Chapter 14 Zhuang Jinfu's face flushed, a rare occurrence.

When Ling Shu woke up, the seat next to her was empty.

A comfortable quilt enveloped her body, and the palace was filled with a cool fragrance. She was sleeping with her face turned to the side, and without deliberately trying to smell it, one could smell the jasmine scent left by Zhuang Jinfu's hair. A ray of sunlight shone in through the window and fell on the spot where Zhuang Jinfu had slept.

Ling Shu reached out to touch the blankets, which were already cold. She touched the light shining on this spot with longing, as if she were touching the light covering Zhuang Jinfu from afar.

Unbelievably, she actually spent the night with Zhuang Jinfu in her bedroom.

She threw off the covers and got out of bed. On the shelf beside the bed was a set of folded new clothes. The outer garment was lotus white, and the skirt was embroidered with flying cranes. The matching inner garment was crimson. When she put it on, the crimson collar was exposed, which perfectly highlighted the wildness on Ling Shu's body.

Could this be a dress she specially picked out for her?

Looking at her slightly pale face in the dressing mirror, she subconsciously reached for lip rouge, as if only vermilion on her lips could match the bright color she had given her.

Ling Shu found the lip rouge in the dressing case as she wished, but she withdrew her hand the instant her fingers touched the porcelain lid.

This is Zhuang Jinfu's stuff, the lip rouge that Zhuang Jinfu used. If she also uses it, would that be considered a kind of kiss?

Hesitating for a moment, Hai Gu quietly opened the door, carried the basin of water for washing her face, and tiptoed in. She wanted to see if Ling Shu was awake, but couldn't find her on the bed. Turning around, she saw Ling Shu already dressed in front of the dressing mirror and said, "Awake? The Immortal Venerable is waiting for you to have breakfast in the dining room."

Upon hearing that she was waiting, Ling Shu didn't dare to dawdle. Forget about lip rouge, she hurriedly went over with a bare face.

In the dining room, the round table was neatly set with food. Zhuang Jinfu sat at a small table, sipping tea. When he looked up and saw the person who had arrived, he said softly, "You've come."

"Mmm! Good morning, Master!"

"Good morning." The two took their seats.

The table was set with common breakfast items: soup dumplings, crystal shrimp dumplings, xiaolongbao, congee with preserved egg and lean pork... However, Ling Shu was somewhat surprised that none of the seven dishes on the table were ones she disliked.

Zhuang Jinfu sat down without saying a word, and began to eat in small bites. She didn't eat much, and Ling Shu, seeing how elegantly she ate, didn't dare to eat much either. She liked crystal shrimp dumplings, and after eating one, she felt itchy for more, but didn't dare to eat a second one.

Zhuang Jinfu hadn't touched the crystal shrimp dumplings, but suddenly picked one up and put it in Ling Shu's bowl.

"Are you feeling very reserved having dinner with Master for the first time?" Zhuang Jinfu suddenly asked.

Ling Shu's smile faded: "No...no."

"Then why don't you eat it if you like it?" Zhuang Jinfu looked up at her, his expression unreadable, yet possessing a commanding solemnity.

“Because Master doesn’t eat much, if I eat more, it will make me seem greedy.” Ling Shu’s voice grew softer and softer.

Zhuang Jinfu seemed to be teaching her a verse, his words both implying and unspoken: "If you like to eat it, then eat it. Worrying too much will only add to your troubles."

Upon hearing this, Ling Shu's eyes lit up, and she grinned, saying, "Great!" She quickly picked up the crystal shrimp dumplings from her bowl and began to eat them with gusto, her cheerful demeanor making it seem as if she were eating not a common folk dish, but a celestial banquet.

Zhuang Jinfu sighed inwardly. Young people are simple-minded and express their joy freely. A single shrimp dumpling can give a young person a sense of satisfaction in the morning.

After finishing their meal, Zhuang Jinfu went to his study. Ling Shu didn't want to return to her own palace. She had finally managed to stay by her master's side under the pretense of being ill, and she didn't want to leave so easily. She remembered that Master Bai had punished her by making her copy the Tao Te Ching three times, so she made up an excuse to knock on Zhuang Jinfu's study door.

"Come in." Her voice came from inside the door, like a phantom from a deep valley, making her sense of alienation from the world even clearer.

Ling Shu opened the door quietly, the creaking sound as if reminding her that she had entered the secluded dwelling of a master that most people wouldn't even dare to imagine.

Upon entering, the room was filled with the fragrance of books and ink. A desk was placed by the east window, piled high with uniform blue booklets. Zhuang Jinfu sat behind the desk, holding a brush and reviewing something.

"What is it?"

Ling Shu walked over with a smile: "Master, could you lend me a copy of the Tao Te Ching? Master Bai is punishing me to copy it three times, and I have to hand it in tomorrow."

Zhuang Jinfu glanced at the two rows of bookshelves on the west side of the room and said, "They're over there. Look for them." Then he continued writing something.

There was also a window on the west side. Not far from the window, in front of the bookshelf, there was a desk. On this desk were vases, pen holders, and other items. The most eye-catching items were the various shapes and sizes of the Qilin ornaments: Hetian jade Qilin, ceramic Qilin, small-leaf sandalwood Qilin... Some were majestic, some were cute and silly, and there were even pairs. Why did they collect different colors of the same shape?!

The desk was filled with a whole row of Qilin (mythical creatures).

Good heavens, how much does Zhuang Jinfu love Qilin?

On this desk were also brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. Ling Shu had a flash of inspiration: "Master, can I copy from here?"

Zhuang Jinfu glanced up at her amidst his busy schedule and said, "Okay."

Ling Shu approached the bookshelf, intending to find the Tao Te Ching among the rows of books such as Zuo Zhuan, Records of the Grand Historian, Chu Ci, and the Book of Songs. However, she accidentally kicked something. Looking down, she saw a cloth bag containing a pile of unorganized books. The bag was carelessly covered, and two characters could be seen through the gaps in the fabric.

Ling Shu couldn't believe her eyes.

"flirtatious……"

Hmm? What's so alluring about her? Ling Shu's curiosity was piqued, and she stole a glance at Zhuang Jinfu, who was sitting diagonally opposite her, engrossed in writing.

Ling Shu used magic to lift the covering cloth, and the full title of the book appeared before her eyes—"The Enchanting Demon Lord's Sweet Young Wife".

Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!! What on earth is that aloof, snow-white beauty looking at in private?!

"That's for you." Zhuang Jinfu's voice came suddenly from behind. Ling Shu turned around and met his icy face, feeling even more alienated.

Ling Shu pointed at herself: "Me? Bought for me?"

Zhuang Jinfu nodded seriously, as if he were talking about something perfectly normal: "Hai Gu said that I shouldn't be too strict with my disciple. I should teach in a fun way, balance learning and life, and give my disciple plenty of time to relax. She said that young people in the human world like to read storybooks. You must be bored recuperating alone in Qingxi Palace. She asked me to buy you some storybooks to pass the time."

Ling Shu pointed to the cloth bag, which was as big as a basket, and said, "But... this is way too much!!!"

Zhuang Jinfu's gaze froze as he pondered, then said, "Is it a lot? It won't be too much trouble for me to bring it back."

It's unimaginable what it would be like for Zhuang Jinfu, the number one true immortal in three hundred years, who is usually detached from worldly affairs, taciturn, and at the pinnacle of cultivation in the Shangqing Realm, to descend the mountain and go to a bookstore to buy a large number of popular novels for her!

Ling Shu was still reeling from the shock when Zhuang Jinfu said, "You're here just in time. Take everything with you when you leave. I have something to do and need to go out for a bit."

Zhuang Jinfu left as soon as she finished speaking, and Ling Shu only came to her senses after the door creaked shut. Zhuang Jinfu was gone, but her fragrance lingered in her study for a long time. Ling Shu sat down, leaned on the table, and poked a rounded Qilin statue on the table with her finger, her cheeks slowly turning an unnatural red.

She was left alone in the study. Ling Shu stroked the little Qilin's pointed horn and muttered to herself, "Don't be so good to me, or I'll become hopelessly addicted..."

After lying down for a while, Ling Shu didn't forget his business. When he found the Tao Te Ching and held it in his hand, he exclaimed, "Who can copy this three times in one day?!"

At noon, the sun was gloomy. Ling Shu had been copying all morning and was tired of it. She ate lunch alone and went into the study. After copying for a while, her hand was so sore that she went to look at the storybooks that Zhuang Jinfu had bought for her.

She randomly picked up a book, flipped through a few pages, and saw pictures of men and women engaging in sexual acts. Ling Shu blushed as she looked at them. Her mother was strict and never let her see these kinds of things, saying that they poisoned the minds of young people and that children shouldn't look at them.

She had also secretly looked at it, but not clearly, and didn't know the specifics.

Seeing this scene, Ling Shu's long-standing doubts were answered, but she had another question.

What should women do?

She flipped through all the storybooks, but not a single one spoke of love between women. Ling Shu was frustrated. She… coveted her master; was her affection destined to be unacceptable to the world? A pang of sorrow gripped her heart. If women and men could be together, why couldn't women be together? Was love between women not love?

Ling Shu sniffled, suppressing the bitter pain in her heart, and closed the books.

She didn't want to read any of them.

Just then, Hai Gu knocked on the door and came in to change the tea. Seeing Ling Shu's listless appearance, she quickly asked, "Miss Ling, what's wrong? Are you too tired from copying the book?"

Ling Shu replied listlessly, "No."

"The story doesn't suit your taste?" Hai Gu guessed right away.

Ling Shu poured herself a sip of cold tea, and ignoring Hai Gu's attempts to stop her, downed it in one gulp, saying in a low voice, "A little."

"Is it that you're not interested in the character design, or that the subject matter isn't fresh? Tell Aunt Hai, and Aunt Hai will buy you a new one." Aunt Hai has a round face, and her smile is both kind and gentle.

Ling Shu was a little embarrassed, but still asked, "Hai Gu, is it unacceptable for women to fall in love with each other?"

Hai Gu smiled and said, "What this world has in abundance is prejudice. Some people can't tolerate same-sex love, but Hai Gu thinks that love is love, and there's no reason why it has to be a male-female pairing. It's not uncommon for female cultivators to become Daoist partners. Didn't your mother Wen Ji and your mother, Sect Leader Wang, become Daoist partners? Why can't you understand it all of a sudden?"

Ling Shu thought sullenly how much infamy her mother had endured because of this relationship. Even Wang Lifu was ridiculed for many years because he was a woman who remarried.

"Then why isn't there a single storybook about love between women? Is it because the world doesn't accept it, so no one writes about it?"

Hai Gu suddenly realized and said easily, "Oh, you mean this? I went to buy storybooks with the Immortal Venerable. When we came back, the Immortal Venerable picked out some storybooks and told me to keep them safe."

"She... specifically picked out some to take out."

Hai Gu was completely unaware of Ling Shu's emotions: "It's strange, the Immortal Venerable selected stories about love between women."

Zhuang Jinfu doesn't want her to see these things... Does that mean he doesn't accept same-sex love between women?

"I want to see."

Without a second thought, Hai Gu took it out of her storage ring: "Immortal Venerable forbade me to take it out, but since he's not here now, Hai Gu will secretly show it to you."

Ling Shu exclaimed, "Hai Gu, you're so kind!"

Ling Shu took the two books: "Mistakenly Taking a Cunning Man for a Sweetheart" and "How to Escape After Accidentally Provoking a Dark and Powerful Minister." She opened them, read them carefully, and discovered a new world.

An hour later, Hai Gu took back the storybook, and Ling Shu reluctantly returned it, then obediently continued copying the Tao Te Ching.

When Zhuang Jinfu returned, it was 3:45 PM. She pushed open the door and glanced at Ling Shu, who was asleep at her desk. A gust of wind blew in through the window, blowing away two sheets of paper that Ling Shu had copied on her desk. Zhuang Jinfu walked over quietly, bent down and picked up the papers that had fallen to the ground.

Ling Shu's handwriting was crooked and twisted, like wild grass growing unchecked. Zhuang Jinfu couldn't help but chuckle. Just then, Ling Shu started talking in her sleep, which startled Zhuang Jinfu, who quickly put on her usual cold face, thinking that she was about to wake up. But it turned out to be just her talking in her sleep.

He walked to her desk, neatly stacked the messy, already copied "Tao Te Ching," and weighed it down with a jade unicorn. Just before leaving, he suddenly noticed the storybook hidden under Ling Shu's sleeve.

The storybook was opened, and she lay on it to sleep. The half of it that was exposed was an illustration of a man and woman making love. The original portrait of the man had been altered to that of a woman, and even the genitals had been changed to delicate fingers. The person who altered the portrait was not satisfied and drew a big X on it, and drew another one next to it...

A picture of women making love.

The brushstrokes are fluid, each stroke precise, depicting two figures, each with their own charm and distinct personality. The clothes of the person beneath them have slipped down to their arms, and white plum blossoms are painted on the hem of the skirt that hangs to the ground.

Zhuang Jinfu looked down and was shocked to find that the white plum blossoms on the skirt in the painting were exactly the same as those on her dress.

For once, Zhuang Jinfu's face flushed red.