Chapter 2 The Goddess's Gift of a Sprig of Spring Was a Pity
The spring morning was damp, with dewdrops hanging from the grass. Mingying had a good sleep, put on her straw sandals and hat, and went to the fields.
Zhou Fubai from Mingshanfang was waiting for her outside, dressed in a simple blue robe, with a humble and gentle demeanor. He handed her a paper, his voice clear and pleasant: "The morning dew is heavy in the northern district, and there are no insect holes to be seen. The muddy roads are slippery, so please walk carefully, young lady."
Mingying smiled slightly at him: "I'm going to visit my maternal grandmother in a few days, so I'll have to trouble you to take care of things here."
"Does this mean you consider me an outsider?"
Mingying turned her head and glared at him: "Fine, Zhou Fubai, you better keep an eye on things. If anything happens, you'll have to answer to me with your head."
Zhou Fubai smiled and shook his head, then said nothing more.
Mingying suddenly grabbed him: "Wait for me a moment."
He stood there gazing at her as she tiptoed and broke off a branch of flowers. Petals fluttered down into her hair and settled on her shoulder. The scene was exquisitely beautiful, and a thought stirred in his mind: If he could receive a branch from a goddess, he would surely follow her to the death.
Mingying, however, ran towards him with five or six branches in her hands, took one out and placed it in his arms: "A parting gift."
Before he could speak, Mingying said to herself, "We can't break any more branches, but I have so many people to give them to, this isn't enough."
Mingyan placed the flower branches in the vase and looked at the visitor with annoyance: "How many flowers have you ruined?"
Mingying opened the letter and replied: "Not many, I even kept one branch."
Mingyan resisted her curiosity and didn't lean in to read the letter, pretending to be nonchalant as she asked, "What did Xiao Jingze say?"
"Oh, he only wrote one word."
Mingying unfolded it for her to see, and inside was just a single word "okay," without even a signature.
She muttered to herself, "No wonder he's from the Xiao family. I don't even want to give him my flower anymore."
Mingyan's eyes widened: "You're giving him your last branch?"
"Yes, I didn't know him before, so I gave him a gift as a token of goodwill since it's our first time working together."
Mingyan glanced at the vase on the windowsill and said sarcastically, "Don't you like him and want to cancel the engagement?"
"The engagement is called off, but I don't dislike him. Maybe we can be friends."
Mingyan snorted coldly: "Then go and be friends with him."
Let's see if you can even give away those flowers.
——
Xiao Jingze, dressed in red, rode his horse at breakneck speed. After many years, he once again stepped into the territory of Yunchuan. The fields were filled with the fragrance of wheat, the people were laughing and talking, commerce was booming, and all industries were thriving. Although their goddess was a useless sickly woman, the Ming family was doing a good job of governing.
He dismounted on the street, reached out and tucked the artifact into his waist. Without the magical artifact Shadowless, an ordinary person would probably have to travel for nearly half a month to see the goddess of the Ming family.
The letter was extremely perfunctory. What did it mean to say "I don't want to marry you, and you don't want to marry me"? Although Xiao Jingze really didn't want to marry her, he never thought of burning the marriage certificate. He only thought that she would be a decoration in the Xiao family like the other group of people. Who knew that this mortal was so proud and arrogant, and in the end he even asked him to come to the second floor of Yunchuan Mingshanfang to talk in detail.
Upon seeing where Mingshanfang was, Xiao Jingze couldn't help but sneer. He took out his folding fan to stop a child from bumping into him, then helped up the swaying old woman, threw the fallen fruit into the old man's vegetable basket, and walked through the crowded people to the counter, his face extremely ugly.
The clerk at the counter gave him a once-over and then smiled knowingly: "Are you Miss Ming's guest? Please come with me."
The second floor was much quieter. Xiao Jingze smiled wryly and asked, "Does Miss Ming always entertain guests here?"
The waiter answered flawlessly: "How could we possibly know what Miss Ming is thinking—this is the place."
Xiao Jingze sat on the chair with his legs crossed, looking extremely arrogant. The waiter, keeping his eyes down, served the tea and then left.
He looked around and saw that the room was sparsely decorated except for a painting; it was almost shabby. He, the heir of a noble family, had never been treated so poorly.
Xiao Jingze laughed in anger. That Miss Ming is quite a character. If she were to come to the Xiao family, those two would probably be so angry that they would vomit blood.
Xiao Jingze paused subtly, then surprisingly figured out a benefit. He took another sip of tea, and found it to be unexpectedly good—fresh, mellow, and with a sweet aftertaste. The teapot itself was simple and unpretentious, with a unique charm.
His expression shifted rapidly as he carefully examined the paintings on the wall. The paintings of flowers and birds were vivid and the brushwork exquisite. Although the furnishings in the room were simple, it was clear that the owner had put a lot of thought into the arrangement, creating a fresh and elegant style.
Xiao Jingze picked up his teacup, idly wondering what this sickly man with only ten years to live would be like. Judging from the patients he had seen, he imagined him to be sickly-looking, melancholy, dressed in flowing white robes, and as thin as a skeleton. He also thought of the scene in Mingshanfang, where he imagined a woman who was melancholic, aloof, and arrogant, putting on airs like a goddess trying to save the people. In short, utterly boring.
The door was knocked on and then opened. Xiao Jingze casually lifted his eyelids. Mingying held a sprig of plum blossom, dressed in a pink top and green skirt, like the morning dew or the rising sun. She wasn't thin at all, and always had a smile on her face. On the contrary, she was very lively and healthy, and her every move made the humble room shine. As she approached, Xiao Jingze smelled a medicinal fragrance, the deep, rich scent of herbs that had been steeped in medicine for years.
The girl's eyes were clear and bright: "Xiao Jingze, I've long admired your name."
Xiao Jingze's gaze calmly fell on her face, and he remained silent for a moment. He had originally thought that his grandfather was sorry that the National Preceptor Goddess's prediction had fallen on a mortal, but when he saw her, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
What a pity.
He put down his teacup expressionlessly and tapped the table lightly with his fingertips: "Miss Ming, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Mingying sat opposite him, handed him the flower branch, and smiled, saying, "It's our first meeting, so I'm giving you a sprig of spring."
Xiao Jingze had never prepared a gift for a meeting in his life, and he didn't want to accept flowers from a woman. He declined, saying, "No need, let's get down to business."
Even though they couldn't remain friends, Mingying wasn't upset. She placed the flower branch on the table and asked with a smile, "Do you have a way to get the Xiao family's marriage certificate?"
"Do you have a way to get the Heavenly Fire?"
"You speak strangely, asking questions instead of answering. Well then, I'll go first. I plan to go to the Shen family to borrow Heavenly Fire from my maternal grandmother. However, I've heard that you never return to the Xiao family. If you have any difficulties obtaining the marriage certificate, I can help you."
Xiao Jingze's eyes darkened slightly, and he spoke bluntly: "I've also heard that you've never left Yunchuan. I'm afraid it's because of your health that you can't travel far. Let alone obtaining the Heavenly Fire, you should be overjoyed if you can even reach the Shen family in Huaijiang."
Has the relationship deteriorated to the point where it can't even be mentioned? Mingying cleverly changed the subject: "This is the purpose of the cooperation. I need a magical artifact to save me from the hardships of travel."
"What a goddess who can't endure even the slightest hardship," Xiao Jingze said with a mocking expression. "All magical artifacts require spiritual power to operate; mortals can only use them as decorations."
"Aren't you the number one weapon master? If you put in some effort, you might be able to figure it out."
Xiao Jingze twitched the corner of his mouth. He wondered where she got the confidence to research magical artifacts specifically for people without spiritual power.
"You might as well find a cultivator to travel with you."
“Yes!” Mingying’s eyes lit up, and she gave him an approving look. “Then lend me a magic artifact that needs spiritual power. I’ve already found someone to travel with me.”
There were many cultivators from the Ming clan, so Xiao Jingze didn't ask any questions. He took out a wooden box from his Sumeru Ring and said succinctly, "The Purple Cloud Chariot can be opened by injecting spiritual power."
Mingying held the wooden box and shook it: "Don't we need to chant any spells or anything?"
"unnecessary."
"Then you're very powerful, aren't you? Inventing magical artifacts that even mortals can operate is just around the corner."
Mingying's little scheme was quite obvious. Although she felt there was nothing wrong with being a mortal, she had been eyeing these fun magical artifacts for a long time!
Xiao Jingze replied coldly, "Daydreaming."
A magical artifact that doesn't require spiritual power? That's just a child's toy.
Mingying was just making a suggestion; there are many regrets in the world, and she doesn't expect everything to be perfect. Having solved a major problem, she was in a great mood: "So, is that it? I'll contact you after I obtain the Heavenly Fire. If there are any problems with the marriage certificate, I will definitely do my best to help you."
"No need, you should worry about yourself."
Xiao Jingze went downstairs and left. The clerk at the counter had changed. A young man in blue had a sprig of plum blossom beside him. Another sprig, which he had just declined, was still on the table in the room.
He twirled the ring on his finger, staring at it for a long time. Was it possible for just anyone to have such a beautiful woman? If this was the reason that sickly man refused to marry her, then her taste was truly terrible.
Zhou Fubai realized something and looked up. Their eyes met briefly in the air. Xiao Jingze scoffed and turned to leave.
When Mingyan saw Mingying returning with a bouquet of flowers, she raised an eyebrow, about to mock her, but Mingying came over with a grin and said, "Sister, there's something..."
Mingyan turned to leave, but Mingying grabbed her sleeve: "I borrowed a magic artifact from Xiao Jingze."
Mingyan knew exactly what she was going to do, and flatly refused: "I have an academy assignment in two days."
"Oh, where are you going?"
Mingyan looked at her warily: "Liuzhou and Huaijiang aren't on the same route. What are you planning to do?"
“It’s on the way, that’s very convenient. It’s too much trouble for you to go all the way there. We can ride the Purple Cloud Carriage together.”
Mingyan glanced at her thoughtfully: "You don't want to borrow the heavenly fire, you just want to go out and have fun, right?"
Mingying blinked: "Mingyan, you are so smart. Master said that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. I think I should not just bury myself in research in Yunchuan, but also go out and communicate with others."
Mingyan seemed to realize something and remained silent for a moment.
Mingying lowered her head and continued, "Whether the goddess of the Ming clan should not leave Yunchuan, I don't know, but I've already traveled for more than half the journey. I also want to see all the mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas, and experience all aspects of life. This is just a small selfish wish of mine..."
Mingyan interrupted her: "Alright, alright, I agree."
Mingying smiled brightly: "Mingyan, you are such a good person."
Mingyan got goosebumps. She turned and left, saying, "You should think about it. I won't be responsible if you die on the way."
Mingying waved with a smile: "I know you care about me."
"No, I disagree!"
Looking at the innocent-looking Ming Ying, the head of the Ming family leaned closer to his wife and softened his tone: "Such a big matter, why didn't you two discuss it with me? You know Manman's health condition. The old lady is healthy and long-lived. If something happens to Manman after she leaves Yunchuan, it will be too late for us to regret it..."
Shen Ci took a sip of tea and didn't even look at him: "Your daughter has always been independent. Why are you talking to me? I can't control her."
The head of the Ming family glanced at Ming Ying again, but Ming Ying was staring at the vase on the windowsill, seemingly not hearing what they were saying.
The Ming family head looked left and right. Both of them had already made their decision. What else could he do but nod in agreement?
Seeing that his attitude had softened, Mingying grinned and stepped forward, saying, "Father, don't worry. I'm very healthy now, and I have Prince Xiao's magic weapon. My cousin is also taking me, and we're going to the Shen family. It'll be safe for us the whole way."
The Ming family head sighed, "Very well, you're getting married soon, you should visit the Shen family."
Mingying felt a little guilty, hugged the two of them, and ran away, saying, "Then I'll go get ready now!"
"Aunt Ming, I'm going on a long trip. Please take care of yourself while I'm gone."
"Uncle Fu, I'll be leaving in a few days. I'll have to trouble you to take care of my little pony during this time."
The head of the Ming family watched his wife watching their daughter's lively figure and took the teacup from her hand, which had cooled down: "You were reluctant to part with her, so you agreed to it so easily."
Shen Ci placed her hand on the table, shook her head and smiled bitterly: "She is the goddess of the Ming family, a frail and sickly mortal, but she is also my daughter. My daughter, of course I hope she can get what she wants and live a happy and carefree life."
Mingyan infused the wooden box with spiritual power, and it floated into the air, transforming into a carriage. Mingying touched it all over, got into the carriage, and waved goodbye to the Ming family members, saying, "I'm leaving now!"
Mingyan bid farewell to her parents, and seeing Mingying's hesitant manner, she pulled back the carriage curtain and said, "Let's go."
As its name suggests, the Purple Cloud Chariot is an aerial carriage. Layer upon layer of verdant mountains and crisscrossing paths unfold a picturesque landscape before mortals. Mingying excitedly peeks out, as if she could reach out and touch the sea of clouds.
Seeing her ignorant demeanor, Mingyan didn't mock her. She simply glanced at the message on the communication board: "The other two disciples of the academy have already entered the city..."
Mingying turned to look at her with a smile: "Why do you have that expression? Who is it?"
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