Of Weddings and Wakes | Chapter 77 | The Soul Beneath the Skin | Novela.app

The words fell like a sudden clap of thunder across a clear sky. Mu Gesheng looked up in shock, finding the same look of disbelief mirrored in Chai Shuxin’s eyes. "That’s impossible," Chai Shuxin said. "I didn't hold back then. Hua Bucheng is certainly dead." "You did indeed kill him, but you only destroyed his physical body," the Little Novice explained. "Hua Bucheng’s cultivation was nearly godlike. Though his body was destroyed, his soul would not have dissipated immediately. It would have been easy for him to seize another’s body and be reborn." "And your subsequent heavy wounding of Lin Juansheng undoubtedly gave him the perfect opportunity." "After the burning of Penglai, Lin Juansheng went into seclusion to recover from his injuries, only emerging decades later to take the seat of the *Changshengzi*," the Little Novice continued. "But there is another possibility: it wasn't Lin Juansheng recovering during those years, but Hua Bucheng waiting for his soul to merge with a new vessel." "I suspected Lin Juansheng’s identity many years ago. According to Penglai’s rules, Lin Juansheng was originally of the Heavenly Calculator lineage. Even if he later joined Penglai, he had no right to inherit the title of *Changshengzi*. But all of this was ultimately just speculation. Although many subsequent events validated the possibility, I could never be certain." The Little Novice looked at Mu Gesheng and said slowly, "Until he lied to you." "If Lin Juansheng has anyone important left in this world, it is you, his junior brother." "I watched you all grow up. In matters like this, the people of the Ginkgo Library would never deceive one another." Just like Song Wentong and Wu Zixu—though they felt helpless regarding Chai Shuxin’s choices, they both chose to tell Mu Gesheng the truth through the *Shan’gui* Flower Coins. The Master of the Ginkgo Library had gathered the young scions of the various families to teach them together—this was an incredibly brilliant move. The bonds forged in youth would become their strongest support in the future, and amidst treacherous winds and shifting clouds, their mutual trust and familiarity would be their most reliable shield. Faced with such ironclad logic, Mu Gesheng found himself at a loss for words for the first time. He had to admit the Little Novice was right. If it were the real Lin Juansheng, he would never have done such a thing. "Hua Bucheng hid it well. Every word and action perfectly mimicked Lin Juansheng; he even imitated Lin Juansheng’s style at the chessboard." Mu Gesheng murmured, "...I noticed nothing." "Because you trusted him too much. Even if he showed a flaw, you would never have suspected him," the Little Novice sighed. "And since the Rakshasa avoided him like the plague, they had very little contact. Naturally, he wouldn't have noticed anything amiss either." Chai Shuxin remained silent. "This game was laid out on a massive scale, one link connected to the next. It began with the match between me and the *Changshengzi* of two generations ago, swept in Mo Qingbei and Hua Bucheng, and finally reached your generation." The Little Novice shook his head. "Three generations of ancestors and descendants, one grand play." The Little Novice wanted to prevent the birth of an "Immortal"; Penglai wanted to reign supreme; Mu Gesheng wanted to dismantle the Seven Families. Their goals differed, yet their paths converged. Three massive schemes had ultimately merged into a single endgame. Yet everything, at its root, stemmed from Penglai’s obsession with the path to immortality. If Hua Bucheng and Mo Qingbei had been able to enter the mortal world in peace back then, the past century of turmoil would never have happened. "But in the end, the student surpasses the master. You, my grand-disciple, are the boldest of all." The Little Novice laughed helplessly. "I only wanted to cut off the path to ruin, but you wanted to uproot the whole lot." Before he died, he had cast one final divination, calculating that the turning point would appear one generation later. The person indicated by the hexagram was in the ancient city at the foot of the White Water Temple’s mountain. He had heard rumors before: the Commander Mu of the city had an only son, a formidable little devil of a troublemaker. It was only fitting that he should wreak havoc in the heavenly palace and overturn this century of absurdity. Mu Gesheng said nothing more, only leaving one sentence before departing the illusion: "I need to think." "You do indeed need time to digest this," the Little Novice said. "A hundred years have passed; there’s no rush for a single moment. If you have any questions, come find me anytime." He then looked at Chai Shuxin. "Rakshasa, I leave this grand-disciple of mine in your hands." Chai Shuxin bowed respectfully to him and turned to leave. *** After emerging from the illusion, Mu Gesheng sat in the rattan chair, clutching his enamel mug, silent for a long time. Finally, he spoke. "Actually, I’ve been thinking about what to do next." The words were somewhat abrupt, but Chai Shuxin understood his meaning. The plan Mu Gesheng had laid out years ago was to dismantle the Seven Families, but as the years passed, hearts changed. Looking at the younger generation like Wu Biyou, his resolve might have wavered. It seemed that time truly could fade all things. Mu Gesheng looked at Chai Shuxin. "How much of what my ancestor said do you believe?" Chai Shuxin thought for a moment. "I find it credible." "I don't want to admit it, but I feel the same way." Mu Gesheng sighed. "I was originally hesitating on what to do, but the facts have made the choice for me." In the darkness, it seemed the direction of everything had long been predestined. "I’ve been wondering just how much Master calculated back then," Mu Gesheng murmured to himself. The day the guest from Penglai arrived and Lin Juansheng left the Heavenly Calculator’s lineage; the later death of his Master, leaving behind the divination for the nation’s fate; and then having Song Wentong store the past memories in the Mirage, quietly waiting for their arrival a century later. Regarding the past between Mo Qingbei and Hua Bucheng, Song Wentong had likely seen it as well. "The Mohist said nothing from beginning to end," Chai Shuxin noted. He had simply lived out his life in peace and met death with composure. This was Song Wentong’s unique brand of tenderness—he could kill a man in ten paces, but he could also return his blade to its scabbard and remain silent for a lifetime. It was also the last thing he could do for the Ginkgo Library. Mu Gesheng silently calculated the Little Novice’s words in his mind. Only one choice remained: to kill Hua Bucheng. Given the current situation, to kill the *Changshengzi*, he would still have to rely on the layout he had left behind years ago—collecting the tokens of the six families to destroy Penglai Island. Penglai Island was the root of all Penglai, the source from which cultivators derived their longevity, and it was inextricably linked to the *Changshengzi*. As long as Penglai Island could be destroyed, killing Hua Bucheng would not be impossible. The *Shan’gui* Flower Coins, the Vermilion Bird Blood, the Guwang Tobacco Pipe, the Shi Hong Blade, the Pangeng Oracle Bone, and the Rakshasa’s Life. Mu Gesheng suddenly looked at Chai Shuxin. "I’m tired." Chai Shuxin was slightly startled but quickly replied, "Then let’s rest." Mu Gesheng stood up, taking his hand and leading him toward the back courtyard. "Sleep with me." "Alright." "I want to eat Yipin Pot tomorrow." "Alright." As they reached the veranda, Mu Gesheng suddenly sighed. This was a rare reaction; Mu Gesheng almost never sighed, neither in life nor in death. He spoke slowly, "Sanjiutian, is 'alright' the only word you have for me, no matter what I say?" Chai Shuxin looked at him. "Are you angry?" "I’m not angry." Mu Gesheng scratched his head, a bit unsure of how to start. "What I want to say is, if there’s something going on, don't hide it from me." "You might think you're doing it for my own good, but that’s just your own wishful thinking," Mu Gesheng said. "You really need to fix that terrible habit of bottling things up until they kill you. I’m a grown man, after all, not some delicate flower; I can handle a bit of wind and rain." He thought for a moment and added, "You might be used to it yourself, but it hurts me to watch." Listening to him, Chai Shuxin suddenly began to laugh. "I am indeed... full of wishful thinking." This guy was missing the damn point entirely. "Are you even listening to me?" "I understand what you mean." Chai Shuxin’s gaze was focused on him, appearing very soft under the lamp. "You're worried about the tokens of the six families, aren't you?" Mu Gesheng was indeed worried about that, because of the Chai family’s token—the Rakshasa’s Life. He couldn't be sure—or rather, he didn't dare to be sure—if the so-called "Rakshasa’s Life" literally meant the life of the Rakshasa. Among the Seven Families, the Rakshasa was a very unique existence. Unlike the other scions, a Rakshasa was not present in every generation; they were only born in times of great chaos and were often short-lived due to their extreme violence. This directly resulted in very little being known about the Rakshasa. Even among the other scions, the Rakshasa had always been more feared than understood. In Mu Gesheng’s plan, even if the six tokens were used to destroy Penglai Island, someone would still have to strike the final blow to kill Hua Bucheng. Looking at the Seven Families today, the only one capable of fighting him was Chai Shuxin. Mu Gesheng had always been a high-stakes gambler, bold in thought and action, fearless and undaunted, even willing to throw his own life away for a chance. But now that he held Chai Shuxin’s life, he didn't dare place it on the gambling table. Chai Shuxin clearly understood his worry. After thinking for a moment, he didn't know what to say, so he simply leaned in and pressed his lips to the corner of Mu Gesheng’s mouth. "It’s okay. I’m here." He gripped Mu Gesheng’s hand, their fingers interlaced. "I won't leave." *** The night was deep and the dew heavy. Mu Gesheng pulled back the bed curtains and pushed open the window, letting the sound of cicadas drift in. The moon was bright and the stars sparse. He leaned against the windowsill, half his body submerged in shadow. The lines of his back rose and fell like slate-grey mountains, while the milky moonlight flowed over him, meandering into a pool at his waist. Chai Shuxin stared fixedly at his silhouette. "I used to have a recurring dream." Mu Gesheng’s curiosity was piqued. He turned his head to look at him. "What dream?" "I dreamed that on that night, you left with me." Mu Gesheng was stunned for a moment, then realized which night Chai Shuxin was referring to—their last night in Penglai, before he had cast the divination for the nation’s fate. Back then, the other man had asked him almost impulsively: *Are you willing to leave with me?* As if, as long as they had each other, they truly could have disregarded everything else. Before Mu Gesheng could say anything, Chai Shuxin spoke again. "I’m giving you those same words now." "Whether it’s destroying the Seven Families or killing Hua Bucheng, whatever you want to do, I will be with you." Chai Shuxin sat up, meeting Mu Gesheng’s eyes. "If you want, we can leave all of this behind right now. We can go tomorrow." Mu Gesheng allowed himself to fantasize for a moment and had to admit that even after so many years, his heart still skipped a beat at those words. He suddenly understood what Chai Shuxin meant and looked at him with a smile. "Neither of us has changed." Neither of them had changed. Just as Chai Shuxin would still ask him if he wanted to leave together. The Mu Gesheng of back then hadn't left, and the Mu Gesheng of today wouldn't abandon the mess before him either. Chai Shuxin knew he would make that choice, and he had given his answer: *I am always here; I won't leave.* Mu Gesheng pondered it for a long while, savoring the few words Chai Shuxin had spoken until he found five or six different layers of meaning in them, even tasting a hint of that "longing to speak but finding no words" sentiment. They really knew each other too damn well, Mu Gesheng thought. With just a few sentences, Chai Shuxin had transformed his heart full of worries into a state of speechless clarity. The whole process was self-contained and highly efficient. Only he could hear so much meaning in Chai Shuxin’s brief words, and only Chai Shuxin could make him so single-minded with just a few sentences. *Having searched for him a thousand times in the crowd, suddenly turning back, there he is, where the lantern lights are dim.* Mu Gesheng suddenly found it a bit funny and started grinning like a fool. He felt an immense sense of joy and liberation, then leaned down and gave the other man a kiss. He lay down naturally, sharing half of the thin blanket with Chai Shuxin. He closed his eyes with great satisfaction and whispered. "This is what they call sharing a bed in life and death." This was enough, Mu Gesheng thought. What more could a man ask for? *** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation --- | --- | --- 夺舍 | Soul-snatching / Possession | A Taoist/cultivation term where a soul takes over another person's body. 一品锅 | Yipin Pot | A traditional Chinese stew/hot pot dish, often associated with Huizhou cuisine. 生死同衾 | Sharing a bed in life and death | A variation of "sharing a grave" (生死同穴), emphasizing being together in both life and the afterlife. 罗刹命 | Rakshasa’s Life | The specific token/artifact associated with the Chai (Rakshasa) family. 姑妄烟杆 | Guwang Tobacco Pipe | The token of one of the seven families. 舐红刀 | Shi Hong Blade | The token of one of the seven families (likely the Zhu family/executioner lineage). 盘庚甲骨 | Pangeng Oracle Bone | The token of the Yin-Yang family. 朱雀血 | Vermilion Bird Blood | The token of one of the seven families.