Chapter 10: Riverside Immortal (Part 4)
With her mother’s dying words weighing on her mind, Ni Su both longed to dream of her and feared it. Unable to sleep through the latter half of the night, she packed her belongings, left a few pieces of silver and a note under the candlestick, picked up a lantern, and quietly led the horse away from Jiang’s house.
The night road was difficult. Ni Su rode slowly, the spirit silently by her side, accompanying her through the faint night mist.
As she rode, the sleep she had lost earlier returned, her eyelids growing heavy. She forced herself to stay awake, shaking her head, then couldn’t resist glancing at him.
He looked very young, and the way he carried himself was graceful.
“How old were you… then?”
Xu He Xue’s half-closed eyes opened slightly at her sudden question. Understanding what she meant by “then,” he lifted the lantern and replied, “Nineteen.”
Ni Su was surprised. “Nineteen, and you…” She trailed off.
“What was the reason?” Ni Su couldn’t imagine why he, at the prime of his life, had died so young and now wandered Youdu.
Xu He Xue considered her question, but in the end, he shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know how you died?”
“No.” The lantern light illuminated Xu He Xue’s clothes and shoes. He stared at them, then, hearing the rushing sound of a river, looked up. The mountains were dark, the water shimmering. “I don’t know why I died.”
Ni Su didn’t understand. After a moment, she said, “Not even halfway through your life… you must have many regrets.”
“Too much time has passed. I’ve forgotten many things.” Shrouded in mist, Xu He Xue’s face seemed even paler. “I only remember one thing now.”
“Is it the old friend you’re looking for in Yun Jing?” Ni Su glanced at his cloak.
Xu He Xue met her gaze but didn’t answer.
“As we agreed, you’ll help me find my brother,” Ni Su said, holding the reins and stroking the horse’s mane as she heard it exhale. “And I’ll help you find your old friend, to fulfill your regret, if I can.”
The distant mountains shimmered with a faint, white light. Xu He Xue silently observed the young woman on horseback, then looked away. “You don’t need to do anything for me. Just keep the lamp lit for me.”
The flame in the lantern flickered and died. The sky grew darker. The river, hidden among the green trees, was quiet. An old man leading an ox slowly crossed the stone bridge, pushing back his straw hat and squinting at the approaching figure on horseback.
The horse’s hooves clopped softly. The young woman on its back nodded drowsily, swaying from side to side. The old man watched as the horse suddenly turned towards a grassy ditch. The dozing woman, caught off guard, swayed and almost fell.
The old man opened his mouth to shout, but the woman’s falling body seemed to be caught by something.
He rubbed his eyes, thinking he had imagined it. The woman sat up straight, blinking in confusion.
“Strange…” the old man muttered, crossing the bridge and leading his ox towards the riverbank.
Ni Su felt her hands empty and looked down. The hand holding the reins was pale and slender, its bones delicate and graceful.
There was someone behind her, but she couldn’t feel his breath. His embrace was cold, as cold as snow, as if freezing away her drowsiness.
He seemed to sense her awareness and pulled away slightly. “If you’re tired, sleep.”
Ni Su didn’t turn around. Looking at her bag, now hanging around the horse’s neck, she murmured in agreement. The lingering drowsiness weighed down her eyelids, and as the carriage swayed, she felt a sense of peace despite her dozing state.
It was the height of summer. Even though the sun had set and darkness had fallen, Qingzhou City was still sweltering. The innkeeper at the Song Yuan Inn sat behind the counter, clicking his abacus and wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Servants bustled around, lighting lanterns in the main hall. The innkeeper noticed a shadow on the counter and looked up to see a dust-covered young woman.
“Miss, are you looking for a room?” he asked with a smile.
“Two rooms,” Ni Su said, placing money on the counter.
Two rooms?
The innkeeper craned his neck, looking behind her, but saw no one else. “You seem to be alone, Miss.”
Ni Su, realizing she had almost forgotten that others couldn’t see Xu Zi Ling, stammered, “I’m waiting for a friend. He’ll arrive later.”
The innkeeper nodded. “Don’t worry, Miss. We have someone on duty in the hall all night. If your friend knocks, we’ll let him in.”
“Thank you.” Ni Su followed a servant upstairs.
After ordering a simple meal, Ni Su placed her bag on the bed, turned around, extinguished the candle in the room, and then relit it. She lit five candles in total and saw the figure become more solid in the light.
“If I light more candles, will you be visible to others for longer?” Ni Su asked, sitting down at the table and pouring herself a cup of tea.
Xu He Xue glanced at the candles on the table and nodded slightly. “These are enough to sustain me for some time.”
He wasn’t incapable of appearing, but the more candles the summoner lit for him, the more solid his form became, until he was indistinguishable from an ordinary person.
“Then when you go to see your old friend, I’ll light a whole room of candles for you,” Ni Su said, resting her chin on her hand.
Xu He Xue looked up at her, then said, “You don’t actually need another room.”
“You’re a gentleman and wouldn’t share a room with me. If I don’t get another room, where will you stay tonight? Will you find another tree outside?”
Seeing him fall silent again, Ni Su put down her teacup. “Xu Zi Ling, you’re so modest and polite even as a ghost. How can I not treat you with courtesy? All the clues about my brother lie with you. Please don’t refuse.”
She said this only to make it easier for Xu He Xue to accept her kindness.
He was so polite and proper; he must have been someone of standing in life. As a lone spirit wandering the mortal realm, wouldn’t he be even more lost without shelter?
After all, he was once a living person.
“Thank you,” Xu He Xue said after a while, lowering his eyes.
Having traveled all day, Ni Su was exhausted. Thankfully, the inn provided hot water, so she finally bathed and changed into clean clothes, falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
In the quiet of the night, the servant on duty in the hall fought off sleep. For a moment, he thought he saw a flicker of light upstairs. He immediately opened his eyes and looked up. The room that hadn’t been occupied was brightly lit, but there was no sound from above.
The bored servant recalled lighting several candles in that room for the young woman. Her friend hadn’t arrived yet, so he wondered why she had lit so many candles in an empty room.
A strange feeling settled upon him. He yawned, hoping the night would pass quickly so he could go back to sleep.
Upstairs, the lantern swayed in the breeze. A faint mist seeped through the half-open door, solidifying into the form of a young man in the candlelight.
Xu He Xue silently observed the simple furnishings of the room. After a while, he sat down on the edge of the bed, remaining there quietly until he frowned slightly.
He rolled up his left sleeve. The warm light revealed his pale arm. As he watched, the unblemished skin cracked, forming a network of bloody cuts and scars, like wounds from swords and knives.
Crimson blood trickled down his wrist, turning into shimmering dust upon contact with the floor, floating and dissipating.
Xu He Xue lowered his sleeve and touched the soft bedding. Tentatively, he lay down, just as he had many years ago, when he was still alive.
Shimmering dust swirled around him, then vanished.
He closed his eyes.
He heard the rustling of pine trees outside the window, the chirping of birds, and… a knocking at the door.
Xu He Xue’s eyes snapped open.
He got up, went to the door, and opened it. A sleepy young woman stood outside, her long, dark hair loose around her shoulders, a few strands clinging to her cheeks. Hearing the door open, she opened her eyes wider and looked at him.
“What’s wrong?” Xu He Xue asked.
“I forgot to ask, do you want to bathe?” Ni Su stifled a yawn, tears welling up in her eyes.
After a long day’s journey, he looked impeccably clean. He must be very particular about hygiene.
Xu He Xue was taken aback, surprised by her question.
“I…” he considered his words, “don’t need water.”
“Don’t need water? Then what do you use?” Ni Su’s sleepiness faded, replaced by curiosity.
Downstairs in the main hall, the servant was fast asleep, snoring loudly.
Ni Su quietly went downstairs and into the inn’s backyard.
The full moon was partially hidden behind the eaves, but its silver light illuminated the courtyard. Ni Su saw Xu He Xue standing there, not wearing his cloak, his robes as white as snow.
Observed by the young woman in the corridor, a flicker of unease crossed Xu He Xue’s cold eyes. He moved his fingers slightly, and Ni Su felt the moonlight in the courtyard become even more dreamlike.
As it shone on him, shimmering particles floated from his robes, faint and translucent, even fainter than his shadow on the ground.
Ni Su couldn’t describe what she was seeing.
She almost thought she was dreaming.
Basking in the moonlight… was that all it took?
Ni Su stared in astonishment at the young man—no, he still had the appearance of a youth, refined and elegant.
Now, surrounded by shimmering dust, he seemed both distant and divine.
“You don’t look like a ghost at all,” Ni Su said, walking over to him and reaching out to touch the shimmering particles, her gaze fixed on him. She didn’t notice the slight tremor in his eyelashes as her finger brushed against a particle.
The fluffy, white light on the ground wagged its tail.
“I think…” Ni Su looked up at the night sky above the eaves, “you look like… stardust.”
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