Chapter 111 Face
Whenever Qing Bai thought about how Jiunian had been 'looking into each other' affectionately' for such a long time while he was wearing the Monkey King mask, he couldn't help but dig the ground with his toes frantically, and at the same time he wanted to hit something with his hands out of humiliation... Unfortunately, the timing was wrong and the environment was not right, so he could only raise his hand with great restraint and try to peel off the Monkey King mask on his face.
At this moment, Jiu Nian suddenly became unsympathetic and raised his hand to hold Qing Bai's wrist to stop his actions.
The sedan chairs of the gods were naturally made to be as comfortable and spacious as humanly possible, but that was only for the statues of the gods. For the sake of convenience and to reduce the burden on the sedan bearers, the statues of the gods that sat in the sedan chairs when the emperor toured the country were either miniature clay statues or small statues made of paper or bamboo. Therefore, although these specially made sedan chairs were not so stingy that they could only accommodate statues of gods, it was still a bit of a stretch to fit two grown men in them. What's more, Qing Bai was sitting on Jiu Nian at this time... He dared not move at all. He was also concerned about the people outside who were unknown how far away they were, and the twelve gods circling in the sky who might get into the sedan chair and return to their positions at any moment. Qing Bai could only turn his head and use his eyes to express his doubts to Jiu Nian with difficulty.
In the darkness, Jiu Nian's pair of golden eyes were like a dream. Qing Bai lost his mind as he looked at them. His eyes were filled with only these eyes. He didn't even know when Jiu Nian let go of his hand.
"...What did you say?" It was not until he saw Jiu Nian's lips gently opening and closing several times that Qing Bai finally came back to his senses and asked softly.
Jiu Nian lowered his eyes to look at the big red heart on the face of the person in front of him, the two exaggerated golden eye shadow circles inside the heart, and the deliberately pouting mouth. He couldn't help but smile: "Don't pick it."
It's very strange. The mask is just an ordinary mask, even a little childish and funny, but because of the person behind the mask, it actually looks pleasing to the eye.
Qing Bai blinked his eyes. Borrowing the light from Jiu Nian's pair of radiant golden eyes, his eyes, which were as deep and calm as a cold pond, seemed to be filled with two fires out of thin air. The flames at the bottom of the pond flickered as he blinked his eyelashes. At first glance, he really looked like a person with fiery eyes.
Jiu Nian leaned close to Qing Bai's ear and whispered, "They are coming... Don't let them see your face."
...Who are they?
Just as Qing Bai was about to ask this, he heard the sound of dragging footsteps outside the curtain. Qing Bai then remembered that the reason he fell into such an embarrassing situation was to avoid the ceremonial officials who came to invite the gods and the twelve gods who came back on time to have the banquet.
"Who's in there?! Come out!" A sudden shout came from outside, which scared Qing Bai who had just come to his senses. He leaned back subconsciously... Jiunian's nose was suddenly injured before the old one healed and a new one was added.
Although his force was not very strong, and although Jiu Nian did not react to it, Qing Bai still felt guilty... Not only did he feel guilty, he also felt guilty.
The guilt was naturally towards the nine years when not only had she to bear his entire body weight but she was also always being "beaten" by him. But she felt guilty towards the ceremonial officer outside, not for anything else, but because the two of them were occupying the magpie's nest in a way that was immoral and looked like they were having an affair. If the old ceremonial officer with a bad temper saw it, he would probably yell at Feng Fang at the top of his lungs and curse them as a pair of bastards before he died of anger... Thinking of this, she actually still had a little bit of anticipation?
"Why are you here again? You ignorant couple from the town entrance, what are you doing here? Humph, this is a sacred place for the gods. If you offend the gods again, I won't let you off with just a scolding!"
The person who came was indeed an acquaintance, but the one who scolded was the young couple outside who were shaking lots for blessings. Qing Bai listened quietly to the noise outside, and there was actually a trace of regret in his heart.
The young couple was also impressed by the old ceremonial officer who accepted the red envelope from his family but then turned his back on him. However, in the Giant Locust Tree, especially on the day of the Holy Carriage's tour, the ceremonial officer, as the "God's messenger", represented absolute authority. In addition, the ceremonial officers themselves were local people who were either highly respected or had outstanding abilities in certain areas. The twelve ceremonial officers worked together and depended on each other. They had a lot of say in the Giant Locust Tree, and basically no one dared to compete with them.
Therefore, even though the tone of the old ceremonial officer was very impolite, the young couple could not say anything. In fact, because they were "in front of" the gods, they could not show any bad emotions on their faces. They could only smile and explain that they came to pray for the baby in their womb.
Like a young man who was "happy to be a father", the old ritual officer also quite naturally accepted the outrageous setting that the young daughter-in-law "touched the god to pray for a child" during the parade, and was pregnant with the god as soon as the parade was over. He even said a few good words... After that, his face changed and he drove the person out.
After the young couple who had intruded left, no one spoke in the sedan chair parking lot for a while. Qing Bai could only hear a slight noise even when he concentrated. Based on that slight noise, Qing Bai guessed that the ceremonial officials were probably lighting incense and kneeling down to worship.
After a while, the noise outside gradually grew louder, and the two heard the old ceremonial officer sing in his old and hoarse voice, "Please ask the Rat God to get out of the sedan chair——"
It is naturally impossible for the statue of the deity to lift the curtain and get out of the sedan chair by itself... Even if it could, it could not do anything inappropriate in front of believers, such as getting out of the sedan chair by itself.
As for the "gods", they must be "invited" to get out of the sedan chair.
Those ceremonial officials didn't just ask for permission verbally; they had to personally take charge of the subsequent matters.
Before one voice died down, another one arose: "Please ask the Bull God to get out of the sedan chair——"
As the calls for the gods continued outside, Qing Bai finally remembered to ask a crucial question: "Whose sedan chair have we occupied?"
If I were ranked later, I would have more room to maneuver and might even be able to get off the sedan early and return the item to its original owner to get away with it...
Jiu Nian naturally understood the implication of Qing Bai's words, but unfortunately...
"Please ask the Tiger God to get out of the sedan chair——"
The voice of calling upon the gods that came from outside the curtain very close shattered Qing Bai's beautiful idea... and it was shattered very completely. The next second, a hand stretched out from the door curtain.
In those two brief breaths, countless thoughts flashed through Qing Bai's mind, the most prominent of which was this: He remembered that the Tiger God statue he had seen during the previous parade was a half-human-height crouching tiger made of colored paper. Now that he and Jiu Nian occupied 99% of the sedan chair, where was the crouching tiger paper statue? It couldn't be that...
Ahem, the crisis was imminent. Qing Bai quickly collected his wandering thoughts. He was wondering whether to push the person out or take the opportunity to catch the hand that reached out and control the ceremonial officer as a hostage. Then he saw Jiu Nian calmly put one hand around his waist and leaned over slightly, reaching under the sedan chair with the other hand, and then before the curtain of the sedan chair was completely lifted, he handed a ball of... cat?
Another familiar face. It turned out that the little black cat had just rolled into the tiger god's sedan chair. Tigers and cats can barely be considered to be half of the same family, both are cats... Wait, the reason why Jiunian chose this sedan chair is not because they are both cats, right?
While Qing Bai was daydreaming, the ceremonial officer outside the curtain had already respectfully accepted the confused little black cat, and didn't notice anything wrong at all.
When Qing Bai saw this, he didn't know for a moment whether he had a bigger problem, for actually seeing the 'confused' emotion on the face of a cat, and a black cat with its features blurred, or the ceremonial official who calmly accepted the paper tiger turning into a living cat.
However, Qing Bai's doubts were soon answered - not only was the paper tiger transformed into a living cat, but the things that came out of the other sedan chairs were not real gods.
Amidst the chattering and clamoring of chickens and dogs, the old ceremonial officer invited out from the rat god's sedan chair a big rat with a small head, a big belly, a long tail and short yellow and white hair. From the ox god's sedan chair, a big yellow ox was led out, which was still chewing something slowly. There was nothing much to say about rabbits, cows, sheep, chickens, dogs, pigs and other poultry and livestock. You could basically find them all by taking a walk in the countryside. Snakes and monkeys were not that rare either. Tigers were rare but had been replaced by cats. Qing Bai quietly lifted the curtain of the sedan chair a little. He was only curious about who the dragon god would be. If it was a snake of a different color, it would be so boring and he would be really disappointed.
There was no second snake on the scene. Qing Bai looked through the gap in the sedan curtain at the turtle outside that was as big as a coffee table with a complicated expression... How should I put it, there was some novelty, but not much.
Qing Bai looked at the turtle's butt and consoled himself. It was normal that there were no real dragons in such a place, or rather, it was better that there were no real dragons. After all, looking at the behavior of these "zodiac gods", it would only make them enemies and there would be no peace with them. No matter how hard the turtle's shell was, it was always easier to deal with than a dragon, right?
Seeing Qing Bai's attention fixed on the turtle for a long time, Jiu Nian explained, "True dragons are, after all, legendary creatures, rarely seen. Commonly, those called dragons are mostly scaly creatures that have reached a certain level of cultivation, such as fish and snakes. They borrow the name to establish their true identity. If they seize the opportunity, they do have a one in a billion chance of becoming a dragon."
"As for the turtle...theoretically, it's not impossible."
Is there a theory for this?
Qing Bai retracted his gaze and casually praised: "Nine years has really enriched your knowledge and wisdom."
Jiunian is modest in his daily life: "I can't say I'm knowledgeable or erudite, but I come from a family of scholars and I just happen to have some understanding of this area."
Hearing Jiu Nian say this, Qing Bai suddenly became more curious about his true origins. What kind of family background did he have that allowed him to research theoretical knowledge along with Hualong...
Now that the 'Twelve Gods' were gathered, the ceremonial officer was afraid of missing the auspicious time and did not dare to delay and led them out directly to receive the enthusiastic admiration and delicious banquet of the believers. Except for the little black cat who was forced in for nine years, the other eleven were very cooperative, and not only cooperated but also looked forward to it. This made the little black cat, who was twisting and turning with bared teeth and claws, and every hair on his body was filled with rejection and "I want to escape", particularly unsociable.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard it struggled, it was of no use. It was just a little black cat. Although the ceremonial officer in charge of the Tiger God was a little confused, he still chose to control the 'Lord Tiger God' who seemed particularly excited today with one hand.
Qing Bai looked at the palm-sized black cat, which refused to give up its struggle even when being suppressed by a single hand, and felt a rare pity. "Isn't it a bit inappropriate to just stuff it into the Twelve Gods like this?"
Although this little black cat has problems at first glance, those zodiac gods that are crowned as gods and look like demons are obviously more problematic. Even if it is out of weighing the pros and cons of choosing the lesser of two evils or watching the fight from the sidelines, it is too early to let them fight each other now.
Jiu Nian, however, had no sympathy for his fellow feline: "Don't underestimate it. Those who can still stay in the giant locust tree are not easy to deal with."
Qing Bai also remembered the scene where the little black cat had scared off the Rat God with a roar. The little sympathy in his heart instantly disappeared, and he silently repeated three times that it is not good to judge people by their appearance, and the same goes for kittens.
Nine years: "Although they bear the name of gods, they are essentially just wild mountain spirits with some magical powers. The name of gods is both a help and a confinement for them. On weekdays, they can only practice within the statue of the gods. Only on the days when the gods tour the land can they move freely for a short period of time with the help of believers. They are not to be feared."
The man-eating pseudo-god who was so cautious with Xiao Wu that she almost ran away and was beyond her ability to handle at her level, became "not a threat" here with Jiu Nian. The difference between the two was heartbreaking.
Thinking of Xiao Wu... Qing Bai finally remembered that there was a companion they had forgotten outside: "...By the way, when you dragged me in, did you not pay attention to Xiao Wu's condition?"
Although this place is not big, there are many shelters, so it should be easy to hide...
"Oh," Qing Bai added considerately, "the one who pulled me earlier, wearing the Second Brother mask on his face."
"Second senior brother?" Jiu Nian tilted his head slightly, not knowing whether he was recalling the lightning-fast scene when he pulled the person into the sedan chair, or thinking about the issue of second senior brother's mask.
Before he could come to a conclusion, four reserved yet polite knocks were heard at the sedan window, and then Xiao Wu's voice came from outside the window: "Hello, can anyone pay attention to me?"
Qing Bai opened the curtains, and Xiao Wu's face came into view. She was very excited to see Qing Bai, and almost stuck her head into the sedan window: "Great! I finally found you! I thought I lost you!"
Faced with such deep affection, Qing Bai did not respond, because the Xiao Wu in front of him was not wearing a mask. She even had a face, the ordinary face that the last Xiao Wu who found him said she had lost because she had made a hasty decision and ran away.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
