31 Journey to the West

◎I just made a mistake that all women make◎

"Why would I be angry?" Ying Jianhua retorted.

Du Zhijin did not answer, but pulled over a stool and tried to sit down next to him, but was stopped by his sharp eyes.

She awkwardly withdrew her hand, then simply squatted down in front of him and looked up to observe his expression.

He dodged it, and sure enough, he got angry.

She decided to test the waters.

In the first round, a friendly invitation was extended. Du Zhijin: "Xiao Hong said there's a show downstairs tonight, are you going?"

Ying Jianhua Ning could maintain an awkward posture, straining her neck, but still wouldn't look at her. Even so, she continued to quip wittily: "I'm not going. What play could be as good as yesterday's?"

Du Zhijin touched his nose.

"That wasn't...that wasn't a misunderstanding...it was explained later."

He finally turned and glanced at her, but his gaze was as cold as ice, and his words sent a chill down one's spine: "Ha, so this is my fault?"

"No, no, no, it's definitely not your fault." She shook her head vigorously, her will to survive was extremely strong.

"So it's your little red's fault?"

Du Zhijin: "Uh, it's my fault, it's my fault for not guarding the door..." Before he could finish speaking, he saw Du Zhijin suddenly turn his face away again, and he felt his head was about to explode.

Why is she getting even angrier? Someone save her! Didn't Master teach her this?

Silence, a long silence. Ying Jianhua waited for a while, originally thinking she would say a few more words, but found that her eyes were unfocused and she wouldn't speak, as if there was a hole in her chest, and she was even panting for breath.

She noticed and eagerly offered him a teacup: "Have some water to calm your nerves."

He took a sip from her hand, then looked down and saw her secretly massaging her leg with one hand. The anger in his throat subsided considerably as the cold water went down his throat: "...You can leave now. I'm not angry with you."

He was angry at himself for making trouble out of nothing. It had nothing to do with him, yet he was still restless and unable to sleep because of it.

So what if Du Zhijin is bewitched by the fox demon?

Touching his tightly pursed lips, Du Zhijin knew he was lying, but unable to find a way to comfort him, she had no choice but to give up.

On her way downstairs, she encountered Jiangwei, who was intently forging a sword tassel. This was the third sword tassel he had made, and she believed that he could make a living with this craft.

"My benefactor." Upon seeing her, Jiangwei quickly put down what she was doing and waved to her excitedly.

Du Zhijin did not correct his wording, but walked to the table, sat down, and let out a long sigh.

Jiangwei: "Is my benefactor troubled?"

She nodded, intending to ask him if he had any ways to improve someone's mood, but then she remembered that this matter was also related to him, and swallowed the words she was about to say.

Jiangwei noticed her hesitation and smiled slightly: "It's alright if my benefactor doesn't want to tell me. However, I know a tavern in town that is said to make people forget their worries. If my benefactor is really troubled, why don't you go there for a while?"

What a great idea! So thoughtful and considerate.

Du Zhijin was somewhat intrigued and asked, "Where?"

Jiangwei wasn't lying; there really was a Worry-Free Tavern in town, which was thriving, with people crowding both inside and outside the courtyard.

A faint aroma of wine wafted into her mouth on the night breeze, and a small sip was enough to induce a feeling of intoxication, making her even more curious about the shop.

Knowing that she was unwilling to tell him her troubles for the time being, Jiangwei took her leave after seeing her off. Du Zhijin casually ordered a pot of "Nanke" tea, but due to the limited seating, he had to share a table with others.

She shared a table with a woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties. She was dressed smartly, with an empty wine jug lying askew in front of her and her face flushed.

Du Zhijin kindly removed the empty wine pot from her cup, but she immediately drank another large potful and slammed the wine cup onto the table.

"My life is so miserable!"

Huh? Are you talking to her?

Du Zhijin looked around and saw that the woman's gaze was fixed on him, so he sat up straight.

He probably hoped she would respond, otherwise it would just be talking to himself.

What do you mean?

The woman leaned closer, and a strong smell of alcohol wafted over me—it was strong, but not unpleasant.

She sighed and counted on her fingers, inexplicably starting a conversation: "The first one was too weak, like a boiled chicken, he couldn't even carry a pig!"

Du Zhijin didn't know how to react, so he could only bite the bullet and keep talking until the Nanke wine was served.

"That's definitely not appropriate."

"Right! I think so too! They all say he's a scholar, and quite handsome. Such a good man is hard to find these days!" Hearing this, the woman's eyes lit up, and she rolled up her sleeves and patted her muscles. "At the very least, he should be as strong as me!"

Du Zhijin nodded.

If the true men in the sect want to form a Daoist couple, the first thing they look at is cultivation level; the cultivation level must not be lower than their own by one realm.

With someone to play the straight man, the woman got more and more into it, and without any hesitation, patted her arm and said, "Hey, you're not bad either." Then she changed the subject and started complaining about the second one, "The second one is really strong, he can kill a whole pig by himself. But he's not as good-looking as the first one, he looks kind of silly."

Du Zhijin wholeheartedly agreed.

Appearance is also important.

When the Nanke wine was served, Du Zhijin poured herself a glass and also poured one for the woman at the table. The woman thanked her for her kindness and continued, "As for the third one... his looks and figure are so-so, barely passable. But he has a fiancée, and I seriously suspect he's no longer a virgin, which won't do."

“Indeed, if one’s vital energy is depleted, some skills become unusable.” She was speaking entirely from a professional cultivation perspective, but she didn’t expect that her unintentional remark would strike a nerve with someone.

The woman slapped her thigh and pointed at her, saying, "Yes, yes, I've finally met someone who understands me. What's your name? My name is Huo Bai, and I'm the young master of Huo's Pork Shop. Let's be friends."

No wonder they say "those who can't carry pigs don't want them," turns out he's the young master of a pork shop. Du Zhijin then introduced himself, still calling himself Mu Yishui.

“Mu Mei, if only my family thought the same way you do.” Huo Bai held his wine glass and suddenly sighed. “This fourth one is a virgin. But he has two younger brothers. It’s obvious he’ll take money from my family to support his own. My family has some assets, but we can’t afford his squandering. I must find someone with a clean background who doesn’t care about money.”

Just as Huo Bai was getting started on her "fifth" list, Du Zhijin quickly interrupted her: "Miss Huo, you've mentioned so many people, are you going to choose one as your husband?"

Huo Bai blinked, his tone ambiguous: "No, there's more than one. After all, that Scholar Liu is really handsome, the maid is strong and healthy, Xiao Guo has experience serving people, and Meng'er is gentle and considerate... Oh dear, I just made a mistake that all women make. Tell me, was I wrong?"

Du Zhijin shook his head hesitantly.

Since men can have three wives and four concubines, and all beings are equal, women can certainly have three husbands and four wives.

She had only been in the mortal world for a short time, spending her time either exorcising demons or on her way to exorcise demons. She was unfamiliar with many of the rules and regulations of the lower realms, so she listened with great eagerness and decided to study hard.

“Choosing a man is an art, making a man devoted to you is an art, and knowing how to keep a man in line and not meddle in other people’s business is also an art.” As he spoke, Huo Bai closed his eyes in pain. “I have mastered the first two arts, but I don’t know how to do the last one.”

Du Zhijin moved his chair closer to her, listening attentively.

Huo Bai said, "For example, the day before yesterday I gave Liu Xiucai a writing brush, and Xiao Guo found out right away. He is also literate. Should I buy one for Liu Xiucai or not? Of course I should buy one for him! Otherwise, he'll turn around and cry to you, 'You only hear the new bride crying, but you don't see the old bride laughing.'"

"Alright, these two are useful calligraphy brushes, so we'll buy them. But what are these illiterate people doing getting involved? If they don't buy anything, we won't let them in. What's worse, some of them went to other people's houses, smashed the calligraphy brushes, and then the two of them started fighting. Isn't that ridiculous!"

As he spoke, Huo Bai wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes, his brows furrowed in worry: "Oh, and another thing. The time before last, Scholar Liu gave me a fan, and when I went to Meng'er's place, he saw it. Damn it, I can't read, how was I supposed to know that Scholar Liu had left his name on the fan? Of course, Meng'er made a scene when he saw it. He's stubborn, and when he gets angry, he doesn't care about anything else, and he slashed a long line across my neck."

"Look," Huo Bai said, pulling down his collar to show her. Sure enough, there was a faint red mark on her neck.

Du Zhijin frowned slightly: "You're so reckless?"

Huo Bai smiled shyly upon hearing this: "Sometimes I just like someone a little feisty. But you must remember, it's best to keep someone like that outside, but you absolutely cannot bring her into the house, otherwise, tsk tsk tsk, the household will be in turmoil!"

Perhaps it was the alcohol on Nan Ke's head, but Huo Bai kept talking to her for a long time. Du Zhijin listened while drinking; after all, she had cultivation, so she could drink as much as she wanted without any problem.

Finally, Huo Bai collapsed first, but before he fell, he didn't forget to settle the bill for the drinks: "I wish we had met sooner, this meal is on me! Next time, next time you have the chance, come to my house for braised pig's head!"

"Definitely, definitely," she said casually, helping Huo Bai into her family's carriage. Before parting, Huo Bai seemed to suddenly remember something, leaning out of the carriage and saying to her, "Actually, if you want to control them, there's another way."

Du Zhijin: "What method?"

Huo Bai flashed a big smile: "Hey, just pretend you're drunk and cling to him like crazy! Trust me, no man can resist your charm!"

really?

After seeing Huo Baihou off, she fell into deep thought.

Pretending to be drunk... Could it be? Alcohol emboldens cowards? But if Doctor Ying saw her, his first reaction would probably be to blame her for drinking and harming her health... Just as she was thinking about Doctor Ying, the moment she stepped out of the Worry-Free Tavern, she saw a familiar figure.

She wondered if she was hallucinating. As she rubbed her eyes, the familiar figure drew closer and closer until it was right in front of her.

Now I can see clearly, it really is Dr. Ying.

She immediately stood up straight and asked hesitantly, "Why are you here?"

"If I don't come, do you want to drink here until dawn?" Ying Jianhua said irritably.

She was about to say that she hadn't drunk much, but remembering Huo Bai's instructions, she guiltily changed her words: "Um... I'm drunk."

"He must have been drunk and confused. Otherwise, why would Amo have come back to pick me up? He's still angry with me."

Ying Jianhua choked and tried to pull her away, but the sword cultivator had a trick up his sleeve and stood still as immovable as a mountain.

Helpless, he held up one finger: "Can you see it clearly? How many is this?"

She winked and mimicked Huo Bai's dazed look, saying, "Amo."

Ying Jianhua frowned: "I didn't ask you to call for help. I'm asking you how many fingers this is?" He held up another finger, making a total of two, which Du Zhijin grabbed.

She said, "One is an angry Amo, and the other is a calm Amo. Which one are you?"

The painting should depict: "...angry."

She shook her head, let go of the two swords, and refused to leave the ground: "I want Amo who isn't angry to come and get me."

Ying Jianhua laughed and said, "Then you wait." After saying that, she took two steps forward in a huff. After walking a distance, she couldn't help but look back. Seeing that she was still standing there blankly, a trace of pity flashed through her heart.

The two remained at a distance for a while, until he finally lost his temper, pursed his lips, walked back to her side, and stiffly tugged at her arm.

On the first try, it didn't budge.

He ground his back teeth, hating her identity as a sword cultivator for the first time.

How can the gap between them and ordinary people be so huge?

After a moment, he sighed, "This is the Mo who isn't angry now."

"Really?" Upon hearing this, she jumped up from the ground, took his hand, and said with a smile, "Then let's go home."

Ying Jianhua opened her mouth, wanting to say something sarcastic again, but when she glanced at her crystal-clear eyes, she couldn't bring herself to say anything harsh.

She actually cares about him.

Having resolved a worry, Du Zhijin walked briskly, already planning to visit Huo Bai the next day to express his gratitude.

Ying Jianhua, who had been holding her hand the whole way, fell into an eerie silence.

As they approached the inn's entrance, she snapped out of her daze and asked him, "By the way, Amo, how did you know I was at the Worry-Free Tavern?"

Ying Jianhua regained her composure and subconsciously replied, "Jiangwei told me."

After he finished speaking, he froze for a moment, then secretly glanced at her expression out of the corner of his eye.

Since we've mentioned Crimson Tail, could it be that she...

However, Du Zhijin merely responded lightly, as if he hadn't even thought of the demon Jiangwei.

My heart, which had been clenched so tightly, relaxed again.

He didn't know why he cared so much, but he just didn't want her attention to be taken away.

"Would you like some hangover soup? I'll go make you a bowl."

"Okay." She smiled.

The two entered the brightly lit room, and their shadows disappeared inside.

So no one saw the crimson tail gazing intently from the shadows for a long time.