After this question was asked, Gu Yuan stood there, momentarily at a loss as to how to answer.
"Don't bother answering. You've already given the answer."
Not only did Bai Qi have the answer in his heart, but I also knew it.
I bit my lips, almost on the verge of crying, and said, "Bai Qi, take me home."
I heard Hu Qingluan's sneering laughter from behind: "Lan Chiyu, turns out you're just the same as me. Hahaha, hahaha."
"Gu Yuan, we had an agreement. I've brought the person out for you. I've fulfilled my part of the deal. If you break your oath, it'll be until the full moon completely disappears... Hahaha, hahaha."
I slightly turned my head and looked behind. The dense killing aura around Gu Yuan was like a drawn bow, ready to be released at any moment.
"Hu Qingluan, our deal ends here." After saying that, he took out a yellow talisman and without the slightest hesitation, slapped it on Man Yue.
I was immediately stunned. I had risked my life to save her, but Gu Yuan actually...
Was he really that cold - blooded? It was simply outrageous.
Watching Man Yue's soul that stored memories dissipate like starlight, my eyelids grew heavier and heavier. I tried to lift them, but I just couldn't.
My body went limp, and I fell forward.
"Lanlan..." I didn't know who was calling me. All I could hear in my ears was a buzzing sound. My consciousness was getting more and more blurred. I only felt excruciating pain in my internal organs. Then, my vision went black, and I lost consciousness.
It wasn't until I felt someone sitting beside me, constantly wiping the sweat off my face that the painful feeling in every pore gradually subsided.
The cold sweat on my body gradually disappeared, and my breathing became even.
In a half - asleep, half - awake state, I seemed to feel a warm sensation on my forehead, as if someone was gently kissing it.
This warm current slowly penetrated my whole body from the top of my head. The shivering pain was diluted with this warm current. I slightly opened my eyes and looked at the person in front of me.
It was Gu Yuan. He was tucking the quilt for me. His slender fingers gently brushed the stray hairs on my forehead behind my ears.
The corners of my mouth curved slightly. It seemed like I was dreaming again. Sleepiness welled up once more, and I fell into a deep sleep.
...
I didn't know how long I had slept. When I opened my eyes, the sun was already high in the sky. I climbed out of the quilt and stretched vigorously.
I felt unusually refreshed. After I walked out of the room, my mother was busy in the kitchen.
Seeing me come out, she immediately put down what she was doing. Her face was overflowing with joy.
"Lanlan, you're finally awake. Mom was so worried. Come on, let Mom take a look. Do you still feel any pain?" Mom circled around me several times.
"I'm okay, Mom. I'm all better. How long have I been sleeping?" I sat at the dining table, picked up a large piece of braised pork with my hand, and put it into my mouth.
Seeing me like this, Mom knew that I was fine. She gently patted my hand.
"Have you washed up? You've been sleeping for three days. You stink. Go wash up quickly. Come out and have breakfast later."
I was chewing the braised pork, looking completely satisfied, and ran to wash my face. But as soon as I opened the door, I bumped into Gu Yuan.
Just a moment ago, I was beaming with a big smile, but the moment I looked up and saw him, my smile faded. I nodded at him and walked around him to wash up.
I didn't know why, but now whenever I saw him, my heart would ache. I had a strong urge to cry.
I stood in front of the sink for a long time. Looking at myself in the mirror, my eyes were a bit red. I splashed water on my face constantly, forcing myself to calm down. After all, my parents were at home, and I didn't want them to worry about me.
"Are you done washing? We're all waiting for you. Hurry up." My dad opened the door and urged me to go in quickly.
"Coming." I took a deep breath and forced a gentle smile in the mirror.
I originally planned to sit next to Mom, but she and Dad were sitting opposite each other.
There was no other way, so I had to sit next to Gu Yuan. Sitting beside him always made me feel uncomfortable all over.
For a moment, the dining table was completely silent. No one said a word.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Mom greeted me and said, "Lanlan, hurry up. Serve some food for Gu Yuan. It's his first time having a meal at our home. You should greet him."
I bit my lips and didn't say a word. I picked up the fattest piece of braised pork on the plate and put it in Gu Yuan's bowl.
"Master San, eat more."
Although I didn't look at him, I could sense that his eyebrows were almost knitted together.
"Then you should also eat more." Gu Yuan also put a piece of meat in my bowl, and it was the lean meat that I liked the most.
Looking at that piece of meat, my chin trembled involuntarily. I felt a lump in my throat. I endured the sadness and picked up the meat, stuffing it into my mouth and swallowing it whole.
This meal was even more nerve - wracking than going to a Hongmen Banquet.
At the dining table, Mom said that my cousin would be buried today and asked me to go with them. After that day, Zhao Youcai's mother had gone crazy from fright, and Zhao Youcai had been taken away by the police.
As for my aunt's family, they had realized their mistakes and decided to find a feng shui treasure land in our village for my cousin and build a new tomb, far away from the Zhao family.
The matter was finally coming to an end. After I finished tidying up the dishes and chopsticks, I went back to my room to change clothes. Just as I was about to go out,
I was stopped by Gu Yuan.
"I'll go with you to the funeral." His voice was still as cold as ever, without a trace of warmth.
"No need. Bai Qi will accompany me. You can rest at home."
"Then put this on." Gu Yuan pointed at the silver bell on the tea table.
I let out a soft "hmm", picked up the bell, put it on my hand, and then left without looking back.
I didn't know why, but after the incident with Man Yue last time, there was always a thorn in my heart. I couldn't find it, and I couldn't pull it out either.
I walked in the village for a while, and Bai Qi was already waiting for me in the distance. His blue eyes were smiling like crescent moons. As soon as he saw me, he waved at me.
There he was, tall, wearing a sky - blue tracksuit, with a pair of fox ears on his head and a big fluffy tail. He was just like a cute and innocent young fox spirit.
I also gave him a smile and ran towards him quickly.
"Come on, let sister touch your little ears." I stood on my tiptoes and tried to reach for his ears.
He cooperated and asked, "If you like them, how about I give you a pair?"
"Forget it. They look good on you. On me, I might look like a raccoon."
On the way, I asked him some things about Hu Qingluan.
Bai Qi told me that Gu Yuan had crippled half of her cultivation and let the fox clan take her back to their family.
As for how she would be punished, that was their family's own business.
After hearing his words, I didn't pursue the matter further. I hoped that she could reflect on herself after this.
As for Man Yue, I wanted to ask something, but I didn't know what to ask. So, I decided not to ask.
While chatting with Bai Qi, we had already arrived at my cousin's home. At this moment, several coffin - bearers from the village were carrying my cousin's coffin out of the courtyard gate.
But just as they walked out of the gate, a strange gust of wind blew. In an instant, sand was flying everywhere. The yellow soil and gravel hit our faces painfully.
As the strong wind raged, the coffin - bearers lost control of their bodies. They staggered, and my cousin's coffin "plop" fell to the ground.
People in the countryside all knew that the coffin was not allowed to touch the ground before reaching the cemetery, otherwise, it would be inauspicious.
But this inauspiciousness was too abstract. This time, I finally got to see what it really meant.