A raincoat wind and snow to the small garden

Chapter 9: The Strange Story of Hai Niang (VI)

At night, several boatmen on the ferry who knew magic set up an altar and offered pickled meat and fish as offerings to the Goddess of the Sea.

Countless red candles and incense sticks were lit on the bow. The sea breeze blew up black smoke, pulling the candlelight into broken red flags. The sound of sandalwood and chanting filled the air. Under the dark night, the ferry looked even more eerie.

Although Lin Qiyu is a seven-foot-tall man, he is timid and afraid of ghosts. He refuses to go back to his own room and insists on staying in Xiang Xiaoyuan's room.

Yan Yun also came over, under the pretext of protecting Xiang Xiaoyuan. After all, although Lin Qiyu's hair hadn't even grown out yet, he was still a young man. How could a man and a woman be alone in the same room together? She had to be by her side to keep an eye on Lin Qiyu.

Xiang Xiaoyuan didn't care. She came from a humble background and kept things simple, without as many rules as the wealthy families.

As night fell, Xiang Xiaoyuan went to knock on Ni Miaoyi's door.

Soon, Ni Miaoyi opened the door, stuck her head out, and asked softly, "Xiaoyuan, what's wrong?"

Ni Miaoyi looked pale and not feeling well. She also covered her neck and coughed. It seemed that she had been exposed to too much sea breeze today.

Xiang Xiaoyuan asked: "Miaoyi, do you dare to sleep at night? Do you want to squeeze into my room? Lin Qiyu and Sister Yan are here."

Ni Miaoyi shook her head: "No need, I have a severe cough at night, it will be a bit noisy."

Xiang Xiaoyuan smiled and said, "What's the big deal? Lin Qiyu also snores!"

When Lin Qiyu heard his friend slandering his innocence in front of the pretty young lady, he quickly jumped out and said, "Nonsense, I sleep so well. Not only do I not snore, but even my pajamas are scented."

Yan Yun rolled her eyes: "I can testify that I really snore."

Lin Qiyu banged his head on the ground and said sadly, "Don't spread rumors. If those beautiful young ladies hear it, snoring will become my only flaw. I'm so perfect..."

Ni Miaoyi pursed her lips and smiled: "I'd better not join in the fun tonight. I'm used to sleeping in this bed. Besides, I have the protection of the Buddhist beads, so I'm not afraid of the Queen Mother of the Sea taking my life."

Ni Miaoyi had made up her mind and did not force Xiang Xiaoyuan.

The three of them returned to the room.

They bothered Huai Yu yesterday, and although they wanted Huai Yu to continue being their bodyguard today, the young man's imposing presence was too great, and no one dared to provoke him.

However, this time Huaiyu acted out of character and actually appeared at the door of Xiang Xiaoyuan's room, which was simply walking into a trap.

Lin Qiyu pounced again and hugged Huaiyu's long legs.

The young man was bumped by someone, and the belt tied around his narrow waist swayed slightly.

Huai Yu frowned and was about to explode.

Xiang Xiaoyuan patted the bed attentively, making the already fluffy and soft quilt even softer.

Xiang Xiaoyuan invited him flatteringly: "Sir... uh, Huaiyu, please come to bed."

Perhaps Xiang Xiaoyuan's expression was too flattering, Huaiyu raised his eyes, glanced at her, and remained silent for a long time.

Huaiyu said nothing, like a mute.

She held out her arms to Xiaoyuan, waiting for him to come in. She couldn't help but wonder: Huaiyu could still talk to her during the day, but why was he silent at night?

Since Huai Yu didn't come in, Lin Qiyu didn't dare to let go.

So both sides were deadlocked, and Xiaoyuan finally admitted defeat, withdrew his hand awkwardly, and turned to tidy up his bed. Only then did Huaiyu step into the room as if it were a blessing.

Xiang Xiaoyuan couldn't help feeling a little upset, thinking that the young man was deliberately going against her.

But when she looked up, she couldn't make out any special expression from the Nuo opera mask covering Huaiyu's face.

Those phoenix eyes were still as cold as ever.

I can't figure out what he's thinking.

Xiang Xiaoyuan was annoyed and decided to avoid provoking Huai Yu.

Everyone was very tired today and fell asleep soon after lying down.

The snoring in the room was so loud that Xiang Xiaoyuan couldn't sleep. She closed her eyes in a daze and heard the sound of balls falling to the ground in the second half of the night.

Boom, boom, boom.

There are three sounds in total.

Xiang Xiaoyuan thought that Ni Miaoyi must have fallen into a deep sleep again and didn't even notice that the Buddhist beads in her hand had fallen to the ground.

However, after a while, earth-shaking screams were heard from the boat again.

Xiang Xiaoyuan shuddered and quickly climbed out of the thick quilt.

Before she could rub her eyes, a gust of strong wind passed by her cheek. It was Huai Yu who grabbed the silver snake sword from the side of the bed and rushed out of the dormitory with nimble movements.

Xiang Xiaoyuan and Yan Yun looked at each other and decided to go together to see what was going on.

Halfway through the walk, she suddenly remembered the sound of rolling balls and saw that Ni Miaoyi was still sleeping in the room.

Xiang Xiaoyuan: "Do you want to ask Miaoyi to come and take a look?"

Lin Qiyu stretched lazily: "Forget it, isn't she weak and frail? If you call her to come, she might get scared out of her wits and have nightmares at night."

Nodding to Xiaoyuan: "That makes sense."

She no longer cared about Ni Miaoyi. The most important thing now was to go and see what was going on.

In addition to Xiang Xiaoyuan, other noble ladies and gentlemen also heard the scream and hurried to the scene.

As soon as Xiang Xiaoyuan squeezed into the crowded crowd, Meng Han rushed forward and grabbed Xiang Xiaoyuan's collar with his big hands.

Xiang Xiaoyuan was grabbed by a strong force, with her toes just hanging off the ground.

The young man who grabbed her still had a severed finger bandaged on his hand. The wound suddenly opened and blood gushed out.

Meng Han seemed to be frightened, his eyes were bloodshot, and his chest was heaving as he gasped.

He shouted angrily, "You evildoer! It's all your fault. So many people died on the ship. Since Queen Sea wants you to be sacrificed, why don't you just die? Why bother implicating us?"

Xiang Xiaoyuan was scolded for no reason. Before she could retort, a sharp sound of a sword being sheathed came from the distance.

The sword light was dazzling and full of murderous aura.

Meng Han felt a tingling sensation on his back. He knew this was Huai Yu's warning, so he could only reluctantly let go of his hand, not daring to embarrass his colleague again.

Xiang Xiaoyuan pulled her collar back and patted the wrinkled lapel, too lazy to pay attention to the crazy Meng Han.

Xiang Xiaoyuan turned his head and looked at the corpse on the ground.

This time, the dead woman was Zhu Fangfei.

The appearance and manner of death were the same as Lin Qing's. In order to help everyone identify the cause of her death, several poisonous seven-flavor fruits were even placed on the ground next to her.

Xiang Xiaoyuan did not pick the fruit. Her eyes fell on a few butterflies on the bluestone slab beside her.

After a while, the dead butterflies came back to life and danced around the small garden.

The soul of the dead man is parasitic on the dead butterfly, as if to tell the world that all cause and effect originated from Xiang Xiaoyuan.

When everyone saw the strange scene, they were so scared that they screamed heart-wrenchingly.

"It's Xiang Xiaoyuan indeed!"

"She is the sacrifice chosen by the Sea Goddess!"

"If you don't give her up, Queen Sea won't stop hunting!"

"Zhu Fangfei also died from the Seven-Flavor Fruit. It was Lin Qing's wronged spirit who came after her! It's all Xiang Xiaoyuan's fault!"

Xiang Xiaoyuan was subjected to abuse and accusations. Lin Qiyu and Yan Yun were worried about her and helped to defend her.

"What nonsense! What does a dead person have to do with Xiaoyuan?"

"That's right! Shut up!"

However, public opinion is scary, and once public opinion has been formed, how can it be extinguished in a short time?

Everyone thought Xiang Xiaoyuan would be scared, but seeing her calm expression and composure, they felt a little puzzled.

This girl from the country is so patient.

Xiang Xiaoyuan ignored the bad words. She calmly caught a flying butterfly and waited for the butterfly to struggle. The powder on its wings fell off and sparkled.

Xiang Xiaoyuan suddenly had an idea.

Xiang Xiaoyuan looked at Huaiyu, who was intent on judging the situation in the distance. She took advantage of his momentum and shouted, "Huaiyu!"

Xiang Xiaoyuan provoked the God of Death in public, and even called him without using any honorific title. Everyone present was terrified.

But Huaiyu looked indifferent, and didn't seem angry either.

Huai Yu's previously empty eyes flickered towards Xiang Xiaoyuan. He adjusted the tassel of his sword and asked calmly, "What are you doing?"

Xiang Xiaoyuan pleaded with him: "Can you... help me catch these butterflies?"

The rain fell calmly, and he asked lazily, as if strolling in the garden, "Do you want to die or live?"

"Live!"

"Oh."

As soon as he finished speaking, several thin silver needles flew out from Huai Yu's sleeves.

Huai Yu's attack was so swift and fierce that no one knew he was hiding a sharp weapon within his narrow sleeves. A few streaks of brilliant silver light were dazzling.

But in a moment, the antennae of those butterflies were pierced by the fierce silver needles and nailed to the door panel.

Each butterfly was only stung by the antennae and was not killed, and its wings continued to flutter.

When the onlookers saw this scene, they were all terrified. No one expected that Huaiyu had such a sharp eye!
If he wanted to kill someone, wouldn't it be just a matter of waving his sleeves?
Everyone was frightened by Huaiyu, and the voices of people wanting to atone for their sins to Xiaoyuan gradually died down.

Xiang Xiaoyuan shouted again, "Bring the urn! I know how to deal with the Queen Mother of the Sea!"

She didn't believe in ghosts, but in order to convince everyone, she had no choice but to use this method to fight poison with poison.

The boatmen were well aware of Xiang Xiaoyuan's connection to the Sea Goddess. Perhaps she did have a way to subdue the Sea Goddess? Otherwise, how could she have survived to this day with her frail frame?

The captain had no objection and hurriedly brought over a ceramic jar, handing it to Xiang Xiaoyuan tremblingly.

"Thank you." Xiang Xiaoyuan took out the silver needles and put the butterflies into the pottery jar one by one.

After doing this, she said mysteriously to everyone, "I've trapped a portion of Queen Hai's soul in a jar. Yesterday, I received guidance from the gods that I need to perform seven days of rituals to completely eradicate the disaster. During these seven days, my divine power cannot protect you. You'll be on your own!"

After saying that, Xiang Xiaoyuan didn't care about their expressions. She held the pottery jar and ran to the room without stopping.

Everyone was stunned by Xiang Xiaoyuan's words.

Some people said that Xiang Xiaoyuan was actually delaying time. She knew that she would soon be thrown into the sea as a sacrifice, so she could only use this excuse to save her life.

Some people said that Xiang Xiaoyuan was clearly being targeted by the Queen Mother of the Sea, yet she was still alive and well, not being killed. Maybe she really did have some magical powers, or... should we wait a little longer?

The husband said he was right and the wife said she was right. In the end, the two sides started fighting.

Yan Yun and Lin Qiyu took the opportunity to squeeze out of the crowd and move closer to Xiang Xiaoyuan.

When they heard Xiang Xiaoyuan take all the sins on herself, they were very worried for her.

Yan Yun said worriedly, "If you can't give them an explanation after seven days, I'm afraid, I'm afraid..."

Lin Qiyu sighed: "I'm afraid I'll really be thrown into the sea as a sacrifice."

Xiang Xiaoyuan didn't say anything.

After a long pause, she asked, "Is there a doctor on board?"

Lin Qiyu was puzzled: "Xiaoyuan, why are you asking this?"

Xiang Xiaoyuan: "Go get me a packet of sleeping pills, or some paralyzing powder. Either one will do."

Lin Qiyu was surprised and asked, "Are you trying to knock everyone on the boat unconscious so you can escape?"

Yan Yun glanced at him sideways and said disdainfully, "With your brain, no wonder your father sent you to the capital."

Lin Qiyu was hit in the sore spot and was so angry that he jumped up and down.

Xiang Xiaoyuan, on the other hand, looked at his friends playing around and shook his head helplessly, "I didn't mean to drug them."

"I told you, Xiaoyuan would never do that!" Yan Yun raised her eyebrows proudly.

Xiang Xiaoyuan gave a shy smile: "It's mainly because there are too many people and I can't seem to keep up."

Yan Yun and Lin Qiyu: "..."

Well, they thought too much of Xiang Xiaoyuan.

While his friends were getting the medicine, Xiang Xiaoyuan took the pottery jar and went back to his room.

As soon as he entered the door, Xiang Xiaoyuan ran into Ni Miaoyi who opened the door next door.

Ni Miaoyi had obviously just woken up, her eyes were still sleepy, and the strands of hair on her forehead were curled up by the sea breeze.

She covered her lips with her hand, yawned, and asked, "Xiaoyuan, what's wrong? It sounds so noisy."

Xiang Xiaoyuan: "Zhu Fangfei is dead."

Ni Miaoyi's almond-shaped eyes widened instantly, her expression unable to conceal her fear. She hurriedly asked, "How, how could this happen?"

"She also died from the poison of the Seven-Flavor Fruit, even though those poisonous fruits had been cleared away long ago. Some people say it might be the ghost of Lin Qing who is haunting her."

"I heard that Zhu Fangfei is Lin Qing's best friend. It makes sense that she is lonely in the underground and wants Zhu Fangfei to accompany her. I heard that ghosts are stubborn, so they have so many obsessions..." Ni Miaoyi said this with a sympathetic heart and did not dare to say anything more.

She turned the topic back to Xiang Xiaoyuan, peered at the earthenware jar in the girl's arms, and asked, "What is this?"

She winked at Xiaoyuan and said, "It's Zhu Fangfei's soul. Her soul is parasitic on butterflies, so I brought those butterflies back."

Ni Miaoyi got goosebumps and asked, "Why did you bring that back? Aren't you afraid of ghosts haunting you?"

Xiang Xiaoyuan: "I've killed so many pigs, I would have done it long ago if I wanted to."

After she finished speaking, she glanced at Ni Miaoyi's hand, frowned and asked, "Miaoyi, are your fingers burned?"

Ni Miaoyi glanced at her thumb, curled her fingers, and smiled gently: "It's okay, I was lighting a calming incense and accidentally burned my hand. I've applied medicine, it will be healed soon."

She nodded to Xiaoyuan, as if she couldn't bear to see any flaws on that fair, slender hand. She warned, "Be careful, it won't look good if you get scars."

"it is good."

Seeing that the sky was getting light, Xiang Xiaoyuan advised Ni Miaoyi to go back to sleep for a while as she had other things to do.

Xiang Xiaoyuan was so focused on foiling the dead butterfly's resurrection that he didn't notice the person standing in the room when he entered.

When she banged her head against a wall of flesh, she screamed "Ah" and stepped back repeatedly.

Just as she was about to fall to the ground, a cold hand firmly supported her lower back.

The wet and cold black hair fell down and brushed against Xiang Xiaoyuan's earlobe, bringing a cool touch.

After a moment, the rich fragrance of orchids immersed her.

The rich floral scent is mixed with a subtle hint of salty sea flavor.

Xiang Xiaoyuan realized that the person in front of him was Huai Yu.

Sure enough, when she looked up, she met the young man's cold eyes.

Huaiyu's face was pale, perhaps because of the wind or something else, which made the red color of his thin lips more vivid. Although most of his facial features were covered by the mask, Xiang Xiaoyuan was familiar with human bones and could still tell from Huaiyu's remaining facial features that he must have been very handsome.

"Thank you for your support." Xiang Xiaoyuan straightened up and walked around Huaiyu's hand.

She put the pottery jar on the table and listened attentively for a while. Through the thin container, she could hear the sound of butterfly wings flapping.

Xiang Xiaoyuan thought of Huaiyu helping her catch butterflies just now. She wanted to build a good relationship with him, so she explained, "Although I'm a butcher, I wasn't born to kill pigs and sheep. Sometimes the animals are ferocious, so I have to use bamboo arrows to shoot drugs into their bodies. Once they're stunned, I can use the knife to butcher them."

"I brought these butterflies back to see if they could be knocked unconscious by the drug. If the murderer placed knocked-out butterflies next to the deceased, once the drug's effects wore off, the butterflies would flutter around, creating the illusion of 'carrying a soul across the sea,' giving the illusion that 'the Sea Goddess' had committed murder."

Huaiyu is not talkative and remains silent as usual.

Xiang Xiaoyuan even thought that what she said was very funny and Huaiyu might be laughing at her.

Xiang Xiaoyuan said awkwardly: "If you think I'm daydreaming, then I also..."

"To Xiaoyuan."

The young man suddenly spoke, his voice was clear and crisp, like the ice on Tianshan Mountain.

This was the first time Huaiyu called Xiaoyuan's name.

Xiang Xiaoyuan opened her mouth in shock and uttered a soft "Ah": "What, what happened?"

There was no emotion in Huaiyu's phoenix eyes, and the tone of her voice was calm and gentle.

He said, "Lin Qing is the daughter of the governor of Youzhou. Her father commanded 90,000 troops. When the Khitan invaded the border town from the south, he led his troops to suppress the barbaric enemies and reclaim the lost territory. However, he harbored selfish motives and, in the name of defending the enemy, forcibly occupied the border town for a year. Only under the military order of the emperor did he give up the annexed territory."

"Zhu Fangfei is the daughter of the governor of Yongzhou. He was once feared by the other warlords and impeached by the governor for recruiting vagrants and privately recruiting Hu soldiers to expand his army. It took Your Majesty several years to weaken his military power and control Yongzhou's military might."

Xiang Xiaoyuan was speechless for a moment. She was not stupid and could understand Huaiyu's words, but what she didn't understand was why Huaiyu told her these things.

The little girl stared at Huaiyu blankly, her almond-shaped eyes confused and bright.

Huaiyu lowered her thick eyelashes and saw Xiang Xiaoyuan's stupid look, as if she was puzzled.

He said calmly, "If Zhu Fangfei and Lin Qing died on the ship, the local warlords would rebel. It would be because of their fatherly love that they could not hide their determination to seek justice for their children who had died in vain. Even if they caused a local mutiny, it would be a legitimate cause."

Xiang Xiaoyuan suddenly trembled all over, she understood.

Huaiyu was clearly telling her that someone wanted to use the children of these townsmen to cause trouble.

It was clear that the children of the noble families on the ship were not loved by their parents and were sent to the capital as hostages. But after their death, they became treasures in their fathers' hearts.

The military governors could use the child's death as an excuse to rebel, and might even take this opportunity to join forces to challenge the imperial power.

This is something Huaiyu doesn't want to see.

Xiang Xiaoyuan knew very well that Huaiyu's words had another meaning besides warning her.

Huaiyu wanted to say: Xiang Xiaoyuan, this evil thing has nothing to do with you.

Xiang Xiaoyuan understood.

Huai Yu looked fierce but was actually weak. He was trying to comfort her.

Huai Yu seemed... not as cold-blooded and ruthless as she had imagined.

(End of this chapter)