"At first we thought Eleventh Sister was deceiving us, but now we realize that this Madam Xu is truly an interesting person!"
Speaking of Gushe, there's actually a complicated story behind it—Dong Shuangcheng was punished by the Queen Mother of the West for failing to properly guard the Glazed Vase and was sent into reincarnation. Gushe was on good terms with him, so she also didn't have a good attitude towards Xu Milu, who exposed the matter.
But now, it seems as if the other party has forgotten about this incident.
"I just saw Fairy Xu wandering around this mountain for quite a while. Is she looking for someone?"
After laughing, Gu She's face returned to its original cold expression—she was originally created by the Queen Mother of the West from ice and snow, and by nature she was a cold-hearted person.
Xu Milu thought to herself that Wuzhuang Temple wasn't far from Kunlun. Mortals might not have heard of this place, but the Jade Pool Fairy would definitely know it. So she followed the lead and said:
"To be honest, I've heard that there's a Longevity Mountain here, and on that mountain is the Wuzhuang Temple, where a true immortal resides. That's why I've been thinking of paying my respects. I wonder if Sister Gushe could point me in the right direction?"
"Wuzhuang Temple?"
Gu She nodded, then pointed to the highest peak in the continuous mountain range below the clouds and said:
"That is Longevity Mountain. Wuzhuang Temple is a place for people to cultivate in peace and harmony with the world. If an ordinary person were to visit, the gatekeeper would certainly not let them in."
The young Taoist has been herding cattle in the mountains these past few days. If you wish to enter Wuzhuang Temple, you should wait for him on the mountain.
At this point, she slightly raised her eyes and pointed:
"That cowherd is the most favored boy of the world-renowned king. He is now three thousand three hundred and sixty years old, at the age when he is greedy and loves human food the most. If you give him some benefits, he might be able to introduce you to someone."
A child who is 3,360 years old?
So how old are you all?
Xu Milu glanced at the beautiful female immortals chattering around her, but swallowed the question.
Even if the other person is a fairy, it would be rather abrupt to ask their age directly.
...
...
After receiving guidance from Gu She, Xu Milu jumped down from the clouds and squatted at the foot of Longevity Mountain—and ended up squatting there for three days.
"Crackling, crackling crackling..."
In the newly dug snow cave, Xu Milu skillfully tossed a piece of dry firewood into the fire.
She left the fire spirit and two bean lamps with Chenxiang for self-defense when she went out this time. Although she was not afraid of the cold, Xu Milu still lit a campfire to mark the occasion.
Xu Milu's mindset hadn't completely shifted from that of a mortal to a demon. Even in this quiet place where she could hear the snow falling, she subconsciously still felt the need for fire to keep warm.
It has been snowing on the mountain for the past few days. When the snow is heavy, large flakes of snowflakes fall from the sky, creating a magnificent spectacle like the Milky Way falling from the heavens and the Milky Way tilting. All she could see was a vast expanse of white and specks of dark ink, as if she had stumbled into a traditional Chinese ink painting.
Outside the cave, snow was falling heavily, but inside the snowdrift, it was warm as spring. Xu Milu picked up a twig, rummaged through the charcoal fire, and pulled out a few roasted sweet potatoes with charred skin.
The heat was too high, and the sweet potato skin, along with the flesh, was roasted into a charred crust that felt hard to the touch. Only after tearing it open could you see the golden, soft, honey-like flesh inside.
Peel off the hard, carbonized outer shell, and inside is the flesh that has been roasted to release its sugars. Under high temperatures, the inside of the sweet potato becomes soft and fluffy, almost like honey. One sip fills your mouth with sweetness, along with the unique aroma of charcoal roasting.
—Roasted sweet potatoes taste best at this time of year, but you shouldn't eat too many, or you'll have a lot of flatulence.
After finishing three sweet potatoes, Xu Milu reached into her sleeve and pulled out a handful of raw chestnuts in their shells. She then used her hands as claws to make small cuts in each chestnut before tossing them into the ashes of the burnt-out chestnuts to roast slowly.
Before long, the aroma of roasted nuts wafted from the fire.
Ever since she met a group of mountain spirits, Xu Milu has never lacked dried fruit to eat, such as mountain chestnuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, and wild ginkgo nuts. Hu Silang even calculates the amount of dried fruit delivered to the Mountain and Sea Restaurant by the "cart".
Besides having many cubs, the fox family also had a lot of mountain produce. As the year drew to a close, Old Hu's house was stocked with even more grain, which was probably driven by their nature.
Last year, when she visited Old Hu's house, she happened to witness a weasel spirit stealing the winter food stored by a wild boar spirit. The weasel had taken all the chestnuts and hazelnuts that filled the entire cave. This angered the wild boar spirit's lover, the black bear spirit, who stood in front of the mountain and argued with the weasel all night.
Others insult people without using vulgar language, but these demons only use vulgar language and nothing else. Things like "go to your mother," "be your father," and "I raised your mother" are considered civilized.
Xu Milu peeled a raw chestnut, put it in her mouth, and chewed it.
Yes, raw chestnuts are delicious too, they're so sweet.
...
...
Gu She didn't lie to her; Wuzhuang Temple is located on this mountain.
Amidst a blizzard, atop the mountain stands a tranquil and elegant, imposing complex of buildings. From afar, one can see the pavilions, terraces, and waterside pavilions within the temple grounds.
Then one sees patches of emerald green, lush and verdant, with flowers blooming and willows swaying, as if forming a small world of its own. The temple gate is not as quiet and elegant as an ordinary Taoist temple, but rather like a golden building adorned with gold and silver. The golden house and jade building echo each other in the greenery, with a deep white snow scene in the background. Looking at it for a long time always makes one feel dazed.
Every time Xu Milu tried to get closer, the mountain gate would move further away from her. Sometimes it looked very close, but by the time she rode the cloud to catch up, the Taoist temple had disappeared.
Sometimes its shadow is in the sky, reflecting the hazy snow; sometimes its shadow is in the water, where the falling snow breaks apart, leaving only ripples that are impossible to catch.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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