Upon reaching the upper floor, Song Qingshu found gauze curtains drifting everywhere. A shadowy figure sat vaguely in the depths of the room. This was, after all, a young lady's boudoir, and he could not barge in rashly, so he gave a light cough to announce his presence.
"Who is it?" Though Ling Shuanghua had been startled, she showed no particular reaction and merely asked casually.
Sensing the coldness in her tone, Song Qingshu sighed inwardly. Such a lovely woman had been tormented until she was nearly devoid of any desire to live.
"I was entrusted by Great Hero Ding to pay Miss Ling a visit." Song Qingshu thought that unless he used something drastic, how could he draw her attention?
There was a thud, as though a chair had been knocked over. Sure enough, upon hearing news of Ding Dian, Ling Shuanghua hurried out at a trot, lifted the gauze curtain, and looked anxiously at Song Qingshu. "Which Great Hero Ding?"
A young woman in pale yellow rushed before him. Though her face was veiled by thin gauze, it could not conceal her urgency. Looking closely, Song Qingshu caught glimpses of several red scars along the edge of the veil. He sighed inwardly. With such a graceful figure, she must once have been an extraordinary beauty before her face was ruined.
"Great Hero Ding Dian asked me to come and ask Miss Ling a few questions." Song Qingshu respectfully bowed.
"Has he... been well lately?" Ling Shuanghua's voice trembled slightly.
"Uh... I'm afraid not very well." Song Qingshu thought that having one's collarbones pierced, tendons severed, then being imprisoned and tortured for years could hardly count as well. "But at least he won't die for the time being."
Ling Shuanghua gave a sorrowful smile. "It was all my fault. I harmed Brother Ding..."
"Miss Ling, since things have already happened, this is not the time to dwell on them," Song Qingshu said hurriedly, remembering why he had come. "Why were you unwilling to flee far away with Great Hero Ding back then?"
"You must have seen my current appearance, Young Master. My heart has long turned to ashes. Every day, I pray to the gods and Buddha, asking only that Brother Ding remain safe and sound." Ling Shuanghua gently lifted a corner of her veil, revealing several hideous red scars running across her snowy-white face.
"Miss Ling, I have always admired the love between you and Great Hero Ding. Do you think Great Hero Ding would care about your appearance?" Song Qingshu frowned. Those scars were indeed... rather harsh on the eyes, but that should not have been the reason.
"Of course I know he would not despise me." Ling Shuanghua slowly sat down beside the table, idly touching a pot of flowers before her. A gentle smile appeared at the corner of her lips. "It is simply that I myself do not wish for him to marry such an ugly wife."
Hearing the obvious insincerity in her words, Song Qingshu could not be bothered playing riddles with these lovesick men and resentful women. He asked directly, "I heard that Lord Ling forced you to swear a poisonous oath back then: if you ever saw Ding Dian again in this life, he would make your mother's soul suffer day and night beneath the earth. Does Miss Ling know that even if you had not made that oath, your father would not have spared Great Hero Ding's life for the sake of the Liancheng Jue?"
To his surprise, Ling Shuanghua's expression did not change much. She merely turned back and stared at Song Qingshu. "In my haste just now, I neglected to ask for your name, Young Master..."
"I am Song Qingshu." Having fought and clawed his way through the business world in his previous life, Song Qingshu was shrewd indeed. One look at her expression told him that she had grown suspicious, so he briefly explained how he had ostensibly been helping Ling Tuis extract a confession, while secretly reaching an agreement with Ding Dian.
After matching several secret signals known only to Ding Dian and herself, Ling Shuanghua finally relaxed and let out a faint sigh. "To be honest, Young Master Song, when I learned of the Liancheng Jue, I realized this as well."
"An oath is a solemn thing, but since it was made because of a lie, naturally it cannot be taken as true," Song Qingshu consoled her.
Ling Shuanghua smiled faintly. Although her face had been ruined, the refined charm at the corner of her lips still left Song Qingshu staring in a daze. "But when I swore it, I did so sincerely. I do not wish to take a risk with my mother."
Seeing Song Qingshu about to speak, Ling Shuanghua raised a hand to stop him and continued, "There is another very important reason that I never told Brother Ding. The family Father promised me to was that of his superior, Lord Lü, the Prefect of Xiangyang and Pacification Commissioner of Jingxi. I fell in love with Brother Ding and ruined my face to prove my resolve, which had already made Father and the Lü Family lose face. If I truly ran away with Brother Ding, I fear I would completely offend the Lü Family. No matter how many faults Father has, he is still my father. I do not wish to bring such great trouble upon him."
"Lü Wenhuan?" Song Qingshu's heart skipped a beat. This was truly troublesome. He had been in this world for some time now and had gradually learned much about its circumstances. Xiangyang had resisted the Mongol armies for years without falling. While Guo Jing and Huang Rong's assistance in leading martial artists played a role, Prefect Lü Wenhuan was the true pillar holding everything up. Lü Wenhuan now commanded Jingxiang and held heavy military power, while his elder brother Lü Wende governed Lianghuai. Along with Sichuan Pacification Commissioner Yu Jie, the two brothers were known as three of the greatest regional warlords of the Song Dynasty.
Though Ling Tuis could also be considered a high-ranking official of one region, he was not in the same league as Lü Wenhuan. If he offended the Lü Family, Ling Tuis would essentially be finished.
She truly was a filial daughter. Her father was so vicious, yet she still thought only of his welfare... Song Qingshu shook his head. It seemed that to untie Ling Shuanghua's knot of anguish, he would have to start with her father.
"May I ask whether Miss Ling believes in Buddhism or follows Daoism?" Song Qingshu suddenly asked.
"Mm... I believe in Buddhism." Ling Shuanghua could not make sense of his intentions and answered doubtfully.
"Then Miss Ling must understand the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Could you explain them to me?"
Seeing Song Qingshu's earnest expression, Ling Shuanghua hesitated before speaking softly. "Sentient beings, through the causes of delusion and karma, are drawn into the Three Realms. Life and death cycle through the Six Paths like a wheel turning round and round. Unless one seeks liberation, one will forever continue through birth and death in the Six Paths, without end..."
"The Six Paths are divided into three good paths and three evil paths. What determines whether one enters a good path or an evil path upon reincarnation?" Song Qingshu suddenly pressed.
Ling Shuanghua had already begun to understand his meaning. She smiled faintly and continued, "Through the causes and conditions of the ten unwholesome deeds, one falls into the three evil paths of hell, hungry ghosts, and beasts. Through the causes and conditions of the ten wholesome deeds, one is reborn into the heavenly realm or the human realm..."
Song Qingshu gave a slight bow. "I have heard that Miss Ling's mother was a renowned great benefactor in the city during her lifetime, doing good all her life. Surely she could not have fallen into the three evil paths. Nor have I heard that your honored mother ever followed any wicked path, so she certainly would not be in the asura path. That leaves only the human realm and the heavenly realm. Whichever it is, judging by the time that has passed, your honored mother could not possibly be beneath the earth now. Miss Ling's oath back then was, 'If I ever see Brother Ding again, my mother's soul will surely suffer day and night beneath the earth.' May I ask, Miss Ling, do you truly believe that, given your mother's virtuous deeds in life, she would now be suffering beneath the earth?"
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