Chapter 111 A Gift What kind of relationship will exist between a mortal and a mermaid...?

Kunlun Zhenyang Peak.

The small courtyard next to the red maple forest is lush with flowers and plants, and the ground is spotless, just as it was when the owner was there.

A pair of white cloud-patterned boots landed in the courtyard.

This was Jia Yue's first time visiting this courtyard. For the seven years that he had never set foot here, Jiang Yuhuo had lived here.

Following the memory he had seen in the water mirror, he found this place. He had seen the scene before him many times in the water mirror, but only by actually stepping inside did he see the traces that belonged only to Jiang Yuhuo.

The old tree was covered with sword marks from years of hardship, and the bamboo table was stained with ink that could not be wiped away... Every object was imbued with her presence.

He was not involved in any of them.

The merman's hand slowly caressed the bed. In the water mirror, she had tossed and turned here when she was injured, unable to sleep, and had also meditated here until dawn when her cultivation was going smoothly.

The image in the mirror blended with reality, and everything in the courtyard remained as usual.

The only thing is that the person is gone.

Jia Yue sat on the bed, lost in thought, until someone else stepped into the small courtyard.

Wen Yizhan was watching a good show on Chongyuan Peak when he sensed someone entering his junior sister's courtyard. He assumed it was Jiang Yuhuo returning and immediately dropped everything to rush to the courtyard.

When they rushed over, they saw their master in the courtyard, and another unfamiliar white figure, the two of them talking under a tree.

Just as Wen Yizhan was about to approach, the person with his back to him bid farewell to Zhang Zhenyang.

As he turned to leave, the man glanced back at him.

Ice-blue eyes, unparalleled beauty.

It's that merman sect leader from Tianque. What's he doing in my junior sister's courtyard?

Wen Yizhan felt displeased immediately and drew her sword to chase after him, but the person had already disappeared without a trace.

"You brat, what are you doing looking so fierce?"

Zhang Zhenyang tapped Wen Yizhan on the shoulder with his bamboo flute and scolded, "They're guests, why did you draw your sword right away? Is this how I've always taught you?"

Wen Yizhan stared in the direction the merman had left for a while, and only after confirming that he had really left did he sheathe his sword.

Not seeing the person he wanted to see, his high spirits suddenly plummeted. He said listlessly, "I don't know how Master taught me. I only know that Master is rarely seen. Now it's even worse, even Junior Sister isn't coming back."

A few days after Jiang Yuhuo left, Zhang Zhenyang emerged from seclusion.

Upon exiting the pass, he saw Wen Yizhan, who had lost an eye, and Jiang Yuhuo, who was nowhere to be found. The last time he received news was that Jiang Yuhuo's fever had flared up badly, but now, before he had even fully recovered, he had gone out to find medicine for Wen Yizhan and couldn't even get in touch with her.

Zhang Zhenyang slapped his thigh and lamented, wondering how the two only seedlings on Zhenyang Peak had grown into such a state while he was away.

This can't go on; he needs to keep a closer eye on things.

Start by disciplining the eldest disciple.

So during the days that Zhang Zhenyang returned, Wen Yizhan would always run into his master randomly in various places. Whenever he showed any sign of wanting to fight someone, he would jump out and drag the person away. Once, he even almost disrupted his plans.

In the end, he had no choice but to beg for mercy and show his determination.

"Master, I beg you, please stop following me, okay? I promise I'll never fight again, I'll never do anything to put myself in danger. I just like watching the excitement, I won't lift a finger, please let me go..."

Zhang Zhenyang narrowed his eyes and stared at him for a long time before slowly speaking, "You brat, you've grown up, haven't you? Starting to play tricks on your master?"

Wen Yizhan neither admitted nor denied it.

Zhang Zhenyang snorted coldly, "Fine, fine, I can't control you. Wait until Xiaoyuhuo comes back, and you'll see how I complain to her!"

Upon hearing this, Wen Yizhan immediately beamed and said shamelessly, "Then you should hurry up and have my junior sister come back. As soon as she comes back, I will obediently lie in bed and not go anywhere. I will wait for her to come and see me every day."

Zhang Zhenyang woke him from his daydream with a bamboo flute, saying, "You little rascal, you've got some pretty good ideas."

Although Zhang Zhenyang said this, he felt increasingly unable to see through his eldest disciple. However, he was not one to meddle in other people's business, so he stopped keeping a close eye on him and simply let him do as he pleased.

In the courtyard, Wen Yizhan was still uneasy looking in the direction where the merman had disappeared, her tone carrying a hostility she herself was unaware of.

"Besides, only those who are invited are guests; who knows what a stranger's intentions are?"

Damn it, that guy actually went into my junior sister's courtyard!

This is their sect's territory, not Tianque Mountain's!

The sight of him standing with Jiang Yuhuo on Tianque Mountain still occasionally made Wen Yizhan's heart clench. The thought that even this place had been trodden upon by this outsider made Wen Yizhan feel a strong sense of unease.

Zhang Zhenyang found it strange that his disciple was showing hostility for no apparent reason. "The sect leader is an old friend of Xiaoyuhuo. Don't make wild guesses."

Wen Yizhan scoffed, "An old friend? What old friend? She only borrowed his aquarium for a few days, as if she were very familiar with him."

The strong smell of gunpowder... Zhang Zhenyang couldn't help but glance sideways before relaying what he had learned from their conversation.

"No, no, he said he knew Xiaoyu before they went to Kunlun, but he had a serious illness and forgot many things. In addition, she had changed her appearance, so he didn't recognize her for a long time. However, he has recently remembered her..."

Wen Yizhan scoffed. After hearing the first half of the sentence, she thought Jia Yue was just making excuses. "That's such a lame excuse. How could someone who is truly close to you forget you after a serious illness?"

It looks different now...

The second half of the sentence entered her mind, and Wen Yizhan suddenly opened her eyes wide.

He knew she had changed her appearance!

Wen Yizhan immediately pictured a little girl, covered in dust and dirt, wearing a tattered cloak, her bright eyes watching him warily, stubborn and defiant, like a little animal, biting his palm.

That was the Jiangyu Fire of the past that he had never touched.

Aside from the three members of their sect, probably no one else in the world knows about Jiang Yuhuo's body swap.

Jia Yue knew he wasn't lying.

What is their relationship?

“In any case, there must be some old friendship between us, otherwise we wouldn’t have sent this on purpose.” Zhang Zhenyang opened his hand, and something immediately appeared in his palm. He handed it to Wen Yizhan.

"She said thank you for taking care of her all these years."

Wen Yizhan lowered her head, her gaze fixed on Zhang Zhenyang's hand, and she was stunned for a moment.

It was a fiery red vine, and the heat emanated from it the moment it unfolded. It was the only plant that could grow close to the volcano, and it had become a rare and priceless treasure since the volcano erupted a hundred years ago.

This vine has soft branches and leaves, and a bright color, as if it was just picked from where it grew. Its effects are even more significant than those of an old, aged vine.

Wen Yizhan seemed to sink completely.

What is their relationship?

What kind of relationship could there be between a mortal and a mermaid?

Why be so generous?

Wen Yizhan inappropriately recalled some rumors she had overheard while hanging out with other disciples of the immortal sects back in her days at the foot of the mountain. When it came to gossip, immortal sect disciples were no different from mortals; they were always particularly interested in the private affairs of important figures.

They say that despite his seemingly unapproachable status, the patriarch of the Heavenly Palace is actually a widower. He was originally a genderless merman, but after a trip to the mortal realm, he returned in male form. No one knows which mortal possessed such power to induce this great man to transform, but that mortal was unfortunate and died far too young…

The time when that Heavenly Palace Sect Master returned from the mortal realm was, in fact, the same year that Jiang Yuhuo entered Kunlun.

The moment the guess came to mind, Wen Yizhan felt as if she had been punched hard in the heart. It didn't hurt, but she felt a dull ache, yet she couldn't pinpoint the source of this ache.

Zhang Zhenyang was about to hand the Earth Flame Vine to Wen Yizhan, but Wen Yizhan felt as if the thing was burning her hand and subconsciously shrank back.

"What are you doing? Take this! With this, Little Fishing Fire won't have to run around outside anymore. When she comes back, she'll see that your eyes are healed. She'll be so happy."

Zhang Zhenyang forcefully shoved the vine into Wen Yizhan's hand, and as he spoke, he became happy, as if he could already see his two lively and perfectly healthy disciples.

He patted Wen Yizhan's shoulder with a smile, "Hurry up and call Xiaoyuhuo back. Speaking of which, it's been a long time since the three of us, master and disciples, have been reunited..."

Yes, with these eyes of the Earth Flame Vine that fell from the sky and were obtained effortlessly, his junior sister can come back. He should be happy.

What exactly is making him upset?

Wen Yizhan habitually took out a communication talisman, but there was no response; his junior sister hadn't replied for many days.

*

On the other side, in the mountains outside the city of Sannam County.

Following their memories of where they came from, Jiang Yuhuo and Li Mengbai rode their horses along the mountain road toward the county town.

As the leading family among the immortal clans, the Li family's influence extends throughout the cities of the Central Continent. Shannan County is close to Tianque, so the Li family naturally set up a station in the city as well.

Once you reach the Li family's contact point in the city, you can quickly return to the Li family in Yanling, and Jiang Yuhuo will soon obtain the Earth Flame Vine.

Then, she will return to Kunlun, back to that bastard's side...

So fast...

It was so fast that Li Mengbai didn't even have time to react before it was about to end.

How could time have passed so quickly?

Jiang Yuhu rode ahead on horseback, but the person beside her had fallen far behind. She reined in her horse and turned around, seeing Li Mengbai walking unhurriedly, his gaze lingering on a stream in the woods.

His gaze suddenly shifted to Jiang Yuhuo, and he lazily asked, "Are you planning to go into the city like this?"

Jiang Yuhuo lowered her head, large patches of red stained her plain maid's dress. If the people of the city saw her like this, they would probably be frightened.

"Wait for me here."

Jiang Yuhuo left those words behind and dismounted, heading towards the stream in the forest.

The blood that had been soaking and sticking to her body was now blown by the mountain wind, making her half-dry clothes even more uncomfortable to wear, so it definitely needed to be cleaned.

There was a deep pool at the bottom of the stream. Jiang Yuhu took off her outer garment and soaked in it. The bloodstains on her body and hair dissolved, and the strong smell of blood immediately spread, making her feel as if she were soaking in blood.

It was all Qin Yuqi's blood... The overwhelming aura made her feel as if she were back in the corner, held tightly in his arms, suffocating her.

Jiang Yuhu shook her head, letting the image in her mind disappear.

The forest was quiet, with only the faint sound of water.

A voice suddenly rang out above her head.

"This area isn't clean yet."

Jiang Yuhuo was startled and turned around abruptly. Li Mengbai had already sat on the shore, facing her from behind.

She suddenly retreated, from the shore to the middle of the water.

The strand of blood-stained hair slipped from Li Mengbai's hand in an instant. Li Mengbai rubbed the blood between her fingers, then brought it to her nose and smelled it. Immediately, her beautiful face scrunched up. "It smells awful..."

He sat sideways on a rock on the shore, his long, black hair cascading into the water. His face was pale, and his features were striking, like a beautiful ghost crawling out of the water.

"Why are you so far away from me? I'm here to help you, aren't you happy?"

He spoke with absolute certainty.

"I am a woman."

"so what?"

"So you should avoid it."

“You didn’t say I couldn’t come.”

Jiang Yu was furious. "Isn't this the most basic etiquette?!"

"But there are some places you can't wash, and you clearly hate this smell too, don't you? Let me help you."

Li Mengbai made a move to go into the water, and Jiang Yuhuo, enraged, splashed water at this shameless man.

"unnecessary!"

The icy water splashed on his face and body, and a cool breeze blew by, making Li Mengbai shiver.

"It's so cold..."

Jiang Yu was so angry she wanted to laugh. He couldn't even stand a little cold water, yet he wanted to go into the water?

If her inner clothes hadn't been soaked, she would have stood up and wanted to push this person's head into the water to wake him up!

Li Mengbai seemed to realize he wasn't up to the task, and finally, under Jiang Yuhuo's angry glare, reluctantly got up, muttering to himself as he left, "Always so fierce, doesn't appreciate kindness..."

Once he was finally out of sight, Jiang Yuhuo dared not delay any longer. She quickly cleaned herself up. The bloodstains on her clothes were fresh, and they mostly disappeared after soaking in water for a while. However, she had no change of clothes and had to put on her old clothes again.

Jiang Yuhu wrung out the washed clothes and put them on, wrinkled but still warm. Fortunately, her body temperature was as high as usual, so the clothes should dry quickly.

Suppressing her anger, Jiang Yuhuo didn't say a word to Li Mengbai no matter how he tried to talk to her, and just kept her head down and kept going.

During the silent journey, the only sound was Li Mengbai's occasional sneeze.

As dawn broke, the two arrived at the city gate. People from nearby villages who wanted to enter the city were also waiting at the gate. Although it was still early, the scene was already noisy.

The two dismounted and joined the procession heading into the city.

At the sound of roosters crowing, the soldiers guarding the city slowly pushed open the heavy city gates, and the people outside were ready to rush in.

"etc."

Two mounted soldiers galloped in from the official road outside the city, holding their tokens high in their hands.

"The prefect has ordered the arrest of the villains! Anyone entering the city must be questioned!"

Soon the soldiers posted the two portraits at the city gate, and those entering the city compared themselves to the portraits.

The portrait depicts a woman and a man, who are none other than Jiang Yuhuo and Li Mengbai.

The procession slowly moved forward into the city, and two people remained motionless amidst the noisy crowd.

Jiang Yuhuo used the crowd as cover to leave the group. She couldn't understand how they could have arrived so quickly, given that they hadn't delayed anything except for the cleanup and the assassination was only half a night away.

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Author's Note: No update tomorrow, Wednesday! [hugs][hugs]