Chapter 11 Meeting You Again in the Rainy Season 2: To Whom Did the Goddess Offer Incense...?
Mingying sorted out her thoughts: "You mean, my cousin came into contact with the Heavenly Fire and then touched the Purple Cloud Chariot, which led to your Thousand Machines Detection?"
Xiao Jingze leaned casually against the tree trunk, his expression indicating acquiescence.
Mingying scanned him from head to toe and suddenly asked, "You bound the Purple Cloud Chariot to the Thousand Machine Guide for monitoring, are you worried about me?"
Xiao Jingze's smile faltered, wondering if he had misheard: "...Miss Ming's skin is a bit too thick."
Mingying waved her hand with a smile: "Let's not talk about this anymore. Although my cousin has access to the Heavenly Fire, that's a private matter for the Shen family, and I shouldn't ask too much."
Xiao Jingze chuckled lightly: "Heavenly fire is an ancient artifact. What would your cousin, a mere mortal, do with heavenly fire? Does he also have a marriage certificate to burn?"
“Grandmother wouldn’t dawdle and refuse to lend me the money. Perhaps she has something urgent to attend to. What’s wrong with waiting a few more days?”
Seeing her trusting expression, Xiao Jingze reminded her, "The Heavenly Fire recognizes its master. If it can be lent to your cousin, why can't it be lent to you? What urgent matter requires the Heavenly Fire? Does the old lady intend to go to the Xuanji Palace to compete with the Immortal Venerable?"
Mingying frowned and thought for a while: "What you said makes sense."
Xiao Jingze nodded in satisfaction.
Mingying shrugged: "But there's nothing I can do about it. If the Heavenly Fire is released, even the Immortal Venerable will know about it before us. In any case, no one can use it to do anything bad. Since it's not a bad thing, let's just wait and see."
Xiao Jingze stared at her face: "When you came to Huaijiang, didn't you notice anything wrong?"
Mingying stared at him with wide eyes: "What's wrong with this?"
Although she wasn't used to being served by maids in the Shen family, her mother had told her before, so she didn't find it strange. The only thing that seemed strange was the elusive person opposite her.
Xiao Jingze looked behind her and said, "Someone is looking for you."
Mingying turned around and happily called out to her cousin.
Shen Yichuan, holding a bamboo-green oil-paper umbrella, walked calmly through the drizzle in the fields, exuding an air of refined elegance and a gentle smile: "Full of it."
Xiao Jingze's eyes flickered slightly. Shen Yichuan recognized the other party's identity from his clothes and smiled at him, "This must be Young Master Xiao. May I ask what brings you to Huaijiang?"
Xiao Jingze looked at him with a half-smile: "Oh, I've come to visit my fiancée."
Mingying turned around abruptly, her face filled with disbelief. Had Xiao Jingze suddenly lost his mind?
Shen Yichuan's eyes were slightly cool, but when he saw Mingying looking at him, he put on a warm expression again: "Young Master Xiao is of noble status, and his presence here is truly an honor. However, Manman has always been kind-hearted since childhood and treats everyone with sincerity, regardless of kinship or social status. She is inevitably unfamiliar with the etiquette between noble families. Why don't you invite the young master to move to your residence? Shen will certainly do her best to entertain you."
Xiao Jingze, too lazy to deal with the Shen family members who were all talk and no action, casually tapped the umbrella handle and leaned down to say to Mingying, "Remember to return the umbrella tomorrow."
Mingying nodded, remembering what he had said earlier that "something was wrong."
Shen Yichuan coldly watched his movements. Xiao Jingze stepped into the rain in a very good mood. The rain seemed to hit an invisible barrier and slid down. His gold-embroidered clothes and black hair were not stained with a single mud or water stain.
Mingying boarded the carriage with an umbrella. Shen Yichuan, his expression unchanged, asked with a smile, "Manman seems to be quite familiar with Prince Xiao?"
Mingying held her teacup and objectively commented, "I wouldn't say we're familiar with each other. Prince Xiao's mood is unpredictable and his behavior is rather strange. Although he can be impolite at times, he's not a bad person. Cousin, you don't need to take it too seriously."
She had seen many arrogant kids in Yunchuan, just like Xiao Jingze.
Shen Yichuan smiled faintly: "Is that so? I think this person is not someone I can entrust with anything."
Mingying opened her mouth, but swallowed back the words, "Why don't you burn the marriage certificate for us, cousin?" and silently took a sip of tea.
Mingying walked into the house carrying an umbrella. Fuling was startled to see her wet appearance. She had thought that Miss Shen was already quite outrageous among noble ladies, but this Miss Ming was even more unrestrained.
Mingying seemed unconcerned, placed the golden bell umbrella by the door, and went back inside to change into a dress.
Fuling took apart the bun that Mingying had just combed that morning, and the two of them dried their hair together. Mingying's hair was well-maintained, soft, smooth, and shiny. Fuling's movements were very gentle, and Mingying just wiped it casually, taking the handkerchief from Fuling's hand: "It's fine like this, it'll dry in the wind."
Fuling looked helpless: "Miss Ming, it's easy to catch a cold if your hair is wet."
The maid knocked on the door, and the old lady, having heard the news, sent someone to bring the medicinal soup. Mingying, with her hair down, took it, wrinkled her nose, and buried her face in it. Fuling then picked up her handkerchief and gently combed her hair.
Mingying gulped down her drink and then searched the room for maltose. Fuling held her hair and followed her. Mingying had no choice but to sit obediently with her hands on her knees and crunching on the candy.
Fuling smiled as she wiped her hair, then simply tied it up with a hair tie.
Finally finished with all the fuss, Mingying breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Fuling turn her back, she quickly lifted her skirt and ran out the door. She was always restless; she used to avoid Aunt Bai when she was little, and now she had to avoid Fuling too.
She walked through the covered walkway to the pavilion at the end, craning her neck to look at the golden carp in the pond for a while, then at the plants, trees, and rocks, before starting to feel bored. If only she were in Yunchuan, she could spend the whole day busy in Mingshanfang; no wonder her cousin had so many storybooks.
Speaking of storybooks, Mingying quietly walked to the window and looked into the room. Fuling was nowhere to be seen. This was a perfect opportunity to steal the storybook she hadn't finished reading yesterday.
She nimbly climbed in through the window, tucked the storybook into her bosom, and then felt something was amiss.
Mingying looked towards the doorway; the golden bell umbrella had vanished, and a long bracelet lay on the ground. So, magical artifacts do revert to their original state over time?
She picked up the bracelet, the bell rang twice as she did so, a streak of light flashed across the sky, and a bluebird landed on the window frame, tilting its head toward her.
Hearing the noise, Mingying excitedly ran to the window, hugged it, and rubbed against it. Then she reluctantly let go. It was so hard. The mechanical bird really didn't feel very good to the touch. It was fine to just touch it a little.
But why would Xiao Jingze send her a bluebird? Mingying stared at it for a while, knowing she was just a mortal and couldn't read letters.
The bluebird flapped its wings, and Mingying tapped her head, almost forgetting. She pressed the bracelet bell against the rune, and the bluebird spat out a letter. Mingying curiously opened it, and inside was only a perfunctory note of the time and place, nothing else, continuing the usual style of Prince Xiao.
Wu Ling also noticed the streaks of light on the horizon and looked over at the old lady. The old lady didn't even look up, her hand still holding the brush and ink: "Just two children, let them be."
——
The Huai River basin is prone to rain. Mingying walked into Fengshui Temple with an umbrella. Ancient trees reached for the sky, their branches and leaves lush and green. Red ropes hung from the trees, swaying gently in the wind and rain. She closed her umbrella under the eaves. Inside the main hall, the scene was completely different. Devout men and women held incense sticks, kneeling and praying devoutly. The ashes piled up into a small mountain. The statue in front of her was unfamiliar, wearing a half-faced ghost mask that seemed to be both crying and laughing.
Xiao Jingze walked up behind her: "Do you know which deity this is?"
Mingying turned around and took a few steps back: "Although most people worship immortals, there are also gods created by mortals. No matter what kind of god it is, as long as you can entrust your emotions and fulfill your wishes, that's fine."
Xiao Jingze's lips curled slightly: "This Fengshui Immortal is no ordinary person; the incense offerings here far surpass those of the Immortal Venerable."
Mingying blinked: "In Yunchuan, the common people don't really worship the Immortal Venerable."
"But this Fengshui Immortal is nameless and has no origin, yet he is extremely omnipotent. He can not only bless families with happiness and ward off disasters and evil spirits, but also manage marriage and childbirth, career and wealth, life and death, fortune and misfortune. Is his prototype a human or a ghost?"
Mingying touched her nose and replied softly, "If I, a mere mortal, can become a goddess, does it matter whether he is human or a ghost?"
"The origins of the gods are naturally important. If mortals offer incense and prayers to a god and end up praying to an evil cultivator, it would be extremely dangerous."
Mingying looked at him in surprise: "So incense really works?"
Xiao Jingze raised an eyebrow: "It is said that when the Immortal Venerable transcends tribulation and becomes a god, he has enough incense offerings. The Imperial Preceptor stopped at the Mahayana stage, and the Xiao family disciples have to offer incense to him every day."
"Then why don't I see you offering incense to the Imperial Advisor every day?"
Xiao Jingze's expression remained unchanged: "The Xiao family has many members, and we won't miss one more."
Mingying said "Oh," and then asked, "Does that mean that mortals cannot receive offerings?"
Xiao Jingze tapped the ring on his finger: "I don't know about that. The number of incense offerings is countless, and there is only one true immortal in the world, so no one knows how many incense offerings she had when she became a god."
Mingying asked him curiously, "Have you ever offered incense to anyone?"
Xiao Jingze answered decisively: "Never."
Mingying looked at him with admiration, and Xiao Jingze smiled and asked, "Did the goddess offer incense to these wild gods?"
Mingying turned her head: "I'm not a wild deity. I have offered incense to the immortal venerable one."
Xiao Jingze asked lazily, "Oh? What wish does the Goddess have that the Immortal Venerable wishes to grant?"
Mingying didn't look at him: "When I was a child, I made a wish to the Immortal Venerable, hoping that the Ming family could choose a more qualified person to be the goddess."
Xiao Jingze leaned against the wall, looking at the back of her head: "It seems the Immortal Venerable did not grant your wish."
Mingying smiled and said, "So later I went into the shrine and kicked her statue away, vowed never to make a wish to anyone again, and then I fell ill and never recovered."
Xiao Jingze remained silent for a moment, then continued, "You've done a fairly good job as a goddess; Yunchuan has been governed quite well."
Mingying shook her head: "This is all because the entire Ming family is supporting Yunchuan."
After the rain cleared, more luxurious carriages stopped in front of the temple. Inside, people of vastly different social classes all looked the same.
Xiao Jingze did not answer, but looked at the men and women coming and going: "This Fengshui Immortal has more followers than I thought, and they are not limited to the Huaijiang area."
Mingying raised her head: "Why is that?"
Xiao Jingze beckoned: "Come a little closer."
Mingying hesitated and moved a little closer, but Xiao Jingze pulled her arm and jumped onto the roof: "You'll know once you listen."
Before Mingying could react, she was pulled onto the roof. She was a little unsteady and coughed several times while clutching her chest.
Xiao Jingze's expression shifted rapidly. Mingying paused for a moment, then smiled at him and said, "It's okay, I'm fine now."
Xiao Jingze paused, then cast a spell to help her sit down, so that even if someone looked up, they wouldn't notice them.
Seeing his skillful operation, Mingying couldn't help but ask, "Does Prince Xiao often do such dishonorable things?"
Xiao Jingze twitched the corner of his mouth: "If Miss Ming is unwilling, then she can slowly climb down herself."
Mingying was quite happy climbing the roof and didn't say anything bad. She looked at the crowd below and asked, "If I make a wish to this Fengshui Immortal, will it come true soon?"
"The fact that there's such a big fuss means either that the wish really works, or that someone is spreading the word that wishing works."
Mingying remained silent, sitting on the rooftop listening to the different wishes, as if she had returned to the time of the Lantern Festival, when she sat on a float and watched countless people gather around her to pray.
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