Chapter 182: A Bit Confused

“Da Gu?” Mei Qing whispered to Bi Zhen, “How come your aunt is here too?”

“What are you talking about, you silly goose?” Bi Zhen replied with a soft laugh. “Da Gu has always been with Grandma. I’ve called her Da Gu since I was little; she’s not my real aunt.”

As she spoke, suddenly Bi Zhen slapped her forehead and exclaimed, “Oh right! I should tell you—when we meet Grandma and Da Gu later, don’t…”

She stopped mid-sentence, suddenly froze, listened for a moment, then said somewhat unhappily, “Fine, I know. I won’t say anything anymore.”

Mei Qing noticed Bi Zhen’s expression just now and realized that the last sentence wasn’t meant for him. It seemed that Bi Zhen had wanted to remind him of something, but someone—either her grandmother or Da Gu—had mentally stopped her from speaking further.

Now Mei Qing was left wondering: what was it that he shouldn’t do when meeting Grandma and Da Gu? Was it not to speak out of turn, or not to upset them?

Looking at Bi Zhen, he saw her wearing an expression of helplessness, blinking furiously, clearly too afraid to say more.

Entering this place, Mei Qing had already sensed the surrounding magical arrays. Though his cultivation had improved greatly, such arrays wouldn’t really trap him anymore, but this was still Bi Zhen’s grandmother’s residence, so he dared not act recklessly. Since Bi Zhen dared not speak openly, he decided not to probe further by other means. He would wait until he met Bi Zhen’s grandmother to find out more.

Yet in his heart, Mei Qing couldn’t stop calculating. Since Bi Zhen had repeatedly mentioned this Da Gu, she must be an extremely important figure in her grandmother’s eyes. When he met her, he would need to be especially careful to avoid causing offense.

As they entered the courtyard, they found it unusually quiet. The layout was vastly different from ordinary human dwellings, more like a garden. Upon entering, a screen of artificial rockery blocked the view. Following a stone path around the rocks, they crossed a small stone bridge over winding streams. Wild trees clustered naturally along the hillsides, with several pavilions and courtyards scattered among them.

Bi Zhen gave a meaningful glance, and the two quickened their pace toward the innermost courtyard.

The small courtyard wasn’t large, with three finely crafted wooden houses. As they entered, a young maid came forward. She didn’t even bow to Bi Zhen, merely whispering, “The mistress says to invite Master Mei in himself.”

Bi Zhen looked anxious: “How can that be…” but stopped herself, pouting silently.

Mei Qing found everything about today rather strange, but now that he was here, he couldn’t back out. He signaled to Bi Zhen with his eyes that it was okay, then stepped forward and entered the wooden house.

The house was entirely made of wood. Inside, the air was filled with a refreshing fragrance of natural timber. Windows were open on all sides, but no paper covered them. A gentle breeze blew in softly, keeping the place bright and clean, easing Mei Qing’s previously tense mood slightly.

Inside were two people—one standing, one sitting.

The seated one was an elderly woman—undoubtedly Bi Zhen’s grandmother. She looked thin, her face dark and wrinkled, eyes half-closed. She wore plain homespun clothes, faded from many washings, and a Daoist bun pinned with a simple wooden hairpin. She sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, her cultivation level impossible to discern.

The other was a young woman, pacing restlessly inside the room. As Mei Qing entered, he saw only her graceful back. She wore a light yellow outer robe, a pale purple long skirt beneath it, with a jade belt around her waist. A pink sachet hung from the belt, its long tassels swaying with each of her steps.

Hearing Mei Qing enter, the woman turned around, and Mei Qing couldn’t help but startle. Her face bore a resemblance to Bi Zhen’s, but with more maturity. Between her brows was a serene aura, her eyes calm and unblemished. Her every movement revealed a cultivation level at the Qi Condensation stage. Judging from her composed demeanor, her cultivation might even surpass his own.

Mei Qing was secretly astonished. This must be the “Da Gu” Bi Zhen had mentioned. For someone so young to have such high cultivation was impressive indeed, no wonder Bi Zhen held her in such high regard. Thinking further, the grandmother’s presence was so subtle that she seemed like an ordinary old woman, yet she had reached the stage of returning to simplicity—perhaps even surpassing masters like Zhang Shisan and Ku Dashi.

Unwilling to stare too long, Mei Qing stepped forward respectfully and bowed to the old woman on the cushion: “Greetings, Grandma.”

Then turning, he bowed again to the young woman: “Greetings, Da Gu.”

The moment he finished speaking, both women froze.

The old woman on the cushion opened her eyes, staring at Mei Qing with an expression that was neither smiling nor angry. The young woman standing also stopped pacing, swaying slightly as if she had just heard something extremely amusing, her beautiful eyes scanning Mei Qing up and down.

Mei Qing felt a surge of surprise. In fact, he already regretted not asking Bi Zhen earlier about her grandmother’s preferences and habits. Both had been too nervous, preoccupied with what would happen if the grandmother disapproved, and forgot this most basic preparation.

Most likely, Bi Zhen had only remembered to warn him when they reached the door, but was interrupted. Now Mei Qing had no choice but to boldly address them directly as “Grandma” and “Da Gu.”

After a while, the old woman on the cushion finally spoke: “You’re Mei Qing?” Her voice was surprisingly youthful, not matching her aged appearance at all.

Before Mei Qing could answer, she continued: “Your cultivation is quite good—don’t pretend to be humble. Reaching the Qi Condensation stage at your age, if you keep this up, you’ll ascend sooner rather than later. Bi Zhen said you were just Foundation Building when you met. I hope she isn’t lying for you?”

Mei Qing frowned, ready to protest, when she rattled on: “Probably not. Even the fastest can’t be that fast. You must’ve had some good fortune. I don’t care about that, but with such rapid progress, you’re already stronger than Bi Zhen. You won’t bully her in the future, will you?”

Mei Qing was almost speechless. He had expected the grandmother to be a venerable elder, yet her words were so blunt. He replied somewhat indignantly: “Of course not!”

As soon as Mei Qing spoke, the standing woman nodded repeatedly. The old woman on the cushion then said: “You’re not bad. That answer sounds genuine. A man should keep his word, not resort to sweet talk and empty vows, thinking we women are easy to fool. Someone said you’re arrogant, lecherous, talentless, lazy, deceitful, cunning, and arrogant. But looking at you, I don’t think that’s quite true.”

Mei Qing nearly collapsed in frustration, wondering who this “someone” was—had he offended someone so badly?

Still puzzled, Mei Qing heard her continue: “Alright, I’ve seen enough. You’re dismissed. Go out!”

Was that it? Was everything okay? Mei Qing was momentarily stunned, gazing blankly at Bi Zhen’s aged grandmother, unable to speak.

“You kid, you look smart enough, so why do you have such a wooden head? If I say there’s nothing wrong, then there’s nothing wrong. Why don’t you hurry up and call Bi Zhen in?” Before Mei Qing could recover, another scolding poured out.

Mei Qing quickly bowed and excused himself, but from the corner of his eye, he noticed something odd in the expressions of the two women as he left.

“How was it?” Bi Zhen silently mouthed the question, her eyes sparkling.

“No problem. Grandma wants you to go in,” Mei Qing replied gloomily.

Bi Zhen hesitated, glancing at Mei Qing several times before quickly stepping inside.

Once Bi Zhen entered, the wait stretched long. Thinking of her grandmother’s chatty nature, Mei Qing shivered involuntarily, thinking to himself: no matter their age or cultivation level, women sure all shared the same tendency to chatter endlessly.

While waiting in the courtyard, Mei Qing grew bored. The young maid at the door remained expressionless and silent, so he didn’t dare strike up a conversation and instead wandered around, observing the surroundings.

Indeed, there were some secrets to this courtyard.

It turned out that several arrays were set up here, the most intriguing being a Yin-Yang temperature regulation formation. Unlike typical battle arrays, this one was designed to maintain a comfortable climate inside the courtyard. Thanks to it, the wooden house enjoyed a gentle breeze even without window paper, while remaining protected from wind and rain. It kept the place spring-like all year round, perfect for living.

Although Mei Qing had studied arrays extensively recently, his focus had mostly been on combat applications. This was the first time he had encountered arrays used purely for comfort. It opened his eyes and he began to study it with interest.

After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly heard Bi Zhen calling him. He snapped out of his thoughts and saw Bi Zhen standing before him, smiling brightly.

“Finished?” Mei Qing, seeing Bi Zhen’s happy expression, felt relieved and quickly asked.

Bi Zhen nodded, pulling Mei Qing slowly outward while softly laughing: “I thought it would be hard, but it turned out easy. And you—your nerve! I heard you just called her Grandma when you went in?”

Mei Qing frowned: “You didn’t tell me how to address her. What else was I supposed to call her? Isn’t she your Grandma, which makes her my Grandma too?”

Bi Zhen smiled, delighted, then whispered: “Grandma said you look good, seem to have a decent temper, are capable, and genuinely care for me. But she also said you’re a bit of an idiot. Who knows what foolish thing you did in there…”

“What could I have possibly done?” Mei Qing protested. “As soon as I walked in, your Da Gu was pacing back and forth, making my eyes dizzy. And Grandma was firing words at me like fireworks, not even giving me a chance to speak…”

“What did you just say!?” Bi Zhen’s eyes suddenly widened. “You called the one sitting Grandma, and the one standing Da Gu?”

“Of course! Wasn’t that right?” Mei Qing asked in surprise.

“Heavens!” Bi Zhen covered her forehead with her hand. “No wonder Grandma said you’re an idiot. You got it backwards! The one standing is Grandma, and the one sitting on the cushion is Da Gu!”