Chapter 61

Yuwēi held Wu Meiniang as she fled from the house, which was like a dragon’s lair or a tiger’s den with the presence of the Young Master. She did not rush to leave the courtyard but stood under a cluster of banana plants, admiring the lush, plump green bananas that were neither trees nor grass. Now, by Xu Fengnian’s side, she was neither a concubine nor a servant, with no official status. She was like these ubiquitous banana plants, which could be casually uprooted and replaced when their greenness faded. Yuwei held the now much heavier Wu Meiniang, stroked its head, and whispered softly, "You are carefree, Meiniang. He promised to let me go to the Shangyin Academy to pay respects to my parents. I wonder if he will keep his word. He said that what he said in bed would count. If we reach the Shangyin Academy, I will ask him to let me stay there. Meiniang, do you think he will agree?"

Wu Meiniang, comfortable and content in Yuwei’s arms, curled up and was about to fall asleep. Yuwei patted its head and said with a smile, "You only know how to eat and sleep, with no backbone at all. If I leave you in the wilderness one day, how will you stay so fat?"

Wu Meiniang lifted its head and rubbed against Yuwei’s chest, which was like a small, round snowball, incredibly cute. Yuwei’s eyes were misty as she whispered, "I only have you, so I naturally care for you. But what does he lack? How could he care for me as I do? He may seem generous, spending a fortune on wine and poetry, but he is actually petty and narrow-minded."

Suddenly, there was a loud slap. The elastic touch produced a clear and crisp sound.

Yuwei, startled by the touch on her tempting buttocks, turned to see the Young Master strolling out of the house, looking bored. He grinned and said, "Yuwēi, you are being unfair. I gave you all the banana plants in the courtyard, so how can I be stingy? As for your request to stay at the Shangyin Academy, don’t even think about it. If you insist on making yourself miserable, fine. I can move the banana plants, and I can also move your parents’ graves back to Beiliang. My words, whether in bed or out, are always true. Doing business with someone as trustworthy as me is a sure win."

Yuwei’s face turned pale as she said sadly, "You know that a few kind words would keep me by your side. Why must you be so hurtful?"

Xu Fengnian looked at Yuwei’s beautiful, oval face and said innocently, "How was I to know what you were thinking?"

Yuwei said bitterly, "Is it fun to bully me?"

Xu Fengnian reached out and touched Yuwei’s cheek. When she was still a young girl named Yu Xuanji, the Western Chu capital was at peace, and the air was warm. Her mother was the chief of the emperor’s three thousand sword maidens, and her father was a refined scholar at the Shangyin Academy. In an instant, the kingdom fell, and she became an orphan. Xu Fengnian neither liked nor disliked such ups and downs, as they made a woman’s character more profound. But the fall of Western Chu was not his doing, so why should it concern him? Was he truly as carefree and happy as he appeared? How many young masters’ courtyards housed two loyal bodyguards ready to die at any moment? Not to mention the cunning Chen Zhiliao, the two-faced Lu Qiuer, or the thirty thousand iron cavalry of Beiliang. Even after the coming-of-age ceremony, he would have to go to the Beiliang border and perhaps even the capital.

Xu Fengnian smiled and said, "You’ve gained weight."

Yuwei was stunned.

Xu Fengnian pinched the white cat Wu Meiniang, which had been taking advantage of the situation, and gently threw it to the ground. He said to Yuwei, "Come, let’s go back to the room. I want to see where else you’ve gained weight."

Yuwei ignored the Young Master’s teasing and asked, "Xu Fengnian, do you have a woman you truly like?"

Xu Fengnian replied without hesitation, "Yes, I like my elder sister Xu Zihu, my second sister Xu Weixiong, the maids like Hongshu and Qingniao, the girl Li Zǐ, and the Super Goalkeeper forum, among others. Of course, I like you too, but the degree of liking varies."

Yuwei shook her head and said, "You know I’m not asking about that."

Xu Fengnian laughed and said, "Then I like the White Fox Face. Is that answer satisfactory?"

Yuwei quickly bent down to pick up Wu Meiniang from the ground and ran away, disappearing instantly.

——

In the early morning, there were few pilgrims heading to Longhu Mountain. A girl with two braids and a little monk stood out.

The little monk, with clear features, said with a sad face, "Dongxi, didn’t we agree to go see the Lantern Festival lights? Why are we running away from home again?"

The girl feigned ignorance, "What? Are we running away from home? Impossible! Besides, when we went home for the New Year last time, my mother was so happy to see the cosmetics, and my father almost popped his eyes out looking at the prayer beads Xu Fengnian gave me. Did they scold me?"

The little monk, on the verge of tears, said, "But Master and Mother scolded me. You don’t know, Master made me recite scriptures every day in January. You know I hate reciting scriptures the most. And it wasn’t even Buddhist scriptures, but the Daoist 'Complete True Song of Struggle.' The senior monks in the temple all mocked me."

The girl, annoyed by his complaints, said irritably, "Stupid Nanbei, stop bothering me. I’ve allowed you to call me Dongxi for days. If you keep nagging, I won’t play with you anymore."

The little monk, frightened by the girl’s stern warning, fell silent. In fact, he wasn’t unhappy. He turned his head and smiled, revealing a row of neat, white teeth.

Last time, Dongxi had sneaked out of the temple first, and he had begged his master and mother for over half a year to be allowed to leave the temple. This time was different.

It felt like they were eloping.

The girl and the little monk had grown up together. Nanbei’s burp immediately made her suspicious, and she asked, "What are you smiling about? Speak!"

The little monk, who never lied, blushed and stammered, "Promise not to hit me."

The girl nodded seriously, "Promise."

The little monk smiled honestly, "Dongxi, do we look like we’re eloping?"

"Vunabei, eloping with your big bald head!" The girl, embarrassed and angry, slapped the little monk’s head hard.

The little monk, holding his head, said softly, "You promised not to get angry and not to lie."

The girl huffed, "Am I a monk?"

The little monk thought for a moment, sighed, and followed the girl into the most heavenly place of the Daoist ancestral temple, the Celestial Master’s Mansion on Longhu Mountain.

Originally, this was a forbidden area that outsiders could not easily enter. But as they walked deeper, they encountered fewer people, only a few extraordinary-looking Daoists, none of whom stopped them.

The girl, out of breath, finally reached the entrance of the Celestial Master’s Mansion. She wiped her sweat, took the water bottle filled with mountain spring water from the little monk, and took a sip, saying, "Stupid Nanbei, this place seems more grand than my home, but it still can’t compare to Xu Fengnian’s home. It’s not that impressive. Look at the couplets on the gate, what do they say?"

The little monk, who knew a bit about everything, answered formally, "Heavenly guests in the Celestial Master’s Mansion, prime ministers in the Dragon Tiger Mountain. This is the origin of the Celestial Master’s Mansion on Dragon Tiger Mountain."

The girl pouted, clearly unimpressed.

The little monk reminded her softly, "Dongxi, we’ve seen the Celestial Master’s Mansion. Can we go now?"

The girl glared, "Father said the most deserving of scolding and beating are the stinking Daoists in the Celestial Master’s Mansion. I’m going in!"

{Piao Tian Literature}