Chapter 33 "Starting My Taste of Food" Help me keep an eye on someone.
Princess Mingzhu was far too enthusiastic, and it took Bitao a lot of effort to subdue her.
After seeing her face clearly, Bitao was genuinely stunned.
Princess Mingzhu was undoubtedly a beauty, but her eyes were really too big.
So big... Big Eyes would probably have to be called Small Eyes in front of her.
Such large eyes on a small face barely bigger than the palm of your hand—it's beautiful, but staring at them for too long can even feel a bit creepy and inhuman.
Moreover, this beautiful young woman was being choked, yet she kept smiling like a flower.
Unable to get her neck closer to Bitao, and unable to express her joy with her pouting lips, she wrapped her limbs around Bitao, pulling her arms tightly into her embrace, and even trying to coil her legs around Bitao's body.
"You'll fall into the water in a minute." Bitao pressed down on one of her legs, the fine veins on her forehead bulging.
This was so unexpected...
The little beauty stopped making strange noises and just kept happily shouting, "Bitao, Bitao, Bitao... Bitao, have you missed me? I really missed you so much!"
"The three of us made a secret code in heaven to find each other. We agreed that as soon as we were reincarnated and had our memories and abilities, we would find each other as soon as possible."
“I’ve been training my own pigeon team since I was six years old. The people I send out return with messages every few days, and they’ve practically turned the entire Qingliao Kingdom upside down! We finally found Xuanjia, a fisherwoman, on the banks of the Anshi River in Pingshan Prefecture, but the two of us just can’t find any trace of you no matter what we do…”
Bitao suddenly remembered that she had heard the name Zhan Kui from Mingguang once before.
At that time, Mingguang was testing her, and the names he mentioned were definitely those of people she was close to.
Moreover, although Bitao was holding a passionate little beauty in her arms, she still hadn't let her guard down. When she glanced at her two older brothers, she noticed that their expressions were also very strange.
There was more surprise than alarm.
The fact that the sword, which had been drawn halfway, was sheathed again only proves that Zhan Kui posed no danger to Bi Tao.
And judging from their seemingly uninterested attitude in stopping them, is this how they usually act?
Bitao was only slightly taller than Zhankui, and could still put her feet down when sitting on the railing by the water.
She held Zhan Kui in her arms, let him sit on her lap, steadied herself, and slowly released her hands from Zhan Kui's neck in this intimate, moonlit pose.
Zhan Kui immediately wrapped his arms around Bi Tao tightly, holding her close.
It rubbed against Bitao's neck and face like a puppy.
Fortunately, they didn't kiss me randomly again.
Otherwise, Bitao would suspect that she might have had a penchant for polishing mirrors when she was in the Heavenly Realm.
However, just as Bitao was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she heard Zhan Kui, who was in her arms, hug her neck and say, "Bitao, why are you so cold to me? We haven't seen each other for so long, why don't you hug me!"
"Why are you so stiff, like a block of wood!"
Bitao: "..."
Zhan Kui was prepared to be rejected and disliked by Bi Tao.
Bitao was kind to everyone. Even when they were in the Heavenly Realm, she would help those who had little contact with her whenever they came to her for help, as long as it was within her power.
Bitao has many friends, but there is an invisible boundary in the relationship between friends. When someone tries to cross it, Bitao will subtly avoid it.
Even Zhan Kui, who was her closest friend, would not be so overly intimate with her as he was now.
She didn't like it, which frustrated Zhan Kui, who was used to expressing his emotions through physical gestures.
Once she descended to the lower realm, she allowed kisses and hugs?
Zhan Kui deliberately waited a while longer, then straddled Bi Tao's lap and pressed himself against her. Bi Tao actually allowed him to be so intimate.
Something's not right...
"Why...why are you looking at me like that? You wouldn't be..."
Zhan Kui cupped Bi Tao's face in his hands, his large eyes locking onto her at close range.
Bitao thought to herself, "Please don't say anything that's 'earth-shattering and ghost-weeping.' Although she has no memory of the past, she really doesn't have a penchant for making things up."
Zhan Kui stared at Bi Tao for a while, but Bi Tao still didn't push her away. After a moment, she asked, "Are you stupid? Don't you recognize me or don't you remember me?"
Bitao: "..."
Is she really that obviously "stupid"?
None of the "celestial beings" that Bitao encountered before noticed anything amiss as soon as they met, which must be because Bitao's disguise was quite similar to her appearance in the celestial realm.
How did Princess Mingzhu discover this so quickly...?
"You've forgotten me? Do you still remember Xuanjia?"
"Wait a minute, aren't these two your younger brothers from You Tian? Are you crazy to be hanging out with them?"
The two brothers guarding Bitao: "..." You're the younger brother!
Why don't you just shut up?
Zhan Kui got up and turned around, his big eyes rolling around as if he was thinking about something. After a moment, he looked at Bi Tao and suddenly said, "I know! It was that thing that Ice Wheel True Immortal from the Thunder Department threw at you that made you stupid!"
"I knew those bald bastards from the Ancient Immortal Clan would rack their brains to prevent you from getting entangled with Immortal Mingguang, making sure you can't return to the mortal realm!"
"When the teleportation happened, I watched as Zhu Mingxian, who had rushed over anxiously, retrieved that thing. I never expected it would still end up like this for you!"
Zhan Kui lamented, "All these years when I was looking for you, whenever I encountered the Ancient Immortal Clan, I would always put a stumbling block on their path to gaining faith power, so that they wouldn't develop too quickly and cause you trouble. I never imagined that I would be a step too late from the moment I was born..."
If the two people could see the Silver River at this moment, they would find that another wave had risen on the Silver River.
No wonder the faith power of the ancient immortals was mostly stagnant in the early stages; it turns out it was you, this "dead fish," who was causing the trouble!
Bitao originally intended to do what she did when she met Cangling: first, pretend for a while to observe what kind of person the other party really was.
As a result, this girl who called herself Zhan Kui deduced in just one meeting and a few words that Bi Tao had forgotten her past.
Little did they know that if Bitao had any memory now, she would definitely roll her eyes.
Because Zhan Kui's speculation wasn't actually a conjecture; she was just guessing randomly.
She has such a small brain, and all of it is used for her eyes. Where would she have room for her brain?
Firstly, she and Bitao had spent a considerable amount of time together in the Heavenly Realm, and she was very clear about the limits of her tolerance for Bitao.
Moreover, Bitao would never look at Zhankui with such a "serious" gaze.
She always viewed Zhan Kui with a hint of helpless indulgence.
Secondly, some people are so lucky that when faced with a dilemma, choosing just one option is always the right one.
If you encounter a chess game you can't understand, grab a handful of pieces and throw them onto the board; you'll likely win the game.
Just like the immortals competing for positions in the lower realms, they have experienced almost all the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death in this star realm.
As a result, Zhan Kui was reborn into a powerful, non-royal royal family. Originally, he was the daughter of a concubine, unable to rise in status or gain recognition.
Unfortunately, just a few years after her birth, her three valiant and strong older brothers all died overnight.
Moreover, after her, no matter how many concubines Rong'an Prince took, he could not grow a single bean.
She naturally became the only descendant of Prince Rong'an.
Bitao, who has yet to experience the power of Zhan Kui's fortune, has had her memories of the celestial realm exposed.
There was no need to pretend anymore. He pushed her off him without much politeness and patted his numb legs a couple of times.
Zhan Kui staggered slightly as he stood up, but laughed and said, "That feels more like it! You usually don't let me hug you, do you? You even let me kiss you just now. I almost thought that after being separated from me for a while, you realized that you liked me instead of Mingguang!"
Bitao: "..." So it was right of her not to let me hug or kiss her.
Bitao stood there expressionless, but her eyes unconsciously held a hint of helplessness and indulgence.
Zhan Kui felt completely comfortable watching him.
The only thing that can frustrate a madwoman is an even more madwoman.
If Bitao was planning to climb the ladder to the sky, Zhankui was always the one who would jump up and try to tear the sky apart, and still complain that the sky shouldn't be so high.
"It's okay, it's okay, it's okay even if you're stunned."
Zhan Kui said, "Come and follow me! I am now Princess Mingzhu. In this Great Yuan Prefecture, if I stomp my foot, it will tremble three times!"
"This is the first time we sisters have been separated for so many years. Come with me quickly, I'll have a feast prepared, and we'll drink and make merry, living a life of blissful oblivion!"
"Oh, by the way, you two immortal lords, I've had my servants take you to eat and drink on your own. Please don't be offended, my sisters and I have some private things to discuss!"
The two older brothers were left behind.
Bitao turned around and gave her two brothers a look that said, "Don't worry, leave now."
She didn't know Zhan Kui and had no way of figuring out her purpose. She also couldn't judge the sincerity of Zhan Kui's overly outgoing personality.
However, the best way to observe is to get close.
I decided to follow her and see what she was up to.
Zhan Kui, holding Bi Tao's hand, said, "I've brought the best chef from Zuixianlou to our manor. That chef has traveled all over the country and even crossed borders. He can cook every dish you can name, and every single one of them is a delicacy! You must try them!"
Bitao followed Zhankui away from the waterside pavilion. As they walked, she silently memorized the layout of the palace by the light of the courtyard lamps.
"You must have suffered a lot all these years out there... You look much thinner than when you were in the Heavenly Realm!"
Just a few days ago, Bitao was worried that she would die from being too fat, but upon hearing this, she felt relieved.
Zhan Kui continued, "When I first found Xuanjia, she was like a bitter weed. She was fishing by the river day and night, and she also kindly adopted several orphans. She was starving and thirsty, and she was really thin as a turtle shell!"
"Someone, bring me the palanquin! Walking is too slow. My courtyard is in the front. I was the one who expanded this palace, but it's so big, it's exhausting to walk through it every time..."
Born in a remote mountain valley, where she was often hungry and cold, Bitao finally managed to escape only to find herself hiding and lying low in a cult. After enduring numerous hardships, she boarded a palanquin that could hold eight people and had her face covered by a hanging curtain.
A deep-seated hatred for the wealthy was growing within me.
But this feeling quickly faded away without a trace.
Because she simply stepped through a door, she became one of the "rich and powerful."
Zhan Kui took her hand, pointed to the countless large chests filled with jewels in the private treasury, and said to Bi Tao, "Just like when we were in the Heavenly Realm, we keep all our money together. What's mine is yours! Here's the key; you can take whatever you want from here!"
In the celestial realm, their money was indeed kept together.
The main reason is that Bitao keeps the money there so that if any friend needs it urgently, they can access it without asking her.
The money circulating in the celestial realm is not the gold and silver of the mortal world, but bags of pure spiritual energy of the five elements.
Bitao followed Youtian's merit-based immortal position to the mortal realm. These purified spiritual energy bags were mostly rewards for completing immortal duties.
Zhan Kui, being carefree and not interested in cultivation in the heavens, naturally wouldn't bother to purify the power of the five elements. He almost exclusively used peach blossoms, ate peach blossoms, and used peach blossoms.
Now she can finally turn the tables. Not to mention sharing the private treasury, she would sell her father without batting an eye even if she had to hand over the entire palace!
Holding the keys, Bitao was dazzled by the pile of jewels that looked like mountains of gold and silver.
Forgive her for being just a village girl from a remote mountain village. All she ever saw were ordinary people fighting tooth and nail for a bite to eat, with relatives turning against each other.
She thought that she and Zhan Kui must have a very, very good relationship.
Otherwise, why would she be willing to share such a private collection?
"From now on, you'll live with me in this courtyard. We'll share a room, hehehehe. Come on, let's eat first!"
Bitao had never eaten such a lavish banquet in her entire life.
Fine wines, delicacies, and rare seafood were piled up on the huge, four-tiered, manually rotating table as if they were free.
Just serving meals to two people requires nearly ten people.
For a fleeting moment, as Bitao opened her mouth to receive food from a handsome male servant, she leaned back in her chair and felt as if she had briefly ascended to the throne.
Even emperors could not experience such ultimate enjoyment.
Moreover, ordinary people would be slightly surprised to learn about Bitao's appetite.
However, when Zhan Kui noticed that Bi Tao was eating slowly when she was almost full, he would ask her curiously, "Why is your appetite smaller after reincarnation? Eat up! There are still two more rounds to go!"
Moreover, she didn't care at all whether Bitao Ji remembered the past, and treated her with extreme familiarity and closeness.
She kept babbling on and on, almost reciting all the delicious food and fun things in Dayuan Prefecture to Bitao in one go.
She promised countless times, "I'll take you there tomorrow!" Her beautiful face flushed with excitement, like the evening glow.
Finally, after the two of them had eaten and drunk their fill, and were lying on the soft couch munching on snacks while having their feet massaged, they grumbled and asked Bitao, "Tell me where you've been all these years. Why can't I find you? And how did you end up with that cult? They've done so many evil things, and we're still going to die."
Bitao was considering how to answer, but Zhan Kui didn't care about her answer.
He continued, "From now on, you'll stay here with me. I'll find a way to drive those cultists away. Then, we can just throw some money around and do some good deeds, and faith will come pouring in. We can live a carefree life in the mortal world, and then go to heaven in peace..."
The room was brightly lit and furnished with the most luxurious and expensive items. The warmth came from the fire dragon under the feet. The food was so delicious that it filled one's stomach and eroded one's willpower.
Bitao pinched her knuckles from time to time to prevent this extreme enjoyment from corrupting her reason.
Her wariness and suspicion, amidst the overwhelming wave of goodwill from Zhan Kui—a willingness to rip out his chest and use his heart as a hand warmer—made her struggle to survive.
Having lived to the age of eighteen and witnessed the wickedness of the world, this was the first time she had ever encountered someone with such undisguised kindness.
Moreover, after a period of contact and observation, she discovered that Zhan Kui was not deliberately trying to curry favor or seek any reward.
After all, Bitao now only has nearly three hundred refugees starving to be fed.
She disguised herself as a servant of the Great Emperor of the Qinghua Divine Cult, but it was clear that neither the Prince of Rong'an of Dayuan Prefecture nor this Princess Mingzhu had any intention of colluding with the cult.
For Bitao, there was nothing to gain; all that remained was simple affection and goodwill.
The hoarse voice chattered in my ears, unlike the ominous sound of a crow; it was even somewhat endearing.
You search high and low without finding it, only to have it come to you effortlessly.
This is probably the most beautiful vision in the world.
As Bitao lay there, having her muscles, which had been tense and sore for several days, massaged, she sighed and remarked that Zhan Kui was truly blessed.
Of all the immortals she encountered, Zhan Kui was probably the only one who, after coming to the mortal realm, actually fared better than he did in the heavenly realm.
While others indulge in petty scheming, she indulges in cockfighting and dog racing.
While others suffer the hardships of being a poor cabbage, she has chefs taking turns cooking for her every day.
Luck is also a part of ability.
Thanks to Zhan Kui's closeness and complete openness, Bi Tao no longer needed to diligently "ask for money from heaven and settle for less" with Prince Rong An.
Looking at Zhan Kui's smiling face, she thought of the various rumors about Princess Mingzhu in Dayuan Prefecture. She had plenty of ways to use Zhan Kui to deal with Prince Rong'an.
It would be much easier to settle down in Dayuan Prefecture and establish a base here.
Bitao did not give a direct answer to Zhan Kui's question.
Or perhaps she didn't answer a single question. She had a few drinks during the meal, and while she was slightly intoxicated, she was far from drunk.
Her cheeks were flushed from the heat in the room, and she pretended to be drunk, looking like she wanted to say something, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she collapsed onto the soft couch.
I simply pretended to be asleep.
Zhan Kui had no doubts whatsoever and even had someone cover the peaches with some of the covering.
"Let her sleep for a while. Prepare some hot soup and let her wash up after she's recovered from the alcohol."
Immediately afterwards, Zhan Kui went out.
Bitao simply rolled over to relax, her mind racing with all sorts of schemes and plots, while in reality she lay there dutifully pretending to be drunk and not moving an inch.
Before long, faint footsteps could be heard outside.
Soon the door to the outer room was opened, and two people entered one after the other, their footsteps falling slightly.
Then came the sound of voices.
"No, you have to let me in to take a look."
"I want to see which gentleman has bewitched you so much tonight that he won't even let me in the door."
The voice was very pleasant to hear, with a beautiful tone; just by listening, one could guess that it belonged to a handsome man.
He spoke with a hint of jealousy, but there was little real anger in his words; it was more like he was flirting with someone.
Soon another voice came, it was Zhan Kui: "I said you can't come in, and that means you can't come in. He's not some newly acquired young man. You should go back now, I'll come find you again tomorrow..."
"Tomorrow won't work either. I haven't had time these past few days. You should go keep my father company. If you want him to recommend you, you'll have to win his favor."
After Zhan Kui finished speaking, he pressed down on the person's low-cut collar with its elaborate embroidery and pushed the person outwards.
But she was truly drunk, walking unsteadily, and was having a wonderful time tonight, her eyes shining like stars.
It's obvious he's found a new lover.
The man who was shoved refused to believe Zhan Kui's words and refused to go out.
He lowered his head, grabbed Zhan Kui's arms, twisted her body, pulled her into his arms, and forced her through the door to the inner room.
"We've been dating for so long, and I've never seen you put on such a grand show to entertain me. The food was almost completely eaten up. Is this groom a pig?"
"Or am I not serving you comfortably enough?"
The man lowered his voice, leaning close to the drunken Zhan Kui's ear, his lips pressed against her earlobe, speaking softly yet forcefully.
"I'm not trying to disturb your peaceful night, I'm just taking a look."
"You should know that the grooms in those brothels in the city don't know how to serve anyone. I can teach them step by step, or maybe the three of us can do it together?"
Bitao pretended to be woken up, climbed up from the soft couch, and frowned as she listened to the increasingly unbearable conversation outside.
The servants who had been attending to me had all left at some point, and many of the lights in the room had been turned off, leaving only a warm yellow light that was not glaring and was just right for sleeping.
Two figures stumbled into the room, but by the time they entered, they had merged into one.
It wasn't that there was anything indecent to see; it was just that the two of them were hugging each other tightly, chest to back.
When Zhan Kui saw Bi Tao wake up, he was suddenly awakened from his drowsiness and arousal caused by the "lewd words" that had been poured into his ears.
She suddenly struggled free from the person behind her, only to find him staring blankly at Bitao, who was sitting cross-legged on the soft couch.
Zhan Kui snorted, his eyes darting around with a hint of schadenfreude: "I already told you he's not some young master..."
Zhan Kui deliberately leaned against the man's chest, sliding his fingers down from the man's slightly open collar.
"The Moon Goddess? Feeling embarrassed because you ran into someone you know? Bitao, you should know her better than I do. How about it? Do you still want the three of you to spend the night together?"
The goddess of the Moon Palace?
Upon hearing this name, Bitao's brows furrowed even deeper unconsciously.
Is this person also a celestial being? But what he just said doesn't sound like something a proper deity would say at all.
Bitao looked at the stiff man at the door with an almost scrutinizing gaze.
His appearance was indeed exceptionally handsome, as rich and beautiful as his voice.
However, his demeanor was so dissolute and frivolous that in the early March when the weather was still chilly, he was wearing a thin shirt with his collar pulled down all the way down, exposing his superior skin and muscle contours to the point that it was almost up to his pubic bone.
He's nothing like a deity; he's more like the top courtesan in a brothel.
The man met Bitao's gaze. Thinking of the close friendship between Zhan Kui and Bitao, he wasn't shy, but rather a little guilty.
He did know Bitao quite well; she was always very kind to her friends, especially Zhan Kui.
His reputation for roaming freely in the heavens was widespread. Guanghan knew that although Bitao was polite to him, she did not allow Zhankui to fool around with him.
The reason why the two ended up together after descending to the mortal realm... is a complicated and bizarre story that is best left untold.
The Moon Goddess composed herself and nodded to Bitao, saying, "Bitao Fairy... how have you been?"
Bitao still looked at him seriously, and for some reason, her peach-pink face turned indifferent, somewhat resembling Mingguang's.
It was as if she was silently blaming him for deceiving her "ignorant child".
The Moon Goddess felt a chill run down her spine and quickly said, "I just remembered I have an appointment with a friend tonight..."
Then he quickly pulled Zhan Kui's small hand out of his clothes, and hurriedly retreated from the inner room, leaving as if he were fleeing.
"Hey, hey, why are you leaving? Really not going to play together as a trio?"
Even if he had the guts of a bear and the courage of a leopard, he wouldn't dare to have a threesome with Bitao.
A while ago, he received a message from Mingguang via carrier pigeon, saying that his men had lost track of Bitao and that he needed to calculate her location.
The Moon Goddess is a descendant of the Southern Dipper Star Lord. Even though she has been stripped of her immortal spirit, she still has the ability to calculate the location of living things.
But he hasn't even started casting the divination chart to find the person yet...
Although the Moon Goddess had no idea how Bitao and Mingguang got back together after descending to the mortal realm.
Even in the celestial realm, Guanghan never looked down on Bitao.
Those who can get along well and have influence in every level of the Nine Heavens, even if they are currently lying low, what kind of ordinary person will they be in the future?
Only someone as single-minded as Binglun would recklessly pick on people and cause them trouble.
Moreover, the fact that Mingguang, a man of strong emotions, repeatedly yielded to her shows that the two were not entirely incompatible.
Guanghan ran back to her room and began to write a message to Mingguang.
After the Moon Goddess left, Zhan Kui smiled and walked to Bi Tao's side, asking, "How did you sleep? The soft couch is still not comfortable. Get up and wash up, then come back to my room to sleep. My bed is big and soft!"
It's huge, isn't it?
Bitao thought that maybe she could fit three people in there.
She looked at Zhan Kui with a serious expression. Zhan Kui coughed and said, "How come you don't remember anything? And you won't let me seduce him."
"We've gone down to the lower realm, let's have some fun."
"I'm bound to suffer the bitterness of love sooner or later. He's so handsome, and his skills are good too. I'm not at a disadvantage. Back in the celestial realm, he was a god, while I'm just a low-ranking immortal. I wanted to play around with him, but he wouldn't even look at me..."
Zhan Kui sat down next to Bi Tao, rested his head on her shoulder, and said, "Moreover, after descending to the mortal realm, I discovered that there is such bliss in the human world!"
"No wonder there are so many lovesick men and women!"
“I don’t only have him in my courtyard. There are two other handsome men who are both top-notch beauties. I also keep two more in the Wind Chime Tower.”
Zhan Kui looked completely infatuated: "Men are so much fun, I can't love them all, I simply can't love them all, hahaha..."
Looking at Zhan Kui's smiling face, Bi Tao sighed softly, then couldn't help but laugh at her.
Zhan Kui kept saying he was suffering from love, but in reality, he only ate what was in the bowl and still had his eye on what was in the pot.
Bitao thought to herself that this Princess Mingzhu truly deserved the favor of Prince Rong'an.
They spoiled her so much that they allowed her, an unmarried princess, to keep male concubines at home.
If you get along well with her, you'll achieve twice the results with half the effort in whatever you do in the future.
Moreover, after spending a short time together, Bitao realized that she truly liked Zhankui. People often fall in love with the same things and the same people repeatedly.
She held the key to Zhan Kui's private treasury in her hand, and her immediate financial crisis was resolved.
The next morning, he sent his two elder brothers with some gold and silver out of the palace to take people back and settle the refugees in the villages and towns around Fengling City.
This was also to test Zhan Kui's attitude.
If she's just being sarcastic...
"Is that little bit of money enough? Let them take a whole box with them."
Bitao: "...That's enough."
We'll just settle those people down for now; they'll find suitable places to go later.
Zhan Kui didn't even ask Bi Tao what she was going to do with the money.
"Now that you've finished your business, come out and have some fun with me! The brothels have a different kind of charm in the morning! Those young masters have just woken up and aren't dressed up yet, so you can really see who's naturally handsome and has good skin!"
"Let's go, let's go straight there for breakfast. Let's go to Chunfenglou first, their Osmanthus Duck is the best in Fengling City!"
"And with the young masters feeding us, the taste is even more exquisite!"
So, the day after Bitao met Zhankui, he took her to a brothel to "break her vows".
Five days later, Mingguang, far away in the capital, received a message from the fairy of the moon, informing him that Bitao and Princess Mingzhu had met Zhan Kui.
Just as he was beginning to feel at ease, he received news on the morning of the sixth day, before the court session, that Zhan Kui had taken Bi Tao to a brothel to "indulge in sensual pleasures."
At that time, Mingguang was dressed in a python-patterned court robe, with a jade belt and a golden crown, his heroic figure as radiant as jade in autumn.
This was because a few days ago, the eldest prince secretly sought out his faults and wanted to cause him trouble. However, Mingguang devised a counter-espionage scheme and, taking advantage of the turmoil in the defense of Changshan Prefecture in Dayuan Prefecture, tore a piece of flesh from him.
With the Vice Minister of Rites dismissed, Mingguang will recommend his own people for a position in court today. This position may not seem as powerful as the positions in the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel, but it is still an important pawn.
When the time comes for strategic alliances to be formed in the future, its ingenious uses will be fully utilized.
He was originally full of ambition, but ever since he saw the thin note sent by carrier pigeon, a vertical line like a sword carving appeared between his brows.
A storm was brewing, and dark clouds covered the ground above the carriage.
Before dawn, in the swaying lantern light of the carriage, Mingguang tightly gripped something in his sleeve. After a moment, he reached out and hooked a thin red thread, and the object quickly fell into his palm.
He pinched it twice more with his fingernails.
It pinched the upper part of that thing, as if it were choking someone from a distance.
It was... no, or rather, a smooth section of tree root.
It's about the thickness of a finger joint, with some incomprehensible patterns carved on it, which may be natural traces of time formed when the tree roots were growing in the mountains and forests.
It has a rugged and primitive beauty.
Beneath this thumb-sized tree root, smoothed out, are two characters carved.
—Mingguang.
His handwriting was not one of his usual styles; it was rather unrestrained and dynamic, conveying a sense of free spirit.
It was a little trinket that Bitao had told Mingguang to give him before he left.
This is a wooden seal.
Mingguang grabbed the wooden stamp and pressed it against his wrist. The ink on it hadn't completely dried, yet it still left two reversed characters.
It is evident that the person who engraved the seal did not know that the characters on the bottom of the seal should be engraved in reverse so that the printed result would be correct.
The characters "Mingguang" are printed upright, but the printed characters are reversed.
Mingguang quickly tucked the seal back into his sleeve.
As he raised his wrist, a red thread flashed on his wrist. The wooden seal was not simply hidden in his wide sleeve, but was also tied to his wrist.
As if they were afraid of losing such a worthless thing.
Mingguang stared at the two reversed characters and thought to himself that as expected, if he couldn't see them at a glance, Xiaotaozhi was about to do something absurd.
Although he no longer insisted on telling him about those romantic things in the mortal realm, he felt fine.
But he couldn't let her mingle with mortals.
because……
Because if a celestial being were to become pregnant in the mortal realm, they would be tainted by karma that they could not escape.
Even if she has enough faith and completes all her merits in the future, when she returns to the Heavenly Realm, she will have to go through the tribulation of transcending the mortal realm again, which will damage her immortal bones and cause her extreme pain.
The carriage stopped outside the imperial city.
Mingguang tapped the carriage wall a few times.
A figure suddenly leaped down from somewhere, lifted the carriage curtain, and knelt before Mingguang to receive orders.
This person was so light and agile that it was as if he had no weight. He jumped down from a height and the carriage shaft did not even shake.
Mingguang said to him, "You shall set off immediately for Dayuan Prefecture and keep an eye on someone for me."
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