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墨書 Inktalez
Ruyi Rouge shop? Rui Er remembered that name.
Not long ago, Luo Fu suddenly noticed changes in her appearance, which startled her. Fortunately, that fool Luo Fu only thought her looks had changed a bit from the past and did not realize she was becoming more and more like "her."
Luo Fu felt anxious but did not dare to consult her parents or elder brother. She pretended to care and asked a couple of questions, and that fool even thought of her distant cousin. She followed along, merely worried that Luo Fu might actually find some way to deal with the situation.
At her cousin's residence, she met a Constable named Chang Tai, who mentioned a place to Luo Fu. She privately asked Luo Fu about it and learned that the place was called Ruyi Rouge shop.
A place selling Rouge and Face Powder, she initially did not take it seriously. If the master truly had given her an ugly face, no matter how good the Rouge and Face Powder was, it wouldn't make much difference. However, when Luo Fu stealthily left the house, she still followed her out of concern. Worrying about being discovered, she kept her distance, unaware of what Luo Fu experienced or heard in the Rouge shop or what she brought back home. All she knew was that that night, Luo Fu secretly began applying something to her face, which was somewhat different from the Rouge and Face Powder she remembered.
Rui Er felt anxious again and went back to the City God temple to find the Old Beggar, but only saw him last night. She expressed her worries and threatened the Old Beggar to provide her with a quick solution; what she sought was not difficult—she just wanted to become Luo Fu as soon as possible.
Under her threat, the Old Beggar finally agreed.
Then, while Luo Fu was coughing, she coaxed her into drinking a bowl of something. Miraculously, she watched as the sleeping Luo Fu became uglier and more like her former self. Unable to contain her excitement, she quietly glanced into a bronze mirror and found that the face reflected in it had transformed into 【Luo Fu】's. Surprise? A miracle! It happened so simply!
Before she could figure out how to deal with the real Luo Fu, a maid from the lady's courtyard came to check on how Luo Fu's dowry embroidery was progressing, noting what was missing for further purchases. In her panic, unsure how to respond, the sharp-eyed old woman spotted "Rui Er" sleeping nearby, dressed in her sister's clothes while she herself wore a maid's outfit. Without thinking much, she rushed to complain to the old woman about being bullied by "Rui Er" and claimed that "Rui Er" wearing her clothes meant she wanted to replace her.
Such a clumsy excuse surprisingly convinced the old woman. From there on, without needing to say anything further, others would embellish the story for her; all she had to do was put on a pitiful act and cry with red eyes.
The crying was feigned, but the tears were real.
Rui Er thought about how crying is treated differently for beautiful people versus ugly ones; similarly, there is a distinction between how sisters cry compared to maids. It was precisely because she understood this difference that Rui Er cherished everything before her even more and would not allow Luo Fu to return and ruin it all.
She gently clasped her hands and looked at the maid who had returned with news: "You are somewhat clever but talk too much. Remember this: when serving me, if you can avoid it, it's best not to pry into things you shouldn't see. Curiosity can be good, but if it's too strong, it often brings disaster upon oneself. Remember: curiosity killed the cat!"
The maid felt a sudden chill overhead and hurriedly lowered her head, nodding vigorously: "I will remember my sister's instructions!"
While Rui Er was plotting how to harm Luo Fu, Luo Fu had just returned to the Ruyi Rouge shop with Xing Ruyi.
Pushing open the half-closed door, as soon as Luo Fu stepped inside with one foot, she saw a child in the courtyard looking at her with raised eyebrows and a smile, resembling a beautiful figure from a New Year painting.
"I never expected to meet you so soon at the Rouge shop—Miss Luo Fu."
"He—"
Luofu looked at Yin Yuan, unsure of what to do. She seemed to have never seen this child before, yet the child knew her name. Luofu felt that something was off, but after thinking carefully, she couldn't pinpoint what it was. She stared blankly at Yin Yuan, hearing Xing Ruyi say to the child, "Naughty! Have you finished your writing?"
"Don't worry, Mother, I’ve finished writing," Yin Yuan replied, winking at Luofu.
"Mother? Miss Xing, didn’t you and your husband not get married yet? How is this child already so big?"
"Yin Yuan, my adopted son," Xing Ruyi pointed to Yin Yuan and provided a simple introduction. "The name Luofu is probably something he heard by chance; you don’t need to take it to heart. This child has been spoiled by us and doesn’t quite understand the rules."
"The young master is truly romantic; Luofu thinks it’s wonderful."
Luofu smiled back at Yin Yuan. However, she had something on her mind, making her smile seem a bit unnatural.
Yin Yuan walked over to Luofu, looking up at her face. Luofu thought the child was staring at her because he found her ugly, so she lowered her head and raised her arm to cover her face.
"Yin Yuan, you must not be rude, especially in front of guests!"
"Yin Yuan is not being rude; Yin Yuan just finds it a bit strange that this lady has a double image on her face."
"Double image?"
"Yes, a double image. Simply put, it's like having two faces layered on top of each other. Yin Yuan is just a child and doesn’t understand, which is why he curiously came closer to take a look. If there’s any offense, please forgive me for Yin Yuan's age."
Though Yin Yuan claimed to be rude, his demeanor suggested otherwise; he appeared proud as if saying that he was fortunate enough to see someone like her.
Unlike ordinary children, Yin Yuan was different, something everyone in the Xing family knew but outsiders did not. Xing Ruyi worried that his overly "brilliant" performance might make others think he was a monster, so she quickly signaled him to stop talking.
Yin Yuan stuck out his tongue slightly and leaned against Xing Ruyi, saying softly, "It seems that what Daddy said before about you, Mother, has all slipped your mind."
"What did he say?"
"If you meet Miss Luo, you might as well help her read her fortune. Mother’s fortune-telling skills were personally taught by Daddy; as for me, I only learned a little bit on the side. If even I can see that Miss Luo has two faces, why haven’t you noticed it? Oh, I know! When Daddy taught you, you must not have studied properly. I’ll go tell Daddy so he can scold you properly."
After finishing his sentence, Yin Yuan took a few steps back and turned around, escaping to his room like a typical child who had just played a prank and was eager to flee. Xing Ruyi shook her head, knowing that this was Yin Yuan deliberately reminding her that she could use the Ghost Technique when necessary. Otherwise, she would have no idea what had happened to Luofu or how she could help restore her former appearance.
A flicker of deep blue passed through her pupils; when she opened her eyes again, Xing Ruyi saw more things on Luofu’s face.
Yin Yuan's description was indeed apt; on Luofu's face, there was a shadow. That shadow resembled strands of black, like Silk Thread, forming a Thick Fog that intertwined and wove the shape of a human face. It was as if a soft shell had enveloped Luofu's originally beautiful visage.
Xing Ruyi had initially thought that Luofu's change in appearance was due to someone using sorcery to alter her face, but it seemed that the situation was simpler than she had imagined.
Xing Ruyi watched intently, while Luofu felt uneasy under her gaze. She bit her lip tightly, cautiously tilted her head, and asked, "What are you looking at, miss? Could it be that I truly have two faces as you say?"
Xing Ruyi shook her head and asked, "Have you ever heard of the Ghostly Veil?"
Luofu nodded: "When I was little, I didn't like to sleep and always wanted to cling to Mother. There was an old woman who accompanied Mother, and to coax me to sleep, she told me many strange stories. She also spoke of the Ghostly Veil, but I don't remember the details; all that remains is a fear of those three words. Even after growing up, I rarely walked alone at night because I feared encountering those ghosts, being blinded by them and losing my way home."
"The heir has three oil lamps: one atop their head and the other two placed on their shoulders. This represents a person's Yang Fire, which can ward off evil spirits. Especially when walking at night, if you hear someone calling your name, you must never look back or glance sideways. If this Yang Fire is extinguished, your soul may be claimed by the spirits.
Little do people know that there are rules in the human world, laws in the Underworld, and even regulations in the demon realm. Anyone who harms others—be they human, demon, ghost, or monster—will pay the corresponding price and face appropriate punishment. Therefore, the ghosts encountered at midnight are mostly just playing tricks on people. Their most common tactic is to cover your eyes with their hands when your Yang Fire goes out and then make you pay for their amusement.
If you encounter an elderly Old Ghost, they might trap you in place and make you listen to their ramblings; if you meet a mischievous child like Yin Yuan, they might make you run in circles as if playing hide-and-seek; if it's a female ghost, she might scare you a little; as for male ghosts, they have too many trivial things they could do to list here. In short, the Ghostly Veil is about using ghostly hands to cover your eyes so that you cannot see what is around you.
Luofu's current predicament bears some resemblance to this Ghostly Veil. However, what is being obscured is not your eyes or mine but rather your face. If one were to give it a name, it should be called the Ghostly Veil!"
"Ghost..." Luofu shivered slightly and repeated, "Ghostly Veil?"
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