Artifact Chapter 56: Fu Shu

Chapter 56: Fu Shu

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Since the day they had found Fu Shu, Lu Ming and Shao Ji had brought her down the mountain and settled in West Town. Lu Ming had patiently taken care of Fu Shu, helping her gradually lower her initial wariness. Now, even when Shao Ji wasn’t around, Lu Ming could live under the same roof as Fu Shu without trouble. However, Lu Ming hadn’t dared to engage with her too much, afraid that any careless move might scare her and undo all the progress he had made over the past few days.

Shao Ji had watched Lu Ming with a conflicted expression, wanting to get closer but hesitating. The jealousy that Fu Shu had shown toward him, especially when she had become completely reliant on him, was almost unmistakable in her eyes. It had made Shao Ji quietly laugh more than once. He had remarked to himself, surprised by the amusing side of He Qingci, who Fu Shu had been speaking about for over a decade.

Before he had met him in person, Shao Ji’s impression of He Qingci had been that of a cold and serious young master from a noble family. Now, seeing how Fu Shu still clung to him after all these years, Shao Ji found it understandable. There seemed to be a warmth and an alluring quality about him, as if he was a sudden ray of sunshine on a cold winter’s day, making people unconsciously want to get closer and absorb more of that warmth.

This was also clearly reflected in the people of West Town. From time to time, Shao Ji would see Lu Ming surrounded by people, always wearing an awkward smile, never knowing how to refuse the overly enthusiastic behavior of the townsfolk.

When Lu Ming saw Shao Ji looking at him with a mocking smile, he couldn’t help but feel irritated. “What are you laughing at? Hurry up and come over to take the stuff,” he said.

Shao Ji walked over, taking the basket filled with eggs and vegetables from Lu Ming’s hands, and teased, “Young Master Qingci really has an impressive charm. Every day, people bring you food.”

Lu Ming awkwardly responded, “I paid them, but they refuse to take it…”

Shao Ji laughed out loud, “So, you’re quite the charmer after all.”

Lu Ming rolled his eyes at him and grumbled, “Hurry up and cook. It’s your turn today.”

Shao Ji’s face immediately darkened. He helplessly said, “Can the food I make even be called a meal? Aren’t you tired of how bad it tastes?”

Lu Ming couldn’t help but laugh, “But my cooking is even worse… Never mind, just do whatever. Just try your best. After all these years, Fu Shu has really been wronged.”

233 overheard this and couldn’t resist chiming in, “I really don’t get why the master is so bold. Following the recipe and measuring the ingredients exactly, and yet the food still tastes this bad. That’s quite the skill, I’d say.”

Lu Ming sighed with a pained expression. “Cooking also requires talent. How can Xiao Mo be so good at it? I wonder what he’s doing now. Is he resting well…”

233 gave its master a helpless glance and sighed. Actually, being this bad at something was a skill in itself.

Days passed in a peaceful, uneventful manner, yet Lu Ming felt an unprecedented sense of calm. Now that Fu Shu had been found, it seemed that after so many years of searching, there was finally a resolution. Although Fu Shu seemed a bit dazed now, he believed there must be a way to heal her mind. She seemed to be living happily enough for now.

Lu Ming thought for a moment and decided to first make an upgraded version of the small mirror to use on Fu Shu. Perhaps it would help him find some clues from her memories. He hid in 233’s space, gathered the materials, and began working on it.

The small mirror could be considered a powerful magical tool. However, the memories it could access were always limited. The best version could only access memories from a few months to a year. To extract Fu Shu’s memories from nearly twelve years ago, the current method simply wouldn’t work. Lu Ming spent nearly three months in the space, finally making some progress.

By the time Lu Ming finished the upgraded small mirror, three months had passed in the space. Lu Ming was exhausted, but after two days of rest to regain his energy, he discussed with Shao Ji the matter of extracting Fu Shu’s memories.

Shao Ji furrowed his brow, holding the small mirror in his hands, flipping it over, and looking at it. “A regular mirror like this, will it even work?”

Lu Ming raised an eyebrow. “If it doesn’t work, we’ll have to try. It’s better than just waiting.”

Shao Ji, seeing the eager look on Lu Ming’s face, smirked slightly. “Why don’t we try it on me first? What if there are side effects?”

Lu Ming thought for a moment and then nodded. “That works too.”

Shao Ji helplessly chuckled. “You didn’t hesitate at all. What if there are side effects? You’ll end up taking care of two patients.”

Lu Ming smiled. “It’s fine, I’ll take care of you.”

Shao Ji couldn’t help but laugh, settling into a stance. “Alright, let’s do this.”

Lu Ming nodded, tossing the mirror into the air. In an instant, it seemed as if the mirror had a life of its own, aiming straight at Shao Ji. A faint golden light slowly began to emanate from the mirror, and as Lu Ming silently chanted a few incantations, the light grew brighter. Images suddenly began to project before Shao Ji, as if from a projector.

The image showed a much younger Shao Ji, dressed in a black robe, his hair casually falling behind him, his gaze cold and ruthless. He was clearly furious.

“Shao Ji, don’t think that just because you inherited the position of family head, you can do whatever you want. You’re the son of a demon, and you’ll always be a demon!” a young man in the image said, standing a few meters away, facing off against Shao Ji with a tone of contempt and bitterness.

Lu Ming felt a bit awkward when he saw this and looked at Shao Ji. “Should I take the mirror back…?”

Shao Ji narrowed his eyes, raised a hand, and said, “No need.”

Lu Ming sighed and tried to shrink back, making himself as inconspicuous as possible. The scene between the two men shifted. The argument turned into a fight. At first, Shao Ji had the upper hand, but after about ten minutes, his complexion turned pale, sweat dripping down his forehead. Eventually, he couldn’t even hold onto his sword, and it fell with a loud clang.

The young man took the opportunity to thrust his sword into Shao Ji’s heart and stepped on his face, sneering, “You worthless fool, you deserve nothing but to be killed by me.”

As soon as the words were spoken, the light from the mirror began to fade, indicating that the spiritual energy had been used up. Lu Ming glanced at Shao Ji but didn’t say anything, simply moving forward to pick up the mirror and walking toward the door.

Shao Ji watched Lu Ming’s actions and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Aren’t you going to ask me anything?”

Lu Ming stopped, his voice flat. “I thought you didn’t want to talk.”

Shao Ji found a chair, kicked his legs up on the table, and lazily said, “You really underestimate me. A small matter like this won’t affect me at all.”

Lu Ming turned around, helplessly asking, “Then what do you want me to ask?”

Shao Ji winked at him and said, “For example, about my identity?”

Lu Ming replied calmly, “To be honest, I don’t care about your identity. Just the fact that you’ve taken care of Fu Shu all these years is enough to prove your character. However, from the moment I first saw you, I already knew you were a demon cultivator.”

Shao Ji smiled. “I didn’t expect that despite hiding my aura so carefully, you still figured it out. I thought someone like you, a proper cultivator, would be eager to hunt demons.”

Lu Ming smiled back. “Not all demons are bad, and not all righteous people are good. I never doubt that.”

Shao Ji looked at Lu Ming. “You’re different from most righteous people I’ve met.”

Lu Ming gave him a glance before turning to leave. Shao Ji said, “Enough chit-chat, go get Fu Shu.”

Shao Ji sighed helplessly, resigned to his fate. He stood up from the chair and went to Fu Shu’s room to bring her out.

From a distance, Lu Ming watched Fu Shu. She appeared anxious and fearful, hiding behind Shao Ji and unwilling to approach. He quietly signaled to Shao Ji, who immediately turned, patted Fu Shu’s head, and softened his voice. “Fu Shu, don’t be afraid. He won’t hurt you.”

Fu Shu muttered something unintelligible, and after listening for a while, Lu Ming could make no sense of it. He felt a pang of sympathy, then turned to Shao Ji. “You should stay with her. She’ll be scared alone.”

Shao Ji nodded and pulled Fu Shu over to a bench to sit down. When Lu Ming saw that Fu Shu’s emotions had temporarily stabilized, he took out a small viewing mirror, silently recited a few incantations, and began to extract Fu Shu’s memories from twelve years ago.

Because Fu Shu’s brain had been damaged, she had forgotten everything. While the memories weren’t lost, they had been buried deep within her mind. Lu Ming continuously infused spiritual energy into the small mirror, and it wasn’t until sweat began to bead on his forehead that he barely succeeded.

In the image, Fu Shu still looked the same as she had when Lu Ming parted from her—her soft black hair hung gently down to her waist, her face was delicate and beautiful, and she wore a pale blue long dress. She was currently lowering her gaze, bending down, and carefully washing a satin handkerchief in the stream.

But just then, a shadow suddenly approached her. Fu Shu seemed to sense danger and quickly turned around. Before she could react, she was surrounded by a mass of black demonic energy. The dark energy rushed into her seven orifices, and Fu Shu, eyes filled with fear and disbelief, stared fixedly at the person in front of her. She let out a few whimpers before her body fell backward and tumbled into the clear stream.

Fu Shu struggled in the stream, but the person on the shore only gave her a cold glance before turning away without hesitation. Fu Shu watched as the person slowly disappeared and, eventually, she gave up on struggling. She closed her eyes and lost consciousness.

At this point, the image suddenly cut off. The small mirror dropped to the ground with a crisp sound, shattering into pieces.

Shao Ji looked up in confusion and saw Lu Ming standing nearby, trembling. Lu Ming’s face was deathly pale, his black eyes filled with pain and disbelief, as if he was enduring a great blow, just like the expression Fu Shu had once shown in the small mirror.

A sense of unease rose in Shao Ji’s heart. He hurried to his feet and walked forward, wanting to ask Lu Ming what had happened. But just then, Fu Shu, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly screamed, as if she had lost her mind. She clutched her head tightly, crying and shouting, “Jing Mo, why did you hurt me!”

When Lu Ming heard Fu Shu’s voice, his body shook violently, and everything before his eyes blurred.

The author’s note: Okay, some of you guessed it. The person who harmed Fu Shu, besides Xu Chouyan, was also Sang Xiaogong _（:з」∠）＿
Please don’t hit me, Orz

 

 

 

 

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