Kiyomi Tsuki and His Fox

Chapter 19

Lei Yongxiang swayed uncontrollably, and it took him a long time to suppress the boiling blood within him. He looked at her with deep affection and said in a low voice, "Xue Li, don't worry, I won't get married, and I won't force you to marry. Come back with me, and I'll take care of you for the rest of my life."

Yang Xueli shook her head in confusion, "No, I don't want to. I don't want to go back with you, I don't want to."

“Sherry,” Lei Yongxiang looked at her with deep concern, “what do you want me to do?”

"Brother, I'm truly impressed by you. You've gone around in circles and come back to square one, without solving the problem at all." Qing Jianyue sighed, then put his hands on his hips and said smugly, "Watch me."

Everyone stared at him.

Qing Jianyue took Yang Xueli's hand and said with a grin, "Xueli, I know what you're thinking. Actually, your problem isn't difficult to solve. We'll just do one, two, three, four, five, go up the mountain to fight the tiger. The tiger doesn't eat people, it only eats that big pig head of Lei Yongxiang. Once we eat Lei Yongxiang, ha, everything will be solved. What do you say?"

Yang Xueli opened her beautiful, watery eyes wide and looked at him in disbelief.

"Don't you believe me, Sherry? Do you know why you've become such a mess? It's because you've overcomplicated the problem. When a problem is complicated, it's naturally harder to solve. So, let's simplify it first, then list out the problems one by one, and then tackle them one by one."

It's as if they're playing a game of cops and robbers.

"Your first problem is that you love Lei Yongqing. That's right, Lei Yongqing is your husband, and you love him, of course that's right. Haha, so just love him. Don't be sad."

Everyone thought to themselves: Isn't that obvious?

"The second problem is that you hate Lei Yongqing. Lei Yongqing married such a beautiful wife like you, but he wasn't satisfied and went after other beauties. So, it's not wrong for you to hate him. Hate him all you want, hate him to death! Ha, are you happy now!"

Everyone almost wanted to roll their eyes at him; he was just spouting nonsense. Everyone knows this, why do you need to explain it?

"The third problem is regret. Why do you regret it? It is said that Lei Yongqing traveled a long way back to Baishi Manor to confess to you and beg for your forgiveness, which is enough to prove his love for you, but you did not forgive him. After his death, you regretted it deeply. What should you do? It's easy, you can stop hating him. If you don't hate him, of course you will forgive him. Right? You see, both problems are solved smoothly."

Cai Zhonghe snorted, "This guy really knows how to add and subtract."

"Actually, I had long expected this day to come, so last night, I went to the King of Hell's palace in my dream and met the King of Hell. I have a long-standing relationship with the King of Hell, and as soon as I arrived, he told me everything." Qing Jianyue spoke with great enthusiasm. "Three years ago, on a certain night at a certain time, it was already noted in the Book of Life and Death that Lei Yongqing had to die. So, that night, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, on the King of Hell's orders, waited early at White Stone Manor. Just as Lei Yongqing drew his sword and fell to the ground heroically, Ox-Head and Horse-Face fastened iron chains and captured Lei Yongqing's soul."

Floating along, Lei Yongqing arrived at the King of Hell's palace. The King of Hell roared, "Lei Yongqing, do you know your crime?" Lei Yongqing said, "King of Hell, I know my crime, I was wrong, I'm sorry to my wife." The King of Hell said, "Hmm, you know your mistake and are willing to correct it, there's still hope. Here's what I'll do: I sentence you to be reborn as a woman in your next life, so you can suffer a bit. Of course, it'll be bitter first, then sweet, hahaha. Do you accept?" Lei Yongqing said, "I accept."

So, Lei Yongqing crossed the Bridge of Helplessness, drank a bowl of Meng Po soup, and forgot everything from his previous life—his wife, his younger brother, his older brothers, younger sisters, uncles, aunts—he remembered nothing. Then, he was reborn into a wealthy family. The head of the household had ten sons but no daughters. Unexpectedly, he had a daughter in his later years and was overjoyed, naming her Mingzhu, meaning "precious pearl in the palm of her hand." Now, Mingzhu is a year and a half old, constantly chasing after her older brother, drooling, "Brother, brother, hold me!"

Everyone present was stunned.

Yang Xueli listened in a daze, "You're lying."

"I'm not lying to you."

"That's a lie."

"I'm not lying to you. I swear, if I'm lying, may my nose turn into a dog's nose, so I can smell the aroma of food from ten miles away and my mouth will water. If I can't eat it, I'll be so hungry I'll bark in frustration."

Cai Zhonghe was the first to burst out laughing, and everyone else looked at him with strange expressions.

Yang Xueli looked at him, half believing and half doubting.

Qingjian Yue smiled and said, "Now, do you still love Lei Yongqing? Of course you love him, but you're not going to die for him, are you? You love him, but you love the Lei Yongqing from three years ago. You can't forget him; even a day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness, so of course you can't forget him. So, whether you love him or not, it's inevitable. What's there to be sad or troubled about?"

Yang Xueli blinked at him.

"The fourth question is, you love Lei Yongxiang. For the past three years, you've been all alone, and Lei Yongxiang has taken care of you meticulously. When you were sad or troubled, Lei Yongxiang comforted you, cared for you, was considerate of you, loved you, and spoiled you. Such a good man, if I were you, I would love him too. If you don't love him and aren't moved at all, then you must be heartless and ruthless. So, there's nothing wrong with that, just love him."

Yang Xueli blushed deeply and remained silent, head bowed. Lei Yongxiang was at a loss for what to do. Cai Bo'an, however, shook his head.

"But here's the trouble. You're the younger brother who fell in love with the older sister-in-law, and the older sister-in-law who fell in love with the younger brother. It's scandalous and against all morals. But Shirley, since you're in love, you should love without hesitation. If you're going to love, then love until the world collapses and the winds change color. As long as you don't hurt anyone else, you're not wrong."

Since you're willing to risk your life, what's the point of worrying about worldly customs and moral decay? Go tell Lei Yongxiang you want to be his wife and ask him if he's willing. If he is, immediately take him to the wedding ceremony and live happily ever after. How wonderful!

If others object, ignore them; just treat them like they're talking nonsense. If everyone objects, that's fine too. You two hold hands, hitch a carriage, and happily travel the world, husband and wife. When you're seventy or eighty, go see the King of Hell with joy. When you see him, tell him, "Xiang and I will be husband and wife again in our next life, but we'll switch places. I'll be the man and he'll be the woman. So, make sure he's born with a delicate face, otherwise I won't love him, he'll be furious, and we'll become a resentful couple, and we'll settle scores with you, King of Hell." The King of Hell will surely be fuming, "Who gave you this terrible idea?" You'll say, "It was that scoundrel, Qing Jian Yue." Ha, isn't that satisfying?

Kiyomizuki smiled so hard her eyes turned into crescent moons.

“This guy’s arguments are truly unprecedented,” Cai Zhonghe said.

Cai Bo'an pondered and said, "A person who is only in his early twenties is full of vigor and ambition. What could he possibly know? Unless he has suffered hardships that no one else has ever experienced, he would not be able to say such things."

Cai Zhonghe listened, seemingly lost in thought.

"Me? Can I really do it?" Yang Xueli's beautiful eyes shone with hope.

Kiyomi Tsuki smiled confidently: "Why not? Everyone has the right to be happy in this world. As long as you don't harm others, and as long as your happiness isn't built on the suffering of others, you're not wrong. Don't be bound by worldly customs and etiquette. If they bring you happiness, then abide by them; if they don't, then abandon them. You know, those things are also defined by people, aren't they?"

Yang Xueli looked at Lei Yongxiang through teary eyes.

Kiyoshi said forcefully, "Go, Sherry, go find Lei Yongxiang, love him well, love yourself, and no matter what others say, live happily."

Yang Xueli stepped back, her eyes glistening with tears, yet her smile radiant. She turned and ran towards Lei Yongxiang, who strode towards her. Amidst the shower of petals, he embraced Yang Xueli, who nestled into his arms like a little bird.

Chapter Ten: Extortion

Back at the guest house.

Cai Bo'an asked with doubt, "Is this a good idea?"

Kiyomi Tsuki smiled and said, "Whether it's good or bad, it's up to us to decide. The most important thing is to let the souls of the dead rest in peace and to fill the living with hope."

Cai Bo'an frowned, his expression displeased. "I'm worried about what the Lord of the Fortress might think."

Cai Zhonghe picked up two preserved plums and said, “Your concerns are not without merit, but I believe that for the Lord of the Fortress, it is not important who Yongxiang marries. What is most important is that Lei Yongxiang can return to the Fortress and take over as the Third Lord.”

Kiyomi Tsuki drooled and asked, "Handsome brother, when are you going to let me eat plums?"

Cai Zhonghe put a plum into his mouth and asked with a smile, "Is it sour?"

"acid."