The Black Lotus Stole the White Moonlight (GL) - Chapter 16
Cuiyan, dressed in green, held onto a tall man, appearing like a respectable woman.
Upon hearing Bai An’an’s call, she stiffened and didn’t turn around.
Bai An’an intentionally raised her voice, causing the man to look back.
Cuiyan had no choice but to stop and turn her head.
Seeing this, Bai An’an’s face lit up, and she ran over in a few quick steps, “Sister Cuiyan! Long time no see!”
The man looked over, Cuiyan’s smile froze for a moment, and then she grabbed Bai An’an’s hand, pulling her aside, “Husband, I’ll talk to her for a moment.”
The man nodded.
Cuiyan was very strong, and Bai An’an was pulled so hard that she felt some pain, and couldn’t help but ask hesitantly, “Sister Cuiyan, what’s wrong?”
Cuiyan pulled her to a secluded corner before turning to face her.
Bai An’an looked at her. Cuiyan was still young and beautiful, but her pale face looked a little haggard. She wondered what she had gone through after marrying into the Wen family.
Cuiyan’s face was cold, and she looked at her with an icy expression that Bai An’an had never seen before, her tone seemingly hiding something, “Xiao An’er, don’t come looking for me anymore.”
Bai An’an let out an “ah” sound, confused, “Why?”
Cuiyan lowered her eyelashes, not looking at Bai An’an, and said coldly, “Don’t you understand? I’ve redeemed myself, I’m no longer a despised prostitute.”
Seeing that Bai An’an wanted to say something more, she gave her a look of annoyance, “In short, from now on, don’t come looking for me anymore. Do you understand? By the way, my name isn’t Cuiyan, it’s Jiang Qinghan.”
Cuiyan walked away, holding Master Wen’s hand. Bai An’an came out of the corner, her head hanging down dejectedly.
After returning to the brothel, she gave the mung bean cakes she was carrying to her cheap mother.
Her cheap mother seemed very happy, glanced at her, didn’t ask about Cuiyan, and just waved her hand with a smile, telling her to leave.
Bai An’an returned to her room, curled up, hugged her knees, and stared blankly at the darkening twilight outside the window.
A tall, white figure appeared beside her bed, casting a shadow in the pale moonlight.
Mu Tianyin sat beside her bed, silently watching her.
Bai An’an suddenly threw herself into Mu Tianyin’s arms, hugging her slender waist tightly, her tears slowly soaking her snow-white lapel.
Mu Tianyin gently patted her thin back, comforting her silently.
After a long while, Bai An’an pulled her head out of her embrace, looking up at her with a wet face, sobbing, “Fairy sister, An’er doesn’t understand.”
Mu Tianyin said calmly, “Don’t understand what?”
Bai An’an sniffed, “Why did sister Cuiyan say those things?”
“She used to be so nice to me. She would gently apply ointment to me and feel sorry for my wounds. Why does she want An’er to stop seeing her now?”
“An’er doesn’t understand.”
Mu Tianyin looked at her silently for a moment, her tea-colored eyes rippling slightly, but quickly disappearing. Her voice was as cold as ever, without a trace of warmth, “An’er, you don’t need to understand these things.”
Bai An’an stared at her blankly.
Mu Tianyin reached out and patted her little head, saying slowly, “Cultivators don’t need to pay attention to other things, they only need to see their own hearts and clarify their nature, ultimately reaching a state of supreme detachment.”
“Besides, I told you long ago, cultivators must sever worldly ties. What’s the point of understanding or not understanding?”
If Mu Tianyin wasn’t right in front of her, still watching her, Bai An’an would have definitely rolled her eyes.
Listen to what she’s saying, is that even human?
Mu Tianyin thought she was cultivating the path of emotionless, so she had to become a desireless, emotionless puppet like her? She thought Mu Tianyin was very hypocritical. If she was really so detached, why would she be the City Lord of Mingxin or the master of the righteous path?
Striving for power while claiming to be emotionless, it was just sanctimonious and affected!
Bai An’an’s eyes flickered slightly, pretending to be confused, “Fairy sister, what does that mean?”
Mu Tianyin looked at the girl’s tender face and paused for a moment, “You’ll understand in the future.”
Bai An’an didn’t want to argue with her about the path of emotionless, she just wanted to act pitiful so that Mu Tianyin would pity her more.
So she deliberately changed the subject, “Actually, An’er understands.”
Mu Tianyin was startled and smiled wryly, “What do you understand?”
Bai An’an lowered her thick eyelashes, the shadows falling on her eyelids, covering the emotions in her eyes, “Because in sister Cuiyan’s heart, Master Wen is an important person.”
“So, she’s willing to wrong herself for Master Wen.”
“An’er is the same. Xiao Tao, sister Cuiyan, and mother are all very important.” After she finished speaking, she suddenly hung her head, dejected, “But they don’t seem to think the same.”
“An’er feels like she’s getting further and further away from them.” She curled up, her little hand patting her chest, her face full of confusion.
That expression of being abandoned by the whole world was extremely pitiful.
She put those people first, but they didn’t do the same.
Mu Tianyin sighed softly. No matter how much she said, the little girl wouldn’t understand, so she just remained silent.
They were silent for a moment.
Bai An’an suddenly raised her face, secretly glanced at Mu Tianyin, and then whispered, “Actually, fairy sister is also very important to An’er!”
She took Mu Tianyin’s hand, her small hand not even half the size of the other’s, her fingers short and cute.
She held Mu Tianyin’s hand tightly, staring at her seriously, as if making a vow, “An’er is also willing to be like sister Cuiyan to Master Wen, even if she suffers, it doesn’t matter!”
Mu Tianyin looked at her for a moment, and after a long time, she nodded lightly.
Time passed like flowing water, and in the blink of an eye, Bai An’an had grown much taller.
She was thirteen years old. Although she was still thin, her delicate face could no longer be hidden.
In her budding years, she would be of marriageable age in two years.
Bai An’an walked outside her cheap mother’s room and heard the brothel owner’s voice.
Without eavesdropping, she knew what they were talking about.
She idly played with the tassel hanging from her waist, her fingers absentmindedly twirling the white silk.
The door creaked open, and the brothel owner saw her standing at the door, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
Bai An’an gave her a timid bow, hearing her cheap mother’s voice from inside the room.
“Is that An’er? Come in…”
Bai An’an bowed to the brothel owner again, and after she nodded, she slowly stepped into the room.
The room had very little furniture, only a round table with a few low stools and a redwood bed.
Bai An’an walked to the bed, her eyes falling on the red curtains.
The bright red curtains were embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water. The red curtains covered the redwood bed, looking like a bridal chamber. But because it was dark red, it looked a little strange.
Her cheap mother lay on the bed, emaciated. The red curtains covered her head, but couldn’t hide the deathly aura on her face.
She was sick, very sick.
Bai An’an tearfully leaned against the bed, looking at her with heartbreak, “Mother, your illness will definitely get better.”
The diseases of women from brothels were mostly difficult to talk about.
Recently, the physician who was willing to treat them had returned to his hometown and didn’t know when he would be back.
Her cheap mother curled her lips into a sneer, “You don’t need to comfort me, I know how many days I have left.”
She withdrew her gaze, staring blankly at the bed curtains, as if seeing an unknown distance through them, “If I hadn’t been playful, hadn’t asked Dad to take me to the lantern festival, hadn’t met him, how good would that have been…”
As she spoke, a trace of spirit suddenly appeared in her blank eyes, “An’er, when I die, take my ashes to Xinghua Village in Yinzhou, and find Master Meng. Just say… just say Yuan’er is unfilial and can’t serve him.”
Bai An’an knew that her cheap mother was giving her last words, and she burst into tears.
After her cheap mother finished speaking, her bony fingers tightly gripped her wrist, as if in a final burst of energy, “Promise me!”
Bai An’an, unable to wipe the tears from her face, nodded hurriedly.
The other’s hand loosened, her fingers falling abruptly. She lay on the bed, her eyes blankly staring at the bed curtains, her face full of deathly stillness.
Bai An’an wiped her tears and went out to brew medicine for her cheap mother.
The medicine prescribed by the previous physician was not finished yet. While brewing the medicine, she thought that her cheap mother didn’t have much time left, and her cheap father would probably appear soon.
Within a few days, her cheap mother died.
Women from brothels had no roots, so when they died, they died. The brothel owner wouldn’t bother to give her a proper burial.
After all, they were mother and daughter. Bai An’an personally took a roll of straw mat and buried her.
She seemed to have lost her soul, her eyes staring blankly at the tombstone, kneeling in front of the grave, lost and helpless, unable to regain her senses for a long time.
The sky responded to the scene with rain, a light drizzle falling on Bai An’an’s thin body. Cold air poured in through her collar, freezing her so much that she immediately sneezed.
Mu Tianyin appeared beside her, saying calmly, “Get up.”
Bai An’an grabbed Mu Tianyin’s arm and slowly stood up.
Her gaze was still fixed on the tombstone, and she murmured softly, “Fairy sister, now An’er only has you left.”
“Everyone has left An’er, An’er only has fairy sister left.” She repeated, her gaze sweeping across the tombstone, then turning to Mu Tianyin’s face.
She still had that ordinary face, but Bai An’an could see her true appearance through it.
Her eyes were a light tea color, like clear glass, and when the light shone on them, they sparkled.
She thought that it would be a wonderful experience to have her image reflected in those eyes.
Mu Tianyin looked at her, her eyes showing a hint of pity, but more of an emotionless, neither sad nor happy expression.
Her gaze fell on Bai An’an’s face, and suddenly her expression sharpened. She turned her head and saw a tall figure in a black robe.
The other person seemed not to see her, walking towards them with unhurried steps.
Bai An’an’s eyes flickered, and she straightened up, looking at the black figure.
The other person was tall and strong, wearing a black hooded cloak, revealing a fair and firm chin.
He walked up to Bai An’an, slowly lifted his black hood, revealing a righteous but pale and weak face, “An’er, I’m your father.”
Bai An’an covered her mouth, letting out a surprised “ah” sound.
The other person took a step closer, patted her head, and said expressionlessly, “I know you have many questions, but the more you know, the faster you’ll die. I can’t stay here for long, so after teaching you how to protect yourself, I have to leave.”
Bai An’an looked up at Mu Tianyin. Mu Tianyin frowned, staring at the strange man for a long time, then suddenly waved her sleeve.
Instantly, the black-clad man froze, standing still, motionless.
Bai An’an swallowed, wondering if this act could deceive Mu Tianyin.
This wasn’t her real memory.
The characters in the memory were real, but everything she experienced was fake.
For example, if her cheap mother wanted to hit her, would she obediently stand still and be beaten and scolded?
If Xiao Tao betrayed her, she would naturally retaliate without any sentimentality.
And Cuiyan, no matter how kind she was, she wouldn’t give her a good face.
In the entire brothel, she, Bai An’an, was the most unruly and difficult to deal with.
No idiot would dare to provoke her, let alone pity her.
They all called her a little madwoman, a little liar, a nuisance.
The cheap father in front of her was the only fake person in her entire scheme.
Bai An’an narrowed her eyes, carefully glancing at Mu Tianyin, wondering if she could see through anything.
In an instant, Mu Tianyin withdrew the spell and looked at Bai An’an.
Bai An’an looked back with innocent eyes.
After a long stare, Bai An’an’s vision suddenly went dark.
Then, she climbed out of bed in her room.
Mu Tianyin had already left. Bai An’an touched her chin, pondering. Had she passed or failed?
She leaned against the bed, crossing her legs leisurely, the corners of her mouth lifting.
Regardless of whether she passed or not, she would deal with whatever came her way. If necessary, she would just fabricate another lie to deceive Mu Tianyin.
Author’s Note:
Whew, my integrity is safe.
That’s the end of the memory stuff. Don’t be impatient, the real action is about to start~