Chapter 3

“When our child is born, I'll make him my legitimate son. I promise I'll treat you well.”

Song Yao studied Gu Chen carefully, then sighed softly.

“I... Never mind. I've married you already.”

“From now on, let's live well together and spend the rest of our days in peace.”

Sitting on the eaves, I tilted my head and watched them embrace.

Things had been going well, and now, somehow, they seemed to be going well again.

Human feelings were so strange. How could they say all those sweet things so easily?

Did love... do something to your head?

Why did it always seem that once people fell in love, they threw their brains away?

My gaze rested on Song Yao's face. True love and false affection really were difficult to tell apart.

But right now, the pair looked very much in love.

With a light wave of my hand, I dispersed the dark cloud I had summoned.

They looked up at the rainbow after the rain, and the same powerful feeling rose in both their hearts.

Heaven had meant them to be together!

11

Beneath a willow not far away, Sun Yan stood watching. I had led him there.

He had just finished soothing Song Shulan and was about to look for Song Yao.

Instead, he found her nestled in Gu Chen's arms, the pair gazing tenderly at the rainbow.

A flicker of panic crossed his face.

I found that strange.

When Gu Chen saw Xie Jingyan and me together, he hated me.

When Song Yao saw Sun Yan and Song Shulan together, she gave Sun Yan up.

So why did seeing Gu Chen and Song Yao together make Sun Yan waver?

Shouldn't he turn around and go to Song Shulan?

Puzzling as it was, I decided to kill Gu Chen and Song Yao first.

I hadn't read many books, but I knew that delay invited trouble.

Especially since, counting the days, Song Yao's child wasn't Gu Chen's at all.

If that petty man found out, he would probably make another scene.

Better to act before anything changed.

While they were still immersed in their tender feelings, I carried them off to an abandoned house on the outskirts.

Out of consideration for our years together, I gave them a choice.

“Which of you would like to die first?”

“I have poison, a cleaver, and some rope.”

When Gu Chen saw it was me, his eyes reddened at once.

“Lin An, what are you doing? Let us go! Do you know what will happen to you?”

Song Yao slowly opened her eyes too. Panic flickered in them as she took in the scene.

“Sister Lin, I know you resent us. But you've found a good man. Why won't you leave us alone?”

I tilted my head and walked up to them.

“I don't hate you.”

“I'm actually rather grateful. But I need you dead, so which of you wants to go first?”

Gu Chen looked at Song Yao, then back at me. A note of grim resolve entered his voice.

“Lin An, take it out on me. Kill me, cut me to pieces—do whatever you want.”

“I'll bear the consequences alone.”

His desperate determination to protect her moved Song Yao even more.

She choked out, “Sister Lin, it's all my fault. I seduced him.”

“Blame me. Don't drag him into this.”

They gazed into each other's eyes, their hearts filled with nothing but each other.

They treated me—the person standing right beside them holding a weapon—as though I wasn't there.

They seemed to be thoroughly enjoying their sweet exchange.

I watched without the slightest feeling of being moved. In fact, I frowned, rather speechless.

I had only come for two true hearts. Why all this talking?

Gu Chen wanted to die first. Song Yao wanted to die first. Humans were such a nuisance.

Very well. I would trouble myself to kill them both at once.

I raised the cleaver and struck each of them in the neck.

Gu Chen stared at me in astonishment. He hadn't expected me to be ruthless enough to do it.

He opened his mouth, apparently to beg for mercy.

He died without managing a word.

12

I quickly removed their still-warm hearts, carefully placed them in the ice-jade box I had brought, and sealed it.

After clearing away the traces in the abandoned house, I returned unhurriedly to the Gu residence.

Their bodies were found later.

No one suspected me.

Everyone believed I loved Gu Chen too much to let go.

Since he had refused to divorce me, and my mother-in-law had fallen ill over the whole affair, I decided I might as well see my good deed through.

I stepped forward as the Gu family's lawful wife and arranged everything. I personally oversaw both funerals.

I spent all the money I had saved over the years to make them lavish.

Every guest marveled at my generosity.

My husband and his concubine had died together, yet I was still doing everything in my power for them.

It should have been a perfectly ordinary funeral.

Then Sun Yan, overcome by who knew what, burst in and tried to take Song Yao's body.

Ignoring the servants who attempted to stop him, he rushed to her coffin and reached for the lid, his expression frantic.

“Yaoyao, I was wrong. I was terribly wrong.”

“Come out and see me.”

“Please?”

But I had removed her heart. How could I possibly hand over the body?

I frowned, stepped forward, and demanded impatiently, “In what capacity have you come to the Gu household to take her away, Young Master Sun?”

“Besides, Song Yao is dead. She can't see you again. You're too late.”

He whipped around, distraught.

“In what capacity? You're asking me that?”

“Yaoyao is mine. She has always been mine.”

“The child she's carrying is mine.”

My mother-in-law had only just recovered. At those words, she fainted again, and the servants hurried to catch her.

I held my head, utterly bewildered by the red-eyed man before me.

“You love her again?”

“Weren't you the one who brought Song Yao and Gu Chen together?”

“How am I supposed to make sense of what you're saying now?”

My questions left him speechless. All his former schemes and calculations dissolved into overwhelming regret.

His legs gave way. He dropped to his knees before Song Yao's coffin, bowed his head, and sobbed.

His cunning, his arrogance, his air of a well-bred young gentleman—all vanished.

I watched him for a moment, then waved the guards over to drag him away.

I had intended to finish the funeral, dig out the other two hearts, and return to the mountain.

It looked as though I would have to postpone that now.

13

Later, the mice told me that after Song Yao's death, Sun Yan had been consumed by regret.

He did all sorts of absurd things.

The mice scrambled over one another to reach my feet, squeaking their reports. They were afraid that if they left out even half a detail, I would get angry, decide I wanted an extra helping, and eat them too.

“Master, that Sun Yan has gone mad. He goes to Miss Song's grave and cries every day.”

“He won't leave until dark. Every time, he brings lots of the pastries she liked.”

I looked at the crumbs around the mouse's mouth.

“Are they good?”

“Delicious! They're from Mingyue Pavilion. You always have to queue for ages.”

Realizing it had given itself away, the mouse hurriedly changed the subject.

“Master, it's not just the snacks. Sun Yan talks to himself in front of her gravestone sometimes.”

“He says he was wrong. That he shouldn't have plotted against her. That if he could do it over, he'd treat her well.”

“Before, he needed servants even to bring him a cup of tea. Now he's learning to embroider scented pouches and make pastries for Miss Song.”

I nodded.

“What about Song Shulan?”

Another mouse rushed to answer, its tiny eyes darting.

“Once her affair with Sun Yan came out, her reputation was ruined. Her father was terribly disappointed in her too.”

“But strangely enough, she really does seem to love him.”

A third mouse added, “She forced him to marry her. But he has eyes for no one except Miss Song Yao. Since the wedding, he's had people torment her every day.”

“Whenever they meet, they fight. Then they cry. It's so lively and so strange that we can hardly make sense of it.”

The mouse carefully studied my expression, then added ingratiatingly, “But don't worry, Master. They still love each other. They say they hate each other, but they fight in bed every night.”

“We've heard them. We also found out that Miss Song Shulan is pregnant.”

I smiled at their reports.

“That's excellent news. It doesn't matter whom they love, as long as the love is true.”

That night, I returned the maids' contracts of servitude, then simply faked my death and left.

The Gu servants all thought grief had driven me to take my own life and follow Gu Chen.

Sure enough, my mother-in-law, who had only just begun to improve, was so shocked by the news of my death that she lost her breath and fainted yet again.

When I captured Sun Yan and Song Shulan, he showed no fear.

Instead, a slow smile curved his lips.

“This is Yaoyao's punishment for me, isn't it? She still blames me.”

“Kill me. There's nothing left in this world for me.”

“She's too lonely down there on her own. I want to keep her company and spend the rest of my existence atoning.”

I granted his request.

But looking at the two new bodies on the ground, I couldn't help thinking what a pity it was.

Once all four reached the underworld, who knew what marvelous drama they would put on?

A pity I wouldn't get to watch.

14

When I returned to the mountain, Mother smiled at me.

“My little girl has finally decided to come home. Let me see. Still have your heart and lungs?”

I hurried over and obediently handed her the jade box, then puffed out my cheeks and muttered in confusion.

“Mother, I found true hearts, but they don't seem to do anything.”

“I ate one. It was no different from an ordinary heart.”

I remembered the taste of Gu Chen's.

Eating it hadn't done anything at all.

Even with a true heart, life went on as before. I hadn't become an immortal.

After listening to my account of my experiences in the mortal world, Mother laughed helplessly and stroked my head.

“What a foolish fox.”

“Tell me, where did you hear about your sisters' tragic experiences among humans?”

I raised my little face proudly.

“I asked them, but they wouldn't tell me.”

“So I got Second Sister's story out of Eldest Sister, then got Eldest Sister's past out of Second Sister.”

Mother's smile deepened.

“All you do is listen to your sisters' stories.”

“Did it never occur to you that they might have embellished them?”

I paused. Of course they had.

They fought and wrecked the house every day. Naturally, when recounting the past, each would quietly favor herself and make the other look bad.

Mother went on.

“That's how the world works. The same experience can take a thousand different forms depending on who tells it.”

“Human hearts are complicated and hard to fathom. You can listen to sweet words, but you must never take them entirely at face value.”

I blinked and carefully considered what she had said.

Then I shook my head honestly.

“I don't understand.”

Mother said no more. She simply told me to cultivate diligently.

Once I grew stronger, I could become an immortal through my own efforts.

I sighed. If only I'd known, I would have brought the bodies back too.

At least I could have had another roast dinner.