Chapter 10

Taihe was the deity in charge of millions of stars in the Milky Way. It sounded impressive and awe-inspiring at first, but the first time she saw him, he was sitting on a rock by the Milky Way, playing with a pinwheel.

She watched him from a distance, unsure of his identity.

She wasn’t entirely clear on what a divine god should look like, but it certainly wouldn’t be someone lounging on a rock in a simple blue silk robe with disheveled hair.

Under his feet, millions of stars shimmered, wrapped in the light mist and shallow cloud of the Milky Way, sparkling like gold dust scattered on silk. He noticed her immediately, looking at her with curiosity, his gaze clear and gentle.

“Come over here,” Taihe beckoned, as if calling a stray kitten.

She backed away further, hiding behind the immortal tree with only her eyes, fierce with wariness, visible.

Taihe, unfazed, continued to blow his colorful pinwheel. The light clouds in the Milky Way rolled with the rhythm of his breath, the stars rising and falling, and the universe turning, dizzying to behold.

Suddenly, a massive fish, as red as blood, leapt out of the Milky Way. It made a graceful arc in the air, its tail lashing out indignantly, as if annoyed by his blowing. With a splash, its tail scattered fine, golden sand, falling like rain.

Her eyes lit up, no longer with wariness but with the gleam of a craftsman spotting rare material. The star sand from the Milky Way was the stuff of legends, and she couldn’t help but fantasize about the extraordinary things she could create with it.

Taihe collected the star sand in a silk pouch. After a moment of thought, he placed the pouch on the bluestone, then jumped down and walked away, still blowing his pinwheel.

She watched for a long time, her eyes straining, making sure no one was around before she quietly snuck over, grabbed the pouch, and ran. But suddenly, she heard a chuckle behind her.

Panicked, she turned around to see Taihe, who had supposedly left, half-reclining on the bluestone, smiling at her.

“Be careful,” he said gently, “don’t fall into the Milky Way. I can’t fish you out.”

Tanyin opened her eyes to a cloudy sky; it was already daylight. This body should already be dead, yet she still dreamed. Why? Probably no one could answer that question.

Tanyin stood up and brushed off the dust. She hadn’t expected to sleep in the mountains and forests, completely forgetting to set up her delicate house. How did she fall asleep yesterday?

She had been following the high priest from a distance, flying when he flew and resting when he rested, always making sure he didn’t see her. This went on for four days and nights without either of them sleeping. Eventually, the high priest, riding his bird of paradise, began to sway precariously, as if he might fall off at any moment.

Last night, he must have finally reached his limit. He angrily found a flat piece of ground, started a fire, and seemed ready to camp and find something to eat. Hiding in the dark, she saw him aiming at a wild rabbit and immediately helped. Most of the things in her Qiankun bag were tools she made.

She pulled out a small crossbow, loaded it with a copper needle, and silently drugged all the rabbits on the hillside. Catching them was then effortless for him.

However, he didn’t seem very pleased with the situation. After encountering the tenth drugged rabbit, he gave up, randomly picked some wild fruits to eat, and then fell asleep without even glancing in her direction.

Tanyin had no choice but to find a nearby spot to sit and stare blankly. The men she had encountered in her life were few and far between.

When she was human, the Ji family had few members, and by the time she was old enough to understand, only she and her father remained.

Later, she met Taihe and a few other gods. Taihe was easy-going, and the few other gods she met were also carefree. None were as cunning and troublesome as this high priest, who was suspicious and alert, fleeing from any unsolvable situation, making it impossible to approach him.

In the cool, breezy night of the mountains, mixed with the sounds of unknown insects, Tanyin was counting the ants on the ground. These fragile little creatures were busy moving, likely because it would rain tomorrow. Well, tomorrow, where would the crafty high priest be wandering next?

As she thought about this, she started to feel drowsy. Perhaps it was the comfortable mountain breeze or the pleasant fragrance carried by the wind.

Fragrance…?

Tan Yin turned around and saw that the high priest, who was supposed to be asleep, was awake. He was holding a small purple copper incense burner, adding incense to it.

Whatever the incense was made of, its smoke was extremely sweet and gentle when lit. The mountain breeze carried the fragrance to her, making it even more enchanting and intoxicating despite its diminished strength.

She had heard that the Fox Clan was skilled in making incense. Although she had only served as the high priest’s maid for a few days, she knew they always carried incense burners and incense with them. After traveling for four days and nights, it was natural for him to light some incense.

Yawning, Tanyin couldn’t resist the enveloping fragrance. She became so sleepy that she couldn’t keep her eyes open and fell into a deep sleep without even a trace of vigilance.

So, in the end, she had been tricked by that cunning fox.

The Fox Clan were immortals. How could immortals feel hunger or fatigue? Even if they did, they wouldn’t be worn out after just four days. Her lack of experience had let him escape.

Tanyin walked to the flat ground where the high priest had camped the previous night. The fire he had lit was long extinguished, and he had left, likely when she had just fallen asleep.

So troublesome, Tanyin thought, shaking her head.

On the ground were some tiny black particles. She bent down, picked them up, and sniffed them lightly—they were the same incense from yesterday.

The weather was bad, and it would rain soon. While the scent was still strong, she needed to quickly find the high priest’s trail.

Tanyin took a small box from her Qiankun bag. Opening the lid revealed an exquisitely crafted little cage with a tiny, bright green bird inside, smaller than her pinky finger.

She fed the bird the fine incense particles one by one. The bird immediately became excited, chirping crisply, flapping its wings, and pointing its head south, its long, sharp beak comically indicating that direction.

South, then? Tanyin mounted her mechanical bird and followed in the same direction.

Free! Free at last!

Yuan Zhong was in high spirits, riding on the back of his bird of paradise. Even the overcast sky couldn’t dampen his good mood. He had finally shaken off that strange woman! What a sense of relief! What a sense of elation! What a sense of freedom! He felt he completely understood the meaning of the priest Xin Mao’s words about freedom now!

Where to go next? He didn’t even want to think about it. Anywhere would do! As long as it was a place without Ji Tanyin, it was a good place.

He had been flying aimlessly through the vast mountains and forests for more than half a month, sometimes south, sometimes west, sometimes east, until he was sure no one was following him. Then he directed the bird of paradise to fly slowly west.

Ji Tanyin’s matter couldn’t be left unresolved. If Zi Fei couldn’t find out, he would investigate himself.

It took him four hours to reach Mount Baitou. Before he even reached the top, it began to drizzle, and the raindrops were quite large.

He looked up and saw that half of Mount Baitou was shrouded in mist and clouds, a sight he had never seen before. Mount Baitou was where Lord Meishan had overcome the heavenly thunder tribulation and become immortal. Every blade of grass, every tree, and all weather changes here were intricately connected to Lord Meishan. Such a heavy downpour… could it be that Lord Meishan has been in a bad mood lately?

The bird of paradise clearly did not enjoy getting wet. It let out a long cry and darted to the mountain top with lightning speed, flapping its wings.

The situation at the top seemed even worse.

Yuan Zhong jumped down and looked around. He remembered there used to be a small wooden bridge over there, but now… now the bridge was gone, replaced by a river? The flowers planted at the entrance were beaten down by the rain, looking like they could fall off at any moment.

Filled with questions, Yuan Zhong picked up a wooden stick and knocked on the small leather drum by the door. After a long wait, two spirit ghosts opened the door, holding umbrellas and looking mournful. Upon seeing a stranger at the door, Spirit Ghost A said rudely, “The master has said no visitors these days. Please leave.”

Yuan Zhong smiled. “Not even for me?”

The two spirit ghosts stared at him for a long time, until they noticed the large, magnificent bird of paradise behind him.

Spirit Ghost B exclaimed, “You, you must be the high priest of the Fox Clan! You’ve changed your face again? We almost didn’t recognize you!”

Yuan Zhong looked at the incessant downpour and asked curiously, “Why is it raining here? What happened at Meishan?”

The little spirit ghosts pouted and mumbled, “It’s all because of that little Mei…”

Little Mei? Who is that? The name sounded familiar.

Yuan Zhong was even more puzzled.

He followed the spirit ghosts into the courtyard, where the paths were submerged in water, and the once blooming flowers were now withered.

The normally vibrant Meishan residence was now lifeless. The backyard seemed even worse, with the spirit ghosts busy sweeping away water, occasionally letting out exclamations as they were splashed and reverted to their paper form.

“High Priest…” Leading him to the backyard, the spirit ghosts whispered cautiously, “Please don’t mention Xin Mei’s name in front of him, or the entire Meishan residence might flood.”

Yuan Zhong rolled his eyes and agreed. He pushed open the door to find the place littered with wine jugs and cups, the air thick with the smell of alcohol. Lord Meishan, half-drunk, was leaning against a low table, clutching a wine jug that was about to fall to the ground.

Yuan Zhong, smiling, walked over and sat opposite him. The first thing he said was, “So you really have feelings for that mortal girl, Xin Mei?”

Lord Meishan, in a daze, was struck by the mention of Xin Mei’s name and immediately began to wail in pain.

Yuan Zhong laughed heartily. “So it’s true?”

He rested his chin on his hand, recalling his interactions with Xin Mei.

Hmm, the girl was indeed pretty, but her temperament was such that few could handle her.

“You, you, you…” Lord Meishan looked up through his tears at the person laughing obnoxiously. Recognizing the high priest, his sobs weakened instantly.

He didn’t interact much with the high priest, unlike Fu Jiuyun and Zhen Hongsheng, who were quite uninhibited.

Moreover, this person was a high priest of the Fox Clan, of noble lineage.

Lord Meishan dared not be disrespectful. He immediately stopped crying, placed his hands together, and greeted nasally, “What brings Your Highness the High Priest here today?”

Yuan Zhong smiled. “I had some free time and thought I’d come see you. I didn’t expect to find you drowning your sorrows alone. How about I join you for a drink?”

Lord Meishan smiled bitterly. “You… you’re here to mock me too…”

“Not at all.”

Yuan Zhong waved his hand lightly, smiling. “Lovesickness is a common human emotion. Why would I mock you? But drinking and crying alone won’t solve anything. If you keep this up, Mount Baitou will flood.”

Lord Meishan sighed deeply, saying nothing for a long time.

The spirit ghosts quickly replaced the wine. Yuan Zhong raised his cup, looking at him. “I heard that to ask a favor of you, one must outdrink you. Is that true?”

Lord Meishan’s drunken haze cleared instantly, and he said in surprise, “You want to ask me for a favor?”

“Hmm…”

Yuan Zhong pondered for a moment, then said, “There are many fine wines in our clan, but I left in a hurry and didn’t bring any. The brewing book isn’t with me either, so I’ll just accompany you for a few drinks.”

The wines of the Fox Clan were once offerings to the celestial gods!

Lord Meishan recalled the “Drunken Life and Dreaming of Death” that Fu Jiuyun had once brought him, and his eyes lit up.

The wine in his hand suddenly seemed like worthless dregs.

“No problem, no problem!” He almost wanted to grasp the high priest’s hand warmly.

“Make up for it with two jars of ‘Drunken Life and Dreaming of Death’ next time! What do you want to investigate? Just tell me!”

Yuan Zhong chuckled, dipping his finger in the emerald wine, and slowly wrote three characters on the table: Ji Tanyin.

“Investigate this woman.”

Lord Meishan’s mouth dropped open as he looked at him, troubled. “There are so many people with the same name in the world. This… this…”

“Can’t find her?” Yuan Zhong stood up with a faint smile.

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

“Wait! I’ll check right away!” Lord Meishan couldn’t bear to part with those two jars of “Drunken Life and Dreaming of Death.”

He immediately called out a little crow, instructing it to run to the Golden Snake Clan and borrow their celestial book for investigation.