NEBM Chapter 50.1: Fiend

Tonight, Meng Manor was exceptionally quiet.

Although the Meng family had wealth, the Meng couple were not demanding people so there were not many servants in the residence. Even though there weren’t many servants in the residence, Madam Meng was very considerate and allowed everyone, from the top steward to the rough messengers, to go home and rest for two days.

Many people went home with gratitude, leaving behind a few with nowhere to go. Madam Meng and Meng Yun also allowed these people to go out and have fun.

As a result, they were the only two people left in the residence.

For some reason, Madam Meng coaxed Meng Yun to drink together out in the garden pavilion.

Meng Yun was a little worried. “Your illness has just recovered. Tonight, the wind is a bit cold, so let’s go back to the house.”

Madam Meng had dressed up tonight, with traced eyebrows, face powder, and rouge. She wore jade earrings and on her pale wrist was a beautiful jade bracelet. Her whole person looked bright and enchanting. Hearing Meng Yun’s words, she smiled slightly and, without speaking, shook her head a little.

Meng Yun looked at her, and it seemed as if he’d returned to the moment when he first met her a few years ago. He missed it a bit, and subconsciously showed a sincere smile on his lips. “Time had passed, but Qingqing still looked as graceful as that year.”

Madam Meng smiled and said, “At that time, Meng Husband promised to trace my eyebrows and bind my hair with a hairpin, for us to mutually stay true to each other. But, in the blink of an eye, so many years had passed.”

Meng Yun was momentarily stunned. Trace eyebrows and binding hairpin?

When did he say these things to Madam Meng?

Meng Yun racked his brain and thought for a while, but he couldn’t recall it. He decided that he must have forgotten it. After all, Madam Meng had never lied to him. He felt ashamed for forgetting and quickly took up a glass of wine, smiling to conceal his confusion. “Yes, it’d been several years. Come and have a drink with me.”

He and Madam Meng touched their glass, then he raised his head and drank cleanly.

Madam Meng looked at him with a faint gaze, and then raised the wine glass to her lips. Covering her face with her sleeves, she raised her head slightly and drank the wine.

Meng Yun played with the wine glass, savoring the aftertaste, and said, “I’ve never had this wine before, but it tasted excellent.”

The wine glass was gently placed on the small table, which created a slight collision sound. Mrs. Meng whispered softly, “It’s just ordinary wine.”

Then, she grabbed the scroll next to her and handed it to Meng Yun. “I asked someone to draw a picture. Meng Husband, take a look.”

Meng Yun didn’t take the scroll. Instead, he placed his hands over hers and held her hands so that they could open the scroll together.

It was a boudoir scene. In the painting, Meng Yun was bending down slightly, tracing Madam Meng’s eyebrows. On the vanity was a pair of jade hairpins and a pair of jade earrings. Aside from these, there were also other accessories, all exquisitely beautiful.

In the painting, Madam was smiling tenderly and softly. Her eyes looked in concentration at Meng Yun, watching as he clumsily held a small pen dipped in black dye and awkwardly painted her eyebrow.

The painted skin demon was very skilled in painting, which was how she’d found her footing in the world. This painting was very lifelike. As Meng Yun looked at it, he became immersed in the scene. He subconsciously released Madam Meng’s hand and murmured “Qingqing” as he reached out to touch the Madam Meng in the painting.

The moment he touched the scroll with his fingertips, it suddenly brightened. The painting rippled, as if the surface was made out of water. It sucked on his fingertips and began to drag him in.

Although Meng Yun looked pale, he didn’t find this weird at all. He was like a half-awake traveler who’d stepped into the mud without realizing it. His eyes took on an obsessive glint. “Qingqing looks so beautiful…I’ll paint Qingqing’s eyebrows for her…”

Madam Meng’s hands dropped away, but the scroll didn’t fall. It floated in front of them and continued to swallow Meng Yun’s arm, now up to his elbow.

Madam Meng gazed at Meng Yun, who was focused only on the painting. Her eyes were slightly wet and despair floated within their watery depths. After a moment, she finally lifted her hand toward the painting.

Just as she was about to touch the scroll, a sword slashed out in a formidable manner, ripping the scroll right in the middle—and promptly divided Meng Yun and Madam Meng in the painting.

The brilliant light that illuminated out from within the scroll abruptly disappeared. Calmness settled in and the scroll dropped to the floor.

Madam Meng’s expression changed drastically, and she yelled, “Who?!”

The scroll painting spit out Meng Yun’s arm, even as an invisible force threw Meng Yun backward and he nearly slammed into the pavilion.

Meng Yun awakened, but he had no time to be surprised. He saw Madam Meng’s face turn pale in an instant. Even with the rouge on her cheeks, she looked wan and sallow. Her lips parted and suddenly, blood sprayed out!

“Qingqing!” Meng Yun was stunned. He’d staggered two steps away from Madam Meng but, suddenly seeing her vomit blood, he froze. Then, before he could think more about it, he immediately went to hold her up. “What’s wrong with you?

“She wants to kill you!”

Shen Zhixian flew forward. He grabbed Meng Yun’s sleeves and flung him backward. With his eyes trained on Madam Meng, he pointed his sword at her. “Madam Meng had done countless harm to many spiritual beings. You’ve stolen so many in the past few years. Are you satisfied?”

Meng Yun was shaken hard by him, which made him a little dizzy. He turned slightly and saw Yan Jin. The moment he saw their appearance, he became shocked and doubtful. “How did you come in? What are you doing?”

He saw the blood on Madam Meng’s lips, became anxious, and rushed toward her again. Shen Zhixian commanded, “Stop him.”

Yan Jin stretched out his sword. Although he did not pull the sword out of the sheath, Meng Yun panicked and stopped.

When the scroll fell to the floor, it overturned the flask of wine and the small stove used for warming wine. The still burning charcoal spilled out as the stove was overturned. The half of the painting with Meng Yun on it was already soaked by the overturned wine. So, when the charcoal fell on it, it instantly burst into flames.

Under the light of the fire, Madam Meng’s face became even paler. She stared as the painted Meng Yun disappearing under the flames. Tears welled up from the bottom of her eyes and spilled over down her cheeks.

“Over, it’s over…” She choked, holding her hand out toward the painting. She wanted to rescue the painting but she had no more energy left. Before her fingertips even got close to the painting, a small spark popped and splashed onto the back of her hand, burning her fair skin.

In tears, she looked desperately towards Meng Yun, and when she opened her mouth, her voice became a melodious songbird trill. “Trace the eyebrows and insert the hairpin, as the two lovers promised to stay true…Husband, ah…”

She shuddered. “Do not turn your back on conjugal love…”

Her voice was shrill. Meng Yun became frightened by it but still tentatively moved forward. “What’s wrong?”

It was like Madam Meng couldn’t hear him. She repeated the song sung by the little thrush that night.

The scroll turned to ash and was scattered by the wind. Madam Meng looked at the ash, and her voice gradually lowered. There were many pictures and scenes flashing before her eyes, many, many years ago.

Many years ago, she was just a small thrush who’d managed to take on a human form. She was raised by a girl who sang in the pleasure boat, listening to the girl singing songs day and night, she even learned how to use two voices.

She’d just become matured and was curious about everything. However, she also knew that she was different from ordinary people and that she couldn’t transform as she liked. She could only quietly become a human only when the girl went out.

One day she became human again while the girl was away. The feathers on her body turned into a beautiful skirt, imitating the girls that she usually saw.

That day, it was very lively outside. The girl went out early in the morning and still hadn’t returned by evening. The little thrush was bored and she quietly pushed the door open and went out.

As long as the person was not a grotesque-looking demon, he or she will not be too ugly when transformed into a human. The little thrush was already beautiful when she was a bird. The transformed human figure was even more beautiful. From head to toe, she was full of spiritual qi, and her innocent eyes made people couldn’t help but feel tenderness toward her.

In the end, she was still afraid of people. She hid in the corner and looked at everything with curiosity. Who knew that a young master happened to drink a little too much, and she couldn’t avoid bumping into him.

This young master saw the beautiful girl who was afraid and embarrassed, and he stopped. He didn’t know if it was because he’d drank too much, but he suddenly opened his mouth and said in a stunned voice, “You look so very beautiful, that you must be a celestial fairy.”

If it was another girl at this time, she would only laugh at him secretly. But he didn’t know that he’d encountered a small thrush who knew nothing. She looked at him ignorantly, but still understood that the other person was complimenting her good appearance. But, she didn’t understand why.

This had been said many times when she was a thrush, but this was the first time it was said to her when she was a human. The young thrush was very happy and immediately felt great favor for the young master. But she soon saw the girl who’d raised her enter her room.

Anxious, she couldn’t help but raise her skirt and turned to run.

Obviously, this young master had never seen such a timid girl working in a painting boat. He stood stunned as he  watched her run away before yelling, “I haven’t asked the girl’s name yet. My name is Meng Yun. I don’t know if tomorrow—“

The little thrush had completely disappeared. The young master’s voice stopped. He shook his head and laughed, and then he raised his head up. He stood for a while and went home.

Soon after, everything seemed to flow naturally and smoothly.

After the little thrush turned back into a bird, she still remembered the young master. Her ear was very smart. She heard the young master’s name that day and heard him say “Tomorrow”. She hopped around in her bird cage. Every day, once the girl left, she would transform into a human figure to meet with Meng Yun.

No one noticed the abnormality, and Meng Yun always thought that she was a new girl in the pleasure boat. He was accustomed to beauties, but when faced with the small thrush, he spoke freely and easily. He drank and would say anything when drunk.

The girls he met on a daily basis were long-term, experienced workers. They knew who spoke with a sincere heart and who was simply drunk sweet talking. But the little thrush was different. The little thrush took him seriously when he was drunk.

Things like feelings always came suddenly and out of control. One day, the little thrush heard Meng Yun said with a smile that he was about to get married. It was then that she suddenly realized that her heart had changed.

The more the little thrush touched the outside world, the more she knew, particularly when in places like the pleasure boats. What she couldn’t understand, she would ask. She carefully asked, “Can you not get married?”

For her sake, could he not get married?

She failed to ask the following sentence because Meng Yun quickly answered her first question.  “The date had already been set, and soon I’ll be very busy and won’t be able to come here every day anymore. Qingqing, you’ve been very good to me. If you lack money, you can just send someone to the Meng Manor to look for me.”

The thrush frowned when she saw Meng Yun’s firmness. She knew that she couldn’t persuade him. There was no way for Meng Yun to change his mind.

Meng Yun had told her previously that he wanted an educated, well-balanced, and virtuous wife. When she saw that Meng Yun loved to linger with beauties every day, she thought he was joking, but who knew…

She responded dully and watched as Meng Yun hurried away, her eyes hesitant.

After two days of silence, the little thrush finally made up her mind and left the pleasure boat.

For the first time, the little thrush went to make trouble.

For Meng Yun, she went to find trouble with his fiancee, ultimately causing quite a stir, but was unable to make any difference.

Who could really value a girl that came out of a pleasure boat? Under the pressure of several parties, Meng Yun had to rebuke the small thrush in front of everyone and force her out.

The small thrush held back her tears, watching Meng Yun leave without turning back, watching Meng Yun finally get married and drew the eyebrows of another woman. Her heart twisted and finally went astray.

The reason why she was unable to cause anymore trouble was because the person from the Undead City took her away.

“Don’t wander in this world and go with me to the Undead City. There, you will be very happy.”

“Will I be happy…?” asked the little thrush a hundred years ago, “All my happiness now is tied to that person. In the Undead City…will I really find happiness there? ”

“Was I happy…?” murmured Madam Meng a hundred years later. “It was all fake…I’d escaped from the Undead City, found his reincarnation. In order for me to be with him, I even created so many sins … ”

She had the mark of the Undead City in her body. As long as she was a demon, the Undead City could find her by following its imprint. In order to leave the Undead City, she didn’t hesitate to abandon her long life, in exchange for only a few years. In order to get rid of her demon body, she didn’t hesitate to do business with the fiend, which suppressed her original body. In return, she sought food for the fiend.

How many sins had she committed in these years? Countless. But she finally shaped herself into the image of Meng Yun’s most desired wife, and she finally became Meng Yun’s close companion in this life and shared his pillow…

But, she still couldn’t be satisfied and still couldn’t be happy.