Chapter 35 – A Strange Dream

The dawn light appeared in the east, casting a pale mist over the world. Flowers by the window bloomed beautifully, their petals unfurling and emitting a pleasant fragrance.

The vast sky, the departing stars, and the blooming flowers adorned the tranquil morning, making it a scene of serene beauty.

In this silent moment, Pei Xuan felt as if her world was turned upside down.

For a long time, Pei Xuan couldn’t regain her composure, her mind a jumble of thoughts, or perhaps entirely blank.

Her body felt cold, and her heart even colder. Once the most talented and graceful gentleman in Xi Jing, she now felt like a flower bud battered by the harsh spring winds, swaying and tattered.

Suddenly, a thunderous revelation exploded in her mind, leaving her disoriented. She thought, it must be broad daylight, and she was seeing ghosts.

She questioned her sanity.

Or perhaps she had been kicked by a donkey in her dreams.

Right.

She had just been dreaming.

She must not have fully awakened.

She stumbled out of her first wife’s embrace, groggily heading back to bed, intending to sleep some more.

How could someone born blind suddenly see?

It defied all logic.

How could she ever think that Niangzi could see her?

It seemed as though she had suddenly malfunctioned.

Her heart pounded, her legs felt weak, her body awake but her soul adrift. She collapsed onto the bed, pulling the quilt over her, the scent of the fabric reminding her of the passionate embrace from the night before.

She recalled Cui Ti’s neck glistening with fragrant sweat, trickling down to her chest. Her Niangzi’s skin was as white as jade, and every inch of her was soft.

“……”

Cui Ti watched her, amused and embarrassed, as Pei Xuan, like a sleepwalker, returned to bed and closed her eyes. Sitting back on the bed, Cui Ti gently poked Pei Xuan’s face with her finger, reveling in the sensation.

“Xingguang.”

Pei Xuan lay there with her eyes closed, gritting her teeth, her body stiff like a dried-up fish.

Such a reaction was to be expected; even if she seemed more disoriented, it was understandable. When Cui Ti suddenly learned that an immortal had opened her spiritual eye, her shock was no less than Pei Xuan’s.

Previously, Miss Cui couldn’t fathom Pei Xuan’s thoughts and dared not reveal the truth. Now that they had consummated their relationship, becoming the closest of people, it felt dishonest to keep any more secrets.

With a gentle and soft voice, the considerate Miss Cui once again poked Editor Pei’s delicate cheek, “Xingguang?”

Her voice was so tender that Pei Xuan could no longer deceive herself.

She opened her eyes, her lips moving slightly, but in the end, she didn’t utter a word.

Cui Ti didn’t force her. She continued speaking softly, her fingertip moving from Pei Xuan’s smooth cheek to gently caress the collar of Pei Xuan’s white undergarments, “When I was still at the Cui Family, I had a very strange dream. In the dream, an immortal riding a plump white crane asked me what I wanted. At that time, all I wanted was to see you, to see what you looked like. This dream repeated several times, and after that, I could see, but only you.”

She admitted it, even though the story of an immortal appearing in a dream sounded too bizarre. Pei Xuan, trying to ignore the tickling sensation at her collarbone, quickly thought it over and quietly asked, “Why did you want to see me? At that time, you shouldn’t have met me yet.”

“That’s true…” Cui Ti blushed, “Before that dream, I actually had another very long dream.”

“Ah?”

Pei Xuan was stunned.

Her bewildered expression was amusing. Cui Ti observed her carefully, wanting to remember every detail to tease her about it later. She pursed her lips slightly, “I dreamed that I married you.”

Years of understanding were overturned with just a few words. Pei Xuan’s eyes were filled with confusion. After the initial shock, she couldn’t help but ask, “You married me, and then what? Was it like how we are now?”

She was incredibly curious about the long dream Cui Ti mentioned.

A good story needs a good listener, and a good story also needs a good storyteller. At this moment, neither was lacking. Cui Ti rubbed her arms, her tone slightly aggrieved, “I’m a bit cold.”

Pei Xuan was startled by this and quickly pulled her into her arms, covering her tightly with the quilt.

Soon, Cui Ti softly said, “Now I’m a bit hot.”

“…”

Pei Xuan kicked off the quilt, embracing her wholeheartedly, “How about now?”

She finally stopped thinking about running away and was willing to stay close. Cui Ti was very pleased and slowly began to speak, “In the dream, I was still the eldest daughter of Count Xining, blind and looked down upon by others…”

The speaker spoke without much thought, but the listener felt it deeply. Pei Xuan’s heart tightened, her brows furrowed, and a heavy weight pressed on her chest. Gradually, she was drawn into a strange yet familiar scenario by Cui Ti’s words.

“You fell from the wall, hurt your hand, and because of that, you only got the position of Tanhua in the palace examination…”

The line of fate, both similar to and different from their current life, made Pei Xuan’s heart race.

“You married me with a grand ceremony, bringing me into the Pei Residence as the Young Madam. You treated me impeccably.”

“Was the dream better, or is now better?” The refined ‘Gentleman Pei’ cautiously asked, “Which do you prefer?”

Cui Ti smiled, then spoke with a heavy heart, “I don’t like the you in the dream.”

“Did she do something to make you unhappy?”

“No.”

Pei Xuan was puzzled, “Since she treated you so well, why didn’t you like her?”

After a few moments of silence, Cui Ti said softly, “Because she refused to consummate our marriage. I couldn’t understand her heart, and it made my own heart unsettled.”

The word “consummate” carried significant weight. Pei Xuan, belatedly realizing what she had forgotten, felt her back stiffen.

Noticing her reaction, Cui Ti deliberately didn’t break the sensitive topic, letting Pei Xuan’s mind wander. She continued with the previous topic, her voice slow and gentle, carrying a unique charm, “In the dream, I died in the third year after marrying you.”

Pei Xuan’s chaotic heart was completely captivated by her words.

“Someone pushed me into the lotus pond. I drowned there.”

Cui Ti’s tone remained steady, but a fleeting panic crossed her heart. Pei Xuan whispered, “Who harmed you?”

“I don’t know.”

Unable to get more information from her, Pei Xuan took a deep breath, “Fortunately, it was just a dream.”

However, this dream was bizarre and terrifying to the extreme. Only Cui Ti knew that it wasn’t just a dream. It was the previous life where she had truly married into the Pei Residence. The only difference was that heaven had given her another chance to start over.

Hence, there were changes. Pei Xuan achieved the top rank of Zhuangyuan, and Cui Ti had the courage to fight for herself this time.

“You are a woman. You deceived me.”

Pei Xuan felt as if her entire being had been struck by a heavy blow. Her lips trembled, and she didn’t know what to say.

“This is the second time you’ve lied to me.”

She even counted the “dream” as one of those times.

No matter how talented and quick-witted Pei Xuan was, at this moment, all she could do was comply with Cui Ti’s wishes and release her from the warm embrace.

She was terrified.

Like a prisoner awaiting the fall of the executioner’s blade.

The light from outside crept in inch by inch, dimly illuminating the warm inner chamber through the floral-patterned window. The image of the person in Cui Ti’s eyes became clearer.

She silently watched Pei Xuan’s face turn pale, saw her at a loss for what to do, and watched her remain speechless. Her heart softened. Her eyes reddened as she recalled the hesitation and sleepless nights of her previous life. She found this person truly hateful.

She had died without ever obtaining the love she longed for, deceiving herself into pretending she had let go.

But she had never let go!

How could Pei Xuan treat her so well and not love her?

This had become a knot in her heart.

Fortunately, this knot had been untied not long ago. Pei Xuan had taken her, giving her the greatest sense of security.

Cui Ti stared at her intently, then suddenly bit down hard on Pei Xuan’s shoulder.

Her teeth, through the fine fabric, sank into the tender skin. Pei Xuan gasped in pain but quickly closed her mouth, thinking it was her fault to begin with. If Niangzi wanted to bite her, it was still a light punishment.

Someone who had concealed her identity and satisfied her own desires had no right to plead for mercy.

Getting scolded, beaten, or given the cold shoulder was only fair.

A faint taste of blood filled the air. Cui Ti released her aching jaw and started crying, “There won’t be a third time.”

Pei Xuan held her tightly. The feeling of being forgiven and set free was too sudden and too intense. She laughed out loud, “Niangzi!”

The resolute and justified call escaped her throat, making Cui Ti cry and laugh at the same time. She finally rummaged through the bedside cabinet to find a bottle of medicine to apply to Pei Xuan’s shoulder.

The start of this day was indeed too stimulating.

The red sun had risen high. Editor Pei of the Hanlin Academy felt as if her soul had been ensnared by some spirit.

She was the legitimate son of the chancellor, a figure who had been noted early on by His Majesty. As long as she completed her work, she could daydream during her leisure time without issue.

Usually, when Song Zizhen saw her like this, he couldn’t resist teasing her. But now he was too busy to pay her any mind. Zheng Wuji was also swamped with work, making Pei Xuan seem exceptionally idle by comparison.

Finding herself with free time, Pei Xuan suddenly stood up and headed towards the library.

She considered herself well-read, but the strange dreams and miraculous recovery of eyesight that her Niangzi mentioned this morning were things she had never encountered before.

It seemed she hadn’t read enough books.

The Hanlin Academy’s library housed various types of books from all over the world. Pei Xuan dived into the sea of books, pulling out every volume that described supernatural and bizarre phenomena, creating a mountain of books.

She even missed lunch, absorbed in her reading.

It wasn’t until the sun set and the library attendant urged her that Pei Xuan reluctantly stopped.

“Xingguang, what’s going on with you? You seem off!” Song Zizhen yawned as he made his observation.

Pei Xuan thought, if you had a Niangzi full of mysteries, you would be off too. But there was no one in the world like Titi, and Song Zizhen didn’t even have a match for a blind date, so she couldn’t expect too much from him.

“I have some things I can’t figure out. I’ll be fine in a few days.”

She didn’t plan to explain further. Song Zizhen and Zheng Wuji exchanged glances but didn’t press her.

The two of them weren’t married and didn’t have a wife to go home to early like Pei Xuan. After exchanging a few more words, they linked arms and headed to the tavern for a drink.

Pei Xuan pondered the connection between dreams and reality as she hurried home.

If an immortal could open someone’s spiritual eye, why couldn’t they send hints through dreams?

Who was it that pushed Niangzi into the lotus pond in her dream, intending to kill her?

She stepped into her home, unusually hurried.

Entering the courtyard, she heard laughter coming from the main hall. Standing at the hall’s entrance, Pei Xuan saw Dou Qingyue and her mother chatting happily. Then she noticed Cui Ti sitting gracefully with a gentle smile, warming her heart.

“cousin? You’re back.”

Pei Xuan crossed the threshold, her gaze first meeting Cui Ti’s, her smile widening unconsciously. “Mom, Niangzi, what are you chatting about with younger female cousin?”

Taking advantage of her “blindness,” Cui Ti openly stared at Pei Xuan for quite a while, until Pei Xuan’s ears turned red. Only then did she relent.

“It’s just Qingyue, upset because Mom hasn’t hung up the Hundred Sons and Thousand Grandsons Embroidery she made.”

Hundred Sons and Thousand Grandsons Embroidery?

Both she and Titi were women; how could there be any sons or grandsons?

Mom knew about this, and so did Niangzi, which is why they hadn’t displayed the embroidery openly. If this had happened yesterday, Pei Xuan wouldn’t have thought much of it. But now, knowing about Cui Ti’s extraordinary encounters, how could she not overthink it?

However, the Pei Family was clean, and with her mother’s strict household management, even a jealous maid wouldn’t dare harm the Young Madam.

The only ones who could harm Niangzi would be outsiders.

Suspicion brewed in her heart, making her suddenly see danger in everything, becoming overly wary and mistrustful of everyone.