Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

At the Good Wine Inn, Ling Daozi clapped his hands and said, "I told you long ago that we couldn't take action, but you insisted on doing so. If anything happens to her, your master's wife will surely beat me to a pulp."

Seeing Zhou Xiuqi's expressionless wait, Kong Fusheng comforted him, "Senior Ling Daozi, Senior Sister is alright. Her life tablet is still lit. Besides, when Senior Zhou said he wanted to go in, it was Senior Meng who dissuaded him, saying that only if she went in could she persuade those women. That's why Senior Zhou allowed her to go."

Kong Fusheng pushed Ling Daozi aside and said, "Calm down. Besides, Senior Zhou is very worried about Senior Meng."

"Master?" Meng Yingying's voice came from the corridor.

Ling Daozi jumped up from the stool, startled. Kong Fusheng peeked over and saw Meng Yingying, dressed in her undergarments, looking at them blankly.

Zhou Xiuqi walked over, looked at her, and frowned, asking, "When did you get back?"

"After I dealt with those people, I suddenly felt very tired. Then I woke up and found myself back at the inn. I thought you guys had brought me back." She rubbed her eyes.

Zhou Xiuqi's gaze did not relax; instead, he looked her up and down.

"Those women said that someone else took you away."

Meng Yingying swayed, surprised, and said, "Who is it? I didn't see anyone!"

Zhou Xiuqi glanced at her guilty look and looked away.

Ling Daozi grabbed her shoulders and said, "My dear disciple, are you hurt anywhere? I told you not to take your senior brother with you. It's such a big matter, it's too dangerous to bring a girl like you along."

Meng Yingying looked at him and said, "Master, I am not afraid of danger. I can stand shoulder to shoulder with my senior brothers, and I am not just a girl."

Ling Daozi's hand on her shoulder paused. Meng Yingying knew that Ling Daozi was just concerned about her, but she needed some time to get used to this kind of protection. She felt awkward and also felt that it was strange for them to treat her this way.

Ling Daozi slowly turned his back, and Meng Yingying's face immediately showed a hint of panic.

"Master, I..."

Ling Daozi suddenly turned around, a huge smile on his face: "Finally, this day has come! Your master can finally enjoy his own life!"

"I've raised you bunch of brats to such an age! Now I can finally be free!"

He finished speaking and burst into laughter.

Meng Yingying paused, and Ling Daozi patted Zhou Xiuqi and hugged her tightly, saying, "You two are both children with unfortunate fates; destiny has been bestowed upon you."

"Only you can solve this yourself."

After he finished speaking solemnly, Meng Yingying and Zhou Xiuqi exchanged a glance.

This destiny has brought them into being, and they will surely receive this destiny and overcome the heavenly tribulation.

"Ha ha ha ha--"

"Now I can go to the brothel, but whatever you do, don't tell your mistress—"

Ling Daozi vanished from their sight in the blink of an eye.

Kong Fusheng stared in disbelief: "Senior Ling Daozi, is this always how you are? Is there no method to it?"

Zhou Xiuqi ignored him, sat on the stool, and watched the candlelight flicker.

Remembering something, Meng Yingying said to them, "I have something to do, so I won't talk to you anymore."

After returning to the inn, Meng Yingying went upstairs, looked around, and knocked on a door. After a brief commotion, the door opened. Cong Rong, seeing that it was a girl, hid her sword behind her back and asked coldly, "Who are you?"

Meng Yingying smiled at her cold face and said, "My name is Meng Yuan. Is there a young lady living here?"

Meng Yingying saved these women for two reasons. First, these women should have been rescued by the female lead. Besides escaping the palace, the female lead came here mainly because she heard from the palace guards that someone in Liuzhou was trafficking young girls. She came to investigate and punish them.

It was because of this incident that the male and female leads first met. Meng Yingying was naturally aware of this, so she put this matter on the agenda in advance so that the male and female leads could meet sooner. The second reason was because she also wanted to save them.

Cong Rong still didn't show a good expression: "Miss is weak and ill, and will not receive guests."

Meng Yingying gave a knowing smile, then said softly, "Aren't you interested in the matter of selling young girls in Liuzhou City, Miss?"

Cong Rong, as expected of a servant who had stayed with the female lead until her death, remained calm, only slightly furrowing her brow: "Allow me to inform Miss."

After saying that, she went inside and walked behind the screen. Meng Yingying knew that Xiao Zheyu would agree, and sure enough, Cong Rong walked up to her and invited her in.

She stood behind the screen, expecting the two to speak through it, but the next second a woman emerged from behind the screen, ethereal, beautiful, and radiant.

She spoke, "Please tell me everything you know." Her voice was clear and cold, and her posture was like an unyielding winter plum blossom.

Meng Yingying thought to herself, "As expected of the female lead, such poise and beauty."

Fortunately, she was already used to this cold demeanor. Zhou Xiuqi and she were indeed just as icy. She had a plan in mind, so she began to lie without batting an eye: "My master, my senior brother and I came here because we heard that there is a kind of evil magic here. It involves breaking the hands and feet of girls under the age of sixteen, putting them in a vat, and feeding them with snakes, insects and rats. This way, they can create an immortal. They all call her the Vat Immortal."

"The Immortal Weng can grant them all their wishes, whether it be for wealth or for children. It is said that the longer the Immortal Weng is fed, the greater his power becomes. Liuzhou City is in a slump and its power is weak. It is damp all year round and floods are frequent. The disaster relief grain distributed by the emperor is swallowed up by the next layer, and by the time it reaches the people, they are already starving. So they have come to believe in this Immortal Weng."

"Evil spirits are best at bewitching people's hearts, so once greed arises, it becomes uncontrollable. Someone learned of this method and spread it. Poor families borrowed money from gambling dens for this method, believing that they would surely become rich one day. My master asked me to find out which family first worshipped the spirit, but this trend still took hold, especially since it was difficult to catch them. So I started looking for those who trafficked young girls, and today I finally found them."

"And I saved those girls, but I only broke one of their bones."

Meng Yingying finished speaking in one breath, her mouth dry. Cong Rong handed her a cup of tea at the right time. Meng Yingying didn't like tea, but her mouth was really dry. After swallowing the tea, her mouth tasted bitter.

Xiao Zheyu twirled the teacup in his hand, staring at her with his eyes: "Then why did you come to me?"

When Meng Yingying met his gaze, it was like touching a block of ice—completely devoid of emotion, only a scrutinizing look. There was no way to avoid this question; she had to be blunt.

"Because you are the current eldest princess, Xiao Zheyu." The words had barely finished...

The sword was pressed against her throat. Cong Rong turned her grip on the sword, her voice flat and cold, threatening: "Move, and I'll kill you."

Meng Yingying thought to herself again, "They really are cannon fodder, always being put on the line."

Xiao Zheyu raised his hand: "Cistanche deserticola".

Congrong: "Your Highness, she knows your identity."

Xiao Zheyu gently shook his head, and Cong Rong obediently put away her sword, but still stared intently at Meng Yingying.

Meng Yingying wasn't entirely without fear; it's just that after being here for so long, she seemed to have naturally become familiar with the process.

Xiao Zheyu: "How did you find out my identity?"

Meng Yingying: "Use your eyes."

Of course, Meng Yingying couldn't say that she knew because Xiao Zheyu was a fictional character. Even if she denied it to the death, Xiao Zheyu wouldn't really kill her. In the original text, she was a very measured person, and Meng Yingying was fixated on that point.

Xiao Zheyu remained silent for a moment, seeing that she was trying to fool him.

Xiao Zheyu suddenly said, "Have we met before?"

Meng Yingying said strangely, "I've never seen you before." Although they read the book every day, the two of them had never met, right? So far, Meng Yuan and she should not have met even once.

Xiao Zheyu rubbed her forehead, her face turning pale in an instant. Ever since she was old enough to understand, she had a strong sense of familiarity with certain things she had never seen before, and now it was on a person she had never seen before. She raised her eyes and looked at the girl's face again.

"May I have your name."

"Meng Yuan".

In his mind, two voices suddenly overlapped. Xiao Zheyu was eager to know the truth behind those fragmented images, and uncontrollably took a few steps toward her, looking at them carefully: "Have we really never met?"

Meng Yingying found it strange that Xiao Zheyu asked the same question again, so she guessed, "I used to live in Lin'an, so perhaps we met at a royal ceremony."

Cong Rong went up to support Xiao Zheyu and whispered a reminder: "Your Highness, you have lost your composure."

Xiao Zheyu had a splitting headache. She slowly came to her senses and clenched her fingers deep into her flesh: "I'm sorry, come find me at 9:00 AM tomorrow and take me to see those girls."

After saying that, he turned and walked behind the screen alone.

Cong Rong raised her hand and said, "Take care."

Meng Yingying walked out the door, and after the door closed behind her, she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and went back to her room.

Inside the room, Xiao Zheyu slumped onto a stool, propping her head up with her hand. "Congrong, it's getting late. You should go back to sleep." Congrong's mouth opened slightly, but seeing Xiao Zheyu's pained expression, she stopped talking. She never liked letting others see her vulnerable side.

After the door closed, Xiao Zheyu had a splitting headache and buried her head in front of the table.

The heavy snow covered the bloodstains, and amidst the white expanse, a touch of red slowly approached, draped in a fiery red wedding gown. As she drew nearer, she resembled a flame burning in the snow.

"Isn't this the eldest princess?"

"How could Your Highness wear all red to a funeral? This is utterly improper!"

"Shut up! Putting aside how great his contributions are, don't you know how he treats the people? Don't make sarcastic remarks here, or you'll bite the hand that feeds you!"

murmurs and whispers continued as the woman staggered closer, her lips a vibrant red and her face as radiant as the sun. She slowly crouched down, spotted him instantly, and reached out to trace his features.

Her once indifferent eyes were now filled with large tears, which fell onto him.

His eyes were still, his face pale, and he showed no emotion whatsoever. Yet, his familiar brows seemed to furrow, as if he would open them at any moment to comfort her.

The woman's lips trembled, and after a long while, she coughed up a mouthful of blood that she had been holding back for a long time. With a bitter smile, she used her gorgeous wedding gown to wipe away the bloodstains that had accidentally stained his snow-white Taoist robe.

"You've always been very clean, so you're not allowed to blame me if I get you dirty."

"...I've come to marry you."

Xiao Zheyu suddenly woke up. The wind was howling outside the window. She was covered in a layer of cold sweat. She raised her hand to wipe her face. Her eyes felt slightly cool. She raised her hand to wipe her face and felt a little dampness on her hand.

An inexplicable restlessness kept her awake, so she went to the window and opened it.

Under the moonlight, the shadows of the trees swayed, and a Taoist priest in white robes leaned against a book. The bright moonlight seemed to favor him, leaving a little light for him. His robes fluttered, and the sword at his waist gleamed. He gazed into the distance, aloof and unparalleled.

Xiao Zheyu suddenly paused, his fingers gripping the window tightly.

The Taoist priest heard the sound and looked towards her; she was like a whirlpool.

As time passed, Xiao Zheyu showed no sign of moving.

The Taoist priest withdrew his gaze first and jumped down from the tree. Xiao Zheyu looked down and could only see a corner of the snow-white robe.

The white-robed immortal moved with hurried steps, as if fleeing in panic.