A gentle night breeze stirred the air as Ding Songyan and Xiaoqing strolled through the dim, shadowy alley toward Fengshui Bridge.
This time, Xiaoqing had not brought her maidservant along.
Glancing at the picturesque young woman beside him, Ding Songyan felt a sudden wave of emotion.
Less than ten days had passed since his transmigration, yet it felt as if a full month had gone by. He had met many people during this time, crossing paths with plenty on a regular basis, but the only ones who treated him sincerely—without scheming, deception, or masks—were Miss Xiaoqing and Brother Youyang. Xu Chang'an, perhaps, counted as half of one.
Meanwhile, the family into which he had begun investing his feelings and had been on the verge of truly embracing had turned completely unrecognizable in less than the time it took to finish a cup of tea.
Inhaling deeply before letting out a slow breath, Ding Songyan smiled at Xiaoqing and said, "Aren't you worried about being spotted by Ren Youyang today, Miss Xiaoqing?"
Xiaoqing replied with a light smile, "We might cross paths tomorrow anyway, so it doesn't really matter."
Ding Songyan considered this, then cautioned, "Aside from Ren Youyang and the others, there are also government men tailing me. Some may be from the county yamen, others from the Xiaoming Sect. Does that not matter either?"
If their identities were exposed, they might not even be able to attend tomorrow's banquet at Zhen Manor.
Xiaoqing blinked innocently.
Ding Songyan was at a loss for words.
After just a few breaths, Xiaoqing swung her arm and said in a breezy tone, "It doesn't matter. Second Uncle will take care of it!"
At that very moment, Ren Youyang, clad entirely in black, was poking his head out from a tree at the alley mouth.
Struggling to maintain his balance while concealing his presence, he watched Ding Songyan strolling along alone, occasionally muttering to himself.
"Worthy Brother Ding, why are you out catching the evening breeze at this hour? Just go back to your room and sleep early. I have important business tomorrow..." Ren Youyang grumbled silently.
In the shadows at the end of the alley, a constable and a disciple of the Xiaoming Sect were also quietly observing Ding Songyan's every move.
"Even though he is by himself, something seems odd." A faint yellowish light appeared to ripple across the Xiaoming Sect disciple's eyes.
The constable nodded repeatedly. "I feel something is off as well."
"Brother Zhang, my cultivation is shallow, so it is difficult for me to see through the problem. Keep following him while I fetch help!" the Xiaoming Sect disciple said with evident shame.
He then slipped away from the alley's end, circling around from another direction.
Seeing that Xiaoqing was unconcerned, Ding Songyan dropped the subject. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Miss Xiaoqing, there will likely be upheaval at tomorrow's banquet at Zhen Manor. You must be exceedingly careful. If everything appears normal, Zhen Manor may postpone the matter for another day or two."
He managed to speak these words without forgetting them.
This was also within Ding Songyan's expectations. He had thought it through carefully: Yan Changqing's goal was to escape Zhen Manor and restore his strength, while his 'old friend'—whether seeking to rescue him or coveting his treasures—was bound to oppose Zhen Manor. Therefore, neither of the two forces influencing Ding Songyan's thoughts would mind causing some trouble for Zhen Manor and holding them back.
Xiaoqing kicked aside a small pebble, turned her head toward Ding Songyan, and smiled brightly. "You have so much trouble on your own hands, yet you're still concerned about my safety."
Her expression gradually turned serious.
"I've noticed over the past few days that you've been heavily weighed down by your thoughts. There must be quite a few difficulties weighing on your mind. For now, I have no lofty ambitions. Aside from chivalry, my family can provide whatever I desire, and I harbor no greed for what belongs to others. If you trust me, you can tell me what worries you. Perhaps I can be of help."
Ding Songyan offered a bitter smile.
It wasn't that he didn't want to speak; he simply couldn't.
Miss Xiaoqing's offer was precisely what he had desperately yearned for from the very beginning.
Noticing his expression, Xiaoqing said thoughtfully, "You can't speak of it? You have no way to say it? Similar situations often stem from witchcraft and gu curses. You have no gu worms on you—that much I can confirm. Has someone placed you under sorcery?"
Did it count as sorcery? Ding Songyan recalled everything carefully, unable to be certain.
He still lacked a sufficient understanding of this world's mystical martial arts and witchcraft.
He wanted to hint to Miss Xiaoqing that there might be another possibility, but he feared that the moment he opened his mouth, he would forget it entirely—just like when he had attempted to write on paper, only to forget what he meant to set down.
Amid the silence, an idea suddenly struck Ding Songyan.
Apart from expressly forbidding certain matters from being spoken, Yan Changqing's 'seed' and whatever measures his 'old friend' might have left in my sea of consciousness most likely rely on 'free judgment' to block my thoughts, checking whether I harbor malice or an intention to reveal the truth.
What if I harbor none?
It is truly impossible to harbor none in reality, but I can deceive myself, deceive the 'seed', and deceive the measures left by Yan Changqing's 'old friend' by pretending that I don't.
Originally, I had no way to pull off such a deception. But as it happened, Yan Changqing taught me a secret technique centered on self-deception...
Er, this secret technique and his divine art for influencing thoughts complement and counter each other. As expected, do they share the same origin...?
Under these circumstances, unless Yan Changqing's 'old friend' is nearby and constantly monitoring my thoughts, it will be hard for them to stop me in advance...
Could Yan Changqing be waiting for me right here? He guessed that I wouldn't practice this secret technique before resolving the crisis for fear of hidden dangers, so he used the seed's control to force me into practicing it. Once I practice it, will I become entirely his puppet or his new vessel?
What if I still don't practice it, but merely borrow its core principles to deceive myself once? Besides, I don't possess the martial arts needed to bring the technique to full effect...
Ding Songyan ran through the secret technique in his mind. Discarding numerous steps and potentially perilous portions, he filtered out a section dealing solely with self-deception based on the psychological suggestion methods he knew from his past life.
With a rotation of the clear, misty 'seed', Ding Songyan's mind split into two. Half of it retreated into his sea of consciousness, sitting cross-legged in the void.
He lowered his head and cast his gaze upon the individual thoughts that formed the illusory golden ocean.
As his mind stirred, each of those thoughts took on his likeness.
Looking into those familiar pairs of eyes as though facing mirrors, Ding Songyan began muttering to himself in a rhythmic cadence:
"To deceive others, one must first deceive oneself; the false can become real, believe it and it exists...
"I am merely discussing various possibilities with Miss Xiaoqing, with no intention of revealing any secret...
"Merely discussing various possibilities..."
As the words were repeated over and over, Ding Songyan's eyes turned deep and brooding, and the reflections within those thoughts did the same.
Seeing that Ding Erlang had not responded for a long time and merely walked forward in silence, Xiaoqing reached out her slender, fair right hand in bewilderment and waved it before his eyes.
"Soul, return~ Soul, return~"
Ding Songyan's eyes stirred slightly, and he said in a low voice, "Perhaps there is another possibility."
"Another possibility..." Xiaoqing knitted her brows in thought.
Walking along the main street seventy to eighty feet away, Xiaoqing's second uncle suddenly turned his head toward a house facing the street.
Under the bright half-moon, a dark figure wielding a sharp sword burst through the window.
A pair of slightly upturned, clear, and luminous eyes abruptly appeared in the dark figure's field of vision.
At that instant, it felt as though he had returned home and laid eyes upon the person he yearned for day and night. His heart softened, and his hand lost its strength.
A slender hand with long fingers then pressed against his brow.
With a thud, he slumped to the ground, his breath extinguished.
Within breaths, a moth resembling a large red ant darted out from his mouth and nose, and his body rapidly began to rot.
Xiaoqing's second uncle snatched the 'moth seed', only to find that it split open on its own and went completely inert.
Tossing aside the 'moth seed', he pulled out a white handkerchief, lightly wiped his palm, and turned his gaze back toward Xiaoqing and Ding Songyan.
Though he had just acted, most of his attention had remained fixed on them throughout.
At the top of the nearest watchtower, the constable of the Yi clan on watch duty saw only a figure leaping out of a window of his own accord, landing headfirst, and falling to his death on the street.
He immediately used lanterns to signal a patrol team of colleagues nearby, directing them to collect the corpse and investigate whether there was more to the suicide.
Xiaoqing pondered for a long while without arriving at any conclusion. Looking out at the sparsely populated street and the bustling Fengshui Bridge in the distance, she gave an "mm" and said, "Ding Erlang, you are the first friend I've made since stepping into the jianghu. I hope our paths cross again in the future."
First, I have to survive the next two days... Ding Songyan intended to say, but he 'forgot' the words again.
He could only offer a self-deprecating smile. "I'll do my best."
Xiaoqing broke into a chuckle. "Do your best for what? You've been asking about this and that all along, so I could tell early on that you're very interested in practicing martial arts. If you are willing to leave your hometown and head to Gan Kingdom, I can help you find a few sects suitable for you so you can choose one to join."
Ding Songyan's heart leapt at her words. Wasn't that precisely what he had dreamed of?
Yet when he thought of his parents, his younger sister, his elder brother, and the fact that nonhuman folk made up the upper tier in Gan Kingdom, he hesitated again.
Weighing his thoughts, he said, "Miss Xiaoqing, may I give you my answer tomorrow evening?"
He needed time to consider and weigh everything carefully.
"Of course you may. It's not as if you are alone in the world," Xiaoqing said understandingly.
She bid Ding Songyan farewell and walked alone toward Fengshui Bridge in the direction of Tianyang Guildhall.
Ding Songyan also turned around, retracing his steps along the same path back toward Chengyu Lane.
The closer he drew to Chengyu Lane, the place most familiar to him, the more an inexplicable unease took hold of him—as if he were terrified of something, yet unable to recall what he feared.
This made him feel increasingly stifled with every step, and his pace grew slower and slower.
"What is there to be uneasy about? It's just going home to sleep..." Even Ding Songyan found it bewildering.
Arriving by the water well, he heard Ahua barking because someone had passed by. He actually began pacing back and forth, unwilling to move forward.
The night seemed to have grown much thicker, heavy and oppressive.
Suddenly, a gentle, yellowish light shone into Ding Songyan's eyes and into his mind. It caused the many dark thoughts lurking in the depths of his consciousness to recede like the tide, while the clear, misty 'seed' and the traces of shadow sank together, retreating into the illusory ocean.
Ding Songyan's thoughts instantly became lively again. He looked toward the source of the light, first spotting a glass palace lantern, followed by the young woman carrying it and several Xiaoming Sect disciples accompanying her.
The young woman walked over with a swaying, willow-like grace. She was tall, with somewhat thick eyebrows that lent a touch of heroic vigor to her clean, pretty face.
Beneath the bright moonlight, she wore a light-green silk skirt and had her long black hair tied up with a silk scarf. Her beautiful eyes sparkled brightly, as though starlight and candlelight were truly hidden within them.
Her steps came to a halt, the lantern light swaying gently. Looking at Ding Songyan with a clear, gentle smile, the young woman said, "I am Zheng Zhuxi of the Xiaoming Sect. There are a few things I would like to ask you."
Chapter 43