Chapter 4 Emerald Vegetables, A Sparkling Encounter
Wanfulou, Tianzi Room.
"Gugugu Gouga".
Cai Cai was jumping and hopping around, munching on the plate of food on the ground. Ah! A chicken was so happy about the plate of food that it almost fainted.
Zhang Xuan had just changed his hair ornament. Looking at the yellowish-brown chick dancing on the ground, he said speechlessly, "You mean, this chicken mistook my jade hair ornament for a vegetable, so it fell from the sky and pecked my head, is that right...?"
Across the table, Qingyu hissed softly. This fact was indeed hard to understand.
For a moment, she didn't know what to say. She looked at Wen Chuan, blinking her eyes repeatedly, "Say something, Cai Cai's owner, say something!"
Wen Chuan: "..."
He looked at the chicken happily eating on the ground and was at a loss for words. He couldn't believe that a chicken could love vegetables to this extent.
Wen Chuan first apologized to Zhang Xuan, then earnestly asked him why.
“Cai Cai is my beloved pet. I have raised it for a long time and I don’t want to see it on the cutting board. But I have nothing to say about the offensive thing it did. Why don’t you tell me how to apologize, Mr. Zhang?”
Zhang Xuan sat down in the chair with a flourish, no longer angry, but it was really funny. That chicken had fallen from the sky on the street, and if he hadn't seen in time that it was a free-range chicken and was afraid of blood splattering on him, the chicken would probably have died by his knife long ago.
He looked at Qingyu and Wenchuan opposite him. The two of them looked serious and innocent, and for a moment they didn't know what to do. But when he looked at the happy chicken on the ground, he choked again and was so angry that he didn't want to let it go.
Overwhelmed by a complex mix of emotions, Zhang Xuan finally gritted his teeth, turned his head away, and said, "I don't know!"
There was a moment of silence.
(Only the sound of chickens pecking at vegetables remains)
Qingyu: "..."
It was already past 7 PM, getting dark, and she had found the chicken. She was tired and wanted to go home.
"Gougou—ga!"
Cai Cai looked up, and the chicken's neck was lifted up again. It flapped its wings and raised its head—Qing Yu glared at it fiercely, "Behave yourself, you chicken!"
Before Cai Cai could react, Qing Yu slammed it onto the table.
"You've committed a grave mistake by running away from home, and you're so blind you can't even recognize jade. We can't control you anymore. Saving you from certain death is all we can do. Now, go with Young Master Zhang and become a beast of burden for him. Apart from your life, everything else is up to Young Master Zhang!"
"Hook, hook, hook...hook!!!"
Before Zhang Xuan could react, he noticed that the once proud and spirited little yellow chick on the table had changed its expression (?), and its two dark little eyes were now covered with tears...
"This...this chicken is crying?!"
Zhang Xuan was both bewildered and astonished. He had never imagined that a cultivator would keep a chicken as a pet, let alone one that was so intelligent and perceptive. The young master, who had never kept a spirit pet before, was astonished. Was this even possible?
Qingyu didn't care about all that. She looked at Zhang Xuan and said, "Young Master Zhang, you've seen it too. Cai Cai is very intelligent. It made a mistake and made amends on its own. Except for its life, you can do whatever you want with it."
After saying that, she turned to look at Wen Chuan, who nodded slightly, agreeing with Qing Yu's suggestion.
Zhang Xuan fell silent. In the flickering lamplight, he and the chicken stared at each other.
Do you know that your master doesn't want you anymore?
I'm crying, I'm crying, I apologize to you, pinky promise.
Stop crying, you look ugly when you cry.
I'm crying, I'm crying, let me go, pinky promise.
Oh, you look so ugly when you cry!
Ah, goo goo da ah!!!
Zhang Xuan frowned, thinking, "What is this? Why would I want this chicken? It's not like I don't like vegetables!" Besides, he really couldn't stand the chicken's mournful face.
"Fine, fine! This young master won't hold a grudge against a chick! You can take it with you!"
After saying that, Zhang Xuan leaned back, closed his eyes, crossed his arms, and turned his head away from the ugly chicken.
Seeing this, Wen Chuan and Qing Yu exchanged a glance. Qing Yu took a step back, and Wen Chuan put the chicken down on the table. The two then looked at Zhang Xuan across from them.
His brocade robe was slightly disheveled, and he wore a newly changed white jade crown. He had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and his puffed-up appearance and messy hair softened his features. His height was not much different from that of a young man, but judging from his temperament, he was only sixteen or seventeen years old. Beside him was a long black jade sword with a reddish tinge, a blend of elegance and spirit.
He had his arms crossed, and there were several red marks on his hands—from being pecked by Cai Cai.
The two of them thought that Cai Cai's cooking was indeed wrong.
...
Wen Chuan and Qing Yu left Wan Fu Lou, and Cai Cai followed the two men with her two little legs. The two of them and the chicken walked in the cool night air.
Zhang Xuan leaned against the windowsill, watching their retreating figures. The Blood Moon sword in his hand trembled slightly, but he suppressed it. This sword had been like this ever since it arrived in Qingshui; it was probably due to acclimatization issues.
Thinking this way, Zhang Xuan felt that today's events were also his bad luck. Looking at Qing Yu and Wen Chuan's backs below, he also felt a bit of novelty.
Putting everything else aside, the rogue cultivators in Haicheng are all quite good-looking.
Without turning my gaze, I saw a tan-colored chicken clumsily hurrying along, its two legs chubby and pitiful.
Zhang Xuan's lips twitched. His tastes were just too unique, and his pet was too ugly.
On my way home.
Cai Cai tucked its wings up and tried its best to keep up with its owners. Perhaps as punishment, Qing Yu and Wen Chuan walked exceptionally fast.
It was so terrified of what it had just been done that it didn't dare to make a "hook" sound and just followed clumsily behind, looking quite pitiful.
Qingyu and Wenchuan ignored it, but they walked a little faster in tacit agreement. As they walked ahead, the closer they got to the coast, the fewer people there were, and the brighter the moonlight became.
Qingyu: "Wenchuan, that Zhang Xuan, is he new to Qingshui City?"
Wen Chuan: "Yes, it should be related to the new city lord."
Qingyu frowned slightly. "His knife is interesting. It seems to be able to sense that I am a demon."
Zhang Xuan was sitting there, and the knife didn't move, but Qing Yu still vaguely sensed that the knife was somewhat hostile towards her. She didn't want to get involved in unnecessary trouble, so she hurriedly left.
Wen Chuan: "It's alright. Dao can sense it, but he might not."
He turned to look at the girl beside him; she hadn't been in high spirits since they came out of Wanfulou.
He asked, "What's wrong?"
Qingyu didn't answer. She kicked a pebble at her feet, and the pebble rolled forward and quickly disappeared into the night.
The road to Qingshui is narrow, and it leads back to the coast. There are many piles of stones around it, and the wind blows through the sparse stones. The moonlight is as clear as water.
As the occasional light streaked by, their shadows overlapped and then separated on the ground.
She lowered her eyes slightly: "It's nothing."
...
The following day, at the city lord's mansion.
Zhang Ling sat upright in his study, intently reviewing the various arrangements for the inauguration banquet.
The maidservant beside her stepped forward lightly: "Madam, the servant I sent out has reported that something suddenly happened to the chef at Wanfulou yesterday, and his position as head chef at the banquet is probably..."
Zhang Ling frowned; "This is so sudden. The inauguration banquet is in three days. How are the procurement arrangements?"
Maid: "It's basically ready, but the ingredients need to be fresh that day. There's been an accident with the head chef at Wanfulou, so that's something to worry about..."
"Okay, you can go now."
Zhang Ling put down the ledger, rubbed her temples wearily, and thought about the matter again. She had thought that since she and her husband Li Yan were new to Qingshui and not familiar with the local food customs, she had specially found the largest restaurant in the area to be in charge of the banquet food. She never expected such a coincidence to happen.
Seeing Zhang Ling's predicament, the maidservant stepped forward again: "Madam, the servant we sent out before also said that Linfengtai outside Qingshui City is also a famous restaurant in Qingshui, but its location is remote, so its reputation is not as good as Wanfulou."
Zhang Ling looked up: "Linfeng Terrace?"
The maidservant respectfully replied, "Yes, Madam. Linfengtai is located near the eastern coast. We originally wanted to take advantage of the auspicious name of Linfengtai, but some things have happened on the eastern coast in recent years, and people have gradually stopped going there. As a result, business at Linfengtai has also declined. However, in terms of the taste of the food, the chefs at Linfengtai are no worse than those at Wanfulou."
Zhang Ling paused for a few moments, then tapped the gift list on the table.
As a newlywed, she had come with her husband from Shengjing to such a far place to take up his post. It would be better to discuss some things with Li Yan so that the couple could have more topics to talk about. In any case, once she made a decision, she would arrange it properly so as not to trouble Li Yan.
With that in mind, Zhang Ling had some soup prepared and went to find Li Yan herself.
...
"Madam, what brings you here?"
Li Yan looked at Zhang Ling, who was smiling slightly. He had just taken office and was in a place he had never been before, so the two of them were quite busy for a while.
Zhang Ling smiled and put the food box aside. She turned to Li Yan and told him what had just happened. She also thanked him for his hard work and prepared some calming lotus seed soup for him.
Li Yan held Zhang Ling's hand, helped her sit down, and said gently, "Then let's contact Linfeng Terrace to prepare for the banquet, so that Madam won't have to worry about it anymore."
Zhang Ling smiled, the sunlight shining on her fair face, making her even more beautiful. "Well, that's fine. I came here to tell my husband that the invitations to the banquet have all been sent out, and the gifts from various families in Shengjing have been counted and stored. Everything is just waiting for the day of the banquet before I take office."
Upon hearing this, a hint of a smile flashed in Li Yan's eyes. He came from an ordinary background, but fortunately, he achieved the third-highest rank in the imperial examinations this year thanks to his learning. He was also appreciated by Prime Minister Zhang and married a woman from the Zhang family, which was his good fortune.
"Madam, you've had a long journey. I wonder if Ah Xuan and Lord Lin will be attending the banquet?"
Zhang Ling smiled gently and said to Li Yan, "I can't say for sure. My husband knows that cultivators are free-spirited and their whereabouts are always unpredictable. Besides, even I don't know where my younger brother has gone to play these days. As long as we have observed the proper etiquette, that's fine."
This is no lie. Zhang Xuan is the only boy in the Zhang family this generation. Even if he quarrels with his father and wants to become a cultivator, he is destined to be the head of the Zhang family in the future. Although Lin Fengdu has no official position, he comes from the Lin clan, which specializes in spiritual divination and medicine. He is always mysterious when he goes out. If he hadn't promised his father to protect Zhang Xuan all the way, they probably would never have met such a person in their lifetime.
Li Yan nodded. Putting everything else aside, he and Zhang Ling hadn't seen Zhang Xuan and Lin Fengdu in the few days since they entered the city. After all, Zhang Xuan had said he would tell Zhang Ling before leaving, so it wouldn't be impolite to say goodbye then. Besides, sending off the two great gods quietly would save a lot of trouble.
After saying this, the couple engaged in another round of quiet conversation.
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