Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 38 A Person Falls from the Sky

Li Xiaolian took out a puppet and handed it to Murong Huan, saying, "Actually, we don't know his name, but we know he's a master of great Taoist skills. He said that if you ask, he'll give you this puppet, and you'll know who he is."

Murong Huan's expression changed again: this puppet was clearly carved in the image of her when she was about ten years old. At that time, she was still living in the farmhouse of Taoyuan Village. Not many people knew her, and the only person who could remember her ten-year-old appearance so clearly and carve it so lifelike was her master.

The master was a hermit with an immortal appearance. She had asked him about his origins before, but he always cleverly changed the subject and never told her his name. Out of respect for the master, she never asked about his past.

But she believed that the master was a person with great kindness and compassion in his heart.

He travels around the world, indifferent to worldly affairs. He is a man who has cultivated the great Dao in his heart to the state of having no desires and no demands. How could he care about these things?
After returning to Luoyang City, she always felt as if there were a pair of hands behind her controlling everything and guiding her to do certain things. She thought it was the work of another soul in her body, Li Linghuan, but Li Xiaolian gave her an unexpected answer.

When Murong Huan saw this puppet, he felt a sudden warmth in his heart, and couldn't help but recall some good memories of his time with his master.

Whether it was playing the flute, making perfume, or painting the images of all living beings, all her skills were taught by her master. Even the fact that she could live safely on the farm was probably due to her master's protection, which gave her those peaceful and tranquil years.
"Ah Huan——"

"Girl, what's wrong with you?"

The calls from A Shu and Li Xiao Lian immediately woke her up from her thoughts.

"Nothing, if that's the case, then I won't ask any more questions." She turned and asked, "Do you still want to stay here?"

Shaohuayuan is a brothel after all. Who would be willing to waste their life here?
"Apart from performing, we can't do any other work to make a living, so we can only stay here." Li Xiaolian lowered his head.

"There are three thousand great ways, and everyone has many choices in life. As long as you want, there are other paths to explore." Murong Huan said, then looked at Li Xiaolian and said, "I will give you a chance. It depends on whether you are willing to do it."

"Of course I do, please speak up, girl!"

……

When we left Shaohuayuan, night fell quietly again. Although it was not yet curfew, the number of people on Wenroufang Street had gradually decreased. The teahouses, taverns, and pawnshops on both sides of the street were once again shrouded in the misty moonlight.

Seeing Murong Huan walking aimlessly on the street, Ah Shu couldn't help but ask worriedly, "Ah Huan, are we really not going back to the Su family?"

"Yes, the Su family is not safe right now. Minister Zhou was particularly concerned about me before and repeatedly tried to trick me into entering his Zhou Mansion. I'm afraid someone from the Su family tipped him off."

"The Su family? Who could that be?" Ah Shu asked nervously, "Could it be the eldest lady? The eldest lady seems to dislike Ah Huan very much."

"No, Qin simply dislikes me out of fear of me. But Madam Su San is different. My master once told me that there are some people in this world whose hearts and appearances are completely different. Therefore, it is very difficult to draw their hearts. I have to rely on my own reason to judge the logic of their behavior."

"Back then, my mother was seriously injured. After returning to the Su family, my father tried his best to save her. Mrs. Qiu, the third wife of the Su family, pretended to be very gentle, virtuous, and compassionate to us. She always stayed by my mother's bedside to take care of her. One time, when my father was exhausted and fell asleep, I saw Mrs. Qiu's face suddenly change. She seemed to be searching for something on my mother.
Later, probably because they found nothing, they viciously stabbed my mother several times with a needle. My mother was unconscious at the time, unable to move and resist, so I started fighting with Mrs. Qiu. The servants soon brought the matter to my grandmother. I explained the reason to her, but no one in the Su family believed me. They all believed what Mrs. Qiu said, saying that I was a weird child. From then on, everyone in the Su family was afraid that I would behave strangely.

After my father died, I stayed in his mourning hall. She came to me again when no one was around, with a very gentle smile on her face. She pulled my hair, tore my clothes, and said she wanted to check my body. So I grabbed a pair of scissors and stabbed Qiu.

When my grandmother arrived with a group of servants, Mrs. Qiu put on a kind and gentle appearance, saying that I was acting madly because I had lost my father and mother. Later, they discussed sending you and me to the farm in Taoyuan Village.

Ah Shu was very surprised and sad to hear this. She had heard these things when she was a child, but the stories told by the Su family were all about the weird and fearful behavior of Ah Huan. She was a little afraid of Ah Huan at first, but after getting along with him, she found that it was not what the Su family said. Even if another her was born in Ah Huan's body later, it was not as scary as the Su family said.

"Ah Huan, do you remember all these things from your childhood? Is Mrs. Su San really like this?"

It is hard to imagine that Mrs. Su San, who had such a gentle smile and was kind to everyone in the Su family, would treat Ah Huan like this?
Murong Huan glanced at Ah Shu, and Ah Shu quickly said, "It's not that I don't believe you, Ah Huan. Even if everyone in the Su family doesn't believe you, Ah Shu will definitely believe you, because Ah Huan never lies."

Murong Huan smiled and said, "I didn't doubt you, but suddenly remembering these things made me suddenly understand what Master once said, and also understand why the Qiu family has two completely different sides."

"Why?" "It's probably just hypocrisy. Her kind face and smile are just a protective guise, just to hide her true heart. She's so deliberately trying to get close to my parents, even pretending to be tolerant, generous, and understanding in the Su family. She must be trying to get something from them."

Ah Shu listened carefully, nodded repeatedly, and wondered: "So what does she want?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Murong Huan suddenly shouted loudly: "Be careful!" At the same time, he put his arm around Ah Shu's waist, slid back, and suddenly retreated three feet.

With a "bang", a huge black shadow fell from the sky and crashed right in front of them. Suddenly, a strong smell of blood came to their noses.

Ah Shu couldn't help but scream, "Ah Huan, it's a person, someone fell from the sky!"

Murong Huan looked up and saw a restaurant next to him. A door and window were opened, and a figure flashed in the dim room. Murong Huan immediately took Ah Shu's hand and ran into the restaurant, but saw that a puppet show was also being performed in the restaurant. Several spectators of various appearances were staring intently at the puppets on the stage, whose clothes were spreading like flowers.

She carefully observed these people for a moment, and without stopping for too long, she ran directly into the room with the window. She pushed the door open and saw a pair of feet dangling in the air.

Ah Shu moved her eyes upwards again and saw a face whose features were completely distorted and unrecognizable.

"what!"

Ah Shu couldn't help but let out a scream, which immediately woke up the onlookers in the hall downstairs of the restaurant. Immediately, several people ran over curiously after hearing the sound, but when they saw the situation in the room, they ran away in fear.

"Ah Huan, this is too scary, let's go!"

Ah Shu wanted to pull Murong Huan away, but at this moment, the sound of galloping horses came from downstairs. Murong Huan listened carefully and estimated that there were about fifty people.

"Sir, there is a dead person here!"

There were loud noises and shouts from downstairs.

In a blink of an eye, the officers and soldiers were shouting "Get out of the way, get out of the way!" and quickly rushed to the corridor outside the room.

Murong Huan turned around and saw that the person leading the group was Qiu Shenji, the general of the Jinwu Guard.

"Why are you here?"

Qiu Shenji asked sternly and walked into the room with the two of them. When they saw a disfigured person hanging on the beam, the two Jinwu guards were shocked.

"Sir, there is another person here... a dead person with a completely disfigured face!" One of the Jinwu Guards reported tremblingly.

Qiu Shenji's expression changed slightly, and he immediately glared at Murong Huan and shouted, "Catch these two murderers!"

"No, no, no! Sir, we are not the murderer, you caught the wrong person!" Ashu shouted anxiously.

Murong Huan was about to speak when a familiar voice suddenly echoed in his mind: "In the fourth year of the Chuigong reign, Qiu Shenji was appointed by the Empress as the Grand Administrator of the Qingping Dao. He had intended to suppress Li Chong's rebellion, but upon arriving in Bozhou, Li Chong was killed by the people. Seeing no rebellion left to quell, Qiu Shenji, seeking credit for his actions, murdered nearly a thousand of the local officials' families. For this, the Empress bestowed upon him the title of Grand General of the Jinwu Guard."

"This man's sins cannot be redeemed by a thousand deaths. Do you need me to help you kill him?"

Li Linghuan!
This was the first time she heard Li Linghuan's voice so clearly outside of a dream.

(End of this chapter)