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On the other side, Xi'er hurriedly made her way to Bailiang Town, which was a thousand miles away, arriving around noon. She was quite familiar with the whereabouts of Fox King Liu Lan and Chakravartin Xue Xiangle. These two typically avoided larger places, preferring the smaller ones. They claimed that in big towns, there were too many people, and the flowers had long been trampled by countless feet; in smaller towns, there were fewer people, and one could always find a rare flower or herb that hadn’t been stepped on yet. However, Xi'er thought to herself that one was a fox spirit who loved to burrow into holes, while the other was the king of the underworld who didn’t particularly enjoy bright sunny places. It was simply their nature. But this time, Xi'er was mistaken. Bailiang Town seemed to embody only one season—spring. It appeared to have its own sun, rain, and wind, nurturing it into a flourishing bloom. The heart of the flower was surrounded by many unknown blooms of various colors, shaped like houses, trees, flowers, and even passersby.
Upon reaching Bailiang Town and seeing people around, Xi'er began to hide and fly cautiously. She thought to herself that her feminine appearance was hard to discern; her feathers were vibrant and stunning, a beauty that mere mortals could never hope to see—a divine bird with extraordinary charm. If she were to encounter humans, it would be disastrous. First, if mortals caught sight of her beauty, they might faint from shock; she would indirectly cause their deaths. Second, among mortals were many with malicious hearts who might be blinded by her beauty and then try to capture her for their own amusement before subjecting her to torment. The more she thought about it, the more she felt her situation was extremely perilous. She took out a small piece of floral cloth from her bag and tied it around her head under her chin. Then she rolled in a coal pile at a nearby house before finally feeling secure enough to seek out the two important figures.
Xi'er had a good understanding of their personalities. They shared a common trait with all wealthy classes—they loved to be first and sought only the best. Thus, they usually frequented the largest and most famous establishments in town for their food and entertainment. She stealthily followed several young gentlemen into an inn named "The First Building Under Heaven." Having seen the world before, she was immediately overwhelmed by the intoxicating aromas of wine and meat wafting through the air; an inn without money or resources could not afford fine wines or hire great chefs.
She scurried beneath a table on the second floor near the window until she finally spotted the two pairs of feet she was looking for. Relaxing at last upon finding them, she felt an unusual fatigue wash over her; pressing her belly revealed a small hollow space inside. Compared to the fragrant dishes on the table before her, her green bean cake from her bag seemed utterly insignificant. Climbing up from under the table and propping herself up on her paws allowed her to rest her chin on the table's edge. She stared at a plate of Gong Bao Chicken with longing as her little tongue darted out eagerly while glancing between Fox King Liu Lan and Chakravartin Xue.
Fox King Liu Lan suddenly spat out his drink onto Chakravartin's face across from him; Chakravartin's anger turned into laughter when he saw Xi'er’s disheveled appearance—her floral headscarf askew and her dark eyes sparkling mischievously. Fox King chuckled and said, "Did you fall into a ditch?" He then picked up his chopsticks and grabbed a piece of chicken to eat.
Xi'er let out a sharp cry: "Wait! Great Master!" Just as she finished speaking, she stretched her neck and jumped up to snatch the chicken from his chopsticks, devouring it voraciously while exclaiming, "Another cup of wine!" She darted over to Chakravartin's table for a cup of clear wine and hopped up onto the table to peck at it.
After quenching her thirst like rain after a long drought, she stood on a stool with both wings supporting herself on the table confidently. Crossing her wings around her neck in a pitiful manner, she said, "Oh dear! What can I do? If I don’t disguise myself as ugly, what if I get caught by mortals?" Chakravartin replied: "You didn’t want to cultivate your human form; now you know how difficult it is being a bird?" Fox King set down his chopsticks and rested his chin on his hand with narrowed eyes as he smiled seductively: "If you become human, how will you enjoy tofu anymore?"
Caught off guard by his words despite having thick skin, Xi'er felt herself blush for an instant. She despised that fox face—though beautiful, it was too cunning; its smile concealed needles that easily pierced through one's thoughts and secrets like bubbles bursting. Shaking her head as if dismissing it all with grace, she said: "Great Master, Second Master! I came here for Young Master! He and Qingmo... that situation..." She half-folded her wings and mimicked humans bumping their thumbs together: "It's not harmonious."
Chakravartin pinched her little face teasingly: "You’ve been eavesdropping under the bed again?" "No no no," Xi'er clung onto Chakravartin's hand trying to salvage her extraordinary beauty. "I wasn’t eavesdropping! How would I know Qingmo is suffering?" After pausing for a moment, she added: "They don’t seem like that; they look more like they're slaughtering pigs."
Fox King raised an eyebrow with an exaggerated sigh: "Ah! Ignoring elders’ advice leads to trouble in front of others. We wanted him to come out and accumulate some charm skills together; he refused then. Now look at this." Chakravartin covered his face with his sleeve except for his eyes as he mocked: "If Qingmo can’t conceive or give birth to little dragons later on, he’ll have something to worry about."
Xi'er rolled her eyes and began flattering them profusely: "So I came here seeking guidance from Great Master and Second Master! You two are experts in this field; if you act, it will surely be astonishing." Fox King straightened his expression: "This is still not a small matter. But Ao Yan needs to comprehend it himself first. However, let’s allow Qingmo some joy first." He took out a slender red porcelain bottle with a long neck and thin legs adorned with white plum blossoms painted on its surface.
"Take this," he said. "This is enchanting water medicine; sprinkle it in his cup." Xi'er nodded repeatedly: "I understand! Thank you very much!"
"Come here," Chakravartin beckoned with his finger towards Xi'er who obediently leaned closer. Chakravartin whispered: "Go back and tell Ao Yan that if he wants his wife to be happy, he needs three points—three points of seduction." Confused by this cryptic message, Xi'er asked: "What three points?" Fox King tapped Xi'er's head with his chopsticks: "Silly bird! Didn’t we just say Ao Yan needs to figure it out himself?"
"Thank you Great Master! Thank you Second Master!" Xi'er folded her wings in gratitude before departing after eating well.
After breakfasting together at Lin Family Village without delay, Ao Yan rode Azure Water Golden Eye Beast towards the coast where he instructed it to dive back underwater until evening when it would return for them. Upon reaching shore, Lin Qingmo gazed at their familiar village in the distance shining like a massive pearl under golden sunlight—its radiant glow captivated him completely.
"Ao Yan! Ao Yan! I..." Lin Qingmo halted mid-sentence but was interrupted by Ao Yan’s firm “No.”
"Ao Yan! Ao Yan! Speak honestly—have I been disobedient lately? You promised me that if I behaved well you'd let me go home for a visit! I miss my mother!" Lin Qingmo didn’t care how ungraceful he looked crying in front of him; tears welled up in his eyes threatening to spill over.
Ao Yan's expression changed as he tightened his grip on Lin Qingmo's arm while looking at him coldly as if frost covered his face: “Your recent obedience is just pretense aimed at pleasing me so you can go home?”
Lin Qingmo hurriedly denied: “No no! It’s not entirely like that.” His words weren’t lies; although initially driven by intention, genuine happiness gradually seeped into his heart without pretense.
Ao Yan’s heart softened as he wiped away Lin Qingmo's tears gently while coaxing him: “Don’t cry; I can’t bear seeing you cry! If you do cry my heart aches too much! Be good—I promise I’ll take you back one day. I won’t lie.”
With no choice left but to comply with Ao Yan’s half-embrace half-dragging him away from there—Lin Qingmo knew he couldn’t match him in strength nor magic since he was merely an ordinary mortal—he felt like Da Yu passing by home thrice without stopping.
Yet having endured so long already—what was another few days? Reluctantly glancing back at Lin Family Village until they grew farther away until it shrank from view entirely.
This town was called Linhai Town—large and bustling with activity. It boasted ten famous streets where each shop sold similar goods depending solely on whether sellers had business acumen or not. Ao Yan had never visited such places before; his experience limited solely to Lin Family Village where Lin Qingmo lived.
Since childhood he’d known about his destined bride—the entirety of fourteen years filled only with infatuation towards her without ever seeing other sights until now when they were finally together—he felt inclined towards appreciating other views as well.
He pulled Lin Qingmo along street after street until they reached Fruit Street where they sampled stall after stall—not only eating himself but insisting Lin Qingmo join him until they filled half their stomachs together.
Next came Snack Street filled with warm fragrant aromas—the vendors’ shouts mingling with steaming skewers of meat and chicken pieces rising into the air above them while trees lined both sides of every street—their leaves already turning yellow as autumn approached too early.
As they continued eating along their way Lin Qingmo nearly collapsed from overeating but helplessly watched Ao Yan—a true glutton—devour even more leisurely than himself.
Ao Yan teasingly touched Lin Qingmo’s slightly protruding belly whispering mischievously into his ear: “Wife... how many months along are you?”
Lin Qingmo merely blinked back without anger but instead playfully replied close against Ao Yan’s ear: “You shouldn’t concern yourself about how many months I am—it’s you who just finished your confinement yet still out here playing around!”
Ao Yan’s face flushed purple but found himself momentarily speechless unable to retort instead resorting angrily pinching Lin Qingmo’s waist then casually squeezing his rear end once more.
As time grew late Lin Qingmo wanted to head towards Vegetable Market Street but found himself dragged through winding paths until finally arriving at Makeup Street after much delay.
Lin Qingmo couldn’t comprehend why they’d come here since neither of them were women—but Ao Yan grasped his hand saying: “Wife! I’m buying something nice for my sister!”
Lin Qingmo replied: “These trinkets pale compared to treasures from Dragon Palace—Third Princess might not even appreciate them.”
Ao Yan laughed saying: “You don’t understand—no matter how delicious something is or how beautiful something looks—it becomes tiresome when seen too often; these may seem worthless but are still fresh novelties for her.”
Lin Qingmo fell silent momentarily reflecting upon thoughts of both parents murmuring softly: “Isn’t humanity also like this?” He’d always believed that father leaving mother behind stemmed from weariness—but unbeknownst to him father held no feelings toward mother whatsoever.
His quiet words fell clearly within Ao Yan’s ears causing him secret delight as he leaned closer whispering beside Lin Qingmo’s ear: “I can’t speak for others—but trust me—you needn’t worry—I’ll always cherish love only for you!”
Lin Qingmo lifted his face appearing suddenly awakened asking curiously furrowing brows: “What? What did you just say?”
Ao Yan blinked innocently shaking his head before gritting teeth whispering fiercely: “Wife! Wait until we’re in bed tonight—I’ll tell you then!!”
Ao Yan purchased a pair of silver bracelets along with jade ones before spotting an exquisite silver phoenix hairpin delicately crafted featuring a tiny phoenix poised elegantly atop its slender tip—as if ready to take flight at any moment.
He bought that too envisioning how lovely Qingmo would look wearing it within his mind’s eye painting vivid imagery therein.
Finally arriving at Vegetable Market Street found deserted save for scattered wilted vegetable leaves littering ground below—luckily shops specializing in Chicken Duck Fish Meat remained unaffected since these living creatures bore no freshness concerns whatsoever—and naturally Lin Qingmo possessed ample knowledge regarding fish types ensuring shopkeepers wouldn’t deceive him either!
They bought forty pounds of pork along with ten ducks ten chickens plus ten fish carrying everything back using two shoulder poles dividing weight equally between themselves—by now dusk had settled upon them casting shadows across their path homeward while sun slowly sank beneath horizon beyond sight!
Reaching coastline brought evening twilight where half submerged sun vanished beneath rolling waves below Azure Water Golden Eye Beast surfaced hearing commotion above waterline—Ao Yan secured items together tying them across beast’s back while Lin Qingmo stood entranced watching smoke rising from Lin Family Village—a plume rising skyward resembling blue cotton candy!
Suddenly everything spun around disorientingly as he fell into strong arms accompanied by gentle scent reminiscent of milk wafting through air around him—Ao Yan lifted him placing gently atop Azure Water Golden Eye Beast before sitting down beside him balancing pole across shoulders comfortably once more.
Xi'er had returned. After taking a bath, it summoned a Clam Spirit maid and a Mermaid Handmaiden to help massage its body. Having lived a life of luxury and not having flown for a long time, it was quite unaccustomed to this sudden exertion. It covered its backside with a white cloth. Although its feathers provided some concealment, it still felt an overwhelming sense of nudity.
Lin Qingmo walked into the living room and heard a series of “mmms” and “ahhs.” The sounds were accompanied by commands: “Lower it, a bit lower. I’m exhausted!” Looking closer, Xi'er was sprawled on the table, with two beautiful maids gently bending its slightly plump bird legs, kneading them. Its small head rested on its wings, humming contentedly in response to the maids' gentle touches.
Xi'er’s ears were extremely sensitive, especially to Lin Qingmo's footsteps. When it looked up and saw Lin Qingmo smiling at it, it quickly pulled its chubby legs away from the maids and, disregarding any potential exposure, wriggled out from under the white cloth and leaped into Lin Qingmo's arms. Rubbing against him affectionately, it said, “I missed you so much! Did you miss me?”
Lin Qingmo patted its head and replied, “Where have you been? I haven’t seen you all day.” Xi'er burrowed deeper into Lin Qingmo's embrace, sniffing his scent before saying, “I went out on an errand. You didn’t miss me at all?” Lin Qingmo chuckled, “It’s only been a day. I didn’t miss you.”
Xi'er pouted, lowering its eyelids in displeasure, and sulked, “Then I’ll just go away for a year next time.” Lin Qingmo responded, “Don’t do that. If you’re gone for a year, just saying that makes me start to miss you already.” Hearing this, Xi'er perked up again, thinking it had achieved something significant and should reward itself. “Qingmo, aren’t you afraid of the cold? Look how warm Xi'er is! Just feel!” It nuzzled into Lin Qingmo’s collar, the unique scent of his body wafting toward it.
Suddenly, everything spun around as Ao Yan entered and playfully lifted Xi'er by its claws. “Oh? You actually know how to come back? I thought you weren’t returning! You didn’t even report your departure or bring your belongings; I thought you had taken all your treasures from the past few years and set off on your own.” Dizzied by the shaking, Xi'er consoled itself: “It’s fine; every brave warrior starts in an unfavorable position, misunderstood and scorned. Only when the truth is revealed will they receive their due honor and rewards. Isn’t there an ancient saying that goes ‘bitter first, sweet later’?”
After giving Xi'er a lesson, Ao Yan and Lin Qingmo changed into neat short robes and headed to the kitchen to prepare chicken and duck. There were four kitchens in total; usually, only two were used regularly while the other two were reserved for banquets. Xi'er strolled over to one of the unused kitchens and instructed the cook to prepare a bowl of silver fungus lotus seed soup after dinner for the Crown Princess.
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