Chapter 43: The Dust Settles Down
Su Cheng stared blankly at Madam Fu beside him, his lips moving but no sound escaping.
“Su Cheng…” Madam Fu stroked the hem of Su Cheng’s clothes, her gaze distant, as if she were reminiscing about something.
It turns out that this Fu was originally a laundry maid from the countryside, living a simple and innocent life in the fields. Years ago, when Su Cheng and Fu were both very young, they met in the countryside.
Back then, Madam Fu was delicate and alluring, innocent and naive; Su Cheng was handsome and dashing. Su Cheng was accompanied by the steward of his household to collect rent from tenant farmers in the countryside, but by chance, he saw Madam Fu among a group of women washing clothes by the river.
He was immediately captivated by Fu's beauty and couldn't resist striking up a conversation. When Fu shyly asked his name, he hesitated for a moment before blurting out his father's name. Seeing that the person who had struck up a conversation with her was a handsome young man, Fu suppressed her embarrassment, exchanged a few words with Su Cheng, and quickly left. However, Su Cheng remained firmly etched in Fu's memory.
A few months later, Su Cheng's father went out and inadvertently took a liking to Fu Shi's captivating beauty. In a moment of infatuation, he sent someone to propose marriage to her as a concubine. When Fu Shi saw that the person who came to propose marriage was none other than the young man from before, although she felt unhappy about being a concubine, she was more overwhelmed with shyness and secret joy. So she did not hesitate for long before shyly agreeing.
Unexpectedly, after entering the household and entering the bridal chamber, she discovered that her husband was not the handsome young man who had once captivated her. But it was too late. The next morning, while serving tea to the principal wife, she discovered that the young man from that day was actually her husband's youngest son. This truth devastated Madam Fu, leaving her heartbroken. From then on, she only cautiously kept tabs on Su Cheng, losing all interest even in Su Cheng's father.
“Fu Shi…” Su Cheng’s face turned pale as if he had thought of something. He reached out to push Fu Shi away, but he felt a weakness in his limbs. The push turned into a gentle caress on Fu Shi.
Perhaps it was this change in mood that softened Fu's expression.
“Su Cheng, I fell in love with you at first sight back then. But fate played a cruel trick on me. I became…” Madam Fu choked back tears, but stubbornly looked up at Su Cheng: “Now, I’ve gone all out. I just want to ask one question: have you ever had me in your heart?”
Su Cheng was struck dumb by these words, as if by lightning. He stood there, stunned.
In that instant, Yuan Jue swiftly moved closer to Su Cheng, snatching the stone that Su Cheng had stained with blood, making it resemble a real heart. The next moment, his right hand flashed, and a gleaming dagger appeared in Yuan Jue's hand. With a seemingly slow but actually swift motion, he sliced across the heart-shaped stone, cutting it in half as easily as tofu. Instantly, a stench erupted from the stone, and along with it, a barely perceptible glint of light tried to flee.
Yuan Jue saw this and a faint smile appeared on his lips. He slightly hooked his right finger, and the tassel with the relic tied around Feng Fei's neck immediately floated over.
As the net flew, it slowly unfurled, forming a seemingly chaotic yet infinitely mysterious net that enveloped the dark light. The dark light seemed to realize the dire situation. Its speed increased dramatically, but all in vain. It was instantly bounced back upon encountering the net. Just as it prepared to pounce again, the relic unleashed its divine power.
A hazy golden light emanated from around the relic, seemingly useless, yet it slowly spread outwards. As the golden light expanded its coverage, the dark light had fewer and fewer places to break through, eventually only able to struggle left and right in an area the size of a fist. With each impact, the dark light grew fainter and fainter, almost disappearing completely.
The golden light of the relic had dimmed considerably, and it seemed difficult to gather the last fist-sized piece together. Just then, the surrounding net of heaven and earth flashed rapidly with red light, and the golden light of the relic slowly regained its original luster due to these red lights, and the gathering speed, which was gradually approaching zero, suddenly accelerated a lot.
The dark light seemed to know that it had reached the most critical moment, and it became even more resolute in the face of conflict.
Su Xiang, whose wrist was bleeding profusely, was guided by this dim light. Even though Fu Shi pressed down hard on the wound, it still couldn't stop the blood from gushing out.
As the bleeding increased, Su Cheng's face grew paler and paler, while the struggle of that dark light intensified.
Just as Feng Fei was about to step forward to help Su Cheng stop the bleeding, she found herself frozen in place. Jin Ming, who was covering for Yuan Jue, noticed Feng Fei's abnormality but was unable to break free. He quickly called out, "Ming Feng!"
Mingfeng looked at Jinming with suspicion, and after Jinming gestured, she immediately noticed Fengfei's unease. She exhaled a burst of flame towards the dark light and then flashed to Fengfei's side.
"Sister Feifei"
Mingfeng quickly made a hand seal, trying to help Fengfei break free from the restraints, but no matter what he did, it was ineffective. Gradually, fine beads of sweat appeared on Mingfeng's forehead.
Suddenly, Feng Fei winked at Ming Feng, who was slightly startled and stopped what she was doing.
Feng Fei gritted her teeth and shook her body with difficulty. A dark stone rolled out of her sleeve. Just before it fell to the ground, it seemed to be pulled by some strange force and slowly drifted towards the dark light.
Mingfeng's eyes narrowed, and she shot out three golden rays from her right hand, imprisoning the stone.
Although he wanted to smash the stone completely, he had a strong intuition that he shouldn't do it, so Mingfeng chose to restrain the black stone.
Because the black stone was controlled by Mingfeng, Fengfei's body gradually regained its mobility.
The moment Feng Fei fully regained his mobility, the relic suddenly shone with golden light, instantly taking over the fist-sized area that the dark light was struggling to maintain. The dark light flashed brightly, then was completely engulfed by the relic's golden light.
The golden light in the courtyard gradually receded and slowly retreated back into the relic.
Yuanjue took the slowly falling relic, noticed the black dot among it, and couldn't help but smile knowingly.
As darkness fell over the courtyard, the heart-shaped stone that Yuan Jue had cleaved into pieces crumbled to dust with a "poof." At the same time, the black stone that Ming Feng had imprisoned trembled violently. Just as Ming Feng was on guard, she discovered that this stone had also turned to dust. As the dust scattered, the figures of Xuan Lang and Yuan Qing slowly materialized in the night. Even more surprisingly, they felt a sense of relief wash over them.
However, because Xuanlang and Yuanqing were ghosts, they were affected by Mingfeng's magic and showed signs of pain. Mingfeng was shocked and quickly withdrew his magic.
As Mingfeng's magic power dissipated, Xuanlang and Yuanqing collapsed to the ground, their faces pale. Fengfei stepped forward with concern, and only after confirming that the two were alright did she look at Su Cheng, whose condition was extremely bad.
As the heart-shaped stone turned to dust, Su Cheng's face first paled, then flushed an unusual red: "The formation... has been broken."
Everyone present knew what Su Cheng had done. The guests were stunned at first, then they all ran out of Su's residence shouting. The people in Yangzi Town who had not yet fallen asleep also felt a sense of relief and couldn't help but run outside. Only then did they realize that the dark clouds in the sky had long since dispersed, revealing a bright and beautiful full moon.
“Su Cheng…” Madam Fu held Su Cheng worriedly. At this moment, she knew that no one could save Su Cheng. Holding his body, which looked even more emaciated due to excessive blood loss, she couldn’t help but feel heartbroken and shed tears.
Su Cheng slowly raised his hand. What used to be a simple task now felt incredibly heavy, as if his hand would fall limply at any moment. Su Cheng gritted his teeth and finally placed his hand on Fu Shi's face, and couldn't help but laugh out loud with joy: "So, this is how much I want to touch you."
Upon hearing this, Madam Fu was deeply shaken. She understood the meaning behind Su Cheng's words; he had finally realized his feelings for her at this moment. Overwhelmed with grief and joy, Madam Fu embraced Su Cheng and burst into tears.
Su Cheng gently touched Fu Shi's cheek with difficulty, and comforted her softly: "Don't cry, you, don't, don't cry, it hurts me to see you like this."
Fu slowly stopped crying and gave Su Cheng her most touching smile: "Okay, I won't cry, but I want to hear you tell me if you ever had feelings for me."
A blush flashed across Su Cheng's face, but he still looked straight at Madam Fu, a captivating smile playing on his lips: "Yes, I have you in my heart. It turns out you've always been there deep inside me, but I couldn't see it clearly, and I even ridiculously thought... Heh, how laughable. But it's not too late now, is it?"
Fu wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and chuckled upon hearing this, "Yes, it's not too late, not at all. I'll stay with you from now on, okay?"
"Okay, we'll stay together from now on."
"Hmm." Madam Fu responded, then turned to Feng Fei and the others, smiling slightly, and said, "I don't know any of you, but could I trouble you with a favor?"
Feng Fei hesitated for a moment before nodding. Under the current circumstances, Su Cheng and Fu Shi had no chance of turning the tables, and Feng Fei felt great sympathy for their plight, so he agreed.
At this moment, Madam Fu's face was also a little pale, and even her movements were somewhat labored, but she still wore a charming smile: "Then I thank you in advance. Actually, this matter is very simple. I just want to be buried with Su Cheng after I die." As she spoke, Madam Fu turned her head and looked at Su Cheng tenderly, "We cannot share a bed in life, but we can share a grave in death."
Su Cheng smiled gently at Madam Fu and slowly closed his eyes. Madam Fu gently rested her face against Su Cheng's, and also closed her eyes, her face overflowing with a happy smile.
At this moment, Feng Fei and the others realized that Su Cheng had already died, and that Madam Fu had committed suicide with the dagger that Su Cheng had used to cut his wrist.
"Why……"
The events in Yangzi Town had finally settled, but Feng Fei felt an immense weight in his heart and let out a heavy sigh. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to visit (.?table aliger" border="0" cellspag="
Chapter 44: Transformation into Yin and Yang
With Su Cheng's death, Feng Fei felt the vengeful ghost within him dissipate, and the malevolent aura emanating from Xuan Lang and Yuan Qing, who had already appeared nearby, also vanished.
Only Feng Fei and his three companions, Xuan Lang and Yuan Qing, and Yu Ming, who was still hiding in the darkness, remained in the courtyard.
"Young Master Yu Ming, please show yourself."
Seeing that Yu Ming was slow to show himself, Yuan Jue snorted coldly and raised his voice.
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone saw Yu Ming emerge from the shadowy flower bushes. Yu Ming touched his nose, feeling somewhat embarrassed. He had originally planned to leave quietly after Feng Fei and the other three had left, but Yuan Jue had directly exposed his whereabouts, making him feel quite uncomfortable.
However, Yu Ming was also a generous person. Seeing that he had to meet with everyone, he quickly put on a polite and warm expression: "It is really my fault for doing such a despicable thing. Please forgive me."
Yuan Jue seemed to dislike Yu Ming very much, and upon hearing this, he simply turned his head away.
Yu Ming didn't take offense, and continued to awkwardly smile while touching his nose, completely losing the air of a noble young master he had before.
Seeing the somewhat tense atmosphere, Feng Fei stepped in to smooth things over: "Let's help the Fu family fulfill their last wish first."
Yuan Jue nodded and gently waved his hand at the corpses of Su Cheng and Fu Shi. The two corpses slowly flew towards Yuan Jue, and during the flight, the corpses of Su Cheng and Fu Shi gradually shrank until they were finally put into Yuan Jue's sleeve.
"let's go."
Seeing that no one from the Su residence was coming out anymore, Yuan Jue sighed in disappointment and said to Feng Fei, "Let's leave. This place really lacks life."
Feng Fei naturally understood the implication of Yuan Jue's words, and she also disliked the Su family's behavior. Upon hearing this, she nodded.
“Wait a minute,” Yuanqing said, taking Xuanlang’s arm and stepping forward. “Fengfei, we promised each other…”
Feng Fei waved his hand and laughed, "No need. We didn't do these things for your reward, so you don't need to repay us for the favors we received before."
Yuanqing wanted to say something more, but Xuanlang stopped her. She could only give Fengfei an apologetic smile.
Feng Fei didn't seem to mind. He simply smiled politely and left the Su residence with Yuan Jue, Jin Ming, and Ming Feng.
Yu Mian stood in the courtyard, awkwardly touching his nose, seemingly hesitating about what to do next, before finally following Feng Fei and the other three.
"Hey! Yuanjue, wait for me!"
Yu Ming shouted from behind Feng Fei and the other three, causing Yuan Jue to pause in his tracks. He quickly picked up his pace, which surprised Feng Fei, who glanced at Yuan Jue with a look of astonishment.
After watching Feng Fei and the others leave, Yuan Qing finally showed displeasure on her face: "Xuan Lang, why did you stop me?"
Xuanlang chuckled and playfully pinched Yuanqing's nose, saying, "My lady, what we promised to give away isn't an ordinary thing. Even if we don't know its exact purpose, we know it's definitely not common. Judging from the young master who just chased after Miss Fengfei and her companions, he must be a man of considerable insight. If we just casually offer it away, it might arouse his envy and cause unnecessary trouble for Miss Fengfei and her friends. That's not what we want!"
Xuanlang's analysis was reasonable and insightful, making Yuanqing somewhat shy. She twisted her fingers and stammered, "Xuanlang, I, I didn't mean to..."
Seeing Yuanqing's demure and feminine demeanor, Xuanlang's heart melted instantly. Moreover, he had no intention of criticizing Yuanqing in the first place, so he looked at her with tender affection and said, "My dear wife, how could I not understand you?"
Yuanqing chuckled and kissed Xuanlang on the cheek. "So, what should we do next?"
Xuanlang was slightly dazed by Yuanqing's light kiss, his face flushing with shyness, but he still spoke humbly, "Let's go after them. They must have returned to the Copper Coin Inn. Miss Fengfei doesn't need our repayment, but we can't leave without repaying her. We..." At this point, Xuanlang looked deeply into Yuanqing's eyes, "Perhaps in the future..."
Yuanqing understood perfectly what Xuanlang was saying. She frowned slightly upon hearing this, but then smiled and said, "From now on, I will never be separated from you."
Upon receiving Yuanqing's words, Xuanlang's brows and eyes immediately relaxed as if flowers were blooming.
"Then let's go."
Xuanlang and Yuanqing followed far behind Fengfei and the others, not too far but not too close either, just enough for Yuanjue to sense their presence.
A thousand thoughts raced through Yuan Jue's mind. He pursed his lips and said to Feng Fei, "Let's go find a burial place for Su Cheng and Fu Shi."
Feng Fei paused, pondered for a moment, and then replied, "Alright, but I don't know where to bury them together. Do you have any ideas?"
"That's natural."
Having received Yuan Jue's confirmation, Feng Fei nodded and looked at Jin Ming, saying, "You and Ming Feng take the depressed young master back to the Copper Coin Inn first. Yuan Jue and I will go and bury Su Cheng and Fu Shi together."
Jin Ming pouted: "Hmph, I'm the one who spyed on Yangzi Town the most and knows it best, so why won't you let me go!"
"Because we didn't bury them both in Yangzi Town, and their bodies are with me." Yuan Jue said this to Jin Ming, then took Feng Fei's hand and drifted away.
Feng Fei turned around and gave Jin Ming an apologetic smile before adjusting her body to keep up with Yuan Jue's flight rhythm.
Jin Ming snorted and put his arm around Ming Feng's shoulder, saying jealously, "You always leave us behind. Let's go back!"