Xiaotu, excited, dashed off, “Brother Ye, you’re back!” The crowd followed her to the grand entrance, where four imperial envoys, dressed in splendid brocade, quickly knelt down and bowed as Xiao Tu ran out. “We pay our respects to the Goddess, may the Goddess be in eternal peace,” they said with utmost reverence, their voices filled with boundless admiration. Before their arrival, the Empress had personally shown them a portrait of the Goddess, so they recognized Xiao Tu at first glance. “Where is Ye Ge?” Xiao Tu asked, her sweet voice tinged with a hint of irritation. “The Royal Advisor, Yu Ye, has been detained by the Empress at ‘Thousand Moons’ for some important discussions,” one of the envoys replied. “Oh, you may rise. My plum blossom cake, I haven’t eaten any yet,” she pouted, disappointed. An envoy then presented a delicate wooden box, “Goddess, this is the plum blossom cake personally made by the Royal Advisor, entrusted to us for you.” “Hehe, thank you all, you’ve worked hard,” Xiao Tu said with delight, hugging the box as she entered the mansion. The four envoys were deeply moved; their “Goddess Ling Ying” actually thanked them. “Girl, do you know the great cost of this box of plum blossom cake?” Bai Hua pointed at the cake near Xiao Tu’s mouth. “…” Xiao Tu didn’t understand. Wasn’t it just flour and plum blossoms? “Where would you find plum blossoms these days? These are snow plums from the snowy mountains, and after being made, how could ordinary pastries last for seven or eight days? They were kept fresh with mystic ice all the way here.” It seemed the Royal Advisor, Xia Yu Ye, had gone to great lengths. Who could have thought that a simple box of plum blossom cake was made from the coveted healing herb “snow plum” and preserved with the finest sword-making material “mystic ice”? “Goddess, the Empress has specifically instructed us to bring you to an estate. Please follow us to ‘Silver Mist Mountain.'” Everyone was astonished, and Xiao Tu was excited, though no one noticed the confusion in her eyes. With the envoys, they were shielded by a barrier, diving into the water, entering an underwater cave, which led to the entrance of ‘Silver Mist Mountain’. Emerging from the cave, they were enveloped in thick white fog where visibility was almost zero. They followed the envoys, holding onto a rope, into a stone cave illuminated by pearls of varying sizes, making the dark cave as bright as day. At the end of the cave, Xiao Tu gazed at the scenery before her. Thin white mist draped the mountain like a silver veil, giving it a mystical aura yet not hindering visibility. The area was adorned with vibrant, beautiful flowers, their fragrance intoxicating, and colorful butterflies danced around, creating a scene like a fairyland. Further in was a quaint estate, small yet exquisitely crafted from wood, with a glossy varnish. At its center lay a pond with lotus leaves, where dragonflies perched. Around the estate, various fruit trees were planted, bearing fruit year-round, their subtle aroma wafting through the air. Behind the estate stretched a large field of strawberries, not yet ripe and still green… Xiao Tu and her companions were left speechless, their mouths agape in astonishment. This was truly a paradise on earth!
Chapter Fifteen – Enchanting
“Xiaohua, Shuishui, this place is really beautiful,” Xiao Tu said, holding a freshly picked wild fruit, enjoying its taste while marveling at the surroundings. “Girl, Shuimi has gone to wash the fruits; you can’t eat these unwashed ones,” Bai Hua quickly took the fruit from Xiao Tu, leaving only a pit with a bit of flesh. Xiao Tu thought to herself with excitement, “Luckily, luckily, I had the foresight to eat this fruit at lightning speed, humph, Bai Hua is the worst.” Unknowingly, she had spoken her thoughts aloud, her face beaming with a proud smile. “Ai Xiao Tu, what did you say? I’m the worst?” Bai Hua huffed, clearly annoyed. “Uh… no, Bai Hua, I, I misspoke,” Xiao Tu said pitifully, her eyes welling up with tears, as if she was about to cry if Bai Hua got any angrier. “Girl, it seems I’m not too bad after all. It’s time I taught my girl what being bad really means.” Bai Hua’s smile was radiant, dimming the heavens, but Xiao Tu shivered at the sight. Ignoring everything, Bai Hua scooped up Xiao Tu and headed towards the mansion, an “evil smile” at the corner of his mouth, suggesting a terrible fate for Xiao Tu. Originally, for Xiao Tu’s sake, he had been quite restrained, but this little girl was simply ungrateful. Among the seven dazzlingly handsome men and women picking fruits in the orchard, they exchanged glances, thinking, “Performing live erotic plays in broad daylight, without any restraint, poor little miss, you’ll be drained by that ‘big bad wolf’ sooner or later.”
Shuishui was washing the freshly picked fruits by the pond, thinking of Xiao Tu’s joyful expression when she saw the fruits, which made her smile. After many days of marriage, Xiao Tu’s cuteness, her playfulness, her intelligence… every gesture and word was imprinted in his mind. “Oh, who would have thought there would be such a cute and beautiful person here,” a voice neither distinctly male nor female came from behind. Turning around, Shuishui saw a man dressed in green gauze, with long flowing hair, lips as red as if freshly painted, and captivating phoenix eyes, lounging lazily against a nearby rock, watching with interest. Shuishui was startled; there was supposed to be no one else on Silver Mist Mountain. “Who are you?” Shuishui asked, his green eyes wide. “Oh, you’ve forgotten me so quickly? I’m Qing Qing. We once had romantic moonlit strolls, how heartless of you.” The green-clad man said with a coquettish anger, covering his red lips with one hand, laughing in a girlish, shy manner. “Humph, I don’t know you, don’t talk nonsense,” Shuimi retorted, his temper flaring. “Really, now that you’ve got a new love, you forget the old. What’s so great about that silly girl, is she better than me?” He said, pulling open his shirt to reveal slender shoulders and smooth, enticing skin. “You, you, Xiao Tu is a hundred times better than you,” Shuishui, not adept with words, blushed in anger. He summoned a green-glowing immortal sword, ready for a fight. “Hehe, no need for such formality. Your Green Bamboo Sword matches well with me, are you gifting it to me? Then I shall not refuse.” Sure, here is the English :
Chapter Sixteen: The Demon’s Lair
Her smile was as radiant as a blooming flower, yet a fierce light flashed in the corner of her eye. Shuishui was even more annoyed by his words. She had been loyal to Xiaotu without any doubt, and now he insulted Xiaotu. How could she swallow this insult? Sword light flickered, and Shuishui swung her fairy sword towards him. The seductive man waved his water sleeves, blocking one strike, and in the motion, a sweet fragrance filled the air, causing Shuishui to feel weak all over. She hurriedly covered her nose, but the drug worked too quickly; Shuishui lost all her magical powers and fell from the sky. The man quickly caught her, “So disobedient, that’s not how you hand over a sword.” Shuishui wanted to retort, but she was too weak to even speak. This was clearly the “Dispersal of Powers” from the divine realm; otherwise, she wouldn’t have lost her powers. But who was he? How did he know her sword was the “Qingzhu Sword”? Shuishui’s beautiful eyes filled with tears. During her training in the “Country”, she had endured all sorts of hardships, nearly losing half her life, yet she never shed a tear. Now, by her side, she seemed to cry more easily. The man in green turned around, and suddenly, black smoke rose. After the smoke cleared, both were gone. Only the wild fruits on the ground, washed and gleaming, exuded a rich fragrance. A green silk ribbon was left on the ground…
