Su Xuezhi was welcoming him, but now he's acting like some kind of distinguished guest. ...
Around noon, Yan Huanyue stopped at a small country shop for a bite to eat, then got into the car and sat down to meditate, channeling her spiritual energy to adapt to the slightly expanded spiritual sea and veins.
They hadn't reached any populated areas by the time it got dark in the afternoon.
A wooden wheel accidentally ran over a dead branch on the road, shattering it into pieces.
Pei Xuanzhi looked up from his book, and in the flickering lamplight, his gaze fell entirely on her.
Her eyes, clear as if washed by water, reflected her detached state of cultivation, indifferent to worldly affairs, like a white jade statue, devoid of joy or sorrow, seemingly close yet worlds away.
He once thought she was blinded by the allure of his wedding night and had developed feelings for him, but now it seems he was just being delusional.
It was simply that he himself had impure thoughts first, perhaps on his wedding night, perhaps while spreading incense, perhaps in the quiet valley, or perhaps before any of these.
But he was unwilling to admit it, which is why he viewed others as himself and felt that she cared about him in a different way.
Everything is just a matter, and the illusions that blind us mostly arise from our own minds. If the dust of the heart is not swept away, then all worldly affairs must be cleansed, and we can see the past and present without concealment...
When Yan Huanyue opened her eyes, it was already dark outside the window. Pei Xuanzhi was working on a talisman array by the light of the candles, combining the changes of the stars in the four seasons with the arrangement of the talisman array.
Yan Huanyue dispersed her magic seals, glanced at the sky and the surrounding environment, and asked, "The spirit steed hasn't stopped?"
"Um?"
Pei Xuanzhi looked up, his eyes reflecting the flickering firelight in the spring water.
He seemed to have been reading for most of the day and was still a little drowsy. Following her gaze, he looked at the sky and said with some helplessness, "It looks like we'll have to camp in the wilderness tonight."
He then got out of the carriage and fed the spirit horse some pills. The horse stopped by the path and quietly chewed the pills.
Yan Huanyue took out a box of pastries from under the small table, heated some tea and poured two cups, then asked, "Where are we now?"
Pei Xuanzhi closed the door and replied, "We'll be near Xianyang in two days. After Xianyang, it'll be Chang'an in less than half an hour."
Yan Huanyue thought that she could only make do for one night. Today, she had been circulating her spiritual energy for a day, and her five elements energy had increased slightly in a short time. The circulation was good, and she could continue to try to expand her spiritual sea and spiritual veins in a few days.
With the grand examination approaching next spring, she naturally wanted to be different from her previous life and be able to enter the inner sect in this life.
Moreover, there is still a considerable gap between him and Yu Zhao in the Heavenly Stele ranking.
Pei Xuanzhi sat beside her, sipping his hot tea. Yan Huanyue looked at the gleaming gold hair tie hanging down his temples and suddenly remembered something.
"If we don't want to stay in Xianyang, we should take a detour when we pass through. Otherwise, we'll need to send a letter to the Su family, which would be too much trouble for them, and we might not be able to leave for a while."
Pei Xuanzhi said, "Don't worry, Senior Sister, that's exactly what I'm planning to do."
When they went to bed at night, Yan Huanyue used a purification spell to give them a little cleansing.
She found the carriage too hot due to the array, so she let Pei Xuanzhi cover himself with both blankets, turned off the lights, and lay down on the newly laid thin mattress with her back to him, fully clothed, and took a Shouyuan Pill.
After a long while, as she turned over several times in her sleep, her thick, smooth long hair spread out on the soft pillow, reaching all the way to the edge of his brocade quilt.
In the darkness, Pei Xuanzhi stared silently at her blurry outline, inhaling the faint fragrance emanating from her body, frozen in place as if petrified.
The little golden raccoon inexplicably crawled out from under the brocade quilt and lay on Yan Huanyue's long hair, rolling around happily and freely on the thin mattress, breathing "huff huff" as its furry little body rubbed against her hair.
Not long after, he was still not satisfied and tried to crawl on her.
Pei Xuanzhi was afraid that it would disturb her, so she reached out of the brocade quilt and grabbed its hind leg, and did not let go even after being scratched several times.
The little golden raccoon knew it couldn't make a sound, so it lay sprawled on her long hair with its short limbs completely limp, burying its little face in her hair and rubbing against her. Its two furry front paws covered its eyes, and it whimpered pitifully.
Yan Huanyue was slightly awakened from her dream and called out softly, "Xuanzhi, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing, I was just talking in my sleep."
"oh......"
Pei Xuanzhi pulled the little golden fox back and pressed it against his heart. His fingertips lingered on the edge of the quilt for a long time before he finally raised his hand to cover her long hair under the brocade quilt. He gently closed his eyes and quietly smelled the scent of her long hair mixed with the cool fragrance on his body, completely absorbed in the moment.
But the golden raccoon pressed against his heart was beyond his control, frantically scratching at its cage, causing him to become agitated and unable to breathe properly.
Half-asleep, he lay in the hazy moonlight, his icy fingertips gently drawing a talisman on his abdomen.
He gently stroked her long hair, and couldn't help but tremble as he pushed his waist and abdomen towards her fingertips.
With a few final strokes, she abruptly stopped again, her icy fingertips sliding between his collar and neck as she said coolly, "Since you can't stop, then take off your clothes and paint..."
Suddenly, a chill ran through him, his breath caught in his throat, and he involuntarily murmured, "Sister Huanyue...no..."
Yan Huanyue slapped his hand and said angrily, "Why are you grabbing my hair?"
She woke up in the morning and got up, a sharp pain came from her head. When she turned around, she saw that her long hair had been buried in his brocade quilt. When she lifted the quilt, she saw that her hair was wrapped around his tightly clenched fingers.
Sure enough, even for married couples, sleeping together can be troublesome and inconvenient.
Pei Xuanzhi lay on the brocade quilt, blinking his sleepy eyes as he looked at her in confusion. As he gradually came to his senses, he silently released her hand, gently smoothing her hair, and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't hold your hair before I fell asleep..."
Yan Huanyue really managed to suppress the urge to punch him twice as soon as she opened her eyes, but she couldn't resist the third punch.
She shoved two layers of brocade quilts over him and punched him through the quilts.
Pei Xuanzhi grunted and coughed, "You hit me first thing in the morning..."
As Yan Huanyue combed her hair, she said, "My hair is almost ripped out every time I get up. I'm mentally unstable at this time every day, or in short, I'm sick and can go crazy at any moment. You'd better not talk to me."
Pei Xuanzhi lifted the quilt and sat up, rubbing his arms as he looked at her. After a long while, he got up and folded up the brocade quilt and thin blankets, then set up a small table, lit the stove, and boiled water to make tea.
Yan Huanyue knelt on the brocade cushion, swept her long hair behind her back, tied it with a hairband near her shoulders, and let her long hair meander down to the brocade cushion on the ground.
Pei Xuanzhi held back her words, and after a long while, she asked softly, "Why does Senior Sister never tie her hair up on top of her head?"
Yan Huanyue's anger from getting up had subsided slightly, and she only said, "It hurts my head."
While taking a calming pill, he gently shook his newly tied ponytail and said, "It doesn't hurt anymore."
Yan Huanyue cast two purification spells, leaned close to the table, and warned, "Stop showing off. Tomorrow morning I'll press down on your hair and make you suffer."
After the morning tea ceremony, she continued her cultivation and reading as usual. However, she found inns to stay in for the next two days, so she was unable to get revenge.
On the morning of the third day, as the spirit steed bypassed Xianyang and was about to reach Chang'an, Yan Huanyue suddenly heard a gust of wind coming from afar.
She quickly pushed the car window open a crack and peered out, seeing dozens of people riding swords towards her as the morning sun rose.
It landed just in time on a path not far away.
Leading the group was a young man dressed in blue satin brocade robes. He bowed from afar and said, "I heard that Young Master Pei and your wife have returned to their old home. Xue Yuannian from Chang'an has come to welcome you and invites you to Chang'an."
Pei Xuanzhi, who was turning a page of a book, paused, looked up and glanced at Yan Huanyue.
Yan Huanyue quietly closed the window, turned around, and said softly, "I never imagined that the two families had reached this point."
He then pushed open the carriage and stepped out, standing in front of the carriage shaft against the cold wind. He cupped his hands and said, "I am deeply unworthy of Fellow Daoist Xue's hospitality. We two only wished to travel around and had no intention of disturbing you. I hope Fellow Daoist Xue will not have to trouble himself."
Xue Yuannian smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Yan, you are too kind. Now that you have arrived in Chang'an, it would be extremely impolite of my Xue family not to welcome you."
Yan Huanyue's lips curled into a cold smile as she looked at her elder brother, Xue Jingnian. Although they looked alike, their personalities were completely different, as if they had never been raised by the same family.
Pei Xuanzhi, wearing a cloak, bowed as he stepped out of the carriage and stood behind Yan Huanyue. He said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Xue, my wife and I cannot accept such a grand display, lest it damage our cultivation. I am grateful, and when we arrive in Chang'an, would you mind seeking tea with me?"
Xue Yuannian laughed nonchalantly, "Young man, don't worry. This isn't a show of force. These people were just out on business with me and happened to run into you on your way back. Come on, I'll lead the way for Lingju."
Yan Huanyue said, "There's really no need to trouble yourself..."
Suddenly, a clanging sound came from the sky behind. A man was the first to leap to the side of the carriage on his sword, and took out a prepared wooden step and placed it on the side of the carriage.
The group then landed beside the carriage, and the man at the head of the group said respectfully, "Hearing that Young Master Pei and his young mistress are nearby, Su Xingyuan from Xianyang has come to welcome them."
Su Xingyuan, with his tall hat and wide sleeves, his clothes fluttering in the wind, stood under the carriage holding a wine tray handed to him by someone behind him. He earnestly said, "Since you and your wife have passed through Xianyang, why not have a cup of your hometown wine? That way, we won't be considered to have failed to welcome you properly."
Upon seeing that the head of the Su family had arrived, Xue Yuannian stood with his hands behind his back under the locust tree.
Today's trip was originally intended to add a bad name to the Su family, who inherited Xianyang from the Pei family, as someone who disrespects the descendants of the Pei family.
Now that the Su family has arrived, there's no need for him to rush into a heated argument, making it too obvious that he had ulterior motives. Since things haven't gone smoothly, why not simply be a hospitable person?
Yan Huanyue never expected that even though they deliberately avoided Xianyang to avoid causing trouble for the Su family, this scene would still occur.
Even small things can be used to dig traps; it seems these two neighboring families are indeed at odds quite a bit.
Pei Xuanzhi lifted his robe and stepped down the stairs, turning to help Yan Huanyue, but she had already jumped down from the side of the carriage and stood gently to the side.
Su Xingyuan looked at Pei Xuanzhi and said with a smile, "The last time you came back, you were with Sect Leader Pei. I also sent people to your wedding with the young mistress. Now that you are in Xianyang, why not go home and visit again?"
Pei Xuanzhi bowed to Su Xingyuan, took two cups of wine, and handed one to Yan Huanyue.
He then raised his cup to Su Xingyuan and said, "Greetings, Master. I was just going to Chang'an with my wife and did not intend to disturb your two families. I was too naive about what happened today."
He tilted his head back and drank the wine in his cup, then took Yan Huanyue's empty wine cup, placed it on the tray, bowed again, and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled the family head to make this trip. I will certainly visit Xianyang again on my way back."
Su Xingyuan had little contact with Pei Xuanzhi, except for the period when Pei Hanzhou found him and took him to the ancestral hall to register his name.
In his memory, he simply stood behind Pei Hanzhou, not saying much, and Su Xingyuan couldn't quite grasp what kind of temperament this young man was.
But now he did not send a letter in advance, and deliberately avoided Xianyang. If it weren't for the Xue family coming to welcome him, this would have been a very safe choice. Anyone could see that they did not want to alarm the two families.
Even so, the young mistress politely declined Xue's invitation.
It is evident that although he and his wife are still young, they act with prudence and are not the kind of ignorant and arrogant people who deliberately want to show off their power and embarrass Su.
They probably knew they were being used as pawns, which is why they were unwilling to leave with Xue Yuannian first.
Su Xingyuan looked at the two of them and said with a smile, "Then I, Su, will be waiting for you two to go home."
Then he said to Xue Yuannian, who was standing with his hands behind his back under the locust tree, "Nephew, please take good care of the two of you. All expenses will be delivered today."
Xue Yuannian bowed and said, "Uncle, you are too kind."
On the way to Chang'an, Yan Huanyue listened quietly to the sound of the wheels rolling.
Back then, the Su family were originally servants of the Xue family. However, during the exorcism of demons, a certain head of the Xue family confiscated a lot of spirit stones and medicinal herbs from the servants who served the Xue family in order to help the family of one of his concubines to make merit.
If the Xue family hadn't taken the initiative to place the head of the family under house arrest and kill the concubine, they would have almost lost all their retainers.
Among them, the ancestors of the Su clan left Xianyang directly. Soon after, in the Battle of Tianqian, the Pei clan was almost completely wiped out, and the remnants of the Su clan took over the Xianyang Life Protection Formation.
Over time, although the two families disliked each other, no third-party forces could get involved in this area.
Soon, the carriage entered Chang'an. Following Pei Xuanzhi's instructions, Xue Yuannian escorted them back to the Lu family's gate before taking his leave.
As soon as he arrived home, a servant came to report: "Young Master, the Second Young Master Su said that there are not enough people to clean up the newly unearthed demon remains in Yandong."
"What Young Master Su said was: Go ask the head of the Xue family if they have raised a few people who can be used in the matter of demon transformation over the years, and select a few to make up the manpower. Our Second Miss said to send people from the Tianxuan Second Division to ask for your opinion."
The conflict between the two families can only remain within the scope of private matters. Since Xianyang can be changed from Pei to Su, it can also be changed from Su to Xue.
Even so, the Xue family never challenged or used underhanded tactics against the Su family on important matters, and the Su family did the same.
Xue Yuannian strode quickly toward the main courtyard against the cold wind and said without hesitation, "Send all the people from the second and sixth divisions of Tianxuan to them. Tell them not to disgrace the Xue family. Do a better job than the Su family. I will reward them when they return, and the Xue family will also be rewarded."
The messenger happened to be from the Tianxuan Second Division. Upon hearing this, he was delighted. Some things can be done without taking a penny, but if one doesn't take a penny from anyone, one will not survive.
Who wouldn't be happy to do something that aligns with their conscience and aspirations, and even receive a reward for it?
The man replied, "Yes."
Looking at his face again, he said, "Young Master has also returned for the New Year. As soon as he heard that you went to pick up the Pei family, he went out to find his fellow disciples and followed you one after the other."
Xue Yuannian paused, then turned and strode out, frowning as he said:
"He's such a worry. He just came back to see his adoptive parents, and I didn't even visit him today, but he's already acting like some kind of honored guest."
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 19:25:38 on November 22, 2023 and 22:55:54 on November 23, 2023!
Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: Cute Cheese and Xiaomanyi (1 each);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Sweet Sweet Sweet ° 70 bottles; Coconut Coconut 26 bottles; Zhu Yan Tao An, Wish 20 bottles; One Bite One Kitten 14 bottles; Eh~ Something's Wrong, T 12 bottles; Lian Mo Ru Mou 11 bottles; Man Man, Fu Sheng Ru Si, Yu Qing, Did the Author Add Roots Today?, Meng Bi Who Wants to Be a Top Student 10 bottles; Ku Gu Sheng Hua 6 bottles; Another Boring Day, Little Lucky 5 bottles; Jiangpan, PaulCraddock 4 bottles; Haaa, Moon Island Firefly 2 bottles; 39077746, Er Wu Zai, Mi, 34699103, Come a Cup of Milkshake, Bi Yi Bu Ye Hou, Bala Bala, 46271020, 42293163, Curry Curry Curry, Let Me Eat Sweet Cookies!, Ye Luo Jing Cheng, Xia Ming Lang, Xin, Junzy, Zhi Zhi Fu Zhi Zhi, Le Yi 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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