Shen Yu led Wang Manzhu to a grave. From the bundle on his back, he took out steamed buns and fruits to offer, then lit three incense sticks and placed them in the stone slot before the tombstone.
“Mother, I have come to see you!”
Shen Yu bowed deeply. “I also brought Manzhu. This is the daughter-in-law your son has found for you.”
Wang Manzhu curtsied gracefully. “Wang Manzhu pays respects to Aunt.”
Then Shen Yu chattered on about how he and Wang Manzhu had met, praising her lavishly.
Lu Zheng and Shen Ying stood invisibly to the side. Shen Ying glanced at the inscription on the tombstone. Her eyes flickered. “Madam Shen Wei?”
“Shen Wei?”
Shen Ying nodded. “My cousin, my uncle’s youngest son. When my incident happened, he had not yet come of age. I never expected his son to be this grown now.”
“Oh.” Lu Zheng acknowledged. He felt nothing towards Shen Ying’s relatives.
On the other side, Shen Yu finished telling his mother about his story with Wang Manzhu.
“Mother, Father has already approved my marriage to Manzhu. After visiting you, I plan to choose a date for the wedding.” Shen Yu said.
Wang Manzhu added, “Aunt, rest assured. I will take good care of Yu Lang in future.”
Shen Yu also said, “My heart is now tied to Manzhu.”
Thus, the two swore before Shen Yu’s mother’s grave.
This was at Wang Manzhu’s initiative, to swear witness before his mother’s tomb. Shen Yu was very pleased with her filial piety and naturally did not mind making the vow.
Wang Manzhu turned back with a smile. “Yu Lang, you swore before Aunt’s grave. Your heart now belongs to me!”
Shen Yu nodded with a smile. “From now on, you and I are united forever, never to forget.”
The two gazed at each other and smiled, then bowed together towards Shen Yu’s mother’s grave.
Shen Yu’s eyes were full of tenderness. Wang Manzhu’s eyes sparkled with glee.
They rose. Shen Yu reached out to take Wang Manzhu’s hand. “Let us go back.”
“No hurry, no hurry…” Wang Manzhu smiled like a flower, eyes full of anticipation.
“What is it?”
Shen Yu asked curiously. Seeing the ardour in Wang Manzhu’s eyes, his heart skipped. His breathing quickened. He glanced back at his mother’s grave.
“Here… is not good, is it?”
…
Shen Ying: 눈_눈
Lu Zheng: (°ー°〃)
…
“What is not good about it?”
Wang Manzhu lightly bit her red lips. A pink tongue darted out, delicately licking them.
“Yu Lang, you swore before your parents. Your heart is already mine.” Wang Manzhu laughed coquettishly. Her tender white right hand stroked Shen Yu’s chest, feeling his heartbeat.
Shen Yu nodded, still unaware of anything amiss. “Is your heart not mine too? I just think people might come here anytime. If you wish… how about the small woods behind instead?”
Seeing Wang Manzhu’s expectant expression, Shen Yu felt stirred, though he did not wish to act in the Shen ancestral grounds.
Wang Manzhu glanced back. She saw vague figures moving outside the woods, heard voices.
“Good. Let us go to the woods behind.”
Then Shen Yu led Wang Manzhu through the cemetery. Soon they entered the connected small woods on the rear mountain.
“Man Zhu is so eager. Is it because our marriage now faces no obstacles?” Shen Yu teased, fingers lightly tickling the palm of her hand.
He led ahead by the hand. Wang Manzhu followed behind, eyeing his fair, tender flesh. Her vermilion lips parted, revealing white teeth.
“Yes. Once the contract is sealed, Manzhu can hardly wait.” Wang Manzhu laughed.
Soon, they had gone over a li into the woods. The people and sights of Fengmian Slope were no longer visible.
“Here then!”
Shen Yu’s heart stirred. He turned and embraced Wang Manzhu’s soft form, leaning in to kiss her lips.
But…
When Shen Yu looked up, what met his eyes was not Wang Manzhu’s spring-flower-like beauty, but a furry, pointed head.
This head had grey-white fur. Two short ears atop. Large round black eyes. Between them, a tall, prominent nose extending right to the mouth, with huge nostrils exhaling wisps of white breath in the still-chilly air.
Below the nostrils, a wide mouth with two large front teeth. Sharp fangs lined neatly on either side, clearly not belonging to a herbivore.
Long whiskers grew from both sides of the nose and mouth, twitching rhythmically with each breath.
Where was Wang Manzhu?
This was plainly a giant rat!
Shen Yu’s pupils contracted sharply. But the demon so close, the sudden shock, left him voiceless. His mind blanked. He froze in place.
Shen Yu froze. The great rat did not.
Its wide, fang-filled mouth opened and closed. Yet the voice that emerged was Wang Manzhu’s.
“Yu Lang, right here then!”
Shen Yu involuntarily shuddered, finally reacting.
“Ah!!!”
Shen Yu screamed long and terrified. He pushed hard, trying to shove the great rat away.
But the rat gripped his arm in return. Eyes ardent, it grinned wide. “Yu Lang, quickly give me your heart!”
“No!!!”
“The vow is made, the contract signed. I have given you my body. In exchange for your heart, I have right wherever we go. Stop struggling!”
The great rat chuckled darkly. Under Shen Yu’s horrified gaze, its huge head lunged towards his throat.
But just as it was about to bite his neck, a crystalline pink peach blossom suddenly appeared at its nose tip, gently touching it.
“Ah!”
Now the great rat screamed. It released Shen Yu at once and turned to flee.
But after one step, a thin pink mist suddenly appeared, seeping into its body.
In the next instant, all its mana was sealed. It collapsed directly to the ground.
“Immortal, spare me! Immortal, spare my life!”
The great rat dared not rise. It shifted position while prone and kowtowed repeatedly, pleading miserably.
At the same time, the rat head transformed back into Wang Manzhu’s delicate beauty. But now her eyes held no ardour, only terror.
Shen Yu had been stunned from start to finish.
But pushed away by “Wang Manzhu” and seeing her kowtow for mercy, he did not flee recklessly. Instead, inspiration struck. He bowed towards the front.
“Shen Yu of the Shen family in Huangli County thanks the Immortal for saving my life!”
In the next moment, as he raised his head, ripples appeared in the nearby clearing. Two figures, a man and a woman, revealed themselves.
