Chapter 60 Zhang Meng’s Ordeal

“Zhang Meng, has Young Master Xu gone out again?”

Seeing Zhang Meng’s distracted look, Qin Lu asked.

“Mm, he’s been very busy these past few days.” Zhang Meng wiped her sword with a handkerchief, slowly sheathing it.

“Young Master Xu is really something, you two are newlyweds, yet he doesn’t spend more time with you, going out all day for business.”

Zhang Meng smiled slightly: “It can’t be helped. I can’t ask him to put his work aside just to come back and keep me company.” After adjusting her constable uniform and tying her wristguards, she turned to Qin Lu and said, “Let’s go, time for street patrol.”

Qin Lu followed Zhang Meng’s steps, earnestly advising: “Don’t spoil him too much. A man not staying at home, going out all day, what will people say?”

Hearing Qin Lu’s complaints, Zhang Meng suddenly remembered Xu Lu Cha saying that except for Zhang Meng, all the other constables in the yamen were extreme feminists, destined to never marry a husband. Zhang Meng couldn’t help but laugh.

“What are you laughing at? What’s so funny?” Qin Lu punched Zhang Meng’s shoulder.

“Qin Lu, don’t be so harsh on men, they can be more outstanding than women too, we can’t suppress their talents with those rigid rules.”

On the street, Zhang Meng asked Qin Lu to patrol the west street, while she patrolled the east street herself. Since Zhang Meng had taken half a month of marriage leave, she hadn’t been out on patrol for half a month. When the familiar uncles and aunties saw her, they surrounded her, asking about her newlywed life, and even stuffed her with many herbs that could help with having children.

Zhang Meng wanted to refuse their things, but they stuffed them into her arms and quickly dispersed.

Zhang Meng could only awkwardly thank them, holding a large bag full of herbs, and walked into the teahouse.

“Constable Zhang, haven’t seen you in a while.” The teahouse owner greeted her with a smile.

“Owner, can I leave these things here first? I still need to go on patrol.”

“Of course.” The owner saw the herbs in Zhang Meng’s arms, his eyes full of teasing, looking her up and down.

Zhang Meng felt her scalp tingle under his gaze. After thanking the teahouse owner, she quickly left the teahouse.

The street was bustling, with the calls of vendors never ceasing. Zhang Meng walked along the east street for a while.

The street was harmonious, with no incidents of theft or purse-snatching. Zhong Huo had governed Cloud City well.

Suddenly seeing Lin Hao’s stall, with many finely crafted jewelry pieces displayed on the rack. Zhang Meng was attracted by the silver bracelet on the jewelry rack, unconsciously stopping her steps.

Lin Hao was carefully carving a bracelet, occasionally looking up to see Zhang Meng watching him. His dark face hardened, and he put down the bracelet, about to push his jewelry cart away.

“Lin Hao!” Zhang Meng quickly called out to him, walking briskly towards him.

Seeing Lin Hao’s jewelry, she suddenly wanted to buy a silver ring for Xu Lu Cha. She had noticed that Xu Lu Cha liked to wear silver rings with small bells on his wrist.

Lin Hao stopped, but refused to turn and look at her: “What do you want?” His voice was intentionally distant.

Zhang Meng was surprised by Lin Hao’s cold tone, she softened her voice and said gently, “I want to buy some jewelry.”

“Not for sale.” Lin Hao couldn’t hide the trembling in his voice, no matter how he tried to conceal it.

His deep eyes were slightly red, with tears glistening in the corners. Wasn’t Zhang Meng buying his jewelry just to give to Xu Lu Cha?

He gripped the handles of the jewelry cart tightly, his large hands showing blue veins. After a long while, he weakly released the handles.

By this time, Zhang Meng had walked in front of him, asking puzzled: “Lin Hao, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Lin Hao replied, lowering his head.

He was too ridiculous being so jealous. He wasn’t as beautiful as Xu Lu Cha, not as rich as Xu Lu Cha, not as proactive as Xu Lu Cha, and couldn’t be as resolute as Xu Lu Cha to abandon everything for Zhang Meng… It was only natural for Zhang Meng to choose Xu Lu Cha.

He held back his hurt tears, suppressing his trembling voice, and asked flatly: “What jewelry do you want?”

Seeing Lin Hao’s strange behavior, Zhang Meng was confused, but didn’t have time to think much about it. She was on patrol time now, and it was already inappropriate to do personal things during this time. She could only quickly take two silver rings from the jewelry rack: “I’ll take these two, how much?”

“No charge.”

“Hm?” Zhang Meng paused, her hand stopping as she was about to take out her money pouch.

Lin Hao lowered his head and said: “It’s my… wedding gift to you.”

Even if there was no possibility with Zhang Meng anymore, he didn’t want to leave a bad impression in her heart.

“This is a bit…” Zhang Meng was at a loss, she couldn’t accept things from ordinary citizens, but this was Lin Hao’s wedding gift to her. She had always considered Lin Hao a friend, and exchanging gifts between friends was normal. If she refused, she would…

Lin Hao understood Zhang Meng and knew she was in a dilemma, so he said flatly: “If you feel bad about it, you can give me a gift when I get married.”

As he said this, he almost couldn’t hold back his tears.

He lowered his head and stopped looking at Zhang Meng, picking up the jewelry and pretending to concentrate on carving.

“Thank you, Lin Hao.” Zhang Meng was somewhat touched, she no longer hesitated and put the bracelets into her sleeve. “When you get married, Green Tea and I will definitely return a nice gift.”

“Mm.”

After Zhang Meng left, Lin Hao kept his head down, carving jewelry. Only his slightly trembling hands could show his inner turmoil.

After finishing her patrol, Zhang Meng sat outside the teahouse drinking tea.

For some reason, she suddenly found herself inside a high tower, with the white-haired, black-clothed Ying standing in front of her, reaching out to hold her tightly.

“I’ve finally found you.” His hoarse voice trembled.

“Ying!” Zhang Meng was surprised, “How did I get here?” It wasn’t night, and she wasn’t dreaming.

She had just been on patrol.

Ying’s body was surrounded by surging black energy, his voice pleading: “I used up all my divine power to find you, please don’t leave, okay?”

“Zhang Meng, I don’t want you to die, I saw your name in the King of Hell’s book of life and death. Your time is almost up.”

Zhang Meng’s heart skipped a beat, her face turning pale. She pushed Ying away forcefully: “Why are you saying such things again, are you lying to me? Just to keep me by your side?”

Even with her gentle personality, she would feel resentful after being locked in the tower by Ying for three days. Moreover, she simply didn’t want to believe Ying’s words.

Saying that she would be killed by the person she loved most. That’s impossible, Yang Qing would never kill her.

Suddenly, Xu Lu Cha’s beautiful face flashed in her mind, the person she loved most was… Xu Lu Cha.

A voice in her heart told her that the person she loved was Xu Lu Cha…

Even if she loved Xu Lu Cha, she didn’t believe Xu Lu Cha would kill her. Xu Lu Cha could never kill her.

“Ying! I’ve always seen you as a little brother, if you deceive me like this, I will be angry.” Zhang Meng’s voice turned cold.

Ying’s beautiful face remained as expressionless as usual, but tears slowly flowed from his clear, beautiful eyes.

“Do you care about him that much? Even if he will kill you, you still won’t believe me?”

The usually silent Ying spoke such a long sentence to her for the first time: “Why would I lie to you, even if I forced you to stay by my side, I wouldn’t make up such a lie.”

Last time when he locked Zhang Meng in the tower for three days, he was punished by heaven, having his divine bone carved out. His divine power would gradually disappear, and this might be the last time he could forcibly keep Zhang Meng by his side. To protect her, he had already fallen from divinity. The demon blood in his body would slowly erode his kind heart, and he might completely become a demon who only knows how to do evil, and then be destroyed by the Way of Heaven.

He just wanted to protect the person he cared about most before he lost his sanity.

He would never lie to her about such things.

“Ying, let me go back.” Zhang Meng said coldly.

Ying transformed into his beast form, rubbing Zhang Meng’s calves with his soft ears. He knew Zhang Meng liked his beast form and was most likely to soften her heart with his coquettish behavior.

“Zhang Meng, please don’t leave.” Crystal tears fell from his dark eyes.

But this time, Zhang Meng didn’t soften. Even if she was slow to realize, she knew Ying liked her. She thought Ying was lying to her to keep her by his side.

The high tower was covered with talismans. If she could just remove one talisman, she could go back. But there was a barrier on the talismans, and she couldn’t touch them at all.

Seeing Zhang Meng looking for ways to leave the tower, despair gradually appeared in Ying’s beast eyes, and black energy slowly spread over his snow-white beast body.

The demon blood ran wild in his body, and his beast eyes slowly turned blood-red.

He uncontrollably conjured four iron chains as thick as wrists, locking Zhang Meng’s four limbs and binding her to the pillar of the high tower.

“Ying!” Zhang Meng called out angrily.

…

“Constable Zhang.” The teahouse owner pushed Zhang Meng’s shoulder.

Seeing Zhang Meng lying on the table with no response, her heart sank. She turned Zhang Meng’s face over and saw that it was as white as paper, her breathing erratic.

“Constable Zhang!” The teahouse owner exclaimed in shock, quickly turning to ask the waiter to find a doctor.

Several people carried Zhang Meng back to the yamen, where people anxiously gathered around.

“How is Zhang Meng?”

“How did she suddenly faint?!”

The doctor felt Zhang Meng’s pulse with a strange expression: “Constable Zhang is not in any serious condition. She’s just asleep.”

The teahouse owner shook her head with concern: “Just asleep? But I called her for a long time and she didn’t wake up.”

“And look at how pale her face is, it doesn’t look like she’s just sleeping.”

The doctor hesitated for a moment, then carefully checked her pulse again. After a while, she said with certainty: “Constable Zhang is indeed asleep. I guess she might be having a nightmare.”

Zhong Huo, who had rushed over after hearing the news of Zhang Meng’s fainting, felt relieved upon hearing the doctor’s words.

As the crowd dispersed, Zhong Huo remained in her room, standing by the bed, looking at Zhang Meng’s sleeping face in long silence.

Since Zhang Meng’s marriage, Zhong Huo had been avoiding her. Zhong Huo hoped to forget her, forcing herself not to think about her every day.

Zhong Huo reviewed large amounts of official documents daily, and even when there were no more documents to review, she would find old case files from years ago to study in detail. Burying herself in work could indeed keep her from thinking about Zhang Meng, but days of effort crumbled in an instant when Zhang Meng sent over a box of pastries.

She liked the pastries from Yingyue Teahouse only because Zhang Meng liked them too.

She couldn’t forget Zhang Meng, but staying by Zhang Meng’s side would only cause her pain. So a few days ago, she had sent a letter to the Empress, requesting a transfer back to Smoke City.

Perhaps in a few days, she would be leaving Cloud City. She might never see Zhang Meng again. The first person she fell in love with might also be the last person she would ever love.

Zhong Huo lowered her head and gently kissed Zhang Meng’s forehead.

“In the next life, I hope we can meet again. Then, I will surely be reborn as a man, so you can marry me.” A barely audible sigh.

Zhong Huo stood up straight and walked out without looking back. The evening sun’s rays shone on Zhong Huo’s body, the gentle breeze lightly lifting her smooth long hair.