What's even more outrageous is that he not only protected her, but even gave her his own identity, and he didn't complain even though she squandered his family fortune.
She simply couldn't understand what kind of relationship could make Master Sima so willing to sacrifice everything.
The man in black robes remained silent for a long while, not answering the steward's question, but instead speaking directly to the void above his head.
"My friends, you've been listening for long enough, haven't you?"
Now that they'd been recognized, Yan Qing and her companion came down quite readily. She even cheerfully greeted the housekeeper.
"Good day, housekeeper. I've actually been waiting for you."
Neither of them were stupid. As soon as Yan Qing said that, they realized that this girl must have suspected Sima Yuanwai's identity a long time ago.
"A clever girl, what a pity, you will stay here with us forever."
The man in black robes spoke, clearly not intending to let them go.
The steward, however, felt a pang of pity. "Master, thanks to you, this old man has managed to cling to life for so many years. He's had enough. Now that you're back, we can naturally start over. There's no need to argue with a little girl."
The man in the black robe looked at the dark coffin but said nothing.
A maniacal laugh came from inside the coffin: "Hahahaha, that's hilarious! You old codger, don't worry, he'll come with me!"
"Shut up!" The butler seemed to have reached his limit. "No matter what, even if it costs me my life, I'll kill you first!"
"Ha ha ha ha--"
Throughout the entire process, the man in the black robe remained silent.
Yan Qing tried to hold back, but ultimately couldn't control herself. She looked at the housekeeper and asked,
"Old sir, could it be that Tai Sui really exists in this world?"
She was initially just curious, but the butler's silence told her that it was actually true.
"It's a long story—" the butler was about to begin.
The man in black robes stood up. "Let me explain. After all, it all started because of me."
In the fourth year of Emperor Yuan Shundi's reign, Sima Yuanwai had just turned eighteen. At that time, the world was not at peace, but he insisted on going out to study. Young people are often fearless.
During this study tour, he met a woman of unparalleled beauty. They fell in love at first sight and pledged their lives to each other. However, the wealthy man, Sima, was already married, and the woman refused his advances, so she left alone.
Years later, on a stormy night, his wife fell seriously ill, and he was extremely anxious.
The woman came barefoot through the water, her whole body soaked.
She took out two pieces of pure white, jade-like flesh and gave them to Master Sima, telling him that these were two pieces of flesh from the divine creature Tai Sui, and that people only needed to eat them to achieve immortality.
By this time, Master Sima's feelings for the woman had long since faded, so he did not believe her words. However, the woman was extremely sincere and even ate a piece of the Tai Sui meat to prove her innocence.
In the end, in order to save his wife's life, he gave her the last piece of the Tai Sui meat.
However, his wife had been ill for a long time and had a weak stomach, so there was only a small piece of the Tai Sui meat left uneaten. The woman then persuaded him to eat it, saying that only in this way could he and his wife live together for a long time.
The flesh of the Tai Sui was indeed miraculous; the three of them were overwhelmed by its medicinal power and soon fell asleep.
When he woke up the next day, he found an exact replica of himself in the room.
In addition, there was a huge meat cage on the ground. It was pure white like jade and looked similar to the flesh of the Tai Sui he had eaten.
When he woke up, both the human and the monster were fast asleep.
However, both the woman and his wife had vanished without a trace.
Master Sima was extremely shocked. After seeing the clothes on the two men, he sat down on the ground with a thud.
The man who looked exactly like him was dressed in women's clothes. And the fleshy creature that resembled the Tai Sui was wearing his wife's clothes.
"I was so shocked at the time that I couldn't accept reality, so I cowardly ran away."
The man in the black robe spoke these words with endless regret on his face.
"Later, I spent two years traveling to several legendary hidden sects, and finally learned a very strange story from a disciple of a major sect."
"When Tai Sui appears, misfortune is sure to follow. But no one has ever known where Tai Sui comes from. That Xuanmen disciple told me that Tai Sui is not born, but is created by man."
The birth of Tai Sui requires an extremely rare opportunity. A woman, driven to despair, was tortured for over a hundred days but did not die, enduring three cruel tortures: having her emotions severed, her heart ripped out, and her soul devoured. Finally, she was abandoned in a place where yin energy gathers, and only after hundreds of years did she form a small Tai Sui flesh cage.
Then, it grows one inch every ten years, and only after thousands of years can it become the legendary "food that can grant immortality".
"The woman I met earlier was the true form of Tai Sui, named Mo Li."
The man in black robes gave another bitter laugh. "I later learned that I was actually the first man she met after she took human form. After we fell in love at first sight, she put me through several tests. The last test was her sudden departure."
"It's all my fault. I was really heartbroken when Mo Li left without explanation. But as time went by, it gradually faded away. After all, I'm already married, so I just treated it as a romantic encounter during my studies abroad."
"Who would have thought that she would come to me again a few years later, and it was when my wife was seriously ill. Although my wife, Ms. Luo, and I were not in love, we respected each other. Ms. Luo was very virtuous and did not forget to keep the housework even when she was seriously ill. I respected her very much."
"So when Mo Li told me that the flesh of the Tai Sui could save my wife's life, I agreed without hesitation. You'll know what happened next."
As the man in black robes spoke, the coffin trembled incessantly, and the fake "Master Sima" inside seemed particularly agitated, as if desperately trying to stop the man in black robes from continuing.
This time, the man in black robes did not do as he wished, but continued speaking on his own.
"Later, following the advice of a stranger, I spent four years finally finding the hermit Tai Xuanzong. After learning the truth, Tai Xuanzong sent a lay disciple to congratulate me. This person was none other than Master Mu's grandfather."
"Years later, I stepped back into the Sima Mansion, only to find it burned to the ground. The man who looked exactly like me was gone, but somewhere underground, Master Mu helped me find the dying Tai Sui meat cage buried in the earth."
“Unfortunately, I arrived too late. The Tai Sui flesh cage had already withered. Others may not know, but I know that it was my wife. It is all my fault that she became like this, so I begged Master Mu to separate my wife’s soul and send her to be reincarnated.”
"Although the Tai Sui meat cage has withered and died, it is still a divine object, and Heaven always leaves a glimmer of hope."
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