Perhaps for these long-lived immortals, the fresh faces every few years helped to stave off the loneliness. Everything fears loneliness, whether it be mortals or immortals.
The immortal realms varied in size. The largest was Xiangqu Mountain, whose master had claimed over a dozen peaks and raised hundreds of handsome young men and women as disciples, with the mountain always in perpetual spring. The smallest, like Meishan Residence, occupied just a single peak. Its courtyard was exquisite, but its master, Lord Meishan, took no disciples and was accompanied only by spirit ghosts.
The Youhu clan’s mountain was not as grand as Xiangqu Mountain, but it had its own delicate beauty, adorned with wooden bridges, flowing streams, and celestial flowers. The clan lived in harmony with nature, so the intense heat of July was especially noticeable.
Tan Yin walked under the scorching sun for a while, feeling the heat soaking her back.
Just moments ago, the Grand Monk had changed his mind and decided to go for a walk. They left the Hexagonal Hall, passing through fields of celestial flowers, heading south. They walked by the small lake and through a cool, quiet bamboo forest. Throughout the entire walk, he didn’t say a word, his figure deflated like a punctured ball.
Is he upset? Tan Yin hesitated. She was never good at interacting with others, and sometimes a careless word would offend someone. She didn’t want to cause any friction with the Grand Monk and preferred to live peacefully.
After thinking for a long time, she finally tried to speak. “Your Highness, the Grand Monk, are you in a bad mood? If something is troubling you, don’t keep it bottled up…”
“Shut up for a bit, and keep quiet, and I’ll feel better,” Yuan Zhong turned around and gave her a fake sweet smile.
Tan Yin immediately clamped her mouth shut, not saying another word, and began to admire the scenery.
After crossing a wooden bridge and passing a man-made mountain, the sound of water could be heard. The scenery ahead changed dramatically. A small ridge stretched from north to south, with several delicate waterfalls cascading down moss-covered rocks, sparkling like flying jewels, eventually pooling into a pond below. A pine pavilion stood over the pond, connected to the shore by a winding bridge.
The scenery was indeed beautiful, but at that moment, the banks and the bridge were crowded with young women, making even the finest view feel somewhat out of place.
When Yuan Zhong saw the women, his eyes lit up, and the deflated ball suddenly inflated again. He almost floated over to them. These girls were all maids—some recognized the Grand Monk, others did not—but whether they knew him or not, it was hard to truly dislike someone as brazen as him. They chattered and laughed with him, though their eyes were all focused on the elegant man in purple robes sitting serenely in the pavilion.
From a distance, Tan Yin stood in the shadow of a tree, watching as the Grand Monk joked with one girl and then turned to tease another. He was the liveliest person in the group, like a big mischievous monkey.
Is he in a good mood again? That was quick. What an unpredictable person.
Tan Yin’s gaze followed the length of his hair, finally settling on the black silk glove on his left hand. She stared intently at it. The slick, playful man in black before her seemed to transform into someone else—sometimes in a ragged blue robe, sometimes clad in shining silver armor. Back then, she had always been quietly watching from the shadows, watching his energetic figure and how he mingled with others.
She had once wanted to join in that lively world, but in the end, she was always alone.
Tan Yin sighed softly, almost imperceptibly.
A few young maids noticed her unfamiliar face and approached her, asking, “Sister, are you here to see Lord Tang Hua as well?”
Tang Hua? Tan Yin thought for a moment and remembered hearing the name yesterday. Wasn’t he the immortal in purple? She glanced toward the pine pavilion, where sure enough, Tang Hua was sitting, drinking alone, enjoying his own company.
Tan Yin shook her head. “I’m just accompanying the Grand Monk for a walk and happened to pass by.”
“The Grand Monk?” The young maids immediately gave her looks of both admiration and pity. Poor sister, she’s quite pretty and seems so gentle—how did she end up as his maid? Truly a beautiful flower planted in…
Meanwhile, Yuan Zhong was laughing and joking with the maids outside the pavilion. His boisterous laughter never stopped. Lord Tang Hua, who had planned to take a quiet break from his duties, was finally forced to put down his wine cup, annoyed by the noise.
How unlucky could he be, to run into the Grand Monk returning to the mountain just as he wanted peace and quiet? Now that this troublemaker was back, there would be no chance for serenity.
“Wanqiu, Lanxuan, let’s find somewhere else,” Tang Hua sighed, resigned to fleeing the scene.
As soon as the three of them left the pavilion, Yuan Zhong’s eyes lit up and he floated toward them. Tang Hua could feel his scalp tighten and, with a resigned gesture, stepped aside to let him pass. As expected, Yuan Zhong immediately latched onto Wanqiu, refusing to let go, his voice dripping with sweetness.
“Wanqiu, my dear sister, have you missed me?”
The maid named Wanqiu, surprisingly, wasn’t angry. She smiled and curtsied, “Your Highness, the Grand Monk, did you change your mask again? Yesterday I nearly didn’t recognize you.”
A mask? Tan Yin instinctively glanced at his face—was he really wearing a mask? Could there truly be such lifelike masks in the world? She hadn’t noticed it at all until now.
Yuan Zhong was so pleased with himself that he almost seemed ready to wag his tail like a dog. Even Tan Yin couldn’t help but think that the words “lecher” and “scoundrel” might as well be engraved on his face. He rubbed his cheek, his eyes crinkling with laughter. “If dear Wanqiu wants to see, I’ll take off the mask and let you get a good look.”
Tang Hua snorted in disdain. Here we go again! When Wanqiu was first brought in as a little maid three or four years ago, Yuan Zhong had used the same flowery lines to tease her, and now he was at it again.
But Wanqiu wasn’t falling for it. She laughed and said, “If you take off that fake face, won’t there just be another fake face underneath? You’ve got so many layers on your face, no wonder it’s so thick!”
Yuan Zhong, pretending not to hear the insult, touched his face again, giving it a little tug, and sighed, “Huh, seems like it is pretty thick.”
Tang Hua, unable to stand it any longer, frowned and said, “You’ve got time to fool around here, so why don’t you go see Elder Ding Xu? You took in a maid yesterday—you’re supposed to register her.”
Yuan Zhong lazily smiled. “Ugh, such a hassle, and it’s so far. I’m not going.”
Tang Hua was both furious and astonished. He was trying to get to the bottom of Ji Tan Yin’s background, and Elder Ding Xu had been waiting for him to clarify everything. Yet here he was, acting like a complete rascal! Tang Hua’s brows furrowed even more deeply. “Elder Ding Xu told me to pass on a message: If you don’t go, he’ll personally peel your fox hide!”
Yuan Zhong, upon hearing this, slumped even further, as though all the bones in his body had melted. “Just make sure when he skins me, Wanqiu gets to do it herself.”
Tang Hua’s face turned dark with anger. Grabbing Yuan Zhong by the collar, he threw him into the pond and then stormed off, his sleeves swirling behind him.
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