47. Qingcheng Snow Mountain Tells a Story of Warmth
◎Beautiful Hot Springs◎
Yan Yunzhao continued forward, but the fog seemed to be surrounding her consciously, and she couldn't get out no matter what she did.
"Concentrate, don't be deceived by appearances."
That indifferent voice echoed in her ears, and after uttering those words, he said nothing more. Brother Qinglong's voice was somewhat similar to Lou Su's, except that Lou Su's voice was as clear and warm as spring water, while this voice was somewhat distant and cold.
Following his instructions, Yan Yunzhao focused her mind and calmed her spirit. The path, invisible to the naked eye, could be discerned by the flow of spiritual energy around her. She followed the faintly visible path, and after walking only a few miles, the sky suddenly brightened.
She opened her eyes and looked around. The surrounding scenery was no longer the gray fog, but a green, grassy hill. She stepped onto the hill, and a few steps further, there was a standing stone.
This stone looks like a monument that should have been inscribed with words, but it's completely bare, with nothing on it.
Yan Yunzhao placed his hand on the stone, but was shaken back a few steps by the strong flow of spiritual energy inside the stone.
The voice appeared again: "...trying to merge into it."
"Why should I listen to you? What do you want from bringing me here?"
Yan Yunzhao could only deduce that this was probably the spirit's spiritual space, but why did it insist on guiding him to touch that stone?
"If you want to find the Japanese raisin tree, just do this."
After thinking it over carefully, Yan Yunzhao obediently placed her hand on the stone. This time, she lowered her guard, gathered her spiritual energy in her palm, and felt the connection between herself and the stone.
The Azure Dragon Jade Pendant is Lou Su's divine artifact, so it probably wouldn't harm her.
As Yan Yunzhao thought about it, he increased the pressure on his hand.
The stone was hard, but when the spiritual energy of the two mingled, she felt as if she could touch the soft, warm substance within it. A burning sensation flowed from her palm to her brow, and she slowly opened her eyes. The surroundings had returned to the familiar bustling city she had just been in.
The only difference was that she felt her magical power had suddenly increased by several levels.
The jade pendant spoke, "Lord Wuxiang has always been my master, and now you are too."
Yan Yunzhao was somewhat bewildered: "Why would you acknowledge me as your master?"
"A divine artifact made of spiritual marrow recognizes only two masters in its lifetime, and the one accepted by Lord Wuxiang is also my master."
What master and what master recognition? It all made her head spin, but she roughly figured out what was going on.
"It might not be appropriate to call you Brother Qinglong anymore," Yan Yunzhao pondered for a long time before hesitating, "Then what should I call you from now on? Xiao Pei? Pei Pei?"
"...Please make yourself at home."
After completing that simple initiation ceremony, Xiao Pei's tone softened considerably. But to be fair, Xiao Pei, with her temper, was still more interesting.
"I forgot to mention. It's already hard to find jujube trees nearby, and the journey is long and arduous, which is why Master Wuxiang specially ordered me to come and help. Right now, I have plenty of magical power and can use the Shrinking Earth technique. He's waiting for you in Qingcheng."
"I see."
Yan Yunzhao hadn't used the Shrinking Earth Technique for many years, so he was a bit rusty. He wandered around in the deserted alley for a long time before finally arriving at the place called Qingcheng.
This city is located in the southern part of Daqi, very close to the capital, and has always been famous for its spring tea and winter snow bathing.
Without giving an ultimatum, Yan Yunzhao found a spot on the city wall to hide and quietly jumped over. Qingcheng had far more people than Lixi Town, and it was bustling with activity. With the festival approaching, bright red paper lanterns were hung on the eaves of the blue brick houses.
Yan Yunzhao looked around, enjoying the sights, before leisurely strolling to the inn Lou Su had mentioned. Outside the inn, a young man in a dark robe, holding an oil-paper umbrella, smiled and turned back, waiting for her to approach.
Lou Su usually wears plain-colored clothes, but today he is wearing dark-colored clothes, which makes his skin look as white as snow, not much different from a woman's skin, adding a touch of bewitching charm.
Yan Yunzhao was stunned for a moment before noticing his outstretched hand.
"You look very good in dark clothes."
She took Lou Su's warm hand and couldn't help but offer a few words of praise.
Lou Su's smile deepened: "It's rare for Zhao Zhao to travel with me, so naturally things should be different. It's chilly outside, let's go into the inn to bathe and rest."
With that, he put away his oil-paper umbrella and led Yan Yunzhao into the shop. The two of them went in hand in hand, attracting the attention of many people in the inn.
Upon seeing two distinguished guests, the waiter quickly approached them: "Would you like some tea or a place to stay?"
Lou Su replied, "May I stay the night?"
"Alright." The waiter's eyes lingered on the two of them. "You two have come at the perfect time. Our inn happens to only have one of our best rooms left. We'll take you up there right away."
Yan Yunzhao inadvertently caught a glimpse of a faint smile on Lou Su's lips: Is this person doing this on purpose?
Upon entering the room, it was indeed as the waiter had said: the room was nice, and more importantly, there was a spacious bed.
She looked around the room: was this the only bed?
"I'm afraid Zhao Zhao will have to squeeze in with me today."
Lou Su smiled, seemingly in a good mood, but a hint of dissatisfaction flashed across his face when he glanced at the bed: This bed is still a bit too big.
Yan Yunzhao shook her head helplessly, thinking to herself that her husband really had a lot of ulterior motives. However, it was still early, and they could enjoy the scenery of Qingcheng.
Leaving the inn, Yan Yunzhao led Lou Su straight to the market, asking where they could buy Japanese raisin tree fruit for brewing wine. Qingcheng was rich in produce, with many kinds of rare and exotic fruits. Before even reaching the place selling Japanese raisin tree fruit, Yan Yunzhao's eyes were drawn to a fruit with a unique fragrance.
The stall was laden with fruit, including common fruits like peaches and pears, but the unusual fragrance didn't emanate from any of them. Yan Yunzhao's gaze fell on a basket of dark, glistening fruit in the corner.
The fruit was the size of a walnut, completely black, and clearly not a sweet fruit, but Yan Yunzhao was certain that the strange fragrance was coming from it.
This ingredient has a crisp, refreshing flavor with a hint of pear aroma, a sweet and spicy taste that is quite pleasant. I wonder if it would retain this flavor if used for brewing?
Seeing her stop, the shopkeeper explained, "This is a wild fruit unique to Qingcheng. It cannot be eaten directly, but it can be used to make spices or as a seasoning."
Yan Yunzhao was overjoyed; this item was exactly what she wanted. She paid for it readily and then went to a shop to buy some dried jujubes. Only then could she truly consider her trip's purpose fulfilled.
As she pondered how to infuse fruit flavors into wine, Lou Su suggested, "Qingcheng City has two distinct climates, one in the south and one in the north. The south is evergreen year-round, while the high mountains in the north are covered in snow that rarely melts, and the snow-covered hot springs are a unique feature. Why don't we go and experience them?"
"But... we've already bought the jujubes. If we linger here, wouldn't we just cause the servants of the Liu family to worry for nothing?"
Although Yan Yunzhao longed to visit the Guanxue Hot Spring, he reminded himself not to forget his important business.
Lou Su lowered his eyes and pondered seriously for a moment, then said, "Why don't we send a message to Jingming and have her inform the Liu family? As for brewing wine... the climate in Qingcheng is suitable, much more so than brewing it back in Lixi Town. We two rarely get to come out, so why not take this opportunity to stay a few more days?"
The preparations for the banquet at the Liu residence were almost complete; only the brewing of the wine was missing. She felt that Lou Su's suggestion made sense.
"Then so be it."
Soaking in a comfortable hot spring in winter is incredibly pleasant!
...
On the mountainside, paper lanterns from a hot spring inn swayed in the wind along the snow-covered path. Although the wind was strong, it didn't make people feel cold.
A pool of steaming hot spring water sits in the middle of the snow, with hazy snow-capped mountains in the distance and pine and cypress trees nearby. Yan Yunzhao, dressed in her undergarments, leans comfortably in the hot spring, her cheeks flushed from the steam.
A series of unhurried footsteps came from behind, and the person leisurely entered the water and leaned against Yan Yunzhao.
She closed her eyes and involuntarily shrank further underwater, leaving only a section of her neck exposed. She felt the steaming hot spring water flowing around her, which relaxed her body considerably, but her consciousness gradually became hazy.
Yan Yunzhao couldn't help but lean back, wanting to get more into the hot spring, but a pair of strong hands supported her lower back.
"The bottom is sliding down."
A tender, magnetic voice whispered in his ear, sending a shiver down Yan Yunzhao's spine. He tried to get up, but those hands pulled him into their embrace.
His slender fingers gently caressed her stomach as she leaned against Lou Su's sweaty chest, hearing his barely suppressed breathing.
"Let me go...it's so hot."
Seeing that she couldn't break free, Yan Yunzhao obediently leaned into his arms. Lou Su's hand rubbed against her stomach, while his chin rested on the top of her head, kissing her hair.
A tingling sensation spread from her lower abdomen and the sides of her ears. She suppressed her trembling, focusing her mind and daring not to move. Perhaps because the hot spring water was so hot, her cheeks were also burning.
He lingered for a long time before stopping, burying his head in her neck and inhaling her rich, soft fragrance.
“Zhaozhao, you said last time that you would come back to the demon realm with me to see grandfather after the affairs of the Liu family were settled. But it seems that I... won’t be able to wait that long.”
Lou Su turned her around by her shoulders, making her look directly at him. His voice was a little hoarse, and his eyes were bloodshot. Yan Yunzhao looked into his eyes, not knowing how to answer.
"I want to take you back to see my grandfather, so that you can be my rightful wife."
Lou Su's chest trembled slightly as he tried to control his breathing. Yan Yunzhao placed his hand on Lou Su's cheek and smiled, "Okay." Then he wrapped his arms around Lou Su's waist and hugged him tightly.
Lou Su's waist was much thinner than it looked, but her shoulders were very broad. When she buried her head in his chest, she could only see the distinct outline of his collarbone.
Lou Su smiled, supported the back of her head, and pulled her into his arms.
"only……"
A muffled voice came from the soft jade in her arms: "I didn't belong here in my past life."
Lou Su gave a very soft "hmm".
He knew it when his grandfather showed him the prophecy.
The place in her memory had scenery different from this place; he knew that was her hometown.
Yan Yunzhao listened to his soft words with some surprise, and tightened her grip around his waist.
"So you knew all along."
Lou Su looked at her bright smile, chuckled softly, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
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