My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

Hearing this, A'luo couldn't help but ask, "Will he come again the next day?"

Ye Qingfeng nodded: "Come. Come every day, the second day, the third day, and the fourth day."

He doesn't always come to eat; sometimes the woman takes him out for a walk to see the mountains, the water, and the people in the market.

He said he had always been on the move and had never really seen the world properly. So the woman took him to the mountains, to the stream, and to the market.

She pointed to the flowers and plants, telling him what each one was. The scholar listened intently, as if he were hearing about something of great importance.

Lu Yang couldn't help but interject again: "What exactly is this ghost trying to do?"

Ye Qingfeng glanced at him, did not answer, and continued speaking.

"The woman and the scholar gradually became acquainted. She regarded the scholar as a friend, a friend she could talk to. She told the scholar about her husband, how they met, what they said, and what they did."

The scholar listened without speaking, simply listening. Sometimes the woman would start to cry as she spoke, but the scholar wouldn't try to comfort her; he would just sit beside her and wait until she finished crying before handing her a handkerchief.

"The woman gradually stopped thinking about suicide. It wasn't because she no longer missed her husband, but because she had someone to talk to."

She waited for the scholar to come every day, to talk to him, and to take him out for a walk.

She poured out her longing for her husband to the scholar, bit by bit. After she finished speaking, her heart felt less heavy.

Lu Yang's brows relaxed, he leaned back in his chair, and let out a long breath.

"A month passed like this. The woman opened a cloth shop, and business got better and better. One day, the scholar came, stood at the door, and did not come in."

The woman asked him what was wrong, and the scholar said, "I'm leaving." The woman asked, "Where to?" The scholar said, "To be reincarnated. My wish has been fulfilled; I can leave now."

A Luo's eyes reddened.

The chubby baby, unaware of what was happening, reached out his little hand and touched her face. A-Luo grasped his little hand.

The woman paused for a moment, then smiled. She said, "Congratulations." The scholar smiled too and said, "Thank you for helping me fulfill so many wishes." The woman replied, "You're welcome; you've helped me a lot as well."

Ye Qingfeng paused for a moment, tapped the table lightly with his fingers, and then slowly began to speak.

The scholar suddenly said, "I have one more wish." The woman asked, "What wish?" The scholar lowered his head and remained silent for a long time. Then he raised his head, looked at the woman, and said, "May I hug you?"

Lu Yang suddenly sat up straight, his mouth agape and his eyes wide open.

"That guy is definitely no good! She's married, what does he mean by this?"

Miao Gui also frowned.

"Indeed, this woman helped him fulfill his wishes all along, and in the end, she even made inappropriate demands; it was truly inappropriate!"

"However, this woman loves her husband so much, she certainly didn't agree!"

Ye Qingfeng smiled but didn't reply directly. Instead, he continued, "The woman shook her head somewhat angrily. She said, 'I am a married woman, this is impossible.'"

The scholar stood there, looked at her for a while, and then smiled. It was a faint smile, but very genuine. He said, "I'm sorry, I was presumptuous." Then he turned and left.

The moonlight shone on him, but cast no shadow. He walked out of the courtyard gate, into the moonlight, and never returned.

At this point, Ye Qingfeng picked up his teacup, moistened his throat, and leaned back in his chair.

Lu Yang couldn't help but ask, "Immortal Master, what happened next? Was there nothing more to it?"

Ye Qingfeng said, "A year later, the woman was buying things at the market when she dropped her purse. As she bent down to pick it up, a hand reached out before her, picked up the purse, and handed it to her."

The woman looked up and saw a scholar. He wore a blue robe and a square scarf, held a scroll in his hand, and was fair-skinned with delicate features. He looked exactly like the ghost.

Lu Yang's eyes widened: "Reincarnated? So fast?"

Miao Gui frowned as well: "One year, from birth to adulthood, is impossible. Rebirth requires ten months of pregnancy, and then there's the growth period after birth. How can one year be enough?"

Ye Qingfeng smiled but didn't say anything.

A'Luo couldn't help but ask, "Master, is that scholar really the ghost?"

Ye Qingfeng glanced at her, then closed his eyes, and the rocking chair swayed slowly.

The creaking and groaning in the night wind sounded like a wordless song.

"A story is just a story, don't take it seriously, and the answer isn't with me anyway," he said.

These words completely confused the group.

Only Yunniang remained silent. She felt that something was amiss, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

......

There were no lights in the narrow alley.

The moon was obscured by clouds, and only the dim yellow light shining through the windows of a few houses painted a few blurry bright spots on the ground.

Lu Yang walked ahead, carrying a paper lantern. The candlelight inside the lantern was blown about by the night wind, and his shadow swayed back and forth, sometimes long and sometimes short.

Yunniang followed behind, carrying a pipa wrapped in cloth. The cloth was found for her by A'luo, who said that the dampness at night might damage the strings.

She did not refuse, but wrapped the pipa tightly in cloth and held it in her arms like a child.

The two walked one after the other, their footsteps echoing on the bluestone slabs, a slow and steady patter.

Lu Yang walked quickly, stopping to wait after every few steps.

He glanced back at Yunniang and saw that she was walking slowly with her head down, so he slowed his pace and walked alongside her.

"Yunniang, did you enjoy the food tonight?"

Yunniang nodded.

"And what about the story?" Lü Yang asked again, "What did you think of the one the Immortal Master told?"

Yunniang didn't speak, but simply nodded again.

Lu Yang scratched his head, feeling that she was acting strangely, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why. He thought for a moment and figured she might be tired.

After singing for so long and sitting for so long, they must be tired.

The two arrived at Yunniang's house.

The courtyard gate was closed, and it was pitch black through the cracks; you couldn't see anything.

Lü Yang raised the lantern higher, illuminating the brass ring on the door.

Yunniang took out a key from her sleeve, inserted it into the lock, and with a "click," the lock opened.

She pushed open the door, turned around, and was about to say goodbye to Lü Yang when Lü Yang suddenly took something out of his pocket and handed it to her.

It is a leaf.

It's not big, a little larger than a copper coin, oval-shaped, with fine serrations along the edges.

The leaves are green, a bright green, as if they were just picked from the tree. The veins are clearly visible, the lines are fine, like a painting.

Yunniang paused for a moment, then didn't answer.

Lu Yang pushed the leaf forward and said, "The Immortal Master asked me to give this to you."

Yunniang took the leaf and looked down at it.

The leaf pressed against her palm, cool and smooth, with a faint scent—not a fragrance, but the fresh air of a mountain forest after rain.

"The immortal master said that after you go home, you should rub it on your eyes, and you will be able to see what you want to see."