"The connection between people needs a catalyst." Shen Yuan leaned against a large tree, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, and said to me, "Perhaps you and Lu Beiteng already have that catalyst."
"Really?" I asked. "Didn't you say before that this catalyst requires similar character, suitable appearance, and compatible speech?"
Shen Yuan laughed unexpectedly: "Your memory is quite good. What I said before was all general, but I didn't expect you to be hiding something from me, Xiao Liangguo."
"What did I hide from you?"
"Lu Beiteng. You saved him, and he remembers you."
"Is that hiding something? Do I need to explain it to you?"
"Of course there is. Look, if I had known about him, why would I have bothered looking for Rongrong? It only added to your heartache and reluctance."
I paused, then pouted, "Rongrong... it's not like it added to your heartache. Having her was good enough."
Shen Yuan glanced at me, then smiled and changed the subject, "Anyway, now we have Lu Beiteng as an opportunity. Last time I saw him at the inn, I noticed the way he looked at you was unusual. Perhaps he can be a breakthrough to break your curse."
Shen Yuan spoke with certainty. I thought about it carefully. Last time I bumped into Shen Beihan at the inn, I escaped danger by confessing my feelings. Before the meteor fell, Lu Beiteng saw me on the second floor of the inn. He seemed... to have something to say to me.
Could it be... that some romantic opportunity was planted without my knowledge?
"Tonight." Shen Yuan's eyes, though curved, held a calculating glint. "Let's ignore the past and focus on the mortal realm. Yesterday, the first day of the eighth month, we fell into the mortal world. You rescued Lu Beiteng on the mountain path, and then met me. We came to the inn and rested for the night. Today, the second day of the eighth month, we left the inn during the day. Based on what happened last time, while you were confessing your love to someone on the street, Lu Beihan found Lu Beiteng in the mountains and brought him to the inn."
I nodded. "So, when we return to the inn later, we'll see a bunch of burly men in black sitting on the first floor again."
"No," Shen Yuan said with a smile, "it's you who goes back. Then, I'll teach you how to capture true love."
I raised an eyebrow at Shen Yuan.
This time, I didn't refuse his suggestion.
I knew Shen Yuan couldn't meet with Lu Beihan and Lu Beiteng; he would definitely be recognized again. So, he could only assist me from the shadows.
And I, after a whole day of life-and-death struggles to find love, decided to give Shen Yuan another chance to prove his love god abilities.
As the sun set and stars dotted the night sky, I returned to the inn alone.
On the way from outside the town to the inn's entrance, I kept repeating Shen Yuan's "key points" in my mind.
First, I needed an identity, a fake one, but one that sounded very real.
"Because you can't exactly tell him you're a fairy who fell from the sky, and in order to return to the Nine Heavens, you need to have a world-shaking romance with him, can you?"
That's what Shen Yuan said.
I thought it made some sense, so I adopted it.
When I arrived at the inn, I saw a group of men in black. My older brother, whom I had confessed to, was still sitting in the same spot by the door.
I shifted my gaze from him to the people inside the inn.
Although I already knew what to expect, Shen Yuan had told me the procedure—I had to feign surprise first, then show some fear, and walk to the counter. I was going to call out the innkeeper, who had been hiding last time. The reason was simple...
"My senior brother went back to the mountains today," I told the innkeeper, my voice neither too loud nor too soft, but loud enough for every man in black to hear. "I'd like to cancel his room."
The innkeeper clearly didn't want to stay in the presence of so many men in black. He responded twice and returned two copper coins to me.
I didn't care whether he returned too much or too little. After all, in Shen Yuan's plan, canceling the room and getting a refund was secondary; making sure everyone heard me was the most important thing:
"Innkeeper, may I ask if there are any clinics nearby that need staff? My senior brother went back to the mountains, and I came down to find work."
"A clinic? You're studying medicine, young lady?"
I nodded. The shopkeeper's gaze involuntarily drifted upstairs, but he quickly looked away and hurriedly replied, "Go check out the east end of town tomorrow."
Without a moment's delay, he immediately hid behind the small curtain behind the counter.
He was genuinely afraid of these men in black...
But my goal had been achieved.
I needed a fake identity, an identity that would allow me to get close to Lu Beiteng. Because Shen Yuan said that true love doesn't happen overnight; it requires time. And to get along, we first need to get close.
Those words were the prelude to my approaching Lu Beiteng.
Lu Beiteng was seriously injured; anything else was uncertain, but he definitely needed a doctor, and I would be the first doctor to save him.
I heard footsteps coming down the stairs—tap, tap, tap. Feigning composure, I turned and headed toward my room on the second floor.
Just like last time, I bumped into Lu Beihan as I went upstairs.
The man with the black fur coat was still wearing that same black coat, his face grim. He glanced at me, his gaze unwavering, as if he were looking at a dead man, then looked away.
I brushed past him, mentally counting the stairs—one step, two steps, almost there, it was time for him to call me back.
But he didn't...
The man with the black fur coat simply went downstairs and coldly ordered, "Rest here tonight."
"Yes." Everyone responded in unison, their voices deep and resonant, not disturbing any outsiders. Then someone placed a money bag on the innkeeper's counter, someone started closing the inn's doors, and someone began tidying up the tables and chairs, making room for resting that night... There weren't enough rooms upstairs anyway.
They went about their tasks quietly and orderly, and even after I had gone up to the second floor, no one came to call me...
What... Doesn't their young master need treatment?
But!
It doesn't matter!
I recalled Shen Yuan's plan before sunset—
"...Of course, although you are a female healer, the Yanfeng Lu Clan is, after all, a family of cultivators. Even if their young master is seriously injured, they wouldn't necessarily let a stranger like you treat him. So..."
On the second floor, there were three rooms: one for me, one that was originally for Shen Yuan but I had vacated, and the last one, naturally, was Lu Beiteng's room.
"When you fall in love with someone, first impressions are very important. You've made a good first impression by saving him without expecting anything in return. The second step is to create a chance encounter, to make him believe that meeting you is a destiny bestowed by heaven."
Listening to the "advice of Cupid" in my memory, I walked head down to Lu Beiteng's room.
I am now a female healer, on my first time venturing out of the mountains. My senior brother has just left me, and I feel lost and anxious about the future, so...
I went to the wrong room.
I silently recited my character's background.
I placed my hand on Lu Beiteng's door and gently pushed... before I could even push it open!
With a snap! a barrier of light suddenly flashed across the door, forcefully shoving my hand away!
My fingertips, after a moment of numbness, quickly began to swell and turn red.
It hurt, but I've died so many times in such a short time; this pain was nothing to me.
I glanced at my fingertips, then back at the door, thinking, This barrier is quite powerful, but I think I can use my scattered spiritual energy to slowly pry it open... although with my current abilities, it will take some time. But prying open the door... that doesn't seem like an accidental reunion, a chance encounter, does it?
As I pondered this, I suddenly saw a figure appear below the door. I didn't turn around, just blinked. I saw the scattered spiritual energy around me rapidly gathering behind me, meaning the person behind me wanted to attack me with magic.
I glanced at the red acacia flower mark on the back of my hand, and I remembered Shen Yuan's last words to me: "If there's danger, remember to tap the red line mark twice."
Of course, I also remembered my last words to him: "Why? To have you come and save me? You cough for ages even when you cut your finger, I'd rather just die than wait for you to come."
The "die" I mentioned, of course, wasn't real death. It was about using death as a means to survive.
But if I could avoid death, I would choose to stay alive.
So at this moment, I had a sudden inspiration and immediately pretended to be surprised, saying, "Why is there a barrier on this door? Did the innkeeper give my room to someone else?!"
I turned around angrily, and sure enough, I saw Lu Beihan with a gloomy face behind me.
I gasped, as if startled: "Young master? This... this is your room?"
"What is it?" His hands were behind his back, not showing.
I immediately apologized: "Sorry, sorry, I went to the wrong room."
After apologizing, I walked past Lu Beihan, pushed open the door to my room, and went inside.
I closed the door, walked to the table, poured myself a cup of tea, and listened quietly to the sounds outside.
I didn't hear the door open, so it seemed Lu Beihan hadn't entered his brother's room to disturb him.
I dared not make any strange movements, nor contact Shen Yuan, so I could only wash up in the room, making the usual noises of a traveler.
As night deepened, I lay on my bed, sighing.
It seemed that romance wasn't so easy to cultivate.
It required perfect timing and circumstances. I'd tried so hard to reunite with someone, yet it was so difficult. Where did all those men and women meet in my daily life, to have such a connection...?
My thoughts drifted aimlessly until late at night when suddenly I heard a cough from next door.
The cough immediately jolted me awake. I sat up, listening intently to the symptoms next door. The more I listened, the worse Lu Beiteng's cough became. The worse he coughed, the happier I felt.
I thought to myself, Shen Yuan's tricks were terrible! This was truly a stroke of luck delivered right to my doorstep!
The opportunity had arrived!
I rubbed my hands together, eager and excited, but I still insisted on getting a couple of drops of tea in my eyes.
After wiping them clean, I saw my eyes were red and swollen, like I had just woken up, before I finally pushed open the door with satisfaction.
Reaching the inn's corridor, I saw that Lu Beiteng's door was already open, as if someone had already gone inside.
"Excuse me..." I stood at the door and politely knocked, "Do you need any help?"
Then I stepped inside, but before I even rounded the screen, a flying blade slashed past my eyes!
I dodged to the side, knocking over the screen in the process. The commotion seemed to startle those downstairs, and soon footsteps echoed up the inn's stairs.
And me!
My gaze!
Finally, it traversed mountains and rivers, passed the screen that had just been obscured, passed the black-clad figure sitting by the bed, and landed squarely on Lu Beiteng, who was leaning over the bed coughing.
Reunion!
I had accomplished it!
Lu Beiteng also raised his eyes. He saw me, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face.
"Kill her." At the same time, Lu Beihan also gave this order to the black-clad swordsmen who were chasing after me.
"Wait!" I called out.
"Stop..." This was my "fate's" call.
That's right, that's right.
The story that Shen Yuan had arranged—"a naive young healer from the mountains and a cold-faced young master from a family of cultivators"—was finally on track.
I felt relieved. I was about to offer to help him heal his wounds when he lowered his head, waved his hand, and said in a hoarse voice, "Drag him out and kill him. Don't leave any traces."
"..." I was silent for a long time. A thousand words were now reduced to the question in my eyes: "Huh?"
What?
How could this be?
Am I going crazy or is the world going crazy?
Huh?
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