7 Move on!

At the banquet, a certain lady had her head bowed down.

All the way when she had stepped down the carriage, to the entranceway of the General's residence, and gradually the grand hall - the crown of her head was substituting the function of her face. Her healthy scalp was greeting the strangers until she and Meng Xun stopped at a corner. Zhi finally let out a deep sigh of relief.

Regretfully enough she couldn't shrink down more to hide behind Meng Xun before, as her body was a little tad taller than her. Zhi was nervous to be in public space. Too many people. Her heart was palpitating from the invisible pressure.

Crowd - a weakness of her. Why was it a weakness? It caused her anxiety. Was it this body's weakness? Or...

All of a sudden, a breeze of whisper passed her ears.

"This could have been our most romantic night."

Her body shivered from the sudden coolness. The voice sounded crystal clear like a chime of a bell. However, far from pure clarity, it carried a wisp of melancholy.

"My most cheri- ed ni-..t with you."

"I was the o-..ly one in your ..-es, only on- in your -nd."

Zhi felt her back cold with sweat. The glitching voice spread cool numbness all over her body. But a certain organ was strangely boiling inside of her. The clashing elements gave waves of fluctuating hotness and coldness through her body.

"You sa-..d th-.. you --#{÷ me-"

Zhi clutched the front of her robes, near her heart. It was suffocating. Thump, thump, thump, felt like a heavy miasma was surrounding her little organ, trying to crush its puny life...

"#& !?& @#+)/!?"

The voice shouted something incomprehensible. And a faint sound of sobbing followed. Zhi could have sworn someone had broken a glass somewhere.

"-.. -.. ...-"

"-... -..."

"....."

…

When the whisperings had subsided, her temperature took a normal turn. Her hidden ghastly paled face soon recovered its usual colours.

She had held on her trembling body by leaning on the wall at her side. But her legs still felt weak.

She definitely felt some restless soul from within her was venting out her unforgettable past. A quick glimpse of a scenario with a similar script appeared on her memory, bringing up a specific emotion inside of her. Instead of being scared, she snarled inwards.

'Move on!'

***

"Master," after spotting her Master who was seating on a special guest seat, Meng Xun swiftly went to her side.

"Could you please give us permission to go outside in the city?"

Pouring out the special-blended tea into her teacup, the Master unhurriedly gave her permission.

"Be vigilant and take care of yourselves."

"Don't wander off to strange places."

"Be back before curfew."

"Meng Xun understands," she nodded at the instructions her master gave her. She smiled before retreating back to Zhi's side.

'Master is master indeed. Like a mother hen.'

Meng Xun handed Zhi a piece of cloth with some sort of insignia on it. She ordered her to put it on and to never take it off when they were outside.

This was in consideration of Zhi's status of a 'widow'. She might be still young and can remarry, but her heart might need more time to recover from the lost of her beloved, right?

Meng Xun took a final glance at Zhi. What she saw was a sorrowed face. 'The atmosphere might have reminded her of her own wedding that the grief was showing on her face.'

She took her hand in and squeezed her seemingly cold fingers.

Meng Xun sweetly smiled, "Lets go have a change of breather outside."

'Older sister, no worries. Your husband is currently watching you from up there. Don't be sad!'