Returning to the capital this time, as they approached the city, Mei Qing dismissed the carriage and, together with Bi Zhen and Hou Shen, the three of them either used magical techniques or changed their appearances. Without drawing attention, they quietly entered the city.
Mei Qing still harbored some lingering feelings toward Lu Bing, and he wanted to visit Bi Zhen’s grandmother without alerting Lu Bing first, planning to meet Lu Bing only after everything had settled.
Therefore, after entering the city and arranging a time to meet Hou Shen again, Mei Qing took Bi Zhen and quietly returned directly to his home.
Mei Qing’s sudden return, and bringing back such a charming and beautiful girl, delighted the entire family, especially Loyal Uncle. With his sharp eye, how could he fail to notice Bi Zhen’s extraordinary grace and the deep affection between her and Mei Qing? This only filled him with great satisfaction. Although in the Ming era, most young women rarely left their homes, Loyal Uncle was a very perceptive old soul; he could roughly guess that Bi Zhen might be a cultivator, which made him even more pleased.
Only the young maid, Wu’er, felt upset. When the young master went out, he brought back this fox-eyed beauty—who knew what would become of the beloved Duoyun? Her little heart was filled with resentment. However, being so young, no one paid any attention to her, so she could only sulk in her room, throwing things around and grumbling to herself.
Though Duoyun felt a bit disheartened, she had never harbored any illusions about becoming the mistress of the house. Moreover, she noticed that Mei Qing introduced her to Bi Zhen formally, which eased her worries that he might forget his old love for a new one. Seeing Bi Zhen’s warm and friendly manner, and how she teased Mei Qing, saying she already knew of Duoyun, she thought to herself that this girl seemed quite agreeable, and her heart grew calmer.
Mei Qing openly explained Bi Zhen’s background to Loyal Uncle, which startled the old man.
“Lu Bing? The Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard… Ah, you mean this young lady you’ve brought back is…?” Loyal Uncle’s eyes widened as he blurted out half a sentence, then suddenly realized his mistake and quickly covered his mouth.
“What do you mean, ‘this’ and ‘that’? Do you know something about Zhen’er, Uncle?” Mei Qing asked in surprise.
How could Loyal Uncle not know? When he first heard from Sixth Master that Mei Qing was actually cultivating with Lu Bing’s beloved daughter, his heart had been a tangle of emotions—partly proud, mostly worried.
Loyal Uncle had watched Mei Qing grow up since childhood. Mei Qing had endured many hardships without the care of his parents, and it was Loyal Uncle who had raised him, caring for him as if he were his own son.
Because Mei Qing had been mentally impaired since childhood, Loyal Uncle had been deeply anxious about him. When, one day, Mei Qing suddenly recovered, Loyal Uncle was overjoyed beyond words. However, what followed was beyond his expectations—Mei Qing somehow became a cultivator and got entangled with Bi Zhen.
Loyal Uncle had long heard of Bi Zhen’s reputation and knew all about her background. Although people often exaggerated, he had assumed that this Miss Bi must be a spoiled, temperamental noble girl who acted recklessly due to her high status. The rumors of countless young noblemen and rakes in the capital being outsmarted by her only reinforced this image of her as a thorny flower.
Considering how Sixth Master had plotted to have her secretly target Mei Qing, Loyal Uncle had assumed that even her elders might not see her as a particularly good person.
Yet, the reality had turned out surprisingly different. Mei Qing, the one who was supposed to be the victim, not only avoided being wronged but actually won over Miss Bi in no time. Loyal Uncle couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride for how much his young master had grown.
Still, who was Bi Zhen, and who was Lu Bing? Loyal Uncle guessed that even if Lu Bing was furious upon learning of Mei Qing’s background, he would likely only give him a minor punishment, not daring to do anything too drastic. But Bi Zhen was a different matter—her temper was no small thing, and even Lu Bing seemed unable to control her. Mei Qing had chosen such a partner for dual cultivation—would he end up being dominated?
Therefore, when he saw Mei Qing bring home such a beautiful girl, clearly affectionate and in love with Mei Qing, and also polite and kind, he was simply too happy to realize that this girl was actually that feared Miss Bi.
But hadn’t Sixth Master said that Bi Zhen had been placed under house arrest? How had she suddenly ended up with Mei Qing?
Though puzzled, Loyal Uncle showed no sign of it on his face. He coughed twice and said, “Everyone knows the Commander Lu Bing, but a daughter from such a noble family is of great status. Would Commander Lu approve?”
As expected, this deflection worked. Mei Qing didn’t notice the slip in Loyal Uncle’s tone. He frowned and said, “Zhen’er says she’ll take me to meet her grandmother tomorrow. She says as long as her grandmother agrees, Father Lu won’t oppose it.”
Bi Zhen’s grandmother? Loyal Uncle suddenly shivered. When had that madwoman come to town? Thinking of how formidable she was, no wonder Bi Zhen, who had supposedly been under house arrest, could suddenly slip out and travel with Mei Qing. No wonder, no wonder… indeed, no wonder!
“What do you mean, no wonder?” Mei Qing asked, surprised. Today, Loyal Uncle had seemed unusually strange, his expressions shifting from anger to laughter, his words disjointed.
“No wonder… Did I say no wonder? I meant, of course, of course! As long as the elders approve, you and your Zhen’er will naturally gain Commander Lu’s approval,” Loyal Uncle replied hastily.
Mei Qing studied him for a while, seeing Loyal Uncle’s stubborn expression. Though puzzled, he didn’t press further and continued instead, “But there’s another matter—Zhen’er is a Daoist nun, officially sanctioned by the Emperor. Not long ago, I met a strange master and began cultivation. If we become dual cultivation partners, we can’t marry in the conventional way.”
“What’s the problem?” Loyal Uncle, already knowing Bi Zhen’s background, replied calmly, “Cultivators don’t need to follow the same rules as ordinary people. If you truly wish to, you can hold a private ceremony to avoid leaving emotional scars on the girl. However, this would mean that since Zhen’er holds a special status, you can’t take a principal wife. If you wish, you could make Duoyun your concubine, leaving the principal wife position open. Though Zhen’er won’t have the title, she will have the actual status.”
Mei Qing nodded repeatedly. Suddenly, he realized how unusually accommodating Loyal Uncle had been today, not even questioning his cultivation or Bi Zhen’s identity as a female cultivator. Unable to contain his suspicion any longer, he opened his mouth to ask, but Loyal Uncle, realizing his reaction had aroused Mei Qing’s doubts, immediately stood up and said, “Oh dear, how forgetful I’ve become. I still have something to finish…”
With that, he hurried out.
“Uncle! Why the rush? I still have something to ask you. How much do you know about my origins?” Mei Qing called after him.
“Your origins? Of course you are the son of Master and Madam,” Loyal Uncle replied without turning back. “Pure gold, no doubt at all.” With that, he was already far away.
Helpless, Mei Qing could only shake his head and walk away.
When Mei Qing reached the guest room and told Bi Zhen about his attempt to question Loyal Uncle, Bi Zhen burst into laughter.
“You really are something. You told him everything, yet asked nothing. So silly!” Bi Zhen teased.
Thinking about it, Mei Qing realized she was right. Loyal Uncle had indeed been a bit unkind. He chuckled, “He raised me since I was little, like a father and mother combined. He’s always been so good to me.”
Bi Zhen nodded. “I can tell. But didn’t you notice? Your Loyal Uncle isn’t an ordinary man.”
Mei Qing asked in surprise, “What do you mean? What’s so special about him? I’ve checked—he doesn’t seem to be a cultivator.”
Bi Zhen gave him a look. “Do you think cultivation is only about Daoism? That Loyal Uncle must be an expert in martial arts, with incredible skills. You haven’t trained in martial arts, so you wouldn’t know. When I was little, I saw many old guards and attendants—people like him move differently from ordinary folks.”
Mei Qing was startled. Thinking carefully about Loyal Uncle’s usual behavior, he realized that indeed, Loyal Uncle must be a hidden martial arts expert with exceptional skills.
“That’s strange. I’ve never noticed all these years. And why would such a high-level expert choose to stay in our humble family for so long?” Mei Qing was deeply puzzled.
But this wasn’t entirely his fault. Having lived with Loyal Uncle since childhood, he had become too familiar with him to notice anything unusual.
“Forget it. Everyone has their secrets. As long as you know he cares for you and won’t harm you, that’s enough,” Bi Zhen said lightly, comforting him.
Mei Qing nodded and mentioned the plan to visit her grandmother the next day. Bi Zhen, though confident her grandmother loved her, was still a little uncertain about how she would react. Helplessly, she could only reassure Mei Qing, saying that if things went badly, they could just run away together and avoid being found.
Mei Qing could only smile bitterly. Who was Lu Bing? And what was the Embroidered Uniform Guard? Add to that the many extraordinary experts under Lu Bing’s command—where could he and Bi Zhen possibly escape to? This time, Bi Zhen had managed to sneak out because her grandmother had allowed it, so Lu Bing couldn’t act rashly. If even her grandmother disapproved, their future would be truly uncertain.
Thinking it over, Mei Qing shook his head and said, “Zhen’er, don’t talk like that. If your grandmother and father both oppose us, where could we possibly run to—up to the heavens or down into the earth?”
Bi Zhen grew anxious. “Then what should we do?”
Mei Qing smiled gently. “What else can we do? If your grandmother and father both refuse, then I’ll just kidnap you! Once my cultivation is strong enough and with my master’s support, I’ll just take you by force. What can your father do—kill me?”
Bi Zhen was stunned, secretly thrilled but pretending to scold him, “You look so refined, but I never knew you were such a bandit at heart! The moment things don’t go your way, you want to kidnap a maiden and abduct a female cultivator. I’ve been tricked!”
“You’ve just found out? Too late!” Mei Qing laughed. “If I’m a bandit, then you’ll just have to be my obedient wife. What’s the matter? Don’t want to?”
Bi Zhen blushed, leaning gently against Mei Qing. Though she said nothing, her expression made it clear—she was more than willing.
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