Chapter 52
Qi Zhizhi paused, and seeing her like this, the smile on his lips deepened, carrying a triumphant pleasure: "What, were you scared?"
Mu Yulu swallowed hard, naturally refusing to admit it. "No, I was just curious what would happen if I looked back."
Qi Zhizhi's eyes gleamed with even more cunning. He lowered his voice and said, "If you turn back, your soul will be taken by those miasma demons, and you will be lost forever in the miasma with them."
Mu Yulu asked curiously, "Then... what happened next? Has anyone seen those miasma ghosts? Are they just a legend, or do they actually exist?"
Qi Zhizhi poured himself a glass of wine: "I have no idea about that. I've only heard about this rumor from others, but I've never seen it with my own eyes."
Mu Yulu nodded somewhat absentmindedly.
Later, Qi Zhizhi told her many stories of his travels as a merchant. He slowly and deliberately described the beauty and mystery of the distant lands to her, and she seemed to see the snow-covered temples, the misty forests, and the bright pearl trees with her own eyes through his narration...
Finally, Qi Zhizhi raised his hand and gently tapped the edge of the table, waking Mu Yulu from her endless imagination: "I have said so much, but it is ultimately just my own experience. If you are interested, you can go and see for yourself."
Mu Yulu was both longing and timid: "Can I go to such a faraway place?"
Qi Zhizhi put away the teasing tone and solemnly said to Mu Yulu, "We merchants must have a firm belief that if I want to, there is nothing in this world that I cannot do."
He looked intently into Mu Yulu's eyes, leaned forward slightly, and said, "The first step is always the hardest. I can take you with me. Would you like to?"
Mu Yulu was stunned for a while before she realized what Qi Zhizhi meant. She took a deep breath and took a step back.
The candlelight flickered, illuminating their faces. Qi Zhizhi rarely showed such a serious expression. "The first time I saw you was at the No. 1 Restaurant in the world. That day you were wearing a light green robe, as if you had captured the essence of spring. I saw you run away as soon as you saw Mu Qinhan, and I noticed you from that moment on."
Mu Yulu was stunned again: "What did you say? You first met me at that time?"
She originally thought their first meeting would be on the day she came of age, when she threw the embroidered ball at the No. 1 Tower in the world. She never imagined that the gears of fate had already begun to turn on the day she was reborn.
Qi Zhizhi's smile spread like mist, "Later, on the day you came of age, Master Mu booked the No. 1 Restaurant in the world, saying that you were going to throw the embroidered ball that day. But unexpectedly, it was not the embroidered ball that fell from the building that day, but you."
Mu Yulu laughed along with him, "Actually, the hydrangea fell down too, but I was holding it in my arms at the time."
Qi Zhizhi suddenly asked her, "Will Sanzhou Jinse come back to marry you?"
Mu Yulu opened her mouth, then silently closed it again.
Qi Zhizhi looked directly into her eyes and said, word by word, "If he comes back to marry you, I will help you leave. If he doesn't come back, then I will personally take you away."
Mu Yulu stared at him for a moment, then looked away.
Her agreement with Sanzhou Jinse was nothing more than mutual exploitation; she was only willing to believe he would genuinely help her because he had ulterior motives towards her. However, Qi Zhizhi's unilateral and solemn promise made her somewhat hesitant to believe it.
In the end, she chose to avoid his gaze and did not agree to his promise.
By avoiding his promise now, she also avoided the possibility that it might disappoint her in the future.
Qi Zhizhi waited quietly for a while. Seeing that she did not respond, he did not say anything more, but instructed her: "I will be leaving for a while after the Third Prince's birthday banquet. This trip will probably take three or four months. Take good care of yourself during this time. If anything happens and you need help, you can go to Zhi Qiu or send me a message."
Mu Yulu nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then asked him, "Are you going to the Xuanwu Kingdom on this trip?"
Qi Zhizhi raised an eyebrow and smiled, regaining his former spirited demeanor: "I have chosen to believe you, to follow your advice and wait for the right opportunity, so that I can make a good use of my skills in Xuanwu Kingdom."
Mu Yulu hummed in agreement, showing great confidence in him: "You've said it yourself, there's nothing in this world you can't do if you want to, and I believe in you."
Qi Zhizhi smiled again and then invited Mu Yulu: "I will be hosting a banquet at the No. 1 Restaurant in the world in a few days. A few friends will be there to see me off. You can join us."
This time, Mu Yulu readily agreed and even volunteered, "Then I'll personally cook a few dishes for you."
She thought for a moment, then asked, "I don't know what kind of food you like. Tell me, and I'll cook it for you."
“Okay.” Qi Zhizhi smiled at Mu Yulu and then rattled off a long list of dishes.
Mu Yulu pressed him down and told him to wait a moment. She went inside to get paper and pen and then let him continue. As he spoke, she took careful notes.
After that, the two continued to chat about all sorts of things. Qi Zhizhi no longer teased her or talked about heavy topics. Instead, he told her interesting stories about the capital and the scenery beyond the Great Wall, which made her yearn for it.
Before they knew it, night had fallen. Qi Zhizhi knew he shouldn't linger here too long, so he got up to say goodbye: "There are still a few days left. You can borrow some dishes from the Qi family's kitchen to prepare for the birthday banquet. You don't need to go to the No. 1 Restaurant in the World."
"Don't worry, all the utensils and ingredients will be prepared for you. Just tell them you're going to visit Zhi Qiu at her residence." Before Mu Yulu could speak, Qi Zhizhi added, "You'll still get your wages for the next few days, so just focus on researching the recipes."
The night was deep, and the candlelight on the bluestone table flickered, which, in Mu Yulu's eyes, seemed to gild Qi Zhizhi.
In the following days, Mu Yulu followed Qi Zhizhi's instructions and went to the Qi family's kitchen under the guise of visiting Qi Zhiqi to study the dishes to be presented.
She was worried that visiting the Qi family every day under the same pretext might arouse suspicion from Master Qi or Madam Qi. Even if they didn't suspect anything, her daily visits might still bother them.
When she arrived at the Qi residence, she realized that all the problems she had imagined were completely unfounded.
Master Qi has been away from the manor for some time now, supposedly to purchase spices from some remote tribe in the White Tiger Kingdom.
Madam Qi didn't care about any of that. She was busy riding horses, playing ball, and arranging flowers every day. During the day, she would inspect the shops, and at night she would host banquets and entertain guests. She was extremely busy. Whenever there were visitors at the mansion, Qi Zhi Qiu would be the one to receive them.
Mu Yulu was shocked: "Your parents actually allow you to receive guests?"
Qi Zhi Qiu was also puzzled when she heard her ask this: "Don't your parents allow it?"
Mu Yulu shook her head: "We are not even allowed to go out normally, let alone receive guests. I only made a scene in the mansion a while ago, and they have loosened their guard on me recently."
Qi Zhi Qiu was even more puzzled after hearing this: "But you are young ladies of the manor, not prisoners in jail, so why are you not allowed to go out?"
When Mu Yulu heard her ask this question, she knew that she had truly lived a free and unrestrained life in the Qi family since she was a child, so free that she couldn't even imagine what kind of life ordinary girls lived.
So she didn't say anything more, only explaining that this has been the rule since ancient times: young women must uphold their chastity and be mindful of the separation between men and women.
Then she pulled Qi Zhi Qiu along to study the dishes together.
These past few days, the two of them have been spending every day together, concentrating on researching new dishes in their little corner of the kitchen.
During this time, Qi Zhi Qiu told her many things about the Qi family.
What interested Mu Yulu the most was the legendary story of Madam Qi's youth. It turned out that Madam Qi was from Xuanwu Kingdom. She lost both her parents at a young age and was adopted by a female scholar who traveled the world. That female scholar was very knowledgeable, knowing everything from astronomy to geography, and was even proficient in the Five Elements, the Eight Trigrams, and the art of divination.
Madam Qi had been by her side for eighteen years, and she had learned some business and financial management skills from this lady.
Before meeting Master Qi, she had vowed to remain unmarried for life, just like her master. But fate is like that. When she was eighteen, she met the young Master Qi. They fell in love at first sight and got married.
Qi Zhi Qiu sighed, "Luckily, my father and mother met that year, otherwise my brother and I wouldn't exist in this world."
She smiled at Mu Yulu and said, "Don't you think fate is amazing? If two people are destined to meet, they can meet even if they are separated by thousands of miles. I think you and my brother are quite destined to meet."
Qi Zhiqi tried desperately to steer the conversation toward Qi Zhizhi, but Mu Yulu was only interested in Madam Qi's past. "Where did Madam Qi go with that lady when she was young? Tell me about it."
Qi Zhi Qiu pouted and sighed helplessly, "Alright then, I never expected you to be more interested in my mother than my brother. I heard that the female doctor is also skilled in medicine. When my mother was young, she followed her to practice medicine and helped people. In order to collect medicinal herbs, she even went with her to many mountains, rivers, lakes and seas..."
As they were talking, the kitchen door was pushed open. Qi Zhi Qiu turned around and glanced at it, then stood up and rushed over, "Mother! You're back!"
Mu Yulu also squatted in front of the stove and looked back. When she saw the beautiful woman standing at the door, she stood up abruptly, bowed her head and greeted her, "Greetings, Madam Qi."
Madam Qi looked very young; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was Qi Zhi Qiu's older sister. She stood demurely at the doorway, glanced at Mu Yu Lu with her head bowed, and then looked away as if she hadn't heard anything. She raised her hand and patted Qi Zhi Qiu's shoulder: "You spend all day in front of the stove, and you don't even realize you're covered in dust."
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