking at the two tablets behind the incense table.
Xu Hexue said nothing, staring at her profile, then suddenly lowered his eyes to look at the embroidered words on the edge of his sleeve.
"Do you really not need to use any magic?"
Ni Su felt a little uneasy and turned to look at him again.
"Um."
He nodded.
"and you,"
Obviously Ni Su was the one who lit the lamp for this lonely soul, but at this moment, she felt that he had personally ignited a flame in her heart. "You still don't want to tell me the name of your old friend?"
Ni Su had always wanted to help him, but for some reason, he never mentioned the name of his old friend, and never told her who to take him to see.
"He is not in Yunjing at this time."
Xu Hexue said.
"Then where did he go?" Ni Su asked him, "I can accompany you to look for him. As long as I find the person who hurt my brother, I will accompany you ."
She had stopped crying a long time ago.
There were no more tears in her eyes, but her eyelids were red as she just stared at him.
When Xu Hexue heard her say "the mountains are high and the waters are far away", he unexpectedly raised his eyes to meet her gaze. The rain hitting the banana leaves outside the eaves came suddenly.
"He will be back."
He said, "I don't need you to accompany me to a faraway place, Ni Su. Some people and things can only be waited for in Yunjing."
The bright orange candlelight in the room illuminated Xu Hexue's face. His drooped eyelashes obscured his expression. It seemed that at this moment, he was shrouded in a dead silence that did not belong to this world.
He seldom mentioned his life, except for the anecdote about his brother and sister-in-law in his childhood that he told her in order to comfort her in the prison of the night watchman, he never said another word.
He resisted her inquiries.
Ni Su didn't know what happened to him before he died, and she didn't want to touch his embarrassment. In the sound of the night rain, she thought for a long time in the long silence before saying, "Then if you need my help, you must tell me, no matter what it is, I can do it."
Under the candlelight, her clear eyes reflected her sincerity.
Outside, the rain rustled and tapped against the lattice windows. Xu Hexue looked at her.
He didn't say anything, and Ni Su was attracted by the drizzle outside the door. She ate the remaining half of the cake, looked at the courtyard that was particularly hazy in the rain and fog, and suddenly said, "It's raining."
She turned around and said, "You can't take a bath in this weather."
Because there is no moon.
Xu Hexue looked out the corridor, listening to the sound of dripping rain. He said, "Tomorrow, can you take me to Xie Chun Pavilion in Yong'an Lake?"
"good."
Ni Su looked at him.
Ni Su couldn't sleep after receiving her brother's ashes. After applying medicine on her wounds, she went to light the incense and candles in the next room.
After doing all this, she returned to the incense table, knelt on the cushion, watched the candles, and flipped over and over again the handwriting belonging to her brother in the unfinished medical book.
Xu Hexue stood in the room filled with candles. On the desk were neatly placed the Four Books and Five Classics, several poetry collections, pens, ink, paper and inkstone. On the wall hung a few calligraphy and paintings. At first glance, they looked like a cluster of flowers, but in fact they were just forms without substance. They were all bought by Ni Su at the calligraphy and painting stalls outside during the day.
The plain gauze screen, the long light green curtain, the tea-drinking utensils, the chessboard and chess box, the flowers in the vase, the wood fragrance in the stove, the clean and tidy bed...all show the care and effort of the person who decorated this room.
Simple and elegant yet with a touch of everyday life.
Every time Xu Hexue's gaze stopped at a place, it was as if he vaguely touched some distant memories.
He recalled that he once had a better home than what he had before, and when he was young he was surrounded by books and literature, socializing with people, riding horses, playing chess and drinking tea.
The cabinet door against the wall was half open. Xu Hexue walked over and hooked his fingers on the copper buckle of the cabinet door. There was a slight "creaking" sound, and the lights in the room illuminated the neatly stacked men's clothes inside.
Almost a whole cabinet was filled with them.
The coldness of the copper button is not as great as the temperature of his fingers.
Xu Hexue was almost stunned and stood in front of the cabinet door for a long time without moving.
Xu Hexue was lying on the bed.
The white smoke from the incense burner floated up and down, and the candles in the room flickered slightly.
He closed his eyes.
In my mind, there was long smoke and hatred flowing eastward. In the dark sky, there were occasional lightning and thunder, stimulating my eardrums. A towering pagoda was suspended in the clouds, and the soul fire in the pagoda jumped and teared, illuminating one side.
"General! General, save me!"
"I hate Da Qi!"
Countless cries of resentment almost pierced his eardrums.
Xu Hexue suddenly opened his eyes, and white dust scattered around his body. The knife wounds he had suffered in his life were cutting his flesh inch by inch, and his ears were filled with mixed wails.
Unconsciously, his hands were full of blood, and he felt that the beast bead in his palm was very hot. It was so hot that his knuckles curled up and his veins bulged slightly.
The candle flames flew everywhere, and most of the candles in the room went out in an instant.
The severe pain devoured Xu Hexue's sanity. His figure suddenly became very faint, and the floating dust exuded a strong aura of resentment. The cups and bowls were shattered and the incense burner fell over.
Ni Su was sitting quietly in front of the incense table when she suddenly heard some noise. She turned her head and saw snow falling .
She stood up with her hands on the floor and walked out unsteadily.
The lights in the room opposite were almost extinguished. Ni Su felt uneasy and ran to the corridor opposite without caring about the rain or snow.
With a bang, the door opened wide.
The lanterns on the corridor could barely illuminate the mess in the room. Scattered petals were embedded in the broken porcelain pieces, and an entire screen had fallen to the ground, with blood staining a large area of the screen's plain gauze red.
The room was filled with the smell of incense ash and blood.
The man was lying on the ground covered with broken porcelain pieces, his long black hair was disheveled, and the collar of his shirt, which was usually tightly fitted, was now completely exposed. His neck line was clear and his collarbone rose and fell with his violent breathing.
"Xu Ziling!"
Ni Su's pupils shrank slightly and she ran over immediately.
She leaned over to hold his arm, but her palm was covered in blood. A barely lit candle illuminated a wound beneath his wide sleeve, which was caused by a knife.
It was so hideous and terrifying that her knees went weak and she fell to her knees beside him.
He raised his face, his eyes were unclear and he had completely forgotten who she was. He was trembling and gasping, and the blue veins in his neck were more obvious. That was no longer a color that a living person could show.
His Adam's apple rolled, and the weak candlelight could not illuminate his dark and empty eyes. The dust around his body seemed to have grown extremely sharp edges and corners. It was no longer pleasing to the eye, but instead stung people's skin.
"Xu Ziling, what's wrong with you?" Ni Su hugged his waist and tried her best to help him up, but was surprised to find that his figure was becoming increasingly vague like mist. She turned her head to look at the candle burning on the table and was about to let him go, but he unexpectedly grabbed her wrist tightly.
Ni Su was caught off guard and staggered forward.
His strength was so great that it seemed as if he could crush her wrist bones.
Ni Su rested her other elbow on the floor to avoid falling on him, but when she looked up, she saw that his eyes were closed tightly, and his long eyelashes were soaked with bright red blood.
His eyes were bleeding.
Ni Su tried to break free from his hand, but she saw that he had opened his eyes and blood was wetting his pale cheeks. Ni Su was stared at by his bloodshot eyes and her whole body was trembling and numb.
Ni Su immediately stretched out her other hand to reach for the candle, but just as her fingers were about to touch the edge of the candlestick, her neck was suddenly bitten by him.
Xu Hexue succumbed to an irresistible desire to destroy, and bit her delicate and thin neck skin with his teeth.
The candlestick fell down and the flame went out.
