Punishment is called encouragement.
Pei Xuanzhi returned to the door he had just left, where a pot of medicine was bubbling under the eaves.
A small palm-leaf fan floated in front of the stove, diligently fanning the fire on its own.
As soon as he stepped under the eaves, the palm-leaf fan moved to a position further away from him and continued to fan the fire intermittently.
It seemed like they weren't really going to pay him any attention.
He stood under the eaves with his hands at his sides, his white clothes reflecting the glow of the fire. He didn't speak, but just quietly watched the fan work.
He fanned himself haphazardly a couple of times, then, as if in a fit of pique, lost his strength and swayed gently down from the air, landing beside the stove.
He sighed softly, walked over, picked up the small palm-leaf fan, lifted his robe, and sat on the small wooden stool to fan the fire and brew the medicine.
He had a deep impression of the bitter taste; the moment he woke up, it felt like he had been soaking in this medicine for several days. This was the medicine that had been brewed for him.
Was she originally planning to bring him medicine later?
The purpose was to see how he settled down at night, and whether he really slept on the street.
He pursed his lips, his eyes were clear, and the flickering firelight reflected on his snow-white, porcelain-like cheeks.
He had never been someone's husband, but he knew at least some basic responsibilities.
When he was young, he traveled around with his husband and saw some couples. Some husbands did not engage in production but ordered their hardworking wives around, demanding food and drink. However, most couples were like the man plowing and the woman weaving.
Once a person makes a choice, they must take responsibility for all the consequences.
The gentleman said he was in poor health and that it would be best if he didn't get married when he grew up, as it would delay other people's marriages.
At that time, he was young and deeply believed in this.
Looking back now, I realize that he forgot many things without permission, even about getting married. I really feel bad for her. He even got angry at her earlier, which must have hurt her feelings.
The medicine on the stove was bubbling away, making him sneeze.
The medicine was almost ready. He was about to take a bowl from his treasure pouch when he thought for a moment, then got up and went to the door to try pushing it open.
There was a barrier around the door, and he couldn't push it open.
He glanced at the medicine stove, then walked to the window near the bed, speaking in a very ordinary tone as if nothing had happened about being pushed out the door:
"Senior Sister Yan, the medicine is ready. There's no bowl to serve it in. I'll go in and get the bowl."
The door creaked open, and bright candlelight poured out instantly.
He saw that she was still wearing that nightgown, the soft yellow gauze dress making her look exceptionally gentle and fair, her long, jet-black hair half-tied up, dyed a magnificent crimson gold by the pale candlelight...
She stood openly by the table, slowly rolling up a piece of paper in her hand, and glanced at him casually.
The way he was treated as if he were nothing made his throat feel dry.
He was shocked by his own reaction.
He wasn't a person with such a magnanimous heart; in the past, if he encountered such a look, he would either ignore it or feel ashamed, but today...
He suddenly felt disgusted with his unusual reaction.
Pei Xuanzhi remembered her nightgown, turned around to check if anyone was in the courtyard, then immediately closed the door, coughed twice, his Adam's apple bobbing uncontrollably, "I'll get the medicine bowl."
Yan Huanyue placed the roll of paper in her hand by the window and said, "Take it yourself."
After saying that, he tidied up the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the table and casually placed them by the window.
Pei Xuanzhi took the white porcelain bowl, closed the door, and went out.
Yan Huanyue heard a faint tinkling sound outside the window.
A short while later, he came in again with a bowl of steaming hot medicine.
Once the door was closed, he placed the medicine on the table and sat down to wait for it to cool down.
Yan Huanyue sat down on the edge of the bed and casually asked, "Has the fire in the stove gone out?"
"Yes, senior sister, don't worry."
She lifted her skirt, sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed, and suddenly remembered something, instructing, "Eat something before taking your medicine, so you don't vomit again later."
Pei Xuanzhi responded with a "yes" and then took out the bag of pastries to eat.
Slightly sweet and soft, it's the kind of mashed potato dessert he likes. Unless you're close to him, few people would know his preferences.
As he ate his third bite, he heard her say softly, "Snacks are hard to digest, and you shouldn't eat too much at night. If you're hungry, go and get a bowl of vegetarian noodle soup."
Pei Xuanzhi put down the pastries in her hand, turned to look at the person at the foot of the bed who was closing her eyes and preparing to meditate, and asked softly, "Senior sister, are you hungry? I'll go get you some food."
Yan Huanyue suddenly opened her eyes, her expression somewhat complicated. He had lost his memory, so why was he still like this, always caring about her needs?
"I'm not hungry. Didn't I go to sleep on the floor in the sect leader's room? Why are you back so soon?"
Pei Xuanzhi withdrew his gaze, casually picked up the cup she had used on the table and played with it in his hand. He leaned back in his chair and said coolly, "If I dare to stay in his room, he will dare to agree to my divorce from you."
Yan Huanyue let her long hair fall loose behind her, chuckled softly, and said helplessly, "You really won't agree? I thought you couldn't wait to divorce me."
Pei Xuan had only been out of the cold pool for a short while, and then went out into the cold wind during the night. Feeling unwell, he nestled in a chair and coughed for a while, his voice slightly hoarse.
“I wouldn’t make such a decision while suffering from amnesia, especially since I don’t want a divorce right now… It’s just that no one told me about the marriage, otherwise, I wouldn’t have gotten angry because you were taking a bath here. I’m sorry…”
Yan Huanyue then learned the truth; it turned out that no one had told him about this.
Upon entering the room, he inexplicably saw a woman bathing in his room. She probably thought he was being insulted, which explains why he was so angry.
She looked at him, smiled and said softly, "It's alright, I still need to meditate and regulate my breathing. You should take your medicine and rest early."
After saying that, he made a hand seal, placed his hands on his knees, closed his eyes, and circulated his spiritual energy.
The room fell silent, and after a long while, the sound of a candle popping could be heard.
Pei Xuanzhi leaned back in his chair and waited for a long time before slowly turning his head to look at the woman hidden in the shadow of half a curtain.
Her skin was fair and radiant, with a rosy glow, her lips slightly red, and her complexion full of vitality. She looked like a person made of snow-white cream filled with peach blossom juice. Just by looking at her, you could tell that she must have a warm and sweet fragrance about her.
If I were to glance at him again in that indifferent way...
This is not the thinking of a decent person.
Even if he doesn't think his moral boundaries are particularly extensive, it's still not the kind of thinking a normal person would have.
His self-loathing immediately resurfaced.
He simply got up, drank the medicine, and then washed up. He moved the screen that separated the bathing area over and placed it between the table and the bed.
He sat at the table and took out the treasure bag to examine it carefully.
Some things have been added, and some things have been lost.
Most of the money I saved up in the first half of my life is gone. I don't know if I gave it to her or kept it for myself. It's not easy to ask now.
If he gives it to her, asking again will inevitably make people think he wants it back.
If he had kept it to himself, asking this question would likely break the already fragile and precarious bond between the couple on the spot.
When necessary, the first thing to learn is appropriate silence, which can avoid many disputes.
He was more concerned with not knowing or being aware of the traces of the money than with tearing the two of them apart.
The couple's relationship can be cultivated little by little; it's their own business. Ideally, nothing should happen that could jeopardize their marriage.
He continued searching and found a wreath of moonflowers preserved in ice crystals in the treasure pouch.
There was also a jade hairpin for men, a silver-sheathed dagger, a small white jade figurine, and many women's clothes and jewelry.
Previously, his treasure pouch contained nothing of women's, but now that so many had appeared, his divine sense, probing into the pouch, felt somewhat awkward and unfamiliar, unsure of where to begin.
In a moment of distraction, a small jade figure appeared in my palm.
The beautiful woman held a horizontal sword in her hand, her single garment fluttering in the wind, exuding a heroic and dashing air.
On the back of the small jade dagger in her hand were a few tiny characters, which he would not have noticed if it weren't for the uneven light and shadow cast by the candlelight.
May you live a long and peaceful life, free from disasters and hardships.
He took out the jade hairpin from earlier, which was engraved with the same auspicious words.
He remained silent for a long time, gazing at the jade figure in his palm, before looking up at the screen.
The inn's screen wasn't exquisite; it wasn't made of glass or gauze, but rather tightly wrapped with bamboo strips, so he couldn't see her figure.
When he first met her, he felt something different from others, but he couldn't understand how he could like someone to this extent.
To carve a jade statue of her and keep it is something he finds hard to imagine now.
He placed the little jade figure on the table, adjusted its position so that it stared directly at him, the horizontal sword in its hand pointing at him.
Then, in front of her, he continued searching through the treasure pouch.
Before long, he was startled and took out seven simple and ancient-looking jade coins.
The jade coin looks ordinary, but it contains a wisp of spiritual energy that is hard to ignore.
He had only heard his teacher talk about this kind of jade coin that concealed qi, and had never seen it in person.
Even though he had lost his memory, he knew that if he saw something like this, he would definitely try every means to get his hands on it.
He stacked seven jade coins and placed them next to the little jade figure, making them the same height as her.
He placed her on a stack of jade coins, looked at her silently for a while, and then put her into his treasure pouch.
He tidied up the teapot and teacups on the table and placed them on a chair, then put the candlestick inside the screen.
He then took a thick cloak from his treasure pouch and covered himself with it. He lay down on the table, but his legs were too long to fit on the table, so they dangled in mid-air.
A white brocade robe was laid across his eyes, his hands behind his head, and he looked relaxed and at ease, his robes flowing like a thin layer of evening snow, quietly spread on the table.
Having just finished a bloody and tumultuous dinner, Lu Shenchu returned to his room, completely isolating himself from his fellow cultivators from the Zhou family whom he usually had to see. With his own moments to relax, he felt much more at ease.
Before the paper figure in his hand had even been cut a few times, the Sanqing Bell at his waist rang out with a clear sound.
His eyes suddenly lit up, and he bowed respectfully before the offering table, added three more sticks of incense to the incense burner, and whispered, "Little deity, why have you come in person?"
On his black lacquered altar were several fruit plates, two vases filled with fresh lotus blossoms, and in the center was a paper effigy.
Perhaps the paper-making skills were not very good, because the paper figure looked particularly pale and terrifying.
As the fragrance rose slowly, a wisp of white smoke also drifted out from between the eyebrows of the paper effigy.
The white smoke swirled in the air, carrying a delicate fragrance, and a cool voice said unhurriedly, "Why bother with all this fancy stuff?"
Lu Shenchu picked up a fruit platter and said, "This is the most expensive food in Xiling. If we're talking about the nobility of the Xuanjiang disciples, it's not just about themselves. The disciples wear fine clothes, and the immortals enjoy luxury. This is the proper decorum for us, father and son."
Its cunning and keen understanding of human nature led Lu Shenchu to believe that his Xuanjiang Demon Immortal was an old demon of the fox race.
In particular, its worthless behavior when it met Yan Huanyue reinforced his stereotype of this old bachelor.
Ruthless, insidious, shrewd, and cunning, but perhaps because he has been immersed in cultivation for too long and has not received the nourishment of love for many years, he immediately sets his old house on fire when he first meets someone he likes, thinking that he can win favor by pestering and entanglement.
And you still complain that it's too flashy? Sigh...
That old bachelor, what does he know? He should just keep an eye on his meager life savings and make sure he doesn't end up sending them all to the Heavenly Evolution Sect to curry favor with them when Black Blood gets carried away.
Although it was a demon that Yan Huanyue wouldn't even glance at, it was Lu Shenchu's source of confidence as he walked through the world.
He was generous in providing it with good things, only hoping that it wouldn't grow old and lose sight of reality, blindly and confidently falling for married women.
He didn't know the true form or background of the demon immortal, but he was very afraid that it had already begun to entangle Yan Huanyue in some form.
If Pei Xuanzhi were to find out and report it to Sect Leader Pei, the consequences would be unimaginable.
So he wanted to confirm, "Have you encountered that female cultivator surnamed Yan from the Tianyan Sect recently?"
The white smoke gathered and dispersed in the air. It didn't think it would reveal these things. It should only have been entangled with Yan Huanyue in this form and seen by Lu Shenchu.
Therefore, it said calmly, "Let's not discuss private matters."
Lu Shenchu: Oh, so there is. Should I start thinking about how to give you a grand and lavish funeral?
A wave of oppressive force swept over him, and Lu Shenchu's knees suddenly buckled as he knelt on the ground, a chill growing heavier in his heart.
"Little deity...this disciple shouldn't have spoken ill of you, cough...Little deity, spare me..."
Any attempt to guess or probe the identity and private affairs of a demon immortal is a grave taboo in Xuanjiang. At best, it will result in the death penalty, with the demon immortal's brain being pierced by a golden needle and all cultivation being destroyed. At worst, it will result in execution as a punishment for breaking faith.
Perhaps because it rarely spoke in the past, Lu Shenchu felt that it would be an exception.
White smoke drifted lazily in the air. "How has Liao Yunu been lately?"
"After my aunt came out of her hiding place in Chang'an, she first went to offer sacrifices to her younger sister, and then went north. You know exactly what she was doing. I am currently in Xiling and do not know the details."
After a while, the white smoke drifted and said, "In consideration of your meritorious service, I will compile a record of your contributions over the past year or two, making it as clear as possible. Although I have always distributed money and goods to you, this time I will give you two more portions of elixirs and money based on this record. The date the record is completed will be the date the money is paid out."
Lu Shenchu was overjoyed and readily agreed, completely forgetting about the punishment he had just received.
What kind of punishment? Seriously speaking, it's called encouragement.
If you don't suffer here with the little immortal, you'll lose your life if you're replaced by a demon immortal who descends from heaven and does something like this that breaks the rules.
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