Deeply sensing the crisis, Xin Mei was determined to display her feminine charm, so last night she had launched a counterattack—an unsuccessful one. Before she could push him down, she was pushed down instead. During the process, she repeatedly tried to take the initiative, but was forcibly prevented each time. Such domineering behavior that gave no face was gradually increasing.
Setting aside bedroom matters, this guy was now trying to control what she ate, drank, wore, and even whom she spoke with.
This wasn’t a good sign—it needed to be extinguished immediately before it developed further.
Xin Mei, holding the large food box and leading Tao Guoguo, rode Qiuyue and gracefully flew away from the Imperial Tomb’s Yunwu Array.
She wanted to go out for a stroll, and no one was allowed to stop her.
Qiuyue searched around the Wanlan Town area, and near noon, finally spotted a delicate young man preparing to jump off a cliff on a nearby mountain peak. Behind the boy stood a dense circle of townspeople watching the excitement, with enthusiastic vendors occasionally calling out “Five-spice dried tofu” and such to attract business among the crowd.
Tao Guoguo was terrified, tumbling down from Qiuyue’s back: “He’s really preparing to jump off the cliff!”
Xin Mei comforted him: “It’s fine. You go over and show him your wings—all misunderstandings will be resolved.”
…What a rotten idea.
Tao Guoguo shamefully and angrily blew hard toward the crowd, the wind carrying demonic power stirring up flying sand and stones, with ghost wails faintly audible in the wind—pretending to be a ghost to scare people was his old profession. The townspeople watching the excitement all covered their eyes and crouched down. He seized the opportunity to grab the dazed boy at the cliff edge and frantically rushed into the forest.
Xin Mei encouraged him from behind: “Don’t be afraid! Show him your wings, and if that doesn’t work, take off your clothes and let him see everything!”
Tao Guoguo left her only with a despairing and tragic look.
What exactly the two discussed in the forest is currently unknowable. Xin Mei waited outside the forest for a long time, during which she ate two meat moon cakes and a three-fresh steamed bun. Qiuyue, who had seen countless romantic affairs and grudges over the years, dozed off with exceptional composure, until that delicate boy was the first to stroll out of the forest.
His steps seemed so ethereal and floating, and on his handsome face, his expression was so bewildered and helpless—just like a lost little deer, inspiring pity and affection.
“…Are you alright?” Xin Mei asked him carefully.
The boy slowly shook his head, a strange blush appearing on his face as he murmured: “So… so there really are bird-men with wings in this world! How unfair Heaven is! Giving him wings, yet also giving him supreme beauty! Since he was given supreme beauty, why not give him a female body?!”
Tao Guoguo? Supreme beauty? Xin Mei peered into the forest full of doubt. The culprit was darkly peeling tree bark with his round face and round eyes—he couldn’t be connected to supreme beauty in any way!
“I won’t give up!” The boy suddenly turned back, pointing toward the stunned Tao Guoguo in the forest, declaring righteously: “Since you’re a demon, you must be able to use some magic I don’t understand! You’re actually a woman, right?! I absolutely won’t believe what you said today! Tomorrow at noon, you and I will meet at this same place to clarify things! If you don’t come, I’ll jump off the cliff!”
With that, he covered his face and ran away frantically.
Tao Guoguo despairingly shed two streams of tears.
Xin Mei patted his shoulder: “You work hard to settle him. I’m leaving.”
“Where… where are you going?” Tao Guoguo desperately grabbed her sleeve, his helpless round eyes looking at her tearfully. “You’re just leaving me here alone like this?”
“You’re not a child anymore.” Xin Mei pried open his hands and spoke earnestly: “Use your masculine charm to conquer him. Crying all the time—no wonder people mistake you for a girl.”
“You really have the heart to abandon me alone?” More tears appeared in his eyes.
“I have the heart.”
Xin Mei nodded, patted Qiuyue’s head, and it obediently flew up.
“Work hard!”
She kindly waved goodbye, leaving Tao Guoguo hugging his head and screaming in place, flying toward Chongling Valley.
Then she encountered Zhang Dahu who had married, was told that Zhen Hongsheng was in seclusion and wouldn’t come out in this lifetime. After that, she came to Meishan Residence and was kept as a guest by the kind and enthusiastic Lord Meishan.
Thus passed a magnificent day.
The next day, Lord Meishan rose early and rushed urgently toward the kitchen. Indeed, as soon as he entered, he smelled the enticing aroma of vegetable and meat porridge. The girl of his heart had rolled up her sleeves and was holding a ladle to stir the porridge in the pot, her whole body suffused with holy white light, turning back to smile at him gently.
“Lord Meishan, you look unwell. You should still eat some meat appropriately. The vegetable and meat porridge I made isn’t greasy.”
There was an idiom in books—what was it? Heart blossoming with joy? Lord Meishan now truly understood what “heart blossoming with joy” meant, as if tens of millions of flower buds were stirring in his chest, all clamoring for spring’s arrival. Even if someone asked him to become a heavenly god the next moment, he wouldn’t go.
“I see there are no side dishes here, so I just heated up some steamed buns. They go well with the vegetable and meat porridge.”
She ladled out the porridge and handed over a steamer of hot buns.
Drinking a sip of porridge, then taking a bite of bun—what was happiness? This was supreme happiness! Lord Meishan shed tears of comfort and began seriously considering last night’s dream. Actually, taking her as a disciple was indeed a good idea—that way he could legitimately spend day and night with her…
“Lord Meishan, how does it taste?”
He nodded eagerly: “Heavenly delicacy! Unparalleled in heaven and earth!”
“I’m glad you like it.” She smiled.
The tens of millions of flower buds in his chest instantly became butterflies breaking from cocoons, rustling their wings and dancing gracefully in his chest cavity, making his heart itch and tingle, soft and tender. He couldn’t help clearing his throat and asking as seriously as possible: “Little Mei, looking at your face, you have immortal destiny. Do you… that is… want to cultivate with me?”
Xin Mei stared at him in astonishment with her mouth full of bun: “Learn how to collect gossip from you?”
“No… no…” Stay calm, stay calm. “Cultivation—becoming an immortal.”
Xin Mei was even more astonished: “Become a Gossip Immortal?”
“No…”
Lord Meishan choked up. So in her heart, he really was just a Gossip Immortal who only collected rumors…
Just as he was racking his brains to explain clearly, suddenly crisp drumming sounds came from the main gate—that was the small leather drum placed at the main gate specifically for visitors to use. These days the outside situation wasn’t good. It was said Tianyuan Kingdom was eyeing Qiong Kingdom covetously, colluding with peasant soldiers inside Qiong Kingdom, planning a coordinated attack from inside and outside. So people coming to ask him to collect secret information about Tianyuan and Qiong Kingdoms were especially numerous.
Lord Meishan impatiently waved his hand, summoning spirit ghosts, planning to instruct them to see no visitors today whatsoever, but unexpectedly Xin Mei stood up first.
“Lord Meishan, you handle your business. I’ll wander around Meishan Residence myself—the scenery here is nice.”
She stretched lazily and walked outside. Lord Meishan was torn, so he carefully followed, asking cautiously: “Do you… uh… not want me to accompany you and talk with you?”
Actually, I don’t want to see those vulgar people at all—I just want to accompany you!
But these words were too abrupt to say to her.
Lord Meishan looked at her longingly with eyes full of hints, hoping she could understand.
She didn’t understand at all and efficiently disappeared.
Lord Meishan turned back woodenly and roared at the spirit ghosts: “Prepare a cartload of strong liquor for me! If today’s visitors can’t finish this cartload, I won’t tell them anything!”
Xin Mei, who had already walked far away, heard him mention drinking and waved back: “Lord Meishan, drinking harms the body.”
He hurriedly smiled and nodded, craning his neck to watch until she disappeared into the bamboo grove, then reluctantly went to the main hall to receive guests.
Lord Meishan had never been as happy as today in his entire life. Xin Mei’s words “drinking harms the body” kept flowing in his ears, delighting him so much that his drinking capacity greatly increased—he had drunk dozens of jars in one morning. At lunch time, he instructed the spirit ghosts to strip the drunkards in the hall naked and throw them out, then excitedly rushed to the kitchen. His beloved girl had already prepared delicious food and was waiting for him gently.
If every day could be like this, he’d rather be a mortal and grow old and die with her… no, growing old and dying was still out of the question. If they were to be anything, they should be an immortal couple, with eternal beauty through all the vicissitudes of the world.
That day’s visitors were fortunate to see another side of the legendary cold and alcohol-loving Lord Meishan—he drank while smiling foolishly, his face seemingly ready to bloom with peach blossoms, unusually amiable to all visitors, answering every question, throwing his previous rules to the winds.
Then, in the evening, long-absent Fu Jiuyun arrived leading a beautiful young lady.