Chapter 45 [VIP]

Chapter Summary: Change of Ownership.

This was Yu Jing's first time in the kitchen. The kitchen wasn't big, but everything was neatly arranged. The weather outside was a bit chilly, but it was warm inside, probably because there was a fire burning.

Xie Xuan helped Yu Jing to the table. Yu Jing sat down and saw Li Yun frying magnolia flowers. She dipped the magnolia petals in egg wash, then dipped them in flour, and then put the dipped magnolia flowers into the hot oil. The oil was very hot, and the moment the magnolia flowers were put in, a burst of white bubbles appeared. After only a short while, the surface turned into an enticing golden brown.

Yu Jing didn't know that flowers could be eaten, and she found it novel and stared at them in a daze. Xie Xuan was right next to Yu Jing, and he was also somewhat lost in thought as he watched her expression.

The pheasant and mushroom soup has been simmering for a while now, bubbling away, its sweet and savory flavors mingling with the aroma of fried food, creating an incredibly enticing aroma.

Yu Jing smelled the aroma and secretly swallowed. She knew how delicious mushrooms were; the thought of stewing them with pheasant made her mouth water.

Li Yun brought over the fried magnolia flowers. Yu Jing thought it was time to eat, but Li Yun said, "Let's eat this first to tide us over. The pheasant and mushrooms should be stewed for a while longer."

"Hmm." Yu Jing responded to Xie Xuan. Looking at the magnolia flowers on the plate, Yu Jing reached out her left hand, picked up the chopsticks, and awkwardly tried to pick them up. Her left hand was already clumsy, and since Yu Jing had never used chopsticks in the Heavenly Court, she was even more inexperienced. She tried twice but couldn't pick anything up. Xie Xuan saw this, picked one up, and was about to feed it to Yu Jing when he saw Yu Jing put down her chopsticks and directly reach for a petal.

Xie Xuan was somewhat surprised; she was the Empress Dowager! He truly hadn't expected her to use her hands. Yu Jing noticed Xie Xuan's hand had been pausing and looked up. Xie Xuan turned his head away somewhat embarrassedly and put the magnolia flower in his mouth.

The crispy fried flour and eggs encase soft, moist, and sweet flower petals, creating a very subtle texture.

Yu Jing was hungry, and after eating one, she couldn't help but take another. When Li Yun saw that she had eaten two, he smiled and said, "There are plenty of magnolia flowers on the mountain right now. If you like, I will pick some to make flower cakes tomorrow."

"You can make flower cakes too?" Yu Jing asked curiously.

"Yes," Li Yun replied with a smile, "You probably haven't seen magnolia flowers in the capital, have you?"

"Yes, then thank you in advance, elder sister." Yu Jing smiled, revealing her small, white teeth.

Yu Jing's expression was somewhat childlike; her face already showed her young age, and this made her look almost like a child. Xie Xuan always felt that she possessed an inexplicable innocence, unlike someone who had been immersed in the palace for many years.

Yu Jing ate a few and then stopped. Although they were delicious, she still wanted to try the chicken soup made with wild pheasants.

After waiting for a while, Li Yun walked to the earthenware pot, lifted the lid, and stirred it with a wooden spoon. The aroma wafted out, and Yu Jing couldn't help but peek over.

"Alright," Li Yun said with a smile, then took a damp cloth and, holding the handles of the earthenware pot, placed it on the table.

Li Yun and Sun Jun served the rice and put it on the table. After Li Yun and Sun Jun served the soup, Xie Xuan reached out and ladled out a bowl. Yu Jing was looking at the soup when, before she came to her senses, Xie Xuan's spoon was already in front of her.

Yu Jing leaned closer and took a bite, finding it so delicious it made her eyebrows fall off. Xie Xuan fed Yu Jing the soup and then a small bowl of rice.

As Yu Jing was eating, she suddenly noticed Xie Xuan staring at her face. Confused, she was about to ask when Xie Xuan put down his spoon and extended his hand towards her. Yu Jing was stunned and didn't react. Suddenly, she felt a warm touch on her lips. Xie Xuan's hand had touched the corner of her lips, and as it fell back, Yu Jing saw a grain of rice.

Xie Xuan placed the rice grains on the table and then fed Yu Jing. Yu Jing was a little embarrassed, and her face turned slightly red.

After dinner, Xie Xuan helped Yu Jing back to her room first, then went to the kitchen to help Li Yun tidy up and boil some water.

“The weather is nice today, and the clothes you washed this morning are already dry. I put them in the cupboard in your room this afternoon. You can take them from there later,” Li Yun said to Xie Xuan.

"Okay," Xie Xuan replied, stuffing firewood into the stove.

"By the way, your wife should have her dressing changed today, right? Do you still have any wound medicine?" Li Yun suddenly remembered something and asked.

Yes, there are.

"That's good. Is it still effective? I used to apply this when I was injured, and I found it quite useful." Li Yun added, "However, it can't compare to the best wound medicine in the capital."

"Elder sister, what are you saying? If it weren't for you and elder brother, my wife and I would probably be dead long ago, and we wouldn't be where we are today," Xie Xuan said calmly.

"Is the capital city... very prosperous and bustling?" Li Yun asked, changing the subject.

For some reason, her words reminded Xie Xuan of the scene on the bridge with Yu Jing during the Dragon God Festival in Guizhou. They were surrounded by bustling crowds and all sorts of eye-catching lanterns. His hand was on Yu Jing's waist.

“It’s very lively,” Xie Xuan replied.

"I've only heard other girls in town talk about the capital. They say the streets of the capital are full of grand taverns, teahouses, and cloth shops, and even spice shops are as big as a building. Is that true?" Li Yun asked doubtfully, as if seeking confirmation.

"Yes," Xie Xuan replied. "When we return, we can send someone to pick up our elder brother and sister and take them for a stroll."

Upon hearing this, Li Yun quickly waved his hand and said, "No need, no need, I was just asking out of curiosity."

"The water's already boiling, hurry up and fetch some for your wife to wipe herself up," Li Yun added.

"Okay." Xie Xuan responded and stood up, taking the copper basin to fetch water.

Yu Jing returned to the room and lay down on the couch. She had been sitting outside all day and had exhausted herself, so lying down now felt very comfortable.

"My good disciple."

Yu Jing was so frightened that her heart skipped a beat, and just as her voice was about to burst out of her throat, the Old Man of the Moon used his magic to stop her.

"Master!" When Yu Jing saw the Old Man of the Moon, all the grievances she had held in her heart for the past few days surged up like a tide. Her nose tingled and her eyes reddened. "Why did you only come now? If you had come any later, I'm afraid I would never have seen your dear disciple again!"

"Nonsense!" The Old Man of the Moon reached out and touched Yu Jing's right chest. Yu Jing instantly felt that the wound on her right chest no longer hurt at all.

"Aren't you perfectly fine?" the Old Man of the Moon continued.

Thinking of what had happened to Yu Jing these past two days, her lips trembled and tears streamed down her face: "I'm already like this, how can I be perfectly fine?"

Upon hearing this, the Old Man of the Moon's expression stiffened slightly, and he swallowed back what he wanted to say.

"By the way, Master, did you come here to give me some errand? It can't be just to see me, right?" Yu Jing suddenly remembered the Old Man of the Moon's temperament, stopped her tears, and looked up at him. Her eyes and tone both carried a hint of dissatisfaction.

The Old Man of the Moon turned his head away, reached out and touched his snow-white hair, and hesitated before speaking: "Uh... it's not really a job, but I do have something to tell you."

Upon hearing what the Old Man of the Moon said, Yu Jing's heart sank, and she quickly reached out to stop him, saying, "Wait, let me calm down first."

Yu Jing took several deep breaths before speaking, "Master, please speak."

"That's right. Just now, when I went to inspect the Marriage Hall, I discovered that Sheng Hua's red thread and Xie Xuan's red thread had formed a knot with the Old Man Under the Moon."

After hearing this, Yu Jing was stunned for a long time, and asked incredulously, "What...what did you just say?"

"Shenghua's red thread is now tied to Xie Xuan's," the Old Man of the Moon repeated.

Yu Jing paused for a while before speaking: "So...so that means Xie Xuan is now...no, he's towards Shenghua..."

"Yes." The Old Man of the Moon nodded firmly.

In the Temple of Marriage, the red threads of mortals are tied on the Marriage Tree by the Old Man Under the Moon or Yu Jing. Once two red threads are tied together, it signifies their destined marriage. However, the deities' fates are not governed by the underworld, and their marriages are naturally unaffected by the Temple of Marriage. Their red threads will automatically tie with the red thread of their beloved when they fall in love.

“That’s not right. Sheng Hua is already married to the late emperor, so why is her red string empty?” Yu Jing asked at the right moment.

"The red thread that Sheng Hua tied before was not with the late Emperor," the Old Man of the Moon said slowly, "but with Su Siyang."

Yu Jing looked at the Old Man of the Moon in astonishment! Coming to her senses, she continued, "Even if it wasn't with the late Emperor, wasn't her red thread already tied to Su Siyang's?"

"The problem is that Sheng Hua has already perished, and you are an immortal being, yet you are heartless towards Su Siyang, so the red thread naturally breaks."

"Isn't the Heavenly Lord's love tribulation destined for the Third Princess of the Western Sea? Now his red thread is tied with mine... oh no, Sheng Hua's. Is there any way to untie it?" Yu Jing asked the Old Man of the Moon with concern.

The Old Man of the Moon shook his head: "As you know, once the red thread is tied into the Old Man of the Moon's knot, even if the Grandmaster Hongjun came, he would be unable to untie it."

Yu Jing knew this, which was why she was so worried when she asked the Old Man of the Moon. She sighed softly and then asked him, "Master, what should we do now?"

“I have discussed this with Zelan and Laozi. Since the Heavenly Lord has already fallen in love with you, then you will be the one to face the Heavenly Lord’s love tribulation.”

Yu Jing raised her right hand, pointed to herself, and asked with great doubt, "Me?"

The Old Man of the Moon (Yue Lao) wasn't joking; he nodded very solemnly.

“We don’t know why this has happened either. Originally, the Heavenly Emperor was deeply in love with the Third Princess. If you had just prevented them from being together, he would have experienced the pain of unrequited love and separation, and that would have been the end of his love tribulation. But now, this love tribulation can only be faced by you.”

"Master, I haven't seen the Book of Fate, so I have no idea what to do!"

"There's no need to look at the Book of Fate. There are plenty of similar stories in the novels you read. The Heavenly Emperor has already fallen for you. If you just show him some kindness, he will surely give you his heart. At that time, you can trample on his sincerity and that will be considered a tribulation of love."