“How could that be?” Mei Qing exclaimed in disbelief. “The one sitting, looking as old as seventy or eighty, is your elder aunt? And the one standing, young and beautiful, is said to be your mother? No, she’s your grandmother?”
“What’s so strange about that?” Bi Zhen laughed. “Can’t you ordinary people judge cultivators by normal standards? You’ve been cultivating for quite some time now, haven’t you figured this out yet?”
Mei Qing was momentarily speechless. In truth, his cultivation skills were indeed quite good, but he hadn’t practiced for very long. Therefore, he often viewed many matters from an ordinary person’s perspective, inevitably leading to some misunderstandings.
“Ah… you look a lot like your grandmother,” Mei Qing changed the topic. “I’m sure you’ll grow up to be as young and beautiful as her.”
Bi Zhen shook her head. “Of course. I take after my mother, and my mother takes after my grandmother. Anyway, I won’t take after that old guy.”
Mei Qing nodded repeatedly, agreeing with Bi Zhen’s words, and then asked curiously, “You said the one sitting is your elder aunt, but why, when I was inside, I only heard your elder aunt speak, and your grandmother didn’t say a word?”
Bi Zhen shook her head again. “You wouldn’t know. I originally wanted to tell you, but I never got the chance. My grandmother is currently cultivating some technique and cannot speak. As she’s too lazy to use her spiritual thoughts all the time, she had my elder aunt cultivate a skill. Whatever my grandmother wants to say, my elder aunt can speak it out directly without any mental effort. Therefore, whatever my elder aunt says is actually on behalf of my grandmother.”
Mei Qing found this extremely interesting, never having heard of such a unique method before. It seemed that Bi Zhen’s grandmother was indeed quite distinctive.
As the two chatted and laughed, they suddenly heard a soft snort from beside them. This time, it wasn’t from a spiritual thought; both heard it clearly. Bi Zhen stuck out her tongue and said, “Uh-oh, Grandma heard us, and she’s upset because we were talking about her behind her back. Let’s get out of here!”
They didn’t speak further, as they were still within the formation and couldn’t easily use their techniques. They quickened their pace, following the winding mountain path until they exited the mountain gate. When they reached the cliff again, Bi Zhen patted her chest in relief and said, “That was scary. But today Grandma was acting a bit strange, wasn’t she? Didn’t it seem like she had already agreed to things from the beginning? Don’t you think she let you go without asking too many questions?”
Mei Qing replied, “What’s strange about that? With a guy as impressive as me… I mean, Grandma has seen so much of the world and has such sharp eyesight that she must have instantly recognized I’m trustworthy, so she entrusted you to me.”
“How do you know Grandma entrusted me to you?” Bi Zhen rolled her eyes. “Have I agreed to marry you already?”
“What?” Mei Qing was surprised. “You mean you still haven’t agreed? Then why did you bring me here?”
“Grandma said that someone like you looks good, has great abilities, and a sweet tongue that can flatter people, but is the least reliable. She told me not to agree to you easily. I should drag things out a bit, make you anxious and restless, and only reluctantly agree after making you suffer. Otherwise, you wouldn’t know how to cherish me.” Bi Zhen explained convincingly.
“…So how long are you planning to drag things out?” Mei Qing asked nervously.
Bi Zhen looked a bit troubled and said, “Grandma said that no matter how long I drag it out, a woman still needs to get married eventually. Staying a Daoist nun forever would be a loss. But should I go back to the Emperor and ask to return to secular life? That might not be a good idea…”
Mei Qing was delighted. “Really? You’re willing to return to secular life? That’s great! What’s so difficult about talking to the Emperor? Men should marry when they’re old enough, and women should marry when they’re old enough. Just go and ask him directly.”
“That’s easier said than done!” Bi Zhen said in frustration. “Back then, I caused a huge fuss just to become a nun, and I said so many harsh things to that old man. Now, suddenly wanting to return to secular life and marry, how can I possibly bring myself to say it?”
“So what do we do then?” Mei Qing asked. “Are we really going to live like this forever? Our eldest daughter already calls you ‘young mistress.’ You wouldn’t really want to wear Daoist robes in our house forever, would you?”
Bi Zhen suddenly got angry and said, “What’s wrong with me wearing Daoist robes? Let them accuse you of ruining my cultivation. If you’re afraid, don’t come near me!”
Mei Qing suddenly chuckled. Bi Zhen was furious and asked, “What are you laughing at? Are you making fun of me?”
Mei Qing suddenly summoned his spirit crane with a wave of his hand, scooped Bi Zhen onto its back, and urged the crane to spread its wings and gently take flight. Leaning close to Bi Zhen’s ear, he said, “I don’t care. If you dare to marry me in Daoist robes, I’ll dare to marry you!”
Being held by Mei Qing, Bi Zhen felt her whole body go weak, forgetting her anger, but she still said, “As if I’m in a hurry to marry you… Oh no, I forgot. Grandma already said I shouldn’t agree to you too quickly…”
The two flew away on the crane, and soon disappeared behind the distant mountains, leaving no trace.
Suddenly, at the spot where the two had just taken off, two unremarkable rocks began to move, gradually rising until they transformed into two human figures—indeed, it was Master Liu and Zhong Shu.
Zhong Shu was dressed like a traveling merchant from the Northeast, wearing a fur coat made of dog skin, a fur hat, and leather boots. He crossed his arms and said, “Well? Isn’t my idea great? I told you, your respected Taian, he’s got the stubbornness of a donkey—won’t move unless dragged, and will go backward if pushed. He dislikes you even more, and no matter what you say, he’ll do the opposite just to spite you. If you scold Bi Zhen and say you absolutely refuse this marriage, saying you’d never allow Bi to marry Mei Qing, that crazy—your future mother-in-law—will definitely support this marriage. How about that? Isn’t my plan a great success?”
Master Liu, however, had messy hair, a face with red and blue blotches, and disheveled clothes. He gritted his teeth and said, “You old bastard, still boasting! Where were you when that crazy old woman started cursing earlier? You didn’t see how fierce she was—she almost blasted me to death on the spot and destroyed one of my protective magical artifacts! Want credit? First, you have to compensate me for my Qingshang Seven-Silk Binding!”
“Come on, Liu, you’re such a big guy, why are you still so stingy?” Zhong Shu said unconcernedly. “A broken ribbon for a daughter and a good son-in-law—can you find a better deal in the whole world? I’ve been working hard as a matchmaker all day, didn’t even get a thank you, and now I’m getting blamed?”
“Alright, alright, you’re right,” Master Liu said weakly. “But I got scolded and beaten up, acting like a villain all day, while the young couple is happy. And my adoption of the girl hasn’t even started yet?”
Zhong Shu grinned and said, “What are you rushing for? Things have to be done step by step. First, we need to settle the marriage. Then, you, my boy, need to quickly inform the Emperor, so he doesn’t get soft-hearted and agree to Bi’s request to return to secular life, blocking her escape route. After that, someone needs to step in and give the girl a little advice. Don’t worry, she’ll follow our plan.”
“Dealing with the Emperor is manageable,” Master Liu said worriedly. “At worst, I’ll sacrifice my old face. He does care about my father-daughter relationship. But the problem is, who will discuss this with Bi? You know her temper—if she gets stubborn, she won’t back down even if she hits a wall.”
“You, of course, can’t do it,” Zhong Shu said mysteriously. “You need to find someone Bi listens to the most. Guaranteed success.”
“Her grandmother?” Master Liu shivered. “You want me to ask that crazy old woman to persuade Bi? No way! I still want to live a few more centuries!”
“You blockhead!” Zhong Shu looked frustrated. “I know you’re thinking of your future mother-in-law. Now the girl is grown up. Do you think she’s still as close to her grandmother as she was when she was little? She’s already forgotten about you old folks!”
“You mean Mei Qing?” Master Liu finally caught on.
“Of course! Didn’t you see just now? It’s like tofu curdled with brine—each thing has its master. No matter how stubborn Bi is with you, in front of Mei Qing, she’ll listen to him obediently. We’ve been working hard all day, and Mei Qing just reaps the benefits? After all, he’s the one getting married. Naturally, the task of persuading his bride falls to him.” Zhong Shu said confidently.
Master Liu frowned deeply after hearing this. “Bi trusts Mei Qing so easily. What if he deceives her? Let me tell you, we have to make things clear first. If Mei Qing dares to make Bi suffer even a bit after marriage, don’t blame me for turning my back on him!”
“Come on!” Zhong Shu said. “With you as Bi’s father and that crazy old woman as her grandmother, who in the world dares to bully her? I’m more worried that Mei Qing, who’s been honest since childhood, will be bullied by your daughter so badly he won’t be able to stand up!”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with the Emperor today,” Bi Zhen said angrily as she fiercely stepped on the bamboo leaves in Mei Qing’s courtyard, crushing them into pieces. “No matter how I pleaded, he wouldn’t budge. Finally, I even told him I wanted to get married, but he actually said…”
“What did he say?” Mei Qing asked, concerned.
“He said that marriage is a matter for parents to decide. If I want to marry, I can return to secular life, but first I have to acknowledge that old man as my father. Only after he agrees can it be considered valid.” Bi Zhen said bitterly.
“Ah… and what did you say?” Mei Qing asked, knowing the complicated relationship between Bi Zhen and her father.
“I said I’d rather be a nun for life than acknowledge him as my father.” Bi Zhen suddenly lost her confidence, lowered her head, and spoke softly, sneaking a glance at Mei Qing’s expression.
“Ah Qing, it’s not that I don’t want to marry you… Please give me some time to think of another way. I really don’t want to acknowledge him.” Bi Zhen saw Mei Qing’s expression darkening and quickly spoke gently.
“…It’s okay. We’ve made it through so many difficulties before. I’m sure we can get through this too. If necessary, I’ll run away with you!” Mei Qing, seeing Bi Zhen’s soft plea, didn’t want to make her feel bad and quickly reassured her.
“Run away? Right, if things get really bad, we can go back to that place in Qianshi, hide there. They’ll never find us.” Bi Zhen’s eyes sparkled as she said, “We can cultivate there for several decades or even centuries, and then ascend together. Let’s see where they can find us then!”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage