Chapter 12: Mist Spirit (1)

Unlike before, there was no black qi inside the swollen abdomen now. Instead, there was a blurry mass that looked like cotton wadding.

So it really was “twins.”

“No wonder... the qi-eating spirit’s black qi must have been fighting with it this whole time.”

Zhou Xin set down the redwood tray and walked over to Shen Jibai in a few steps. She placed her palm against the skin of his abdomen and circulated her Daoist qi to examine it.

Although the two of them had already had several instances of physical contact because of unexpected circumstances, and although there was a perfectly proper reason for this, the other party was still very unaccustomed to it, even somewhat resistant.

She could clearly feel the skin beneath her palm suddenly tense, and even his body stiffened.

Zhou Xin withdrew her hand at the right moment and said, “There’s still something inside.”

The situation was obvious, so Shen Jibai was not surprised.

Zhou Xin said, “It can sense qi and will move in the direction the qi circulates. It shouldn’t be an evil spirit, but I can’t determine exactly what it is.”

As she spoke, she sighed. “It would be good if Perfected Linghe were here.”

Shen Jibai said, “Shen will wait here for Perfected Linghe and search through the ancient texts in the meantime.”

She nodded. “We’ve been busy all morning. Before the dining hall closes, let’s go fill our stomachs first.”

Shen Jibai nodded slightly, turned his back to her, lowered his head, and arranged his robes.

Rustling sounds rang out. In such a private situation, even Zhou Xin, who had been baptized by modern knowledge, belatedly realized something. She hurriedly turned and withdrew, then sat cross-legged on a cushion in the hall to close her eyes and calm her mind.

A moment later, Shen Jibai, now properly dressed, came out of the library. He walked past her to the doorway before stopping, turning back to glance at her and signaling for her to follow.

He did not say a word, making him seem even more distant, but there was less hostility than before.

Perhaps because she realized that, through a strange twist of fate, there was hope of bridging the chasm between them, Zhou Xin relaxed considerably.

She got up, clasped her hands behind her back, and leisurely followed after him.

She thought to herself that since the only enemy had also turned into a friend, as long as she ensured no one else suspected her identity, she could rest easy.

After leaving the quiet room, they passed the massive thousand-year-old peach tree in the center of the square. Its branches were full of blossoms and hung with red marriage slips. Shen Jibai turned his head and looked at it a few times.

Following his gaze, Zhou Xin said, “It’s already July, but these peach blossoms can still smile in the spring breeze, and even bloom more abundantly than in spring. Isn’t that rather rare?”

Shen Jibai withdrew his gaze and said calmly, “This tree blooms all year round.”

Zhou Xin did not believe him.

Unless this peach tree had become a spirit, but how could Taiqing Temple allow a peach tree spirit to remain here and absorb incense offerings?

The two entered the dining hall one after the other.

It was nearly closing time now, so there were not many people inside. Only a few Daoist cultivators sat scattered along the several-zhang-long dining tables, all lowering their heads and quietly eating noodles.

Today’s breakfast was vegetarian noodles, with toppings of bamboo shoots, wild rice stems, and celery, which people could choose from freely.

Shen Jibai added a spoonful of bamboo shoots, then carried his porcelain bowl to a nearby dining table and sat down. Zhou Xin asked for all three toppings, added some fragrant vinegar and zhuyu, mixed it into a three-in-one bowl of noodles, and sat across from him.

On the white wall to one side of the dining hall was written a large character: “Stillness.” The hall itself was also extremely quiet, with only the crisp sounds of bamboo chopsticks striking porcelain bowls.

Zhou Xin ate her noodles by herself. Only after half the bowl had gone into her stomach did she belatedly realize that the person across from her was far too quiet. There had not been any sound from him for a while.

She lifted her eyes and looked over, only to see Shen Jibai lowering his head slightly, one hand loosely holding his chopsticks while the other was clenched into a fist, as though he was deliberately enduring something.

With a mouthful of noodles still in her mouth, she asked before she could even swallow, “What’s wrong?”

Shen Jibai said somewhat helplessly, “...My hand cramped.”

“Cough, cough.”

She swallowed the noodles, turned her head away, and coughed hard a few times, only barely holding back her laughter.

Out of respect, she did not continue slurping her noodles. Instead, she quietly observed for a while. Only once the other party recovered did he tighten his grip on the chopsticks, pick up the noodles, and bring them to his mouth.

“Court Minister Shen is a martial artist. You stretch your muscles and bones every day. How could your hand cramp for no reason?”

Shen Jibai said, “I don’t know. Shen also finds it strange.”

She said nothing more and focused on finishing the remaining half bowl of noodles. When she looked up, she saw Shen Jibai staring toward the rear kitchen with a hesitant expression.

“What is it now?”

He opened his mouth, seeming somewhat embarrassed. “...Can one get more noodles?”

Zhou Xin said, “Yes.”

Shen Jibai stood, took his noodle bowl to the cook, and received another bowl of bamboo-shoot noodles.

Zhou Xin was already full, but it would not be appropriate to abandon him and go back on her own, so she could only prop her arm up and sit there waiting.

The last few Daoist cultivators also left the dining hall. The cook sat quietly behind the cupboard to rest, leaving only the two of them in the hall.

Shen Jibai asked, as though casually, “Shen saw the character ‘stillness’ written on the wall of the quiet room, and it is also written here. Does it have any special meaning?”

Zhou Xin said, “For Daoists, entering stillness is like entering meditation for Buddhists. It is one of the basic practices every Daoist cultivator must learn. To enter stillness, one must calm the mind. Only with a calm mind can one enter the Dao. Stillness is the foundation. This is the same in nature as Buddhist dining halls having rules and precepts written on the white walls, or the Court of Judicial Review’s dining hall having the *Commentary on the Yonghui Code* written on its white walls.”

“The Court of Judicial Review’s dining hall does not have the *Commentary on the Yonghui Code* written on its walls. However...” Shen Jibai raised one brow slightly. “Shen can discuss it with Duke Song.”

Zhou Xin: “...”

No way.

She clearly remembered that historical records said the white walls of the Tang dynasty Court of Judicial Review’s dining hall were covered with legal provisions. Whenever those officials and bailiffs ate, they had to face the densely written wall and obediently read the *Commentary on the Yonghui Code* while eating.

Supposedly, because of this, the Court of Judicial Review had the lowest food expenses among the various courts.

Could this extremely appetite-ruining “law wall” have originated from an offhand comment of hers?

What a sin.

She prayed that the workers of the Court of Judicial Review would never learn the truth, lest they hate her.

The person sitting across from her stood and went to get another bowl of noodles.

Zhou Xin sensed something and said, “Court Minister Shen didn’t eat much last night. Are you terribly hungry now?”

Shen Jibai also looked somewhat puzzled. He picked up a strand of noodles but did not hurry to bring it to his mouth. “With Shen’s usual appetite, one bowl of noodles would be enough.”

Zhou Xin suddenly grabbed his wrist and said, “Don’t eat anymore!”

Shen Jibai raised his eyes and looked at her. “?”

Zhou Xin let go. “It’s the thing in your belly causing trouble. What if it grows bigger once it’s full?”

Shen Jibai obediently put down his chopsticks. “That makes sense.”

After placing the porcelain bowl into the wooden bucket by the doorway, the two left the dining hall and returned to the quiet room.

When they passed the peach tree covered in blossoms at the center of the square, Shen Jibai, who was walking in front, suddenly tilted to the side and fell slantwise toward the peach tree.

Zhou Xin hurried forward, wrapped both arms around his waist, and steadily caught him from behind.

“Are you all right?”

Shen Jibai exhaled and said in a low voice, “I’m fine. My foot just cramped.”

“...Then let’s sit under the tree and rest for a while.”

Shen Jibai said, “That would be fine.”

She supported him over to the ancient tree, only to hear him say, “Shen will rest for a moment. Lord Lingyun may return first.”

Zhou Xin glanced at him.

This person’s joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness were all very genuine, and he did not seem very good at lying. Even the excuse he used to send someone away was clumsy.

“Then Chao will return to the library first.”

The young woman turned and left, her slender back looking somewhat stubborn.

Although she looked exactly like Chao Nanyi, her temperament and aura were completely different.

Shen Jibai quietly watched her until he saw her turn into the courtyard of the quiet room. Only then did he say softly, “Come out.”

The brilliant branches trembled slightly. A moment later, a young girl emerged from within them. Her round face was fair with a rosy tint, her deer-like eyes were extremely lively, and half a peach blossom clung to the corner of one eye. When she lowered her head to look at him, her twin buns hung down to her waist, revealing a pair of pointed ears.

After looking at him for a moment, she tilted her head and smiled. “Oh? You can see me again? Who opened your Heavenly Eye?”

“Lord Lingyun,” Shen Jibai said. “You once said that peach blossom spirits are sprites scattered in the mortal world by the Old Man Under the Moon, responsible for conveying wishes to tie fated bonds. Is that true?”

“It is! What about it?” The young girl tilted her head and looked at him.

“Since you can tie bonds, you must also be able to sever them.”

“I can, but...” the girl said, “very few people do that. Do you want to sever a bond?”

Shen Jibai extended his left hand. “Is it difficult?”

“Not difficult.”

The girl floated down and hovered in midair. She lowered her eyes and looked at the knot of fate on his ring finger. With some difficulty, she hummed, then reached up and scratched her lip with one finger.

“What is it?”

“...It’s better not to sever it. You’ll regret it.”

She shook her head very firmly.

Shen Jibai gave a faint laugh. “Why?”

“This knotting style only appears with a heaven-ordained marriage. A heaven-ordained marriage cannot be encountered by chance; it can only be prayed for. But from ancient times to now, there have been many who prayed and could not obtain it, and very few who moved Heaven enough to receive such a good match. If you really sever it, when the time of fate arrives in the future, you will surely suffer unbearable pain.”

She floated backward and sat on a peach branch again.

“No matter. Just do it.”

“Why are you so unwilling to listen to advice!” She covered her ears and shouted.

“Who is Court Minister Shen speaking to?”

Shen Jibai’s expression changed slightly. “Why has Lord Lingyun returned?”

Zhou Xin walked to his side. “Of course I came to see what matter was so important that Court Minister Shen could be distracted at a time like this to deal with it.”

Shen Jibai stood. “Nothing. I was merely talking to myself.”

The peach blossom spirit flew in a circle around Zhou Xin, stopped at her right side, and looked at her right hand, covering her mouth as she laughed. “So the other end of this red thread is on Chao Nanyi. No wonder you were making such a fuss about severing the bond.”

Shen Jibai: “...”

The peach blossom spirit floated back in front of him and smiled. “This envoy is also very curious. With Chao Nanyi’s hatred of nonhuman things, how exactly will she view this heaven-ordained marriage?”

Shen Jibai turned his head away and simply pretended not to hear.

His manner was exactly the same as when he did not want to acknowledge Zhou Xin. It was practically a confession in itself.

Zhou Xin immediately opened her Heavenly Eye and instantly saw a spirit wearing a pink ruqun, with half a peach blossom tucked into her hair.

She was slightly startled. “Why is there a demon in Taiqing Temple?”

“Who are you calling a demon!” The peach blossom spirit put her hands on her hips. “This lady is the Old Man Under the Moon’s messenger of fated bonds! I’m not the same as those demons who cause chaos and disaster!”

Zhou Xin said, “Understood. A demon with an official post.”

The peach blossom spirit’s brows shot up in anger. “You!”

Zhou Xin placated her. “All right, I was joking. Fairy, don’t mind me.”

The peach blossom spirit was a messenger rooted in the mortal world. In all these hundreds and thousands of years, this was the first time anyone had addressed her with the word “fairy.” She nodded, clearly very pleased, lifted her chin, and said, “This fairy will spare you this once and won’t argue with you.”

Only then did Zhou Xin stare at Shen Jibai’s face with interest and smile meaningfully. “So Court Minister Shen deliberately sent Chao away because he wanted to ask for a marriage bond?”

The peach blossom spirit said, “Not at all. He wants to sever a marriage bond!”

Zhou Xin asked curiously, “Why?”

Shen Jibai pursed his thin lips and said nothing.

The peach blossom spirit pointed at his left hand. “The way this red thread’s knot is tied is unique to a heaven-ordained marriage, which means this is a marriage bond he prayed for himself. But now he doesn’t want it anymore! How fickle. Does he really think heaven-ordained marriages are so easy to obtain? In a thousand years, even I’ve only seen a few!”

Hearing this, Zhou Xin drew out an affected “Oh—” and winked at the peach blossom spirit. “A young couple having a lovers’ quarrel and wanting to break up, huh? Most of the time, they’re just saying it. They won’t really split! But... why can’t Chao see the red thread on his hand?”