Now, let's push back time to the early morning in the Imperial Mausoleum.
It was a bit after daybreak when the Imperial Mausoleum was still harmonious. Xin Xiong got up unusually early just like he did before, as he practised an experienced shadow boxing in front of his room; Yinglian and Xiong Shushu, husband and wife, continued to act lovey-dovey with each other; Zhao Guanren, who had stayed up all night, stood in front of his cave, waiting for the gods of inspiration to honour him a visit; Silan was inside the kitchen, busy preparing breakfast; while Tao Guoguo…Tao Guoguo never stop pacing in front of Lu Qianqiao and Xin Mei's room.
To knock on the door or not? This was a difficult problem for him.
Tao Guoguo, who thought that he was no longer a child, understood that knocking on the husband and wife's door in the early morning was a very bad thing. He was likely to interrupt something, and some serious consequences caused by the interruption were likely to be avenged on him, such as a few hairs from his wings would be pulled or something.
However, he couldn't wait. If he went on like this, he might make a big mistake.
'Creak', the sound of the door being opened, and Lu Qianqiao, dressed in his coat and with a black face, stared at him who was in front of the door.
"...what is it?" His tone did not sound good.
Tao Guoguo excitedly cried out, "Big brother Qianqiao! I, I...that is..."
It's much easier to start the story from the beginning of the incident. Yesterday, naughty Tao Guoguo and his brother were playing at the edge of the Mist Formation as they usually did. No one but Silan could get out of the Mist Formation among the monsters in the Imperial Mausoleum. This Mist Formation was not only protecting the monsters of the Imperial Mausoleum from being detected by outsiders but also restrained the monsters from going out to make trouble at their will. Therefore, for many mature monsters, they would not go near the Mist Formation even if they had nothing to do. Only the childlike innocent Tao Guoguo and his younger brother would regard the place near the Mist Formation as a holy place for playing hide and seek.
Yesterday, they were happily playing hide and seek, and then they stumbled upon a common people who had mistakenly passed through the Mist Formation—this kind of thing was not uncommon. Below Mount Wanlan, where the mausoleum was situated, there was a town called Wanlan Town. That was where the people who used to guard the mausoleum lived. Occasionally, people who went up the mountain to chop for firewood or hunt would walk in there by mistake, and all of them would be sent back by Silan after he knocked them out. But at this very moment, Silan was not here. Tao Quoquo and his brother were nervous. They withdrew their wings and hid behind the tree to peek at the people. This noob translation was translated by a noob translator きつね. Please read this chapter at xin-shou.blogspot.com.
A male youth dressed in simple cloth was approaching them slowly. Looking at his expression, he was also at lost as to what to do with the mist surrounding him.
Tao Guoguo turned towards his younger brother and said, "Go back and call Silan. I'll watch out for him here and stop him from entering."
His younger brother had always been obedient and he was about to fly away with his tender yellow wings. But the youth heard the noise and since he was already alarmed himself, he unconsciously threw the axe that he used to chop wood towards the sound. He shouted, "Who's there?!”
The bright polished axe grazed Tao Guogo's younger brother's little cheek that he skidded off the air and cried. The youth rushed forward and picked up the younger brother. While wiping his tears with his sleeve, he looked down and wondered what it was. If he said that it was a human being, it had chicken wings. If he said it was a bird, it had hands and feet. It also seemed that it was able to cry.
"This......can it be...the legendary—bird man?!” The youth speculated in shock.
Tao Guoguo flew into a rage as he hated the word 'bird man' the most. Thus, he picked up a stone and threw it over, which hit the other person in the forehead—he had wounded the other person and also made him lose his consciousness.
So when Silan arrived, he was severely reprimanded and he ordered Tao Guoguo to bandage the other person before Silan could send him out.
Hence, an ill-fated relationship came into being.
"Big brother Qianqiao! He swore that he would repay my kindness by marrying me! I told him I was a male monster but he wouldn't believe it even if he died! He also said that if I don't go to Wanlan Town to find him by noon today, he will commit suicide by jumping off the cliff!"
Tao Guoguo felt so much wronged over this matter as he gave out a snivel and cried.
"That's a human life, big brother Qianqiao! He, brazen-faced, gambles his life on me! If he is really dead, God will certainly count this on me. Right?! Then I won't be able to practice to be a great monster in the future! My whole life will be ruined!"
Lu Qianqiao kneaded his aching forehead, as he thought for a moment, then comforted him, "This account will not be counted on your head."
"But what if he did jump off a cliff?! Am I responsible for his death?! Big brother Qianqiao, please do me a favour and plant a spell on me as you did to brother Silan. Can you let me get through the Mist Formation to see if he is alright? I guarantee that everything will be fixed!"
Lu Qianqiao firmly shook his head, "No, the town people stress on one's physical character. Since you can't hold human form, there will surely be trouble."
"I promise I can hold on!"
"No."
"Please, big brother Qianqiao!"
"...no, the rules of the Imperial Mausoleum are already fixed like this. If an exception is made for you, how shall I convince the public in the future?"
"Big brother Qianqiao….."
Tears streamed down Tao Guoguo's face.
"What with all the loud noises so early this morning?" Xin Mei, who had finally woken up, rubbed her eyes and came out. Seeing Tao Guoguo with tears on his face, she froze for a second. "What's wrong?"
Lu Qianqiao went over and tightened her clothes. Then he tidied up her hair and whispered, "Alright, let us go and have a meal together."
Xin Mei was pulled by him as he took a few steps. When she looked back, she saw that Tao Guoguo still shed tears as he looked over at her with his dog-like eyes. She approached him kindly and asked, "What's wrong?"
Tao Guoguo cried and told the story once more. She immediately smiled, "I'll take you out after breakfast."
"Xin Mei." Lu Qianqiao frowned. "You can't."
She was stunned, "I'll just take him there and pick him up again."
"No." His rejection was very straightforward.
Xin Mei looked him up and down. "Lu Qianqiao, have I told you that you have been very overbearing lately?"
“……”
"Last time, when some of my senior brothers and sisters wanted to come to see my father, you said no with a cold face. Another last time, when I was thinking of going out for a stroll, you still won't allow me to. When I wanted to eat crabs, again, you won't allow me to. When I wanted to have a drink, you continued to not allow me to drink. Last night, I thought you would still not allow me to do something. But you..."
"Cough, Xin Mei." An over thirty General, who was still looking young and handsome, interrupted her with a red face and a red ear.
Xin Mei smiled at him, "I want to go out to play today. Do you want to forbid me?"
"Where do you want to go? I'll accompany you….."
"I don't want you to accompany me. Birdman over there, come, let's eat."
Tao Guoguo, who had been dragged, couldn't help himself from being really angry, as Xin Mei turned around and walked away.
"Xin Mei."
Lu Qianqiao couldn't help step in front to block her, "Don't act rashly out of a sense of injustice."
"In a word, you won't let me out?" She glared at him.
Then, he somehow walked away with a dark face without saying anything to her. The view of his back was a bit melancholy.
As the saying went, from far smell-sweet, but when near smell foul. This saying was absolutely true. Lu Qianqiao and her had been inseparable for two to three years in the Imperial Mausoleum. There had never been a major conflict in opinion between them. Only minor conflicts were common. He remembered a lot of things before their marriage, where he would still appropriately give in, such as her drinking problem. After their marriage, she became more domineering. Last time, she somehow found several jars of wine, that were used to offer thanks to the Gods and honour the heaven, from the cellar. She opened one and tasted it a little. Once he knew, his face was even darker than the bottom of a pot. Thus, he whipped the monster who was guarding the cellar twice, then, he secretly drank all the wines and had to make up lies to her again.
She knew that she would have a fever if she drank, so she only dared to drink a little at a time. Was she always a child who did not understand any self-control in Lu Qianqiao's eyes? When your husband started to treat you like a child, it would be a complete crisis, which proved that you didn't have any feminine attributes in his eyes.
Deeply aware of this crisis, Xin Mei was determined to show her femininity, so she tried to fight back last night. Before she could push him down, she was the one who was pushed down. During this period, she tried many times to turn over the situation so that she would be the master, but every time, she had been forcibly stopped. This kind of overbearing behaviour that didn't have any sensibilities of his, tended to increase gradually.
Apart from what happened in the bedroom, this guy even had to take care of what she ate, drank, wore and even the people whom she could talk to.
This was not a good sign. It must be extinguished immediately before it could develop more rapidly.
While Xin Mei held a large food box, she led Tao Guoguo to ride on Qiu Yue, and then, they flew away, leaving behind the Imperial Mausoleum Mist Formation without any restrain.
No one was allowed to stop her from going out for a stroll.
Qiu Yue circled Wanlan Town. It was almost noon when it saw a handsome youth about to jump off a cliff on a nearby hill. Behind the youth stood a circle of densely packed townspeople, watching the excitement. While enthusiastic hawkers would cry out 'spiced dried bean curd' from time to time in the crowd to solicit business.
Tao Guoguo was frightened as he looked at this scene and he tried frantically to escape from the back of Qiu Yue, "He is really ready to jump off the cliff.”
Xin Mei comforted him, "It doesn't matter. Go over there and show him your wings. Then, all misunderstandings will be solved."
…..what a terrible idea.
Tao Guoguo indignantly and ruthlessly blew at the crowd in one breath. The wind came with magical power which made the sand fly about and stones hurtled through the air. It also brought along the faint cries of ghosts—it was his old job of scaring people. He watched as the once noisy townspeople started to hide their heads while squatting down. He noticed an empty space between them. Thus, he grabbed the youth who was in a daze at the edge of the cliff and rushed into the forest angrily.
Xin Mei encouraged him from the back, "Don't be afraid. Show him your wings. If you can't, take off your clothes and show him. That should be enough!"
Tao Guoguo only left her with a desperate and grieved glance.
What the two of them were talking about in the forest was now unable to be checked. So Xin Mei waited outside the forest for a long time, during which she ate two meat mooncakes and a steamed bun stuffed with shredded seafood. Qiu Yue, which had gotten used to romance and enmity over the years, calmly dozed off until the handsome youth walked out of the forest first.
His steps seemed so empty and ethereal, and his face was looking so lost and helpless, just like a lost deer, which gave birth to sympathy and affection in those who saw him.
".....are you okay?" Xin Mei asked him carefully.
The youth shook his head slowly, and a strange glow appeared on his face, while he mumbled, "As it turns out...as it turns out, there are people who have bird wings in the world! God, that is very unfair! You gave him wings, and you partially made him with a good look! Since you made him extremely beautiful, why don't you give him a girl body?!"
Tao Guoguo? Extremely beautiful? Xin Mei peered at the forest with the feeling of uncertainty. In a certain place, the main culprit was currently peeling the bark of a tree with a dark face and his two round eyes. How did this have anything to do with his extremely beautiful appearance?
"I will not give up!" The youth suddenly turned back and pointed to Tao Guoguo in the forest. He said, "Since you are a monster, you can certainly use spells that I don't understand! You are actually a woman, right?! I will never believe what you said today! At noon tomorrow, I'll see you at this place, and you should make it clear to me! If you don't come, I'll jump off the cliff!"
Then he ran away while covering his face.
Tao Guoguo could only shed two lines of tears in despair.
Xin Mei patted him on the shoulder, "You should try harder to get rid of him. I'm leaving."
"You, where are you going?" Tao Guoguo grabbed her sleeve hard and looked at her with his helpless round eyes which were full of tears. "Are you going to leave me alone like this?"
"You are not a child." Xin Mei pried open his hand and earnestly said, "Conquer him with your manly spirit, not by crying all day long. No wonder people treat you like a girl."
"Do you really have the heart to leave me alone here?" There were even more tears in his eyes.
"Be patient."
Xin Mei nodded and patted Qiu Yue on the head. It obediently flew away.
"Work hard!"
She was kind enough to give him a wave, as she put her hand to her mouth and shouted a few words to Tao Guoguo, then she flew towards Chongling Valley.
Soon afterwards, she ran into Zhang Dahu, who had married recently. He told her that Zhen Hongsheng had gone into seclusion. It was unlikely for him to show himself up in this lifetime. After that, she headed to Meishan residence and stayed as a guest to the kind-hearted and enthusiastic Lord Meishan.
This was how the magnificent day had passed.
The next day Lord Meishan got up early and rushed to the kitchen. As soon as he came in through the door, he could smell the delicious aroma of lean meat congee. The girl who had pulled his heart was holding her sleeve as she grabbed a spoon to stir the congee in the pot. Her whole body was full of holy white light as she turned her head back at him and gave him a gentle smile.
"Meishan daren, you look very pale. You should eat a little bit of proper meat. So, I cook lean meat congee for you, which is not greasy at all."
There was a proverb in the book. What did it say? Wild with joy? Lord Meishan now finally understood what it meant to be wild with joy, as it felt like tens of millions of flower buds stirring in his chest, clamouring for the arrival of spring, even if someone ordered him to be one of the God in heaven in the next moment, he would not go.
"I don't think there are any side dishes here, so I have to heat up some steamed buns and you can eat them with lean meat congee."
She filled the congee inside a bowl and handed it over together with a steaming steamed stuffed bun to him.
He drank a mouthful of congee, then bit a mouthful of steamed stuffed bun again. What was happiness? This was his ultimate happiness! Lord Meishan shed tears of joy and began to think about the dream he had last night. It was a good idea to accept her as a disciple so that he could get along well with her day and night and they could stay together like that forever.....
"Meishan daren, how do they taste?"
He hastily nodded, "They are the most delicious food in the world! They are really unique!"
"I'm glad that you like it," she smiled.
Ten million flowers inside his chest instantly turned into cocoon-broken butterflies as they rustled around while flapping their wings and fluttered around inside, making his heart itch, tingle, crisp and soft. He couldn't help clearing his throat and asked her as solemnly as possible, "Little Mei, when I look at your face, I think you have the fate to be an immortal. Do you, that is, want to practice to be an immortal with me?"
Xin Mei, whose mouth was full of the steamed stuffed bun, looked at him in astonishment. "Do you want me to learn how to collect gossip?"
"No...no that..." Calm yourself down. "I mean, practice to be an immortal."
Xin Mei was even more stunned, "Being a gossip immortal?"
"Not that….."
Lord Meishan was choked with sobs. As it turned out, in her heart, he was merely an immortal who only collected gossip……
He was racking his brain, thinking about how to explain it to her, when he suddenly heard the sound of rising war drums at the gate. It was a small leather drum set at the gate for the visitors. These days, the situation outside was not good. It was said that Tianyuan country was eyeing Qiong country, colluding with peasant soldiers inside Qiong country, intending to coordinate outside and inside offensives, so many people come to ask him to collect secret information on Tianyuan country and Qiong country.
Lord Meishan impatiently waved, calling out a soul-spirit. He planned to instruct that he would not receive any guests today, but Xin Mei got up first.
"Meishan daren, you must be busy with your work. I'll stroll around inside Meishan residence myself. The scenery here is good."
She stretched herself and walked out. Lord Meishan was in a dilemma, so he had to follow her and carefully asked, "You, uh…..don't need me to accompany you to play or talk?"
In fact, I don't want to see those laymen at all. I just want to accompany you!
But these words were too absurd to be told to her.
Lord Meishan looked at her longingly with suggestive eyes, expecting her to understand.
She didn't understand at all, so she left without any hesitation.
Lord Meishan was stunned, then he turned around and yelled at the soul spirits, "Prepare a cart of hard liquors for me! If people who come today can't finish drinking this cart of liquors, I won't tell them anything!"
Xin Mei, who had already walked far, heard him say that he would be drinking wine. She turned back and waved at him, "Meishan daren, drinking wine is harmful to your health."
He quickly smiled and nodded, as he craned his neck to see her disappear at the end of the bamboo forest, and he reluctantly went to the main hall to receive guests.
Lord Meishan had never been so happy in his life as he was today. Xin Mei's 'drinking wine was harmful to his body' had been flowing in his ears. He was so happy that he could drink a lot and he had drunk dozens of jars of wine that morning. At lunchtime, the soul spirits were told to strip the drunks in the hall and throw them out. Only then did he rush excitedly to the kitchen. The girl he loved had already prepared delicious food and was waiting for him tenderly.
If he could live like this every day, he would rather be a mortal, where he could live and die with her...no, it better to forget about being born, grew old, got sick and being dead. If he wanted to be together with her, then they should be an immortal couple with both gorgeously beautiful and their appearances would never have the blue sea turned into mulberry fields.
On that day, visitors were lucky enough to see this other side of Lord Meishan, who was rumoured to be cold, proud and addicted to alcohol—he was drinking and giggling, and his face looked like peach blossoms would pop up from it. He was extremely kind to all visitors, answering every question and throwing the previous rules out of the sky.
Then, in the evening that day, Fu Jiuyun, who had been absent for a long time, came with a beautiful girl.
Noob Translator's Musing
Sorry for the wait. I've just gotten well from a cold and took care of my kittens that suffer from eye diseases. So, the chapter had to be delayed for a long time. Sorry~
Tags:
A Match Made In Heaven