Freedom! Freedom at last!
Yuan Zhong, in high spirits, rode on the back of his Jile Bird. Even the gloomy skies couldn’t dampen his mood—he had finally shaken off that strange woman! Now he understood what it meant to feel refreshed, triumphant, and utterly carefree. This must be what Monk Xinmao had meant by “carefree.”
Where should he go next? He didn’t care. Anywhere was good, as long as Ji Tan Yin wasn’t there.
For more than half a month, he aimlessly flew through the boundless forests, heading south at times, west at others, and occasionally east. Only after confirming that no one was following him did he finally instruct the Jile Bird to fly slowly westward.
The matter of Ji Tan Yin couldn’t be left unresolved. If Zifei hadn’t uncovered the truth, then Yuan Zhong would investigate it himself.
It took another four hours before he reached Whitehead Mountain. Before he even reached the peak, rain began to fall in a steady drizzle, and the drops were quite large.
He looked up and noticed that half of Whitehead Mountain was shrouded in mist and clouds—a sight he had never seen before. Whitehead Mountain was where Lord Meishan had ascended to immortality after enduring the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation. Every plant, tree, and even the weather was closely tied to Lord Meishan. Such heavy rain… could it be that Lord Meishan was in a bad mood?
The Jile Bird clearly didn’t enjoy being drenched by the rain. With a loud screech, it flapped its wings and shot up to the mountaintop like lightning.
The situation on the mountaintop seemed even worse. Yuan Zhong jumped down and looked around. He remembered there had once been a small wooden bridge there. But now… the bridge was gone, replaced by a river. The flowers planted in front of the house drooped miserably under the rain, as if they might fall off at any moment.
Puzzled, Yuan Zhong knocked on the small drum hanging by the door. After a long wait, two spirit ghosts holding umbrellas finally opened the door. They wore mournful expressions, and upon seeing the unfamiliar man at the entrance, one of them rudely said, “Our master has said he’s not receiving guests at the moment. Please leave.”
Yuan Zhong smiled and asked, “Not even me?”
The two spirit ghosts stared at him for a while. Then, noticing the magnificent Jile Bird standing behind him, one of them gasped, “You… You must be the Grand Monk of the Fox Clan! You’ve changed your face again—almost didn’t recognize you!”
Yuan Zhong glanced up at the rain that continued to pour down and curiously asked, “Why is it raining here? Did something happen with Lord Meishan?”
The little spirit ghosts pouted and muttered, “It’s all because of that Little Mei…”
Little Mei? Who was that? The name sounded familiar, but Yuan Zhong couldn’t place it. His curiosity grew as the spirit ghosts led him into the courtyard. The small paths were flooded, and the once-flourishing flowers in the courtyard had withered. The entire Meishan Residence felt gloomy. In the back, where the flooding was worse, spirit ghosts scrambled around with their umbrellas, trying to sweep away the water, occasionally yelping as they were splashed and transformed back into their paper doll forms.
“Your Highness…” As they led him to the back courtyard, the spirit ghosts whispered cautiously, “Please don’t mention the name Xin Mei in front of him, or the entire Meishan Residence might flood.”
Yuan Zhong rolled his eyes but agreed. Pushing open the door, he was greeted by the sight of wine jugs and cups strewn all over the floor. The smell of alcohol filled the air, and Lord Meishan lay half-drunk on the low table, clutching a wine jug, which looked like it was about to fall to the floor.
Yuan Zhong strolled over with a smile, sat down across from him, and the first words out of his mouth were, “So you really do like that little mortal girl, Xin Mei?”
Upon hearing the name Xin Mei, Lord Meishan’s chest tightened, and he immediately burst into loud sobs.
Yuan Zhong burst out laughing. “So it’s true?”
Resting his chin in his hand, he recalled his encounters with Xin Mei. The girl was indeed pretty, but her temperament… not many would dare take her on.
“You, you, you…” Lord Meishan looked up through his tears at the infuriatingly smug man sitting across from him. When he saw it was the Grand Monk, his sobbing immediately quieted down.
He didn’t have much contact with the Grand Monk, not like the carefree relationships he had with Fu Jiuyun and Zhen Hongsheng. Moreover, the Grand Monk was of noble blood, a high-ranking member of the Fox Clan. Lord Meishan didn’t dare to be disrespectful. Wiping his nose, he bowed with a nasal voice, “What brings Your Highness the Grand Monk here today?”
Yuan Zhong smiled. “I had some free time and thought I’d visit you. I didn’t expect to find you drowning your sorrows in wine. How about I join you for a few cups?”
Lord Meishan gave a bitter smile. “You’re here to mock me, aren’t you…”
“Not at all,” Yuan Zhong waved his hand lightly, chuckling. “Love can be painful—it's a common human experience. Why would I mock you for it? But drinking and crying by yourself won’t solve anything. Keep crying like this, and Whitehead Mountain will flood.”
Lord Meishan sighed deeply and fell silent.
The spirit ghosts hurriedly replaced the wine. Yuan Zhong lifted his cup and looked at him. “I’ve heard that if someone wants you to help them, they have to outdrink you first. Is that true?”
Lord Meishan sobered up a bit, staring at him in astonishment. “You need something from me?”
“Hmm…” Yuan Zhong pondered for a moment before adding, “Our clan has many fine wines, but I was in such a rush that I didn’t bring many jugs with me. I also don’t have the brewing manual with me, so I can only drink a few cups with you for now.”
The Fox Clan’s wines were once offerings to the gods. Lord Meishan’s eyes lit up as he recalled the few jugs of Drunken Dreams that Fu Jiuyun had once brought him. Suddenly, the wine in his hand felt like worthless dregs.
“No problem! No problem at all!” He almost reached out to shake the Grand Monk’s hand in excitement. “Just bring me two jugs of Drunken Dreams next time, and I’ll help you with whatever you need! What do you want to know?”
Yuan Zhong couldn’t help but laugh. He dipped his finger into the green wine and slowly wrote three characters on the table: Ji Tan Yin.
“Look into this woman.”
Lord Meishan’s jaw dropped, looking troubled. “There are countless people with the same name… This… this…”
“Can’t do it?” Yuan Zhong stood up with a faint smile. “Then I’ll be leaving.”
“Wait! I’ll look into it right away!” Lord Meishan, not wanting to give up those two jugs of Drunken Dreams, immediately summoned his little raven to head to the Golden Snake Clan to borrow their Heavenly Book for the search.
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