After days and nights of travel, Ali finally arrived in the Northern Divine Capital by carriage. He looked out the carriage window, seeing the bustling streetscape of the Northern Divine Capital, as if he had arrived in a place of ultimate joy.
Qing Lu smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder, then reached out with her other hand to pull his face back, saying slowly, "This is the Northern Divine Capital. The girl you're looking for should be in the Grand Divine Palace. I heard that Fei Xiong and Dao Lang have been helping the Palace Master of the Grand Divine Palace lately."
Ali was overjoyed. With this confirmed clue, he wouldn't have to search aimlessly. He quickly thanked her, "Thank you, Sister Qing Lu. Please give me an address, and I will properly thank you in the future."
Qing Lu covered her mouth and smiled, looking very charming. She teased Ali, "If you really want to thank me, then give me a kiss."
Ali looked astonished. After a moment of stunned silence, he thought that since she had brought him all this way, a kiss wouldn't be too much. So, he closed his eyes, puckered his lips, and leaned in to kiss her.
Qing Lu burst into laughter, quickly got up, and kissed him on the cheek. Ali immediately became flustered, quickly opened his eyes, and didn't know what to do.
Qing Lu said, "Alright, that settles the carriage fare. You go find your friend. If you're lucky, you might even find her."
Ali nodded happily and thanked her, "Thank you, Sister Qing Lu, I'm really grateful. I'll be going now. See you if fate allows."
"See you if fate allows."
With that, Ali got out of the carriage and left. Ah Er, who was driving the horses, watched Ali's receding figure and secretly rejoiced, feeling incredibly excited and happy. He thought to himself, "Great, great! This annoying fellow is finally gone. Now no one will compete with me for Miss Qing Lu. This is just too awesome."
Thinking this, he excitedly turned back and asked Qing Lu with a face full of joy, "Miss Qing Lu, where are we going now? I'll take you wherever you want to go!"
Qing Lu smiled helplessly and replied, "Let's go back to South Sea City."
"Alright!"
He was extremely happy. The journey back to South Sea City from the Northern Divine Capital was a long one, and it was just the two of them. Now he could finally express himself boldly and without reservation.
He let out an excited shout, "Giddy up!" and quickly turned the horses around, heading towards South Sea City.
After getting off the carriage, Ali walked on the crowded street, feeling a bit lost. He looked left and right, not knowing the direction of the Grand Divine Palace. So, he had to stop a passerby and ask, "Brother, do you know how to get to the Grand Divine Palace?"
The person he stopped looked confused and quickly asked him, "What are you going to the Grand Divine Palace for?"
Ali casually made up a lie, "My friend works there, and I want to go see her."
"Oh, just walk straight along the West Main Street, and you'll see the Grand Divine Palace standing by the roadside."
"Thank you, brother."
"You're welcome."
After asking for directions, Ali walked alone towards the west. Indeed, after a long walk, he saw a magnificent and resplendent mansion. Above the mansion's main gate hung three large characters written in vermilion ink: "Grand Divine Palace." In front of the mansion's gate stood twenty guards, each with a sword at their waist, looking like they had undergone training. This made it difficult to approach.
Ali dared not act rashly and could only wait for the opportune moment.
Meanwhile, Master Zhang, after a frantic flight out of the city, brought me to a desolate pavilion on the city wall before transforming back.
I looked at him and couldn't help but giggle foolishly. He looked at me, full of confusion. He moved closer and sniffed carefully, detecting a strong aroma like fermented wine.
He burst into laughter and mocked me, "How are you even more of a drinker than I am? I guess it must be because you drank the Three Souls Wine. Not everyone can drink this Three Souls Wine. For demons, it enhances their cultivation and realm. For humans, I once heard a master say that after drinking the Three Souls Wine, he gradually enlightened himself from Buddhist teachings, letting go of himself, unafraid of worldly constraints, and bravely pursuing the justice and love in his heart. Later, he evolved into someone who often roamed and played between the human and other realms. As for you after drinking it, it probably won't be too good either."
He stopped halfway through his sentence, not clearly explaining what would happen, and finally couldn't help but laugh to himself, "Hahaha, I can't guess what you'll turn into. Well, I've helped you out of danger, and you've helped me get 'Qin'er.' Let's part ways here." With that, he transformed into a small bird and flew away.
I sat there blankly in the pavilion, giggling incessantly, not knowing what was wrong with me.
Meanwhile, Ali was still pacing back and forth in front of the Grand Divine Palace. He planned to sneak into the Grand Divine Palace at night, disguised as someone else, to rescue Mu Ye.
Just then, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder, followed by a face leaning in. Ali turned his head in confusion and met Master Zhang's face, startling him and causing him to stumble back a few steps.
Master Zhang looked at his fearful eyes and smiled slightly, "You have Mu Ye's scent on you. You must have been with her for a long time. I guess you're her friend."
Ali nodded solemnly.
Master Zhang pointed outside the city and said, "Your friend has been rescued by me. She's in the pavilion on the city wall. You go take her away now."
Ali was a little confused. Just as he was about to thank him, Master Zhang preempted him, "No need to thank me. I'm leaving now. Take care of yourselves."
With that, he turned around, waved dismissively, and swaggered away.
Ali remembered Master Zhang's words and hurried to the pavilion on the city wall.
I sat alone in the pavilion, not knowing how long it had been. As the sky gradually darkened, a hint of fear arose in my heart, but my face remained beaming, as if this expression was my true self. Gazing at the gradually appearing crimson night sky, I suddenly had an epiphany and remembered the profound Buddhist teachings.
I silently walked out of the pavilion, gazing at the sky, and involuntarily recited, "The vast world is born and unchanging. Humans have birth, old age, sickness, and death. Fortune and misfortune arise from birth. With birth comes eyes and a body. The eyes observe the vastness of the world and its many wonders. The body travels thousands of miles, seeking the hardships and bitterness of human hearts and worldly affairs. Then, dust returns to dust, and earth to earth, leaving past events to be judged by posterity. May the elderly enjoy health and good fortune, and after their passing, enter the realm of myriad gates, among ten thousand laws."
After a wave of emotion, I suddenly had the thought of becoming a monk. So, I clasped my hands together and bowed towards the sky, "Merciful Buddha, Amitabha."
Ali saw me from afar. He wanted to run over quickly, but he saw my strange behavior and actions, and a thought flickered in his mind, "What's wrong with Mu Ye?"
To figure out the situation, he transformed into his original form, that plump little fox cat, and quietly crept over to hide nearby and watch. However, he felt he couldn't see clearly, so he hopped and skipped to my front.
I gazed at the sky, feeling a surge of emotion again. With a long sigh, I shouted to the sky, "Great Compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva, please take me in. I am willing to accompany the solitary lamp for a lifetime, chanting scriptures and worshipping Buddha daily, and no longer interfering in worldly affairs."
Saying this, I knelt and bowed towards the sky again.
Ali looked at me with a face full of confusion, guessing which deity I had taken a liking to now. He couldn't help but look up at the sky, but besides the crimson sunset glow, there was nothing. He became even more confused and asked, "Mu Ye, what are you doing?"
Hearing someone speak, I slowly looked towards the sound and realized there was a fat and cute little gray fox cat standing beside me. He was staring at me blankly. I didn't recognize him at first, only feeling that he was a small animal attracted by my elegant demeanor and captivating personal charm.
So, I slowly asked him, "Little fox cat, you also understand profound Buddhist teachings. I feel a connection with you. If you are willing, let's shave our heads and become monks together."
Saying this, I reached out to grab him, intending to shave his head first and then my own. Ali hastily dodged and shouted, "Ali! Ali! What's wrong with you? I'm Ali, don't you recognize me?"
I was slightly startled upon hearing the name "Ali." Suddenly, I covered my face and began to cry, "Ali won't come to find me anymore, never again."
Ali was speechless, with a face full of helplessness. With a sigh, he transformed into human form. Only then did I recognize him and exclaimed excitedly, "Ali! You're Ali, you came to find me, I'm so happy."
Saying this, I pounced and hugged him tightly. Ali helplessly cupped my face and asked with great confusion, "Are you okay? Is your mind alright?"
I didn't understand what he was saying and just nodded repeatedly, "Fine, everything's fine."
After letting go of him, I straightened my back and spoke about life philosophies with a profound and determined expression, "The realm of life seems to lie in the self. We should let ourselves go and return to our true nature, unbound by worldly constraints."
Ali couldn't understand what I was saying at all. He reached out and tapped my head, asking, "Did you eat something you shouldn't have? You've suddenly become so strange."
With a helpless sigh, thinking that I wouldn't recover from this nonsensical state anytime soon, I could only pull me along and leave the pavilion.
He led me to a riverbank, but I was still lecturing him on life's great principles, "Life is short, only timely pleasure. Ali, we don't have much time left. Come on."
Ali felt a buzzing in his ears, which annoyed him. So, he picked up a leaf, transformed it into a white cloth, and stuffed it into my mouth. Fearing I would run around, he tied me to a tree by the riverbank and then transformed back into a fox cat, burrowing into the grass to look for wild fruits.
I watched his figure and couldn't help but sigh, "The world is ever-changing, even fox cats have become spirits."
A moment later, Ali returned. By then, the sky had completely darkened. He started a bonfire by the river.
After doing all this, he walked over to me, untied me, and brought me to the bonfire. He picked up the apple placed on the ground and handed it to me, saying, "Have some."
I looked at the red apple in his hand, glowing enticingly in the firelight, and suddenly remembered the gray fur when he transformed into a fox cat. It looked soft and fluffy, like a little furball, with a few little paws, and it would meow. It was truly adorable and heartwarming.
Unable to contain my inner restlessness, I pounced on him. Ali cried out in alarm, "Mu Ye! What are you doing?"
I pulled him into my arms, rubbed his ears, and called out, "Little kitty, little kitty."
Ali pushed me away in great fear. Looking at my strange behavior, he still felt it was safer to tie me to the tree, so he pulled me up and dragged me to the tree trunk to tie me up again.
Then, he picked up the apple he was going to give me and ate it heartily, looking at me with a face full of terror, "What on earth is wrong with you? You've suddenly become so terrifying. It's better not to come near me."
I looked at him. I don't know if it was the firelight or the darkness, but I felt as if he was radiating light, and he looked like a prince charming from a campus romance drama, charming and cute, with pink bubbles occasionally floating around him.
I gazed at him entranced, lost in thought. He frowned and turned his face away. After a while, he looked back and saw my burning gaze, as if wanting to penetrate his heart like a fierce fire, and that lewd smile on my face, as if I had decided to do something to him. Ali showed an expression of terror, confusion, and helplessness. With a sigh, he untied me again and tied me to the back of a large tree.
I looked at the dark forest and felt uneasy, so I quickly called out to him, "Ali! Ali! I can't see you, where did you go?"
Ali responded helplessly, "I'm behind you."
I struggled to break free from the ropes. Ali advised me, "Don't waste your strength. I tied you securely, you can't break free. You'll have to be like this tonight."
I sighed deeply and said sadly, "How can I sleep like this tonight? Unless you tell me a story."
Ali leaned against the tree trunk and began to speak helplessly, "Then I'll tell you one. Once upon a time, there was a boy who lived on South Mountain."
As soon as he started speaking, he heard a huffing sound from behind him. He walked around to my front and found me sleeping with my head tilted.
"You fell asleep so quickly!" he exclaimed in surprise. He thought about untying me, but he was afraid I would suddenly wake up and get handsy with him, so he could only leave me tied up for now. Then, he transformed into a little fox cat and fell into a deep sleep at my feet.
The next day, as soon as the sky began to lighten, he heard muffled groans. He rubbed his eyes and looked up at me, only to see me struggling violently, trying to break free from the ropes. Only then did he remember that he had tied me up all night, so he quickly transformed back into human form and untied me.
"Hoo, ah." After being untied, I slumped to the ground like a deflated ball, gasping for breath.
Ali looked at me and asked curiously, "Are you feeling any better?"
I looked up at him in confusion and asked, "What happened to me?"
He spread his hands and told me that I had been staring at him with a lewd gaze last night and that I had said many incomprehensible things.
I looked at him in confusion and asked, "Was I staring at you lewdly?" He nodded. A hint of joy arose in my heart, and I turned my head away, secretly chuckling. However, I also became resentful, thinking to myself, "My heavens, I don't even remember such a good thing. This is too outrageous."
Ali looked at me suspiciously and asked, "You're not secretly laughing, are you?"
I quickly waved my hands and said, "No, no, how could I?" Although I said that, I couldn't stop smiling.
Ali was very speechless and shook his head, "I really don't understand what you're thinking."
I cupped my face, trying to calm my excited emotions, and asked him, "What should we do next?"
He replied without hesitation, "Come home with me."
"Home!" A blush instantly spread across my face, and my heart pounded.
Ali said earnestly, "Don't overthink it. I didn't mean it like that. I just think it would be better in Fox Cat Village than out here."
My face turned red, and I coughed a few times, "Cough, cough, I, I know you didn't mean it like that, and neither did I. We don't have anywhere else to go right now, so let's go back to South Mountain."
"Okay."
Saying this, he reached out and pulled me up. We both walked out of this desolate place together. However, as soon as we entered the city, we realized something was wrong. The entire street was suddenly plastered with wanted posters of all sizes.
Ali and I hid in a corner and secretly looked. We saw a crowd gathered in front of a notice. At that moment, a gust of wind blew, lifting a poster from the wall and fluttering it towards us. It finally landed on Ali's face.
Ali took down the poster and looked at it carefully. He was immediately stunned. I quickly took the poster and looked at it. The poster had a drawing on it that looked somewhat like me. It read: This person's name is Liu Mu Ye. She was originally a relative of the family's servant. Because she listened to others' slanderous words, she stole treasures from the Grand Divine Palace. Anyone who sees this person should immediately report it, and will be rewarded with five thousand coins.
After reading it, a surge of anger rose in my heart, and I blurted out, "Nonsense!" and then crumpled the poster into a ball and threw it away.