Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

Jia Rui was so frightened that a cold sweat dripped down his body, and his body was already icy cold. Yet, deep down, he was still filled with endless desire and greed for the Wang Xifeng in the mirror, feeling that it was still unsatisfied. So, with trembling hands, he forced his weakened body to turn the mirror back to the front. Sure enough, he saw the charming Fengjie, smiling and waving at him. Seeing this, Jia Rui was as if he had been bewitched, and without hesitation, he dove into the mirror again.

From then on, Jia Rui's heart and eyes were consumed by Feng Jie'er's beauty, yet he dared never venture to the Rongguo Mansion again. Jia Rong and Jia Qiang frequently came to ask for money, leaving him terrified, fearing his grandfather would find out. His unrequited love was already overwhelming, and now he had to add this debt to his burden – adding insult to injury! Add to that the intense pressure of his schoolwork, and he felt almost suffocated.

You have to remember, he was only in his early twenties and still unmarried. Lately, he'd been obsessed with Sister Feng, inevitably finding himself unable to control his desires and resorting to self-sufficiency. Furthermore, he'd experienced the torment of being ignored, annoyed, and constantly being tormented by Sister Feng twice before. Thus, these many factors, attacking from three or five different directions, had unknowingly led to a serious illness.

The onset of this illness was no small feat! First, I felt a swollen, uncomfortable sensation in my heart, as if something were blocking it. Then, my mouth lost all taste, and everything I ate tasted like wax. My feet felt weak and limp when I walked, as if I were stepping on cotton. When I looked at people, my eyes felt as if they were filled with vinegar. At night, my entire body felt hot and burning, as if on fire. During the day, I felt constantly sleepy and listless. Furthermore, I developed unspeakable symptoms when urinating, and my cough and spit were streaked with blood. These symptoms all appeared at once in less than a year.

After a while, his body could no longer support him, as if all his strength had been drained away. He collapsed headfirst onto the bed, his eyes closed, his consciousness still in a state of confusion. He kept babbling nonsense, occasionally shouting in terror, which was terrifying. Seeing this, his family was extremely worried and rushed to call for famous doctors. The doctors prescribed various precious herbs such as cinnamon, aconite, turtle shell, ophiopogon, and polygonatum, etc. These herbs weighed dozens of pounds, but Jia Rui showed no signs of improvement after taking them.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the end of the twelfth lunar month and spring was quietly approaching. However, the illness did not improve at all, but became even more serious. This made Dairu very anxious. He worked tirelessly to run around various clinics and invited famous doctors in the city to treat him, but unfortunately, all his efforts were in vain. Seeing that the condition was getting worse, someone suggested that the patient try "Du Shen Tang". But where could Jia Dairu get such precious ginseng? In desperation, he had to bite the bullet and go to the Rong Mansion for help.

After arriving at Rong Mansion, Jia Dairu met with Lady Wang and explained his purpose. Upon hearing this, Lady Wang quickly ordered Wang Xifeng to weigh out two taels of fine ginseng for Jia Dairu. Unexpectedly, Wang Xifeng looked embarrassed and replied, "I just made some medicine for the old lady a few days ago, and she used up quite a bit. Madam specifically instructed that the remaining whole ginseng be kept for use in medicine for Admiral Yang's wife. And I sent someone to deliver it yesterday." Madam Wang frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "Since we don't have any left, why don't you send someone to your mother-in-law to see if they have any left? Or maybe you can go to your elder brother Zhen's house and look for some more so we can make up the required amount. If they can cure someone's illness, it would be considered a good deed, and a merit for you as well." Upon hearing this, Fengjie didn't send anyone to look for it. Instead, she collected some dregs of soaked ginseng and sent it over with a few coins, saying, "Madam sent you some, but there's no more." Then she returned to Madam Wang and said, "I've found them all and have collected two taels in total, which I'm sending."

Jia Rui's desperate desire to survive was at its peak. He bought any medicine he heard could cure his illness without hesitation. However, no matter how many precious herbs he consumed, his condition remained unchanged, and his money wasted.

On this day, a hunched, lame Taoist priest arrived at the Jia residence, begging for alms. He wore ragged clothes and a gaunt face, but he muttered something, claiming to be able to cure a wide variety of ailments, especially those caused by injustice. As luck would have it, Jia Rui, struggling in his room, happened to overhear the Taoist priest's words.

As if grasping at a lifeline, Jia Rui summoned all his strength and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Quickly, please ask this immortal to come in and save me!" He kept kowtowed beside his pillow, looking truly pitiful and utterly miserable. Seeing this, the people around him were skeptical, but seeing Jia Rui's eagerness, they had no choice but to bring the Taoist priest into the house.

As soon as Jia Rui saw the Taoist priest come in, he couldn't wait to reach out and grab him, begging: "Buddha, please save me!" The Taoist priest looked at Jia Rui's appearance and couldn't help but sigh softly. He said slowly: "Your illness cannot be cured by ordinary medicine. However, I have a treasure here that can help you. As long as you look at it every day, maybe you can save your life." After that, the Taoist priest calmly took out an old bronze mirror from the bag he carried with him.

This mirror was uniquely shaped, capable of reflecting a person's image on both sides. The handle was meticulously engraved with the characters "Feng Yue Bao Jian" ("Mirror of Wind and Moon") in dazzling calligraphy. The Taoist carefully handed the mirror to Jia Rui, solemnly instructing him, "This object originated from the ethereal palace in the realm of illusion, crafted by the Fairy Jing Huan. It is specifically designed to treat illnesses caused by evil thoughts and delusions, and possesses miraculous powers of healing and preserving life. Therefore, I have brought it into this world, so that those brilliant and elegant princes may reflect and reflect on themselves. Remember, never look at the front of the mirror, only the back. This is of vital importance, and must not be neglected! In three days, I will return to retrieve the mirror, and I will ensure your recovery." With these words, he departed, unable to stop them.

After accepting the mirror with great joy, Jia Rui couldn't help thinking to himself: "This Taoist priest is really interesting. This 'Mirror of Love and Lust' must have its unique features, right? Otherwise, I'll try it out." Thinking of this, Jia Rui couldn't suppress his curiosity, and couldn't wait to pick up the "Mirror of Love and Lust", and first carefully looked at the back of it.

You don't know until you see it. Once you see it, Jia Rui is terrified! He sees a white skeleton standing in the mirror, with its empty eye sockets staring at him intently. It looks horrifying. Jia Rui is so frightened by this sudden sight that he trembles all over. He hurriedly covers the mirror with his hands, cursing non-stop: "What a bastard Taoist priest! How can you scare me with such a scary thing! Forget it, let me see what the front side looks like."

While muttering to himself, Jia Rui gathered himself and mustered up the courage to flip the mirror over again. This time, he saw the charming Wang Xifeng standing there, graceful and elegant, waving at him tenderly. Upon seeing her, Jia Rui's heart was instantly filled with joy, and he felt himself drifting forward involuntarily, as if he had truly entered the mirror.

Then, Jia Rui, in a trance, found himself embracing Fengjie in the mirror. The two were completely in love, making love and enjoying the bliss of love. After a while of passionate lovemaking, Fengjie lovingly escorted Jia Rui out of the mirror. Jia Rui felt as if he were in a cloud of mist, his face filled with intoxication.

Jia Rui staggered to the bedside, stumbled, groaned, and fell heavily onto the bed. He opened his eyes half asleep, and the mirror he was holding tightly in his hand suddenly slipped and fell, hitting the bed with a resounding sound. When the mirror flipped over, a terrifying skull was revealed!