Chapter 421 – A Joyous Occasion at Home?

Zhang Xiaohua had originally thought it was nothing more than a small lake—one sweep of his divine sense, and it would be all laid bare before his “eyes”. Unfortunately, reality played a big joke on him. While the waters of Lake Mochou were indeed easily scanned down to the bottom without a trace of anything unusual, the Frowning-Eyebrow Pagoda with its accompanying tale was a different story. The tower plunged deeply into the ground, and at its base, there were actually fluctuations of Yuan Qi!

Zhang Xiaohua’s heart stirred: “Could the story really be true? Was Lady Mo Chou really sealed beneath this place?”

Nie Qianyu saw the surprise flash across Zhang Xiaohua’s face and asked: “Brother Ren, is there something strange about it? Did I get it wrong? Are there other versions of the tale where you’re from?”

Zhang Xiaohua withdrew his divine sense and smiled. “Not at all, Little Fish Nie. I’ve never heard this story before. Hearing it now, I feel rather saddened. In this world, seven or eight out of ten things go against one’s wishes. Mo Chou and Ye Feng—they were so carefree and happy together, truly a match made in heaven. And that old monk Xuan Kong—what business did he have interfering? What a disgusting thing, breaking apart a loving couple.”

Nie Qianyu nodded again and again in agreement.

Zhang Xiaohua continued: “If that old monk had taken Mo Chou for himself, I might’ve understood. ‘A fair maiden is sought by a gentleman’—even if a monk fell for her, it’d only show how charming she was. But to force Ye Feng into becoming a monk? That benefits no one, not even himself. That, I really don’t get. I’d never do something like that, not even if you beat me to death.”

Suddenly—bang bang!—two loud thuds rang out behind him. Nie Qianyu and Little Orange had both smacked their heads against the roof of the carriage. These were words they couldn’t have imagined hearing in their wildest dreams!

Zhang Xiaohua remained oblivious, still muttering to himself: “If it were me, I’d have snatched Mo Chou back to the temple first, then figured out the rest.”

Sigh… Nie Qianyu and Little Orange were utterly speechless.

“Oh, right—Little Fish Nie, what happens next in the story? So, Mo Chou was sealed under the tower and never came out again? What about Ye Feng and the old monk?”

Nie Qianyu stood up wearily and said softly: “Of course, she never came out. If she had, this Frowning-Brow Pagoda wouldn’t still be standing here. Ye Feng was made into a monk by that old monk and vanished without a trace. As a man who mistook a virtuous wife for a demoness, he deserves nothing but scorn. Who’d even care what became of him?”

Zhang Xiaohua mused: “Mo Chou isn’t Little Fishy—how could she possibly breathe underwater?”

“This—!” Nie Qianyu snapped, clearly annoyed. “Mo Chou is a celestial maiden, of course, she can breathe underwater!”

But then her expression dimmed, and she sighed. “Brother Ren, there’s no need to think too deeply about it. It’s just an old tale, after all. They say it’s a legend from thousands or even tens of thousands of years ago—it might not even be real.”

Zhang Xiaohua stroked his chin and said: “But what if it is real? Would you want to meet Mo Chou?”

“Ah? Really?” Nie Qianyu’s eyes lit up. “Brother Ren, how would you know? But even if we could meet Mo Chou, this tower would have to collapse. According to the tale, back then the old monk Xuan Kong proclaimed that only when the waters of Lake Mochou rose high enough to flood over the Frowning-Brow Pagoda would the tower collapse and Mochou be freed from beneath it. But this tower is so tall—it’s even higher than the city walls of Mochou City. If the lake rose that high, wouldn’t it flood the entire city? How could that be possible? Even if it were possible, what about all the people who live in the city?”

Moved by Nie Qianyu’s compassion, Zhang Xiaohua nodded and said: “Exactly. Such a beautiful sight—if the tower collapsed, where would we come to enjoy it again?”

“You!” Nie Qianyu glared at him. “Now you don’t know how to cherish beauty and kindness?”

“It’s been ten thousand years already—even an immortal might have passed away by now.” Zhang Xiaohua argued. “Besides, Ye Feng became a monk and vanished. Even if Mo Chou came out, what could she do? Find someone else to love her?”

“You!!” This time, even Little Orange stood united with Nie Qianyu, glaring at him and spitting in unison: “A dog’s mouth spits no ivory.”

Zhang Xiaohua burst out laughing, baring his teeth. “Only human teeth here—nothing more.”

Nie Qianyu pressed her hand to her forehead and said no more.

The setting sun painted the world like a scroll, its golden light casting long rays over the Frowning-Brow Pagoda. One side of the tower gleamed bright, the other was cast in shadow—the division between light and dark was clear and mysterious. Zhang Xiaohua stared, entranced. Only with light could one perceive darkness. If there were only darkness and no light, who would even know what darkness was?

Before long, the sunlight no longer reached the tower. The entire structure slowly sank into shadow. Zhang Xiaohua turned and said: “Two Ladies Mo Chous, shall we find an inn to stay the night? Or are we heading straight for your Spring Rebirth Valley?”

Nie Qianyu’s eyes lingered reluctantly on the towering pagoda, and she muttered: “I wonder if it’s cold down beneath that tower…”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled. “Loneliness is like snow. If she’s all alone beneath there, it’s nothing but endless winter. Where would warmth come from?”

Nie Qianyu nodded and said: “Brother Ren is absolutely right. Only with mutual understanding and companionship does life gain meaning.”

Seeing the mood grow sentimental, Zhang Xiaohua quickly changed the subject. “Little Fish Nie, what should we do now?”

Nie Qianyu smiled and said: “Spring Rebirth Valley lies in the southern mountain valley outside Mochou City. The road there is rather narrow—let’s stay in the city for the night and set out tomorrow.”

Though her tone was cheerful, it carried a hint of wistfulness.

Zhang Xiaohua didn’t respond, but instead turned the horse around and began looking for an inn.

Nie Qianyu had visited Mochou City many times before, but she had never actually stayed in an inn, so she couldn’t offer much advice. Zhang Xiaohua could only look around as they went.

But after searching for quite some time, Zhang Xiaohua grew increasingly frustrated. He suddenly remembered—over the past few days, he’d run into several well-dressed young nobles on the road, all headed toward Mochou City. No doubt many of them had brought numerous attendants and servants. If this direction was crowded, the same must be true for the others. Though there were many inns in Mochou City, they had clearly been fully booked in advance. Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t find even a single available room, let alone a small private courtyard like he had stayed in before.

After checking a few more places and being brusquely informed by inn attendants that they were full, Zhang Xiaohua finally turned and asked: “What now, Little Fish Nie? Don’t tell me your family has no relatives or property in all of Mochou City?”

Nie Qianyu lowered her head and didn’t speak.

After a moment of thought, she bit her lip and said: “I recall there’s a small, little-known temple on the western side of Mochou City. Why don’t we stay there for the night? Brother Ren, what do you think?”

Zhang Xiaohua shrugged. “I don’t mind. If Little Fishy says it’s good, then it’s good.”

Little Orange chimed in mischievously: “If both of you say it’s good, then it’s really good.”

Zhang Xiaohua was speechless and simply drove the carriage straight toward the western side of the city.

Just as they were walking past a teahouse, they saw tea banners fluttering above, with “Green Snail Spring” written on them. The teahouse was bustling with noise and excitement, business was thriving. Zhang Xiaohua’s eyes rolled, and he said: “You two wait here in the carriage for a moment. I’ll go up to the teahouse and buy you some tea and pastries. It’s already gotten completely dark, you both must be hungry and thirsty by now.”

Having said this, without waiting for a reply, he jumped off the carriage and entered the teahouse.

Once Zhang Xiaohua’s figure had disappeared into the crowd, Little Orange smiled and said: “Congratulations, Miss, congratulations!”

Nie Qianyu’s face was full of surprise. She said: “Little Orange, what nonsense are you talking about? Out of nowhere, what’s there to congratulate me for?”

Little Orange winked and said: “You know, Miss.”

“How would I know? You little rascal, hurry up and tell me!”

“You really do know, Miss. Look, instead of going to our Spring Rebirth Valley residence here in Mochou City, you insisted on sleeping in a small temple. What were you thinking? How could I not know?”

“This?” Nie Qianyu blushed, unable to speak.

Little Orange continued: “Look at Brother Ren—he’s also a thoughtful and attentive person. He knows you’re thirsty and hungry, and that you like the delicate pastries from teahouses, so he rushed up to buy some. We passed by several restaurants earlier, but he didn’t stop at any of them, did he?”

Nie Qianyu mumbled softly, almost like a mosquito: “Maybe Brother Ren himself is hungry, that’s all?”

“Oh, come on, Miss. All along this journey, have you ever seen Brother Ren eat before anyone else? Have you ever heard him say he’s hungry? Isn’t it always us who mention it first, and then he just sits with us and eats a tiny bit, so politely?”

At this, Little Orange looked puzzled and said: “Brother Ren is strange, too. I remember that the disciples with martial arts foundations back at Spring Rebirth Valley all have huge appetites, but even though his martial arts are so advanced, he eats so little?”

“Exactly. Look at how thin he is, he never puts on any weight.”

“Hehe, Miss, you’re still pretending. Now you’re even concerned about whether he’s thin or not. But Brother Ren looks good being thin—he seems so spirited.”

“But…” Nie Qianyu bit her lip and whispered, “But all along this journey, it seems Brother Ren… towards me… towards me…” The rest of her words, she simply couldn’t bring herself to say.

Little Orange smiled and said: “Young people are just shy; they can never say it to your face. Miss, you don’t need to worry. Besides, as the saying goes, ‘For a man to pursue a woman is like crossing a mountain, but for a woman to pursue a man it’s just a layer of paper.’ Miss, why not be a bit bolder and speak your heart more often? I’m sure it will work out. Didn’t you notice? Before, it was always us who mentioned being hungry, but today he went ahead himself. Isn’t that proof he’s thinking of you?”

“This?” Nie Qianyu had always been exceptionally clever, but when it came to matters of her own heart, all her wisdom seemed to vanish. She asked again: “Then, how should I express myself? Isn’t that too embarrassing?”

“What’s there to be embarrassed about, Miss? Do you even realize how many hints you’ve dropped along the way?”

“Ah? Really? Little Orange, I truly didn’t know!”

“Sigh, maybe you don’t realize it yourself, but I can hear it clearly. As for Ren Xiaoyao, who knows if he understands or not? He hasn’t responded, but that’s normal—men are always careless. It’s nothing, Miss. You’re so smart, and it’s obvious Brother Ren enjoys talking with you. I’m sure there won’t be any problems. ‘Affection grows over time’—that’s an eternal truth.”

“That’s true. Brother Ren has escorted us for a thousand miles, which shows his noble character. He’s truly a rare person, someone worthy of entrusting one’s life to.”

This was indeed what Nie Qianyu was thinking, though she dared not say it out loud.

Just then, Zhang Xiaohua came out of the teahouse with a beaming smile. As soon as he saw Nie Qianyu, he cupped his hands and said, “Congratulations, Little Fish, congratulations!”

Hearing this, Nie Qianyu’s face instantly flushed red!