The Regent Keeps Flirting With Me - Chapter 26

The man named Zhang looked troubled. Since the villagers now regarded her as an indisputable person, he had no choice but to follow her wishes and allow them to sit in the same sedan chair. Fortunately, Shen Lingyan was not heavy, and even with her added, it did not put much pressure on the villagers carrying the sedan.

The village was small, and they walked out in a few steps. They had no intention of stopping and had prepared raincoats one by one, as if they were going to walk for a long time.

After leaving the village, they turned onto a small path. Shen Lingyan, sitting in the sedan, slightly lifted the curtain to look out, only to see that both sides of the path were filled with graves. This bare area was sparsely dotted with a few trees. Although there weren’t many trees, not enough to cover the sky, it somehow brought a chilling sensation to the people.

If it was still muggy in the village just now, it was now like early autumn here. Dark clouds still covered the sky. There was no wind, but a bone-piercing coldness rolled in from all directions.

On the way here, the villagers had been chatting somewhat heavily, but once they reached this eerie place, they immediately fell silent, one by one, keeping quiet out of fear. Besides the heavy footsteps of the sedan bearers, Shen Lingyan couldn’t even hear them breathing.

“What exactly is this place?” Shen Lingyan frowned, unable to figure out why. Was it just because there were a few graves here?

Zhou Jin was focused on tidying Shen Lingyan’s skirt, which had become messy from getting into the sedan. Upon hearing the question, she didn’t even lift her eyes: “It’s certainly not a good place.”

Shen Lingyan nodded in undeniable agreement. Indeed, the surrounding atmosphere felt wrong to her. If it were just a few simple graves, how could it cause the current situation?

As expected, Shen Lingyan’s guess was correct. The team began to slow down. Just as Shen Lingyan was getting a bit puzzled and pushed the curtain aside to look out again, she found the scenery had changed greatly.

Outside, it was not just a few graves; it was practically like stepping into a burial ground. Graves, some with and some without headstones, were buried haphazardly. This festive wedding procession looked utterly bizarre here.

Shen Lingyan quietly put down the curtain. She began clutching Zhou Jin’s sleeve. The exquisite wedding dress felt nice to the touch, but she was in no mood to praise it.

Before Zhou Jin had time to comfort her, she heard the village chief’s aged voice outside the sedan, seemingly explaining something.

“Young ladies, do not be afraid. This is our ancestors’ burial ground, mostly the family graves of people with names. We are only slowing down so as not to disturb the peace of our ancestors,” the village chief’s voice was too soft, so much so that Shen Lingyan felt the village chief was genuinely afraid of something, yet still trying to comfort the two of them under the pretense of an excuse.

Zhou Jin replied very loudly: “No matter, slow down… take your time…”

With just that one shout, the crows flying on the branches also closed their beaks, as if silently watching why people had ignored the warnings and entered the land of the dead. They seemed to want to watch the excitement together.

Suddenly, the graveyard began to get windy, and many figures moved back and forth through the woods. Some believed in the ghost stories and nearly ran away holding their heads. Seeing this, Zhou Jin realized it wouldn’t work; the mission was about to fail. To stabilize the villagers, she once again adopted the air and voice of a regent and shouted: “The River God has come to meet me! What is there for you to worry and fear!”

As soon as these words were uttered, it truly seemed like a comforting medicine had been administered. The villagers stopped their panic. They gritted their teeth, picked up the sedan, and continued moving forward.

After who knows how much longer, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They had arrived at the riverbank. The sedan was lowered, and the villagers knelt to invite Zhou Jin.

Zhou Jin elegantly stepped out of the sedan, but she was not in a hurry to leave. She extended the hand that was concealed by the wedding dress and led Shen Lingyan out of the sedan. The two beauties stood there.

Dark clouds still covered the sky. Looking out, calling it a river was too modest; it was simply as vast as the sea. A slight breeze could whip up large ripples.

A few villagers brought over a table, on which incense, candles, and paper money were placed, along with various offerings for the sacrifice. Then, several women dressed as witches appeared, chanting and dancing around the table, muttering some kind of prayer.

Zhou Jin and Shen Lingyan watched with a cold eye, finding it childish and ridiculous. They didn’t have to wait long. After the witches finished dancing, they started walking towards them.

“Thank you for your sacrifice, young lady. You may now walk into the river. The River God will protect you along the way.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jin didn’t hesitate and walked forward. As she walked, the ornaments on her forehead clinked, and her skirt made a soft rustling sound in the wind. Shen Lingyan was left behind. She looked at Zhou Jin’s retreating figure, speechless for a long time.

Zhou Jin walked step by step into the river. Her shoes and socks were gradually submerged, followed by her skirt, which slowly floated in the water. People couldn’t see clearly and didn’t dare to look. Slowly… only the upper half of Zhou Jin’s body remained visible.

Shen Lingyan felt a wrenching pain in her heart, like a constantly stabbing awl. She clearly wanted to look away but felt as if her gaze was glued to her.

Her mind recalled what Zhou Jin had instructed her in the sedan: she must keep an eye on the Zhang family to find evidence and not relax for a moment.

Shen Lingyan didn’t know why Zhou Jin kept repeating this issue, but since she had said it so many times, Shen Lingyan noted it, understanding vaguely.

The villagers had gradually begun to leave. No one paid attention to Shen Lingyan and Yun Zhu, perhaps wishing Shen Lingyan would also go in. The Zhang family came to urge her to leave, but she shook her head: “I will stay with her a little longer. You all go back first.”

Hearing this, the Zhang family members exchanged glances. Looking at the sky which was about to rain, they left behind an oil-paper umbrella and followed the villagers away.

Shen Lingyan glanced at the villagers out of the corner of her eye. Only after they were truly gone without a trace did she rush to the riverbank as if driven mad.

Shen Lingyan looked at the river surface where Zhou Jin was no longer visible, and shouted with a trembling voice: “Zhou Jin! Where are you!”

After shouting a few times, she noticed a shimmering golden object quietly poking out of the river surface in the distance. It was the phoenix coronet.

Seeing the phoenix coronet, Shen Lingyan finally breathed a sigh of relief. She gradually approached the spot, only to see Zhou Jin emerge like a water lotus under the dazzling golden light. Her captivating eyes were slightly narrowed. River water formed droplets on her eyelashes, adorning today’s “bride.”

Seeing that Zhou Jin had no intention of coming ashore yet, Shen Lingyan was so angry that she almost slipped and fell into the river. Seeing this, the beautiful culprit tapped the river surface with her toe, swept across the water, and came to Shen Lingyan’s side to steady her. Then, she supported her head with her right hand: “If Your Majesty were to fall into the river, how could A-Jin explain it to the ministers…”

Despite the appearance of worrying about her, Shen Lingyan could not see any trace of respect. Knowing she still had the energy to joke meant she was fine. The dry cloth she had prepared was already hidden behind her back.

“Be serious,” Shen Lingyan said.

Zhou Jin smiled brightly, flicking the water off her hands, which splashed onto Shen Lingyan’s face. Then, she rested her chin in her palm and pretended to be obedient: “Sister… don’t hide it, it’s good to wipe your face with the cloth…”

Shen Lingyan: I’ve never been so speechless in my life.