Chapter 108

Chapter 108

Chapter 108: Lovers

Bai and Mei had already heard the same story from Madam Cheng before. It must be said that Madam Cheng truly cared for her only daughter; what she had recounted previously differed little from what Cheng Yao’nang now told the two Jianghu heroes.

Yet the swordsman and the blade master did not interrupt her, patiently listening all the while.

Although the general framework of the story remained unchanged, Cheng Yao’nang’s words contained many additional details.

For example: “…The first night I saw Song Lang, the moon hung bright in the sky. At first, I didn’t realize I had fallen asleep; I thought I was still at the bedside, embroidering. As I embroidered, I recalled the stories from the play. Gradually, I became lost in thought, when suddenly I heard reading outside the window—the lines being recited were exactly the same as when Song Lang first met the young lady in the play.”

For example: “When Song Lang saw me, he seemed familiar with me, and I was still doubtful. But Song Lang said this was an ancestral technique of his family. When encountering one’s destined person, the soul flies out to seek them. His grandfather and great-grandfather did the same; only his younger brother was foolish and lacked this fate.”

For example: “At first, I only asked him about poetry, calligraphy, and painting. Later, he told me about the beautiful mountains and rivers beyond. I listened with sadness, and he asked what I was thinking. I told him honestly, and he smiled, saying I only wished to see the outside world’s scenery—what’s difficult about that? Then he took my hand.”

At this point, Cheng Yao’nang lowered her head, glancing at her hand.

A faint smile appeared on her lips, as if she had returned to those joyful moments of the past. Even closing her eyes, she spoke softly to Bai and Mei: “He took me to the clouds, where the moonlight shone clear. He led me south to see the vast ocean, and north to see the snow-covered lands… Song Lang—”

Hearing this, Master Cheng beside her could no longer contain himself and finally shouted: “What ‘Song Lang’?! He’s nothing but a demonic spirit! Yao’nang, you’ve been bewitched by that ghostly thing!”

These words burst out so forcefully that Madam Cheng had no time to stop her husband. She drew a breath, grabbed his arm, and hurriedly looked at their daughter and the two Jianghu heroes. Just as she thought, before her husband could finish speaking, Yao’nang suddenly widened her eyes and shouted: “Father! Why would you speak of Song Lang this way!”

Master Cheng, heartbroken and furious: “Look at yourself now!”

Cheng Yao’nang defended herself: “What’s wrong with me?” She glanced at her hand. Well, she couldn’t say, “I’m perfectly fine.” But thinking of how the young lady in The Dream Quest behaved, she was certain: “I’m just like the female lead on stage, suffering from lovesickness! Once Song Lang comes to take me, and we have our wedding, everything will be fine, won’t it?”

By the end, a dreamlike expression returned to her face.

Master Cheng: “You… you—ah!”

He was both pained for his daughter and angry at her behavior, his chest aching slightly.

Unable to speak, his wife tapped his hand and scolded: “What are you saying? Didn’t we invite the Tianshan heroes to our home? Haven’t you seen Yao’nang’s previous condition? Now, should she listen to the Tianshan heroes, or to you?!”

Master Cheng: “……”

Master Cheng, feeling embarrassed: “Of course, we’ll listen to the heroes.”

The couple both looked at the blade master and swordsman, their eyes filled with the same expectation.

Bai and Mei, seeing them look this way, silently recalled the scenes atop Tianshan.

They each took a deep breath. One nodded to the Cheng couple, while the other approached Cheng Yao’nang and, smiling, asked: “So, does he come to find you every night?”Cheng Yao’nang watched Bai Zhengliu warily, saying nothing.

It seemed that Master Cheng’s earlier words had shaken her trust in Bai and Mei.

Bai Zhengliu understood this. He felt a bit awkward, but he also knew that in moments like this, he couldn’t force the girl.

Just as he hesitated, Mei Yinghan spoke from the side, calling him: “Zhengliu, listening to what Lady Cheng just said, does it remind you of us back then?”

Bai Zhengliu turned to look at him.

His expression clearly asked: Us? Back then?

What did that have to do with the current situation?

Despite his expression, Mei Yinghan remained calm, still smiling gently, and said: “Back then, you always said you dreamed of me. If we compare the dream scenes, there are really a few similarities. I used to think it was mere coincidence, but now, hearing Lady Cheng, I feel this is exactly like her ‘entering a dream’ experience with Song Lang.”

Bai Zhengliu: “……” His face twitched slightly. He was somewhat relieved the light was dim and he was turned away from the girl behind him, so she couldn’t read his expression. “Ah, so you mean that.”

Mei Yinghan’s expression was gentle, his tone sentimental: “We really are destined by heaven, aren’t we?”

Bai Zhengliu blinked: “…Mm, yes.”

Hearing these two lines, the Cheng family was first confused, then suddenly drew a sharp breath, realizing:

What? These two heroes are that kind of relationship?!

Unexpected!

But after a brief moment of puzzlement, the Cheng couple didn’t dwell on this new information.

After all, what mattered most now was their daughter. If their own child had made such a statement, they might have gone through the full process from shock to disbelief and finally acceptance—but now, that wasn’t the case.

As for Cheng Yao’nang, ever since Mei Yinghan mentioned “entering dreams,” the wary look in her eyes softened, replaced by curiosity toward the two in front of her.

Bai Zhengliu’s eyelid twitched slightly, but he clearly felt the change in Cheng Yao’nang’s attitude.

Alright, he would adapt too.

Bai Zhengliu adjusted his tone, teasing the swordsman: “Even if it really is fate, our connection isn’t as deep as Lady Cheng and Song Lang’s. We just happened to appear in each other’s dreams. It’s nothing like Lady Cheng and Song Lang meeting every night.”

With this remark, the Cheng couple’s reaction can be set aside for now. Cheng Yao’nang, however, revealed a faint smile and asked Bai and Mei: “Do you believe me? Don’t think I’m foolishly deluded?” She paused, then added, “And do you believe in Song Lang?”She didn’t say the word “demon,” but everyone present knew what she meant.

Under Cheng Yao’nang’s gaze, Bai and Mei exchanged a glance.

To outsiders, it might seem like proof of their unbreakable bond. But they themselves knew that in that instant, they had quickly read each other’s thoughts.

“Shall we go with this approach?”

“We have to let her trust us first, be willing to cooperate.”

“That’s true.”

After this silent agreement, the swordsman and the blade master both smiled at Cheng Yao’nang: “If you said Song Lang came to see you by some other means, we might have doubts. But since it’s like us…”

The pale color on Cheng Yao’nang’s face faded slightly, replaced by a flush of pink. “Of course, of course!” She paused, then seemed to make up her mind. “From the first time I saw you two, I thought you both had heroic looks—it’s as if heaven and earth made you a perfect pair!”

Bai and Mei coughed: “Thank you.”

Cheng Yao’nang shyly lowered her head, fidgeting with the bedding, clearly thinking of her beloved.

Mei Yinghan noticed her behavior and spoke again, in his usual gentle and soothing tone: “Lady Cheng, I haven’t asked yet—when does Song Lang usually come to see you?”

Cheng Yao’nang said: “At night.”

Mei Yinghan asked: “No fixed time?”

Cheng Yao’nang looked puzzled at the question but cooperated: “It’s always after midnight. I usually stay up late anyway.”

Bai Zhengliu pondered silently: So does Song Lang come after Cheng Yao’nang falls asleep, or does she fall asleep because Song Lang is coming?

Unable to figure it out, Mei Yinghan also made no progress. The swordsman decided to change the topic, regretfully saying: “I truly don’t want to disturb you lovers, but Lady Cheng, your health is really not good.”

At these words, Cheng Yao’nang’s gaze toward him grew wary again.

But Mei Yinghan seemed completely unaffected. Being stared at like that, he calmly continued: “Earlier, we told your uncle and aunt that both Zhengliu and I know a bit of medical knowledge. To regulate internal energy, the best method is not to remain confined in a room where a patient stays for long. You are suffering from lovesickness, yes, but even lovesickness, you can separate it somewhat from the rest.”

Hmm? That doesn’t sound like her father speaking ill of Song Lang.

Thinking this, Cheng Yao’nang’s expression shifted again. In front of her, Mei Yinghan remained impassive: “When I previously felt your pulse, I realized that with your current condition, only one part of your illness comes from lovesickness—the other nine parts come from being in this sickly room too long. The longer you stay, the worse it gets.”

Cheng Yao’nang listened, her eyes widening bit by bit.

Seeing the swordsman glance and smile at the blade master—there’s no mistake. She is in love and can naturally distinguish the gaze of a lover. After he smiled, the blade master quietly replied: “If it were me, I wouldn’t want to meet my beloved looking like this.”——With the conversation having reached this point, Bai Zhengliu naturally understood why Mei Yinghan had said so much to Cheng Yao’nang.

Since he also carried the reputation of “knowing a bit of medicine,” the blade master continued smoothly: “If you ask me, starting today, Uncle and Aunt Cheng should move Lady Cheng to another place. This room should be ventilated and exposed to sunlight every day. After a week or two, once the sickly energy is fully gone, she can stay here again.”

The Cheng couple was confused by the two men’s behavior, but since Bai Zhengliu had made a request, they hurriedly agreed: “Alright! Whatever the heroes say, we will do.”

“As for Lady Cheng,” Bai Zhengliu looked at her, showing a smile full of trustworthiness. “Since Song Lang enters your dreams, it doesn’t matter where you are; it won’t affect him.”

Mei Yinghan added: “Zhengliu and I have done the same. Even if we are at opposite ends of the world, we can always meet in dreams.”

Bai Zhengliu was moved: “Yinghan!”

Mei Yinghan smiled: “Zhengliu…”

Cheng Yao’nang was touched: “The heroes are right. Lovers are naturally like this. Song Lang loves me wholeheartedly, so no matter where I go, he will be able to find me.”

Bai and Mei: “……”

After ending their previous “deep gaze,” they turned to look at Cheng Yao’nang.

Even without being the two men or the parents who constantly worried about her, any stranger would see how bad Cheng Yao’nang’s condition was.

She was thin, her skin pale, with only her cheeks showing a sickly red. She looked at them so excitedly, so passionately… Bai Zhengliu’s smile remained, but in his heart he sighed. If he hadn’t already layered spiritual energy over his eyes to assess the girl and her parents’ condition, he might have thought the task he faced wasn’t from living people.

But that was impossible.

He closed his eyes briefly and opened them again, still appearing dependable and resolute: “Time is of the essence. Uncle and Aunt Cheng, even though it’s late, please help Lady Cheng move to another courtyard.”

Author’s note:

Here it comes!