Ye Yinyu was dreaming again.
This was a familiar dream, and she had witnessed this wonderful illusion more than once. She stood on a high mountain, and there was no one but her. The surroundings were very quiet, and even the sound of the wind blowing the leaves in front of me seemed a little distant.
Then she would walk higher up the mountain. It's not that she hasn't tried to back away, but if she turns around, the road she walked behind will disappear and somehow become a steep cliff, with dense grass and trees growing there, naturally, as if they were born a long time ago. There, and they were born as cliffs, never changing.
She could only stop here or move forward. Nothing will happen if you stop here, but you won't wake up either. So she had to go up. Without any people or animals to accompany her, she can't help but think of many people as she walks upward: her strict father, her deceased mother, her favorite cousin, and even the lively thin dog at home. She deliberately thought this way to remind herself and those around her. In the dream, the thought of them evoked only a faint intimacy, as if they were just friends and she herself had become someone else... someone she didn't know.
Then she would stand at the highest point of the mountain and hear the long chirping of birds, coming from far to near.
The sound is getting louder and clearer, more majestic than an oriole and softer than an eagle. Then a red shadow will appear, growing larger and larger until the complete outline is visible. Yin Quan is always very strange, because she is clearly far away from the big red bird, but she can clearly see every feather on its body, and even the smaller down. She could even feel the temperature coming from the big bird. It was more like scalding than warmth. But its fur is very soft, like a physical flame.
The bird would hover over the mountain, constantly emitting an almost mournful cry.
Over the years, she kept trying to understand the imagery in this dream, but to no avail. That bird is indeed sad, and there seems to be something worthy of its nostalgia or protection here. She thought that the big bird could see her, and sometimes its sharp eyes would pierce her from afar, like an arrow from a string. However, it turned a blind eye to her and never judged her as an intruder into its territory or any other threatening existence.
Then she kept looking at it, waiting for the sunset. It won't be long before the sun in the dream will set in the west, and the last glow will cover the whole world. And at this time, the huge bird will make its last call.
It kept flying, probably because it was tired. Eventually, somewhere it will lose its final strength. It flapped its wings less often, its movements became slower, and it looked heavy. The brilliance of the setting sun fell on it, following it like condensed light points under dewdrops, igniting it.
It carries the relics of dusk until it reaches its limit.
Then, it falls.
When it fell, it was ignited and burst into flames. Like an extraterrestrial meteorite, it fell from the sky with a long trail. It swooped down, its body turning into ashes from the end, getting smaller and smaller in Yin Quan's field of vision, and finally disappeared completely into the abyss. When that spot of light disappeared, it became completely dark. She raised her head again, blinked, and the dark sky would shatter and disappear. She would wake up completely and face a new, heavy day.
She doesn't like red.
It was a strong sense of oppression and she didn't like it. In the dream, she felt it as if she were the bird, and her physical strength and energy were both on the verge of reaching their limits until they were completely exhausted. This process made her sad and painful, and made her truly feel the hopelessness of being alone when she wanted to call for help. At the worst time, when someone made a new red dress, she would tremble with discomfort just looking at it. The strong emotions in the dream would dominate her again, driving everything away, leaving only fear.
What is that bird? who is it? represents what? Why is it and not something else, and why is it that only I dream of it? There were no answers to these questions, and she had already given up on inquiry and exploration. She didn't even know when she would have such a dream. Occasionally when she was sad, her sorrow was brought into her dreams, and she would see the big bird that symbolized sorrow again; occasionally when she was angry, in the dream, the bird's figure and song also showed anger; and sometimes After a happy and fulfilling day, she could also dream about it, as if to remind herself not to let extreme joy lead to sadness. It appears without warning or pattern. At most, she had such a dream for seven days in a row; at least, there was nothing happening for more than three months, and she almost forgot about it.
This bird is so casual... She often sighed secretly.
Sometimes she falls asleep in a normal mood, but when she wakes up after dreaming about this thing, her good mood is gone. Others always didn't care about it, but her cousin was the only one who remembered it. She said that one day she would definitely find a reputable fortune teller to ask her questions. Although it was just something the children said casually, she felt extremely comforted.
This morning, she opened her tired eyes again.
After sitting on the bed for a while, I slowly got down and opened the window for ventilation. I don’t know why the maid didn’t come to deliver the meal today, maybe there was something else. There are not many servants in the family, and this is often the case when there is not enough manpower. In the past, even opening the window was done by a maid, but now she will no longer come into contact with others. However, even if her father didn't do this, she was determined not to talk to anyone again.
She looked at the white snow and felt a little cold, but she did not close the window. She didn't know if her cousin left today. The snow here is not heavy, just a shallow layer of white. I hope the snow in Fei Yue City won’t be too heavy...
It was a secret between the two of them for a long time that Ling Huan wanted to run away from home, but it was not as early as three years ago. After they began a long life of writing letters, she occasionally discovered that Ling Huan's letters would leave small ink spots on them, which were not eye-catching. She didn't pay attention to it at first, but then she gradually noticed that the dots always fell exactly under a word. So she put all the letters together in chronological order, looking for marked words. Together, she gradually learned about her cousin's little plan.
At first, she expressed concern and responded in kind. This kind of secret message is very short, using the smallest number of words to express the most complex meaning. Ling Huan has always been very smart, she knows that, but this little thought is not enough. Although most of the time, others cannot see their letters, but if Ling Huan leaves, the families on both sides must check these letters, and they will always find something. However, even if these languages are written, they are words that are difficult for them to understand. This is a tacit understanding that belongs to them alone, and Yin Huan is still proud of it.
She also told her not to worry if she didn't write for a long time. When she settles down and is no longer easily captured by her family, I will naturally write to her again. From her initial opposition due to safety concerns, to her gradual wavering, and now her expectations, she has spent three years solidly. She really wanted to see this vast world with her own eyes - but this was such a luxury. Now she could only rely on her cousin to take care of her.
Suddenly there was the sound of a quick trot. Then, the maid banged on the door.
"Miss! Miss, there are guests coming, and I want you to change your body...ah! Why are you here now -"
Yin Hu fell into brief confusion. She stood by the door and heard the maid hurriedly taking the key to unlock it. Maybe I was too panicked and clumsy, and I couldn't get it open for a long time. Then she heard the maid being pushed aside and the sound of the lock being cut by metal.
Cut off...?
The door opened, and she saw the panicked maid, her nervous father, and other eager servants.
...and the unfamiliar face in the center.
She is a somewhat scary woman. It was obvious that she was a charlatan. Although her arms were not thick, her muscles were obviously well-trained. On such a cold day, she wore thin clothes, with dark black leather and bright blue cloth as the main colors. Although the snow had stopped, there was still unmelted snow on her hair, shoulders, and in the folds of her leather.
It was strange, she had half a knife in her hand. It was a sword with neat cuts. Is this woman... using such a knife to cut the lock on the door?
Wait, something's not right.
Yin Huan's eyes finally stayed on the woman's eyes, and the two looked at each other.
She opened her mouth slightly, wanting to say something, but immediately shut up.
"The six realms are impermanent." The woman flashed a delicate bell, "Lan Wei Ming Thunder, Shui Wujun, under the command of the Lord of Nailuo, will take you away."
"..."
Yin Huan's judgment was correct, because she clearly saw that in the eyes of this strange woman, there was a halo like a crescent moon rising from the sea, emitting a vague and soft light.
Her father obviously knew her identity, and the servants around her also knew about it. They may have discussed something before they woke up, and now they just came to announce the results. She felt like she hadn't woken up, after all, it was like a dream. She looked at her father, with a bit of reluctance in her eyes. He stood aside a little awkwardly, sighing repeatedly.
"I'm telling Mr. Impermanence...I can't make the decision in all this." Father said, "It's not that I think you are a burden, and it's definitely not because of your mother's affairs..."
Men are always clumsy creatures who are not good at expressing themselves, but Yin Huan knows that very well. In fact, he didn't need to say so much, it was written clearly in his eyes. He didn't want to drive her away, he couldn't let her go, but other complicated thoughts didn't exist. His emotions were so complicated that he didn't know which main expression to put on his face. His face had never looked so twisted.
"But, where are we taking the young lady..." The maid who opened the door asked hesitantly, "And why are we taking her away?"
"Your lady is cursed. When she gets rid of the curse, she will be sent back intact."
However, Shui Wujun didn't tell them where she was going to take her. She wanted to ask, but didn't want to speak. The cool breeze of early winter passed through her and kept entering the house, blowing her numb heart.
But……
Ye Yinquan turned around and looked at this small room. Compared to the place where the servant lives, this place is large, but it is much smaller than my original boudoir. She looked at the broken lock again, as brittle as broken porcelain. Then she looked at the door above the food delivery door—it looked like a dog hole. Finally, she looked at Mizumu-kun's sword.
She had clearly made her decision before the Six Paths of Impermanence came to her door.
