Female Consort Extra Chapter 2: Yao Tai

“Yao Tai.”

“Yao Tai?”

“Yao Tai… Yao Tai! Wake up!”

Yao Tai stirred groggily, blinking up at the blurred silhouette in front of her. “What is it…”

“We’re going to Ganyu Temple on South Mountain today to pray for blessings,” the girl waking her said anxiously. “Didn’t I just remind you yesterday? How could you forget already… Don’t tell me your condition’s gotten worse?”

The words “Who are you?” got stuck in Yao Tai’s throat.

The blurry scene before her gradually sharpened. Her mind cleared, and she remembered.

She was Yao Tai. A month ago, she’d caught her boyfriend in bed with someone else. The shock of it caused her to faint.

The hospital diagnosed her with late-stage stomach cancer and gave her less than two months to live.

With no choice, she had to take a leave of absence from school to undergo chemotherapy. Her boyfriend of several years chose to leave her because of it.

Just yesterday, her university classmate An Xiaomin, who majored in the same history program and had a keen interest in the history of the Great Xia Dynasty, told her about a student-organized trip to Ganyu Temple on South Mountain.

An Xiaomin said she wanted to pray for Yao Tai’s safety, claiming the temple’s deity was known to be especially responsive.

Strangely, though she had still been bedridden at the time, Yao Tai had insisted on going with her the moment she heard the name “Ganyu Temple.”

She couldn’t explain it. She only had a gut feeling, like she was meant to go there.

...Thinking about it now, Yao Tai felt a bit confused again.

How odd… Why did An Xiaomin suddenly feel so unfamiliar?

As if they hadn’t seen each other in years.

Yao Tai shook her head and met An Xiaomin’s concerned gaze. “I’m fine. It just feels like I had a really long dream… I haven’t fully woken up yet.”

An Xiaomin let out a breath of relief and said casually, “I figured. I’ve never heard of stomach cancer causing memory loss… Was it a nightmare?”

Yao Tai shook her head again, her lips pale and fragile.

“I don’t think it was a nightmare.”

Otherwise, why would she wake up feeling so calm?

Maybe even a little… at ease.

She remembered that in the dream, she’d met a group of truly wonderful companions. Two of them had even grown particularly close to her.

But when she tried to recall it now, all she could find were fragmented impressions, like fleeting shadows, gone without a trace.

Even on the long bus ride to the base of South Mountain, with An Xiaomin at her side, Yao Tai couldn’t shake the emotions stirred by that dream. There was a vague sense of loss in her chest.

As they got off the bus, An Xiaomin linked arms with her and said, “I turned down an invite from the others in our department just to come with you. Let’s go. Think of this as a little getaway.”

Not far from them, a tour guide led a group of young men and women, holding a megaphone and explaining the mountain’s history.

“We’re heading to Ganyu Temple on South Mountain, part of the old capital of the Xia Dynasty. There didn’t used to be a mountain here, but over time, tectonic shifts gave rise to it…”

“Ganyu Temple was once an imperial temple. During the flourishing Yuan era, the love story of Lady Minister Qiu Che and Princess Lehe became widespread among the people, turning the temple into a renowned place to pray for love…”

“Oh, you all know who Qiu Che is, right?”

A few scattered voices responded, “Of course!”

“She’s one half of that ultra-famous power couple, who hasn’t heard of the most high-profile pair of wives in history?”

The guide laughed. “The temple deity here is said to be very effective. People don’t just pray for love, peace and safety are on the table, too!”

Yao Tai stood quietly to the side, listening with a faint, content smile she didn’t even notice forming on her lips.

An Xiaomin nudged her. “What are you doing spacing out…? Haven’t you heard this like a hundred times? We literally major in this. What, getting your study fix again?”

Yao Tai shook her head without answering.

Every year, tourists flocked to South Mountain in droves, but strangely enough, despite studying Great Xia history for so long, she’d never once thought to come here.

The mountain wasn’t very tall. After a short walk up, they were greeted by a grove of Peach Blossom peeking out from behind a bamboo forest.

The blooms stretched on and on, flowing from outside the temple gates all the way in, their rosy hues dazzling the eye.

The two of them paused to admire the view, then bought some incense and followed the crowd into the temple.

After a long wait in line, it was finally their turn.

An Xiaomin gave her a nudge, signaling her to go first.

Yao Tai held the incense in her hands and bowed three times to the kind, serene-looking goddess on the altar, her name unknown.

Then she straightened and accepted a safety charm from the young monk beside her.

This was the tradition here. Anyone who came to Nanshan to pray, no matter what they sought, would be given a blessing charm for peace.

The young monk smiled as he handed the charm to her, reciting the blessing he gave to everyone: “May you know great joy and lasting peace.”

Yao Tai replied softly, “Thank you.”

But just as she took it and looked up, she suddenly saw a figure in the distance, walking past the temple gates.

Her heart skipped a beat. For some reason, she froze in place.

A moment later, another familiar silhouette followed.

Two slender figures stood side by side, walking away together.

In the blink of an eye, a wave of tourists passed in front of her, blocking her view completely.

And then, Yao Tai remembered.

Those were the two people from her dream!

She reached out instinctively, pushing through the crowd, clutching her hat and stumbling after them. “Wait… wait!”

She rushed out of the temple, only to come to a sudden stop.

She looked around. Only cheerful tourists brushed past her, laughing and chatting, unaware.

She stood alone among them, like a solitary soul who had accidentally wandered into another world.

A long time passed, or perhaps only a moment.

Then, she heard someone calling her from behind. “Yao Tai!”

The voice grew closer. A hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.

Panting and breathless, An Xiaomin scolded, “What are you doing? I’ve been calling you forever! Why’d you just run off like that? You, ”

She cut herself off mid-sentence. Her expression faltered.

“You… what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

Yao Tai blinked, startled. She reached up and touched her cheek, her fingers brushing against something cold and wet.

She stared at her slightly damp fingertips for a moment, then simply shook her head and said nothing.

An Xiaomin grew more worried by the second. Since they had already finished offering prayers, she insisted on leaving and refused to stay any longer.

Yao Tai sighed helplessly. “I’m already like this. How much worse could my condition even get?”

An Xiaomin replied, “What if the blessing actually works? Don’t say things like that.”

She turned to the young monk by the temple gates and asked, “Right, Master?”

The monk pressed his palms together. “Amitabha. With a sincere heart, all things are possible.”

As they began to leave, Yao Tai cast one last glance at the plaque above Ganyu Temple. Her hand, tucked in her pocket, suddenly touched something unfamiliar.

“What is it now?” An Xiaomin asked.

Yao Tai didn’t answer right away. “Hold on.”

Her heart raced. Her fingers trembled slightly as she pulled out the charm.

The style was a little old, but it was still neat and clean, clearly well cared for.

An Xiaomin leaned over to take a look. “Huh? That’s strange. Yours looks old. Mine’s brand new.”

Still, Yao Tai said nothing.

The blessing charm felt a little heavy, stuffed with something small and delicate inside.

She opened it and poured the contents into her palm, and saw them clearly.

A pair of earrings.

Suddenly, the haze of that dream returned to her, and a faint understanding settled in.

So that was why it felt so familiar.

They were old friends.

Across the vastness of time and mountains and seas, they had looked upon the same scenery.

And a thousand years later, the blessing of an old companion had finally found its way into her hands.

A distant prayer, whispering:

May you know great joy and lasting peace.

This was the completion of an entire cycle. Whether Yao Tai ultimately lived or died, the story had already come full circle.

So yes, Yao Tai’s ending is open-ended. Feel free to imagine it however you wish.

The modern arc will begin next.