The Ming Dynasty in Another World: People are in the Heavenly Prison, and Wuji becomes a Taoist

The Su family’s residence is hidden deep in the plane trees, and the blue bricks and black tiles glow with a warm light under the early summer sun.

Lin Mo stood in front of the carved iron gate and brushed the collar of his Zhongshan suit with his fingertips.

Lao Zhao, the doorman of the Su family, recognized him and led him through the corridor with a smile: "Miss Bai is in the back garden, with my young lady."

Before Lin Mo got close, he heard a string of silver bell-like laughter.

Turning around the screen wall, I saw Bai Jingshu wearing a lilac cheongsam, leaning over to smell a white peony.

The sunlight filtered through the gaps between the sycamore leaves, casting tiny spots of light on her body.

Su Qiaoyan, who was standing aside, had sharp eyes and noticed Lin Mo first, with a meaningful smile on her lips.

"Hey, we just met yesterday, and you couldn't wait to come over today?"

Su Qiaoyan waved a sandalwood fan and spoke in a long drawn-out tone.

Bai Jingshu turned around when she heard the voice, and two red clouds instantly appeared on her cheeks.

"Lin...Brother Lin."

She cried out softly, twisting the handkerchief unconsciously with her fingers.

Lin Mo bowed to the two ladies, but his eyes were only on Bai Jingshu.

"I heard that the temple fair in Tianjin is very lively. I want to invite Miss Bai to go with me. I wonder..."

"Well, now that you put it like that, it seems like I'm redundant."

Su Qiaoyan half covered her face with a fan and pretended to be angry, but her eyes were sparkling between the two of them.

Bai Jingshu's ears turned red, and she glared at her bestie in an angry tone: "What a clever statement!"

Lin Mo heard the teasing in the other party's words.

He coughed lightly and invited, "Miss Su, if you have time, why not..."

"I don't want to be that eyesore."

Su Qiaoyan interrupted the conversation and smiled meaningfully, "Just remember to send the person back before sunset, otherwise I won't be able to explain myself to my dad if he asks about it in the evening."

"Sure." Lin Mo nodded.

Bai Jingshu went back to her room and changed into a moon-white cheongsam embroidered with wisteria, and pinned a silver hairpin on her temples.

It is more charming than the usual schoolgirl outfit.

Lin Mo's eyes lit up.

When leaving, Su Qiaoyan quietly pinched Bai Jingshu's palm and whispered in her ear: "You should be more reserved."

"What did you say!"

Bai Jingshu pushed her away with a red face.

Looking at the backs of the two people leaving, Su Qiaoyan suddenly felt a sour feeling in her heart for some reason, as if she had swallowed an unripe apricot.

……

The dock was crowded with people, and the "Haihe" ship bound for Tianjin was spewing white smoke.

Lin Moxu put his arm around Bai Jingshu's waist and stepped onto the deck, the river breeze blowing with water vapor towards their faces.

The whistle blew long and hard, the boat slowly left the shore, and the river breeze blowing in with water vapor.

"Cold?"

Glancing at her clutching her shawl, Lin Mo asked in a low voice.

Bai Jingshu shook her head, but couldn't help but sneeze a little.

Lin Mo immediately took off his coat and put it on her shoulders.

His fingertips accidentally brushed the side of her neck, and both of them shuddered.

At this moment, the ship suddenly shook.

Bai Jingshu lost her balance and fell forward.

Lin Mo quickly reached out and embraced her, and her cheek pressed firmly against his chest.

Through his thin clothes, she could hear his rapid heartbeat, beating like a drum against her eardrums.

"Yes, I'm sorry..."

Bai Jingshu tried to retreat in a hurry, but was staggered by another wave.

Lin Mo did not hesitate at all. This time he simply held her hand and led her to sit on the bench in the cabin.

"Hold on to me."

His voice was a little hoarse, and his palms were warm and dry, completely wrapping her hands.

Bai Jingshu lowered her head and saw the shadows of the two people overlapping on the deck, swaying gently with the waves.

She suddenly hoped that this journey would never end.

However, a sharp whistle brought her thoughts back to reality.

The ship slowly approached the shore.

In spring, the sky in Tianjin is as blue as freshly washed silk.

White clouds floated leisurely, and the sunlight shone through the newly green locust leaves, casting mottled shadows on the bluestone slabs.

The temple fair in Tianjin has a more urban feel than that in Kyoto.

The temple fair was bustling with people. The old man selling sugar figures was very skilled and in a blink of an eye he made a phoenix with spread wings.

A cloth banner with the words “Accurate Predictions” hung in front of the fortune-telling stall.

A man wearing round sunglasses is reading a lady's palm.

On the distant stage, the female role's sleeves danced like clouds in the sky.

"Look at that."

Bai Jingshu suddenly grabbed Lin Mo's sleeve and pointed to a stall selling sugar paintings.

The old artist scooped up a spoonful of golden syrup and quickly sketched it on the slate, and in a blink of an eye he had drawn a pair of embracing mandarin ducks.

"What a handy person."

Lin Mo sighed, feeling that the force on his sleeve had not yet been released.

Her palms were burning, and her voice was as thin as a mosquito: "How about... we buy one too?"

The old artist looked at them with a smile and asked casually, "What do you want, young couple?"

"we are not--"

Lin Mo was about to explain, but he saw Bai Jingshu lowering her head with a red face, and the words got stuck in his throat.

"Just...just this one." She pointed at the pair of mandarin ducks.

The sugar painting was crystal clear in the sunlight. Lin Mo held it carefully, fearing that it would melt.

The two of them walked side by side and gradually started talking.

As we walked around and chatted about our respective situations, the initial sense of strangeness gradually disappeared.

Bai Jingshu walked beside him, the distance between them closer than when they came. Their sleeves occasionally touched, and then quickly separated.

"Taste this."

Lin Mo bought a bag of osmanthus cake, picked up a piece and handed it to Bai Jingshu's mouth.

Bai Jingshu hesitated for a moment, then took a bite of the cake from his hand, leaving the icing on her lips.

Lin Mo subconsciously reached out to wipe it, but stopped suddenly when he was about to touch it and handed over the handkerchief instead.

The two smiled at each other, with embarrassment in their eyes that could not be concealed.

If people who know the situation knew that the bloody butcher with ruthless hands was now acting like a young boy, their jaws would drop in shock.

Lin Mo shook his head, smelling the faint fragrance from Bai Jingshu, and smiled in his heart.

Bai Jingshu handed over the candied haws she had just bought: "Try it?"

Lin Mo was slightly startled, and when he took it, his fingertips accidentally brushed the back of her hand. Both of them shrank as if they were burned.

He bit a hawthorn, and the sugar shell broke with a crisp sound.

"Is it sweet?"

Bai Jingshu asked.

"Ah."

Lin Mo responded, and suddenly held the candied haws in front of her, "Would you like to try some too?"

Bai Jingshu was stunned for a moment, then bit off a piece from his hand.

The sweetness of sugar and the sourness of hawthorn intertwined on the tip of the tongue, and Lin Mo saw that the tip of Bai Jingshu's ears had turned red.

After turning a corner, the noise suddenly became much quieter.

An antique bookshop was quietly open, with a plaque with the words "Shuyu Zhai" hanging on the lintel.

Bai Jingshu slowed down her pace and her eyes were attracted by a poetry collection with a blue cloth cover in the window.

"Like?" Lin Mo asked.

She nodded, then shook her head: "Too expensive."

Lin Mo had already pushed the door and walked in.

After a moment he came out with the book of poems in his hand.

"For you."

He said it lightly.

Bai Jingshu hesitated for a moment, but still took the book and gently stroked the gold-plated words on the cover with her fingers.

"New Moon Collection..."

Turning over the title page, she saw a line of small words written in pen on it.

"To Jingshu, 'Even if you are sad, don't frown, because you don't know who will fall in love with your smile.'"

This sentence was obviously written by Lin Mo.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and when she looked up again, her eyes were slightly red.

"Thank you."

The sound was as light as a petal falling on the water.

As the sun gradually grew hotter, the two of them found a teahouse by the river to rest.

The windows of the private seats on the second floor were open, offering a panoramic view of the entire street.

At this moment, there was a sudden noise from downstairs and the crowd became agitated.

I saw a group of students marching along the street holding a banner that read "Fight to the death".