Chapter 5 Bribe
With Tianhan"s supervision, Qingfu practiced diligently for more than two hours before relaxing. She was so tired, she collapsed on the ground.
Tianhan stood with his hands behind his back. "If you"re tired, you can take a break before continuing. Find me in the West if you have any questions."
Eh? Qingfu jumped up. "Fairy Lord Tianhan is not going back today?"
Even though she was Tianhan"s only trainee, she didn"t see him very often, as he was the busiest being around here other than Heaven and Earth. Qingfu was surprised by his words.
Tianhan nodded. "I"ll be staying here for a few days. You can come to me with any problems."
Staying here?!
Qingfu"s eyes lit up!
After watching him leave, she was in no mood to keep training. She started plotting, as in thinking of ways to make Tianhan fall for her.
A few days ago, when they had a.s.signed the rides, the rooms were also given out. Most of the spirits lived very close to the G.o.ds they were apprenticing for, and so did Qingfu. Since she lived alone, and Tianhan was rarely around, it was lonely, so she had actually moved in with Jiuxiang. If Tianhan was spending a few days here, however, she needed to move back immediately.
She started on the task as soon as she got the idea, completely abandoning her training. She ran toward Jiuxiang"s place.
As soon as she got inside the room, Jiuxiang arrived, too. Seeing Qingfu pack, she was a little confused. "Where are you headed?"
"I"m moving back," Qingfu said, looking pleased. "Tianhan is staying here for a while."
Jiuxiang rolled her eyes. "Don"t waste your time on this. You"re better off doing more training. I heard Tianhan cares the most about actual skills. When we get tested, he"ll be one of the judges. It"s up to him if you want to pa.s.s. Wait . . ."
Jiuxiang paused, and her eyes gleamed as she said, "Do you think Tianhan takes bribes?"
"Pfft," Qingfu chuckled. "You want to bribe Tianhan? He doesn"t need anything. What, are you gonna pluck off your spikes as a gift?"
"You might as well kill me," Jiuxiang said, shrugging. "It"s okay. I"m above average in my skills, so I should be okay."
Qingfu looked worried. "But . . . but I"m in trouble."
Jiuxiang frowned and patted Qingfu, her expression showing a sentiment that clearly relayed, You better pray.
Qingfu"s good mood was ruined by the conversation. After she packed and returned to her original room, she saw Tianhan playing chess in the yard, but she barely greeted him before going inside.
Tianhan was very puzzled.
How odd. Why was this spirit so cold toward him today? Was she possessed?
Things took a turn when Qingfu went to find a snack in the kitchen. She had an epiphany as she thought of an old saying: "The way to a man"s heart is through his stomach." Her fate rested on this; even if she couldn"t get Tianhan"s heart, she had to catch herself.
She started right away. In no time she was cooking, making tea, and bringing offerings to Tianhan constantly.
Tianhan was confused by the random bribes. Looking at the beverages and snacks, he uttered, "What . . . ?"
"It"s a honor for me to bring Fairy Lord Tianhan tea and nourishments!" Qingfu bowed deeply. "Please enjoy!"
What a bizarre moment . . .
Tianhan moved aside the platter of offerings and decided to accept the occasional bouts of craziness from Qingfu. He continued his chess game.
Qingfu stood ceremoniously to the side, waited for a while, but still didn"t see him drinking or eating anything. She couldn"t help asking, "Majesty, please enjoy the tea."
Tianhan nodded and didn"t react.
After a moment, she asked again, "Your Majesty is not thirsty?"
"I"m not thirsty, thanks."
After another few minutes, Qingfu grew frustrated from the wait and continued to ask, "Fairy Lord Tianhan, the tea is getting cold. Should I warm it—?"
Both Qingfu"s eyes and mouth were open, but she couldn"t speak.
Tianhan glanced at her, nodded in satisfaction, and continued pondering his chess game.
It was nice not having someone chattering constantly, and he could finally focus on the game.
Qingfu looked dejected as she picked up the tea platter. Tianhan breathed a sigh of relief.
It was barely fifteen minutes before she trotted over again. Her mood was restored—she just couldn"t talk.
She put the refreshed hot tea next to him, revealing a bright smile.
Tianhan suddenly developed a headache. Unable to resist her pestering, he took a small sip. Qingfu seemed relieved. She jumped a few feet in the air, and then, as if remembering something, she ran back to the kitchen.
. . . If only she could jump this high when practicing to fly, it"d be great.
Sigh.
***
Qingfu may not be very smart sometimes, and seemed free of any talents, but her cooking skills were top-notch. It was because Wuzui loved food and drink, so she had become good in the kitchen when she worked for him.
When enticing smells came from the kitchen, even Tianhan couldn"t resist looking over.
Qingfu put the last and only meat dish on the table, finishing a presentation full of delicious and beautiful dishes. She felt gratified.
. . . She was almost grateful for how Wuzui used to torture her with his food demands.
If I cook like this for Tianhan every day, will he love my cooking and give me an easy time during the exam? she thought gleefully.
Qingfu finished putting out the bowls and chopsticks before letting Tianhan know everything was ready.
"Your Majesty, time to eat!"
"Eat?" Tianhan looked lost. "Eat what?"
Qingfu also looked stunned.
. . . If she wasn"t mistaken, she may have overlooked an issue. G.o.ds didn"t eat.
Wait, spirits didn"t eat either.
Qingfu pondered this. The whole reason she ate meals was because of Wuzui, who had influenced her into eating three times a day.
Wait, so her kissing-up was useless?
Another afternoon wasted . . . I could have been practicing the whole time. Qingfu lowered her head dejectedly, her shoulders sinking.
She sighed. "Sorry, I . . . I was used to . . . So . . ."
There was no reply after a long pause.
She looked up and found Tianhan was gone. She was startled and looked around, to no avail.
Did I drive him away with my stupidity?
Her mood was turning even worse when a familiar voice said, "Come in."
Eh?!
Qingfu"s eyes widened and she ran inside the room, only to see Tianhan sitting at the table and eating.
"You . . . you . . . you . . ." Qingfu was so nervous she couldn"t talk.
"I could eat once in a while. It"ll be like trying something new." Tianhan didn"t look at her as he spoke casually.
He didn"t know how to explain it. When Qingfu, the jade spirit, looked sad and had none of her playfulness, he was surprised, and the next thing he knew, he was sitting at the table.
He might as well make the most of it. There was nothing wrong with having a taste.
Qingfu sidled over and sat down next to him, looking at him expectantly. When he swallowed a bit of food, she hurried to ask, "How is it? How is it? Is it good?"
Her cooking skills were approved by Wuzui, so she knew she was good. It was just that when faced with a judge like Tianhan, she couldn"t help being nervous or even shy.
Tianhan actually ate food I cooked!
She couldn"t stop fantasizing . . . She was one big step closer to getting Tianhan"s heart!
Tianhan chewed slowly. the lingering taste was good, but the meat felt weird and not like the usual variety. He frowned. "The taste . . . What kind of meat is this?"
Qingfu"s smile froze, and she lowered her head awkwardly.
Tianhan raised an eyebrow.
"Um, please don"t tell anyone else, okay?" Qingfu swallowed. "Especially not Jiuxiang. I actually used hedgehog meat . . . I looked everywhere, and there was no other wildlife, so I had to use a distant relative of hers . . ."
Tianhan was at a loss. ". . ."
She continued. "If Jiuxiang knew, she"d kill me."
Tianhan looked past her.
Qingfu got an uneasy feeling and her back felt chilly, making her turn around.
There was a shrill scream. "You d.a.m.n jade! How dare you bribe His Majesty with hedgehog meat? If I don"t pound you into a stepping stool today, I"ll not be Jiuxiang anymore!"
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