The crowd dispersed in a chaotic swarm, leaving Qingnu standing alone on the spot.
A moment later, Qingnu waved her banner and said to Hongluan, "Come on, let's catch up with that big yellow dog!"
"What for?"
"To tell its fortune!"
Hongluan: "..."
Unfortunately, Qingnu was a step too slow. By the time she found the big yellow dog, it had already been skinned by Fan Kuai and turned into a side dish for Liu Ji and his gang to have with their wine.
Seeing this, Qingnu shook her head and whispered, "See that? That's what happens when you refuse to have your fortune told!"
Hongluan rolled its eyes. "The dog didn't even say anything, did it?"
Qingnu glanced at it. "Are you an idiot? How can a dog talk?"
'Stupid bird, that’s not what you were saying just a moment ago!'
The bird and snake's bickering caught the attention of Liu Ji and the others.
Lu Wan rubbed his eyes, staring toward Qingnu. He carefully nudged Liu Ji at his side, pointing her way. "Big brother, look! It's that woman pretending to be an Immortal Maiden. Why do I hear her talking to a bird? Have I had too much to drink?"
"Get lost. If you've had too much, then I've definitely had too much!"
Liu Ji waved Lu Wan off and stared at Qingnu for a good while, muttering, "She wouldn't actually be an Immortal Maiden, would she?"
Lu Wan heard this and hurriedly said, "Hey, big brother, why don't you go get your fortune told?"
Liu Ji shook his head and waved his hands even more vigorously. "Nonsense! Do I look like the kind of guy who can produce two wild rabbits? Tell my fortune? Tell a bird's fortune!"
"Hey? Why is he cursing at birds!"
Hongluan overheard this and immediately grew indignant.
Qingnu hurriedly grabbed Hongluan, rubbing its head to soothe it. "Don't be angry... a good bird doesn't hold a grudge against a rogue."
Liu Ji was an old rogue; everyone knew that.
After finally coaxing Hongluan, the aroma of the dog meat stew Fan Kuai was cooking began to pique Qingnu’s appetite.
She decided to go out and 'take care' of the wildlife around Sishui Pavilion.
The snake girl had a heart-to-heart chat with them, letting them feel the care of the Azure-Clad Immortal Maiden. After all, she couldn't just keep catching wild boars and rabbits from the Fen-Wei Plain; that would be playing favorites!
When she returned to Sishui Pavilion, she spotted Liu Ji from a distance, holding two dog legs and waiting at the road entrance.
"Yo, Immortal Maiden!"
The old rogue greeted her, swinging the dog legs as he saw her return.
He jogged up, panting for a moment before handing over the dog legs. "Immortal Maiden, I saved these for you."
Looking at the two cold dog legs, Qingnu asked back, "Don't you disbelieve me?"
"Tsk... Could I, Liu Ji, be that kind of person?"
The old rogue’s face-changing skills were something even the snake girl found hard to match. He gave a cheeky grin. "It's just that I didn't have an offering just now, and I was afraid of displeasing the Immortal Maiden. Look at these dog legs—my brother's cooking, absolutely authentic!"
Qingnu accepted the dog legs Liu Ji gave her, sighing with clicking sounds.
"Poor Big Yellow. In your next life, don't be a dog. Be a wild boar instead. If you're eaten by me, you can ascend to heaven, you know?"
Hongluan asked, "Is there really a difference?"
"Ahem..."
Qingnu coughed and looked up at Liu Ji, who was rubbing his hands and staring at her with a smile.
By now, Liu Ji was sober. Seeing that Hongluan really could speak, he no longer had any doubts about the identity of the Immortal Maiden!
Qingnu took out her tortoise shell and put on a show of performing a divination.
"Immortal Maiden, how is it?"
Liu Ji stared at Qingnu, waiting for her reply.
Qingnu glanced at him, thought for a moment, and said, "What if I said you will be incredibly wealthy and noble in the future?"
Liu Ji's eyes lit up as he marveled, "The Immortal Maiden is truly a divine being!"
Seeing the delighted Liu Ji, Qingnu asked again, "But what if I said you will die the moment you leave Peixian?"
"Is the Immortal Maiden messing with me?"
The old rogue shook his head, clearly not believing it.
He raised a hand and patted Qingnu's shoulder, advising her, "Immortal Maiden, when you tell people's fortunes in the future, you have to pick the good things to say. That's the only way to earn a meal!"
Qingnu turned her head to look at the old rogue's greasy hand on her shoulder, staining her clothes. Her eyelid twitched.
"Ahem... It's getting late. If the Immortal Maiden has no place to stay, I can help find one."
Liu Ji backed away quickly, putting some distance between himself and Qingnu.
Qingnu shook her head in distaste. "No need!"
"Then I won't disturb the Immortal Maiden further!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Ji vanished in a flash.
Hongluan watched him flee and turned to Qingnu. "Is this the 'Emperor Gao' of the future you mentioned?"
He certainly runs fast.
"Sigh... Let's go back and eat the dog meat. I haven't tasted it yet."
Qingnu sighed, shook her head, and walked toward her lodging.
While staying at Sishui Pavilion, she inevitably had to deal with Liu Ji, the pavilion chief. Over time, the two of them became quite familiar. The old rogue had one good quality—he could act like a brother to anyone. Once they were close, he stopped calling her 'Immortal Maiden' and would greet her as 'Brother Qingnu'.
Qingnu? And Brother?
Were those two terms meant to be used together?
Every time he called her that, he would receive a roll of the eyes from Qingnu.
"Brother Qingnu!"
On this day, Liu Ji visited again.
Qingnu kicked the door shut and gritted her teeth. "I told you, call me Immortal Maiden! Or call me Great-Aunt! Is 'brother' a name you can use for me?"
The stinking old rogue had absolutely no manners!
Liu Ji bypassed the door and climbed onto the low earthen wall to one side. "Brother Qingnu, aren't we close enough for that?"
"Who is 'we'?"
Qingnu picked up a wooden stick and swung it at Liu Ji.
If Liu Ji hadn't dodged quickly, the future Emperor Gao of the Han would have had his head cracked open.
Seeing him dodge and give a cheeky grin, Qingnu went silent for a moment. She took back the stick Hongluan had retrieved and asked, "Old Three Liu, what exactly are you here for? Are you trying to annoy me on purpose?"
"Not at all! I'm here with good news!"
Liu Ji shook his head and said with a mock-serious air, "A family has arrived in Peixian, said to be wealthy merchants. They are hosting a grand banquet. Let's go crash it for a meal!"
Wealthy merchants? Hosting a grand banquet?
That sounded familiar.
Qingnu narrowed her eyes, remembering the event.
So it was the Lv family.
After a moment's consideration, Qingnu waved her hand. "Hongluan, let's go! Time to crash a meal!"
Nothing was more important than eating. Seeing Qingnu agree, Liu Ji laughed, and the two headed toward the Lv residence together.
However, upon arriving at the Lv house, Liu Ji learned that the guests were being seated according to the size of their congratulatory gifts.
"Liu Ji, you've come to crash a meal?"
Xiao He, who was helping out there, saw Liu Ji and Qingnu approach and waved them off. "Entering the Lv house requires funds. You'd better find somewhere else to rest."
"Hey, Official Xiao, I don't like the sound of that. It's just money; it's not like I, Liu Ji, don't have any!"
Liu Ji wasn't flustered at all. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Liu Ji gifts ten thousand coins!"
As those words left his mouth, the entire scene fell into an uproar!
Who didn't know that the Sishui Pavilion chief, Liu Ji, was an old rogue who usually had to scrounge for food at his sister-in-law's house? Where would he get ten thousand coins?
Under the astonished gazes of Xiao He and the others, Liu Ji pulled Qingnu along and headed inside the Lv residence.
As Qingnu was dragged forward, she didn't forget to shout to the servant on the side, "And mine too! Record it—Qingnu gifts ten thousand coins, put it on Old Three’s tab!"
Rate on N.U.
