Ch 114: The Malevolent Monster Just Wants To Farm

It was as if time had suddenly leaped across a thousand years.

She was still that little white snake, not yet fully understanding the world, and Xu Xuan sat in the pavilion ahead, holding a scroll in his hand, perhaps even warming a pot of wine, leisurely sipping on this misty, rainy day. Of course, he wouldn’t forget to offer a cup to the little white snake.

Biluo noticed something was off with the person beside her. Following Bai Suzhen’s gaze, she gasped, “Sister, isn’t that your benefactor?”

She hadn’t seen Xu Xuan many times, but there was a portrait of him in Bai Suzhen’s room. Over the years, Biluo had seen it often, and now she recognized him instantly.

Awakened from her thoughts by Biluo’s words, Bai Suzhen realized that her hand holding the umbrella was trembling with nervousness.

She tried to suppress the excitement and joy in her heart, her voice trembling slightly as she said, “Perhaps he only looks similar.”

But even as she said this, she found herself uncontrollably walking toward the pavilion.

Biluo quickly followed.

In the pavilion, Xu Xuan felt a bit uneasy as he watched the two young women approach him. He had come out today without an umbrella and had taken shelter in the pavilion when it started raining. When he noticed the two beautiful women, he couldn’t help but glance at them a few times, only to be caught by their gaze.

Now that they were walking toward him, he wondered if they were coming to scold him for being a lecher.

The pavilion wasn’t far, and as they got closer, the man’s features became more distinct through the misty rain.

Bai Suzhen’s eyes began to water slightly.

She tried to maintain her composure as she stepped into the pavilion.

“Is the gentleman here to take shelter from the rain?” she asked.

Xu Xuan, realizing that they weren’t here to reprimand him, relaxed a bit and nodded, “Yes, the weather was clear when I left home today, so I didn’t bring an umbrella.”

Bai Suzhen continued, “Is the gentleman from around here?”

Xu Xuan nodded, “I live in this city.”

“Are you a physician?” she asked.

Seeing the surprised look in his eyes, Bai Suzhen smiled and explained, “Please don’t take offense, sir. I have had a keen sense of smell since childhood, and I noticed the scent of medicine on you, so I guessed.”

Xu Xuan smiled in return, “The lady is quite perceptive. Indeed, I am a physician.”

Biluo, seeing that her sister was being overly cautious and Xu Xuan was becoming more reserved, realized that the conversation was stalling. So she interjected, “May we ask for your name, sir?”

Xu Xuan quickly responded, “My surname is Xu, and my given name is Xuan.”

“You are surnamed Xu?”

Xu Xuan, puzzled, asked, “Yes, but is there something wrong with that?”

Bai Suzhen shook her head, “No, nothing is wrong.” In fact, it was just right. She smiled and said, “My surname is Bai, and my name is Suzhen. This is my younger sister, Biluo.”

As they chatted, the rain grew heavier. Xu Xuan looked at the increasingly heavy rain with some concern and said, “I wonder how long this rain will last. I still need to go to the pharmacy to attend to patients.”

Bai Suzhen smiled, “If you’re in a hurry, I have an umbrella here. You can use it.”

Xu Xuan quickly responded, “I couldn’t possibly take your umbrella.”

Bai Suzhen replied, “My sister and I came here to enjoy the rain, so we’re not in a rush. We have another umbrella, which is more than enough for the two of us.”

Xu Xuan thanked her profusely, took the umbrella, and walked into the rain.

Bai Suzhen watched as he disappeared from view, then she held Biluo’s hand and sighed, “It’s him. I never thought I would actually meet the reincarnation of my benefactor.”

Biluo was happy for her, “Yes, you’ve finally found him.”

Then, curious, she asked, “Now that you’ve found him, what are you going to do, sister?”

Faced with Biluo’s question, Bai Suzhen felt a bit lost.

For so many years, she had held onto the words Xu Xuan had spoken before his death, saying that they would meet again in his next life. So she had been searching for him ever since. Now that she had finally found him, she didn’t know what to do next.

The man she met today had the exact same appearance as Xu Xuan, with the same scholarly demeanor and the same way of looking down at things. But when he looked up at her, there was a sense of unfamiliarity in his eyes, clearly telling Bai Suzhen that he was a different person.

“I don’t know either,” Bai Suzhen shook her head, “I’ll just wait and see.”

She quickly gathered information about Xu Xuan. He was born into a common family in Hangzhou, with his parents having passed away early and his sister already married. Now, he worked as a doctor at the Huichuntang in the city. Despite his young age, he was handsome and gentle-natured, making him well-liked by those around him.

Bai Suzhen and Biluo bought a house nearby and happened to encounter Xu Xuan again.

“Miss Bai, Miss Biluo,” Xu Xuan greeted them with some surprise, “I heard that a new family moved in nearby, but I had no idea it was you two.”

He remembered something and added, “I waited at that pavilion for two days but didn’t see you. I’m glad I can return the umbrella to you now.”

Xu Xuan always felt a bit uneasy around Bai Suzhen. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this beautiful woman was constantly watching him with a gaze that was too focused, too intense. He couldn’t help but wonder.

Could it be that Miss Bai has feelings for me?

As Xu Xuan was grinding the medicine, he found himself somewhat distracted. Suddenly, the young apprentice beside him exclaimed, “Brother Xu Xuan, your face is red!”

Xu Xuan snapped out of his thoughts, touched his warm cheek, and looked at the little apprentice with a mild expression, “Stop talking nonsense.”

The apprentice stuck out his tongue at him playfully.

Bai Suzhen noticed that she always seemed to coincidentally run into Xu Xuan. She could swear she wasn’t deliberately seeking out his whereabouts, and Xu Xuan certainly couldn’t have known her movements either. Sometimes, she couldn’t help but think that her connection with her benefactor was truly destined by the heavens.

She often found herself trying to find traces of another person in Xu Xuan, but she quickly realized that even though they looked exactly the same and despite the reincarnation, Xu Xuan was not Xu Xuan.

Xu Xuan couldn’t paint.
Xu Xuan liked to live a conventional life.
After returning home from the pharmacy, Xu Xuan would read by candlelight, hoping to pass the imperial exams and bring honor to his family.
Xu Xuan didn’t drink alcohol and certainly wouldn’t get drunk and then exuberantly write a lengthy poem expressing how beautiful the moon was that night and how delighted he was.

Xu Xuan seemed more like someone who would live a steady, practical life.

But they also had many similarities.
The same kindness and gentleness, unable to ignore those in need, whether people or animals, and willing to spend his own money to treat them.

“Miss Bai?” A voice filled with surprise reached Bai Suzhen’s ears, pulling her out of her thoughts.

It was the Lantern Festival, and she had come out with Xiao Qing to see the lanterns. As she watched the lanterns floating on the water, she couldn’t help but recall a time when she was still a little white snake, and she had once released lanterns with Xu Xuan.

Back then, Xu Xuan was already over thirty, but sometimes he acted like a young man, doing rather childish things. He had made a lantern more beautiful and delicate than anyone else’s, and while Bai Suzhen wasn’t paying attention, he carefully placed her on the lantern, ensuring the candle wouldn’t burn her, and set her afloat on the water along with the lantern.

She floated among the lanterns on the water, unafraid, because she knew Xu Xuan would never harm her. As the lantern drifted further away, she could still see Xu Xuan’s delighted and slightly proud smile.

“Xiao Bai!” he had called out from afar, “They say lanterns can grant wishes. I don’t really have any wishes, so I’m giving it to you.”

The result of his playful act was that she ended up drifting far away with the lanterns, and accidentally got caught in an underwater whirlpool, swept away. Xu Xuan spent most of the night searching for her before finally finding her.

Bai Suzhen blinked, pulling herself back from her memories. Not far away, Xu Xuan was standing there, smiling at her.

For a moment, Bai Suzhen almost thought she was still lost in her memories.

She shook her head and realized that Biluo had wandered off somewhere, out of sight.

“Miss Bai.” Xu Xuan walked over, noticing the lantern she was holding, and asked, “Do you want to release a lantern too?”

Bai Suzhen hadn’t planned on it, but she changed her mind: “Yes, I’ll release one.”

Xu Xuan picked a lantern, pulled out the wishing paper from inside, asked the shopkeeper for a brush, and earnestly wrote something on it.

Bai Suzhen casually asked, “What wish did you make, Xu Xuan?”

The shopkeeper cheerfully interjected, “You can’t say it out loud, or it won’t come true.”

So Xu Xuan didn’t say, and after carefully writing his wish, he folded the paper and placed it back into the lantern.

He looked at Bai Suzhen, puzzled, “Miss Bai, aren’t you going to write a wish?”

Bai Suzhen was also looking at him and smiled softly, “I already made my wish when you were writing yours.”

The two went to the riverside, found a quiet spot, and squatted down to release the lanterns.

The two identical lanterns floated on the water, gently drifting away.

“Miss Bai.” Xu Xuan suddenly turned to look at her, his eyes shining brightly.

Bai Suzhen seemed to realize something and quietly gazed at him.

Xu Xuan could hear his own heartbeat in his ears, thumping loudly.

The beautiful lady before him, dressed in white, looked ethereal under the glow of lanterns and fireworks.

He heard his own somewhat awkward voice, “May I ask, Miss Bai, if your family has arranged a marriage for you?”

It felt like both a long wait and only a fleeting moment.

“No, they haven’t,” he heard Bai Suzhen reply.

Xu Xuan blushed deeply and stammered, “Then, what do you think of me?”

Bai Suzhen silently looked at him for a long, long time.

She suddenly sighed, with a sense of relief, as if she finally understood something and let go of it.

“Xu Xuan, I see you as a very dear friend.”

Xu Xuan’s face turned pale, and he stammered, “So… I’ve been too forward.”

He seemed very embarrassed and also very hurt, struggling to maintain composure as he bid Bai Suzhen farewell and quickly walked away.

Bai Suzhen stood by the lake, watching his figure disappear.

Biluo suddenly popped out from behind her, “Sister, why are you here alone? Where’s Xu Xuan?”

“He went home.”

“Home?” Biluo was confused, “Doesn’t he like you a lot? Didn’t he say anything?”

Xu Xuan wasn’t very subtle, even someone as straightforward as Biluo could see that he liked Bai Suzhen.

“He did, but I turned him down.” Bai Suzhen let out a long breath and smiled, “I’ve been so persistent in finding the reincarnation of my benefactor, but I never knew why. Now, I think I understand.”

Biluo was puzzled, “Understand what?”

Bai Suzhen smiled gently, “I’ve been so determined to find him, just so I could finally let go.”