AU Extra — Young Boy’s Illusory Dream (6)
Hearing her say this, both Gu Mang and Mo Xi’s expressions changed slightly.
A temple possessing a spirit meant that there must inevitably be some kind of spiritual entity hidden within it. If the spirit was purely benevolent, it would help people resolve their troubles without demanding much in return. But if the spirit was evil, then things would become troublesome. Once those evil spirits fulfilled a wish, they would demand repayment from the person who had made the wish, and that repayment was often far heavier than what the supplicant had received.
Sure enough, Su Qiao continued,
“Any married couple who has prayed at this Land God Temple—so long as the beautiful wife successfully becomes pregnant—within a year at the longest, or several months at the shortest, her husband will inevitably die an unnatural and mysterious death. Without exception.”
“So…”
Gu Mang murmured, falling into deep thought.
“A child exchanged for the husband’s life…?”
For a moment, there was silence. The only sound was the crackling of the charcoal fire.
Suddenly, the kettle began to hiss and steam billowed up. The tea water had boiled, and the noise broke the stiff atmosphere.
Su Qiao picked up the copper kettle and filled their cups.
“Come, drink some hot tea first.”
The two thanked her. Gu Mang drank his tea while thinking, then suddenly asked,
“Miss Su, this matter… Does everyone in the town know about it?”
“Some know, some don’t.”
Su Qiao said,
“Anyway, many of those who know pretend not to. Our town is poor and depends on the donations from pilgrims to get by. Just entering the Land God Temple costs a great deal of money. Those from poor families get driven away by the people collecting money at the entrance. Usually, only those landlords who can bleed people dry can afford to go.”
“No one warns those rich young masters and wealthy wives?”
“What would we warn them for?”
Su Qiao raised her eyebrows.
“Looking at your clothing, the two of you are ordinary commoners too. Haven’t we ordinary people suffered enough bullying from those nobles? Besides, they’re the ones who came to worship. No one is grabbing them by the neck and forcing them through the door. If they are destined to suffer this calamity, who are they supposed to blame?”
Gu Mang remembered that Mo Xi came from the most noble bloodline in the Chonghua Kingdom. Worried that he might become angry after hearing this, he could not help glancing at him.
But Mo Xi showed no sign of anger. He lowered his lashes in thought, his lips slightly pursed, his expression somewhat solemn.
“Besides, our Liansheng Town suffers from miasma all year round. Everyone in town is born without any talent for spiritual power, so there’s no way to resist the miasma. We’re also prone to epidemics. When people get sick and ask those lords and madams for some money, that’s harder than ascending to heaven. If we don’t take the opportunity to scrape a layer of oil off them now, should we wait until we’re dying from illness and beg for their pity?”
“…”
Gu Mang sighed and said nothing.
Su Qiao looked at the moonlight outside the window. She stood up, stretched, and rubbed her arm.
“All right. It’s getting late. As long as you two know that place is dangerous, that’s enough. You can wander around Liansheng Town and enjoy the scenery, but you absolutely mustn’t go to that wicked, sinister Land God Temple.”
Gu Mang said,
“Of course. We’ll listen to Miss Su.”
Su Qiao then went to prepare a guest room for them.
Seeing her limp as she walked, Mo Xi asked,
“Is your leg badly injured?”
“Oh, no. It’s nothing.”
Su Qiao waved her hand.
“My black dog has a brain problem. It pulled at my fabric, so I cursed at it a few times. That son of a dog actually bit me. Damn thing.”
Mo Xi said nothing more. He merely handed Su Qiao a bottle of medicine for bruises and injuries.
Su Qiao accepted the medicine jar and opened it to smell it.
“Is this medicine expensive?”
“Not expensive.”
Su Qiao scooped a little into her palm, then returned the bottle to Mo Xi.
“These days, with all the excessive taxes and levies, nobody has an easy life. Even if it isn’t expensive, I wouldn’t dare accept it. There’s such a large jar—I couldn’t use it all anyway. You two keep it yourselves. You might need it later.”
After saying this, she limped upstairs to sleep.
The silk and brocade ordered from her by wealthy families were so luxurious—golden threads and silver threads, overflowing with dazzling colors and flowing light. Yet she herself was dressed in shabby clothes, small and insignificant like a single moth-eaten spot amid all the silk and finery filling the room.
That night, Gu Mang and Mo Xi closed the door to their room and exchanged a glance.
There was only one bed.
Gu Mang immediately curved his soft brows and spread them into a rather provocative, sly smile as he sat down on the only bed.
Mo Xi, meanwhile, turned his gaze away.
“Junior Brother, aren’t you going to rest?”
Mo Xi shook his head without looking at him. Standing as far from the bed as possible, he said,
“I’ll go out and walk around again.”
Gu Mang knew that Mo Xi was in a bad mood, so he sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed, propped his chin in his hand, and teased him.
“What if Miss Su also goes out for a walk later and you run into her? What will you say?”
“…”
“Or do you think Miss Su is prettier than me? You say you want to go out for a walk, but actually you want another look at her?”
Mo Xi said sternly,
“Don’t speak nonsense.”
Gu Mang laughed.
“Then I’ll trouble Junior Brother to obediently go to sleep.”
Mo Xi was silent for a moment, seemingly considering whether there was some way to avoid sharing a room with this fellow.
But he clearly could not think of any good solution.
Thus, he could only walk to the bed with an iron-blue expression. Standing over him, his gaze cold, he looked down at the Gu “Senior Sister” lying on the bed.
Gu Mang raised his head and blinked innocently.
Mo Xi: “…………”
After a moment of silence, he suddenly raised his hand.
Gu Mang thought he really intended to take off his outer robe and get into bed to sleep.
Instead, Mo Xi’s long fingers turned in midair.
Click, click.
He cleanly undid the two hooks beside the bed and grabbed one side of the curtain with each hand.
With a sudden whoosh, he pulled them shut.
The moon-white bed curtains instantly closed completely.
Mo Xi’s icy voice came from outside the still-swaying curtains.
“Lie down.”
“Oh…”
Gu Mang had not quite recovered from his surprise. After a moment, he cautiously reached out to pull the curtain aside, wanting to poke his head out and see what would happen if he disobeyed.
But the moment his hand touched the curtain, Mo Xi restrained it through the fabric.
“What are you doing?”
Although this junior disciple was extremely young—one could even say still immature—his strength was already frighteningly great.
Gu Mang’s finger nearly got broken by him, while Mo Xi seemed completely unaware of how much force he was using.
Gu Mang trembled.
“…Nothing. I just wanted to look at you. We can talk this out. Could you let go first?”
Mo Xi’s sword-like brows rose angrily.
“Are you still not going to sleep? Do you still want to cause trouble?”
“Big brother, I just wanted to tease you a little. Who wants to provoke you? Could you please loosen your grip? Stop bending it. If you bend it any more, I’ll scream.”
This had hit exactly the wrong spot.
Young Master Mo hated being threatened more than anything.
Hearing this, he instead became even angrier, and the strength in his hand increased.
Gu Mang was no less stubborn. True to his word, he immediately shamelessly threw back his head and shouted,
“Husband… it hurts… Ah! You’re hurting me to death… Ah, ahhh…”
His voice was hoarse and seductive, soft and winding, making one’s imagination run wild.
This was outrageous.
Mo Xi seemed to have been scalded. He abruptly released Gu Mang’s hand.
He swept open the curtain.
Backlit by the candlelight was a handsome face filled with both anger and embarrassment.
Before Gu Mang could utter a second word, Mo Xi suddenly pushed him down onto the bed, covered his mouth, and lowered his voice, gritting his teeth.
“What exactly do you want?!”
Gu Mang answered sincerely,
“Teasing you.”
Because Young Master Mo was excessively enraged, his chest rose and fell as he stared at the bastard beneath him. Every word seemed to have been ground out through his back teeth.
“Lie down properly and go to sleep. I’ll pretend nothing happened. If you provoke me again, I’ll make sure you suffer for it!”
After a long while, Mo Xi waited until he had settled down.
Those clear black eyes gazed honestly at him, seemingly promising, Big brother, I was wrong. I won’t dare do it again.
Only then did Mo Xi release the hand covering Gu Mang’s mouth.
There were red marks on Gu Mang’s cheeks from where he had been pinched. He took several breaths, then rolled his moist eyes and looked rather speechlessly at the young master propped above him.
He sighed.
“Junior Brother… next time you discipline me, could you pick somewhere else? At least don’t do it in this position on the bed?”
Mo Xi froze slightly.
Only then did he suddenly realize that, in a moment of anger, he had actually pinned the man down on the bed.
At this moment, Gu Mang’s black hair was spread across the bed, the curtains around them were swaying, and the entire room was filled with an ambiguous, intimate atmosphere.
“…”
Mo Xi abruptly stood up.
His eyes wandered through the boundless night, flashing with an uncertain, shadowy light.
Looking at him like that, if circumstances had not forbidden it, Gu Mang had no doubt that this young master would have pinned him against the wall and beaten him into the ground.
After a while, Mo Xi suddenly raised his hand and fiercely pulled the silk curtain shut again.
The curtains rustled.
His deep voice came from outside.
“I’m sorry.”
Seriously? He’s that serious?
Gu Mang sat cross-legged inside the curtains, somewhat amused.
After another moment, Mo Xi spoke from outside.
“But I… hate people who don’t respect themselves the most. Please forgive me, Senior Sister. Don’t fool around like this again.”
Gu Mang hummed and muttered,
“I won’t dare again. I don’t want to be pinned onto a bed and lectured by someone again.”
“…”
“And you even hurt my fingers while you were at it.”
“…”
“You can hurt my fingers too.”
That was certainly fair.
But shouldn’t a normal person say something like, Does it hurt? I have medicine, or I’m sorry, let me look.
At the very least, they should say, Really? Are you all right?
“You can hurt my fingers too.”
What kind of violent thought process was that?
Gu Mang hurriedly said,
“Forget it, forget it. No need, no need. I’m going to sleep. You rest too.”
They slept peacefully.
It was not until dawn that Gu Mang finally awoke from his dreams.
He gently lifted one corner of the silk curtain and discovered that Mo Xi had not been lying down at all. Instead, he was sitting beside the table.
Dawn had already appeared.
The first rays of sunlight illuminated Mo Xi’s delicate, beautiful face. The features of the young man were already so sharply defined and cold, yet his eyelashes were tender and slender like flower stamens.
Mo Xi’s head slowly drooped lower and lower. Clearly, he was struggling desperately to remain awake, but in the end, he could no longer hold out and fell asleep.
Gu Mang blinked and thoughtfully looked at this junior disciple born into nobility.
Warm sunlight gradually spilled inside, illuminating the room.
The oil lamp in their room had dutifully burned throughout the entire night. Now it finally reached its last wick. Several brilliant sparks suddenly burst forth, then silently went out.
After breakfast, they bade farewell to Su Qiao.
Before they left, Miss Su repeatedly warned them once more not to go toward the Land God Temple, and gave them a paper umbrella.
“The sun has been fierce these past few days, and in the evenings it always likes to pour down with rain. Take this with you. You might find it useful.”
She smiled at Mo Xi.
“Consider it my repayment for that jar of healing medicine, Young Master Mo.”
The two thanked her and walked through the bluestone alley.
Gu Mang examined the paper umbrella. He opened it and carefully looked over its surface, first freezing for a moment before sincerely praising it.
“It’s painted so beautifully. Miss Su’s hands are far too skillful.”
Mo Xi glanced at it.
The surface of the umbrella shimmered with colorful ink. Carefully painted upon it were green mountains and rivers, towers and terraces, streets and villages—a magnificent landscape depicting a prosperous and peaceful realm.
Neither of them had expected that an embroiderer living in such a poor, remote village could carry such vast and magnificent mountains and rivers in her heart. Even Mo Xi was quite surprised.
“Such a beautiful umbrella. Even if it rains, I wouldn’t have the heart to open it. I thought she would only give us an ordinary one. How could we accept this?”
Gu Mang handed it to Mo Xi.
“Put it into the Qiankun Pouch for safekeeping. Once we’ve finished investigating the Land God Temple, we’ll come back and return it to her.”
Mo Xi nodded and stored the silk umbrella away.
The two walked side by side toward the Land God Temple in the outskirts of the town.
When they arrived outside the temple, they saw the people Su Qiao had mentioned who were “collecting the worship fees.”
It turned out to be four townspeople blocking the entrance to the temple courtyard—three adults and one child.
One collected the temple-entry offering money, one sold high-grade incense, and one sold peach-wood marriage talismans.
As for the final little child, he was actually standing there begging for alms.
All four of them were putting all their strength into loudly calling out—
The one collecting the entrance fee shouted,
“Even a thousand gold cannot buy the joy of family bliss; empty your purse at the gate and forge a virtuous bond.”
The incense seller yelled,
“An ordinary heart cannot reach the ninth heaven; offer a wisp of fragrant incense before the Buddha.”
The marriage-talisman seller sang,
“Two hearts rarely find love this deep; beneath golden wind and jade dew, splendid lotuses bloom.”
The little beggar was much more straightforward.
With a fawning smile on his face, leaning on a broken bamboo staff and tapping his bowl, he called out brightly,
“All you godfathers and godmothers, give a little reward!”
Gu Mang and Mo Xi walked toward the entrance.
The four people immediately became even more enthusiastic, like bees that had smelled flower nectar.
The little beggar was the most hardworking of all. Stretching out his neck ingratiatingly, he said,
“Master and Madam, young master and young miss, godfather and godmother! I wish you two to grow old together, with children and grandchildren filling the halls!”
As he spoke, he flatteringly raised his broken bowl, filled with boundless longing.
“Do a good deed and give a little money. The Land God Grandpa will see it all. The two of you will surely have a noble son soon!”
Mo Xi had inexplicably become master, madam, young master, young miss, godfather, and godmother, and was even being wished children with Gu Mang.
Naturally, his expression was not pleasant.
Gu Mang, however, was rather interested. He rubbed his chin and laughed.
“Wonderful. If I ever reach the point where I have nowhere else to go, I’ll just come here to beg for food. If I work here for two years through wind and rain, I figure I’ll be able to make a fortune.”
The little beggar immediately became vigilant and glared at him.
“I’ve claimed this position. You can’t steal it from me.”
Gu Mang burst out laughing and poked him on the forehead.
“Didn’t you just call me Master, Madam, Godfather, and Godmother? Why are you suddenly so fierce?”
“When there’s milk, that’s the mother. Whoever gives money is the father.”
Hearing this, Gu Mang rummaged around inside his Qiankun Pouch for a long time before finally pulling out a blue shell coin.
“All right, all right. Hurry up and call me Father.”
As he spoke, he pointed back at Mo Xi and laughed.
“Call him Mother.”
Mo Xi looked at him coldly.
“…”
Mo Xi was not the only one with an unpleasant expression.
The little beggar actually rolled his eyes and snorted.
“With this little money, are you trying to dismiss a beggar? At least three silver shell coins. Otherwise, you’re not getting into the temple!”
“Hey, you little—”
Before Gu Mang could finish speaking, Mo Xi had already calmly placed three gold shell coins into the beggar’s bowl.
Then he glanced back at Gu Mang and ordered the beggar,
“Call him. You know what you should call them.”
The little beggar truly had the ethics of a professional beggar.
His anger instantly turned into joy. He dutifully bowed to Mo Xi and sweetly called,
“Godfather!”
Then he turned to Gu Mang.
“Godmother!”
Gu Mang: “…………”
Although Mo Xi himself did not like being addressed this way by the little beggar, at least he had won one round.
Thus, he no longer bothered arguing with Gu Mang.
He paid the outrageously expensive worship fee, bought six sticks of ridiculously expensive high-grade incense, and purchased one frighteningly expensive peach-wood marriage talisman.
Then he led Gu Mang into the courtyard of the Land God Temple.
Gu Mang followed behind, sighing.
“I was only joking with you. Your heart is so small, yet you actually had to get revenge. Look at you. You’re angry all day long.”
Mo Xi said,
“I’m not angry.”
Gu Mang raised an eyebrow slightly but did not expose him.
He was clever.
After going back and forth with Mo Xi these past few days, he had already figured out how to tease him.
Making fun of this serious person was fine, but one could not go too far. Knowing when to stop and being satisfied with a little was the key.
It was like fanning a fire. Blow gently and stir up a little wind, and you could ignite a flame that was just right.
But if you accidentally fanned too hard, the airflow might reverse, and you would end up with your entire face smoked black like a tabby cat.
The two walked around the temple courtyard once, but they did not detect any particularly obvious evil aura.
The Land God statue enshrined upon the altar looked simple and amiable, so honest-looking that it could not possibly be any more rustic. There was not the slightest trace of anything demonic.
Gu Mang shook his head and said quietly,
“The sun is high right now, and the yang energy is extremely strong. I’m afraid it really isn’t easy to investigate.”
Mo Xi said,
“Since Miss Su said something strange happens after worshipping here, let’s worship according to custom first. If there is still no reaction afterward, we’ll come back tonight and examine this place carefully.”
“Do you really intend to worship?”
Gu Mang laughed.
“If you really want to worship, then you have to be very serious. If you just go through the motions, who knows whether the evil spirit will notice something wrong between the two of us?”
Mo Xi swept his sleeve.
“I understand that.”
He paused, then turned around and stared at Gu Mang’s black eyes, in which warm currents quietly flowed.
“But you have to do it too.”
Gu Mang froze.
“Do what?”
“…Seriously.”
“Oh.”
Gu Mang laughed.
The long corners of his eyes were like fireworks of starlight in the night, brilliantly trailing open.
“Of course. Every assignment I’ve ever taken on, Gu Mang has never failed because I wasn’t serious.”
Mo Xi glanced at him, then quickly turned his gaze away again without saying anything.
His expression, however, remained somewhat dark.
It seemed he was deeply suspicious of whether Gu Mang’s words could be trusted at all.
They walked to the eternal lamp and brought their incense over to light it.
Gu Mang held his incense and blew gently, extinguishing the flames and leaving behind only the star-like red embers quietly burning, shedding a little soft incense ash.
Six sticks of incense.
Thin wisps of smoke rose and curled through the air, while the clear fragrance of pine and cypress spread throughout the courtyard.
“Half for you, half for me.”
Gu Mang divided the incense.
“Come, let’s go into the hall and worship.”
The two entered the Land God Temple together and knelt on the cushions before the merit box.
The incense passed their brows, over their heads, then was raised to the center of their foreheads.
Together, they bowed down.
They had originally intended to make a wish and speak, but neither knew what to say.
Thus, both remained silent.
The smoke drifted.
The incense burned down.
At last, they seemed to bow sincerely, their foreheads touching the ground.
Yet neither asked for anything.
Because at this moment, neither of them knew what wishes they might one day have—wishes that could have anything to do with the person beside them.