Chapter 34:- “Recovering from a Serious Illness”
Xu Shuyue’s strange words left Madam Wei feeling deeply uneasy.
As soon as Qi Siming returned from court, she immediately relayed everything to him, her tone filled with blame.
“You really—honestly, every day after court, you rush straight home to be with Shuyue, yet you didn’t even notice she was unwell? Where did all that cleverness from your childhood go?”
Madam Wei’s complaints were filled with worry, but Qi Siming froze in place.
“Shuyue is sick again?”
His brows furrowed slightly. She had already lost so much weight from her last illness—if she fell ill again, how much of her would even be left?
Madam Wei shot him a sidelong glance, clearly dissatisfied.
“A troubled heart isn’t considered an illness now?” She poked his forehead, wishing she could take matters into her own hands. “You better go talk to her properly and find out what’s been bothering her.”
“If she tells us, we can at least figure out a solution.”
A flicker of frustration crossed Qi Siming’s eyes. He had been so caught up in his own worries that he hadn’t even considered this possibility. Now, realizing his oversight, he quickly strode into the room.
The door creaked open. Sitting on the bed, lost in thought, Xu Shuyue was startled by the sudden noise. She turned her head and, seeing Qi Siming, pouted slightly.
“You’re finally back. Did something happen today?”
There was a trace of complaint in her voice.
Before he could answer, she had already climbed out of bed, throwing herself into his arms. Her arms tightened around him, seeking warmth and reassurance, as if afraid that the next moment, they would be separated forever.
Still unsatisfied, she pressed even closer.
Yet Qi Siming remained still, unmoving. Feeling his lack of response, Xu Shuyue buried her face against his chest, her voice carrying a hint of grievance.
“Siming, hold me tighter.”
Qi Siming frowned as he looked down at the anxious expression on her face. The initial joy he had felt upon entering the room and seeing her rush to him dissipated.
At that moment, he truly realized—something was wrong with her.
She had become… clingy.
Whenever he returned, she would stick to him without fail. Not that he disliked it—having a soft, fragrant wife in his arms, reluctant to let go, was undeniably a wonderful feeling.
But once he snapped out of his indulgence, he knew this was unusual. Qi Siming wrapped an arm around her waist and gently placed her back on the bed.
She lifted her head to kiss him, and he did not avoid it. But as she pulled away, he spoke directly.
“Shuyue, are you hiding something from me?”
Xu Shuyue blinked, caught off guard.
A sudden sense of being exposed sent a chill down her spine. Her expression turned serious as she frantically searched her mind.
Did I hide anything from him?
There were a few things, but which one was he referring to? Hesitantly, she tested the waters.
“…Did you find out that I threw away your old, tattered tunic?”
Qi Siming had a very worn-out shirt—one that Madam Wei had made for him before he left for war. Over the years, it had followed him through countless battles.
Xu Shuyue knew he wasn’t particularly sentimental about it, but one day, she had finally reached her limit and secretly disposed of it.
Later, feeling guilty about not telling him, she had even sent a servant to retrieve it, but it was never found.
So, she had just… never mentioned it.
Qi Siming raised an eyebrow. Xu Shuyue immediately realized that wasn’t the issue.
Wrong guess.
Thinking quickly, she tried another approach—looking pitiful.
“Siming… I really didn’t mean to let that peony your colleague gifted you die. It was just so delicate! It couldn’t handle the wind, couldn’t handle the water—”
“Wait a minute.”
Qi Siming cut her off, eyeing her suspiciously.
“Why does it sound like you have a lot of things you’ve been hiding from me?”
Xu Shuyue let out a sheepish laugh, pretending to play dumb. She quickly pushed Qi Siming away, her guilty conscience evident.
“It’s getting late. Husband, you should rest soon—you have morning court tomorrow.”
Without giving him a chance to question her further, she burrowed into the blankets.
Qi Siming saw her tightly shut eyes, but the way her eyeballs darted beneath her eyelids betrayed her guilty conscience. He gritted his teeth in frustration, wanting to lecture her, but in the end, he couldn’t bear to.
He ruffled her hair roughly before turning to leave and wash up.
After he was gone, Xu Shuyue slowly opened her eyes. The corners of her lips drooped slightly before she nestled into the blankets, curling up into a comfortable position and closing her eyes again.
When Qi Siming returned, he found her already asleep. He carefully climbed into bed, slipping under the covers, and immediately noticed her awkward sleeping posture.
He sighed and stretched an arm around her, pulling her into his embrace. Not long after, Xu Shuyue instinctively found a comfortable position in his arms and drifted into a deep sleep.
She had no idea that in the darkness, a man was silently watching her pale face for a long time.
Meanwhile, Madam Wei lay awake in her bed, tossing and turning.
Qi Ansheng sighed, opening his eyes helplessly. “Still not asleep? What are you thinking about?”
Madam Wei turned over, clutching the blanket tightly as she muttered, “I just can’t stop thinking about what Shuyue said earlier today. What did she mean by that?”
“You’ve been stewing over it half the night have you figured it out yet?”
Madam Wei became even more frustrated. She had thought it over from every angle, but something about Xu Shuyue’s demeanor unsettled her.
She acted like an elder who knows their time is near, giving their final instructions to their children and grandchildren.
The thought made Madam Wei’s heart tremble with unease.
She turned to Qi Ansheng and whispered, “Old man… don’t you think Shuyue is acting like she’s been possessed?”
Qi Ansheng frowned. “Possessed? If she were possessed, would she still be walking around like normal? Didn’t she just sit down and eat dinner with us?”
“You’re just making things up.”
Madam Wei sat up abruptly, glaring at him. “Making things up? Have you not noticed how much weight Shuyue has lost these past two weeks? She’s not sick or injured, yet she looks like this—if she’s not possessed, then what is it?”
Qi Ansheng had no response. He thought about it carefully and realized something was off. As her father-in-law, he didn’t keep an eye on her every day, but he did notice that she used to go to the shop regularly.
But recently, she hadn’t stepped foot in it—Madam Wei had been going alone. It was like she had suddenly lost all motivation.
“Yes… something’s strange.”
Madam Wei rolled her eyes at him. Now you finally get it!
But they couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. She had already come up with a plan.
The next morning, after breakfast, Madam Wei called out to Qi Siming and Xu Shuyue before they could leave the house.
Her expression was serious as she looked at Xu Shuyue and said solemnly, “Shuyue, once Eldest Son has his next rest day, let’s go back to the Daoist temple.”
“The Daoist temple?”
Qi Siming, who had been about to step out the door, paused. He looked back and forth between his parents and his wife.
“You mean that Daoist priest? The one who told you and Father to arrange a wedding for me to ward off calamity?”
Madam Wei was glad he remembered, saving her the effort of explaining.
“Yes. Back then, when your father and I took Shuyue to the temple, we drew a fortune slip, and everything it predicted came true.”
“Daoist Chuyun told Shuyue that once she attained wealth and status, she should return to help restore the temple.”
There was cause and effect—it was time to complete the cycle.
The silver for the temple repairs had been set aside a month ago. Xu Shuyue had originally planned to return to the village to deliver it, but she had been too preoccupied with the strange visions from her past life.
Now that Madam Wei had reminded her, she felt as if something was pushing her toward this path.
Perhaps… there really was a guiding force at work.
Without hesitation, she nodded.
“There’s nothing pressing at the moment. Mother, let’s go together when Siming takes his rest day.”
Madam Wei had been thinking the same thing, so she agreed without hesitation.
Qi Siming, however, looked exasperated. “…Did it ever occur to any of you to ask for my opinion?”
Madam Wei completely ignored him and left with Qi Ansheng. These past few days, the shop had been entirely in their hands anyway.
Xu Shuyue turned to Qi Siming and raised an eyebrow. “You actually want to have an opinion on this?”
She reached out and pinched his cheek, forcing his frown into a smile. Her voice carried a teasing lilt.
“After all, it was Daoist Chuyun who arranged our marriage. Are you really not going?”
Qi Siming saw her pale face finally light up with a smile, and the heavy stone weighing on his heart eased just a little.
With a dramatic sigh, he relented, “How could I dare refuse? I’ll listen to whatever my wife says.”
Xu Shuyue smirked and ruffled his cheek. “Now that’s more like it.”
—
Rest days were limited, so Qi Siming requested additional leave to allow more travel time.
Along the way, the family made stops to distribute porridge to the needy, finally turning into Fengtong Village after a long journey.
It didn’t take half an hour for word to spread across the village—two luxurious carriages had arrived.
At the village entrance, a group of women gathered, whispering among themselves.
“My heavens… which noble family is visiting such a small village like ours?”
The women at the village entrance gossiped in hushed tones, their eyes lingering on the muscular, well-built carriage driver.
“Look at him, all strong and strapping! Hey, Cuihua, don’t you have a daughter? Forget those useless village boys—these household servants of the wealthy make a decent living.”
“Oh, shut it. Don’t you have a niece? Why don’t you introduce her instead?”
“Well… I, uh… I’m just worried she’ll find it hard to visit her family if she marries too far away!”
The other woman rolled her eyes. As if my daughter wouldn’t face the same issue.
As the carriage rolled past, a light breeze lifted the curtain, revealing a glimpse of the people inside. One of the women gasped in recognition.
The Qi family’s old house had been left vacant for years, gathering dust. They had no plans to stay long, so they only cleaned enough to make it livable for the night.
The next morning, just as the first light of dawn touched the horizon, the family of four quietly made their way up the mountain.
At the temple gates, a young Daoist disciple awaited them. He had grown taller and steadier since their last visit. With a respectful nod, he led them inside.
After offering incense and bowing before the grand statues of the Three Pure Ones, Xu Shuyue took out a stack of silver notes and placed them into the donation box—three thousand taels in total.
Standing beside her, Daoist Chuyun’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. With this sum, he could finally commission a gilded statue of the temple’s founding master!
His impression of Xu Shuyue improved even more.
When she finished recounting her strange experiences—the lingering visions, the sense of detachment, and the fear of suddenly disappearing—she hesitantly asked for guidance.
Daoist Chuyun smiled serenely.
“You have already formed a connection with this world, young lady. If you do not wish to leave, who could possibly force you?”
Then, after a thoughtful pause, he added, “Of course, should you ever desire to return to your original world, I can help you fulfill that wish as well.”
Return?
Xu Shuyue let out a soft, bitter laugh.
“To be honest, Daoist Master… I have no lingering attachments to that world.”
There was nothing waiting for her there. No family, no friends—only loneliness.
But here…
Her gaze shifted toward the temple hall, where Qi Siming stood beneath the towering ancient cypress, watching her with quiet concern.
A slow, genuine smile spread across her lips.
“I understand now, Master. Thank you.”
She bowed deeply, then turned on her heel and ran toward Qi Siming. She wanted to tell him everything. About her past, her doubts, her fears.
And she wanted to stay—to live this life with him, to embrace both the present and the future.
As they walked back down the mountain, the burden in her heart felt lighter than ever before. She spoke freely about her past, while Qi Siming listened in silence, his expression steady and unwavering.
No fear. No hesitation.
He simply stood beneath the ancient tree, his voice deep and soothing as he reached out to her.
“You’re here now, and that’s all that matters. As long as you hold onto my hand, we will never be separated.”
Xu Shuyue blinked, momentarily dazed by his words.
Then, suddenly, she broke into a wide, carefree grin and declared,
“Qi Siming, I want some fu ling gao! I’ve been craving it ever since I left town for the capital!”
Qi Siming chuckled, his heart full.
“Then let’s go. Your husband will take you to buy as much as you want!”
