Zanxing

Chapter 131 - Gu Caiyu (1)

Her fingertips brushed against the soft petals, as if in the void, she had plucked a flower from a dream.

The dream suddenly magnified, and Zanxing heard the hurried voice of Fairy Qinghua, followed by fragmented images flashing in her mind—disjointed, like torn pieces of a picture, rapidly flitting before her eyes.

The chaotic whiteness gradually faded.

As the daylight grew brighter, she heard a man's voice—clear and lively, like the spring sun in April, with a hint of teasing: "Sailing the seas for pearls, climbing the mountains for jade. My name is Gu Caiyu, might I ask the fairy's name?"

Zanxing saw a man.

His face seemed veiled in mist, shrouded in a layer of gauze, making it impossible to see clearly. All she could make out was his robe in the color of evergreen and a hairband of the same shade. He was tall, leaning against a tree, and though his features were unclear, just by hearing his voice, she could almost see the smile on his face.

Zanxing also saw Fairy Qinghua. The beautiful woman walked indifferently past the man named Gu Caiyu, not even sparing him a glance.

Gu Caiyu rubbed his nose awkwardly and muttered, "The female disciples of this sect may be beautiful, but their tempers are something else."

In the distance stood a barren stone mountain, with an endless plain stretching as far as the eye could see. A single lush tree stood alone in the wilderness, swaying gently. The man took off in pursuit of the woman, calling out as he went, "Hey, Fairy! We're both stuck here, shouldn't we help each other and figure out a way out?"

"Stuck here?" Zanxing was startled. Could this be... something that had happened here in the past?

The scene shifted suddenly. She saw the man sitting on a stone in front of the desolate mountain, idly playing with a stalk of foxtail grass in his hand while speaking to someone in the distance: "Fairy, Fairy, have you come up with a way to get out of here yet?"

Fairy Qinghua sat on a green stone in the distance, her eyes closed as she meditated.

"Fairy, Fairy, if you keep meditating like this, when will you be able to break the restrictions of this place?"

"Fairy, Fairy..."

With a "smack," a fruit was suddenly stuffed into his mouth. Fairy Qinghua withdrew her hand and said coldly, "Shut up."

Gu Caiyu fell silent.

As the sun gradually moved westward, it cast a shimmering glow on the flowing river. From the plains, a man came running enthusiastically, holding a chicken in his hand. The chicken was hideously ugly, as if it had just been in a fight. Most of its feathers were plucked out, its tail was nearly bald, and it struggled frantically in Gu Caiyu's grip.

Holding the chicken by its wings, he stretched his hand out toward Fairy Qinghua, who was meditating with her eyes closed, to show her his catch. "Fairy, I caught a chicken! We'll have meat to eat!" Then, tilting his head to examine the chicken, its beady black eyes glaring at him, he stroked his chin thoughtfully and added, "But this chicken's a bit skinny. Maybe we should fatten it up first before eating it. Let's keep it for now."

Fairy Qinghua didn't even acknowledge him.

After that, the man busied himself.

Zanxing watched as he bent over, searching the plains for bugs, pulling up wild herbs to make homemade chicken feed, and feeding the chicken at regular intervals. Sometimes, he would sit with the chicken in his arms, watching Fairy Qinghua practice her swordsmanship and asking, "How about we give it a name? What should we call it? Roasted Chicken? Grilled Chicken? Beggar's Chicken? Steamed Chicken? Braised Chicken? White-cut Chicken?"

Fairy Qinghua swept her sword across, and the sword's wind shattered the stone in front of him into dust. The world fell silent for a moment, and after a while, the man's weak voice emerged: "Then let's call it Bai Qie Ji (White-cut Chicken). That's always been my favorite dish."

And so, it was decided.

Every day, Fairy Qinghua would go to that desolate stone mountain to test the barrier, but her sword couldn't break through it. Sometimes, she even got injured.

Meanwhile, Gu Caiyu was preparing to kill the chicken.

He rolled up his sleeves and, holding a knife the length of his palm, made a few motions across the roasted chicken's neck. In the end, his hand trembled, and he set the knife down, asking Fairy Qinghua, "How about... we don't eat it after all?"

Fairy Qinghua watched coldly.

"It's not that I'm afraid to kill the chicken, really," the man's voice was sincere. "I just think... eating vegetarian isn't so bad."

"You never intended to kill it from the start, did you?" Fairy Qinghua finally spoke her first words. She stepped past Gu Caiyu, saying indifferently, "No one gives a name to their food."

She walked away with her sword, while the young man, still holding the chicken, stared blankly at her retreating figure.

Bai Qie Ji clucked noisily.

The man snapped out of it, looked at the chicken in his hand, and cursed, "Stop squawking, Xiao Bai."

He lowered his head again, lost in thought, though Zanxing felt that he was probably smiling.

Then, another series of fragmented images followed.

Zanxing saw Gu Caiyu picking up dry grass and red clay, with that bald-tailed chicken trailing behind him. His long spring-colored robe was smeared with dirt, and he shouted excitedly, "Fairy, let's build a thatched house here!"

Fairy Qinghua's sword trembled slightly, and she turned to look at him. He had already enthusiastically started working on his own. He worked seriously, and the bald-tailed chicken stood leisurely in the courtyard, pecking at the grass seeds on the ground.

The thatched house was soon built.

The walls were made of packed mud, the roof of dry grass, and every beam inside the house had been meticulously smoothed by his knife. He even went to the area near the stone mountain to find a large slab of green stone, which he carefully polished into a water tank. He cut a gourd to make a water scoop. When he began crafting stone cups, bowls, and chopsticks, Fairy Qinghua finally couldn't stand it anymore. She walked up to him and coldly asked, "What exactly are you doing?"

"Huh?" Gu Caiyu was sitting on the doorstep sharpening his knife. The knife had become dull after chopping wood, so he explained as he sharpened it, "I've built us a house. In this wilderness, we'll have a place to live in the future."

"Live here by yourself," Fairy Qinghua said indifferently.

"Don't be like that," Gu Caiyu hurriedly replied. "I built two rooms—one for you, and one for me. I'm even planning to make a table inside, so I can write sometimes..."

Fairy Qinghua frowned. "Are you planning to stay here forever, living in this place?"

"Living here forever?" Gu Caiyu sounded cheerful. "That wouldn't be so bad. Look at this place—clear mountains and flowing water, endless moonlit nights...and with a beauty by my side..."

A strong gust of wind sliced over his head, and three strands of his hair floated down.

Fairy Qinghua glared coldly at him, her long sword glowing menacingly in her hand.

Gu Caiyu gulped. "...I would only dare to admire from afar, never to act recklessly."

Fairy Qinghua gave a cold snort and walked away.

After that, Fairy Qinghua continued her daily routine of training and trying to break the barrier, only to return without success.

Meanwhile, Gu Caiyu's thatched house became more and more complete.

The wooden bed was set up, and the table was carved. There was a window, a stove, and even a kitchen counter. The green stone tank was filled with water, and Bai Qie Ji often flew up to the gourd scoop to drink.