Since that night when Young Master Gu came to deliver the Wuyou Staff, Zanxing had not seen him for a long time.
Hong Su was sitting on a stool, worriedly brushing Mimi’s fur while muttering to herself, “It’s been several days since I’ve seen Young Master Gu. He wouldn’t be planning to hide until the Young Miss’s birthday has passed, only to show up again afterward to avoid giving a gift, would he? Didn’t they say that Taiyan Sect dotes on him a lot? He shouldn’t be lacking in spirit stones. How come I never noticed he was such a stingy man before? Stingy men are no good.”
Zanxing: “… Stop talking nonsense.”
Young Master Gu could spend lavishly in the Hua Jin Pavilion without batting an eyelash as spirit stones were just numbers to him. A few days ago, Zanxing went to Elysium Hall to look for him and heard that he had taken the second pill made from the Sacred Tree Fruit and was now in seclusion.
Li Danshu’s recipe requires three pills made from Sacred Tree Fruit, each one stronger than the last. After taking the first pill, Master Gu’s spiritual veins had already been half repaired. It’s expected that after taking this one, his spiritual veins will be almost fully restored.
Zanxing cared about Young Master Gu’s spiritual veins more than anyone, perhaps because the boy had traveled alongside her, forming a deep bond, or perhaps because Young Master Gu seemed like another version of herself. In this bizarre world of cultivation, he represented another kind of hope. If Young Master Gu could fully repair his spiritual veins and escape his early death, did that mean she could also carve out a new ending for herself?
Due to the potential resurgence of the Demon Clan, everyone on Gufeng Mountain was on high alert. The more so, the more uneasy Zanxing felt. Her heart was often in turmoil, constantly fearing something unexpected might happen.
She stood up and said, “I’m going out for a walk.”
Recently, Zanxing often went to the Chu Hong Terrace, but her progress in cultivation had not been significant. The Xiao Yuan Pearl had helped her shorten the time for breakthroughs in the early stages, but as she advanced, its benefits were less evident, and there were even some restrictions. Perhaps it was because the pearl was a treasure from the Demon Realm and was restricted in the cultivation world.
But she also didn’t know how to remove the Xiao Yuan Pearl now.
She walked heavily towards the library and happened to see Meng Ying coming from the other side. It was morning, and Meng Ying was usually in seclusion at this time. It was rare to see her out now. The woman was dressed in a snow-white immortal robe, her dark hair loosely pinned up, and she was looking down at something in her hand with a distracted expression.
Zanxing greeted her, “Senior Sister Meng.”
Meng Ying snapped out of her distraction, nodding, “Junior Sister.”
“What is that you’re holding? You were so focused on it that you didn’t even notice me coming over.” Zanxing curiously peered at the object in her palm, and was immediately taken aback.
It was a palm-sized round box, made of wood and painted bright red. It was intricately carved with a depiction of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. Zanxing hesitated before asking, “Is this… rouge?”
Meng Ying shook her head, “I don’t know either.” She then opened the wooden box.
As soon as the box was opened, a strong fragrance wafted out, making Zanxing sneeze. Looking inside the box, it was indeed a box of rouge.
The rouge was a striking magenta color, a hue Zanxing had only seen on antique porcelain. How should she put it? It was certainly vivid, but if applied to a person’s face, unless their complexion was as delicate as snow, it would likely make them look foolish.
Zanxing looked at Meng Ying with a complex expression. Although Meng Ying was beautiful, wasn’t this shade of rouge a bit too extravagant? She spoke delicately, “Senior Sister Meng, how come you like this color?”
“It was a gift from Junior Brother Mu.” Meng Ying looked at Zanxing with some confusion, “Isn’t this color nice?”
Meng Ying usually didn’t use cosmetics. For someone with her appearance, cosmetics were more of a burden. She had no knowledge of rouge or powder, and didn’t know what looked good or not.
Zanxing chuckled awkwardly, “It’s not that it’s not nice, but rather, the color is quite bold.”
Mu Cengxiao and Meng Ying were truly a perfect match—one daring to give, the other daring to accept.
“This is the first time I’ve received such a gift.” Meng Ying thought for a moment, “It’s quite unique.”
Zanxing: “….”
This senior sister, who was always so cold and aloof, seems to have softened over time. She wasn’t as unapproachable as she was at first, though her demeanor was still more serene than most. Zanxing couldn’t help but wonder if Meng Ying had developed feelings for Mu Cengxiao.
If so, had the plot changed, or was it still the same?
Meanwhile, in the Miaokong Hall, Mu Cengxiao, usually decisive, hesitated as he asked, “Junior Brother Men, do you really think Senior Sister Meng will like the rouge I gave her?”
“Of course,” Men Dong answered without hesitation. “Do you not trust me?”
“But…” Mu Chengxiao still seemed unsure. “There are many colors of rouge, and I don’t know which one Senior Sister Meng likes. She doesn’t usually use these products, so if she doesn’t like the one I gave…”
“Why are you being so wishy-washy?” Men Dong said impatiently. “You’re usually so decisive in your cultivation and battles. Why are you so useless in front of Senior Sister Meng? There are many types of rouge, but they’re mostly just different shades of red, such as deep red, light red, peach red, and pink. They’re all quite similar. As long as you don’t give her a particularly bizarre color, it should be fine. I don’t think your taste is that bad.”
Mu Cengxiao looked at Men Dong with some hesitation, as if recalling whether the color he chose was truly bizarre. After a long moment, he nodded decisively, “I think the color I chose is quite good.”
“Well then.” Men Dong picked up a piece of hawthorn cake from the table, took a bite, and sighed as he looked out the window. “It’s been several days. I wonder if Master has found the Tianhun Wood yet?”
As he spoke, in a dense forest on the back mountain of Gufeng Mountain, the roar of a fierce beast suddenly erupted, sounding like thunder, loud and piercing.
The green wood covered the mountain walls, and a huge wild beast slowly rose from the forest.
This beast was as imposing as a small mountain, with four legs, a beastly body, and bull-like eyes. It had a single silver horn on its head. The horn was not smooth but sharp like a knife tip, making it clear that it could pierce a person’s body if it landed on them, evoking a sense of dread.
A silver spear was planted in the ground.
The silver rhino let out a low howl. Its huge mouth was open, revealing sharp fangs, and saliva dripped down. This saliva had a peculiar fragrance and quickly soaked into the ground. Behind the silver rhino, an ancient tree with no leaves was flourishing.
The young man with the vermilion hairband glinted slightly in the sunlight. He raised an eyebrow, tightened his grip on the spear, and looked at the giant beast with a smile, saying, “Found it.”