Strange Tales of the Ghosts

Baiyun Mountain was in sight right outside Pingshan Town. The mountain was desolated, and there were no official roads or travelers. Those who needed to travel for business or excursions always picked the other road. However, the scenery here was indeed much better than on the other route. The young boy laid in the shade underneath a large tree with a glass inside his mouth. He crossed his legs leisurely and freely. Others would think he was out with the cows, but the bright red wedding attire sold him out. He used the bright red clothes as a blanket and he was Qian Lu, the Young Master Qian who the servants were looking for.
Qian Lu imagined the panicking servants and laughed. He didn’t want to be married, nor did he want to marry Lady Zhou, a free and idle life was the best for him. He guessed that his father would send servants to look for him, but he also knew that those servants weren’t smart enough to think that he would pick this route instead. Even though he was escaping from his wedding, there was no need to be in a hurry.
The view was great; white clouds surrounded the green mountains with infinite beauty. Qian Lu glanced at Baiyun Mountain in the distance and imagined what kind of life he would have in the mountains alone. When he was picturing his future life, he suddenly heard someone calling. He listened carefully, and it was a girl. Qian Lu was curious; no one used this road, why would a girl be here? Qian Lu followed the voice and walked towards a bush not far from there and his silk pants rustled with the grasses. When he brushed a bush of thorny plants apart, he was astonished…… There was a naked woman sitting in the middle of the thorns. Her skin was as pale as snow, and she covered her bosoms with her hands. The thorns wounded her shoulders, and droplets of blood sipped through her skin.
“Please, help me……” The girl was trembling as she looked up at Qian Lu timidly. Her beautiful eyes were filled with tears, and her lips were crimson red.
Was she a fairy from the paintings? Qian Lu had never seen a girl as pretty as her. She was naked; when he snapped back, he had already draped his wedding robe on her. The moment their skin touched, Qian Lu’s heart beat furiously. He tried to control it and pretended to stay calm, “Put it on.” Then, he turned around. The girl’s silhouette disappeared in his eyes, but she already had a spot in his heart.
After a while, Qian Lu felt a hand patting his shoulder lightly. He turned around and saw that the girl had already put the robe on neatly. Although Qian Lu knew she wore nothing underneath, it was still better than how she was before.
“Miss……”
“Thank you for saving my life.” The girl bowed deeply. The bright red robe made her skin look even paler as if the slightest breeze would blow her away.
Qian Lu was dazzled. But he wasn’t a despicable person and asked politely, “It is so desolate here, how did you end up here?”
“I don’t know.” The girl shook her head. The blankness in her eyes was as innocent as a newborn.
Qian Lu didn’t ask further. Perhaps she lost her memories from a traumatic accident as he recalled reading about patients with illnesses like this. He introduced himself first, “My family name is Qian, given name is Lu, courtesy name is Xuan. May I ask what your name is?”
“Xue Fu.” The girl smiled.
Qian Lu didn’t expect the girl to still remember her name, and he was extremely delighted. If so, perhaps she would remember where she lived. He ran away from his wedding and had nothing to do, it was a good thing if he could escort her back home. So recommended himself for the job, “Lady Xue Fu, where is your house? Your family must be panicking, I could escort you back.”
“I don’t have a family anymore,” The girl seemed sad upon mentioning this.
Qian Lu feared seeing the girl cry and quickly stopped her, “It is fine if you can’t remember, please drown yourself in sorrow.” Qian Lu pointed at the tree, “Lady Xue Fu, perhaps we should rest under the tree away from the sunlight. It is one of the hottest days of summer and too much sun and heat aren’t good for you.”
“Okay.” Xue Fu nodded. Qian Lu took a step forward, and so did she follow after him.