Di Yao called his name again, trying to...
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking and the morning mist was at its thickest, Di Yao quietly slipped past Wei Xunzhou, got out of bed to wash up, then took the sachet and headed back to Zhuangzhou Post. She had barely slept all night, her mind occupied with who exactly "Shouyan" on the sachet could be. Preoccupied, she didn't notice someone following her.
Zhuangzhou Post was remote, and at this hour the fog was even denser, the temperature slightly lower than in Wrongful Death City. Di Yao knocked on the door of the Earth God Temple. After a moment, the Earth God yawned and came out. Seeing Di Yao, he raised an eyebrow slightly. He remembered this girl—young, orphaned, and trapped here herself. Taking pity, he suppressed his morning grumpiness and stood by the ancient tree. "Who do you want to send a dream to today?"
Di Yao took out the sachet and glanced at it. "I only know his name is Shouyan. I don't know if it's a given name or a courtesy name, and I don't know his surname. Can I still send a dream in that case?" The Earth God squinted, stroking his beard as he sized her up. "Tell me, what's your relationship with this person you want to dream of?" Di Yao twisted her fingers together, then replied uncertainly, "Maybe a sweetheart? Grandpa, just help me check, please."
Technically, ghosts in the Underworld weren't allowed to send dreams to unrelated people, but seeing Di Yao's state—she seemed to remember nothing—he felt sorry for her. Besides, it was early and no one else was around, so the Earth God's compassion stirred. He infused spiritual energy into the ancient tree and silently recited the name. To his surprise, he found a man named Lu Zhili, whose courtesy name was Shouyan. This Lu Zhili was from Lingxi Town, orphaned young, then adopted by a wealthy merchant from the Capital City. He grew up, passed the civil exams, and once held a sixth-rank official post. He had a wife who died soon after marriage. From his search yesterday about Di Yao's parents, the Earth God knew her father was one of the top merchants in the Capital City and had indeed adopted a child. That matched Di Yao's situation.
The Earth God pinched his fingers and calculated carefully, then furrowed his white brows. After a moment, he opened his eyes and looked at Di Yao with an unreadable expression. Di Yao didn't know what that meant and quickly asked. The Earth God lifted his eyelids, thought for a moment, and said, "There is indeed such a person: Lu Zhili, courtesy name Shouyan. Are you sure you want to send him a dream?" Di Yao silently repeated the name Lu Zhili in her heart, still clouded with doubt, but nodded. "I'm sure."
The Earth God sighed softly, then cast the spell. Before Di Yao looked into the tree hollow, he kindly warned, "You... better prepare yourself." Di Yao didn't understand his meaning and eagerly peered into the hollow. Gradually, the pitch-black hole began to show an image: a vast expanse of white with a young man standing in the center. This must be Lu Zhili. As Di Yao thought about zooming in, the image automatically enlarged, and the man's features grew clearer. Di Yao felt he looked familiar and squinted to see better.
Ah! She remembered—his build and facial features matched the man under the crabapple tree in her dream yesterday. So the man and woman under the tree in her dream were Lu Zhili and herself. Her guesses were gradually confirmed. Just as the stone in her heart was about to drop, she sensed something strange about Lu Zhili.
She remembered that the two women yesterday had spoken directly into the tree hollow, so she tried: "Shouyan?" Hearing a familiar voice, Lu Zhili looked up, searching around, and saw Di Yao floating in midair. He screamed as if seeing a ghost, turned, and tried to run back. But the Earth God had constructed a dream space—boundless white, no exit. He ran fast, but soon exhausted himself, tripped, and fell. After falling, he curled up on the ground, holding his head, trembling all over. He shook his head and muttered repeatedly, "Stay away! I'm scared! Ghost! Don't come near!"
Di Yao called his name again, trying to explain, but Lu Zhili reacted even more violently, screaming to drown out her voice, trying to bury his head in the sand. Seeing this, Di Yao dared not speak further. She glanced at the Earth God, who was looking down with an air of indifference. Seeing Lu Zhili so out of his mind, Di Yao cleared her throat and was about to change her voice to soothe him when suddenly the image in the tree hollow went black. She could see nothing.
She poked the Earth God and pointed at the hollow. The Earth God checked what was wrong, but several attempts to reconnect failed. "Strange..." He tiptoed and half-immersed himself in the hollow; everything seemed normal. Suddenly, the hinges of the Zhuangzhou Post gate creaked, even though there was no wind. The Earth God shushed Di Yao, slowed his movements, and moved toward the door. But no one was outside.
The tree hollow for dream-sending was broken, so Di Yao had to leave her doubts half-resolved for now. But it wasn't a total loss—at least she knew that the person she had loved in life was Lu Zhili, and they were probably childhood sweethearts with deep affection. As for why Lu Zhili had become so frenzied, she couldn't fathom it, but she was curious. Her marriage to Wei Xunzhou was probably just arranged by their parents. Though regrettable, Di Yao accepted it quickly—after all, she and Wei Xunzhou were now dependent on each other in the Underworld, and their life was looking brighter each day. She shouldn't dwell on past feelings; she should care more about the people around her. Other things would come to light in time—maybe she'd remember everything eventually.
Di Yao had just pushed open the door and stepped one foot in when she heard someone calling her name from behind. This time, Cui Jue came alone, having finally changed out of his official robes. A simple, elegant moon-white robe suited him well. Hearing the commotion, Wei Xunzhou came out of the house and saw Di Yao chatting with Cui Jue outside, so he walked over.
"I was passing by and thought I'd drop in. Have you considered what I mentioned last time?" Cui Jue's tone was earnest. He looked relaxed today; maybe it was the clothes, but Di Yao thought he seemed younger than before. Di Yao didn't commit. "I did think about it, but I feel it's still hard to realize. And I have some questions I can't figure out." Cui Jue told her to speak freely, so she said directly, "Lord Judge, why do you care so much about whether I open a tavern?"
Cui Jue seemed to have anticipated the question. He replied calmly, "I oversee the Yinlv Division and manage affairs in Wrongful Death City. Helping you is my duty. How is that 'caring'?" Seeing Di Yao at a loss, he added, "If anyone else in Wrongful Death City could grow grain, I'd have given them this moneymaking idea long ago." Di Yao understood and seized the chance. "Since it's so profitable, Lord Cui, have you considered investing? We can split the profits later."
Cui Jue hadn't expected his explanation to lead to Di Yao misunderstanding he wanted money. He instinctively stepped back to distance himself, glanced into the yard, and breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't see Wei Xunzhou. "Nonsense! This is bribery, you know?" Di Yao looked at him as if to say, 'It's just us two, why pretend?' and insisted on bringing him in. She didn't know Cui Jue's game, but hitching her wagon to him seemed safe. Cui Jue hadn't expected to get caught up in his own suggestion and felt a headache coming. Finally, after Di Yao's relentless persuasion, he relented.
Forget it, nothing ventured, nothing gained. "Alright, alright. We'll talk about investing later. Have you discussed your idea with your husband?" Di Yao nodded. "Of course. My husband will fully support me!" Cui Jue nodded. "Fine. If you need help, come to me directly. As long as it doesn't violate the rules, I'll help if I can, okay?" Just as he turned to leave, Di Yao stopped him. "My Lord, I actually do have something urgent to ask for your help." Cui Jue twitched at the corner of his eye, sighed, and turned back, ready to listen.
"I assume you can go to the Mortal World? I'd like you to bring back some seeds of vegetables and fruits from there. If the tavern really opens, we can't just serve steamed buns, can we?" Sure enough, whenever she brought up the tavern and money, Cui Jue wouldn't refuse. He waved his hand and told her to wait for his news. Watching him walk away, Di Yao added, "And prepare as many as possible!" Then she clapped her hands in satisfaction and went home.
As soon as she stepped inside, she saw Wei Xunzhou standing behind the door. Seeing his odd expression, Di Yao smiled sheepishly. "Ziyuan, did you hear everything?" Ever since she learned his courtesy name, she had stopped calling him 'husband'—maybe because she had gotten tired of saying it so much. Wei Xunzhou said nothing, but his eyes said it all. "So... do you still support me opening a tavern?" "As you wish." His tone was icy, leaving just those two words before he turned to leave. Di Yao quickly stepped in front of him, hands behind her back, walking backwards. "Ziyuan, where are you going? Can I come with you?" Wei Xunzhou glanced at her, his tone softening slightly. "To find spices."