Chapter 7 — Going Thousand Years Later

37

I glared in horror, my breath choked, and I could only make desperate sounds. The black curls slowly parted, and just then— A face swam toward me from the darkness. No… I should say… half of the face. The left half— was a face that was once beautiful and charming, although now it was frighteningly pale. The right half—only the bare white skeleton remained, so bare and bare that it made one feel numb. She grinned, revealing sharp white teeth, then whispered in my own voice:

“Fish Clown, Ngu He... so... you're here?”

A hand colder than river water reached out and squeezed my neck. A horrifying feeling of suffocation engulfed me, cruelly pulling me deeper. I closed my eyes in despair. But at that moment—

“Whoosh—!”

A sharp beam of light tore through the water's surface, rushing straight down to where I was struggling.

“AAAAA——!!”

The woman hissed miserably, her body smoked, then quickly turned into a black mist, swept away by the water, disappearing without a trace.

38

In the pitch black night, just like the bottom of a river, I had a terrifying dream. The hand suddenly pushed me down from the bridge. The face emerged from the depths of the water. I still remember clearly... The right half—only the empty eye socket remained, the skin had fallen off, leaving only a white skeleton, filled with resentment. But the left half... carries Nghi Dung's face. I don't know how much time has passed. Before I fully regained consciousness, I heard a familiar voice ringing outside. Tuong Duc: "... I saw it clearly, it was her. She really found her wife." Dao Dao asked worriedly: "Master Marquis, what should we do? She... is she still coming back?" Marquis? Immediately, the fatigue disappeared. I quickly jumped up from the bed and ran out. Outside, all three people are wearing modern clothes, looking no different from ordinary people on the street. Tuong Duc was the first person to discover me. As for Tieu Marquis— He stood with his back to me, his figure was slim, leisurely but calm. Noticing Tuong Duc's gaze, he paused slightly, then slowly turned around. The moment I saw him, just for a second... I couldn't control it, my nose was stinging.

39

Tuong Duc and Dao Dao took me to a hotel that they had booked. Little Marquis just arrived not long ago. He and I went out for a walk, but the other two were very sensible and didn't follow. After a long sleep, I woke up and it was almost sunset.

“I tried twice, I walked through the door but I'm still not your wife. Are you disappointed?” I asked slowly.

The little Marquis looked forward, smiled gently, his tone was calm:

"Is there anything disappointing or not disappointing? The dead cannot come back to life. I should have thought about that earlier."

I didn't immediately understand the meaning of his words. We walked along the riverbank, unconsciously passing by the place where I had fallen into the water. I only told Tieu Hau that someone pushed me down, but I didn't tell him that the person I saw in the river - that female ghost - had the face of Nghi Dung, the close sister I grew up with. Little Marquis slowly said:

“Lanh Nguyet died because of the previous life That's why it is confirmed that she is the Fish Clown. If there was a first time, there will also be a second time. She needs to be more careful in the future.”

I bowed my head and just said "um". I understood very well what he meant— He still considered me a Fish Clown. But unlike before, he was no longer overly attached to that.

40

When returning to the hotel, the chef had prepared a table full of Jiangnan dishes. We ate and drank well. After dinner, I only returned to the room for a moment, but when I came out, Little Marquis was no longer here. I wanted to know where he went, but I couldn't open my mouth to ask directly. So I pretended that nothing happened, wandering around the inn round after round. Until the last time— I almost crashed into Dao Dao. The girl's face widened and she blinked, innocently asking me:

“Madam, are you looking for Marquis?”

I felt my face heat up, so I didn't answer. But Dao Dao didn't seem to notice anything and continued carefreely:

“The Marquis has returned to the palace! His hands have a lot of 'life', and moreover... he's about to 'transcend', very busy! Later, me and brother Tuong Duc will also return to help him.”

I frowned: "What a disaster?" At this time, Tuong Duc walked in from outside, clasped his hands and explained:

“The princes and generals who have accomplished great deeds in their past lives, if their merit is sufficient, will not grow old or die, and will live forever and not die. But because heaven is balanced, they have to go through a 'transcendence'. If you pass, you can ascend to the Immortal Realm, enter the 'Tu Phu', and become an official fairy god."

I looked at him in surprise. Little Marquis... is about to ascend? Tuong Duc pointed at Dao Dao, his expressionless face continued:

“Everyone must save lives. Those with low cultivation will have a lighter life. Like her, more than ten years ago, she went through a terrible life—reincarnated as a little dog, staying by her owner's side for three years."

“Ah ah! The evil and hateful name Tuong Duc! You said you would keep it a secret for me!”

Dao Dao went crazy, raised her small fist to punch Tuong Duc, the two fought and chased each other away. I stood still, thinking for a long time. I don't know... whether I should tell Dao Dao or not— Ten years ago, I also raised a small dog. I loved it so much and raised it for three years. But then, he was hit by a car and died. If Tuong Duc's words are true... Then it's no wonder that when I first met Dao Dao in the temple, I couldn't bear to make her cry. It turns out… We met a long time ago.

41

At night, Dao Dao said he was worried that I would be scared and insisted on sleeping together. So we huddled under a blanket, like two close sisters. Before going to sleep, Dao Dao gave me an item. It was a slender bracelet that looked extremely delicate and beautiful. I picked it up and looked closely— It turned out it was woven from hair and red string. My heart suddenly had a special premonition.

“This is Marquis's hair.” Dao Dao said seriously, "Put it on, it's a talisman, no dirty thing will dare to come near you again!"

I quietly put the bracelet on my wrist. The hair wrapped around the skin, strangely warm. A feeling of being protected and appreciated, like a stream of warm water spreading from the wrist, seeping into every blood vessel, then penetrating into the heart. I unconsciously remembered that figure— Him walked beside me as dusk fell, the person I thought had left me, but in reality I had never been apart. That night, Dao Dao and I talked a lot. She said, when she was in the palace, she was always with Princess Ngu He. The two grew up together, and when Ngu He got married, she also followed and became a maid. Hearing that, I couldn't help but ask:

"Now that everyone knows that I am not a Fisherman, what do you plan to do, Little Marquis?"

After hearing this, Dao Dao immediately held my hand tightly, her eyes round and full of determination.

"No! Sister, believe me! I am the Fish Clown!"

Dao Dao suddenly became gloomy and his voice became low.

"Master Marquis said, the reason I haven't remembered my past life is probably because I myself don't believe in this story. And if you don't believe it, then no matter how much evidence you have, it won't be able to change your mind."

“The Marquis also said…”

"He just wants you to live happily and happily. If you don't want to step through that door, then don't step, it's okay. We will still be by your side, protecting you, until you have a hundred years of peace.

"In our hearts, you will always be my wife."

42

The vacation ended, I returned to the city. One afternoon, I suddenly received a call from my adoptive parents. I was raised by Nghi Dung's parents. As soon as I heard the name Nghi Dung, the image of the face at the bottom of the river appeared in my mind— Half of it was bare white bones, half of it had her appearance. My biological parents passed away in a car accident when I was only six or seven years old. After that, Uncle Nghi—my parents' close friend—took me home to raise me. Nghi Dung is a few months older than me. Since childhood, I have called her "sister" according to my adoptive father's wishes. I'm used to one rule— Don't compete with Nghi Dung. Only what she doesn't want can be mine. But other than that, Nghi's family treated me not bad. They raised me up, gave me a good education, and didn't let me lack anything. As for Nghi Dung, she has a bit of a stubborn personality, but the two of us still seem to live together in harmony. I was a helpless child, and for their nurturing love of more than ten years, I only had gratitude in my heart. When night fell, I brought some gifts and visited the Nghi family.