AU Extra — Young Boy’s Illusory Dream (5)
When they entered the village, it was already the dead of night. They had originally intended to find an inn and rest their feet first, but this village twisted and turned in every direction, laid out in the shape of a bagua. For a while, they could not even spot the green silk banner of an inn. As luck would have it, summer weather was prone to sudden changes. Before the two of them had even found a place to stay, a bolt of lightning flashed across the distant night sky, immediately followed by the rolling sound of muffled thunder.
Gu Mang raised his hand and caught several large drops of water in his palm. Helplessly, he said, “How unlucky. It’s raining.”
“Put up the hood of your cloak and wait under the eaves. I’ll go see whether there’s an inn nearby.”
Gu Mang flipped up his outer robe and said, “I’ll go look with you. Otherwise, after you find one, you’ll still have to run back to look for me.”
The two of them therefore quickened their steps and hurried through the alleys. But the black clouds rolled like ink, and torrential rain suddenly came pouring down. Summer rain was fierce and rapid, and before long, they were trapped beneath a row of tiled eaves, unable to go out.
Normally, this was something that could be solved with a rainproof barrier, but the Elder had instructed them not to use magic recklessly. Now that they had entered the territory of Liansheng Town, they needed to be even more cautious.
Mo Xi himself did not mind getting wet, but when he saw that Gu Mang’s clothes were also completely soaked through, he thought to himself that girls could easily fall ill from getting drenched in the rain. This senior sister looked lazy and languid, and did not seem like someone with particularly good stamina or resistance either. If they stood here waiting for the rain to stop, she would probably catch a chill by the next day.
While he was thinking this, he suddenly caught sight of a household not far ahead. Although its door was shut, a faint candlelight could be seen through the crack. He therefore said to Gu Mang,
“Come with me. The rain is too heavy. We’ll stop looking for an inn for now. I’ll go ask that household ahead whether it would be convenient.”
Gu Mang thought about it and agreed, so he followed him as they rushed through the curtain of rain toward that household.
As soon as they reached the gate, before they even had time to speak, the door suddenly flew open. A woman’s startled cry came from inside, immediately followed by the furious barking of a dog. A large, sturdy black dog with a lame leg barked loudly and charged out through the doorway.
The woman inside shouted, “Come back! Y-You come back here!”
Gu Mang was quick on his feet. He immediately ran several steps forward to catch the black dog.
Mo Xi, meanwhile, walked to the doorway. Inside the house stood a four-panel folding screen. Behind it came the sound of heavy panting, mixed with curses.
“Damn you, stinking thing, bastard…”
After a while, a woman supporting herself against the wall came around from behind the screen. She abruptly raised her head and caught sight of Mo Xi’s face beneath the moonlight. Her muttering string of curses paused, only for her to immediately spit out the final three words:
“Who are you?”
Mo Xi had not yet spoken when she ferociously said, “Move!”
With that, she limped forward, intending to chase after the dog.
This was rather peculiar. The dog was lame, and the person was lame too.
She had not gone far when Gu Mang came running back from the end of the alley through the pouring rain. He was holding the barking dog in his arms. His face poked out from behind the dog, with a wet dog paw print still stuck to his cheek. He smiled and said,
“Miss, your dog is really cute. Here, I’ll return it to you.”
Mo Xi looked at him with some indescribable disbelief, deeply feeling that this man’s spiritual roots could practically reach the heavens.
Just how had he managed to see the words “cute” on a dog whose mouth was full of drool, whose saliva was spraying everywhere, and whose tongue was sticking out a full three chi?
The woman hesitated for a moment before reaching out and taking the hysterically barking dog back into her arms.
“Thank you.”
She then stood beneath the door lintel and looked the two of them up and down several times before suddenly asking very bluntly,
“Hey, you two… you wouldn’t happen to be here to pray for a child, would you?”
Mo Xi: “No.”
Gu Mang: “Yes.”
“…”
The woman blinked and raised an eyebrow.
“Let me ask one more thing. What is the relationship between you two?”
Mo Xi: “She is my older sister.”
Gu Mang: “He is my husband.”
The two gave completely different answers, speaking almost simultaneously.
The woman slowly narrowed her starry eyes, her amused gaze sweeping back and forth between the two of them. After a long while, she suddenly snickered and squinted at them.
“Got it. No wonder you don’t want anyone to know. You two really have guts. You ran away together, didn’t you?”
Mo Xi: “…”
Gu Mang: “…”
The woman was completely uninhibited. While stroking the dog in her arms, she continued looking back and forth between this pair of little wild lovebirds.
Under her undisguised stare, even Gu Mang was beginning to feel unable to withstand it. He turned around and glared at Mo Xi—
Mo Xi, your grandfather! Why aren’t you following the Elder’s script?!
Mo Xi had originally only felt that there was no need to tell a passing stranger so much, which was why he had said that Gu Mang was his older sister. Who would have thought it would cause such a misunderstanding?
For a moment, he was rather speechless. But when all was said and done, this was still his fault. Thus, he turned his face away, remained silent for a moment, and said flatly,
“She is merely a distant cousin.”
The woman clicked her tongue several times and shook her head.
“I imagine your families must be strongly opposed, right? Ai, how pitiful, how pitiful. Where are the two of you planning to elope to?”
Gu Mang smiled and hooked his arm around Mo Xi’s, actually putting on a bashful expression with shameless sincerity.
“My husband and I were newly married at the beginning of the year, but there has been no good news yet. I heard that the Land God Temple here is extremely efficacious when it comes to praying for children, so we came here sincerely to worship and hopefully obtain a precious son. As for where we will elope to… As long as I can accompany my husband to the ends of the earth, anywhere is enough. Everywhere is scenery as beautiful as a painting, a perfect little nest for us. Good husband, don’t you agree?”
He was deliberately getting revenge on Mo Xi, and what he said was exceedingly nauseating.
Sure enough, it made Mo Xi’s entire body tense up. Yet he could not lose his temper with his thin lips pressed tightly together. He could only give an almost imperceptible nod, then immediately turn his face away, his fingers cracking audibly beneath his sleeves.
Gu Mang was holding back his laughter when he suddenly heard the woman ask,
“Then… you two came to pray to the gods for a child. Did you bring enough money?”
“Huh?”
“The Land God Temple in our village isn’t a place you can just worship at whenever you want. There are plenty of rules. The moment you enter, they’ll peel off a layer of your skin. If you don’t have some travel money on you, you won’t even be able to cross the threshold.”
The woman glanced several more times at their rather plain clothing.
“Why don’t you just forget it?”
“Oh…”
Gu Mang understood and smiled.
“No need for Miss to worry. Along the way here, we took some farm work and lived frugally, saving up some money and offerings for the gods. It should be enough.”
Hearing him say this, the woman did not show any sign of relaxing. Instead, after hesitating for a while, her willow brows rose sternly.
“But I can see that neither of you is rich or noble. That place… you’d better not go.”
Mo Xi turned around, his gaze as cold as lightning.
“Why?”
His tone sounded nothing like a newlywed husband coming to pray for a child. Rather, he sounded far too much like a warlord interrogating someone.
The woman grew suspicious. She frowned at him without immediately answering.
Seeing that the situation was not right, Gu Mang secretly tugged on Mo Xi and smiled.
“Don’t mind my husband, sister. He dotes on me and cherishes me. He wants so badly for us to have a child, so…”
But the woman shook her head.
“The rumors about praying for children at the Land God Temple are all nonsense. It’s just a trick to swindle those rich fools. It doesn’t work at all.”
“But a lot of people come here to pray for children,” Gu Mang said. “If it isn’t effective, then how could so many people pass the word around?”
“…”
“This matter is a long story. In any case, going there won’t bring you any good. It may even bring you harm.”
Gu Mang was astonished.
“How could it bring harm?”
“Don’t ask so many questions. If you are willing, just listen to me. I absolutely won’t harm you.”
Gu Mang thought for a moment before smiling.
“Good sister, how about this? We’re new here and couldn’t find an inn for the moment. The rain is so heavy, and we didn’t bring umbrellas. We’re soaked from head to toe. If it is convenient for you, could we borrow your place to rest our feet, and then you can tell us the details of this matter?”
As he spoke, he took out two coins and offered them to the woman with both hands.
The other party hesitated for a moment without answering.
Seeing the difficulty on her face, Gu Mang could only say,
“If it really isn’t convenient for you, then forget it.”
The woman bit her lip and looked at Gu Mang’s face.
“If I don’t explain things clearly, are you two still going to insist on going to that Land God Temple?”
“We’ve already come all this way and walked so far. If we simply don’t go without understanding why, I won’t be able to put my mind at ease.”
“Ai…”
The woman stamped her foot, but because her foot was lame, stamping it only made it hurt more. She sucked in a breath and cursed a few times before looking up.
“All right. I can see that the two of you are good people, so I’ll tell you everything. But wait a moment. My house is a mess and isn’t fit for guests to see. I’ll tidy it up before inviting you in.”
After saying this, the woman carried the still-whimpering dog inside and hooked the door shut with her foot.
As soon as she left, Gu Mang knew that Mo Xi would definitely make an issue of it, so he immediately struck first.
“See that? That’s how you do it. Unlike you, who treated everything the Elder instructed you to do as if it went in one ear and out the other.”
Although Mo Xi knew that he was being shameless on purpose, he could not really refute him. He merely stared at him coldly.
Gu Mang continued,
“I really have had enough of you young masters from the Yaotian Hall. Every single one of you is a perfect gentleman. You can’t even pretend when the situation calls for it.”
He shook his head.
“I feel like I’m performing a one-man show. I’m exhausted from acting.”
Mo Xi had remained silent the entire time, but now he suddenly said indifferently,
“Senior Sister, are you unhappy while acting?”
“Happy, of course. But one person being happy is not as good as two people being—”
Before he could finish, the door creaked open.
The woman moved aside to make room for them.
“Come in. Look at the sorry state you’re both soaked in. Come, I’ve lit a brazier for you. Go warm yourselves by the fire.”
The two followed her around the folding screen and entered the room.
They saw woven silk and brocade hanging everywhere. The colorful fabrics hung in bolts from the beams and were piled against the walls. As people walked through them, they stirred up waves of mist-like silk. Silver-threaded cranes flew and danced amid the fabrics; brilliant crimson and purple flowers seemed to bloom with radiant beauty. There were also plain-colored gauze curtains hanging from drying racks, layer upon layer, cascading down like a dream from which it was difficult to awaken.
Beside the lattice window stood an embroidery table and a loom.
There was nothing else.
Gu Mang looked around, somewhat surprised.
“…Sister, are you an embroiderer?”
“Yes.”
The woman pulled several gauze curtains aside.
“It’s how I make a living. I take orders for all kinds of clothing, silk curtains, bedclothes, screens, and embroidery. Do the two of you want to order anything too? I make wedding clothes as well.”
Gu Mang smiled.
“My husband and I only drank a cup of wedding wine to count ourselves married. After all, we ran away together against our parents’ wishes. How would we dare ask for wedding clothes or anything like that?”
“How can that do?”
The woman said,
“Marriage is a major event in one’s life. Once you two settle down, you should still make up for it with a proper wedding. Even if you don’t hold a banquet for guests, you should at least have the phoenix crown, embroidered bridal robe, red wedding veil, and red silk. You only get married once in your lifetime.”
“If little sister is willing, come back to me later. I wouldn’t dare claim anything else, but my dragon and phoenix bringing auspiciousness embroidery is the best. I started helping my parents when I was six. I’ve embroidered no fewer than eight hundred or a thousand sets of ceremonial clothing, and they are all exceedingly beautiful.”
After saying this, she turned around and saw that Gu Mang and Mo Xi were still standing by the wall. She waved and smiled.
“Come over. Why are you being so reserved?”
Mo Xi said,
“We have yet to pay our respects to your parents.”
“Them? They’re both already dead.”
Gu Mang’s eyes widened slightly, and he hurriedly said,
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s nothing.”
The woman said,
“Oh, right. I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Su Qiao. What about you two?”
The two of them each gave their names.
While chatting, Gu Mang suddenly felt an itch in his nose. He turned his head and sneezed loudly.
Su Qiao gave him a sidelong glance.
“The bride is delicate and frail. I’m afraid you’ll catch a chill. You’d better hurry and change out of those wet clothes. Come with me to the room?”
Even though Gu Mang had taken Illusory Form Powder and was putting on a convincing performance, he was ultimately still a rough-and-tumble man. Naturally, it would not be appropriate for him to enter a young woman’s boudoir, much less impose on someone by wearing her clothes.
He hurriedly said,
“No, no, that’s unnecessary. I’ll sit by the fire. I’ll be fine in a while.”
After saying this, he obediently went over and sat beside the brazier.
Su Qiao did not force him. She deftly took out a copper kettle and teacups.
“Then I’ll go to the back courtyard and get some water to make you some ginger tea. Sit here and chat for now. But don’t touch my fabrics.”
She emphasized,
“All these satin and silk pieces have buyers. The materials are extremely delicate. It would be troublesome if they were damaged.”
Only after the two assured her that they would not touch even a single thread did Su Qiao limp away.
After she left, Mo Xi suddenly said,
“Don’t you feel uncomfortable?”
Gu Mang was stunned.
“What?”
“Your clothes are all wet.”
“Oh, this…”
Gu Mang licked his lips. His black eyes looked even brighter in the firelight.
“I’m sharing weal and woe with you. Husband and wife are originally birds of the same forest; we’re just becoming two drowned rats together.”
“…”
Gu Mang blinked at him.
“Good husband, does your heart ache for me?”
“…”
Mo Xi raised his deep, dark eyes. His handsome face was covered by a thin layer of displeasure. He turned his head away angrily.
“Shameless.”
Gu Mang thought to himself:
No, no, no. How am I shameless? If I were shameless, I would have taken advantage of this opportunity to enter that young woman’s boudoir and take liberties with her. Why would I still be sitting here warming myself by the fire with you, Mr. Ice Face? Ai, Junior Brother Mo, you have truly wronged an innocent person. In fact, your Senior Brother Gu not only knows very well what shame is, I’m also an upright gentleman. You, this little man with no eye for talent, not only refuse to praise me, you even trample on me. Tsk, tsk, tsk. The ways of the world are truly difficult.
Of course, thinking was one thing. He could not actually say any of that aloud.
Gu Mang therefore changed the subject. He pointed toward a piece of embroidered cloth in the hazy lamplight and smiled.
“All right, we’re not fighting anymore. Look—the Miss Su really is quite impressive. It’s one thing that the mountains, water, birds, and animals she embroiders look lifelike; even a story like Chang’e Flying to the Moon is made so beautifully. Look at that silhouette on the gauze. Doesn’t it really look like a slender young woman?”
Mo Xi glanced over.
A piece of bright yellow gauze stretched across the entire length of the roof beam. Sure enough, embroidered upon the gauze was the side silhouette of a woman the size of a real person. Although it was merely a shadow, the needlework was distinctive, with even the eyelashes curled and vivid.
“Although this Chang’e isn’t embroidered as finely as the immortal crane beside her, she’s quite interesting.”
Gu Mang rested his chin in his hand and smiled.
“I just don’t know what such a large embroidery can be used for.”
The two were admiring Su Qiao’s masterpiece when they suddenly heard the door creak.
Su Qiao returned carrying a teapot filled with water. She brought with her the coldness of the night’s dew. Sitting down beside the brazier with her feet tucked beneath her, she placed the copper kettle onto the hot coals, producing a sizzling sound.
Su Qiao said,
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Come, weren’t you going to ask me why you can’t go to the Land God Temple? Let’s talk while we warm ourselves by the fire.”
Gu Mang smiled.
“Then I’ll trouble Miss Su to enlighten us.”
“It’s nothing worth calling enlightenment. I’m just afraid that even if I tell you, you won’t be willing to believe me.”
Gu Mang and Mo Xi exchanged a glance.
Gu Mang said,
“Why is that?”
“That Land God Temple is very strange. People from outside the town only know that it is extremely efficacious when it comes to praying for children. But there are some other important details that the people of the town don’t like to talk about. One of them is that this temple judges by appearance.”
“Judges by appearance?”
“That’s right.”
Su Qiao said,
“It judges by appearance. It isn’t as divine as the rumors claim. Even an old husband and wife in their fifties can pray there and receive a child. It’s extremely picky. The wife must be beautiful and captivating for the prayer to work. If the wife is ugly, then even if she bangs her head until it breaks open in the temple, it will still be difficult for her to become pregnant.”
As Su Qiao spoke, she waved her hand.
“But naturally, the town head wants to make money, so this sort of thing can’t be said aloud.”
Gu Mang laughed.
“There’s actually such a thing? Does it only look at the wife? Does it matter whether the husband is handsome or ugly?”
“No. As long as the wife is good-looking, it doesn’t matter even if the husband is a pig.”
Gu Mang sighed and nodded.
“Then this temple really is very harsh toward women.”
After saying this, he touched his own face and said mournfully,
“Someone like me definitely wouldn’t pass.”
Su Qiao laughed.
“If someone like little sister can’t pass, then who possibly can? If you were ugly, I wouldn’t stop you from going to worship. Go ahead, since it wouldn’t work anyway.”
Gu Mang immediately became happy.
“Thank you. You’re so beautiful, yet you’re still willing to praise me.”
Hearing this, Su Qiao also felt quite pleased, and the two immediately began praising each other.
“We each have our own kind of beauty.”
“Your nose is beautiful.”
“Your eyes are gorgeous.”
“Your skin is fair and delicate.”
“Your waist is slender and your hips are shapely.”
Mo Xi: “……………………”
After listening to the two of them flatter each other for quite a while with a headache written all over his face, Mo Xi was finally beginning to lose his composure.
Only then did Su Qiao return to the main topic.
“In short, this Land God Temple grants wishes based on appearance, so many people worship there for nothing. That’s the first point.”
She paused, and her brows gradually furrowed. The lively expression she had just shared with Gu Mang disappeared, and her face became serious again.
“But the most important thing is the second point. This is also something that many people in Liansheng Town absolutely refuse to tell outsiders.”
Mo Xi said,
“I would like to hear the details.”
Su Qiao did not speak immediately.
She grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds from the copper basin on the table. After cracking open two or three, she spat out the husks stuck to her lips, then raised her eyes.
“…Actually…”
“That child-seeking temple isn’t a benevolent temple at all.”
“…It’s an evil temple.”