Da Li Temple - Chapter 35.1

Chapter 35.1
Hongzhou

Lin Wanqing dragged on her embroidered shoes and walked over. Su Moyi motionlessly moved inside, leaving her a sliver of space outside.
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The jade hooks on the bed shook and made a slight sound when Lin Wanqing lay down next to Su Moyi. She had closed the doors and windows and put down the bed curtain.

Lin Wanqing knew that Su Moyi didn’t like to put on lights when he slept, so she didn’t leave a night light.
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The inn was old and had a wood floor, so it would make a creaking sound when someone walked by, erasing the sleepiness that should have been there. The man beside her was breathing steadily, so light that it was as if he wasn’t. But Lin Wanqing knew that he did not sleep.
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Without knowing where the courage came from, she opened her mouth with a barely audible sound from her throat and called out, “My Lord.”
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No one answered her.
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Lin Wanqing waited a long time, raised her voice, and let out another ‘Lord,’ like the creak of a wooden board outside the door, causing one’s heart to palpitate.
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The person beside her sighed and softly chided, “Go out and guard the door if you’re not sleeping.”
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Lin Wanqing pouted. Fortunately, she had long used to this person’s doggy temper. At that moment, she didn’t feel annoyed but opened her eyes wide and looked at the blackness, “Doesn’t Lord want to know why I care so much about Song Zhengxing’s case?”
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No one answered her, and that question became a self-report. Lin Wanqing’s hand was tugging the brocade coverlet as she slowly said, “Because he killed my family.” She heard her voice, which she feigned to be calm, was shaking.

“Your family passed away?” Su Moyi asked.
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“En,” Lin Wanqing nodded.
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Su Moyi didn’t ask anything else.
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The atmosphere sank into silence. The night was like ink, spreading water waves and swirling people into the whirlpool. The darkness seemed to encourage her, making her open her Pandora’s box. She faced Su Moyi sideways, starting a conversation, asking: “Lord, are you afraid of the dark?”
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Su Moyi seemed concerned before slowly saying: “When I was a child, I was quite afraid. I always had to leave the light on. So my mother will wait for me to sleep before extinguishing the light and leaving.”
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“Oh ……” Lin Wanqing said enviously, “That’s quite good.”
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“But then, I learned to put out the lights myself.” The flat tone was as unfazed as every word Su Moyi had said in the past, but Lin Wanqing heard the bitterness.
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The person beside her paused before continuing, “I’m not afraid of the dark now.”
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Vaguely, Lin Wanqing felt as if she had touched Su Moyi’s wound. She was momentarily embarrassed and panicked as she smoothly said, “When I was a child, I was also quite afraid of the dark. Because I always felt that when a person fell asleep, their soul would run around. They would not be able to find their way back without lights.”
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“That’s why when I sleep, my mother would take my hand, and she said that in this way, I will find my way back home ……”
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Two awkward laughs blossomed out of the darkness as if they were mocking their foolishness.
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“So you’re not afraid now?” He asked, his voice still serious.
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Lin Wanqing pondered before shaking her head, “Not afraid anymore. Since my family left, I don’t care whether I return to this world or not. Every time I sleep, I wish my soul could float to where they are.”

“But I never found them once.” She sniffed, wiped the corners of her moist eyes, and laughed in embarrassment, “Then I realized that when people are asleep, their souls don’t run away.”
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The voice dispersed in the wind and became traceless.
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For a long, long time, no one answered her. Lin Wanqing thought Su Moyi had fallen asleep. She rolled over and lay flat. Her hands silently pressed down her moist eyes, staring wide-eyed at the top of the bed where she couldn’t see anything.
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Then, a warm hand sought her out. It was a smooth and dry hand, large enough to wrap her fist in its palm. The fine transmission of warmth turned into a stream of heat that soured her eyes and nose.
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It was still that flat, unsympathetic voice, stiff and without undulation, not comforting at all. In the darkness, Su Moyi took her hand and said: “Sleep, I will bring you back.”

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The carriage reeled through the crowded, long street, and the sun shone brightly.
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Lin Wanqing put down the small bronze mirror in her hand. She despondently glanced at Lord Su, who was resting his eyes, and sighed.
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“My Lord ……” she asked, “Is Lord Zhou from the armory a blind man?”
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“What?” Su Moyi was surprised by this question and abruptly woke up.
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Lin Wanqing shook the bronze mirror in her hand and frowned, “If he’s not blind, how could a woman of this appearance become his favorite concubine?”

“…… ” Su Moyi looked at Lin Wanqing’s colorful and vulgar makeup and was at once speechless.
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These makeups were all prepared for her by Su Moyi. At first, Lin Wanqing still felt that Lord Su was delicate and considerate. But after he traced her eyebrows and put on her makeup, Lin Wanqing genuinely wanted to throw all these things into the gutter.
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He had little contact with women and didn’t know how to be gentle. Therefore, his aesthetic taste for women’s makeup is indescribable.
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The lipstick was a gaudy pink color, the eyebrow dyer was the blackest charcoal color, and the rouge was the reddest of the reddest. No matter how she wiped it out, Lin Wanqing’s cheeks looked like a red monkey’s ass.
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“Shall I wipe it off?” Lin Wanqing carefully asked, afraid of upsetting Lord Su, who had been working for a while.
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“But ……” Su Moyi hesitated, “Wouldn’t it be too plain not to use lipstick?”
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“How could it be!” Lin Wanqing hurriedly added fire, patting her chest to assure him. “The favored concubine is in the soul. It’s not in the makeup. I’ve grasped the essence.”
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Su Moyi was still hesitant, and Lin Wanqing came closer, blinking a pair of watery eyes, looking at him pitifully. Lord Su, who was weak from being looked at, compromised and let Ye Qing fetch water.
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Lin Wanqing concentrated on washing her face. She didn’t realize that Su Moyi was leaning on the other side, looking at her. It turns out that one could indeed use ‘untainted and unpolished’ to describe beauty. He closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, but his heart had long become like the water in front of her, rippling wildly.
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The carriage traveled through the streets and alleys before finally stopping outside a high-gate mansion.
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“We’re here,” Su Moyi patted the sleeping Lin Wanqing and warmly said: “Act carefully, don’t make any mistakes.”
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After speaking, he lifted his robe and alighted from the carriage.