Forced to Love (GL) - Chapter 50

Lingxi and the colorful shadow puppet woman on the ticket locked eyes. Even though she could tell it was lifeless, the more she looked, the more she felt something was off.

She wanted to reply to Xie Xisui but couldn’t bring herself to speak. Only when her inner clothing, soaked from the dampness, slowly dried under the subtle influence of sword intent, did a layer of mist cloud her vision. She shook her head thoughtfully and said, “Master, I don’t want to go. But it seems I have no choice.”

Xie Xisui’s ink-stained brush paused for a moment but quickly continued flowing smoothly across the paper. “Why?”

Lingxi turned the ticket over. On its bright red backside, bold characters appeared, matching the fleeting glimpse she had seen before.

“Because it says, ‘Do you want to know about the Dark Mask?'”

The Dark Mask was the one who had controlled Qin Tang with silver needles last night and tried to kill them.

The strange, slender handwriting occupied the entire back of the ticket, standing out against the vivid red background.

Lingxi hesitated before continuing, “Master, you said before that she carried a trace of decay. Now, she sends this ticket with such a message. There are too many oddities.”

She held the ticket, deep in thought, and glanced again at the shadow puppet woman with narrowed eyes and a smile.

“It’s as if she…”

A breeze stirred in her mind, carrying the faint fragrance of Ahan buds.

“Her target is you.”

“At the inn, when you first met, she revealed herself as a storyteller and hinted that she knew about you.”

“Disguising herself as me was a way to get your attention.”

The wind whispered through the valley, stirring up fine grains of sand. As the breeze swept by, a few grains brushed against Lingxi’s furrowed brow.

“Master, I don’t understand.”

Lingxi couldn’t figure out why Ruan Xuan wanted her attention.

The wind carried a distant, echoing voice, as if it belonged to Xie Xisui.

“Last night, when you were injured, only you could sense my sword intent.”

“Yet she didn’t take the chance to kill you. Instead, she invited you to a medicinal bath.”

“It might have been a test, or perhaps she has another purpose for you.”

The fragrance of Ahan buds grew stronger, tickling her nose.

The wind suddenly coiled around Lingxi’s slightly curled fingers, swirling into small whirlpools. A cold sensation seeped in through her fingertips.

“So, she knows I am wary of her and wouldn’t accept her invitation easily. That’s why she used the Dark Mask to force me to go.”

The ticket in Lingxi’s hand was lifted by the swirling wind, floating weightlessly in midair.

After a moment, the scent of Ahan buds brushed against Lingxi’s ear like a whisper, “Be careful.”

Almost instinctively, Lingxi’s fingers twitched slightly. It was a strange feeling—though she couldn’t touch Xie Xisui’s form, just hearing her voice from afar stirred her heart.

“Understood.”

Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door. “Senior Sister? Are you there?”

As Lingxi opened the door, she caught a glimpse of the dissipating whirlpool at her fingertips. The sword intent’s presence faded as well.

“You’re awake.”

Outside, Tong Ningyun was supporting Qin Tang. Both had just woken up, their faces pale and bloodless. But the moment they saw Lingxi, their eyes lit up.

“Senior Sister!”

“Are you okay? We didn’t see you when we woke up, and we thought—”

“I’m fine. How about you two?” Lingxi invited them inside.

“I’m sorry, Senior Sister. You got hurt saving us again.”

Qin Tang stood still, looking ashamed.

“Senior Sister, I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have insisted on wandering around town. If I hadn’t, we wouldn’t have met him…”

Perhaps because she had narrowly escaped death, Tong Ningyun’s eyes reddened as she recalled what happened, and her voice trembled.

“No, Senior Sister, it’s my fault. I didn’t train hard enough, and my weak skills gave that man an opportunity!”

The two of them suddenly started arguing about who was to blame. Lingxi watched them for a while before setting down her teacup.

“Sit down first. You’ve just woken up—don’t faint again from exhaustion.”

As she lightly turned the teapot, it floated up by itself and tilted to pour tea for them.

“It’s not your fault. We were probably being watched the moment we entered Pingzhou Town.”

“What?! Senior Sister, are you saying he had planned to kill us from the start?” Tong Ningyun’s eyes widened.

“Yes. We kept a low profile and didn’t wear any Yao Guang Sect emblems, yet he addressed us as Yao Guang Sect members.”

Qin Tang frowned. “Could he be an enemy of our sect? Or…”

The two looked at each other. A few seconds later, they spoke in unison, “A demon?!”

The aroma of tea filled the air, but it wasn’t the Ahan bud scent Lingxi was used to. She glanced at her cup briefly before looking away. “I don’t know.”

“But Senior Sister, if he was a demon, we should have sensed his demonic aura. Yet there was nothing unusual.”

“Could it be that the Dark Mask he wore concealed it?” Tong Ningyun guessed.

“Maybe he’s just skilled at hiding it.” Lingxi paused. “Tell me everything that happened.”

“Alright. After hearing the storytelling, I wanted to explore the town a bit more. Since you had gone to rest, I didn’t call you. Qin Tang was worried about me, so he came along. As we passed a small alley, we heard someone crying for help. Without thinking, we rushed in. But…”

Tong Ningyun’s expression changed. Qin Tang sighed and continued, “But we walked into a barrier. The masked man appeared, fog surrounded us, and we fought while retreating. In the end, we still lost. Then, everything went black.”

“When I woke up, I couldn’t move my limbs.”

Lingxi nodded thoughtfully. “I see.”

“Senior Sister…”

Tong Ningyun wanted to say more.

Lingxi looked at her. “You two just woke up. Rest first.”

Qin Tang asked seriously, “Senior Sister, are you really okay?”

“Yes, I just need to meditate.”

Qin Tang nodded firmly as if making a decision. He pulled Tong Ningyun away. At first, she resisted, but when they reached the hallway corner, Qin Tang whispered, “Don’t disturb Senior Sister. We can’t keep being a burden. We have to recover quickly and help her.”

Tong Ningyun finally nodded.

The next night, there weren’t as many people in the inn as there had been for the storytelling. In the center of the main hall was a large sheet of white paper. Only two bright candles were lit behind the paper, while the seating area was dim. From a little distance, you couldn’t clearly see anyone’s face.

Ling Xi was going to pick a seat in the corner on one side, but just as she stepped into the seating area, a young boy carrying a lantern bent down and came toward her.

“Miss, I need to check your ticket.”

Ling Xi looked at him and handed him the ticket.

Even children were being asked to help Ruan Xuan check tickets now.

The boy accepted it with both hands and smiled. “Ah, an honored guest! This way, please. Sister Ruan saved a seat for you ahead of time.”

“She knew I would come?”

“I don’t know. Sister Ruan just said she invited an honored guest and told me to take good care of you.”

The boy led the way for Ling Xi. After only a few steps, they reached a guest seat placed right in front of the white paper.

“This is the spot. Please take a seat, miss. I’ll go get you some tea.”

The boy smiled so hard his eyes turned into narrow slits, dimming most of the light. After Ling Xi sat down, he tucked the bamboo handle of the lantern between his thumb and index finger, bowed respectfully with hands cupped, and slowly walked away.

So young, yet already so polite and proper.

After a short wait, more people gradually filled the seats. Then, someone inside the hall struck a copper gong loudly. The sharp, clear sound stirred up excitement among the crowd, and scattered clapping followed.

There was no extra introduction, not even anyone speaking. As the gong sounded, the shadow play began.

The white paper acted as the screen. Soon, strange-looking trees appeared on it, tall and thick, filling one side of the stage.

With the continued beat of drums and gongs, the shadow of a woman in red appeared in the center of the screen.

Suddenly, Ruan Xuan began singing in a traditional opera tone:
“Graceful and light in red she stands,
Hair tied with white band, jade pin in hand.”

The red shadow puppet spun lightly in her hand. Then another woman in red appeared behind the first. But this one had a red hairband and a butterfly-shaped hairpin.

The two walked hand-in-hand, enjoying flowers and mountain views. But as they neared the strange trees, lightning flashed and thunder roared. A fierce wind swept by and took the woman with the red hairband and butterfly pin away.

“Who could have known, that wild wind—was a monster’s doing.”

It was just opera singing, yet Ling Xi could hear real sadness and even hatred in Ruan Xuan’s voice.

Moments later, drums and suona (a Chinese horn) played together, and a man appeared on the screen.

Ling Xi narrowed her eyes slightly, focusing on the man’s puppet wearing a dark, ghostly mask.

“He wore a dark ghost mask, hiding his face,
But that mask—I will never forget!”

“I begged him to trade my sister back,
But that villain, cruel as hell,
Tried to use her heart to make a pill!”

The drums, gong, and suona quickened. The two puppets fought, but the woman in red quickly lost. The man sent people to catch her, and she fled in panic, escaping danger for the moment.

She then went into hiding, avoiding his men, waiting for a chance to rescue her sister. But she was too late—she only saw her sister lying like a living corpse on a stone slab, with just one soul and one spirit left.

The opera voice, already hoarse, now carried a deep pain, like a long-lasting cry of grief.

The play ended. The young boy who had led Ling Xi earlier came up again, struck the gong, and called out loudly:

“‘The Woman in Red’ has ended!”

Ling Xi heard someone behind her cursing the man with the ghost mask. Others complained about wasting money on a ticket for such a confusing and strange story.

Ling Xi sat still, her finger gently circling the rim of the teacup, her eyes lowered.

“I knew you’d come. How was my shadow play performance?” Ruan Xuan walked over with a bright smile.

Ling Xi looked up at her but didn’t speak. The candlelight behind her passed through the paper, glowing at the corners of Ruan Xuan’s reddened eyes.

Someone came up, wanting to get a closer look at this woman who could both tell stories and perform shadow puppetry. But Ruan Xuan smiled and waved the boy over to send them away.

Just a moment ago, the hall had been lively. Now, only a few people remained.

When Ling Xi still didn’t answer, Ruan Xuan gave up and sat beside her with a shrug. “What, was my acting so amazing it left you speechless?”

Ling Xi lifted the lid of her cup. The rising steam curled into the air. She spoke calmly, “What’s your plan?”

Ruan Xuan looked at her and smiled. “Ah, a smart one. I love talking to smart people—makes everything easier.”

As she spoke, Ruan Xuan suddenly leaned closer and whispered, “My plan is this: you help me save my sister, and I’ll tell you everything I know about the ghost mask.”

Ling Xi looked at her calmly. Her pale brown eyes held a sharp glint like a blade.

“Why should I help you? The rot on your body—it’s because you used the one soul and one spirit your sister had left to preserve yourself through shadow puppetry, isn’t it?”

“I can go search for the ghost mask again. But your sister’s one soul and one spirit—can you really bear to leave her trapped forever, never to escape?”

Ling Xi’s voice stayed even, without any emotion. As her words fell, she saw the smile on Ruan Xuan’s lips freeze for a second. But it passed quickly and returned to her usual bright smile.

Just then, loud drumming echoed through the inn. Ruan Xuan leaned close to Ling Xi’s ear and whispered with a laugh:

“Then what if I told you… this is also about your master? Would you help me then?”