After Becoming the Hero's Ex-fiancée

The Transient Realm (4.3)

“You know, in these three thousand realms, there is a kind of lovers’ gu4 that even the Golden Immortals would struggle to remedy. The female gu enters the female body, nourishes the yin5 and moisturises the body, and the male gu enters the male body, dry the yang5 and nourish the essence. A couple that hosts such a pair of lovers’ gu will be destined to live and die together, and share a love so deep that they become inseparable.”

“If the male gu betrays the female gu, he will suffer the agony of the Five Poisons6 and die.”

“What if the female gu betrays the male gu?”

“The same.”

The faceless monster circled around her.

“So? Are you tempted?”

Zheng Wan admitted that she was indeed tempted.

If she and Cui Wang became destined to live and die together, so as to let her have a long life, he would definitely help her cultivate immortality. Furthermore, he might even love her madly, but……

She thought about the hands that were literally worn to the bone.

“I need to think about it.”

“Huh? How strange. Girl, you looked quite sharp and cunning to me just now; why have you become so wishy-washy at this most critical juncture?”

“Maybe it’s because I haven’t become thoroughly rotten.”

Zheng Wan smiled bitterly.

“Oh well, in this world, no matter what the era, there will always be stories of amorous women and heartless men…” The faceless monster suddenly burst into laughter. “What a sin, what a sin!”

“Little girl, I’ll be waiting for you!”

Its painted mouth seemed to be grinning. “A woman lost to love can no longer extricate herself7…… A woman lost to love can no longer extricate herself……”

Light smoke whipped around its skirts and accelerated quickly; it rushed out of the golden shield and vanished abruptly in mid-air.

Zheng Wan tilted her face up to look. She felt that what she had seen in the past few days had really turned her whole life upside down. Just three days ago, she was still a carefree young lady waiting to be married; now, three days later, she had to deal with such “ghosts and demons” …

The faceless monster disappeared in less than ten breaths; Cui Wang appeared on his sword and stepped onto the pine branch.

He glanced at her with a strange look in his eyes.

“Get ready, it’s time to set off.”

Zheng Wan was taken aback.

“Has Mister Cui already reached the bottom of the cliff?”

“Mm.” Cui Wang nodded and said lightly, “We will leave after I meditate and rest. It will take half a day to reach the bottom.”

When Cui Wang said half a day, it really was half a day.

“We’re here.”

Cui Wang carefully set Zheng Wan down from his back. His hands were completely torn up, bloody and mutilated, unbearable to look at.

“Mister Cui, let Wan’niang bandage them for you.”

Zheng Wan pointed to his hands.

Cui Wang cast his eyes down, “Bandaging is useless.”

“Why?”

But Cui Wang refused to elaborate; he turned to look in another direction.

At the bottom of the cliff was a lush forest that went on for as far as the eye could see. Not far away, smoke curled up from a chimney.

“Someone’s here?”

Zheng Wan was surprised.

She had thought that after all the twists and turns, they were finally at the vast forest that Cui Wang was supposed to have entered from the start as per the dream… But that forest had been entirely uninhabited, and there was chimney smoke here……

“Let’s go take a look.”

“M-Mister Cui,” Zheng Wan hurried after him, “This place is strange. There might be a mountain demon.”

“There are many reasons that can cause the creation of a transient realm, but none are unbreakable——So, the key to breaking out of this realm might be there.” Cui Wang’s tall strides were extraordinarily large, but the luxuriant forest was not so friendly to Zheng Wan.

She lifted her skirts and panted after him. As she chased, Cui Wang suddenly stopped. She couldn’t dodge in time, bumped her head into him and fell to the ground.

Her foot, which had been worn out from earlier, seemed to be twisted and she couldn’t get up. Cui Wang didn’t seem to notice, and was looking straight ahead.

Zheng Wan supported herself on a tree trunk and struggled to her feet. She followed his gaze; it turned out that they were already in front of the hut.

Just then, the rickety wooden door creaked open, and a delicate and elegant beauty stepped out. As Zheng Wan looked at her, she found her somewhat familiar.

As she pondered, the beauty’s voice rang out, and it instantly came to her—if the red rashes were removed, isn’t she the Liu family’s concubine’s daughter, Third Lady Liu?

Zheng Wan broke out in cold sweat.

“State Preceptor, Lady Zheng, is it really you?”

Third Lady Liu looked like she was about to weep, “I’ve had such a hard time waiting.”

Footnotes:

4 gu: 蛊; a venom-based poison associated in ancient Chinese myths and folklore. The traditional preparation of Gu poison involved sealing several venomous creatures (e.g., centipede, snake, scorpion) inside a closed container, where they devoured one another and allegedly concentrated their toxins into a single survivor. This poison is used for black magic to cause disease, kill, make love charms, etc.

5 yin and yang: In Ancient Chinese philosophy, yin and yang  is a concept of dualism, describing how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world. Yin 阴: e.g. negative/passive/female/moon/water Yang 阳: positive/active/male/sun/fire

Yin and yang also applies to the human body. In traditional Chinese medicine good health is directly related to the balance between yin and yang qualities within oneself.

From this understanding, the lovers’ gu in the story enhances the female and male qualities respectively as the female’s “yin” qualities are boosted (i.e. “moisturises the body”) and the male’s yang as well (i.e. “dry the yang”), and so they will become extremely strong complementary partners for each other (if neither betrays the other, that is XD).

6 Five Poisons: The ancient Chinese Five Poisons don’t refer to five actual toxins but to five animals that were perceived to be “poisonous”, these animals according to various historical sources usually included: Snakes, Scorpions, Centipedes, Toads, Spiders

7 A line from 诗经(shijing), translated variously as the Classic of Poetry, Book of Songs or Book of Odes, the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry, comprising 305 works dating from the 11th to 7th centuries BC. It is one of the “Five Classics” traditionally said to have been compiled by Confucius, and a key text for all scholars.

This particular line comes from the “Airs of the States”, which are shorter lyrics in simple language that are generally ancient folk songs which record the voice of the common people. The line before this one talks about how a man in love can get out of it quickly (and a woman cannot), presumably because the man is more rational whereas the woman throws her entire being into love. It is a long poem about the marriage tragedy of an abandoned woman. The heroine in the poem recalls the sweetness of love life and the pain of being abused and abandoned by her husband, and reflects upon the oppression and devastation of women in love and marriage in ancient society.