Chapter 73 She deserves to be spit on, whether as an apple or a pear...

(73)

On their last day at Xiaofushan, the family lay on the tatami mat. Shang Xinglan read his favorite story of the Great Hero Tanuki to the little boy, while Chu Li leaned on his shoulder, half asleep, with ambiguous kiss marks on the back of his ear and the side of his neck.

The little one nestled in his arms, its breathing gradually becoming shallow and long.

He carried the cub back to the east room. The door creaked softly and then fell silent. The candle wick was trimmed, and the warm little house was extremely quiet, bathed in soft moonlight.

Shang Xinglan lifted the soft blanket and lay down, when a head immediately snuggled into her arms.

Chu Li skillfully found a comfortable position in his arms and continued to sleep while holding him. It was a very possessive position, with her whole body almost leaning on Shang Xinglan, making him unable to move.

Shang Xinglan managed to free one hand and gently put his arm around her waist.

"I'm a little scared," a muffled voice came from inside her arms.

He raised an eyebrow and asked in a low voice, "What are you afraid of?"

Chu Li slowly opened her eyes. "What if we go to the Heavenly Realm and never come back?"

Since ancient times, there has never been a legend in the mortal realm that immortals return after ascending to heaven. This also means that if they really did ascend, they would never be able to return here, and would never be able to see Chu Shuyi, Xie Yunge, and Xie Liyi again.

The little boy will never see Xiaoliu again; he will be very sad.

Shang Xinglan was silent for a moment, then gently comforted her, "Then we won't go."

Since he is no longer bound by the curse, whether or not he goes to the Heavenly Realm is of no importance to him.

Is this really okay?

"When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it. I'll think of a way."

The next morning, before dawn, Chu Li heard a series of knocking and banging sounds coming from the courtyard.

When she woke up, Shang Xinglan was no longer beside her.

Chu Li put on her clothes and shoes, wearing only an outer garment, and pushed open the door in confusion, only to see Gu Ye whittling wood in the yard.

"What are you doing here so early in the morning?" she asked, walking up to him with a puzzled look as she watched him build a chair from rosewood.

Gu Ye put down his work, looked up at her, and smiled, "Why can't I come? This is my home too. Once the house is expanded, that new room will be mine. I've ordered some furniture; do you want some for your room?"

Chu Li paused for a moment, not expecting him to be so shameless as to move into her house so brazenly.

"Have you asked Shang Xinglan if he'd be willing to let you move in?"

Gu Ye paused slightly, then said matter-of-factly, "It is only right for me to serve my master. Why shouldn't my master let me stay in his house?"

"..." Chu Li had never heard of such robber logic before and was speechless for a moment. She looked around but did not see Shang Xinglan. The wooden bucket in the corner of the courtyard wall had been moved away, so he must have gone to the river to fetch water.

She had no choice but to turn her gaze to Gu Ye again. The physique of a demonic cultivator was truly remarkable. Gu Ye looked as if nothing had happened, as if he had no injuries at all. Apart from his pale face and bloodless lips, he showed no signs of serious injury.

They couldn't get rid of him, so they decided to let him stay if he wanted to serve them. As long as Shang Xinglan didn't get angry when she came back, it would be fine.

She got up too early and her stomach was empty. Although she now had cultivation and didn't need to eat, Chu Li still felt very uncomfortable if she didn't eat something, so she went to the kitchen and opened a package of snacks to tide her over.

The snow-white, square Poria cocos cake, garnished with a few candied plums, is soft and fluffy, melting in your mouth.

She had just taken a bite when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.

Chu Li assumed that Gu Ye had come to talk to her again, but when she turned around, she met a pair of indifferent and aloof eyes.

"Make way."

She turned aside in astonishment, watching as Yan Xinbai, carrying a crucian carp, walked past her and went into the kitchen to start a fire, looking as if he was about to cook.

It took Chu Li a while to react, and she asked incredulously, "What are you doing here?"

Without turning his head, Yan Xinbai picked up a cleaver from the cutting board and chopped off the fish head. "Cook."

Hearing this, Chu Li forced a smile, "Don't think that just because you helped me with a little thing in the end, I'll forgive you for destroying Shang Xinglan's immortal bones."

Yan Xinbai gave her a cool glance. She really did hold grudges, but only against Shang Xinglan, not against herself. He had once laid a hand on her, yet she didn't remember it at all.

"So what do you plan to do?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Chu Li choked up. She hadn't thought about how to deal with Yan Xinbai—whether to give him a good beating or stab him a few times.

This should be of no consequence to powerful demonic cultivators like them.

Chu Li pursed her lips and said in a deep voice, "Get out."

Upon hearing her words, Yan Xinbai's usually expressionless face finally stiffened slightly.

She was smart; she knew why he came back and that he wanted to restore the relationship, so destroying what he wanted was the punishment.

Yan Xinbai slowly put down the kitchen knife in his hand and responded with a faint "Mm".

Not everything can be forgiven; he should have understood this sooner. Perhaps Shang Xinglan already loathed him to the extreme, and Chu Li was merely speaking these words on his behalf.

Chu Li watched him walk towards the door with his arms crossed, then suddenly said, "Wait."

The other person turned to look at her, a hint of confusion in their eyes. "What?"

"I want to see the flower fields on the back hill covered with gardenias next spring. Go and turn over the soil."

Yan Xinbai frowned slightly, staring at her suspiciously. "Didn't you tell me to get lost?"

"I told you to get out of the kitchen. Is the food you make even edible?" Chu Li mocked without any politeness. "You have no self-awareness at all, yet you have the nerve to come and cook to please others."

Yan Xinbai: "..."

He stood there, stunned, watching Chu Li roll up his sleeves, pick up a kitchen knife, and cleanly gut the crucian carp, muttering, "The immortal bone belongs to Shang Xinglan. How he punishes you is his business, not mine."

She couldn't be bothered to think about these troublesome things; she wanted to be happy and carefree every day from now on.

This crucian carp is very fresh and plump; it would be great to make a crucian carp and tofu soup.

Yan Xinbai gazed at her for a long time before slowly withdrawing his gaze and saying in a low voice, "I'm sorry, I hit you that day. It was my overstepping of the bounds. I will not do it again."

Compared to the destroyed immortal bones, he felt that what angered Shang Xinglan more was that he had hit Chu Li back then.

Chu Li was stunned for a moment, then suddenly couldn't help but laugh out loud, "You look down on me? What's a slap? Didn't I slap you too?"

She used to fight much more seriously; she would fight until blood was drawn. She didn't bring a knife that day, otherwise it would definitely have been a bloody battle.

"Honestly, such a grown man, yet he still cares about who slapped whom."

Chu Li's words made Yan Xinbai even more embarrassed. He awkwardly looked away and said in a low voice, "Even if you don't care, I still have to say it."

She didn't seem to mind at all, which made him seem petty.

That day, when he heard Shang Xinglan say that Chu Li had ascended to immortality, he was completely baffled, not understanding what could enable Chu Li to do what others could not.

Looking back now, it was probably because she was very simple.

Despite having endured a life of hardship, she never considered coveting the Shang family's vast wealth. She willingly eloped with Shang Xinglan to live an ordinary life in this remote mountain village.

She wanted very little; she was a clean and empty person, her only obsession being to live.

Yan Xinbai's lifelong ambition was to find a way to enable everyone to ascend to immortality, and Chu Li is now a successful example.

Perhaps one day, he too will go to the Soul Cleansing Spring of the Cangshan Sect, just like Shang Xinglan, to wash away the demonic energy on his body, and then, like Chu Li, find his obsession, resolve his obsession, and attain enlightenment and ascension.

Things he never dared to imagine before, he has finally seen through the fog and glimpsed.

Gardenia.

Yan Xinbai pondered for a moment, then turned and left.

"It suits you very well."

Chu Li blinked and looked back; the other person had already gone out to plow the field with a hoe.

How dare he say such ambiguous things to his master's wife?

She would tell Shang Xinglan those words verbatim in a moment, and Shang Xinglan would definitely be jealous. He would be in for a world of hurt then.

She picked up the cleaver and chopped the vegetables with swift movements, unable to suppress a smile.

It seems like having a lot of fun doing things that annoy others is actually quite enjoyable.

On the back mountain, Shang Xinglan, who had just returned from fetching water, saw a figure plowing the field in the withered, frost-covered flower field. He frowned in confusion and put the wooden bucket down on the ground.

What are you doing?

Yan Xinbai paused, turned around and looked at him, "Plant flowers."

Shang Xinglan looked around at the desolate trees with a puzzled expression, even wondering if she had misheard. "This season?"

"……Um."

Shang Xinglan gave him a look as if he were an idiot. "Did A-Chu make you do this?"

Yan Xinbai nodded.

"Don't waste your time. I've already prepared the seedlings. We'll plant them next spring. They won't survive now." Shang Xinglan picked up the wooden bucket again and said calmly, "Have you apologized to A-Chu?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Xinbai nodded again.

Shang Xinglan stared at him intently and said, word by word, "There must never be a next time. If you are still a man, don't let your resentment towards me affect her."

Yan Xinbai took a light breath and said in a low voice, "Yes."

The two chatted all the way back from the mountain. Before they even entered the courtyard, they saw Gu Ye repairing the roof.

"Good morning, Master."

When Gu Ye saw Shang Xinglan return, he smiled at them.

Why is he here too?

Shang Xinglan's eyelids twitched, and suddenly, as if remembering something, she said to Yan Xinbai beside her, "If Gu Ye asks you to help him break any face-changing spells, you are not allowed to help him."

Yan Xinbai asked in confusion, "What kind of face-changing magic?"

“He had ulterior motives towards A Chu before,” Shang Xinglan narrowed her eyes. “Keep an eye on him. If Gu Ye dares to seduce A Chu again, report to me immediately.”

Upon hearing this, Yan Xinbai looked incredulously at Gu Ye, who was standing alone and cheerful on the rooftop.

Is he crazy?

It's truly eye-opening; there's actually another person in this world as blind as Shang Xinglan.

However, upon closer reflection, Chu Li wasn't entirely without merit... Never mind, he shouldn't think about it anymore; he didn't want to become blind too.

Steaming smoke rose from the small house, and the aroma of food wafted out of the small window.

The family sat around the table, and the little boy ate his way through the pile of rice and vegetables in his bowl until his belly was round and full.

"Mother, aren't we going to play in heaven?"

He held the bowl, tiptoed, and handed it to Yan Xinbai, then turned to look at Chu Li, saying, "I spent a long time packing my luggage yesterday."

Chu Li looked embarrassed and coughed lightly, saying, "Mother heard that if you go there, you might not be able to come back. After thinking about it, I think it's better not to go, otherwise you won't be able to play with Xiao Liu anymore."

Hearing their words, Yan Xinbai, who was washing dishes in the kitchen, suddenly whispered, "Who said we can't come back? Ascending to the Heavenly Realm is just to be granted an Immortal title. After that, we can go wherever we want."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

Shang Xinglan asked in surprise, "You know?"

Yan Xinbai said calmly, "Whether it's cultivation or gardening, I am indeed inferior to you, but I have studied the matter of ascension my whole life, and this statement cannot be false."

Upon hearing this, Chu Li's eyes lit up. "That's wonderful! I wonder what immortal title Heaven will bestow upon me? What's the use of an immortal title? Will it give me endless money?"

"Endless lifespan, supreme magical power."

Yan Xinbai's voice softened considerably, "In short, it's something that money can't buy."

Upon hearing this, Chu Li and Shang Xinglan exchanged a glance.

"My husband, do you want it?"

"It's alright, but why not take it if it's free?"

"That's what I think too. It wasn't easy to ascend to immortality, so we shouldn't lose out."

That day, the two returned from their stroll through the celestial realm as casually as if they had just visited a neighbor, and went home without a care in the world.

Gu Ye asked curiously, "What immortal title did Heaven bestow upon you?"

Shang Xinglan casually replied, "I forgot."

Chu Li scratched his face and said softly, "It's such a long list, with gods and immortals involved, who can remember it all? But the immortal peaches in the celestial realm are delicious, and I heard that eating them can prolong life, so I brought back a lot."

She sent the immortal peaches to the Cangshan Sect, and also sent some to merchants. She even sent some to Gu Ye's godfather. In the end, there were still quite a few left. The family ate them for half a month and still couldn't finish them. Yan Xinbai even suspected that she had plucked all the immortal peach trees in the entire Heavenly Realm.

A year later, Yan Xinbai successfully emerged alive from the Soul Cleansing Spring. Whether it was due to the immortal peach or his own persistent cultivation, he was finally able to embark on the path of ascension once again.

Two years later, Gu Ye was also kicked into the Soul Cleansing Spring by Shang Xinglan, but he came out alive. His adoptive father hugged him and cried for a long time, happy that he had finally gotten rid of the demonic energy.

Later, the little boy grew taller and taller, and when he reached the age to cultivate, he formally joined the Cangshan Sect. Under Xie Liyi's tutelage, he became a sword cultivator just like him. He even had his mind set on defeating Shang Xinglan to avenge Chu Li from back then, and would go to spar with Shang Xinglan whenever he had free time.

Chu Li and Shang Xinglan, unwilling to reveal their immortal identities, left Xiaofushan and traveled the world, making their home wherever they went.

They only occasionally appear when they meet with friends or to support the young disciples participating in the sect's grand competition.

Year after year, year after year.

The only thing that remains unchanged is that Chu Li's little family will never be missing anyone again. She will never worry about her loved ones leaving her again, and she will never again look longingly at the apples and pears in other people's hands like she did when she was a child.

Because Chu Li knew that no one deserved all of this more than her; she was truly deserving.

(End of article)

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Author's Note: It's late, I'm so sorry everyone! I've been thinking about what kind of ending would best suit Achu and Xingxing. After much thought, I feel that they should live a simple and peaceful life together. This is what they've always pursued: no grand ambitions weighing on Xingxing, and Achu no longer living a life of constant wandering and fear, finally living the peaceful and joyful life of a family of three she'd always dreamed of. In their married life, only Achu is happy and carefree, while Xingxing has to constantly be on guard against that ingrate Gu Ye, haha, being Achu's man means being tough! But this daily battle of wits is also quite interesting, and Xingxing enjoys it. This book is now finished. I'm very grateful to everyone for accompanying me on this journey. For a period of time, the update schedule was often delayed, which disappointed everyone, I'm truly sorry! (bows)

There should be more side stories coming, but they'll all be fan service stories and will be released irregularly~