The Mask and the Shamanic Dance

A historical palace-intrigue drama was playing on the television.

Song Meiqi curled up on the sofa with one little foot raised, watching with relish.

Luo Yang had no interest whatsoever in the show, but Song Meiqi fascinated him. A four-year-old girl should have been watching cartoons, yet she preferred palace intrigue. Her maturity probably surpassed that of 99.99 percent of the children in the country.

A woman's screams and pleas for mercy came from the study.

Ye Zi was watching the video.

The sounds had no effect on Song Meiqi because she could not hear them at all. To Luo Yang, however, they were crystal clear. He even wanted to go into the study and remind Ye Zi to turn the volume down so it would not have a bad influence on the child.

"Uncle Luo, tomorrow's Saturday. How about you and Mommy take me to the zoo to see the pandas?" Perhaps the show's plot was dragging too much; Song Meiqi's attention wandered, and she started planning something for herself.

"Tomorrow... I'm moving into a new house." Luo Yang politely declined.

"Are Mommy and I moving in too?"

Luo Yang was at a loss. If you and your mother move into my house, what would that make us?

But he could not say something like that to a child.

"Uncle Luo, do you even know how to woo a girl?" Song Meiqi asked again.

Luo Yang struggled to keep up, and he was beginning to feel overwhelmed. "You're just a little kid. Why are you asking about that?"

Song Meiqi lowered her voice. "My dear Uncle Luo, if you don't start trying harder, someone else is going to win Mommy over. What will you do then? What will I do?"

Luo Yang: "..."

"Looks like you really don't know how to woo a girl." Song Meiqi looked thoroughly disappointed in him.

Luo Yang did not know whether to laugh or cry. "How old are you, anyway? What do you know about wooing anyone?"

"Lots of boys at kindergarten are trying to win me over. At least they know to give me chocolates and flowers and stuff. What have you ever given Mommy?" Song Meiqi looked utterly unimpressed.

Luo Yang was completely flustered.

Song Meiqi leaned close to his ear. "Uncle Luo, I'll tell you a secret. Mommy likes the outdoors, good food..."

Luo Yang interrupted the little girl's rambling. "Meiqi, tell me, why do you want me to pursue your mother?"

That question had been weighing on him for a long time, and he finally asked it.

Song Meiqi thought for a moment, then counted on her fingers as she spoke. "One, Mommy has to earn money and take care of me. That's so hard. Two, Mommy's so young and pretty, there must be boys chasing her, but I don't like anyone else. I only like you, so helping you is helping myself. Three, I felt close to you the moment I saw you, like I knew you in a past life. It's that thing called... fate. Yes, fate!"

Luo Yang was stunned. Did Old Lady Meng water down her memory-erasing soup when this kid was reincarnated?

Otherwise, why would a four-year-old talk about knowing him in a past life?

Just then, Ye Zi came out of the study and cleared her throat. "Meiqi, TV time's over. Go to your room and get to bed."

"Okay." Song Meiqi obediently picked up the remote and switched off the television. As she passed Luo Yang, she muttered, "I'll give you some proper lessons another day. You're hopeless."

Luo Yang did not dare respond.

After Song Meiqi went into her room, Ye Zi beckoned to Luo Yang. "Luo Yang, come into the study. Let's talk."

Luo Yang nodded, got up, and went into the study.

Ye Zi closed the door.

Luo Yang did not think she needed to shut it, but he kept that to himself.

"Luo Yang, I watched the video. Song Dongming is an absolute beast. Give me some advice. What should I do?" Ye Zi looked at him with a hint of expectation in her eyes.

"Ye Zi, I don't have any advice for you. I gave it to you, but you have to make the decision yourself," Luo Yang said.

Ye Zi said, "If I don't report him to the police, it won't be fair to that girl, and my conscience will torment me. But if I do, even though the Song Family has already paid to settle the matter, it's still a criminal case. The police will arrest Song Dongming, and the prosecutors will bring charges. Unless something unexpected happens, he'll be sentenced to three years. The Song Family and I..."

Luo Yang could feel her conflict. Sending Song Dongming to prison would mean breaking with the Song Family completely. Not only would that affect the company's operations, but she also had an emotional hurdle to overcome: her late husband, Song Dongshan.

Ye Zi sighed. "Forget it. You've already helped me so much. This is between me and the Song Family. I should make the decision myself. Let me think..."

Luo Yang remembered how she had looked in the pavilion at the Thatched Cottage of Du Fu. He wanted to say something, but held back.

"Luo Yang, there's something I need to tell you." Ye Zi changed the subject.

"What is it?"

Ye Zi hesitated for several seconds before speaking. "This afternoon, Song Dongming called and asked me to wait for him at the pavilion in the Thatched Cottage of Du Fu. He said he had something very important to discuss with me. I went, but then I saw you talking to him there. I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I..."

That incident had been like a thorn in Luo Yang's heart. Her explanation pulled it free. Song Dongming had been trying to kill two birds with one stone. She had been tricked into going there too, so how could he blame her?

"I wasn't going to mention it, but I felt I shouldn't hide it from you, so I decided to tell you anyway." Ye Zi looked visibly more relaxed once she had said it.

Luo Yang smiled. "Song Dongming thought he was so clever, setting a trap for me. But he probably never dreamed I'd already gotten that video from Liu Youshui."

"Seeing him kneeling in front of you felt so satisfying. He must hate your guts. Haha!" Ye Zi shook with laughter, swaying on both sides.

"Ye Zi, tomorrow morning I'll give Meiqi her final treatment. Then I'll move out," Luo Yang said.

The smile vanished from Ye Zi's face. Two or three seconds passed before she asked, "Where are you moving?"

Luo Yang briefly explained that Liu Youshui had given him a villa. He said nothing about Liu Youshui setting a trap for him; there was no need.

"Moving isn't easy. There's so much to do. Tomorrow's Saturday anyway, so I'll come help you," Ye Zi said.

"Well..."

Ye Zi furrowed her delicate brows. "You've done so much for me. Can't I do something for you?"

"All right, then. We'll go together tomorrow." Luo Yang worried that she would get angry if he kept refusing.

With everything said, they looked at each other, neither knowing what to say next.

"Well, get some rest." In the end, Ye Zi was the first to lose the staring contest. She averted her gaze and headed for the door.

"Ye Zi, wait a moment," Luo Yang called after her.

Ye Zi turned around, inexplicably nervous. "What... what did you want to say?"

"Last time, I saw a mask in the collection room. I'm very interested in it. Could I borrow it to study?" Luo Yang asked.

He wanted to try infusing the mask with a spirit again. Perhaps he would discover something new.

For some reason, a flicker of disappointment crossed Ye Zi's eyes, but she smiled. "Oh, is that all? Of course. I'll get it for you."

A few minutes later, Ye Zi placed the mask in Luo Yang's hands.

"Thank you."

Ye Zi looked a little displeased. "Why are you being so formal with me?"

Luo Yang smiled. "I'll head back to my room. You should get some rest too."

He left with the mask.

"Wait." This time, Ye Zi stopped him.

Luo Yang turned to look at her. "Ye Zi, is there something else?"

Ye Zi's expression was a little odd. "Um... has your ex-girlfriend been bothering you these past few days?"

"No." Luo Yang wondered why she had brought up Liang Hong. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing. I was just asking. Can't I care about you? You're not getting any younger. You should find someone. I'll keep an eye out for a suitable girl." Even as she spoke about finding him a partner, Ye Zi blushed.

"I... let's talk about that another time." Luo Yang left as though fleeing.

Back in his room, Luo Yang sat cross-legged on the floor, but his mind was full of Ye Zi. Several minutes passed before he calmed down and turned his attention to the mask.

A Spirit Infusion Seal could only be used once, so he needed to draw another.

Luo Yang held his right index and middle fingers together and channeled his spiritual power, tracing strokes on the mask's forehead.

With his previous experience, he drew the seal much faster this time.

Once the Spirit Infusion Seal was complete, Luo Yang poured spiritual power into it. A ghostly green mark appeared on the mask's forehead. At that very instant, a mysterious connection formed between him and the mask, and his consciousness was once again drawn into that enigmatic space.

Darkness shrouded everything, boundless and endless.

A shaft of golden light descended from above. Within it, an old man performed strange movements. Sometimes he crawled like a crab; sometimes he seemed to raise a cup to the heavens. There were countless movements, resembling both a dance and an ancient martial art, but it was neither. This was the Shamanic Dance performed in a spirit-channeling state, used for sacrificial rites, prayers for blessings, and communication with the gods.

The old man was, of course, Grandmaster Yingma. This time, however, he did not speak to Luo Yang. He launched straight into his awkward dance.

Luo Yang's consciousness danced along, waving his arms, moving his feet, walking like a crab...

The golden light vanished, and Grandmaster Yingma disappeared with it. He never said a word to Luo Yang.

Although the mask possessed powerful spirituality and retained "memories," it did not have a human brain. When Luo Yang used spirit infusion to awaken its spirituality and connect with it, the "memories" it displayed were random and beyond his control. That was somewhat troublesome, but it also meant he could learn something each time he activated the mask through spirit infusion.

"After I treat Meiqi tomorrow, I'll be moving out. Borrowing the mask again will be a bit troublesome." Luo Yang felt frustrated.

The patter of running water reached him.

Luo Yang's attention shifted at once.

Ye Zi was taking a shower.

The water sounded like autumn rain, and every sound Ye Zi made reached his ears with perfect clarity. He could not stop his imagination, and soon his head was filled with images of her bathing: snow-white skin, slippery shower gel, masses of bubbles...

It was another night destined to be filled with dreams.