CALID Chapter 65

Wedding Dress

After Feng Yi and He Simu resolved the situation with Concubine Yu and the Ghost Lord, they withdrew the formation and walked out of the palace. By this time, the moon had risen to its zenith. A purple figure walked down the alley of the Imperial Border District. When Feng Yi saw her, he smiled happily and waved, “Ziji!”

He had only taken two steps forward when he began to sway, and his wooden staff fell to the ground, ringing out with a clear sound. In that moment, his lean white figure collapsed, but he was caught in time by Ziji.

Feng Yi closed his eyes and fell unconscious in Ziji’s arms. Ziji looked at the alarming red marks all over his body and lifted her head to gaze at He Simu with a questioning look.

He Simu said, “His body has a strong reaction to impurities and evil spirits. Exposed to ghostly aura, he can only endure for up to three hours at most. Take good care of him, and once the red marks on his body fade, he’ll be fine.”

The strongest sorcerer in the world was ironically the least suitable to be a sorcerer.

Ziji nodded, supporting Feng Yi as she stood up. He Simu quietly observed her, then suddenly asked, “Ziji, how old are you this year?”

Ziji hesitated for a moment before answering, “Twenty years old.”

“What is your zodiac sign?”

…

As Ziji hesitated, He Simu smiled and said, “Ziji, you can’t even remember your own zodiac sign. Are you really only twenty years old?”

She was indeed not an ordinary person.

Ziji held Feng Yi silently, standing still.

“I don’t care much about who you really are. Feng Yi has grown up, and he doesn’t need me to make decisions for him anymore. Regardless of who you are, if he chooses to keep you by his side, he must have his reasons.”

Under the veil of the headdress with red bead curtains, He Simu’s voice was calm and gentle.

“Feng Yi has always been an unruly child, curious, weak in body, plagued by illness and misfortune. He cannot live out his full life. In the future, he must walk his own path. I see that he respects you greatly and I hope you can take good care of him by his side.”

Ziji nodded and said, “Okay.”

He Simu patted her shoulder and said, “Take him back. I want to be alone for a while.”

In the deep night of Nandu, where all was quiet, only the night watchman’s absent-minded “Be cautious with fire in the dry weather” echoed in the streets. He Simu walked through several courtyard gates and walls under the moonlight, finally arriving at a room in an elegant courtyard.

Surprisingly, the owner of the room had not yet gone to sleep. He was wearing thin clothes, leaning on the windowsill, gazing at the night sky. Following his gaze, He Simu saw several lanterns rising into the night sky.

He said, “Someone else has passed away.”

She opened her Yin Eyes for him. By now, he was quite familiar with this ghostly world, yet he still couldn’t see her deliberate concealment.

This was the courtyard of the Duan family. The man in front of her was her cursed one, Duan Shunxi, who will get married soon.

Suddenly, Duan Shunxi turned his head, as if sensing something. His gaze roamed around the room, and he whispered, “I feel like someone is watching me.”

It was a familiar scene. In Shuozhou, she had hidden her form to observe him like this. His intuition was still so accurate.

After a moment of silence, Duan Shunxi closed the window and sat down on the edge of the bed, looking around for a while before smiling and saying, “Is it you?”

He Simu didn’t respond. Even if she did, he wouldn’t be able to hear her. After some thought, she simply sat down on the ground where the moonlight fell through the window, covering her entire body with the bead curtains of her headdress. She looked up at Duan Shunxi sitting on the bed.

In truth, she didn’t know what to say or why she had come here. She was merely reminded of past memories by a few words from the Ghost Lord, feeling melancholic for a moment. Lost in thought, she ended up here before she realized it.

“What do you like?”

She remembered she hadn’t prepared the gift yet and asked like this. Through the concealed sound of her spell, it was more like she was speaking to herself.

Duan Shunxi sat cross-legged, supporting his chin with his hand, his gaze falling into the distance, his eyes blinking quietly.

“Your Highness, I like you.” He suddenly said, as if continuing her question.

He Simu frowned and said, “That won’t do.”

Duan Shunxi propped up his head and looked at the quiet and secluded room, smiling lightly. He said to himself, “There is one thing that I care about a lot. You never ask me why I like you. You don’t ask me, which should be because there are too many people who like you, and you take it for granted. So, you’re not curious about the reasons why I like you.”

He Simu looked at him silently. The vivid features on his body, the so-called fervent bravery, sincere madness, were now calm in the night, as if all emotions had turned into a clear pond.

He spoke softly, as if accusing and joking at the same time, “You lure me in.”

He Simu raised her eyebrows.

“With your gentleness beneath your cold exterior, the loneliness above all ghosts, and the love for the world, you lure me in. And I willingly took the bait.”

He lowered his chin and looked up at her. From this angle, his upper eye line was clear and sharp, his eyes shining brightly, exceptionally focused. He Simu was momentarily stunned, as if captured by his gaze.

Duan Shunxi leaned down and whispered softly, “Will you miss me?”

“Since leaving Yuzhou City until now, I’ve always missed you. Every day, every thing reminds me of you.”

“When I met you on the street, you asked me who I was. At that time, although I knew you were pretending to be ignorant, I thought maybe one day you would really forget, forget my name, forget my appearance, forget me. By then, I should have turned to dust, with no chance to hold onto you and introduce myself again.”

“I think it’s really unfair. You must rarely miss me, so you easily forget. If you miss me like I miss you, at least you could remember me for a hundred years.”

He spoke in a relaxed tone, as if just joking, his gaze falling on the cobblestones in front of He Simu. In fact, they were very close, close enough that she could reach out and touch his face if she wanted.

As if under some spell, He Simu raised her hand and reached through the crimson bead curtain towards Duan Shunxi until her fingertips passed through his cheek. She paused, realizing that she couldn’t touch his ethereal soul.

He lifted his bright eyes and asked seriously, “Simu, are you still there?”

He Simu’s hand paused in the air before slowly retracting. She didn’t remove her concealment spell, nor did she speak to Duan Shunxi.

Duan Shunxi lowered his eyelids, chuckled softly, and said, “Are you leaving? Not even saying a word to me.”

He finally stopped talking to himself, lay back on the bed, covered himself with the blanket, turned towards the wall, and closed his eyes. He Simu watched his back for a while, until his breathing became steady and long, before she stood up, smiled gently, and whispered, “Little Fox Duan, I’m quite busy, you know.”

If he woke up now, if he could hear her voice, he would find her voice surprisingly gentle.

“But, occasionally, I miss you too.”

He Simu was silent for a moment, feeling a bit ridiculous for not being completely honest at this moment.

So she added, “I often miss you.”

The moon set, and a faint light appeared on the horizon as the sun rose, bringing vitality to the world with the sounds of insects and birds chirping. He Simu thought, she had inexplicably come here, listened to Duan Shunxi talking to himself for a long time, and stayed here for a long time, but she still hadn’t figured out what new wedding gift to give him.

On the night of May 20th, Consort Yu and the Fifth Prince attempted to escape the palace and assassinate. Upon being exposed, Consort Yu committed suicide in Guanghe Palace. The Emperor was furious, accusing her family and conducting a thorough investigation into the household of Minister of War, Sun Zian. The official sent to conduct the investigation, Jing Yan, found irrefutable evidence of corruption in the household, leading to the final conclusion of the Ma Zheng (Horse) corruption case. Minister of War, Sun Zian, and Grand Minister of Ceremonies, were executed. The Emperor ordered the reform of the Ma Zheng.

June 18th, amidst the initial chaos, Duan Family’s Third Young Master, Duan Xu, held his grand wedding.

That day, Nandu was extremely lively, with fireworks filling the sky, drums beating loudly, and countless people crowding the streets to witness the gallant Duan Xu marrying his bride.

He Simu and Feng Yi stood on the rooftop of a building along the street, watching as Duan Shunxi emerged from the Duan residence. He wore a bright smile on his face, mounting his horse with grace and agility. His robes and hair accessories fluttered in the wind, exuding a youthful and vibrant aura.

Feng Yi sighed deeply, fanning himself as he said, “I, as an esteemed guest who received the wedding invitation from the Duan Family, am much more formally dressed than you, Old Ancestor. Yet here I am, standing on this scorching rooftop with you, admiring the groom so shamelessly. What crime have I committed?”

He Simu chuckled and replied, “Who asked you to come here? You could have gone to the Duan residence and enjoyed the feast.”

“I’m here because I noticed that Old Ancestor, you’ve never attended a wedding before. I thought I’d accompany you,” Feng Yi said with a hint of grievance.

Their conversation was drowned out by the sounds of firecrackers and the cheering crowd. Servants carried long bamboo poles adorned with firecrackers, igniting them from the bottom, causing them to crackle and burst with fiery sparks, creating a jubilant atmosphere. Paper scraps floated in the air like sparks or festive snowflakes.

The brightly coloured couplets swayed, musicians played lively tunes, and the air was filled with joyous excitement. He Simu couldn’t help but wonder, what was there to be happy about? What was the meaning of a wedding? Why did Duan Shunxi insist on inviting her to his wedding? Was he hoping to see her sad or regretful?

Was that it?

Duan Shunxi suddenly looked up from his horse. This time, He Simu didn’t conceal herself, and Duan Shunxi could see her clearly. He gazed at her deeply for a moment before smiling brightly. He took out a talisman from his pocket, waved it in the air, and then tossed it up. The talisman ignited and turned into ashes in the air.

From that moment on, the world in He Simu’s eyes suddenly changed. The monochrome hues dissolved like melting into water, and all things were instantly dyed with various dazzling colours, eagerly jumping into her eyes, vivid and beautiful, making her heart race and leaving her at a loss.

Among all the chaotic and dazzling colours, Duan Shunxi looked up and met her gaze without blinking. His dark-coloured headband, clothes, and light-coloured hairpin suddenly changed their appearance. He exuded a fervent, warm, and splendid aura, shining brightly under the sunlight, just like the day she had touched his heartbeat.

Those colours seemed alive, alive on him. It was hard to tell whether he brought those colours to life or if those colours made him more vibrant.

He Simu belatedly realized that it was what people called red, and Duan Shunxi looked incredibly handsome in red clothes.

Duan Shunxi smiled at her, amidst the swirling red paper scraps, breathtakingly beautiful, like a burning scroll painting.

He wants her to attend his wedding, then exchange his sense of colour with her.

He wants her to see, for the first time in her life, a colourful world, wearing his wedding attire.