Chapter 39 – Mortal Tribulation

A woman dressed in flamboyant clothes rode on the back of a fat donkey, her legs dangling carelessly.

As the evening breeze blew, the copper bell tied around the donkey’s neck rang with a series of crisp sounds. She looked at the tightly closed gates of the Pei Residence and shouted, “Hey, wake up!”

Her voice rippled out, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.

Splash!

Water splashed all around.

The gatekeeper rubbed his eyes, suddenly awakened: “Who’s there?”

…

Tonight, there were stars and a moon, but the moon was soon covered by dark clouds, and the stars lost their luster. The night became thick and suffocating, like ink left out too long.

The steward hurried over and respectfully stopped outside the door: “Madam, Gentleman Pei, a strange woman has arrived outside, claiming she can relieve the gentleman’s worries.”

“Relieve worries?”

Madam Pei looked at her daughter.

Pei Xuan, sitting by the bedside, was wiping the sweat from Cui Ti’s forehead. The family doctor in the residence was evidently at a loss regarding Titi’s ailment. She said in a low voice, “Let her in.”

The inner chamber had a faint bitter scent of medicinal herbs. The gauzy curtain was drawn down, and Pei Xuan glanced back.

The peculiar visitor of the night stepped through the door.

Under the light, her attire was even more striking, as if she wore all the colors of the world. Despite her extraordinary appearance, she seemed ageless. Her eyes were bright and black, and her smile was somewhat mischievous, yet it was impossible to dislike her.

Her clothes were a riot of colors, and she wore a jade piece of a fat crane at her waist. The crane’s eyes were closed.

She was sizing up the woman, and the woman was calmly observing Pei Xuan in return.

Young and graceful, refined in manner, her waist was still as slender as ever. Her upright and unassailable aura had not changed over the years.

Any trace of ethereal otherworldliness had transformed into a scholarly air. She was like bamboo, with eyes like stars, exuding a serene presence, like a clear moon and spring breeze.

The woman smiled slightly: “Greetings, Gentleman Pei.”

Pei Xuan returned the greeting: “May I ask what worry you wish to relieve for me?”

“It is, of course, the Young Madam Pei’s strange illness.”

She hit the nail on the head, revealing a secret known to few. Madam Pei, who was sitting behind the screen, was startled and couldn’t stop wondering about this person’s background.

In Dazhao, many famous mountains and rivers hid reclusive masters, but judging by this person’s voice, she doesn’t seem like an old monster; she sounds very young.

The woman’s smile never left her lips as she watched Pei Xuan’s excited expression, like someone witnessing a rare sight.

“You truly have great skill, Senior,” Pei Xuan said without a trace of doubt, immediately bowing deeply. “Please help me.”

“Of course.”

The woman flicked the jade piece hanging at her waist, causing the fat crane to reluctantly wriggle as if it were alive.

Under the bright candlelight, Pei Xuan took a few steps forward to lead the way, her back turned, missing this subtle detail.

The screen was removed, and Madam Pei came out to meet the esteemed guest.

The woman slightly nodded, her gaze shifting towards the bed.

The gauzy curtain was lifted, revealing Pei Xuan’s worried expression. “This is my Niangzi. She was fine before, but after a fright, she developed a high fever that night. The medicine hasn’t helped, and she’s only gotten worse.”

As she spoke, Cui Ti, trapped in a nightmare, whimpered softly, tears trailing down the corners of her eyes. Her restrained sobbing seemed to tear at Pei Xuan’s heart, causing her intense pain.

In this poignant moment, the woman inappropriately laughed, drawing bewildered glances from the ‘mother and daughter.’

“Senior?”

Pei Xuan asked in confusion.

The woman looked deeply at them, as if seeing something amusing.

Sensing the subtle displeasure ‘Gentleman Pei’ was carefully hiding, she moved to the bedside and began to take Cui Ti’s pulse with an air of seriousness.

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, save for Cui Ti’s faint cries and occasional murmurs of “Xingguang.”

Hearing her desperate, forlorn calls, Pei Xuan’s heart felt as if it were being crushed. She quickly asked, “How is she? What is wrong with my Niangzi? Is it serious?”

Her love-stricken demeanor was a far cry from her usual serene detachment.

The woman marvelled at the Literature Star’s unexpected vulnerability.

“The Young Madam is not ill.”

Pei Xuan’s eyelids twitched, her lips pressed tightly together, and the color drained from her face.

The worst thing to hear when seeking medical help was that it wasn’t an illness.

“Could you explain more clearly, Master? If my daughter-in-law is not ill, then what is it?”

“It’s not an illness; it’s a curse.”

“A curse?”

Pei Xuan gestured for her to step outside to discuss further.

The maids efficiently served tea, ensuring the esteemed guest was well taken care of.

Once everyone was seated and the extraneous people were dismissed, the woman continued, “The art of malicious curse-casting has existed since ancient times. Someone has used this technique to curse your Young Madam, trapping her in a nightmare from which she cannot awaken on her own. The most insidious and vicious aspect of this curse is that it can cause the cursed person to die in their greatest fear.”

“Die?”

“Yes, if she does not wake within seven days, not even the greatest of immortals could save her.”

She glanced guiltily at the reincarnated Literature Star, unable to directly admit that Cui Ti’s misfortune was due to her involvement.

Cui Ti, the eldest legitimate daughter of Count Xining, was born blind. In this lifetime, her most sincere wish was to see her ‘Fujun’ from her previous lifetime.

She prayed to all the celestial beings, but they remained indifferent.

Only Ning Hehuan, the Pleasure Immortal, who was often criticized by the other immortals, took pity and listened to her sorrow.

Thus, in her dreams, the immortal arrived on a crane and opened Cui Ti’s spiritual eye, fulfilling her greatest wish across two lifetimes.

As the saying goes, when gods fight, mortals suffer. The Young Madam was caught in the crossfire.

Ning Hehuan had helped Cui Ti, and when this was discovered, her adversaries targeted Cui Ti.

But this could not stand.

Setting aside the fact that Cui Ti’s fate was directly tied to whether the Literature Star could successfully undergo her tribulation, even if they took a step back, Cui Ti was someone Ning Hehuan wanted to save and protect. She had taken a liking to this innocent girl.

Pei Xuan’s face turned pale, and she suddenly fell to her knees, her robe billowing around her. “Please, Master, guide me. Save my Niangzi!”

“Get up, get up.”

For Cui Ti, Pei Xuan was willing to disregard everything. Ning Hehuan couldn’t help but recall the times from eight hundred years ago. What was the Literature Star like back then?

Elegant and otherworldly, untouched by the mundane, and with a heart as clear as ice.

Once, the Blissful Buddha attended a grand event in the Heavenly Court and, upon seeing her, felt so inferior that he covered his face in shame.

Who would have thought that the Literature Star, who had remained detached for countless years, would one day be enchanted by a rabbit spirit from Qiong Mountain during a divine excursion?

From then on, day and night in the Heavenly Court, she often held the Heaven-Gazing Mirror, observing the rabbit spirit’s every move.

She watched her for eight hundred years without daring to say a word.

Throughout those eight hundred years, she saw the rabbit spirit grow from a newly-formed human shape into a dominant figure in her domain.

During a fierce battle for territory, the rabbit spirit was betrayed by a wolf demon. The Literature Star, far away in the Ninth Heaven, could no longer remain indifferent.

She borrowed a physical form to descend to the Mortal Realm in search of her.

The rabbit spirit tugged at her sleeve and cried out in pain. The Literature Star’s heart was moved by the mortal realm, leading her into a Mortal Tribulation.

The tribulations were fierce.

Not once did they end well.

By this lifetime, it had already been the eighth failed tribulation for the two of them.

Don’t be fooled by how dramatically the Literature Star’s heart was moved. When it came to matters of love, she was truly clumsy, overly cautious, and needlessly particular.

In the first lifetime, the young, vibrant rabbit was worn down into an old rabbit, and then a dead rabbit, without even uttering a single word of affection.

In the second lifetime, they were born into a time of war. In such a chaotic world, how could there be room for their union?

What remained for them was a series of endless missed opportunities.

After many twists and turns, they finally reached the seventh lifetime, which was the previous lifetime Cui Ti dreamed about.

In this reincarnation, the Literature Star finally managed to bring her beloved into her home early. They were as close as neighbors, even sharing the same bed, yet they still couldn’t escape the cruel fate of being separated by life and death.

Thinking of these things, Ning Hehuan sighed with feigned world-weariness. Pei Xuan’s heart was in her throat, her palms sweating.

“At this moment, there’s only one method to break the curse.”

“What method?”

Ning Hehuan’s eyes sparkled with the intention of pushing these two through their troubled love journey and thoroughly breaking the Literature Star’s inherent uprightness. She softly said, “The curse stems from the heart, so it must be healed through the heart. Do you know what your Niangzi cares about the most?”

“This…”

“Also, do you believe your bond is unbreakable?”

“Of course!”

The young woman’s eagerness was clear.

Ning Hehuan looked at her again, satisfied with the progress made over several lifetimes. “Come closer, and I’ll explain in detail.”

Pei Xuan complied.

Madam Pei watched them whispering.

Confused, she suddenly saw Pei Xuan’s expression change, her face flushed, unclear whether from embarrassment or anger. “Absurd! How can this be a method to cure an illness?”

“How is this absurd? In the Western Ming Kingdom, a princess once fell into a cursed sleep. A prince rode to her side and woke her with a kiss.

“In Yun Tuo Ming Er Province, there’s a stone called the Wife-Watching Stone. A man wept night after night, mourning his deceased wife. His deep love moved the heavens, and one day, the stone cracked open, and the woman emerged alive. They were able to be together for another lifetime.

“Editor Pei, with your vast knowledge, surely you can’t be unaware of these strange tales.”

If not for the fact that Ning Hehuan was a revered master, Pei Xuan would have driven her out long ago. She restrained herself and said, “Master, I am not joking with you. My Niangzi is so gravely ill… This is truly inappropriate!”

“…”

No wonder you’ve struggled through eight lifetimes without achieving a successful union.

Ning Hehuan, who cultivated the Path of Pleasure, ascended to immortality in one fell swoop. Unlike the Literature Star, who governed literary fortune and was considered a righteous deity, her path was never fully acknowledged by others. Yet, the heavens still allowed her to gain her immortality.

She smiled mischievously, her expression as captivating as a field of wildflowers: “In the mortal realm, achieving the highest form of pleasure can bring someone back from the brink of death. If you don’t believe me, try it yourself.”

She had come specifically to save Cui Ti.

Saving her was one reason.

In her previous lifetime, Cui Ti had died with a heavy heart, deeply resentful that her Fujun had never consummated their marriage. In this lifetime, even though they had shared intimate moments, her shyness was still as thin as a sheet of paper.

What kind of situation was this?

Love and affection, without deep, bone-melting intimacy, how could it progress any further?

“Remember, you only have these seven days. After seven days, she will die in despair within her dream. Whatever she fears, she will encounter in her dream. Can you bear that?”

Pei Xuan couldn’t bear it.