The General’s expression was very calm, revealing no abnormality whatsoever.
Lord Meishan scratched his heart and liver with curiosity, desperately wanting to know what was written on that paper ball! This was the sorrow of a gossip immortal…
Lu Qianqiao looked for a very long time, then suddenly spread the paper ball flat, folded it neatly, and placed it in his chest.
“Many thanks.”
He pulled out ten jars of Wine to Honor Gods and Respect Heaven from his qiankun bag, threw them on the table, got up and left. In his urgency, Lord Meishan shouted: “Wait! General! I… that… how has little Mei been recently?”
Lu Qianqiao stopped, turned his head to look at him expressionlessly.
Lord Meishan’s heart jumped with fear. Mustering all his courage, he said in a small voice: “I don’t, don’t have any other meaning, just caring a bit…”
Even as an ordinary friend, he still had the position and confidence to inquire like this, right? He did, right? He did, right?
The General still didn’t answer, only lowered his lashes dimly and walked away in silence.
So was she well or not well? Lord Meishan fretted. That bit of remaining courage really wasn’t enough to support him chasing out to continue asking. He could only turn back to hug the water-drinking little crow, smiling ingratiatingly: “Good little crow, tell me, what was written on that paper ball?”
The little crow continued to glance at him disdainfully, turned back and hopped onto the table, pulled over a sheet of white paper, golden light flashed on its claws, and began writing smoothly and fluidly.
Lord Meishan was just about to lean over to look when he suddenly heard the spirit ghosts outside laugh: “Eh? It’s the Fox Immortal! You’ve come at just the right time. Just now that War Ghost General sent over ten jars of fine wine.”
Lord Meishan rolled and scrambled to gather all ten very small and exquisite jars of wine into his arms, roaring: “This wine is too little! Absolutely not giving it away for free drinking!”
Zhen Hongsheng entered with a smile, pushing open the door: “You Meishan, how are you always so stingy? When I get good wine, I’ve never shorted your share.”
“Not giving means not giving!”
Although last time Lu Qianqiao had given him the ingredients for Wine to Honor Gods and Respect Heaven, many of the materials inside only existed in ancient times and had long since become extinct. Now having finally obtained ten jars, he wanted to keep them to slowly savor by himself, sip by small sip.
Zhen Hongsheng didn’t get angry either, slowly walking over. Seeing the little crow writing characters on paper, and it seemed to be about matters of the War Ghost clan, he said: “I just encountered that War Ghost General. Such a fierce expression.”
Moreover, those eyes of his… as expected, the Great Monk had predicted correctly. That mother and son pair really were not simple.
Lord Meishan picked up that sheet of paper and glanced through it roughly, immediately stunned.
Zhen Hongsheng rolled his eyes: “By the way, speaking of which, Xin Mei is the General’s wife, right? I saw that General seemed somewhat wrong. Once he transforms, who knows what chaos he’ll cause at the Imperial Tomb. Meishan, you seem to quite like that girl?”
Before he finished speaking, Lord Meishan had already thrown down the wine jars and rushed out frantically, shouting in exasperation: “Quick! Bring my little immortal crane! I’m going out!”
Zhen Hongsheng moved to the window and added another sentence: “Hurry up! I read that girl’s palm, recently it’s quite inauspicious. If you go late, she might lose her little life…”
Lord Meishan jumped onto the little immortal crane’s back and flew away like an immortal sage riding the wind and lightning, not turning his head back even once. Zhen Hongsheng got what he wished and opened a jar of Wine to Honor Gods and Respect Heaven. Hmph, with his stinginess in the end, wouldn’t this wine still be his? The wine liquid slowly poured into the cup, colored like crystal. He carefully tasted it.
“Good wine, good wine. Meishan, I won’t save any for you.”
Lu Qianqiao never returned to the Imperial Tomb. Si Lan had also been injured and lay on the bed all day long shedding tears like a resentful woman. Whenever he opened his mouth, it was inevitably only those few words: “General… why did you…”
At first, Mister Zhao and the others would console him a few times, but by now it had developed into turning a blind eye and a deaf ear. This day, Xin Mei came over to deliver Golden Wound Medicine. Just as she pushed open the door, she heard Si Lan’s old refrain again: “General! How cruel your heart is! Why, why?!”
Mister Zhao was bent over the table writing the second part of “Resentful Couple Made in Heaven,” tormented by the noise until his head ached. He couldn’t help but lament: “Look at you! Big and burly, thick arms and thick waist! You’re a man! Not the abandoned female lead in a play! Enough, shut up for me!”
Si Lan had a white cloth covering his head. He closed his eyes and silently shed tears.
…How to put it? Xin Mei, as the genuine female lead, felt the burden was very heavy.
“Miss, why are you still delivering medicine!” Mister Zhao caught sight of her and said: “This guy is a demon. A few broken ribs will grow back in two or three days. There’s no need for medicine at all.”
Si Lan couldn’t help but open his eyes: “Old Zhao, I’m wounded in the heart!”
“That’s exactly why I’m forced to sit here listening to you ramble! To prevent you from crying, making a scene, and threatening to hang yourself!” Mister Zhao threw down his writing brush and loudly denounced, “I’m writing the play script at a crucial part, and you’ve disrupted me completely until I have no inspiration at all!”
“It’s all because of your old thing’s unlucky broken play! You made the General leave in anger!”
“You’re talking nonsense!”
“You…”
These two demons argued fiercely. Xin Mei looked at this one, then looked at that one. After thinking a long time, she didn’t know whether she should mediate. Just then there was a pot of tea on the table. She was just about to drink some tea and continue watching the excitement when she suddenly heard several little demons outside calling: “Si Lan! Stop faking illness and come out quickly! Outside the Imperial Tomb there’s an immortal trapped by the Yunwu Array, loudly cursing right now!”
Hearing this, Si Lan immediately got up, grabbed the white cloth covering his head and threw it into the water with one motion, casually threw on his outer garment, his movements neat and smooth. Where was there even half a sign of being injured?
Although the General had injured him, as long as he had a breath of life left, he would absolutely never betray him! With the General not at the Imperial Tomb, he vowed to defend this paradise for him even if it meant his death!
Everyone rushed to the Yunwu Array. From far away they heard someone roar: “Lu Qianqiao! If, if you dare kill little Mei, I, Meishan, will never let you go whether ascending to heaven or entering the earth!”
Xin Mei walked over, raised her head to look at the immortal-sage-like little immortal crane in midair, and asked curiously: “Lord Meishan, what are you doing?”
Lord Meishan, catching sight of her appearing completely intact and delicate before his eyes, was so excited he rolled off the little immortal crane’s back, rolling directly to her front, two lines of tears flowing before speaking.
“Little Mei! Thank goodness you’re alright!”
He was excited, he wailed, he was overjoyed. He summoned his manly spirit and grabbed her sleeve with one hand, pulling to leave: “You come with me immediately! Elope! This place can’t be stayed in anymore!”
One pull—didn’t budge.
Continued forceful second pull—continued not budging.
Lord Meishan mustered all his strength to drag hard, his face flushed bright red. He only heard Xin Mei strangely speak from behind: “Why are you pulling Si Lan?”
He turned around in shock and saw himself holding a burly man with a very unpleasant expression. The man looked at him quietly with profound eyes and asked: “Immortal Meishan, where do you want to elope with me?”
…
When Lord Meishan calmed down, it was already much later. In the meantime, Xin Mei and a group of little demons sat on the ground, drank a cup of tea, ate two pieces of locust flower cake, and burped contentedly.
“From your tone, you seem to know what happened to the General?” Si Lan handed him a cup of tea to help him catch his breath.
Lord Meishan’s expression was vacant and ethereal, his voice also like a lost little rabbit: “It’s just transformation, killing people and such…”
What exactly did that mean?
“Probably like mother killed father, now son is going to kill wife or something…”
“Please use normal person’s words and speak slowly and smoothly again.”
…He couldn’t be normal right now—no, he could never be normal again in the future! Lord Meishan shed two lines of tears mixed with pain and shame.
“Eh? So lively, I’ve come at just the right time.”
A frivolous yet gentle voice suddenly rang out overhead. Everyone looked up and saw several huge paradise birds penetrating through the clouds and mist, pulling behind them an extraordinarily imposing long carriage. A young man wearing loose black robes crouched at the front of the carriage, smiling as he waved at them.
Who was this person? Ostentatious to the point of being annoying.
Xin Mei, munching on locust flower cake, made a sound: “It’s that… something fox… that fake monk!”
“It’s a real monk, not a fake monk.”
The Great Monk sighed as he jumped down from the carriage, landing right across from her. He casually grabbed a piece of locust flower cake and stuffed it in his mouth, murmuring: “Rushed for two days on the road, starving me to death.”
“You’re from the Youhu clan!” Lord Meishan’s vacant eyes finally had a bit of spirit now, looking at him suspiciously.
He had once been interested in these ancient descendants for a period of time, having the little crow investigate a lot, such as the War Ghost clan in the far west, the Youhu clan in the south, the Yuzi clan up north, and so on. The descendants of ancient remnant clans had little contact with each other. Cases like Youhu and War Ghost having conflicts between them, one claiming to have divine blood lineage while the other firmly denying it, were quite rare.
Compared to the now declining War Ghosts, this clan was much more prosperous. Many countries in the south still built temples and halls for them, worshiping them like true celestial gods. And the so-called Great Monk was different from ordinary clansmen. It was said their status was very noble, a kind of extremely pure and lofty existence.
This black-robed man before them… an ordinary forgettable face at a glance, eating a locust flower cake until crumbs were all around his mouth. What pure and lofty? That was a lie, right?
“You really live up to your reputation, very gossipy indeed.” The Great Monk smiled at him. “Pity you’re not elegant enough. Learn from me. If you want a woman to go with you, just shedding tears won’t work.”
He stuffed down the last bite of locust flower cake, clapped his hands, and under everyone’s watchful eyes, struck a palm toward the dazed Xin Mei beside him—uh, struck empty air. This girl reacted too fast and dodged directly. (Lord Meishan roared: What kind of elegance is this?!)
“What are you doing?!” Xin Mei whooshed and jumped up, considering whether to give him a punch or kick him.
Si Lan directly blocked in front of her, glaring at him with a dark face: “I know about the Youhu clan! You have friction with the General’s side, right? Taking advantage of the General not being here, you want to take advantage of the situation?!”
The Great Monk smiled very frivolously: “If he were here, could you all still be alive?”
Si Lan was immediately stunned.
“Troublesome, make way. Don’t disturb me rescuing people.”
His hand wearing black silk gloves kindly patted Si Lan’s shoulder. Somehow, Si Lan only felt completely unable to resist and involuntarily retreated a step, letting him extend his claws toward Xin Mei.
—Grabbed empty air again. This girl was really slippery, directly hiding behind a tree like an alert little animal.
“Be good, come over.” The Great Monk squatted on the ground, beckoning with his finger like coaxing a cat. “Big brother will give you something delicious.”
A stone shot straight over. He dodged swiftly, only hearing a “crack” sound. Behind him, that fairly thick little locust tree was smashed down hard.
The Great Monk wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: War Ghost General, you’ve worked hard.
Lord Meishan, finally unable to watch any longer, summoned his manly spirit once more and stepped forward to obstruct, but heard him laugh: “Too late. Li Chaoyang’s side has quite well-informed intelligence. No helping it, I’ll have to use some methods.”
He whistled. The several paradise birds pulling the long carriage immediately cried out loudly. In an instant, golden light radiated brilliantly, so bright nothing could be seen. Everyone instinctively covered their eyes and crouched down. A moment later, they only heard the Great Monk’s frivolous voice ring out overhead again: “You all should leave quickly too, if you don’t want to die.”
Lord Meishan forcibly pried open his eyes streaming with tears from being stabbed by the strong light. Hazily and dimly, he vaguely saw Xin Mei faint in that person’s arms and being carried onto the long carriage.
In just the blink of an eye, the strong light, the paradise birds, and the long carriage, along with Xin Mei, all disappeared without a trace.