The moonlight flickered. Zheng Zhuxi’s eyes shifted slightly as she looked at Ding Songyan.
“Is there anything else you wish to ask?”
Ding Songyan shook his head slowly.
Not only did it seem he had achieved his goal, but he had also managed to connect many threads, finally seeing the truth:
He did not know what treasure Yan Changqing had brought out from the Heavenly Emperor’s palace within the Kunlun Mountains. Even if there were none, the mere mystery of where the vanished Kunlun Mountains were and how to enter them was enough to make various Sages and Grandmasters fight tooth and nail.
“We will keep watch,” Zheng Zhuxi said, nodding with great solemnity.
She retrieved the glass palace lantern and led a group of Xiaoming Sect disciples out of Chengyu Lane.
Seeing that there were no pedestrians around, Zheng Zhuxi looked up at the tallest watchtower, hesitated for a moment, and said:
“Senior Sister Taowuyue, Senior Brother Wu Feng, let us first go to the Prefectural Office and the County Magistrate's Office to report this matter. Then, we shall send a message via carrier pigeon back to the sect, requesting my mother or one of our uncles or aunts to come overnight.
“If there is no reply by tomorrow morning, the three of us will head back to the sect ourselves.
“This matter is complex, and traveling at night is dangerous. I fear there may be unforeseen mishaps. Unless accompanied by an expert of the ‘Mastery’ rank, it is best we do not leave the city alone to report to the sect.”
The latter part of her sentence was an explanation for why they were only sending a carrier pigeon to the Xiaoming Sect tonight.
Senior Brother Wu Feng, dressed in black martial attire and wearing an expressionless face, pondered for a moment before saying:
“According to what Second Young Master Ding said, this matter not only involves the Zhen Mansion but also the appearance of a nearly complete version of the *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas*. It may even hold the answer to the mystery of Kunlun’s disappearance and contain secret treasures from the Heavenly Emperor’s palace. Why not keep it under wraps for now and only inform the sect?
“Even if the carrier pigeon is useless, it would only take half a day to travel back and forth once the sky brightens.”
Zheng Zhuxi walked along the dark, gloomy street, her light green skirt swaying gently with her steps.
She remained silent for a long time, then pursed her lips and said:
“Human lives are at stake; saving them is as urgent as fighting a fire.
“The experts from the Prefectural and County offices are nearby. How can we abandon what is close to seek what is far?”
Tao Wuyue opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent.
Wu Feng looked at Zheng Zhuxi’s back, his expression unchanged, and said in a low voice:
“Illuminating the long night—the long night is outside, but it is also within the heart. Junior Sister Zheng, to be able to make this decision, your future achievements will be limitless.”
“Senior Brother Wu, you are devoted entirely to the sect. There is no question of who is right or wrong.” Zheng Zhuxi seemed to have lightened up, her smile clear and bright. “Since I am leading this patrol, I will make the decision, and I will accept the questioning from the Law Enforcement Elder afterward. If there is any punishment, just tell them I acted on my own and you could not dissuade me.”
…………
After her exchange with Zheng Zhuxi, the inexplicable oppression Ding Songyan had felt earlier dissipated significantly, but it seemed he had forgotten something else. He walked home at a steady pace and lay down on his bed.
He was drifting off into a hazy sleep when he suddenly heard the sound of sobbing.
It came from the inner room partitioned by the simple screen, and the crying was heart-wrenching.
“Qingyan?” Ding Songyan asked, puzzled.
“Second Brother, *sob, sob, sob*, I had a nightmare,” Ding Qingyan said, sniffling.
Ding Songyan felt a bit helpless:
“What kind of nightmare?”
Ding Qingyan sniffled:
“I first dreamed that, I dreamed that we moved back into that big courtyard, but then, then Father died, Mother died, Eldest Brother died, and you died too. The whole courtyard was covered in blood, bright red, and I was the only one standing there watching. Only me, *sob, sob, sob*…”
The more she spoke, the more she could not stop her crying.
“Dreams are the opposite of reality,” Ding Songyan tried to comfort her.
Ding Qingyan sobbed:
“But the feeling was so sad, just as if it had really happened.
“Then I dreamed again that we were still in this courtyard, and Mother killed Eldest Brother, killed Father, and you didn't want me anymore, and I didn't know where you had gone, leaving me alone in this room, *sob, sob, sob*, only me…”
“Am I not right here?” Ding Songyan said gently.
Ding Qingyan seemed to be wiping her tears and nose with a handkerchief. After a while, she said:
“I also dreamed that I was waiting for you to tell me a story and coax me to sleep. I waited and waited and waited, but you never came. The room was so dark, and there seemed to be blood on the window…”
At the end of it, the young girl began to sob again.
“Shall I tell you a story now?” Ding Songyan felt that his sister wasn't crying just to trick him into telling a story.
“No need,” Ding Qingyan replied with a heavy nasal tone.
She spoke with fear, her voice trembling slightly:
“Second Brother, do you think, do you think something bad is going to happen? Otherwise, why would I have such a dream?
“Second Brother, I don't want to be separated from you. Second Brother, I don't want you to die…”
Thinking of what might happen tomorrow, Ding Songyan’s thoughts surged, and he didn't know how to comfort Ding Qingyan.
*I didn't show any signs of abnormality… Is my little sister so sensitive to bad omens?* After sighing in his heart, Ding Songyan said to Ding Qingyan:
“It won't happen. I won't die, and wherever I go, I will take you with me.”
“Swear it!” Ding Qingyan seemed to know she was being a bit unreasonable, but she still hadn't fully calmed down.
“Fine, fine, fine.” Ding Songyan deliberately tried to lighten the mood. “Who should I swear to?”
“Swear to the Supreme Profound Origin Heavenly Venerate,” Ding Qingyan recalled and said.
This was the honorific given by Taoism after incorporating the Heavenly Emperor into its own system. The full version was too long for most people to remember, so ordinary people simply called him by this shortened name.
Ding Songyan cleared his throat:
“I, Ding Songyan, swear to the Supreme Profound Origin Heavenly Venerate that I will not die, I will not abandon my little sister, and wherever I go, I will take her with me. Otherwise, may I be struck by lightning and consumed by fire and water.”
The condition for breaking this oath was his death, so Ding Songyan made it without any psychological burden. If he were already dead, what was there to fear?
However, considering this was a world with divine powers and a Netherworld, he secretly changed the intended “suffer eternal damnation” to “consumed by fire and water.” What if there was some awareness after death, or an afterlife?
As for taking his sister wherever he went, it was just a matter of an extra pair of chopsticks and an extra bowl.
Ding Qingyan was finally satisfied and said:
“Then I believe you.”
She tossed and turned for a while before finally falling asleep again.
…………
The next day, Ding Songyan, who hadn't slept well, had slightly puffy bags under his eyes. He picked up his tools and prepared to go out.
“Second Young Master.” Ding Daniu, who for some reason was later than usual heading to the docks, came over and smiled at him, “You are truly good to me. I will remember it.”
*Saying such things for no reason…* Ding Songyan was confused and responded with a few words before heading to Dangkang Temple with Xu Chang'an.
Seeing the market in sight, he pondered for a moment and said to Xu Chang'an:
“Come find me at my house at the time of the Monkey (3:00 PM to 5:00 PM). If I’m not there, go to the County Magistrate's Office and report that the Zhen Mansion is trying to harm me.”
“What?” Xu Chang'an looked at Ding Songyan in shock and uncertainty.
Ding Songyan nodded with a smile:
“You don't need to worry about what happens after that.”
If the matter were to erupt today, no one would likely be watching a minor character like Xu Chang'an anymore. If it didn't erupt, he would surely be at home waiting for him by the time of the Monkey, and by then, he might not even remember such a thing.
Xu Chang'an’s Adam’s apple bobbed a few times:
“Alright.”
The two parted ways. Ding Songyan arrived at his usual spot, gathered his spirits, and told the final chapter of *The Legend of the White Snake*, making it rise and fall with drama, ultimately ending with a warm and cozy scene of family reunion.
Xiaoqing looked satisfied and rewarded him with silver ingots again. The other onlookers, seeing it was a happy ending, opened their purses one after another, more generously than ever before.
“See you this evening.” Xiaoqing was busy heading to the banquet at the Zhen Mansion and didn't say much more to Ding Songyan. She waved her hand and led her maid toward the Tianyang Guild Hall.
Just as Ding Songyan was about to leave, he saw a peer wearing a dark blue robe approach him.
The middle-aged man in his forties smiled obsequiously:
“Second Young Master Ding, would you be willing to let others tell this *Legend of the White Snake*?”
“I plan to compile it in the next few days and see if the Book Club is willing to accept it.” Ding Songyan had already thought about this.
He had already learned a lot about the rules of storytelling in this world: if others wanted to tell his *Legend of the White Snake*, they had to pay him money and get his consent. If not, they would have to completely change the story to tell it. Of course, if someone heard the story and ran off to Yan Capital or other provinces to tell it, he would be out of reach and unable to control it.
If he sold the script of *The Legend of the White Snake* to the Book Club, other storytellers would only need to pay a fee to the Book Club to tell the story and could make their own favorite adaptations without needing to consult him. As for whether Ding Songyan would get a share, that would depend on the terms he negotiated with the Book Club.
In addition, the local Book Club would recommend good scripts to Book Clubs in other provinces to earn money. If other clubs bought them, they would naturally keep an eye out for any storytellers who started telling the story without paying. This was what people meant by “All Book Clubs under heaven are one family, breaking the bones but keeping the tendons connected.” As for internal disputes and grievances, everyone would settle those behind closed doors.
Hearing Ding Songyan’s words, the peer was overjoyed:
“That would be great, that would be great! Second Young Master Ding, you are truly straightforward!”
Ding Songyan said a few modest words, and just as he was about to leave, others came to find him one after another. They were all well-known figures from the entertainment districts of the North Ward, inviting him to perform at their venues.
Not knowing if he would even have a tomorrow, he made an excuse about needing to consider it carefully and left the Dangkang Temple market.
After grabbing a casual meal, he arrived outside the Zhen Mansion but didn't rush in. He paced back and forth nearby, waiting for Xiaoqing and her second uncle to arrive, and waiting for Ren Youyang to appear.
He wanted to show his face in front of Xiaoqing and Ren Youyang, thereby “telling” them that he was just as he always was, coincidentally at the Zhen Mansion, and if something really went wrong, he hoped they would remember to pull him out of the fire.
While waiting patiently, Ding Songyan suddenly saw a familiar figure.
It was his mother, Liu Yuzao.
Liu Yuzao was wearing a dark-colored, front-buttoned short shirt and a blue horse-face skirt, with a black veil hat on her head. She walked toward the Zhen Mansion at a steady pace.
“Mother, what are you doing here?” Ding Songyan asked, approaching her in confusion.
“I’ve come to visit your cousin Nansheng,” Liu Yuzao said simply.
Ding Songyan was silent for a moment before saying:
“The Zhen Mansion has distinguished guests today. It is best not to stay too long.”
*There will be danger.*
Liu Yuzao said “Mm” and entered the Zhen Mansion through the side door.
Watching her back, Ding Songyan was first puzzled, and then felt a sharp pain in his head.
*Fake, fake, fake!* It was as if a voice had erupted in his heart, echoing incessantly.
In an instant, Ding Songyan remembered what he had discovered last night and what he had forgotten:
Ding Shengyi was the “Moth Father” who manipulated the “Moth People” to perform their plays, and Ding Daniu was a person who had achieved success in martial arts and possessed strange physical traits!
And he had completely forgotten these things while strolling with Xiaoqing!
As this memory returned, Ding Songyan suddenly recalled the questions he had asked Ding Qingyan when he first woke up after transmigrating:
“How can you prove that you are my real sister?”
“And how can you prove that the people who came are my father and mother?”
This had actually turned into a prophecy.
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