Zanxing

Chapter 125 - Thatched House (2)

There was a table and chairs by the window, also carved out of wood. On the table was a "vase" made of stone, with a lone foxtail grass inside, looking quite pitiful. Gu Baiying was standing in front of the table, flipping through some items.

Yanxing approached and asked, "What's this?"

There were about a dozen sheets of white paper, filled with writings. Upon closer inspection, they were all poems, written in beautiful, elegant, and graceful handwriting, making one's eyes light up. Yanxing picked up a sheet and read aloud: "A beauty from the southern land, radiant like a lotus. White teeth never speak, a fragrant heart held in vain..."

She picked up another: "Wisteria clings to the cloud tree, flowers flourish in spring. Dense leaves hide singing birds, fragrant winds leave the beauty."

Yanxing picked up another: "Graceful skin of a true fairy, accompanied by frost and ice. Washed clean of lead and yellow, a plain face without a speck of makeup..."

Yanxing: "..."

Gu Baiying snatched the poems from her hand, impatiently saying, "Stop reading, they're all about 'beauties'."

"How beautiful must this beauty be? There are so many written about her." Yanxing looked at the thick stack in Gu Baiying's hand, marveling, "There must be a hundred poems here."

Gu Baiying, with disdain, put down the poems in her hand: "Disgusting."

Although Yanxing found it a bit cloying, she thought that this person might not necessarily be infatuated. She opened the window and looked at the giant tree outside, speaking to Gu Baiying, "I just looked around this place. There are two rooms, two beds, and two bowls and cups on the table outside. It seems two people live here. Perhaps they are a pair of reclusive lovers, with the husband writing poems to praise his wife's beauty. It's quite a romantic notion."

"Romantic?" Gu Baiying raised an eyebrow, "Even trapped here, they have the mind to write poems. That's certainly romantic."

Zanxing stopped talking. To be honest, she also felt that the most important thing right now was to find a way out. However, heading toward the mountains led to a barrier, and they had already checked the way back, which was nothing but endless plains with no visible exit in sight.

Mimi suddenly popped out from somewhere, sneaking around with its mouth puffed up as if hiding something inside. Zanxing pinched its nose, and Mimi instinctively pulled its head back, spitting out the contents from its mouth in one go.

It turned out to be two lumps of mud, covered in Mimi's saliva. Zanxing wiped them clean with a cloth and then took a closer look. She realized they were two clay figurines. Well, they could barely be called figurines, as they were extremely ugly—at first glance, they resembled two monkeys. However, one of them had a little flower carved on its head and seemed to be wearing a "skirt," which suggested it was a "female." The other one was dressed in simple clothes, likely representing a "male."

Zanxing had no idea where Mimi had dug up these things. She examined the figurines and gestured for Gu Baiying to take a look. "It seems my guess was right. The ones living here must be a man and a woman—likely a couple."

Gu Baiying glanced at the clay figures in her hand. "Are you sure these are humans?"

"Of course," Zanxing replied, looking into the distance. "But we haven't seen anyone else here. Should we go out and look for them?"

"No need." After a moment of thought, Gu Baiying said, "This house has no dust. It looks very clean, not like it's been uninhabited for a long time." He ran his fingers over the table, which was spotless, and concluded, "Let's just wait for them here."

This suited Zanxing just fine, as she was quite exhausted from all the walking. The two of them sat down in the house to rest.

The house had a lived-in feel, with bowls, chopsticks, and cups laid out on the table. However, Zanxing didn't find any firewood or food like rice or flour in the house. In the backyard, there was a stone water tank filled with fresh water, and floating on top was a ladle carved from a gourd. She scooped up some water and tasted it; the water was sweet, cool, and had a hint of fragrant herbs.

Looking over at Gu Baiying, he had already settled in front of the square wooden bed and started meditating. Zanxing noticed the dried blood on the wound on his arm and wanted to remind him to bandage it but hesitated, afraid of interrupting his cultivation. She gave up the thought. Meanwhile, Mimi seemed to love this peaceful hideaway, sprawled out in the center of the yard basking in the sun. Zanxing sat on the doorstep, holding the two clay figurines in her hand, feeling a bit melancholic.

She wondered about the owner of this house. In the stone chamber deep in the tiger's lair, she had opened a hidden realm with the Qing'e Nianhua Staff and arrived here. Was it a coincidence, or had someone planned this? If it was a coincidence, had she altered the course of events? But if it had been orchestrated, why was it the Qing'e Nianhua Staff? Could this place be related to Immortal Qinghua?

She also wondered how long the owner of the straw house had lived here. Typically, people living in such hidden realms were recluses with great wisdom. If even such a master couldn't leave this place, what would happen to her and Gu Baiying if they remained trapped?

And what about Tian Fangfang and the others? She wondered how they were doing now...

As the sun slowly sank toward the west, spreading golden light across the winding rivers, the last rays of the sunset gradually faded into darkness, and this tranquil haven welcomed the night.

The owner of the straw house still had not returned.

The yard began to cool down. Mimi stood up, shook its fur, and gently leaped over to Zanxing's side, rubbing against her before slowly wandering back into the house. Zanxing stretched her sore back, stood up, and followed it inside.

On the stone table, there was an oil lamp, likely made from crushed plant branches, with a tiny, flickering wick floating on the surface. Zanxing lit it with a fire striker, and a warm, orange glow filled the windows of the straw house.

Inside, Gu Baiying, who had been meditating, opened his eyes.

Zanxing placed a cup of water in front of him and sat down on the stool. "Martial Uncle, they still haven't returned."

He looked up at her. "Are you worried?"

"No."

"Then why do you look so down?"

Zanxing touched her deflated stomach, picked up Mimi, who was trying to sneak some pills from her Qiankun pouch, and set it aside. "I'm hungry."

Gu Baiying gave her a look of disdain. "How can you be hungry again?"

"'Again'? Let's talk facts," Zanxing argued. "From the time we entered this hidden realm in Li'er Country until now, the last meal I had was the grilled fish Senior Brother Tian gave me. Who knows how long it's been since then? At least a full day. I haven't eaten anything for a whole day. Isn't it normal to be hungry?"

Gu Baiying scoffed, "You are a cultivator."

"I lived as an ordinary mortal for seventeen years. I've only been cultivating for less than a year at Mount Gufeng. Martial Uncle, don't be too harsh on me."