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The green hills cannot block its flow; it will inevitably flow eastward.
Du Zhijin's first reaction was to shut the monkey up.
She had meticulously prepared the marriage ceremony for so long; she couldn't afford for anything to go wrong at this crucial moment! In the past, she hadn't been too strict and had been careful with her strength, which allowed the bald man to escape time and time again, giving him the false impression that "when the cat's away, the monkey reigns supreme." Now, however, she was genuinely angry. She immediately tied up the monkey and threw it to Mu Xiao, who arrived late on a spirit lion: "Since it has already gained sentience, then send it to your Beast Taming Peak."
Physical pain was not enough to vent her anger; she wanted to teach it what mental torture was! Don't be fooled by the elders of Beast Taming Peak's usual cheerful and easy-going demeanor; when they preach, they are incredibly eloquent and incessant, otherwise Junior Sister wouldn't get a headache at the mere mention of class.
At that moment, the bald man had no idea what he was about to lose; he just kept yelling at her, furious. Mu Xiao patted his bald head with pity and sighed silently.
It would have been so much better to be a carefree person, instead of provoking Senior Sister Huaizhou...
In a flash, she turned her gaze to the person being gently comforted by her senior sister. Noticing her gaze, the person opposite her looked up, glanced at her, and nodded slightly as a greeting.
Mu Xiao quickly returned the greeting, her mouth moving faster than her brain: "Brother-in-law."
As soon as she finished speaking, she immediately realized her mistake and wished she could slap herself and take back what she had said.
What kind of address is that? If others heard it, they would inevitably speculate that she was trying to curry favor with Senior Sister Huaizhou. Master Guzhang was the only senior to ascend to immortality in the past hundred years, possessing immense magical power and high moral standing. As Master Guzhang's disciple, Senior Sister Huaizhou inherited all of her legacy, and she herself was also young and promising. Therefore, there were many people in the sect who wanted to curry favor with her.
While she was feeling unsettled because of her inappropriate words, the two people on the other side didn't react much. After all, Honghua had already called him "brother-in-law" before, so it wasn't anything new.
Because of the presence of outsiders, Ying Jianhua, though eager to remove the cumbersome "wedding dress," refrained from doing so. He took a half-step, using Du Zhijin as cover, and quietly tugged at her sleeve, signaling her to quickly take him away.
Du Zhijin, however, interpreted it differently: "You called him brother-in-law too early. We haven't become Daoist partners yet. Amo is shy, so you can call him 'Young Master Ying' for now, and you can change your address later." After saying that, he introduced Ying Jianhua, "Amo, this is my junior sister, Mu Xiao."
The two greeted each other: "Young Master Ying." "Junior Sister Mu."
Only then did Mu Xiao realize that Ying Jianhua possessed a demonic aura, an aura far surpassing her own in cultivation. Years of cultivation instinctively made her tense up instantly, but that tension vanished without a trace.
This is someone brought back by Senior Sister Huaizhou—no, a demon. She certainly couldn't possibly wreak havoc on the human world.
Although it was rare for someone to become a Daoist partner with a demon (in fact, such a thing was uncommon in ordinary mountain villages), Mu Xiao had a natural trust in her senior sister. Instead of questioning her, she felt that Du Zhijin was a pioneer and unconventional person.
Being with a demon, especially a powerful demon, the last person to do this was Xu Xian. Senior Sister is truly amazing!
Ying Jianhua didn't miss Mu Xiao's gaze lingering on her, guessing that she must have seen through his identity, and couldn't help but feel anxious.
Cultivators and demons have always been mortal enemies, a fight to the death. Perhaps Du Zhijin is an exception, but others in the ordinary mountain might not be. However, Mu Xiao was only slightly surprised for a moment, and did not take any other action, which calmed his mind a little.
After hesitating for a moment, he imitated Aunt Huang's manner from his memory and said stiffly, "Junior Sister Mu rarely comes to visit, would you like to come in and sit for a while?"
"No, no, I need to take this mischievous monkey back with me." She picked up the monkey in her hand and shook it, then asked, "By the way, does it have a name?"
Du Zhijin immediately replied, "Yes, it's called Baldy."
Upon hearing this, the bald man immediately began barking, kicking and punching in her direction, his anger palpable. Sensing his fury, Mu Xiao gave an awkward laugh: "Uh... 'bald' sounds like a rabbit, but it's a monkey. Otherwise, Young Master Ying, why don't you name it? The naming rights are yours, as an apology!"
Ying Jianhua had no objection to this, but Mu Xiao was looking at him expectantly, and he couldn't very well refuse her on their first meeting. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Only those who bear the blue sky on their backs and are not hindered by anything can now set out to conquer the south. How about we name him Tu Nan?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Du Zhijin clapped his hands in approval, and Mu Xiao also praised him highly. Amidst the chorus of praise, only the owner of the name disagreed.
Why is the "tu" sound retained in "Squeak squeak squeak! Squeak squeak squeak squeak!"? Is it implied?
Of the three, Du Zhijin and Mu Xiao both understood what it was saying, but neither of them spoke up for it.
Du Zhijin was still angry, while Mu Xiao followed her senior sister's lead. When Ying Jianhua asked, she could even lie without blushing: "Oh, I didn't say anything. Tu Nan said thank you and that it likes the new name very much."
Having said that, fearing that Tu Nan would continue to pester her, she stopped chatting, pressed the monkey onto the back of the spirit lion, and hurriedly took her leave.
Ying Jianhua also said, "Let's go too."
"Mmm," she replied verbally, but didn't act immediately. He waited for her for a while, and seeing that she hadn't moved, he couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
Du Zhijin shook his head, reached out and plucked a petal that had fallen on his head. His voice was heavy, as if something was blocking his throat, and he sounded a little aggrieved: "I wasn't prepared at all, and then Bald... Tu Nan beat me to it."
"What should we prepare?" he asked.
She glanced at him, thinking that since things had already come to this, it was better to be honest sooner rather than later, and said, "The marriage ceremony. You can think of it as... the wedding ceremony."
Upon hearing this, Ying Jianhua felt as if ten thousand silver bottles had suddenly shattered, and the endless streams of water had converged into a vast ocean, with boundless waves.
The wedding ceremony is to unite two families in good faith, to serve the ancestral temple above and to continue the lineage below.
She wanted to marry him.
He had imagined that day; he thought it would be an auspicious day with clear skies and gentle breezes. Spring would be best, with the garden reflecting green waves in varying shades, a truly delightful sight. Early summer would also be nice, with banana trees casting green shadows on the window screens, and long days spent waking up without a care in the world. Even late autumn could be better than spring, with white forests and verdant mountains, and osmanthus blossoms symbolizing their love even after all the flowers had fallen. As for winter at the end of the season... when the heavy snow fell softly, landing on their hair and eyelashes, they would sit side by side, already "growing old together."
He had thought about it countless times in his dreams, and could list a thousand good things about each solar term and each day. But he never expected it to happen today, the day he almost married Tu Nan, and she rushed over to "intercept" him.
It's true... man proposes, God disposes.
He suddenly smiled, his shoulders shaking with laughter as he wore his bulky, bright red wedding gown. Seeing him laugh, Du Zhijin asked, puzzled, "Amo, why are you laughing?"
Reflecting on what she had just said, she felt a rare moment of embarrassment: "Don't laugh at me... Oh dear, just forget what you said! Forget it! Just pretend I didn't say anything!"
He kept laughing, and she was both embarrassed and annoyed. Finally, having no other choice, she pretended to threaten him, gently rubbing her forehead against his head: "I've practiced Iron Head Kung Fu, you know. If I bump into you, you might lose your memory like Shi Er... Okay, please stop laughing, I'm begging you."
His words weren't harsh, nor were his actions; calling it "Iron Head Kung Fu" was more like a dog's head attack. But Ying Jianhua still managed to stop laughing.
Their foreheads touched, their breaths mingling, and Du Zhijin could even see a half-fallen eyelash clinging to the corner of his eye. She would often stare blankly at the sleeping face of the person beside her when she woke up in the morning, so she knew exactly how many eyelashes he had.
There are 147 lashes on the upper eyelid and 68 on the lower eyelid. This number often changes, sometimes increasing and sometimes decreasing. If they fall into visible places, such as on a pillow or a piece of clothing, she will quietly collect them, just like she collected smooth pebbles when she was a child, hiding them in a box.
So this time she really wanted to take that long, black eyelash and keep it as her own collectible, but before she could make a move, Ying Jianhua moved first.
He carefully cupped her face and placed a kiss on her lips.
Du Zhijin was stunned.
She heard him say, "I will never forget this day."
"You said you wanted to marry me."
The wind whistled, the shadows of the trees swayed, and the red ribbons and petals drifted further and further away.
It drifted further and further away.
————
Later, Mu Xiao asked, "So, are you married?"
Du Zhijin hesitated, then decided to forget it...
Ying Jianhua was certain that they had gotten married.
Du Zhijin looked at his upturned lips and nodded, saying, "Yes, we're getting married."
After all, the ceremony for forming a bond between cultivators is the exchange of sword tassels, and the wedding ceremony between humans is a banquet and a bridal chamber. There is no such ceremony between demons; they are all driven by the instinct to reproduce.
There were no precedents for cultivators or demons to follow. After searching through the library for several days and confirming that there were no precedents, she decided to record her and Amo's story so that future generations would have examples to follow.
As for how they made that decision...
She pondered for a long time but still couldn't come up with a solution, so she sought help from Ying Jianhua to brainstorm ideas.
He listened to her idea and only said six words.
Only when two people are mutually attracted can things be perfect.
Du Zhijin agreed wholeheartedly and told Mu Xiao the six words, and she immediately started clamoring to close the door and release the monkeys.
"I'm going to cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness! The Path of Ruthlessness!"
She was determined to sever all ties with love and relationships! From that day forward, she would scoff at and despise her senior's displays of affection!
But in the end, Mu Xiao only lasted three days before sheepishly running back to feed the chickens.
The ruthless path is not something a human should learn; she should just stay and live with Tu Nan.
Her words piqued Ying Jianhua's interest. After all, in the storybooks, eight out of ten main characters came from the Path of Ruthlessness, so he was very curious: "Are there any practitioners of the Path of Ruthlessness in your sect?"
Du Zhijin replied, "Yes, my master is."
He asked in surprise, "Then why are you a sword cultivator? Shouldn't you learn from a master? Why did you change your path halfway through?"
"Is there a problem? Although my master cultivates the Path of Ruthlessness, she has a wide range of knowledge and is proficient in all eighteen martial arts. On the day I entered the sect, she placed nineteen sticks in front of me and let me choose one. I chose the sword, so I became a sword cultivator."
After listening, Mu Xiao sighed, "Gu Zhang is really capricious. But if it were her, it wouldn't be surprising if she did something like this."
Ying Jianhua nodded in agreement.
That was close; I almost fell in love with the ruthless path.
Coincidentally, the two were cleaning the old house next door that day when Ying Jianhua found the fortune sticks in a thick book.
With the addition of the eighteen weapons and the ruthless path, there are exactly nineteen.
He called Du Zhijin over to look, and she was very surprised. She took out one and said, "Yes, these are the ones. Time really flies. I was just a little kid back then, and now I'm all married."
The one she was holding was a "sword".
Knowing that this thing was of special significance, Ying Jianhua specially found a brocade box to put it in. After thinking about it, he felt that it had been covered with a layer of dust for more than ten years, so he put it in clean water to prepare to wipe it carefully.
Nineteen sticks floated on the water. He had just wet his handkerchief when he saw the writing on the front of the sticks and was taken aback.
All nineteen characters were "swords," with no mention of the ruthless path or any other characters.
Therefore, no matter which sword Du Zhijin drew back then, he would have embarked on the path of sword cultivation.
Is it because the True Man Zhang did this intentionally?
He stared at the words on the slips of paper for a full quarter of an hour, until Du Zhijin urged him to go out for dinner, and only then did he put them down in a daze.
Perhaps there was some deeper meaning. He put the slip of paper into the brocade box without revealing anything.
The mountain range where they lived was called "Dongliu Mountain," meaning "The green hills cannot block the eastward flow of the river." Ying Jianhua thought that this master, whom she had never met, was quite poetic, naming his disciple "Zhijin," his sword "Xingyue Zuilan," and his residence "Dongliu," truly a refined person.
Unfortunately, he never got to meet him.
Du Zhijin comforted him, "Actually, you two met in my dream." Although the scene was tense, it ended with one dead and one injured.
Seeing that he was still in a bad mood, the next day she invited a senior physician to examine him.
She also remembered him saying that there were strange voices in his head.
However, after examining him, the senior healer said there was nothing foreign in his body and asked if he could still hear recently.
The answer should be to truthfully answer "no" upon seeing the painting.
"If you overthink, you'll experience auditory hallucinations. I'll prescribe some calming and tranquilizing medicine for you. Take good care of yourself."
He opened his mouth, wanting to say that it couldn't possibly be his own hallucination. Whose hallucination was a prophecy? And those many strange words seemed like something from another world.
However, seeing Du Zhijin's back as he busied himself preparing the medicine, he swallowed his words.
Well, since the strange noises have stopped, let's just pretend... nothing ever happened.
After all, it wasn't easy for them to get together.
So he began taking medication and resting. Dongliu Mountain was isolated from the world and undisturbed, with only birdsong and insect chirps. Even the monkeys on Monkey Mountain became much quieter after Tu Nan left.
Occasionally, Tu Nan would spend an entire day running back to Dongliu Mountain, then angrily bang on the window at night, which would lead to an argument with Du Zhijin.
After a while, Ying Jianhua couldn't help but remind her: "Next time it comes, just ignore it. The more you pay attention to it, the more energetic it will become."
He realized that Tu Nan's affection for those exploitative wives he had snatched back for the traditional wedding ceremonies was all feigned; once the novelty wore off, he would lose interest. Only towards Du Zhijin did his hatred endure, lasting longer than his love; she was someone he constantly thought of.
Du Zhijin did as instructed. Sure enough, after two nights of having his ears plugged, Tu Nan calmed down and began looking for new targets.
She became even more convinced that this was a mischievous monkey!
Time passed like flowing water, and in the blink of an eye, their meals changed. They stayed in Dongliu Mountain for more than a month.
After hearing that "Senior Sister Huaizhou" had returned, a number of young disciples came to challenge her, and Du Zhijin accepted the challenge one by one, stipulating that three people should come each day.
"Why are there three people?" the sword cultivator junior sister asked.
She pointed inside the house and laughed, "There's nothing I can do. My partner is worried that too many people will come and I won't be able to handle it."
Seemingly helpless, it was actually brimming with boasting. In response, the group of single disciples declared, "This is a grudge we won't let slip!"
The result was that both the body and mind suffered losses.
Mu Xiao shook her head, thinking that these people were really overestimating themselves. She was used to her senior sister's occasional surprising remarks, but so what? Why bother with a couple? Her brother-in-law's cooking was delicious!
She came to freeload as usual today, but while eating, she suddenly remembered something and asked, "Senior Sister Huaizhou, I heard that before the True Immortal ascended to immortality, he gave you a map and asked you to eliminate the seven great demons on it. Now that you've returned, have all seven demons been eliminated?"
Upon hearing this, Ying Jianhua belatedly realized that Du Zhijin's figure seemed to be unfinished.
Including the evil dragon from Wuling Village, there seem to be only six. There is clearly one left, so why did she come back early?
He didn't think Du Zhijin was lazy; on the contrary, she was far more diligent than most of the disciples at Dengxian Mountain. So why did she give up halfway?
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