“What’s your wish?” Since he couldn’t save her right away, Zu An solemnly swore to fulfill her wish no matter what it was.
The Mermaid Queen blushed, but she determinedly raised her head and looked at him with her beautiful eyes. “We have gotten married in the Chang clan, but we didn’t finish the final step.”
Zu An’s heart quivered. They had gone through all the marriage formalities that day. The only step they had stopped short of was the consummation of their marriage. He was still wondering what kind of unfulfilled wish she had, but who could have thought this would be it?
The Mermaid Queen squirmed in embarrassment. “Big brother Zu, am I shameless for asking...”
Zu An sealed her lips before she could finish her words. Her body initially stiffened up, but it soon fell limp in her lover’s embrace.
It was a long time later before their lips parted. By then, her fair complexion had already become completely red.
With a wave of her hand, ‘Blissful Marriage (囍)’ papers were plastered on the walls and windows. Red lanterns hung on the doors of the Frost Palace. The icy-cold bed was covered in a thick couple quilt. Red drapes hung over the previously monotonous bed. The once-cold room suddenly looked merry.
Zu An was amazed. After becoming an immortal, he had learned how to conjure illusions like turning stones into gold, but he could sense that the changes around him weren’t just an illusion. These additions might have appeared out of nowhere, but they were real.
The Mermaid Queen shyly said, “I can now control everything inside the Frost Palace. Do you like the decorations I have put up?”
“I love it!” Zu An embraced her tightly. All these things showed how important this was to her. It was, after all, a woman’s most important day. How could it not be important to her?
He then took out all the jeweled accessories he had stashed away in his Brilliant Glass Bead and put them on her.
“Aiyo, that’s enough! I can hardly lift my head now,” the Mermaid Queen coyly exclaimed. Zu An’s haphazard actions had resulted in her head being covered in accessories.
Looking at the mess on her head, Zu An couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re already beautiful as it is. It feels as if I've done something extraneous.”
He removed the accessories he'd placed on the Mermaid Queen before taking out a red cloth and gently placing it over her head in their place.
The Mermaid Queen’s heart quivered. She felt inexplicably nervous. Having her eyes once again covered in red reminded her of the night of her marriage at the Chang clan. She had also nervously waited for him to arrive like that, only to be met with an unfortunate outcome.
Will the same thing happen this time too?
The sight before her suddenly lit up. The red cloth had been lifted.
Zu An was dazzled by the beauty before his eyes. The Mermaid Queen was already gorgeous normally, and the redness reflected on her snowy skin only further accentuated her charms. Zu An exclaimed, “Suyin, you’re truly beautiful!”
“Are you still calling me Suyin now...” The Mermaid Queen pouted.
“My wife!”
“Hubby~”
Her exclamation of ‘hubby’ was so sweet and tender that Zu An nearly melted. He quickly grabbed two wine cups and filled them to the brim. Noticing the Mermaid Queen’s confused gaze, he explained, “This is a human tradition—cross-cupped wine. Doing it on the night of consummation signifies two individuals coming together as one.”
“We have to do it then!” The Mermaid Queen’s eyes lit up. She grabbed a wine cup and crossed her hand with Zu An’s, her gaze expectant.
Her overflowing excitement made Zu An’s heart ache. He quickly did the same too.
After downing their cross-cupped wine, the Mermaid Queen asked with a reddened face, “What do we do next?”
Zu An chuckled. “It’s now time to get down to business.”
The sudden approach of Zu An’s face caused a mini explosion in the Mermaid Queen’s head. She felt as if she was heating up from head to toe.
...
Ji Xiaoxi marveled at the rare flowers and herbs growing on Wu Mountain’s peak and remarked, “Goddess, it’s so beautiful here!”
The usually cold Goddess of Wu Mountain revealed a faint smile at her adorable gestures. “Don’t call me goddess. Call me Yaoji instead.”
“All right, big sister Yaoji.” Because of her striking resemblance to Pei Mianman, Ji Xiaoxi instinctively felt close to the Goddess of Wu Mountain.
Just then, Xie Daoyun walked over with a vibrant flower. “Xiaoxi, this is the medicine you wanted from the cliff.”
“Thank you, big sister Xie.” Ji Xiaoxi took the flower with glowing eyes.
Xie Daoyun and the Goddess of Wu Mountain smiled.
“Miss Yaoji, it's already been a month. Why isn’t big brother Zu back yet? Is he in danger?” Xie Daoyun asked worriedly. “Didn’t that man say that the teleportation formation would only last for a day?”
“With his abilities, he should be able to deal with any danger that comes his way.” The Goddess of Wu Mountain looked at the sky. “Emperor Yao said the teleportation formation only lasts a day, but a day in heaven equals a year on earth. It’s only normal for him not to be back yet.”
“Ah?” Ji Xiaoxi and Xie Daoyun were astounded. While big brother Zu spends a day in heaven, we have to wait a year for him down here?
“It’ll be a year in no time. Years would pass in a flash when I admired the fog from the mountain peak,” the Goddess of Wu Mountain said, though she was surprised to find that time seemed to pass slower now, even though she should have already grown accustomed to it.
Ji Xiaoxi and Xie Daoyun exchanged looks and stuck out their tongues. Immortals have a scary sense of time.
As the Goddess of Wu Mountain fell into a melancholic mood, the surroundings seemed to become a little heavy. Xie Daoyun decided to break the mood, asking, “Xiaoxi, why were you looking for this flower?”
“This flower is called Beauty Blood. I've only seen it in books; I didn’t expect to find it on big sister Yaoji’s Wu Mountain,” Ji Xiaoxi explained as she tore out the flower’s bright-red petals one by one, revealing a pristine jade-like fruit within.
“How beautiful!” Xie Daoyun widened her eyes.
The fruit inside was at least three shades fairer than her, and it had a form reminiscent of a beauty.
“Is it called Beauty Blood because of the flower petals’ blood-red color?”
“Both its petals and fruit can be used as medicine, but its most valuable part is still this.” Ji Xiaoxi gently pressed her fingernail against the white fruit, and a blood-red fluid flowed out from within.
“How mysterious!” Xie Daoyun remarked, but right after, she suddenly thought about something that caused her face to redden. Tsk, this flower is so inappropriate!
When she looked at the innocent Ji Xiaoxi and unfazed Goddess of Wu Mountain, however, she suddenly realized that she was the only dirty-minded one. But again, I’m the only one who is experienced among the three of us. That brought a smile to her lips, and she felt a slight sense of superiority.
Just then, the Goddess of Wu Mountain said, “You can maximize Beauty Blood’s medicinal effect if you grind the petals and fruit together.”
“Big sister, thank you for your pointer.” Ji Xiaoxi brought out her mortar and pestle to grind the petals and fruit. However, the petals and fruits remained distinct even as her forehead became slick with sweat.
The Goddess of Wu Mountain flicked her finger. A fog condensed into a droplet of water, which fell into the mortar. The petals and fruit softened up, allowing them to be ground into a bright red paste.