Early in the morning, Xie Zhuo and I walked out of the Snow Bamboo Courtyard.

I transformed into the appearance I had five hundred years ago, changing into the clothes and style from that time. Xie Zhuo also made corresponding changes.

But he had changed so little over these five hundred years, still wearing the same unchanging black clothes, with almost nothing needing alteration.

“Remember, today I’ll be operating only inside that small cave. I promise I won’t let Xie Xuanqing wander around. As for you, just take Xiaxia anywhere you want, except the cave. Otherwise, we’ll both be caught by this world’s iron rules in one fell swoop…”

I kept reminding Xie Zhuo, but he was staring intently at what I was holding in my hands. Afraid he wasn’t paying attention, I nudged him with my elbow: “Are you listening?”

He pointed at the things in my hands, completely off-topic: “One jar of wine, one jar of chili peppers?”

“That’s right.” I proudly shook the two jars in my hands. “I went out last night to find these.”

Xie Zhuo’s gaze flicked back and forth between the jars in my hand and my face. He pressed his lips together, and for once, it wasn’t his usual serious silence, but rather him restraining words that were about to escape his mouth.

He was holding back…

He held back for quite a while. In the end, he successfully suppressed all his words, turned around, and left without saying anything.

Seeing Xie Zhuo’s state of “daring to be angry but not daring to speak,” my heart felt incredibly satisfied, giving me a sense of liberation like a peasant who has finally overthrown his oppressor.

Five hundred years! It had been five hundred years! Finally, there came a day when I could openly carry these two items, stand straight-backed before Xie Zhuo, and not have to listen to his nagging!

How refreshing!

Most importantly, I could watch him swallow back all those reproachful words!

It felt so damn good!!

Divorce is a blessing for an immortal life!

I cheerfully called out to Xie Zhuo’s retreating figure: “After you bring Xiaxia back tonight, remember to come home early!”

Xie Zhuo left resolutely without looking back.

I was in such a good mood that I didn’t mind. Carrying the two jars, I happily skipped toward the cave.

I didn’t know what Xie Zhuo planned to do with Xiaxia, and I only needed to know what I was going to do—

Whatever annoyed Xie Zhuo, I would do it all today!

Following my memory, I found the cave. When I reached the entrance, I felt a bit apprehensive. After preparing myself mentally for a good while and adjusting my hairstyle, I walked in.

The cave was pitch black, and at first, I couldn’t find my target.

“Xie Xuanqing?” I called out. In the dark cave, a pair of gray eyes opened, reflecting light from the darkness like a wild beast.

My eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, and I saw him.

As expected, Xie Zhuo from five hundred years ago was wearing a black robe, sitting with his knees up against the cave wall in the corner.

But his expression…

Our eyes met, and I felt an inexplicable killing intent, but I…

I had just arrived, hadn’t I? I shouldn’t have revealed anything suspicious, right? Could it be that showing up with a jar of wine and a jar of chili peppers had already made him furious? Did he hate these two things so much in his heart?

I stood about ten feet away from him, too scared to move because of his expression.

This version of Xie Xuanqing was completely unexpected. In my memory, Xie Zhuo had rarely shown me such an expression.

He was guarded like a cold, sharp sword… as if waiting for the opportunity to pierce my heart and kill me…

“Are… are you feeling unwell?” I ventured to ask.

Hearing my voice, Xie Xuanqing’s expression shifted slightly. He frowned but continued to stare at me intently.

“Jiu Xia?”

I dared not refuse to answer: “Hmm?”

His voice was both familiar and unfamiliar in its depth. “Come here…”

I suppressed my fear, gritted my teeth, gathered my courage, and walked toward him. Then I crouched down in front of him and put down the two jars: “What’s wrong?”

Xie Xuanqing’s body, which had been leaning against the stone wall, suddenly sat upright. In an instant, the safe distance between us was broken. His nose almost touched my neck, and I could feel the warmth of his breath on my skin.

I got goosebumps.

But to avoid seeming strangely oversensitive, I endured it and didn’t move.

I heard him sniff twice. He paused at my side for a while, until I spoke again to remind him: “Xie Xuanqing?”

He seemed startled and slowly leaned back. His gaze returned to me, now without the killing intent and less guarded, but with more confusion and puzzlement: “What… have you eaten?”

This sudden question left me bewildered.

Or rather, from the moment I entered the cave, Xie Xuanqing had been disrupting my plans.

But now, looking at him, I felt the familiar Xie Zhuo had returned. I steadied myself, rallied my spirits, managed my expression, and displayed the same confusion and bewilderment as him, asking in return: “What do you mean, what have I eaten? I just had some ordinary food. Why do you ask?”

Xie Xuanqing tilted his head slightly, examined me for a moment, then fell silent again.

Five hundred years ago, he already had a taciturn personality.

I began to find my rhythm again. First, I picked up the jar of wine and placed it in front of Xie Xuanqing: “Look what good stuff I brought you! I figured your wound is almost healed, so we can celebrate in advance. Let’s have a hearty drink!”

Early morning, unhealed wound, forced drinking—hitting all of Xie Zhuo’s pet peeves.

I suddenly realized that I had accumulated five hundred years of frustration just for this day, this moment, to be a woman who gets on Xie Zhuo’s every last nerve.

“Come on!” I pushed the wine right in front of Xie Xuanqing. “Bottoms up!”

Xie Xuanqing seemed a bit slow to react. He blinked twice, looking at the wine jar in front of him. Because I had pushed it too forcefully.

So the wine had already spilled onto his chest. He remained speechless for a moment, blinked again, and looked at me: “Jiu Xia.” He opened his mouth.

My heart filled with anticipation. Can’t stand it, can you? Feeling uncomfortable, aren’t you? Come on, scold me.

I smiled, waiting to hear what he would say.

“Just one jar? If I drink it all, what about you?”

Me: “…”

Was he complaining that I didn’t bring enough?

I never expected such an answer.

“I…” I almost answered reflexively, “Am I even worthy of drinking wine?”

Xie Xuanqing looked at me seriously: “Why wouldn’t you be worthy?”

I stared at Xie Xuanqing, dumbfounded, confused, and perplexed. After a long while, I directly put down the wine jar and picked up the jar of chili peppers: “What about these chilies? Can I eat them too?”

He looked at the jar full of chili peppers and paused for a moment: “Spicy food dispels dampness, but you can’t eat it as a meal.”

I was shocked…

I put down the jar of chilies and waddled backward three steps like a duck. I looked at Xie Xuanqing as if I were seeing a ghost.

How strange! Was the sky falling or the earth sinking? How could a man with this face and this mouth say such things?!

“You don’t hate drinking? And you don’t hate spicy food either?”

Xie Xuanqing gave me a strange look but still nodded in response.

I continued in shock: “And I can drink and eat spicy food in front of you?”

He nodded again…

I plopped down on the ground.

Good heavens, I finally understood.

I had wondered why I fell for such a demon back then, loving him inexplicably, pouring my heart and soul out, rashly proposing to him, and happily marrying him. So this was how he had deceived me five hundred years ago, before we got married?

This bastard is an emotional con artist!

Seeing me sitting on the ground, Xie Xuanqing finally frowned and said something familiar to me: “The ground is cold…”

Hearing these three words, I finally felt that the Xie Xuanqing before me and the Xie Zhuo in my memory were the same person.

That’s more like it.

I reminded myself again to stay calm.

I stood up, looked at Xie Xuanqing, then at the two jars in front of him.

A Xie Xuanqing, who ate spicy food and drank wine, completely disrupted my plans. But no matter how Xie Xuanqing pretended, his aversion to spicy food and alcohol was an iron law I had recognized over these five hundred years.

He was putting on an act now to deceive me into marrying him. But his body would still reject these two things, so he could say what he wanted…

I pondered for a moment, stroking my chin, then with lightning speed grabbed a chili pepper and stuffed it directly into Xie Xuanqing’s mouth.

“Try this, it’s delicious.”

As I spoke, I shoved the whole chili pepper into his mouth.

Xie Xuanqing choked.

But after my hand moved away, he still chewed slowly and swallowed the chili pepper in his mouth. He shook his head: “Can’t eat it alone.”

I picked up the wine jar, grabbed his chin, and without further ado, poured a mouthful of wine down his throat: “It tastes good with wine.”

Xie Xuanqing choked on the wine again.

Chili peppers plus wine—not a pleasant combination, I imagined.

He covered his mouth and coughed, seeming to deliberately suppress his coughing as if not wanting to make me feel embarrassed.

After he had calmed the burning in his chest and throat, he looked up at me with some helplessness: “Don’t eat like this.”

He didn’t blame me, didn’t scold me, only cared that I shouldn’t eat like this, afraid I would… suffer like him…

I stared blankly at this version of Xie Xuanqing, suddenly feeling a twinge in my heart. Then I understood why my past self had liked him so much.

If he wasn’t acting too well now, then he must have changed too much after we got married.