Túnica blanca

Capítulo 3

Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [9]: Since Zhong Jiao let down her guard, the two of us have gradually become good sisters. In this ghost world, we are both lonely, and only I can understand her heart. In front of other ghosts, she is always the gentle, polite, beautiful and intelligent Zhong Jiao.

When Zhong Kui returned to the manor, I always avoided him. To be honest, he wasn't harsh on me, but every time I saw his imposing and stern appearance, I felt a little scared. Except when he spoke to Zhong Jiao, he was always so stern. I've never seen him smile, but judging from his appearance, he might look even more terrifying when he does smile.

This time, Zhong Kui stayed in the manor for several days. I didn't even dare to go to Zhong Jiao's place, fearing I might unfortunately run into him. Stuck in my room for days, I was almost going stir-crazy. I finally mustered the courage to go and chat with Zhong Jiao, but as soon as I reached the study door, I heard Zhong Kui's voice inside. I frowned, inwardly sighing at my bad luck. Just as I was about to quietly leave, a sentence from Zhong Jiao reached my ears, making me stop in my tracks.

"All these years, have you only ever treated me like a little sister?" Zhong Jiao's voice was melancholy, trembling slightly as if she were about to cry.

Could it be that Zhong Jiao... she actually likes...? I dare not think any further.

After a moment of silence, Zhong Kui's voice came: "Since we were sworn siblings, I will naturally always treat you like my own sister." His deep voice carried a strange pain, which startled me. It turned out that Zhong Kui and Zhong Jiao were sworn siblings. This secret surprised me, but for some reason, a strange joy welled up in my heart.

Zhong Jiao's voice was choked with tears: "It wasn't me who suggested becoming sworn siblings. Have you forgotten? Have you forgotten that we originally agreed to be husband and wife when we were alive?"

"That's different. Back then, I..." Zhong Kui hurriedly tried to explain.

"Back then, you were still a handsome scholar, before the ghosts disfigured you. You wanted to pass the imperial examinations and return to marry me in style. Don't think I don't know that all these years in the ghost realm, you've been avoiding me. Yama praised you for driving away and killing ghosts tirelessly, but only I know in my heart that you were just using that as an excuse to openly avoid me. Am I right?" Zhong Jiao pressed aggressively, completely unlike her usual self.

Zhong Kui sighed deeply: "Ah Jiao, why did you do this to me? I look like this now..."

"You finally called me Ah Jiao. I've waited so many years to hear that. Do you really think there's anything about this ghost realm that attracts me? If it weren't for you, how could I bear to stay in this gloomy and lonely place?" These words made even me, an onlooker, feel heartbroken. Zhong Jiao was so devoted, willingly staying in the ghost realm for him. The word "love" has broken the hearts of countless women.

Zhong Kui fell silent. The study was quiet except for Zhong Jiao's sobs. I couldn't help but shed tears, biting my lip to keep myself from crying out loud.

“Everything has changed. Don’t you understand? Everything is different from before.” Zhong Kui’s voice was so helpless, filled with regret and loss.

“What’s the difference? Are you no longer you, and I no longer me?” Zhong Jiao asked between sobs.

Zhong Kui was speechless for a long while before replying, "In my current state, you deserve better. I've noticed that King Chujiang has been visiting the manor quite often..."

"Brother, are you trying to get married to King Chujiang so that I can climb the social ladder? You're really thinking of everything for me. Should I thank you properly?" Zhong Jiao said sarcastically, but her tone was filled with sadness and despair.

"Zhong Jiao, you..." Zhong Kui wanted to explain, but in the end he said nothing, sighed and left the study, where Zhong Jiao's sorrowful sobs could be heard.

I quickly hid around the corner, and only revealed myself after Zhong Kui had gone far away. I wiped away my tears and went into the study. Zhong Jiao was sobbing on the desk, her thin shoulders trembling slightly. Her cries sounded so heartbreaking, as if they were piercing my very soul.

"Sister," I called softly.

Zhong Jiao slowly raised her head, looking at me with teary eyes and a sorrowful expression: "Sister, did you hear everything?"

I couldn't lie to her, so I could only nod.

"Sister, do you know how much I suffer? For so many years, though I've been by his side, our hearts have remained so distant. How I miss the old days, when we lived happily despite our poverty. I always told myself that as long as I stayed by his side, one day he would understand my feelings, but was I wrong?" She seemed confused and dazed, her eyes blurry with tears, looking beautiful yet so sorrowful.

"Perhaps, perhaps in a few more days, Brother Zhong will figure it out."

Zhong Jiao's tears fell onto the snow-white Xuan paper on the table, spreading a faint sadness. She stared blankly at the puddle of water, and asked softly with a hint of despair, "Will it happen, sister? Do you think it will?"

The word "will" just wouldn't come out; it was stuck in my throat, a painful feeling. Zhong Jiao looked at me with some understanding, and smiled sadly: "Thank you, dear sister."

She stood up, her pale blue silk dress clinging gently to her body. Her demeanor was so elegant. Even though she was heartbroken, once she wiped away her tears, she was still the Zhong Jiao admired by all the ghosts. But who would know that beneath that pale blue silk dress lay a lonely heart and a solitary soul?

"Little sister, would you like to go and see the human world?" she asked casually.

My heart skipped a beat: "Sister, do you mean, reincarnation?"

Zhong Jiao gently shook her head: "No, I mean going to the human world as a ghost. My elder brother once taught me the incantation to enter the human realm, but I've never tried leaving here. Right now, I suddenly really want to go to the human world and see it. Sister, would you like to come with me?"

"I couldn't ask for more, I also want to go back to the human world and see it."

"Are you going to see Ruo'an? I've always wondered why you didn't go back with Ruo'an back then?" Zhong Jiao asked, a look of confusion on her face.

My eyes dimmed. "Because no one wants me to go back. Saving my sister is my greatest achievement." I told Zhong Jiao everything. She shook her head repeatedly and said with emotion, "Ruo'an is so lucky to have a sister like you who risked her life to save her."

"It's because Sister Ruo'an saved me back then that I've lived for so many more years. How could I just stand by and watch someone die?"

Zhong Jiao stepped forward and took my hand: "Sister, let's go to the human realm and teach that Zi Ao a lesson."

I nodded gratefully. Zhong Jiao thought for a moment, then walked to the desk, picked up a pen and wrote a few words: "Brother, I went to the human realm with Sister Yi Xi. Don't worry about me." In the end, she was still afraid that he would worry, so she left a letter. Zhong Jiao's feelings were so deep that they had become a habit and a part of her soul.

Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [10]: Seeing the sadness on my face, Zhong Jiao couldn't help but laugh at herself: "Is it because I'm too obsessed? There's no cure." She took my hand and told me to close my eyes. I could only hear her muttering something, and the wind was howling in my ears. After a while, I felt it stop. When I opened my eyes, I was already in the human world. It was noon. Fortunately, the sky was overcast and there was no sunshine.

Zhong Jiao took off a white jade bracelet from her wrist and gave it to me, but I declined to accept it.

“Sister, we are ghosts after all, and we are easily harmed in the human world. This pair of white jade bracelets is a treasure given to us by the King of Hell, which can protect us and allow us to temporarily take human form. Since we are sisters, there is no need to refuse. You take one, and I will take one.” Zhong Jiao said as she put the bracelets on my wrist.

I could only accept that the bracelet was truly magical; it had only been on for a short time before it began to solidify my ethereal form. I looked at Zhong Jiao, then at myself, feeling somewhat incredulous.

"Alright, now let's go settle accounts with that Zi Ao." Zhong Jiao smiled, seemingly having forgotten all the sorrows of the Ghost Realm.

Four

It was still March, with peach blossoms in full bloom and willows swaying gently along the riverbank. Even the wooden bridge looked exactly the same as before. But the closer I got to my old home, the more uneasy I felt—perhaps it was the closer I got to home, the more apprehensive I became. I wondered what my sister was doing, and what her expression would be when she saw me. My thoughts were churning like waves, uncontrollable.

"Let's go." Zhong Jiao gently pushed me from behind, gesturing for me to move forward.

Now that the moment had arrived, I felt somewhat lost. Following the familiar path, I saw the peach tree in the courtyard, its blossoms vibrant and beautiful, and involuntarily took a deep breath. The courtyard was empty, devoid of anyone, and a brass lock secured the door. A wave of disappointment washed over me. My sister—did she not live here anymore?

Lost in thought, a tall, slender figure in the neighboring courtyard caught my attention. It was him, Zi'ao. He looked more composed than before, pacing back and forth, intently turning the pages of a book. I couldn't help but recall all the times I'd been deceived, and how he'd caused the separation between my sister and me. How could I suppress my anger? I rushed over in a few strides.

"Song Ziao, do you recognize me?"

Zi Ao looked up at the sound, his expression changed, his hand trembled and the book fell to the ground. He pointed at me, unable to speak properly: "You, are you a human or a ghost?"

"If you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear. I wonder what Young Master Song is afraid of?" Zhong Jiao retorted, her voice calm but barbed.

Zi Ao's face immediately showed shame, and he involuntarily lowered his head. "Yi Xi, I'm sorry. But you also sacrificed yourself to save Ruo An voluntarily, and I didn't force you."

"Saving my sister was my own choice, but why didn't you tell me beforehand? Why did you keep it from me?" I pressed on, trying to clear up my doubts.

Zi Ao was silent for a moment before finally replying, "Because in my heart, Ruo An is more important than anything else."

I gasped, surprised to receive such an answer. Did Zi'ao actually like Sister Ruo'an? Why was I completely unaware?

"Although I feel guilty for sacrificing you, and have been unable to eat or sleep properly these past few years, if I could do it all over again, I would still make the same choice. Now that you have come to claim my life, I have nothing to say. I did owe you back then." Although there was guilt in Zi Ao's eyes, his expression was open and fearless.

I was somewhat bewildered. I hadn't predicted this outcome. I thought Zi'ao would be terrified of me, but now he was speaking with such conviction. Was he really wrong? I suddenly felt confused.

“Loving someone is perfectly acceptable, but how to love her is debatable. Does Ruoan understand this?” Zhong Jiao interjected.

Zi Ao shook his head: "How could I dare let her know? I'm afraid she'll hate me." A hint of fear flashed in his words. He really loved Sister Ruo'an, otherwise why would he react like this? At that moment, the resentment that had been building up for so long vanished like smoke, just like the peach blossoms that flew from the next courtyard, blown away by the wind in the blink of an eye.

I sighed, "What about Sister Ruo'an? Where did she go? Why is her house locked up tight?"

Zi Ao hesitated for a moment. Just then, a four or five-year-old boy in green clothes skipped into the courtyard. His big eyes darted around at us twice before he excitedly jumped into Zi Ao's arms and said, "Dad, Mom told me to tell you that she has something to do at Aunt Wang's house at the village entrance and won't be back for a while."

"I see." Zhong Jiao looked at the child carefully and suddenly realized. Seeing my blank look, she pointed to the little boy and said, "Sister, don't you understand? That's your nephew."

Nephew? It suddenly dawned on me—was that child Ruo'an's? Looking closely, the eyebrows, the expression—everything resembled Ruo'an. How could I have been so oblivious? A day in the mountains is like a thousand years in the world. In the ghost realm, I worried that Sister Ruo'an would be heartbroken for me, worried about how she would live. It turns out I was just worrying unnecessarily. Without me, she lived a peaceful life, married Zi'ao, and now even her child is so grown up. It turns out my sacrifice actually brought them happiness. Thinking about all this, I couldn't tell whether I was happy or sad.

"Yixi, if you truly care about your sisterly bond with Ruo'an, you should consider her happiness. She's doing very well now. I beg you to leave quickly. If she sees you and brings up those old grievances, she'll never be happy again." Zi'ao pleaded desperately, while the child in his arms blinked his large, clear eyes, staring curiously at me, this stranger.

I looked at Zhong Jiao, at a loss. Zhong Jiao pretended not to know and turned her head away, leaving me to make the decision myself. So be it. I am just a past that has already disappeared. Why bother disturbing their lives? I will always belong to the ghost realm, to that place forgotten by the human world.

"Take good care of your sister and the child, otherwise, otherwise..." Otherwise what? I am now just a lonely soul, what else can I do? Thinking of this, I couldn't continue.

Zi'ao understood immediately and was grateful: "I will take good care of Ruo'an for the rest of my life, so you can go in peace."

With a determined heart, I turned and left the courtyard, heading back the way I came without looking back. I was afraid that if I hesitated, I wouldn't be able to resist seeing my sister, so I didn't give myself a chance to regret it. Zhong Jiao followed closely by my side, without saying a word. The drifting peach petals accompanied us all the way, finally falling sadly into the mortal world.

Only after leaving the village did I stop at the bridgehead, slowly turning back to gaze at the familiar wisps of smoke rising from chimneys in the twilight. Here were familiar people, things, and places—the very things I cared about. But now I had to harden my heart and sever all ties with the past. Even if it was a sharp knife, cutting through flesh, bone, blood, and skin—how could it not hurt?

Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [11]: "Did I do the right thing?" I muttered to myself, not knowing whether I was asking myself or Zhong Jiao.

Zhong Jiao remained silent for a long while before saying, "Perhaps happiness stems from ignorance, little sister. I don't know if what you did was right or wrong, but I only know that you wronged yourself." The knowing tone in her voice broke my heart, and I could no longer hold back my tears in the twilight of this world.

I don't know how much time passed, but the sky completely darkened, and every household lit their lamps. In the darkness, the dim yellow light from the windows seemed so warm, but it was too far away for me to reach. I gazed at it for a long time, then finally turned my head away and gently blew a breath, blowing away the last trace of lingering attachment to the past. There was no longer any reason for me to stay in this world.

“Sister, let’s go somewhere else. Since we’re here, let’s make the best of it,” Zhong Jiao comforted me.

I nodded, and Zhong Jiao and I prepared to go to the city. On the way, we passed a mass grave, where ghosts danced wildly. They were terrifying; some had missing limbs, some were headless, and some had long, protruding tongues. Although they were all ghosts, seeing them still frightened me. Zhong Jiao reassured me, "Don't be afraid, little sister. With this bracelet, they can't get close."

Sure enough, the white jade bracelet on her wrist emitted a faint glow. Within a ten-foot radius, the ghosts and monsters hurriedly hid, not daring to touch us, only making terrifying faces from a distance to scare us. Zhong Jiao smiled coldly: "Shameless ghosts, watch how I deal with you."

She muttered incantations, and after only a few words, the ghosts all knelt down in fear, begging for mercy and willing to obey her commands. I was stunned, but Zhong Jiao smiled and said, "I learned it from my elder brother. It's actually quite useful for commanding ghosts." I suddenly realized that she was Zhong Kui's sworn sister and had learned some self-defense skills from him.

"Have you revealed your true form yet? You're such an ugly creature, you've disgraced all ghosts." Zhong Jiao frowned and scolded the ghost kneeling on the ground.

The little devils meekly responded, revealing their true forms, which were not bad-looking, at least not as terrifying as before. "Sister, you're not Brother Zhong, what use are they to you?" I couldn't help but ask curiously.

Mentioning Zhong Kui, a hint of sadness flashed across Zhong Jiao's face, and I silently scolded myself for being so talkative. "They disturb people in the human realm, but we can control them by taking them in," Zhong Jiao said softly, her voice tinged with unconcealed melancholy.

Zhong Jiao and I, along with a group of little devils, marched into the city in a grand procession. Once inside, Zhong Jiao instructed them: "Go and see if there are any rich and heartless people in the city, and take some gold and silver to help the poor. Unless they are evil people, do not disturb others. If you do well, I will plead with the judge on your behalf. If anything goes wrong, don't blame me for being ruthless."

The little devils responded repeatedly, not daring to disobey, and scattered throughout the city, doing as Zhong Jiao instructed. Zhong Jiao and I found a deserted courtyard, and she used a little magic, and instantly the previously dried-up pond rippled with clear water. We sat in the pavilion by the Nine-Bend Bridge, and the little devils served us fragrant tea.

Zhong Jiao stared at the pond in silence, lost in thought. Not wanting to disturb her, I simply drank my tea quietly.

"Little sister, do you like lotus flowers?" she suddenly asked me.

I paused for a moment: "I like it, but lotus flowers don't bloom at this time of year."

Zhong Jiao gave me a playful glare, and I suddenly realized I'd said something foolish. She could conjure up a pond of water out of thin air; lotus flowers would be nothing to her. Sure enough, with a flick of her green sleeve, white lotuses bloomed on the pond, their green leaves forming a canopy, and the fragrance of the flowers wafted in the night breeze.

"Sister, you have some impressive skills," I couldn't help but praise.

Zhong Jiao gently shook her head: "It's just an illusion. It will vanish by dawn. Ghosts can never withstand the sunlight." Her eyes were hazy as she gazed at the lotus flowers swaying in the wind, as if she saw something. "Before, he..." She only managed to say a few words before smiling faintly and falling silent. I understood that she was thinking of the days she spent with Zhong Kui, and for some reason, a touch of sadness welled up inside her.

The moonlight was like water. Zhong Jiao thought about the past, while I suddenly thought of King Chujiang, the man who helped me in every way in the Ghost Realm. Zi'ao used me, so what about me? Did I also use King Chujiang? Wouldn't that make me just as selfish as Zi'ao? Thinking about this, I couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Who are you thinking about, little sister? Why are you looking so melancholy?" I looked up and found Zhong Jiao staring at me with amusement. My face flushed slightly, and I quickly covered it up: "I'm not thinking about anyone, don't guess, sister."

Zhong Jiao smiled mysteriously: "How did you know I was just guessing? Do you know that King Chujiang secretly asked me to take care of you? Such a condescending move, aren't you touched?"

I was taken aback. Although it was somewhat expected, hearing it from Zhong Jiao's mouth made me realize that everyone else had witnessed everything he had done for me. It would be a lie to say I wasn't moved, but what could I do after being moved? He was one of the Ten Kings of the Ghost Realm, while I was just a ghost of unknown identity.