Chapter 1641: Matchmaker
“Little sister Ling’er, can you help me copy these two letters using the same handwriting?” Zu An asked, standing up and pulling out a chair for her.
Xie Daoyun was a runemaster, and what they were best at was none other than writing. Copying handwriting could be difficult for most people, but it was extremely easy for them.
“Sure~” Xie Daoyun replied as she sat down and picked up the letter. However, the smile on her face gradually froze.
When he saw her strange reaction, Zu An quickly asked, “What is it? Is this handwriting hard to imitate?”
“That’s not it,” Xie Daoyun said hesitantly. After a moment of hesitation, she finally said, “Which lady is big brother Zu planning to have a lovers’ rendezvous with?”
Zu An couldn"t help but chuckle, saying, “You’ve misunderstood. It’s not for me, but… for a mission requirement. Do you think I’d need to forge someone else’s handwriting if it were for me?” He was too embarra.s.sed to explain who the Jadefall Palace couple was; otherwise, she could end up being frightened and refuse to do it.
“Right!” Xie Daoyun replied, her face lighting up. She grinned from ear to ear. She rolled up her sleeves a bit, revealing her snow-white wrist as she began to make copies of the letters.
“Is it too hard?” Zu An asked worriedly. Whether it was Wan Tongtian or Elder Huo Ling, they clearly had distinct styles of handwriting. That was what had troubled him previously.
“It might be hard for other people, but big brother Zu shouldn’t forget what my specialty is,” Xie Daoyun said, her face shining with confidence. She quickly finished the two letters.
While checking them, Zu An discovered that there was no difference at all from Wan Tongtian and Elder Huo Ling’s style. He sighed in amazement, remarking, “I really never expected that such graceful hands could write such strong and powerful words!”
Xie Daoyun blushed and said, “I’m glad that I was able to help big brother Zu.”
“You should get some rest. I’m going out for a bit,” Zu An said as he put the letters away and walked toward the exit.
“Big brother Zu~” Xie Daoyun called after him. “Are you coming back tonight?”
Zu An was stunned, saying, “It might be very late by the time I return.” He was going to help Big Manman with her treatment, and that would take most of the night. However, he couldn"t spend the night there; it would be bad if Jadefall Palace’s people found out.
Xie Daoyun sighed in relief when she heard that he was coming back. She said, “Then I hope big brother Zu’s mission is a success!”
Zu An had a strange expression, but after waving to her, he disappeared into the night sky.
…
Meanwhile, in Jadefall Palace’s courtyard, Elder Huo Ling and Pei Mianman were discussing their plans for the next few days of the compet.i.tion.
Pei Mianman responded to her master somewhat absent-mindedly. She was busy trying to figure out what Ah Zu had meant before he left.
Suddenly, Elder Huo Ling’s expression turned cold. With a brush of her sleeves, she caught something that had flown in through the window and crumpled it up. She immediately rushed outside and looked around with sharp eyes. Unfortunately, there was no one in sight, and only a few crickets were chirping in the vicinity.
“Master, what’s wrong?” Pei Mianman asked, following her out.
“There was a formidable individual here just now,” Elder Huo Ling said, her expression serious. There weren’t many on Violet Mountain who could deliver a letter without being discovered. However, none of them would need to act so sneakily. Could it be that there were other strong cultivators who had snuck in?
While thinking, she picked up the letter. She scanned it with her divine sense but didn’t pick up any hidden traps, so she opened it up. Her heart immediately skipped a beat when she read the words in front of her. As she read through the contents, her expression changed several times. She was filled with countless shifting emotions.
“Master, what does it say?” Pei Mianman asked. She had never seen such an expression from her master’s face before. She couldn"t help but get up on her tiptoes to look at the letter.
“Nothing. Just something someone senseless wrote. There’s no need to pay it any heed,” Elder Huo Ling said as she quickly put it away. “Let’s continue with what we were talking about earlier.”
Pei Mianman replied with an ‘oh’. She couldn"t really continue asking about it now.
Previously, Pei Mianman was the one who had been absent-minded. Now, it was Elder Huo Ling’s thoughts that were wandering. She looked calm on the surface, but a mix of emotions stirred inside her.
Why would that rascal write this kind of letter to me?
But who else could it be but him? How could I not recognize his handwriting?
And who else in this entire place could deliver a message like this but him?
Don’t tell me that because we fought together earlier, he remembered how we were when we were younger?
But he already has a wife and a child! What meaning is there left in writing these things to me?
Hmph, who does he think he is? Does he think that I’ll meet him just because he wrote this?
And he even arranged a meeting at the farthest and most secluded Heavenly Lake Peak. Just what is he trying to do?
…
After a while, Pei Mianman noticed that there was something strange about her master. She said cautiously, “Master, you must be really tired from helping me recover over the past few days. Maybe it would be best if you got some rest.”
“Your master isn’t tired,” Elder Huo Ling reflexively replied. But after a moment of hesitation, she still got up and said, “I suppose that’s not a bad idea. You should take some time to adjust your condition.”
After saying that, she returned to her room. Her hand trembled a bit as she took out that letter, reading the contents word for word. At times her expression was filled with sorrow, and at other times laughter. A moment later, she suddenly got up and said to herself, “Hmph, I want to see just what you have to say to me!”
She got up and prepared to leave, but she quickly returned to her room again. She had a conflicted expression. However, she still took out a mirror and some makeup from her storage pouch. When she looked at the set of familiar yet unfamiliar makeup products, a hint of grief appeared on her face. It was something that Wan Tongtian had given her back then. Just how many years had pa.s.sed since she last used it? Thirty years? Or had it already been fifty…?
Fortunately, things kept in a storage pouch didn’t go bad. She sat down in front of the dressing table. As she applied the cosmetics to her face, she seemed to recall those past days of glory. The strict and stern look at the corners of her eyes gradually softened, even being replaced with a hint of a young lady’s bashfulness.
…
Meanwhile, Pei Mianman felt very restless in her room. Suddenly, the window creaked quietly. She immediately turned around and saw a familiar figure.
“Ah Zu!” she cried out, surprised and happy. She quickly ran over to receive him, asking, “Why are you here? Master is still next door.”
Zu An jumped in and gave her a big hug. When he felt that familiar pressure against his chest, he said with a chuckle, “Don’t worry. She won’t be back for quite some time.”
At first, his plan had just been to pretend to be Wan Tongtian and write the letter to Elder Huo Ling, but he eventually thought that would be way too cruel. If Elder Huo Ling waited an entire night in the cold winds, the resentment she built up would be enough to rip Wan Tongtian apart… As such, he had changed his plan to writing letters to both of them. He had already created a chance for them, so whether or not they’d take it would be up to their fate.
Pei Mianman wasn’t stupid. She quickly asked, “So you were the one who wrote that letter?”
“Who else? Do you think some third wheel drew her away?” Zu An replied, feeling rather proud of his own wit.
“Just what did you write that could actually draw my master away?” Pei Mianman asked, her eyes full of curiosity.
“Ahem, either way, it’s something good,” Zu An said. He was too embarra.s.sed to explain it in detail to her. If she found out that he had messed with her master like that, she could get upset. When he saw that she was about to press the issue, however, he quickly changed the topic. “You left your window open just for me. Manman, you and I are really always of the same mind.”
There were always defensive formations in places where cultivators lived. If the owner didn’t approve of it, it would be quite difficult for others to enter silently.
Pei Mianman’s face turned red and she said, “Hmph, I just forgot to close the window. As if I’d leave it open just for you.”
“Hurry and let big brother take a look at your body. Let me see how your recovery is going,” Zu An said, smiling as he reached toward her.
“You’re so annoying~” Pei Mianman replied, but judging from her tone, she didn’t seem to be annoyed at all.
The two naturally nestled against each other as they talked about what had happened while they were apart. They were full of happiness from reuniting after having been apart for so long.
…
A while later, Zu An said, “Your recovery is way too slow. The following compet.i.tion will be really dangerous for you. I’ll help you with my primordial ki.”
“No~” Pei Mianman replied, looking away with a red face. After being together for so long, how could she not know what his treatment method really was?
Zu An couldn"t help but laugh, replying, “Then why are you moving over to the bed while saying that?”
Pei Mianman was really embarra.s.sed. She grabbed a nearby pillow and chased him all around while hitting him with it. However, as they fought, both of them couldn"t help but move under the covers.
“Didn’t… you say you were going to treat me? Why have you just been… kissing me…” Pei Mianman trailed off, her voice starting to tremble a bit.
Zu An looked up from her embrace and said with a smile, “This is the preparation work before the treatment.”
“You really are an annoying rascal, but I can’t help but like that~” Pei Mianman replied, her eyes misty. Her beautiful arms gently embraced him, naturally coordinating with him.
The two of them had been apart for a long time. Now, they were like dry wood that caught fire and turned into a raging inferno, or clouds that had gathered water vapor for so long that just the slightest stir would cause them to burst.
“Mmm~” A sweet and tender moan emerged. Pei Mianman’s entire body was covered in an enchanting pink hue.
Zu An didn’t forget to use his primordial ki to treat her. However, such an injury always made the patient’s body several times more sensitive than normal. Thus, Pei Mianman was soon utterly defeated. She continued to beg her big brother for mercy. However, she didn’t know that the more she pleaded like that, the more encouraging it was to a man.
The two of them were completely intoxicated by the treatment for some time, but Zu An’s expression suddenly changed.
What the h.e.l.l? Why does this keep happening?
Are the heavens messing with me right now?
When she felt his hesitation, Pei Mianman asked lazily, “What’s wrong?”
Soon after, however, she found out the answer. She heard light footsteps outside. Then, a cold and clear voice called out, “Manman, it’s me, Chuyan.”