After finishing the meal, I handed the bowl out the window and called to the doorman, "Hey, come collect the bowls."
The man walked over impatiently, took the bowl, and grumbled, "Do you really think you're a VIP?"
I retorted, "Since you've captured me, you have to take care of me. What if I starve to death? Wouldn't that be a waste of effort?"
The doorman sighed in resignation, turned to take the bowls back, and muttered under his breath, "This isn't a person, it's clearly an ancestor."
As he walked away, I chuckled, leaned against the door, and gazed out the narrow window, lost in thought. Suddenly, I remembered Ah Li and wondered how he was doing.
At night, the wind howled through the window. Leaning against the door, I listened to the wind outside, finding a moment of peace.
Master Zhang came out of his room, looked up at the half-moon in the sky, and sighed that the moonlit scenery of Beishen Capital was not as good as that of Xiziguo.
Then he remembered me and slowly paced towards my prison cell. The guard at the door greeted Master Zhang, "Master, why are you here?"
Master Zhang smiled slightly and asked him, "How is the girl inside?"
He frowned and complained, "She's incredibly difficult to serve. I suspect the mistress has brought back an ancestor."
"Thank you for your trouble. I'll go see her and talk to her."
"Alright, you can come in."
With the guard's permission, Master Zhang walked to the door of the woodshed and gently knocked, calling out, "Muye, are you asleep?"
I replied, leaning against the door, "Not yet."
"Muye, the moon is beautiful tonight. Would you like to see it?"
I scoffed, "It's not as good as the full moon on South Mountain. That's the real beautiful scenery."
"How do you know the crescent moon here is not as good as the full moon on South Mountain?"
"Because I haven't seen moonlight falling in. The full moon on South Mountain can illuminate the entire forest. Walking in the forest is like walking under streetlights."
Hearing me say this, he couldn't help but fantasize. When he was at home, he often saw the full moon, like a bright mirror, illuminating the entire mountain. From afar, it looked like a fairyland.
Master Zhang reached out and placed his hand on the door, which suddenly penetrated the iron door and entered. The guard saw Master Zhang disappear and guessed he had entered the woodshed, so he didn't stop him, but squatted not far away, still guarding the door.
Master Zhang suddenly appeared before me. I looked at him in surprise, not knowing how he got in, and said in alarm, "You, you, how did you get in?"
Master Zhang laughed heartily, spread his hands, and said, "Just like this."
I stared at him with great curiosity. He was truly amazing. Why didn't I have such strong penetration skills? I slightly raised my head and looked out the window at the guard outside. He looked leisurely, as if he didn't know what had happened.
"Don't look. He knows I can't take you away, so he's not worried."
I asked doubtfully, "Then why did you come in?"
"I came during the day but didn't get a good look. I've come to see now."
I pointed to a pile of firewood leaning against the wall opposite and said helplessly, "Look, it's just a pile of firewood. I don't even have a proper place to sleep."
"That's easy," he said, reaching out his hand. Instantly, a pillow floated down from mid-air. He handed me the pillow and said, "It will be more comfortable with this."
I stared at him, dumbfounded, and asked in surprise, "How did you do that?"
I pulled his hand and looked at it carefully, then squeezed it hard, but there was still nothing. I guessed, "Oh, I see, you know illusion techniques."
He laughed heartily and stuffed the pillow into my hand, explaining, "It's not illusion techniques, it's magic power."
"Magic power? Are you a monster?" I took a slight step back in fear.
He shook his head and said, "I'm not a monster. I'm considered a demigod."
"Demigod?"
"A half-immortal."
"You're bragging," I said, not quite believing him.
"If you don't believe me, I'll show you." He waved his hand gently at me. I immediately felt a wave of sleepiness come over me, and I fell into a deep sleep. Master Zhang took out a stick of incense from his embrace, lit it, and stuck it into a crevice in the stone beside him.
Instantly, a floral fragrance wafted out, filling the entire woodshed. He squatted down, touched my head with his hand, and said, "Sleep, sleep, have a good dream tonight." Then he got up and left.
In my dream, a floral fragrance wafted over me, a refreshing scent carried by the wind. Blinking my eyes open hazily, I saw a valley filled with colorful, vibrant flowers blooming all over the mountainside. A few colorful butterflies flew curiously around me.
I asked in confusion, "Where am I?"
However, the only answer was the cold wind carrying wisps of floral fragrance. At that moment, a gentle breeze blew, lifting a small petal from afar, which drifted into my hand. Curious, I walked forward and suddenly saw a young man in dark, elegant robes appear before me.
The young man was refined and scholarly, exuding an aura of literature and knowledge. Then, three men dressed in white, brown, and yellow walked over from elsewhere and greeted the young man, "Brother Shi, we've arrived."
"Brother Shi?" I wondered if the young man's surname was Shi.
Seeing the three of them arrive, the young man replied, "Brother Wei, Brother Tan, Brother Mu, you've finally arrived."
"Have you been waiting long?"
"Not too long."
Seeing that there were many of them, I wanted to go forward and ask where this place was, so I trotted over, waving and calling out, "Brothers, brothers, can I ask where this place is?"
The four of them turned their heads at the sound of my call, looking at me, who had appeared from nowhere, and asked in confusion, "Why is there a young lady here?"
Brother Tan teased, "Could she be Brother Shi's admirer? He's handsome, accomplished in both literature and martial arts, and very popular with young ladies."
The young man blushed shyly and said, "It hasn't reached that point. Speaking of which, you three are also handsome and talented. I think she's probably looking for you."
As they were teasing, I had already walked up to them, panting, and asked, "Do you know where this is?"
The few of them exchanged glances, thinking they had guessed the young lady's intention incorrectly. Brother Mu kindly told me, "This place is called Baihuapo (Hundred Flower Slope). Are you here for sightseeing, young lady?"
I waved my hand, "No, no, I think I'm lost. How do I get down the mountain?"
Brother Wei said, "It's still a long way to the city. It will take half a day to walk. It will be much faster by carriage. If you don't mind, you can walk with us later."
I must have arrived outside Beishen Capital. Suddenly, I felt happy. Doesn't that mean I escaped? Why would I go back? I quickly waved my hand and said, "I don't mind, I don't mind. What are you guys doing here?"
Since I had escaped and now had nowhere to go, I might as well have some fun.
The young man explained, "We are traveling together and have arrived here. May I know the young lady's name?"
"Oh, me, my name is Liu Muye."
They also introduced themselves, "I am Zhang Shiyuan."
"Wei Zhili."
"Murong Bai."
"Tan Yujie."
"All good names. It's rare to meet you all."
Zhang Shiyuan asked me, "Young lady, can you compose poetry?"
I remembered that I occasionally wrote such things, so I nodded, "I can."
"That's great. We are all people who make friends through poetry. Since we met by chance today, why don't we compose a poem with the theme of the colorful flowers before us and see whose poem is the most outstanding?" Zhang Shiyuan suggested.
The other three were also very happy. Murong Bai said impatiently, "This is a good suggestion. I'll go first, I'll go first!"
Then, looking at the wild flowers all over the mountain, he composed a poem: "A hundred miles of slope transformed overnight, ten thousand flowers clustered to welcome the moon."
The others clapped and cheered, "Good, good, good!"
Wei Zhili also said eagerly, "It's my turn, it's my turn!" He thought for a moment, and inspiration suddenly struck him. He opened his mouth and said, "Cold wind and melting snow, a thousand mountains remain, half a foot of red plum blossoms bloom on a tree."
Everyone clapped and cheered again, "Good, good, good!"
At this point, Tan Yujie couldn't wait and said, "Let me, I just thought of it. Spring breeze blows the moon, a hundred grasses grow, night dew and sweet rain urge the flowers to compete."
"Good, good, good!" "Not bad, not bad!" There was another round of encouragement.
It was Zhang Shiyuan's turn. He took a step forward, looked at the flowers blooming all over the ground, smiled slightly, and slowly said, "Year after year, flowers bloom, year after year, red, year after year, plants grow, year after year, today."
Everyone clapped and cheered again, "Good, worthy of Brother Shi, the use of repeated words is natural."
He blushed slightly at the praise, then looked at me and said, "Miss Liu, it's your turn."
"Oh, okay, okay." I was a little nervous. I quickly searched my mind for the new words I had learned. After a moment of thought, I suddenly thought, "The clouds wear their splendor, the flowers their charm, the spring breeze brushes the railings, and the dew is rich."
"Good!" The others clapped and cheered.
However, I felt a little embarrassed because I really couldn't remember any other poems, so I had to use the great Li Bai's poems to support the scene.
Murong Bai praised me, "It seems Miss Liu is also knowledgeable in poetry and song. It is indeed a blessing to meet you here."
I hurriedly waved my hands, "No, no, I'm not skilled. The skilled one is Li Bai."
"Li Bai?" The crowd looked confused, not understanding.
I explained, "Li Bai is known as the Poet Immortal. The poem I just recited is his."
"That's truly amazing. May I ask if the young lady could introduce us to this friend?"
I gave an awkward smile and said, "He's not here, so you can't meet him for now." If they really asked me to take them to meet him, I would probably have to let them travel through time and ascend to the heavens first. Only then might they be able to meet Li Bai.
"Oh," the crowd said with regret.
"However..." Before I could speak, I suddenly heard a loud noise. I slowly opened my eyes and woke up from my dream. The door was opened with a "bang!" A beam of bright light shone in. I quickly covered my eyes with my hands and vaguely saw a group of middle-aged women entering, each holding a plate of food. There were about ten of them.
I rubbed my eyes, full of confusion. I had clearly escaped, so why was I still here? Could it be that everything that had just happened was just a dream?
They set up a table for me, laid out the dishes, brought a bottle of white jade, glazed, purple-gold vase, and placed it on the table. They also took out a wine cup the size of a finger and poured a tiny amount into it.
I asked curiously, "Is this for me to eat?"
One of the women replied, "These are ten dishes of nourishing lung and heart-strengthening food specially prepared for you by order of the Palace Master. This bottle is called 'Resurrection Wine.' It can bring the dying back to life immediately, restore vitality, and prolong life. However, living people cannot drink too much. This cup is called 'Three Parts Wine.' It is said that people have three souls and seven spirits. This 'Three Parts Wine' can be used to calm the soul and cast aside all worries."
"That's amazing." The things in this world are truly novel, even their names are so peculiar. I picked up the wine cup and stared at it with astonishment. I smelled the colorless and odorless wine, which was like water added by the manufacturer for the sake of appearance, with no scent at all.
I took a breath and was about to drink it all in one gulp, but was stopped by the woman, "Young lady, there are rules for drinking this wine. To calm the three souls, you must drink it in three sips. After each sip, you must eat ten mouthfuls of all the dishes, otherwise, your three souls will be reversed, and you will become strange."
After her explanation, I seemed to understand and replied, "Okay, I understand. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Please enjoy."
After saying that, they turned and left, locking the small dark room tightly again, with only a sliver of warm light shining through the door.
I carefully examined the wine cup, thinking, "Is it really as amazing as they say?" So, I began to savor it. I drank the first sip of wine and ate ten mouthfuls of dishes. Just as I was experiencing the taste, I suddenly choked and, without thinking, picked up the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.
In an instant, my mind was in chaos, like a storm. Sometimes I felt as if I had ascended to heaven, refreshed and invigorated. Sometimes I felt as if I were in hell, in deep water and fire. My eyes wandered aimlessly, and then I was engulfed in dizziness and fell into a deep sleep.
When I woke up again, it was already late at night, but the palace was lit everywhere, very bright. I struggled to get up from the ground and tried to look out the window on the wall. Just then, someone suddenly arrived. Several burly men forcefully broke in, opened the prison door, grabbed me, and dragged me out.
They dragged me to a bathhouse called "Wanyou Hall." In the spacious room, there was a square bath pool sunken downwards. The pool was filled with steaming hot water, with scattered crimson five-pointed flowers floating on the surface.
Then, in the area separated by a curtain on the left, I could vaguely see a long purple table set up. Various utensils seemed to be placed on the long table, and a burly man stood by the long table.
I was dragged behind the curtain and trembled slightly as I raised my eyes. I saw that the man had a fierce and ferocious expression, with angry eyes, holding a dagger in his hand. On the long table was a large bowl filled with water and a long plate. This scene was very similar to the scene of slaughtering pigs during Chinese New Year in my hometown.
I immediately trembled with fear, my legs shaking, and I collapsed on the ground.
At this moment, two people walked in from outside the door: one was Master Zhang, and the other was Zi Yu, the Palace Master of Tai Shen Palace.
Zi Yu nodded and smiled, asking, "You said today is a propitious day for bloodletting and healing, but my great tribulation is in ten days. Isn't that a bit too rushed?"
Master Zhang pretended to be serious and explained to her, "Eating human flesh is like taking a great tonic. It's impossible to see immediate results, so you need to replenish it slowly so that you can safely pass through your great tribulation."
Hearing him say this, I thought it made sense, so I said, "Master Zhang is right. I will immediately order the servants to comply."
"Wait a moment," Master Zhang found another excuse. "The cook's hands may not be suitable for making tonics. Only I know how much blood to draw and which piece of meat to cut."
Zi Yu pondered for a moment and thought Master Zhang's words were reasonable. So, she glanced inside and gave a signal. The cook immediately understood and hurried away.
Then, Master Zhang changed into clean clothes, took out a dagger from his embrace, and walked in. As soon as he saw me, he winked at me. I didn't understand his intention and thought, "Is Master Zhang a pervert?"
Seeing my confused look, he seemed a little helpless. He coughed twice and asked the people outside with feigned profundity, "I remember we had an agreement. What did you promise me?"
Zi Yu smiled contemptuously and replied, "Naturally, I won't shortchange you."
"As the Palace Master of Tai Shen Palace, you naturally won't deceive me, but I need to see the item before I can act with peace of mind."
Zi Yu was not vague. With a wave of her hand, she said, "No problem, bring it here." Then, a servant slowly presented something covered with a red cloth and placed it beside Zi Yu. Zi Yu lifted the red cover, revealing a book titled "The Bloody Demon Record."
Legend has it that "The Bloody Demon Record" is a peerless martial arts manual for slaying demons and upholding justice by ancient righteous individuals. Insiders call it "Qin Er" (琴儿). The reason for such a strange name is that its founder was a woman named "Qin Er." Outsiders who don't understand the hidden meaning only think it's some young girl.
Master Zhang looked out with his eyes. With just one glance, he knew it was the genuine article, so he said, "It's the genuine article. You're indeed straightforward. I'll start bleeding you now."
Saying that, he took out two dark-colored capsule toys and threw them out. The capsule toys landed and released a dense black smoke, instantly enveloping the entire bathhouse in smoke, making it impossible to see anyone. He quickly flew out, grabbed "The Bloody Demon Record" placed on the table, transformed into a small bird, and quickly flew back, grabbed me, and flew out.
Zi Yu watched the receding figure without haste. She quickly called for a brush and paper and wrote a letter to the royal palace of Beishen Capital.