"Are you really jealous?" Di Yao found it amusing.
When Di Yao heard Wei Xunzhou was going to look for spices, she stopped and glanced in the direction Cui Jue had left. She stomped her foot in regret. "Oh no, I forgot to mention the spices to Judge Cui." Cui Jue had power and influence; getting such things would be as easy as lifting a finger for him—much easier than doing it themselves.
Wei Xunzhou also stopped, standing about a step ahead of Di Yao. He cast a sidelong glance at her. "It's better to have less to do with that kind of person." Besides, anything Di Yao wanted, he could obtain effortlessly too. What was so great about Cui Jue?
Di Yao stepped closer and, seeing no one around, kindly reminded him, "That's true, but if we don't ask for his help, who knows when the tavern will ever open? And outside, there are many eyes and ears. We need to be careful not to let word get back to Judge Cui."
Seeing Wei Xunzhou silent, Di Yao continued, "Ziyuan, I know you might not be convinced by him, and that's normal. But since that's the reality, we should accept it. Besides, I think Judge Cui is quite nice—willing to help us, saves us the trouble. If he really gets us the seeds, we'll need to thank him properly."
"One day he'll sell you off and you'll be counting the money for him," Wei Xunzhou said as he walked off, his stride twice as long as hers.
Di Yao realized she had said the wrong thing and hurried after him, carefully studying his expression for any micro-movements. "Ziyuan, are you angry or jealous?"
Wei Xunzhou frowned deeply, and Di Yao saw a rare flash of shock and bewilderment in his eyes. "Are you really jealous?" She found it amusing and couldn't help saying it outright to see his reaction.
But Wei Xunzhou, being a man of few words, couldn't outtalk her. So he simply pretended not to hear and didn't respond at all.
Di Yao stopped teasing him and quietly observed him. She noticed his eyes hadn't blinked since earlier, and his expression wasn't as natural as when they had left the house. "Alright, I don't know if you're jealous, but I know you're shy," she thought to herself, nodding in satisfaction.
Seeing that Wei Xunzhou seemed to be wandering aimlessly—he had led her nearly all around Wrongful Death City—Di Yao finally couldn't help asking where exactly he was going to find spices for cooking. When she saw him blink several times without answering, she couldn't hold back a laugh.
Receiving an unhappy glare from him, Di Yao wisely covered her mouth, squinting at him with a cheeky look in her eyes.
"Ah, I think I know where to get spices!" Di Yao's eyes lit up. She took Wei Xunzhou's hand and led him out of the city.
Before long, Di Yao brought Wei Xunzhou to the old wooden door of Zhuangzhou Post.
Looking up at the faded, blurry plaque, Wei Xunzhou turned to Di Yao in confusion. Di Yao pushed him through the door while explaining what Zhuangzhou Post was for.
When she mentioned sending a dream to his living parents, Wei Xunzhou stopped and refused to go further. "Ziyuan, what's wrong?" Di Yao craned her neck to look at the dazed Wei Xunzhou.
The Earth God heard the commotion and came out again. Seeing Di Yao again, he greeted her familiarly. Then he looked at the man beside her and was taken aback, unsure how to address him. He remembered that the man she had wanted to send a dream to this morning was not the same one standing here now. If the morning one was her sweetheart, who was this man? Their close and natural behavior made even the Earth God feel a bit awkward.
"Miss Di Yao, and this is..."
"Oh, this is my husband. We arrived here together."
The Earth God finally understood—the earlier Lu Zhili was Di Yao's old flame, and this man was her true match. Noting Wei Xunzhou's impressive bearing, the Earth God nodded approvingly and silently tagged Lu Zhili and Wei Xunzhou in his mind.
"So, does this gentleman want to send a dream?" The Earth God took small steps over to Wei Xunzhou, looking up at him.
Wei Xunzhou disliked interacting with strangers, especially those who acted overly familiar on first meeting. Suppressing his irritation, he stepped back, his expression stiff.
"Yes!" Di Yao nodded and let go of Wei Xunzhou's sleeve.
As the familiar pressure on his arm disappeared, Wei Xunzhou looked down and saw Di Yao's hand reach down and take his clenched fist. The unfamiliar sensation of warmth and softness from the back of his hand made him instinctively move his fingers. With the slightest movement, her small hand took the opportunity to pry open his palm and adjust to a more comfortable hold.
Di Yao had always been outgoing; she often grabbed his wrist, held his arm, or pressed close behind him. At first, Wei Xunzhou felt awkward, but after so many contacts, he no longer thought much of it. But today was different—they had never held hands so directly, without any fabric between them.
All his senses were now focused on the hand clasped in Di Yao's. A cool breeze blew, rustling the leaves of the ancient tree. For some reason, he suddenly felt his other hand go cold. The chill in his blood clashed with the warmth from the other side, until the cold gave way and the warmth grew stronger. His blood boiled and surged through his body. He grew impatient, wanting to shake her off, yet at the same time, he was reluctant to let go. He hated this contradiction.
Di Yao led him to the tree hollow, then released her hand. Wei Xunzhou came to his senses and curled his fingers, trying to hold onto that warmth.
The Earth God asked whom Wei Xunzhou wanted to send a dream to. Wei Xunzhou cleared his throat. "Anyone is fine."
The Earth God looked troubled and glanced at Di Yao. Di Yao tugged at Wei Xunzhou's arm and whispered, "How about Mother?"
Wei Xunzhou nodded.
At that, the Earth God began to cast the spell, and an image appeared in the tree hollow.
Not wanting to disturb mother and son, Di Yao retreated with the Earth God to another spot.
Wei Xunzhou hadn't seen his mother, Mu Qing, in a long time. Though he had been weak and sickly as a child and rarely left home, he was taciturn and always shut himself in his study, so he spent little time with his parents. Yet Mu Qing came to the study every day in different ways—sometimes bringing snacks, sometimes asking him to take a walk in the courtyard to relax.
Twenty years were but a fleeting moment in his long life. For him, each trip to the Mortal World was like completing a task—routine and methodical. Each time, he left nothing behind and took nothing away—except for the last time. Without Di Yao, he would never have taken the initiative to contact Mu Qing.
In the image, Mu Qing's temples were already gray, a far cry from the last time he had seen her. Upon seeing Wei Xunzhou, her expression was immensely emotional, and tears immediately streamed down her face, leaving Wei Xunzhou at a loss. He had never comforted anyone before, and now he was speechless.
Fortunately, Mu Qing understood his nature. After crying for a while, she wiped her tears herself and pulled him's virtual image close, asking after his well-being.
From a distance, Di Yao watched Wei Xunzhou occasionally say a word to the tree hollow and finally felt relieved. She had not only brought him here for spices but, more importantly, to let him, with his aloof and inexpressive personality, reconnect with his family. Unlike her, she could no longer find her parents to chat with.
Wei Xunzhou awkwardly coped for a while, then, sensing it had been too long, turned to look at Di Yao. Catching his gaze, Di Yao stepped forward and whispered in his ear, reminding him to tell Mother to take care of herself. Seeing him hesitate, Di Yao leaned in herself and greeted the middle-aged woman in the tree hollow politely.
Di Yao called her "Mother-in-law" several times, asked about her health, said that she and Wei Xunzhou were doing well in the Underworld, and asked her not to worry. Finally, she urged her to take good care of herself...
On the other side of the tree hollow, Mu Qing smiled and agreed, but her thoughts were in disarray. She didn't know when she had gained a daughter-in-law, and moreover... why did this daughter-in-law look so familiar?
Wei Xunzhou had been watching from the side. Seeing Mu Qing's expression change, he immediately stepped forward to block Di Yao. "That's all. Let's end it here." He gave a slight nod to the bewildered Mu Qing, then pulled Di Yao away from the tree hollow's view.
Seeing this, the Earth God tapped his staff lightly on the ground. The image vanished, and the tree hollow returned to its previous state.
Di Yao looked at the dazed Wei Xunzhou and waved her hand in front of his eyes. He snapped out of it and walked off. Di Yao quickly said goodbye to the Earth God and followed.
"Ziyuan, are you... unhappy?" Wei Xunzhou's face was tense, and Di Yao grew nervous, tentatively asking.
Wei Xunzhou looked down at her face but said nothing. Feeling she might have made things worse, Di Yao stopped talking so as not to annoy him, pouted slightly, and slowed her pace. Since he was long-legged and she had trouble keeping up, she decided to walk at her own pace.
Soon the distance between them grew. Di Yao's gaze wandered idly until she spotted the emerald waters of the Wangchuan River. She turned and walked to the riverbank. From her sleeve, she took out the sachet.
She wasn't in a hurry to find out about Lu Zhili; this sachet had been nothing but trouble. She bent down, picked up a few stones, stuffed them all into the sachet, tied it tightly, tossed it in the air a few times, then threw it out flatly.
Hearing a "plop," Di Yao dusted off her hands in satisfaction. As she turned around, she ran straight into Wei Xunzhou, who had come up behind her without her noticing.