Reentering the netherworld. I looked at the tall plaque on the door for a long moment and sighed. Then with a determined mentality I went to Yanwang’s palace while the little ghost watched me.
I opened the door of Yanwang’s palace. Surprisingly, I didn’t hear the sound of Yanwang’s snoring. Only on a small table beside Yanwang’s enormous desk, the magistrate is buried into a pile of cases. He was busily writing. Even when I came in he didn’t look up and just throw out a few words: “Do you have some business here? Say it.”
“Eh……I’m here again.”
After saying that, the magistrate finally lifted his head from the table and glanced at me once. Then he buried his head and continues to work.
“En, I see.”
I totally didn’t expect such a cold treatment. I waited for a while and thought that short termed pain is better than long termed pain and asked: “Where is Yanwang? I have come to receive my punishment.”
The magistrate replied coldly: “Went on a business trip to heaven. Not back yet.”
My eyes lit up: “Then can I just go to reincarnate and don’t have to bother about him?”
The magistrate looked at me coldly again with an “don’t even think about it” expression.
“Wait quietly in the netherworld.”
I sighed and asked: “Then how long do I have to wait?”
“One day in heaven is one year in the mortal realm. Yanwang is almost gone for a year. He will be in heaven for about two, three days.”
This means two three years here, ah! Having an endless immortal life, waiting for a couple of years is not too long. But having been living as a mortal, I also began to care about time.
Two three years……it’ll be enough for Chu Kong to defeat Wei country.
I picked up my good mood and was about to walk out of Yanwang’s palace to take advantage of this two three years free time in the netherworld when the magistrate coldly stopped me: “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to take a two year long vacation by traveling in the netherworld.”
“Long vacation?”
After the magistrate heard those two words, his eyes flashed green. He fiercely threw all the files on the table onto the ground and stood up.
“You dare to mention long vacation in front of me! The netherworld lacks people, so there isn’t one ghost who will stay a year without doing anything, you know?! Staying up overnight, working overtime won’t get paid, do you know?! Even working when you’re sick is very normal, do you know?! You actually dare to go on a vacation traveling in the netherworld?! Very good, very good. I see; you immortals coming down to reincarnate is just to torment us. Very good, very good. I understand. When Yanwang come back I’ll make him let you lick the ghost shoes to let you taste how bitter taste like……”
I rubbed my forehead and waved: “I understand, I understand. You want me to help, I’ll help.”
The magistrate sat again. While writing, he said: “First help me pick up the files and put them in order. On Yanwang’s table there’re many documents that need to be stamped. On the left they need to be stamped. On the right, they need to be crossed. You just do this simple job.”
When I finished it was lunchtime. While I was thinking about that, I honestly sat down on Yanwang’s seat. Under the table I saw a bunch of documents that still need to be done. I was instantly dumbfounded: “This…….why is this Yanwang usually not busy?”
The magistrate said without expression: “Because the things he left, I’ll need clean up after him while he is on a business trip. If I don’t clean them, his things will be left here.”
I said: “If that’s so, you can just pretend you didn’t clean and didn’t see the things.”
The magistrate looked at me coldly. I sat down and began to work. But the fact is that I and Yanwang isn’t the type to do desk work.
Working for less than seven days, I’m beginning to look left and right and being unable to concentrate. I’m beginning to understand a little why Yanwang will have that kind of expression after he saw me and Chu Kong come down to the netherworld. He will expose such an expression of excitement, because the netherworld’s life really is too boring. It’s difficult to look for something fun……
I climbed onto Yanwang’s desk. There’s a hard thing blocking my face. I curiously unplug the hard thing. Inside it is a mirror. This mirror felt a little familiar. I asked the the magistrate: “What is this?”
The magistrate’s gaze swept over me.
“The mirror of the past. You have to work.”
I ignored the other half of what he said and asked: “For what can it be used?”
“To see the past life of the one whom your heart wants to see. I said you have to work!”
I nodded and ignored the other half of what he said. Then I looked into the mirror with my eyes wide open. Suddenly I remembered. Didn’t Yanwang use this thing to let me see Lu Hai Kong from that lifetime? Then I didn’t have the heart to watch. Now……I still can’t bear to watch.
My heart was thinking that. Suddenly the mirror began to move volatility. I saw a familiar face. It’s general Kong. He is wearing a heavy armor riding a warhorse. The aura he’s emitting go well together with the position of a general. So I actually couldn’t believe that the man I saw in the mirror is the same prideful and with a bad mouth, Chu Kong.
So, when I couldn’t see him, Chu Kong will also have this expression. This expression of his looks like Lu Hai Kong who was burdened with hatred but whom has a soft heart…….
At least, this is what I saw.
“Kill!”
He raised the long sword and went straight ahead. The noise of the battlefield and the numerous people screaming went into my ears. His murderous aura seemed to pass through the mirror and made me shudder. I put down the mirror. I didn’t want to continue to look.
Unexpectedly, the next few days my heart became serious. I repeatedly crossed and stamped. Or maybe my heart didn’t become serious, but was absent-minded.
One day, I hesitated to stamp. I asked the magistrate: “You say, does Chu Kong still remember the things of Lu Hai Kong from that lifetime?”
The magistrate glanced at me once: “Do you still remember the lifetime when you drank the soup of oblivion?”
I nodded.
The magistrate hmfed coldly: “Then isn’t it solved?”
“But……I mean.”
I thought for a while how to put it in language: “Does that lifetime’s feelings also stay?”
In my opinion what silly Xiang left for me from that lifetime is only reliance on Chu Kong and the inexplicable trust in him.
Although I know that silly Xiang from that lifetime is entrusted to an immortal.
Facing with my question, the magistrate said categorically: “If you ask celestial star Chu Kong, I only have one answer.”
I looked at him with my eyes wide open. The magistrate said: “Are you blind? Can’t you see that he always liked you?”
Chapter 34 Part 2:
“Like”, although I always joke with Chu Kong about this word, but suddenly hearing it from another person’s mouth, my face turned red in an instant.
“Is is is…….is it like that, ah? So it was true, ah. I always just joked about it……So it’s true……he truly li…….likes me, ah. Really……really hateful! I’m so shy!”
The magistrate mouth twitched: “Don’t pretend to be innocent. This isn’t like you!”
I said dissatisfied: “You just let me pretend for a little while. Suddenly hearing such a thing, the feelings of a woman in me will still feel shy. Give them a chance!”
“Then you continue.”
I turned. My cheeks really burned slightly. I think……perhaps this is also a feeling that silly Xiang left for me.
I thought for a while on the desk and then took out the mirror of the past. I didn’t have the time to say what my heart is thinking when the mirror began to move. I can see general Kong’s face. Now he’s sitting with tilt legs on an armchair. It’s totally different from a few days ago hen he was on the battlefield. By this time, he stood in front of a woman who is bound and lying on the floor. I narrowed my eyes and saw that’s actually Xinyun.
Chu Kong and Xinyun……
“You say, what do you like?”
Chu Kong sipped tea and his eyes fell on Xinyun. Even under such circumstances, in front of Chu Kong Xinyun didn’t forget to smile: “What qieshen1 likes, don’t general already knows?”
The implication is that she likes the general. I pouted. If inside the general’s body is still me I will urinate on her and then ask her if she still likes me. Definitely ruining the image of the general in her heart.
Chu Kong listened to her words and nodded: “To be honest, I did carefully investigate things that you like. Luomei hairpin, rosewood beads, blue and white velvet robe…….If I remembered correctly, these are all the things I gave to you.”
Xinyun shyly nodded. Chu Kong narrowed his eyes and smiled.
If I remembered correctly, this smile of his meant that he is conspiring something.
“That time you left in hurry and all these things has been left at my other mansion in the capital. These few days, I have ordered people to bring them for you. Take a look. Are these your most favorite things?”
Xinyun didn’t dare to look at Chu Kong directly. With dazed eyes and with some warmth, she said: “General……”
I sighed. Lady, you’re too serious. How can you take Chu Kong so seriously? He is poison, ah. That’s something toxic!
“Are you sure that these are it?”
“En, that’s right.”
The gentleness in Xinyun’s eyes turned into a mass of light.
“Very good,” Chu Kong nodded.
His voice changed and he said: “Smash them. Those that are made of cloth, burn them.”
Xinyun’s eyes turned blank. She watched some rough man smashing her favorite thing into pieces.
She looked at Chu Kong blankly: “Why? Chu Qinghui, are you taking revenge because I killed princess Qingling?”
She couldn’t conceal the hatred in her heart. Her expression turned crazy. It’s the same as how she looks at “me” then.
“Do you want to take revenge on me so much?! For that bitch! You give everything to her! Status, wealth and a child! You gave her everything! Even our only time did you call her name! What’s bad about me?! What’s bad about me?!”
Chu Kong stared quietly at her: “There’s nothing good about you. Voice too shrewd, talking too much nonsense, heart is too malicious. The worst is that your hand is too shrewd. You played with my toy and broke it. Xiaoye is in a bad mood. I also want to play and break you a little. Continue saying, what more do you like? What more do you still care about? I will ruin them for you to see.”
“Hehe, you want to take revenge, then take it!”
I deeply feel that these two people dialogues are not on the same level.
Xinyun said full of hate: “Before between you two is the affairs of the court. You couldn’t be together. Now you couldn’t be together even more! You will never see each other again! In this life, Chu Qinghui, you won’t be able to live nice and comfortable!”
If these words fell on the real general’s ears, it can cause some harm.
Chu Kong frowned and dug in his ear: “Block her mouth. Her shrewd mouth is too noisy.”
He circled around Xinyun and said: “You only listen. Xiaoye wants to deal with you just because you need to be dealt with. I will not use my hands against a woman.
My heart silently said: “Liar.”
Chu Kong continued: “……So, after you finish this life, don’t reincarnate and appear in front of me, otherwise, I’ll deal with you every time I see you.”
Chu Kong ordered some people to drag her out. He sat alone drinking tea in the armchair. Suddenly facing the empty hall, he sighed and then murmured: “She must not have kissed yet, right?”
I was stunned to hear this nonsense sentence of him. Like a fool I giggled in front of the mirror. The magistrate beside me hit me on the head with a stack of files: “Work hard!”
In quiet a good mood, I put down the mirror of the past. I thought that when I couldn’t see Chu Kong, he is so honest and cute, ah! He really is a child whom the mouth says something but the heart doesn’t mean it.
If now I can’t see Chu Kong, I probably will also miss him……right?
That being said, I seemingly also……likes him……right?
I buried my head in the pile of files. Suddenly I’m a little worried that the temperature of my face will burn down the files.
The days in the netherworld passed with me taking a peak in the mirror of the past from time to time. In a blink of eye I stayed for more than two years in the netherworld.
In the mirror of the past, most of the time in these two years Chu Kong led the army and reconquered the lands occupied by Wei country and he conquered five more lands of Wei country. The citizens of the Wei country handed down a decree saying that they are surrendering. Chu Kong teared down the decree, let Wei country pay the damages and Wei country need to promise to be under Qi country for fifty years. Wei country’s monarch struggled a lot, so Chu Kong ate three more cities…….Finally Wei country’s monarch accepted Chu Kong’s conditions.
Under the summon of Qi country’s emperor, Chu Kong triumphantly returned with the troops to the capital. This time there aren’t rumors around the general.
The day he triumphantly returned to the capital the ground was full of snow. Riding high on the horse, looking at the sky, he stopped for a long time and didn’t take a step forward. Such a figure of him made me feel desolate and lonely. Perhaps Chu Kong and this thing called snow can’t go together.
After he won with such a success, he should be able to enjoy and rest for at least ten years in the mortal realm. Then I and he will really miss each other in the next lifetime……
After having such a thought, my days became listless. When I can be lazy, I’ll try my hardest to be lazy. I’m only waiting for Yanwang to come back, receive my punishment and then go.
In this netherworld where it is all year round without rest, I formed some habits. I will stroll around the bridge before going to Yanwang’s palace to work. When I strolled by the road to the netherworld, suddenly from the road came a familiar figure. I stared at him and rubbed my eyes in disbelief. He saw me and his pace halted slightly.
Through the miasma of the netherworld, we stared at each other for a long time. No one spoke. Eventually, he lifted his feet and walked towards me. He stood three paces away from me. I stared at him for a moment. Suddenly seeing Chu Kong in person after seeing him for two years in the mirror, all kinds of complicated feelings came to the surface. I have an impulse to run to him and hug him. This impulse, made my heart feel surprised. I’m busily restraining my mood and smiled at him.
In a blink of eye, I saw him fisting his hands at his sides. Fisted and loosened, loosened and fisted again. It looked like he was restraining from an impulse. Can it be……he also wants to hug me?
The smile on my face turned more brilliant: “Yo! Long time no see. You did pretty well in the human world…….”
I haven’t finished yet, when a ghost suddenly came running to me and fiercely bumped me from behind. I staggered. At this time a second ghost bumped into me. I staggered a step further. A third ghost bumped into me. I staggered again. My body couldn’t hold it up and went straight in Chu Kong’s embrace.
The ghosts who bumped into me one after another bolted to the other side of the road. Not even their shadows are left, leaving me all embarrassed in Chu Kong’s embrace.
I felt his arms on my back and hugging me tightly……
Really, hugging, ah!
My face fell somewhat hot, but I didn’t break away from Chu Kong. I let him hug me. Surprisingly, he also didn’t speak, didn’t let go, just hugging me tightly.
This…….scene felt really loving ah……..
“Chu Kong,” I said after staying quiet for a long moment. I hid the skin of my face and asked: “What do you mean with this?”
Above my head was silent for a long time, before cold voice said: “Xiaoye……xiaoye’s hands got cramps. Temporarily couldn’t get them down. Don’t think too much.”
“I……I also got cramps on my legs. Just temporarily relying on you. Don’t think too much of it.”
Comment:
Their excuses…….妾身 (Qiè shēn): wife. This is a for of addressing oneself in front of your husband or someone you’ve been intimate with.