Chapter 5.5 Bai Su Zhen transformed the centipede spirit with her compassion
In the garden pond of the Duke Qiu’s mansion, pairs of fish were chasing each other for food, mandarin ducks were playing in the water, and birds were chirping on the branches.
Bai Suzhen was feeding the fish with shrimps. She couldn't help but smile when she saw the charming scene.
Xiaoqing walked over, grabbed a handful of fish food from the plate, and threw it into her mouth.
"What are you thinking about, sister? It seems like you're lost in thought," Xiaoqing asked.
Bai Suzhen was about to answer but suddenly realized something and turned to say, "I was just thinking that I should prepare another plate of shrimps for you, so that you won't have to compete with the fish for food."
Xiaoqing protested, "Hey, I'm just eating a little fish food. Do you think I'll start a rebellion? If you annoy me, I'll catch and eat all of you."
As soon as she finished speaking, the fish that were fighting for food scattered.
Bai Suzhen reminded her, "This is the Bai family's garden, not the bottom of West Lake. Don't expose yourself in front of mortals."
Xiaoqing didn't care and grabbed a handful of shrimps from the plate, saying, "How could that happen? I have more experience than you."
Jing Song walked over with a plate of fruit and looked at Bai Suzhen tenderly. "I bought this at the market early this morning."
"I want to taste if it's sweet!" Xiaoqing reached for the fruit, but Jing Song pulled the plate back into his arms.
Xiaoqing glared at Jing Song, who seemed to be unaware of her anger.
Jing Song said with a hint of sarcasm, "The fruit in Lin'an is nothing compared to the sweet fruit of Emei Mountain. It's the season for the fragrance of flowers and fruits in Emei Mountain. Shouldn't we go back now?"
Bai Suzhen looked hesitant.
Xiaoqing was afraid that Bai Suzhen would agree, so she immediately stopped her, "What's so good about Emei Mountain? It's nothing compared to the lively city of Lin'an. Heaven is above, and Suzhou and Hangzhou are below. That's what they say about Lin'an!"
Jing Song sneered, "This snake from the lake doesn't know how high the mountains are and how far the water is. This is heaven on earth, but our Shu region is still the land of abundance!"
Xiaoqing couldn't argue with Jing Song, so she turned to Bai Suzhen and said reasonably, "Sister, have you forgotten your promise to Guanyin Bodhisattva? Lin'an is the first stop of your worldly journey. How can you leave so easily? To experience the various aspects of the world, you must take your time."
Bai Suzhen nodded in agreement, thinking of Xu Xian and unwilling to leave. "Xiaoqing is right," she said.
Xiaoqing smirked at Jing Song.
It's easier to enter the world than to leave it, and I'm afraid you'll get too deep into it. Jing Song looked at Bai Suzhen but didn't say what was on his mind.
He glared at Xiaoqing and accused her, "You don't even do your own job, but you still stick to Suzhen like a piece of candy."
Xiaoqing sneered, "How shameless of you to accuse me first! I don't know who's stubbornly following and searching for Suzhen for thousands of years and still hasn't gotten any results. Even if you give yourself another thousand years, you'll still end up with nothing."
They glared at each other and ignored Bai Suzhen's presence.
Bai Suzhen shook her head helplessly and walked out of the Bai mansion.
Xu Xian had been wandering near the Qingbo Gate for a long time, stopping to ask anyone he met about Bai Suzhen's whereabouts. But there was no sign of the Bai mansion, nor the Hei mansion. He looked around and saw only desolation.
Xu Xian muttered to himself, "They say that heaven rewards those who work hard. Old man, you can't just stand by and watch."
Suddenly, the sky thundered and lightning flashed. Dark clouds covered the sky, and heavy rain poured down.
"I'm not blaming you, old man. Don't take it seriously," Xu Xian begged for mercy.
He quickly used his sleeve to shelter himself from the rain and ran to the side.
Bai Suzhen ran into the pavilion to avoid the rain and bumped into Xu Xian.
They both apologized at the same time and then looked up at each other and said, "It's you!"
After saying this, they both felt a little embarrassed.
Bai Suzhen lowered her eyes and couldn't help but secretly look at Xu Xian. She bit her lip and said, "My house is nearby. It's just that... the location is a bit remote and hard to find."
Xu Xian suddenly realized and nodded, "No wonder I couldn't find it. I asked many people. They said that this generation has been desolate for a long time, and no one lives here. I thought I was in the wrong place."
Bai Suzhen smiled, "We've only been here for a month, and we haven't visited our neighbors yet. They probably don't know."
After the joy of reunion, Xu Xian noticed that she was wet from the rain and hurriedly took out a handkerchief from his pocket to give it to her.
Bai Suzhen blushed as she took it, only to find that it was the handkerchief she had used to wipe Xu Xian's sweat on the Lantern Festival. He had kept it close to him.