The Guide to Capturing a Black Lotus

There were twice as many candles in the guest room as usual, rows of red wedding candles on the desk, bedside and even in the corners. The room was dappled with light, enough to almost make people feel a little dizzy.

The canopy was changed to a charming red, Ling Miaomiao obediently sat motionless on the bed, her skirt flared over the ground, making her look like a tiny ball in a huge flower petal.

In this rain, not a drop had touched her.

Mu Sheng changed out of the wet clothes before returning to the house, waving his sleeves to extinguish half of the candles along the way.

The room dimmed at once, only the circle of candles surrounding the bride remained lit, and the dim light shone on the dark red satin, giving it a warm sheen.

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His fingers raised the veil to reveal a girl’s face adorned with red makeup.

The color on her lips had faded somewhat and The intense beauty had disappeared. Her eyes were bright, the outer corners of her eyes and cheeks were an intoxicating scarlet, and above her plum blossom makeup¹[1] A form of traditional Chinese ornamental forehead makeup, which is located between the eyebrows and sometimes on the cheeks. On the left, you see it placed on the center of the forehead, between the brows. And on the right, are different designs which can be used. 

, hung a dazzling bead curtain. With all of this, she looked like a delicate peach blossom that had become a fairy.

The young man looked at her face for a long long time. A cold and satisfied smile emerged from under his eyes: “Do you know how long I have waited for this day?”

Tl prwd yaswde, pzsozu pyv clpkel bla, vssj bla qkdtlap, rzynle vblx sd bkp zkrp yde jkpple vblx, kd y dlya-rzlyekdt vsdl: “Ykysxkys, nyzz xu dyxl, nyd’v usw?”

Fbl zssjle yv bkx, ralqlaakdt vs alxykd pkzldv, pkvvkdt clpkel bkx zkjl y osseld rwrrlv.

G alprsdpl eke dsv nsxl, ds xyvvla bso zsdt bl oykvle. Tl pktble, bkp lulp olal y ellr czynj, yde bl zssjle yv bla okvb y nsdqwple yde nsxrzknyvle tygl.

Gqvla y obkzl, bl zsolale bkp lulzypblp, pzsozu wdeke bla swvla ascl, okel pnyazlv pzllhlp qyzzkdt sqq sq bla pbswzelap. Rdpkel, pbl oyp olyakdt yd yraknsv-nszsale fynjlv.

Tkp xshlxldvp rywple, vbl nsadlap sq bkp xswvb nwazle pzktbvzu, yp kq kd xsnjlau, yde bl pyke vs bkxplzq, “Jwv usw pvkzz alxlxclale vs pvyu oyax.”

Nkdt Ykysxkys’p swvla ascl pvkzz bwdt sd bla pzllhlp, yde pbl zssjle esod yv bla sod fynjlv, okvbswv xyjkdt ydu svbla xshl.

Tl vbld wdcwvvsdle bla fynjlv yde rwpble kv sqq bla pbswzelap. Rdpkel vbyv zyula, oyp y rwal obkvl pkzj fynjlv okvb vos elzknyvl yde pxyzz nbaupydvblxwx qzsolap lxcaskelale okvb pkzhla vbalye sd csvb pbswzelap.

Nkdt Ykysxkys ekpzkjle olyakdt vbknj kddla nzsvblp vbl xspv, yde obldlhla pbl oldv swv, pbl bye y pvaydtl byckv sq yzoyup byhkdt y pwxxla awiwd sd vbl kdpkel ds xyvvla vbl vkxl sq ulya.

For a southerner’s ruqun, the short jackets were commonly thin, making it practically semi-transparent, enough that the pale shoulders and arms could be seen.

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“Even if I’m like this… Are you not afraid?” He pinched her jaw and locked eyes with her.

The girl looked sickly, and because of the thin clothes, she suddenly shivered, making the dangling beads on her head sway from side to side.

He seemed to be unable to resist any longer, his arm circled around and fiercely pressed her into his arms. His right hand raised the delicate curtain of beads on her head and he lowered his head to kiss her on the delicate plum blossom makeup on her forehead.

This kiss lasted for a very long time, so long that his lips went from boiling hot to ice cold. It was to the point that Ling Miaomiao suspected that he was going to sleep against her forehead.

TSuddenly, he released her hand, pulled back the covers and tucked her in, raising his hand to put out the rest of the candles.

The room was dim with only moonlight left, and he hugged her in the darkness.

Ling Miaomiao was lying down and disheveled, but he still remained upright and sitting, tense, not unlike how he usually sat while sleeping and leaning against a tree with his eyes open. He was unmoving, seeming to be frozen by the frost-like moonlight.

Outside the window, a thunderstorm raged, and the fast-falling rain showers beat against the windows, making them creak and rattle.

He gazed up at the top of the dim red canopy, lost in confusion, waiting for the dawn.

This poisoned sweetness really only lasted seven days. Seven days was too short, passing by in the blink of an eye.

After dawn, would this all shatter, or would he face resentment?

All of it, he accepted the consequences, it was what he owed her.

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But if she wanted him to let go, there was no chance.

Careful fingers tentatively felt upward like crawling insects until they touched his legs. After a little bit, her chin followed to rest on him. He was like a person who had frozen while sitting, and suddenly regained a bit of feeling.

The girl blinked in the darkness; her voice was crisp: “Are you going to go back to sleep or not?”

“…” He suddenly lowered his head, Ling Miaomiao also sat up and stared at him. Under the moonlight, her eyes were clear and bright, glinting with an unconcealed sneer.

“Miaomiao…” The teenager’s eyes were dull for a moment. He reached out to touch her face but she tilted her head to avoid it, and her eyes were shooting daggers.

He suddenly froze, feeling like a bucket of ice water had been poured over him.

——Was she released from the spell early? Or…

She laughed grimly, sizing him up for a while, her smile full of mockery: “You like hearing me say, ‘I like Ziqi,’ so much. Shall I say it to you a few more times?”

His face suddenly paled; his round pupils pitch-black and moist, his whole person like a soap bubble popped in one jab.

She… woke up long ago.

The past few days of humiliation, control, captivity, all displayed before her. His contemptibleness, lowliness, all completely exposed to her…

His fingers began to tremble uncontrollably.

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In this instant, the original situation was turned on its head and tables had been turned.

He was on the losing end of the situation, once again facing a crushing defeat.

Ling Miaomiao saw him solidify into a still, his eyes filled with swirling currents, wet black pupils full of panic, seemingly as fragile as a paper man. Upon seeing this, she no longer had the heart to mock him further despite the anger which she had held in for seven days.

She took off the outer robe and jacket which were still hanging off her arms completely, threw them aside, and quickly dug back into the warm quilt.

She did not… did not fear him…

Mu Sheng barely managed to pull his wits together in the midst of his chaotic thoughts, he sat rigidly, a shiver of joy creeping into his heart. His long, delicate eyelashes trembled, seemingly unsure: “And you… were still willing to marry me…”

“Don’t think too much.” Miaomiao interrupted him, removing the heavy accessories by her temples and laying them down on the side. She laid down on her let-down hair and turned her head towards him, her eyes shining brightly: “When you die, I’ll marry Brother Liu.”

As if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, the young man’s face gradually changed. A slight trembling took over his body.

“So,” her eyelashes fluttered slightly, eyes sleepily half closed, and her voice was clear and crisp. He couldn’t tell if her warning was ironic or serious, “You better cherish your life a little more; don’t die.”

“…” He completely fell into confusion.

“Also, starting tomorrow, you’re sleeping on the floor.”

He was silent for a few seconds, his dark eyes staring unblinkingly at her delicate face, and finally grasped the key word in the midst of his confusion: “What about today?”

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She didn’t kill herself, didn’t run away, didn’t refuse her husband, and furthermore, she didn’t even make a fuss. She had completely destroyed the defensive walls he had managed to put up.

The joy from the unexpected turn of events was akin to a drowning man suddenly inhaling a large mouthful of air into his lungs, not having the luxury of discerning whether or not it was a mirage.

Ling Miaomiao let out a snort, turned her back on him, soft long hair spread across the bed. She was a little sleepy and her voice faded off: “It doesn’t count for today. I’ll put up with it for just tonight.”

He pulled back the quilt, silently lay down, close to her side, and his heartbeat unexpectedly became chaotic.

Her fair neck was within reach; he stealthily took a lock of the hair spread on the bed into his hand and stroked it. Then he put it to the tip of his nose and sniffed lightly. His eyes were slightly misty and the fragrance of gardenia on her body filled the inside of the canopy.

He finally calmed down, his head cooling, but (something in) his heart boiling (up).

The lively, real her.

Leaving him… lost, but at the same time, timidly wanting to get closer.

The sun was overhead.

As Ling Miaomiao sat in front of her dressing table, she was unable to keep her yawns at bay.

On her wedding night, the black lotus played with her hair in silence behind her back for the whole night, leaving her unsettled and preventing her from sleeping peacefully.

Therefore, when she saw him appear in the mirror, she looked out the window with her face in her hands while feeling irritated.

The branches and leaves of the large trees had been washed by the rain and were verdant. The dense canopy of the tree looked like a green cloud outside the second story window.

Mu Sheng looked at the young girl lying on the dressing table, her hair was always pinned up in two buns, lively and dainty. He seldom saw her appearance before she combed her hair, her soft chestnut hair hanging down, some falling on the sides of her cheeks, the rest hanging down on the back, revealing the tips of her alabaster ears, and looking extraordinarily well-behaved and gentle.

He walked behind her, picking up the comb by her hair, Ling Miaomiao instantly tensed her back, glaring at him: “What are you doing?”

The young man pursed his lips, a trace of grievance in his black eyes: “Combing your hair.”

“It’s not like I don’t have hands…” She looked in the mirror and saw his demeanor turn downcast in an instant and abruptly stopped, waving her hand, “All right, comb it, comb it.”

His pale hand pinched the oak comb and steadily ran it from top to bottom. Her hair was held in his palm, smooth and soft. He stroked it for a while before reluctantly taking the comb and dipping it into the combing water on the dressing table.

Ling Miao Miao blocked his arm, and her fluttering eyelashes could be seen from behind: “You’re taking too much.”

“Is that so?”

“Look,” Ling Miaomiao indicated with her chin and looked at the poor half-filled bottle of hair combing water with distress, “This bottle has almost been completely used up by you.”

He watched Ling Miaomiao grab his hand, taking a handkerchief to carefully wipe away the excess combing water. His actions were light and soft. In a moment of impulsiveness, he suddenly leaned down, trapping her between his arms, and resting his chin gently on top of her hair.

“…If your going to comb my hair, then comb my hair, what is this for?” Ling Miaomiao froze and quickly elbowed him, “Get up.”

He reluctantly got up, seemingly reluctant: “Smells good.”

Ling Miaomiao looked at him in the mirror: “Good? Before, you said that the smell of this was nauseously strong and it is better to not smell it as much.”

“…,” the teenager’s eyes moved. He did not speak further, pursing his lips and continuing to comb her long hair, with a lingering feeling of grievance seen on his face.

Ling Miao Miao took a soft wet cloth to wipe off the plum blossom makeup on her head. Because of the limitations of their situation; the wedding was simple. The flower at the center of her forehead was not was not pasted on, instead, she had drawn it on by herself.

“Oh, yes.” Her large eyes blinked and looked intently in the mirror. While wiping it off, she told him, “Don’t kiss this in the future, it’s cinnabar, you’ll be poisoned if you eat it.”

“…,” He suddenly stopped moving, and his lowered eyelashes fluttered.

She didn’t hear a reply from him for a long time. Ling Miaomiao raised her eyes and found that the tips of his ears were red.

For demon hunters, marriage was just a small event in life. A few days later, the two teams waved goodbye and went to their respective destinations.

Taicang and Wufeng Town were both in the south. As a result, Liu Fuyi’s protagonist group, and Ling Miao Miao’s group of family representatives sailed down together.

Just before disembarking, Ling Miaomiao’s maternal aunt held her hand and quickly explained female virtue and conduct. Ling Miaomiao’s mind wandered while she quietly listened to her words, nodding her head every now and then.

“In my opinion, our Miaomiao does not need these.”

In one sentence, her maternal aunt negated her previous words. She held one of her arms affectionately and looked back at Mu Sheng standing on the deck, her eyes overflowing with satisfaction.

The corner of Mu Sheng’s black robe was fluttering in the gale, the river fog shrouded his back. The young man standing at the bow of the ship stood in the fog, looking somewhat slender, and light enough to ride the wind back.

“You’re not married to an ordinary man, Miaomiao.” She exaggeratedly patted the back of her hand, “After you get married, just have fun and travel around as much as you can—— When a woman marries and has children, she is trapped by the needs of her family. There is no one as free as you are, no one with as much freedom as a young lady.”

Her tone was admiring, and there seemed to be tears hanging from the corners of her eyes, “It’s important to live happily. There is no rush to have children; there is no rush to settle down; it is good to follow this son-in-law and see more of the world, unlike us, who spend the rest of our lives in a small courtyard.”

From her words, it seemed as if she had pinned all her aspirations on Miaomiao.

Her maternal uncle listened, twirling his whiskers more and more. Finally couldn’t help but open his mouth with a great feeling of grievance: “Tut! Don’t say anymore, you’re going to teach the children incorrectly… You’re speaking as if you were wronged by marrying me.”

Her maternal aunt glanced at him disgustedly and put her hands on her waist, “At the time, you did not look even three parts as handsome as this son-in-law. For me to marry you, is it not grievous?”

The two of them familiarly bickered, pulling each other into the hold.

In a momentary lull in their quarrel, her maternal aunt seized the opportunity to shout from afar: “Miaomiao, remember to bring this son-in-law home to show your father as soon as you can——”

“Ay.” Ling Miaomiao stood by the hold, finding the situation both funny and embarrassing as she clutched her luggage tightly in her arms, beckoned, and finally instructed Ah Yi, “Go back and tell father that when we return from Wufeng Town, we will return to see him.”

A Yi listened, expression a little reluctant: “Understood.”

Mu Sheng walked over and stood beside her, looking at her: “It’s time to disembark.”

When the ship stopped at Wufeng Town, a blanket of fog came, the whole town seemed to be over the water. There was only fog which could be seen while on the dock. There was not a single trace of a person to be seen.

The long-lasting fog and the endless layer of water vapor gave the place a constant appearance of a kind of half-asleep and half-awake feeling of confusion.

Ling Miao Miao looked at Mu Sheng’s dark, moist eyes and instantly understood where he got such a pair of glistening wet eyes from.

Aside from his inherited genes from his parents. After all, a certain climate will nurture a certain kind of people.

“Give me the luggage.” The young man looked at her with his eyebrows lowered and stretched out his hand, and surprisingly, a bit of gentle entreaty was contained within his tone.

Ling Miaomiao pushed the luggage over to him, lifted her skirt and got off the boat with him.

His spine was taut, with the vigilance and wariness of visiting a strange environment for the first time. Only the luminous hair tie on his high ponytail seemed to be very relaxed, swaying languidly in the wind.

Ling Miaomiao let out a faint sigh.

Ziqi, you probably don’t know——

In fact, this is your hometown.

End of Third Volume

***

The author has something to say:

I think this chapter was not the best time for them to spend their wedding night, please be understanding.

A more specific explanation: After realizing that he was played by Miaomiao, this younger brother was so shocked that his blackening value was scared out of him. Even if he did have any urges, they were probably withered from the fear.

He needed time.

As for why Miaomiao pretended for seven days:

One, Mu Sheng was unstable, these seven days were a stabilizing period for him, first allowing him to attain what he desired, letting him cool down to prevent further blackening.

Two, she was curious about what he would do in this situation and how far he would go. A conscious person, against an unconscious person, naturally carries an overwhelming advantage, and their behavior during this time can best reflect the evil of human nature, which is also a test of sorts.

This younger brother was too pitiful, he lacked the courage to undress.

TL Note: Da Dummmm~~ Last volume, coming up!

Footnotes:

[1] A form of traditional Chinese ornamental forehead makeup, which is located between the eyebrows and sometimes on the cheeks. On the left, you see it placed on the center of the forehead, between the brows. And on the right, are different designs which can be used.