Chapter 553 They Came to Our Door

"Knock knock knock".

As soon as they knocked on Xie Zheng's door, the butler, Xie Dong, came out.

"Sister Song is here, please come in quickly, the master and the Taoist priest have been waiting for a long time."

Song Chunxue nodded slightly. "Did they know I was coming?"

Xie Dong followed beside her with a smile, "Yes, sir, the wine and dishes have been prepared, and we are waiting to apologize to you."

Song Chunxue smiled without saying a word, as if to apologize?

Why apologize? It's like you owe him something.

It seems that her senior brother hasn't realized why she's so angry.

She arrived at the front hall of the main courtyard, where Xie Zheng and the Taoist priest were playing chess.

From a distance, someone inside the house whispered that she had arrived. The two of them dropped their chess pieces, got up, and went to the door to greet her.

Song Chunxue couldn't help but find it amusing; these two were clearly guilty.

But she also understood that they were doing this because they cared about her feelings.

She took out two brocade boxes from her Qiankun bag and carried them in her hands.

As soon as she entered, she smiled and said, "You two are very thoughtful. You knew I was coming and didn't even eat. This is a small token of your appreciation. Please accept it."

Xie Zheng was surprised and turned to look at the Taoist priest, asking with his eyes, "Is this right?"

Master Zhang didn't look at him, but accepted the gift with both hands, saying, "Thank you, junior brother."

"Thank you." At this critical moment, Xie Zheng dared not call her senior brother.

Song Chunxue gave Lord Xie an inkstone and her senior brother precious medicinal herbs, both of which cost a lot of money.

She turned to look at the table laden with food, but there was no wine.

Is it because they're afraid she'll cause trouble if she drinks too much?

"Sit down and eat," Xie Zheng said, turning his head. "Have the kitchen make some noodles."

The dishes were plentiful. Song Chunxue picked up her chopsticks without hesitation and took a bite of the steaming pork knuckle. It had been cooked for quite a while and was very flavorful. It was fatty but not greasy, and the pork skin was very elastic and chewy.

She's not as greedy as she used to be; she tried a couple of bites of everything and they all tasted pretty good.

The two men also silently picked up their food without saying a word.

Song Chunxue couldn't help but reflect on herself. She hadn't been sullen today, so why hadn't she said anything?

She couldn't help but look at her senior brother. Didn't he know why she had come today?

The Taoist priest put down his chopsticks, seemingly waiting for her to speak first.

She couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Senior brother, the way you are right now makes me feel like a shrew with a terrible temper."

“How could that be? Junior brother has achieved great things now. He is authoritative and has a strong presence. Senior brother can no longer underestimate him as before.” The Taoist priest apologized naturally. “Junior brother, I’m sorry. Before, I always thought that you were just a woman. I thought that letting you know many things would only cause you trouble. I forgot that you are no longer an ordinary woman. Cultivation does not distinguish between genders. I call you junior brother, but I have always regarded you as a weak woman.”

As he spoke, the Taoist priest stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and showed great sincerity.

"It's my fault for being slow-witted. I'm used to taking things on my own and always act on my own initiative. I hope you won't be angry, junior brother. I will definitely change in the future."

Hearing these words, Song Chunxue's eyes welled up with tears. When her senior brother said "in the future," did he mean that they would continue to cultivate together in the future?

He won't just disappear without a trace every now and then, without even sending a message?

No, this needs to be made clear beforehand.

“I do blame you, but what’s past is past. I used to always be a loner, and you weren’t used to asking others for everything. But from now on, no matter where you go, what plans I have, or how long I’ll be away, you must write to me to let me know you’re safe.”

As she spoke, she looked at Xie Zheng and said, "Lord Xie does this very well; he writes me a letter every month."

"..." Xie Zheng chewed on the diced chicken, his face expressionless, but his heart pounding like a startled rabbit.

The Taoist priest smiled and said, "Of course, of course. If I go out in the future, I will definitely write to you often."

"So it's true that Senior Brother sacrificed his own lifespan to extend the Zhao family's lifespan, which led to the Zhao family paying for the repair of the Taoist temple?"

Xie Zheng's chopsticks slipped from his grip, and he looked at them in shock.

"It seems Lord Xie is unaware of this matter. May I ask your opinion, Lord Xie... or rather, Junior Brother Xie?"

The Taoist priest was speechless and stood motionless.

Xie Zheng asked in surprise, "A Taoist temple built by trading one's lifespan, how many years?"

Song Chunxue was startled. Yes, exchanging fate involves losses, let alone defying the heavens and changing one's fate, which is against the laws of nature.

“Yes, I haven’t asked yet, when was it changed?” Song Chunxue lowered her eyes unconsciously.

The Taoist priest avoided eye contact and answered in a low voice, "Five years."

"Five years?" Xie Zheng stood up. "Does the Taoist priest know his own lifespan?"

"The lifespan of a cultivator will change because of their cultivation..."

“But you know better than anyone how simple that is,” Song Chunxue asked coldly. “So, you didn’t refuse decisively, could it be that you want to extend his stay for a few more years?”

"..."

"Master, you absolutely must not do this. No matter how much gold and silver you have, you cannot do this. Human lifespan is so precious. Even if you can live for three or four hundred years, this matter is extremely risky and should never be done again."

Xie Zheng was even more agitated than Song Chunxue. "Who on earth is so shameless as to use a mere Taoist temple to prolong their child's life? Does the Taoist priest have to have the temple? This is clearly the behavior of a robber."

Song Chunxue looked leisurely at the Taoist priest.

The Taoist priest nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes, yes, I didn't agree to the Zhao family's offer this time. Don't worry, it won't happen again. I only acted impulsively because I felt sorry for the child..."

“Master, how dare they bring this up a second time? They’re clearly taking advantage of your kind heart to bully you. It’s outrageous!” Xie Zheng slammed his fist on the table. “No, this matter must be settled, or they’ll come back.”

Song Chunxue chimed in, "That's right, they even drugged Senior Brother with aphrodisiacs to force him to submit, almost ruining his cultivation..."

"This is outrageous! Is there no law anymore?" Xie Zheng was furious. "We'll go in and argue with them tomorrow."

The Taoist priest reached out and pressed Xie Zheng's shoulder. "Lord Xie, please don't get agitated. My junior brother has already taught them a lesson. You know Zhao Jian, right? She threw someone out of the window from the second floor of Zuixianlou. That's the end of the matter."

"So what if they threw it away? They won't die from falling from the second floor." Xie Zheng sat down angrily, his fists clenched, and said firmly, "If they come looking for you again, we'll go together."

Song Chunxue looked at the Taoist priest with an expression that seemed to say, "See? Anyone would get angry, but my senior brother kept putting it off because of his pride."

"Alright, alright, I am now protected by someone, someone who stands up for me. I am very gratified. The noodles are here, and the dishes are getting cold. Sit down and eat."

The Taoist priest handed the chopsticks to the two of them, saying, "Since you two are so kind, why don't you go to the Zhao family tomorrow and act as my protectors?"

Xie Zheng immediately agreed, "I'll go tomorrow morning."

Song Chunxue sat down, picked at the chicken blood noodles, took a bite, and thought that the noodles were very much to her liking.

The salt was added just right, and the chicken soup was rich and flavorful.

Adding just a tiny bit is absolutely wonderful.

She ate one bowl and wanted a second one when the housekeeper, Xie Dong, came in to deliver a message.

"Sir, several people have arrived at the door, claiming to want to see the Taoist priest. The leader claims to be surnamed Zhao, and his followers are carrying knives. They are up to no good."