The Guide to Capturing a Black Lotus

“Like I said, Ah Sheng is a very thorough child.” Ling Lushan leaned back in his chair, his belly revealed, and spoke with a smile while drinking tea.

The servants had already set up the boxes, each box contained different frozen birds and animals, a spectacular sight to behold. The blocks of ice were slowly emitting cold air, keeping the room cool for the time being.

Mu Sheng sat on the side, his eyelashes lowered and unmoving. Ling Miaomiao looked at him, coughed and answered for him: “Not even close.

The only thing that surprised her was that her father didn’t ask about Mu Sheng’s condition at all, and accepted it as if nothing had happened, which made her feel a little guilty.

“Nonsense,” her father shot a glance at her, “When you got married, he even sent geese all the way here.”

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When the goose came, it was alive, with a big red ribbon tied on its wings, fluttering around in the hall, causing havoc. The maids serving tea in the rooms, and the sweepers outside, all left their work and ran over to see it, giving a lot of face.

Ling Miaomiao pursed her lips and smiled.

Father Mayor glanced mysteriously at Mu Sheng, and lowered his voice, as if afraid he would hear: “In fact, when they first stayed with us, I took a fancy to him.”

Tsolhla, ds xyvvla bso zswe bl oyp, Yw Fbldt eke dsv alynv; bl zssjle vs vbl pkel yde qsnwple sd Nkdt Ykysxkys’p bydep vbyv olal wdpblzzkdt rlydwvp.

Ykysxkys qkdkpble wdpblzzkdt yde pvwqqle sdl kdvs bkp xswvb: “Zsw’al fsjkdt ytykd; bso nsxl qyvbla eked’v vyjl y qydnu vs Jasvbla Nkw?”

“Txrb.” Wyvbla Yyusa zlv swv y nsze zywtb. “Gv qkapv tzydnl, Zswdt Yypvla Nkw yde Ykpp Yw olal kd zshl, lhld kq usw zkjle bkx, qyvbla oswze dsv yzzso kv.”

Nkdt Ykysxkys pdllale: “Gv vbl vkxl, bl oyp ps yaastydv. Eblal oyp bl ydu tsse?”

Mbl Yw Fbldt sq vbyv vkxl oyp swvoyaezu tldvzl yde rszkvl. Rdpkel, bl oyp qwzz sq cyacp, yde yqvla tlvvkdt vs jdso bkx, sdl oswze jdso vbyv bl oyp hlau cye-dyvwale yde wdyrrasynbyczl.

Tl cwkzv wr y pvasdt pldpl sq nywvksd. Ebslhla valyvle bkx olzz, bl oswze dsv eyal vs vawpv, yde sqvld ckvl vbl byde obknb qle bkx. Ebld vbl yhlaytl rlapsd oyp cynjpvyccle cu yd wdyrralnkyvkhl clkdt sdnl, vblu oswze pvsr yde dlhla qlle bkx ytykd. Fs bl oswze cl yzsdl ytykd, kd y hknkswp nunzl sq oykvkdt, lmrlnvyvksd, yde ekpyrrskdvxldv.

Tye Nkdt Ykysxkys dsv alrlyvlezu zsolale bla yvvkvwel yv vbl pupvlx’p aliwlpv, calyjkdt vbaswtb bkp elqldplp yde zlyadkdt vbyv bl oyp pwnb y rlapsd kdpkel, bl oswze byhl alxykdle zsnjle clbkde y bktb oyzz wdvkz bkp zypv calyvb, okvb ds sdl wdelapvydekdt.

Nkdt Ykysxkys pweeldzu qlzv vbyv vbl nyrvwal vypj plv cu vbl pupvlx pllxle vs xyjl y zkvvzl ckv sq pldpl.

As for any opinions on “how was Mu Sheng any good,” Father Ling candidly spread out his hands: “Handsome, of course.”

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Seeming to think it wasn’t quite right to rely on the outer appearance alone, he added another reason, “Young people, being a little frivolous can add to their appeal.”

The afternoon went by very comfortably, Mu Sheng sat next to her, a quiet participant, but not feeling superfluous.

All in all, Father Mayor had a certain charisma. His ability to accept things was very strong. He was able to remain vigorous and lively even on the most miserable of days.

“Right, have A’Yi take you over to prepare, your maternal aunt is coming to visit tomorrow, you have to thank her properly.

Ling Miaomiao thought for a long time before she remembered who it was—— the aunt who had stood witness to her marriage in the dilapidated temple. For the sake of the precious pair of sheepskin shoes, she really couldn’t treat her poorly.

The implication of the word, “prepare,” was very substantial. Aside from preparing food and clothing for her aunt, Ling Miaomiao was also dragged off to make some new clothes.

According to the words of Father Mayor, Ling Yu’s mother had died early, and her aunt’s affection for her, represented her maternal family’s affection for her. They could not bear to see her suffer. The cousin’s family’s love for her represents the mother’s family’s love for her, and they can’t afford to see her suffer in the slightest. In addition, Mu Sheng was personally investigated and approved by her aunt and uncle, but now that their son-in-law had become like this, if she continued behaving in a “dejected and depressed” manner, her aunt would feel even more guilty.

It was already evening when Ling Miaomiao came back from the dressmakers. The new boudoir was smaller than the previous one, but it was still very comfortable. The lights and candles were staggered, and the light shone brightly on the screen tent.

Miaomiao washed up quickly, then ran and jumped to the bedside, and suddenly raised the tent.

This was a little game she had invented after his accident.

Mu Sheng’s half-demon state had no rhythm/cyclic cycle to speak of. He was like an owl sitting there with its eyes open day and night. Usually, it was after Ling Miaomiao lay down and put out the lights that he would go to sleep with her.

She would usually hide her face behind the tent, as if playing peek-a-boo, and then appear suddenly, teasing him a little. He would sit on the bed with his dark eyes staring at her face, as if it was a novelty to have someone suddenly appear before his eyes.

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Today, when she raised the canopy, she unexpectedly found him lying down and asleep. His eyelashes were calmly drooping and his hands were resting on his abdomen, like a sleeping beauty who had not been awakened at all.

Miaomiao: “……”

The game object did not respond, and there was a sense of loss.

But he rarely slept so deeply, so Miaomiao did not want to wake him up. She gently crossed over him, blew out the candle flame and went to sleep.

The moonlight was bright. Its light, which was projected through the delicate carved windows, was stretched into slanted rhombus shapes.

In the middle of the night, Miaomiao woke up sleepily and saw a man sitting next to the bed, causing her to almost break out in a cold sweat.

The man was bathed in moonlight, and the frosty light fell on his long, winding hair, glowing section by section.

He sat quietly on the edge of the bed, looking at her.

Miaomiao looked at him through squinted eyes for a while, reached out to the side and felt the coolness from the empty bedding. Her heart thumped and began to speed up.

Even if he sat without saying a word, just by looking at the blurred face and posture, she was able to distinguish a little.

She slowly got up, looked at him sideways, and then reached out to touch his shoulder.

Before her hand could reach the person, he grabbed her wrist, reached out and pulled her to sit on his lap. She suddenly drew close to his chest, and even heard the clear sound of his heartbeat.

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She tentatively opened her mouth: “Why are you awake?

She suddenly made a sound, but realized that her voice was timid.

The shadow looked at her for a long time, a clear voice coming out: “You are dreaming.”

“……”

He spoke……

This was no doubt a dream……

“You don’t believe it? The young man pulled her arm that struggled to touch the candle, surrounded her, gently rubbed his cheek over the top of her hair, with a slightly cold smile, “If you light the lamp, you will not be able to meet me.”

……Absurd, it was truly a case of thinking of someone during the day and dreaming of them at night.

Ling Miaomiao’s mind was foggy and she was afraid of waking up from her dream, so she didn’t move and let him hold her, stroking her hair gently with his hand.

For the next ten minutes or so, she remained groggy and answered a lot of misleading questions.

“Do you want to go home?”

“Hmm?” She uttered a short, questioning syllable, somewhat confused, “Aren’t we already home?”

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“Not here.” He hugged and spoke softly to her while also leaving lingering kisses on her earlobes, which made Miao’s ears tingle, the epitome of swindling.

“Of course.” She blinked her eyes, puzzled.

The other party was silent for a moment, kissed her again with cold lips, and asked, “Then why don’t you leave?”

“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you.” Miaomiao lowered her eyes and muttered, “You are now like a fool, unable to be left alone with others.

“……”

Ling Miaomiao’s voice was very soft, as if she was having a long conversation with an old friend, pouring out the bitter water in her stomach. 

“I have to at least wait for Sister Mu to bring back the Snow Spirit Ice Silk to test, only then will I resign myself to reality.” She counted on her fingers, “Also, what will happen to father if he’s left alone?”

After saying all that with no response, Miaomiao was afraid that the dream was fading, or that it had gone astray, and tugged hard on his clothes, “……why aren’t you talking?”

She looked upward from below at Mu Sheng’s face hidden in the darkness, and only vaguely saw his eyelashes fluttering.

“When will you be back?” she asked.

The young man’s lips quirked up quizzically, and his moist eyes glowed with a little moonlight as he looked to her at his side: “Isn’t it nice for me to be quiet and listen now?

“Hell no.” Ling Miaomiao almost cried from grievance, “If I raise a bird, the bird can chirp, unlike you.”

A flash of annoyance seemed to go through Mu Sheng’s eyes. He wrenching her face over, lowering his head to roughly rub their lips together, a subtle taste of punishment in that action: “Just this is enough to make you dislike me?

……

The morning after she woke up from her dream, Ling Miaomiao felt very guilty.

The black lotus was lying peacefully next to her, and when she woke up, he even came over to her and hugged her while gently rubbing against her, making for a very affectionate impression, but she was absorbed in the kiss in her dream.

“I don’t shun you.” She held Mu Sheng’s face and gave him a kiss, promising with a guilty face, “This is also cute, really.

Miaomiao was still in a guilty mood when she cleaned up and went to see her aunt. She was still a bit distracted as she spoke with her.

“You didn’t sleep well, did you? You poor child.” Her aunt who was visiting from afar, sighed. Her eyes were full of distress, “Come, let’s go to your room. You can take a rest and auntie will chat with you. 

Miaomiao had no time to refuse. She was led to her room and pressed down onto the bed.

“Auntie, I can just sit and talk…….”

“Lie down.” Her aunt pressed down on her shoulders, “Rest.

“……” Ling Miaomiao cautiously braced herself against the bed, very afraid that she would fall asleep while talking.

Her aunt looked around and saw Mu Sheng sitting at the table.

He was really too quiet, when he sat there unmoving, he hardly made a sound.

When she looked at Mu Sheng, Mu Sheng also looked at her.

The way he judged was simple and crude: It was a person, a female, and one that Miaomiao took the initiative to get close to, so he put away his hostility. More accurately, it was that he let down his guard, and was indifferent.

“…Tsk.” Her aunt looked at her. She then suddenly sighed, tears falling from her eyes, “Miaomiao has a bitter life……”

Ling Miaomiao was so shocked, she immediately sat up straight: “Don’t cry……”.

Her aunt wiped her tears: “This was the son-in-law I chose myself. You haven’t been married for more than a few years, and now the situation is like this. How can I not feel sorry……”

As if it was just yesterday, she recalled she, as an experienced amateur matchmaker, had evaluated Mu Sheng in many aspects, and found him to be a one in a million candidate. Afraid, he would be snatched away by others, she quickly took action.

But now, the son-in-law had lost his mind and completely relied on Miaomiao to take care of him. Wouldn’t he tire her out to the point of developing dark circles under her eyes? 

If only she had known earlier that demon hunters lived on the edge of a knife and were prone to accidents. She had practically ruined her life.

“Aunt……” Ling Miaomiao advised her while feeling amused, “Just like how the sky is unpredictable, you are not to blame for his condition.”

“Miaomiao.” Her aunt held her hand and took a deep breath, “If you have any grievances, tell your aunt.”

Miaomiao thought seriously for a long time and managed to come up with a response: “I…… I have not been wronged too much.”

What a good child! Her aunt’s heart felt even more guilty.

“Don’t be ashamed to say it.” Her aunt said, “Our family is not the same as those outside, we do not keep the Confucian moral injunctions for women……”

“Mm……” Miaomiao vaguely felt that something was wrong, but she was not able to wrap her head around it yet.

“So,” her aunt’s tone sank, “I’ll be straightforward, should aunt introduce you to another one?”

Miaomiao was taken aback: “Huh? I’ve been married once.”

“What’s wrong with that?” The cousin looked a little surprised and patted the back of her hand, “Are the world’s widows unable to keep on living?

“But I……,” Miaomiao pointed to the black lotus flower and gestured, “am not a widow.”

“There’s not much difference.” Her aunt wiped her tears again. “A’yi has already spoken to me about it. When the son-in-law’s illness is triggered, he’s very fierce. It’s tolerable if it’s only for a year or two, but if he can’t get well for the rest of his life, what’s to be done?”

“You are young now, your father can still protect you.” Her aunt’s words are serious, “If your father dies in the future, who will you rely on? You’re a girl, don’t you and your husband need to support each other to live? Even if you keep taking care of him, how can the family do without a pillar?

“You don’t understand right now, but you will know when the time comes.” Her aunt shook her head, “When you start to become anxious, and you’re older, it won’t be as easy to remarry.”

“Right now is just the right time, at a young age, and without children to drag you down. Even if you remarry after a mutual divorce, the proposals will still flood through the doors……”.

“Aunt……” Ling Miaomiao cut her off. The repeated word, “remarriage,” caused her scalp to numb. She kept observing Mu Sheng; despite not seeing any reaction, she still felt a little unsettled, “Don’t say that, he can understand.”

“He can’t understand.” Her aunt looked again at the unresponsive Mu Sheng for a couple of moments and said sadly, “There’s also people like that in my family.Tthey are all like that, unaware of anything.

She held Miaomiao’s hand, “Child, I hope someone can take care of you, and not let you suffer. Look how tired you are, the dark circles under your eyes have all appeared.”