V2C24

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Given that he had been chosen to be the immortal’s attendant, Fang Yizhen was radiant and different from before. He even forgot about Zhong Minyan’s “evil deeds” and politely invited them to stay at his house.

Linglong doesn’t trust his appearance, she immediately shakes her head, “No need! It’s not like there is no inn in Zhongli City, why should we go to your house?”

Fang Yizhen was blocked by her, and was a little embarrassed. On her other side, Ruo’yu hurriedly laughed and said, “Mr. Fang’s good intentions cannot be ignored. In the end, it is also the hospitality of others.”

The main thing is that Fang Yizhen still can’t let go of that delicate and beautiful Xuanji, and he hopes to spend more time with her in the next few days, so he arched his hand and said: “Although the inn is good, but in the end it is not a home. I am sincere, please do not refuse.”

The other say Ruo’Yu open his mouth to agree, and they no longer opposed. They followed him to the large magnificent carriage, and went back towards the city.

“He might be sincere, but wouldn’t let Xuanji refuse!” Linglong is biting Zhong Minyan’s ears[1]. Every time she sees him sneaking looks at Xuanji, she wants to kick him off the carriage.

Zhong Minyan looked up at Xuanji. She was sitting dazedly by the window. The light from the window is coating her with a soft silhouette. Some people who are not familiar with Xuanji are often attracted by this quiet and peaceful beauty, but to them, who grew up with Xuanji, this look of hers only means two things: sleepy or dorky.

He smiled slightly and whispered, “Don’t worry. There’s nothing he can do.”

Or should I say, when faced with a person like Xuanji, ordinary people are unable to do anything.

Soon they arrived at the Fang residence, and even though we knew that Fang Yi was really from a rich family, after seeing the extravagance of the Fang residence, the group couldn’t help but be surprised. The luxury of the Fang Mansion can be best described in Linglong’s words: The three inner layers and the three outer layers are full of rooms.[2] It seemed easy to get to the end of the house, thinking we could get out, only when I turned my face away that I realize we were still halfway through.

On the way, he met many people from Zhongli City, who had heard that Fang Yizhen had been chosen to be a servant of the Fairy Goddess, and they all came over to congratulate him. However, the Fang Residence was not even a little happy. It was so gloomy, that the servants came to lead the horses away with their heads hung low, not even daring to speak loudly.

When Fang Yizhen saw several unfamiliar horses tied up in the stables, he asked: “Er’Hu Zi[3], is there someone from the family?”

The horse boy called Er Hu Zi hurriedly whispered: “Er’Shao[4], the old master told you to go to the main hall as soon as you come back! The Rong’s from the east are inside, additionally, the Zhuang’s from the north of the city are also here! They seem to be discussing something very important!”

Fang Yizhen wondered, “Oh? Why are all the important people coming to our house?” When he turned around, he gestured to Zhong Minyan and the others, saying, “Please come and sit in the side hall, I have something else to do and will be right back.”

What kind of a rule is it that you have to leave after bringing your guests home? Ling Long was about to speak, but was stopped by Zhong Min Yan, who smiled and said, “No problem, Mr. Fang, please go, don’t be late for business.”

When Ling Long saw Mr. Fang walking away, she said, “What the hell are you guys up to? Why did you come to his house?”

Zhong Minyan blinked and laughed again, “Stupid, can’t you see that this is a weird situation? The people outside are all cheering, which is supposed to be a good thing, but the family is deressed. Besides, don’t you want to see what the so-called Fairy Goddess looks like?”

“Oh, so you want to clear up the matter of that fairy! All this secrecy is just to make a fuss!”

Zhong Min Yan was caught by her, and he laughed twice.

Just then, a servant came to lead the way and took them to the room where they sat down for tea, there was no one else around.

Ling Long went back to the door and looked outside, then waved to them, “Come on! It’s really weird here! There’s no one out there!”

Ruo’Yu pondered for a long time, and said, “It’s useless to sit here. I’m afraid there is something big going on at this house, and we won’t be able to see what that is if they keep us away. Why don’t we go and listen to what they are talking about?”

When Linglong heard about this fun, she pushed the door open and was about to go out, but Zhong Min Yan held her back: “Wait, we can’t all go there. Only two of us. In case someone comes, we can have an excuse of going to change our clothes,or wash hands.”

After saying that, he looked back at Yu Sifeng, who was the one he trusted the most, and smiled: “Let Sifeng and Ruo’Yu go. We can’t afford to be idle, so if you get into trouble, just sit tight and wait.”

Ruo’Yu shook his head, “I’m not good at light martial arts. I think its better if you and Sifeng go.”

Yu Si-feng got up and waved his hand, “Don’t argue, I’ll go with Xuanji. She has the best lightness and is quiet. You all wait here. If anyone asks, you have to be more flexible.”

The two of them were so light and quick that they encountered many servants on the way, but not one of them noticed them. They soon reached the main hall, where they both leapt onto the beam and, like thieves, opened a glazed tile and stretched their ears to listen to what was being said inside.

“… We have just learned of this. Grandpa Fang, what do you think is the best way?”

A white-clothed old man with a sad face, sighing loudly.

The two of them looked at the other people in the main hall. The older ones must be the elders of the families, and the four young men standing around with a bewildered look on their faces should be the lucky ones chosen this time.

Yu Sifeng saw that the four of them were all young men around twenty years old, all of them with clear eyebrows and elegant manners, they could be considered outstandingly beautiful men. It turns out the Fairy Immortal chose her attendants based on looks. He had a plan in mind.

The man sitting on the middle chair, must be the old master Fang, he had a thick black beard under his cheeks, which he was touching as he was thinking. He then spoke, “I also heard for the first time… is this true?”

An old woman wept and said, “It’s true! In fact, we shouldn’t be disrespectful to the Fairy Goddess for her great merits. But think about it, In the past few years, she has been sent four children every year, but has anyone ever seen them again?”

It seems that no one has ever seen them before, but the old man was at a loss as to what to say, so he turned around and asked the white-clothed old man, “Can you tell me the story again?”

The old man sighed, “That man is a distant relative of mine who has recently joined my family. When he heard that my son had been chosen to be an attendant to the fairy, he told me of his experience three years ago…”

It turned out that there were people in the city who were surprised by the fact that the Fairy Goddess asked for four young men to be sent to her every year as servants. So there were some daring people who followed the young men while they were being sent to her.

The old man’s distant relative was one of them.

It is said that when the youths arrived at Immortal’s dwelling, there was a troupe of flower-drum[5] players that were singing and dancing, and suddenly there were four sedan chairs and a dozen sedan chairmen. The four youths were forced to put on phoenix crowns and capes, just like a wedding bride and were carried up the mountain like a newlywed couple. Those who had been watching the fun felt that they had unearthed a terrible secret. No one dared to stay in Zhongli City and fled into the night.

He that distant relative wasn’t so poor, than he would not have returned.

“We only think that the children are sent to the immortal residence to cultivate their bodies and achieve the immortal destiny, where do we know that they are doing such …… things! I think the fairy goddess took the young men away, but don’t know what method was used to take their vitality and blood. No wonder we never see the children on the mountain!”

After the old man in white clothes finished speaking, he could not hold back his tears.

The crowd was shocked to hear what he said. The four young men were so frightened that their faces were as pale as dirt and their bodies were shaking like sifting chaff.

When the two on the roof looked at each other, Xuanji asked Yu Sifeng with her eyes what to do. He thought for a long time before he said, “I have a solution. But it’s dangerous, and I’m afraid these people won’t know what’s good for them.”

After thinking about it, he suddenly took out an iron marble from his sleeve, pointed it at the vase in the main hall and flicked it out. The vase shattered on the floor, causing the people in the room to shout, “Oh no! The fairy goddess is here!”

After yelling for a while, Fang Yizhen was the braver one. He took the marble out of the vase and immediately thought that there were still some foreigners waiting in the side hall. His eyes lit up.

Yu Si-feng pressed against Xuanji’s ear and whispered, “Let’s go back, there will be something fun to do tomorrow night.”

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[1]: A colloquial phrase, meaning ‘to whisper in someone’s ear’.

[2]: It is most probably a Siheyuan style house, these traditional houses can be seen in most Chinese media, with a central courtyard surrounded by rooms.

An average Siheyuan house with a single main courtyard.

A larger Siheyuan house with multiple courtyards and gardens.

[3]: 二 Er meaning the number two or second, 虎子 Hu’Zi can mean – tiger cub, or brave young man. It could either be a name/title or a diminutive.

[4]: 二’Er’ as in two or second, and 少 shao meaning ‘Young’. Fang Yizhen is the second born son in his family. He’s calling him Second Young Master. (Xuanji was similarly called ‘Miss Chu’Er’ in Volume Two: Chapter 12)

[5]: 花鼓 / huā gǔ – flower-drum is a type of double-skinned Chinese drum, and the name of a folk dance popular in provinces around the middle reaches of the Yangtze.

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