Faced with the sudden questions from her mother and brother, Mu Xue was not mentally prepared for a moment.
She looked at her mother and brother, then turned back to look at Cen Qianshan.
Cen Qianshan was staring at his brother's hand that was holding his arm, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper.
This guy hasn't figured out the situation yet.
"Mother, this is my... Taoist partner, which means fiancé." Mu Xue touched her nose embarrassedly, but still spoke frankly.
The family members gasped in surprise. The youngest daughter in the family had always been cold and indifferent to anyone or anything. After worshipping the Immortal Mountain, she became even more ethereal and out of touch with the world.
How could anyone have imagined that she would bring a husband home without saying a word
"I was originally planning to bring him to meet everyone," Mu Xue quickly said to excuse herself, "but something like this happened and I didn't have time."
Mu Xue pulled Cen Qianshan over and introduced him, "This is my parents, my elder brother, my elder sister-in-law..."
When in front of Mu Xue, Cen Qianshan was always very immature and shy. A kiss could make his face completely blush.
But what surprised Mu Xue was that Cen Qianshan was able to perform very well in such a situation where even he felt a little uneasy.
After a brief moment of stagnation, he quickly reacted and even followed the etiquette of the Immortal Realm to perform the standard junior etiquette to Mu Xue's parents. He also took out a gorgeous gift box from his Qiankun bag and gave it to Mu Xue's family as a gift.
The gift box has six layers and nine drawers, tied with red silk, with a gift list attached to the top. It looks gorgeous on the outside and heavy on the inside, in line with local customs. It is obvious that the owner has done enough homework and came well prepared.
Cen Qianshan was born with a fairy-like appearance and had just saved countless neighbors in Zhangjia Town. He was a powerful Taoist, a god-like figure, but he was also so gentle, polite, and friendly.
Mu Xue's mother and several sisters-in-law became more and more delighted as they watched him, and soon they were holding his hands and calling him "son-in-law".
Cen Qianshan turned his head and looked at Mu Xue quietly, his eyes slightly narrowed and a hint of light in his eyes.
Mu Xue was very familiar with this expression. When he was young, if he did something remarkable, he would always show such a micro-expression, waiting for Mu Xue's praise.
After our reunion, it has been a long time since I saw him look so childish.
How could I have forgotten this? This man has been a smart guy since he was a kid.
As long as he was willing to please someone, there was almost no one he couldn't win over. The few friends around Mu Xue, whether it was Honglian or Uncle Nian, all began to praise him early on.
"What would you like to eat, uncle?"
"Son-in-law has worked hard all day, and he must be tired. Let's stay here tonight."
"The county magistrate has allocated a house for our family to rest, and has already cleaned up Xiaoxue's room."
Opening twenty-eight doors in a row, not to mention Cen Qianshan, even Mu Xue felt that she was indeed exhausted. So she accepted her family's suggestion and prepared to rest and adjust for a night in Biyun City.
While Mu Xue was walking on the road surrounded by a crowd of people, a middle-aged man on the roadside suddenly separated the crowd and came to her with a scroll in his hand.
"I have lived in Biyun City for generations, and this is what my ancestors passed down. Today, when I saw the colorful door opened by the fairies, I was surprised to realize that this might be something from the immortals, so I wanted to present it to the two immortals."
The man was dressed in simple clothes and was covered in mud after rolling in the demonic calamity. The scroll he held was old and damaged, without any of the luster of a fairy treasure. This attracted boos from the surrounding onlookers. Even the city officials who accompanied Mu Xue were ready to step forward and expel him.
Mu Xue stopped the others and took the scroll from his hand. The fragile silk painting, which had been old, was unfolded, revealing only an ordinary ink painting without any spiritual power.
Mu Xue and Cen Qianshan looked at each other with solemn expressions.
The content of the scroll was similar to the scene Mu Xue had seen on the wall of the temple when she was trapped in the Joyful Palace. The Black Gate appeared in the world, evil spirits devoured people's hearts, and people's desires were deceived by the demons. Thousands of living beings were sinking and floating in the sea of desire, worshiping the demons.
But there is a small colorful door, far away in the clouds, a little light, breaking through the dark world.
The Joyful Palace that Mu Xue and Cen Qianshan experienced appeared in the Demonic Spirit Realm. But she did not expect that there was also such a scroll handed down in the Immortal Spirit Realm. What bothered Mu Xue even more was the small line of words written on the scroll.
Just as Mu Xue was feeling emotional, Cen Qianshan reached out from the side, took the scroll away without any explanation, and put it into his storage space, preventing Mu Xue from looking at it again.
"Eh..." Mu Xue wanted to say something.
Cen Qianshan interrupted Mu Xue and said to the man, "We have accepted this scroll. Do you have any requests?"
The middle-aged man looked bleak and gloomy, and smiled bitterly, "I have no other request, but my wife is sick, and now I want to eat an orange. If possible, I would like to ask the immortal to give me one."
Cen Qianshan asked: "Your wife is sick, do you need me to give you medicine?"
Immortal elixirs can prolong life and cure diseases, and are treasures that mortals desire.
Unexpectedly, the man was not moved at all. He shook his head and said, "I only want one tangerine."
Now it was spring, and there were no oranges. But this was no big deal for Cen Qianshan. He had lived for hundreds of years, and his storage space was filled with all kinds of materials. He immediately took out a few orange seeds and buried them in the ground under his feet.
There were many onlookers around, and they saw the man who looked like a banished immortal bending down to bury the tree seeds in the soil. He sat on the ground with his robes smoothed out, his eyes slightly closed, and his hands clasped together.
Soon, two tender green buds broke through the soil, grew against the wind, sprouted branches and became a vibrant little tree. In the blink of an eye, the tree became lush and green.
Soon, small green oranges hung on the branches. When the wind blew, the fruits turned orange. The branches were full of fruits and hung heavily.
Cen Qianshan straightened his clothes, stood up, and waved his hand, pointing at the fruits on the tree. "Just take what you need."
The man walked forward, picked an orange tangerine, bowed to Cen Qianshan, and left silently through the crowd.
There was one fruit left on the tree, which was happily picked by the people who were watching in Biyun City and took home.
"What a weird guy! You only need to wait for a month or so, and you can have as many oranges as you want, and they're not worth much."
"Is this man a fool? He doesn't want elixirs or gold or silver, but wants a worthless orange."
Many people were holding orange-red tangerines in their hands and discussing the strange thing that had just happened as they walked.
As the sky gradually darkened, the purple sky was filled with an eerie green light, and a huge black gate tower stood gloomily on the horizon.
A few people holding red oranges dispersed into the dim streets and alleys of Biyun City.
This once prosperous and orderly ancient city now accommodates countless refugees from all over the country. Homeless people have to build simple shacks on the streets and alleys, and from time to time, suppressed cries and angry roars of arguments can be heard from those messy corners.
Armored soldiers patrolled the sewage-filled streets, preventing violent clashes that could occur at any time.
Thousands of years of prosperity, peace and beauty were shattered in just one night.
The daily life that we once took for granted now seems so precious under the shadow of evil.
Mu Xue, who was walking forward, suddenly stopped and looked towards a corner of the town.
"Axue, what are you looking at?" asked the mother who was walking beside her.
They didn't know that with Mu Xue's current abilities, as long as she wanted, everything that happened in every corner of Biyun City would be covered by her spiritual sense.
The man who had exchanged the scroll for the orange was walking back to an old house. The yard was empty and there was no sound at all. The man walked slowly into a dark room, sat down beside the bed, and placed the bright orange in his hand on the bedside.
"Hey, didn't you say you wanted to eat? I found it for you." The middle-aged man sat with his back to the bed, speaking softly.
"As long as you get better, I will buy you oranges every day."
"Get up quickly, what are you doing lying there?"
"What about dinner? I'm hungry and want to eat the dinner you made."
In the empty house, only his faint voice could be heard.
In the pitch-black curtains, a woman was lying on a brocade couch, motionless. It was dim and silent inside the curtains, and no one responded to him.
"What?" The man lowered his head and covered his eyes with his hands. His back trembled slightly. "No matter who it is, they are just passing by, right?"
Mu Xue withdrew her spiritual consciousness and sat in the room arranged by the county magistrate. She was still somewhat immersed in the joys and sorrows of the world that her soul had seen.
She couldn't help but think of the time when she was six years old, in the illusion of Dongyue Temple, she saw herself ascending to the outer realm with puppets of all sizes.
The eyes can see all kinds of things in the world, but the heart is like a calm lake.
The illusion at that time brought a sense of detachment, which was far less able to shake my heart than the real joys and sorrows of the world.
The house that the county magistrate arranged for Mu Xue to rest in was probably the most comfortable residence in Biyun City. There were red silk scented tents, jade pillows and carved windows, and in the elegant and secret courtyard, there was even a hot spring for bathing.
"What are you thinking about?" Cen Qianshan had just finished taking a shower. He came over quietly from next door with bare feet and wet hair and sat down next to Mu Xue.
Mu Xue reached out and put her arms around him from behind, buried her head in his neck, and smelled the fragrance of soapberries in his hair. "Nothing. Are you tired today? Thank you for your hard work."
He exorcised monsters and opened twenty-eight doors, yet he was able to stay alert and deal with his many family members perfectly.
"I am a little tired." Cen Qianshan, who had his back to Mu Xue, turned his head and his ears turned slightly red. "Perhaps, dual cultivation will help me recover faster."
Mu Xue's heart was gently touched.
Really, you've learned bad habits so quickly.
For a moment, the hibiscus tent was warm, the quilt was rolled by red waves, and the room was full of fragrance.
In such moments of infinite joy, both of them will truly feel that the other is their true other half.
In the red tent, Mu Xue and Cen Qianshan were together. In the Huangting, Mu Xue and Cen Qianshan were also together.
Within the golden elixir, his primordial yang was refined, and even his primordial spirit was integrated with him.
Mu Xue could see the newborn Nascent Soul, curling its hands, closing its eyes, floating in Cen Qianshan's body at ease. Cen Qianshan could also see the golden elixir that had just condensed, golden and round, spinning in Mu Xue's Huangting.
Wait until the dragon and tiger calm down, and the clouds and rain gradually stop.
Mu Xue opened her eyes in the tent and looked at the layers of red tent above her head, feeling emotional.
"I never thought I could be with you before."
"At that time, I felt that my road had come to an end, and the road you can take has just opened up to you."
"Really, I felt that I was very lucky to be able to accompany you and go through a short period of time."
Cen Qianshan had his back to her, his beautiful shoulder blades moved slightly, and he didn't say anything.
When he was alone with Mu Xue, he was always excited and active. This silence showed that he was thinking about something.
Mu Xue recalled that before they parted, she opened the colorful door by herself and stopped the demon from entering. Cen Qianshan was so angry that he turned his back to her most of the night and refused to talk. It was only after she tried her best and used all kinds of tricks that she managed to coax him back.
"What's wrong?" Mu Xue lay on Cen Qianshan's shoulder and gently bit his neck.
"I also heard what that person said." The man with his back to her said softly, "He said that everyone is just a passing visitor, and everyone is destined to be lonely in the end."
"So you were so proactive all night just for the words of an ordinary person?" Mu Xue laughed and rubbed his rough head.
"There are many kinds of people in this world," Cen Qianshan said gloomily, "Some people only love themselves, while others take the lives of the people of the world as their own responsibility. Some people only want to look at the flowers in front of them, while others yearn for the green mountains in the distance. Some people are willing to become demons with lust, while others can enter the Tao with love."
"But my path is just one person. With my obsession with her, I formed the elixir and became an infant. This is the path I chose myself, it is very narrow and straight without any bends. I can't change it, and I don't want to change it." He said this while slowly taking out the ancient scroll and spreading it in front of the two of them.
The scroll was unfolded, with only a line of tiny words written on it.
The mysteries of heaven and earth, the interaction of yin and yang, joy and sorrow at both ends, and the mutual restraint of Taoism and evil.
There was already a tacit understanding between the two of them, and they could understand each other's thoughts without saying much.
Even without seeing this painting, Mu Xue had already realized in her heart that the only thing that could restrain the devil was the colorful jade gate in her hand.
If the dangerous moment really comes, the people of the world are on the left and the loved one in my heart is on the right.
Which is more important
Should we sacrifice one person for the sake of the world, or give up the responsibility on our shoulders for the sake of one person
"I am the best. You won't find anyone better than me." Cen Qianshan didn't look at Mu Xue, but only at the scroll. "Don't let me go for anything. Don't leave me behind again."
Mu Xue thought for a long time and held his hand. "For me, there is nothing more important than a hill in this world."
Cen Qianshan suddenly raised his eyes and looked over. The depth in his eyes made Mu Xue unable to describe.
She could only respond to this feeling with her heart.
"I never want to stop. But I will never let go of your hand either."
"On the road, if I encounter any difficulties that I have to overcome, can I hold your hand and ask you to accompany me to face it together?"
Cen Qianshan smiled, but his smile was very faint.
But after knowing each other for so many years, it was the first time that Mu Xue saw him smile so beautifully.
I couldn't help but pounce on him again, and we made a fool of ourselves the whole night.
The next morning, Mu Xue woke up feeling refreshed after practicing dual cultivation all night.
She received a notice and learned that a senior brother from her sect had come to Biyun City.
Inside the city of Biyun, there is an exit for the Guiyuan Sect's teleportation array. Every three years, the Golden Butterfly Questioning Ceremony is held, and the messengers sent by the sect travel through these teleportation arrays to various towns in the mortal world to select disciples.
This time, the person who was teleported through the magic circle was Mu Xue's senior brother Ye Hangzhou. Ye Hangzhou was very surprised to see Mu Xue appear in front of him.
"Xiaoxue? Why are you in Biyun City? If I had known you were here, I would not have come here." He looked around and found that most of the monsters near the city had been cleared out. He was even more surprised.
"Did you do all this by yourself?"
"Senior brother, what's the situation with our sect?" Mu Xue asked.
"There is no good place right now," Ye Hangzhou said with a serious expression. "Fortunately, our sect's Lotus Mountain Protection Formation is still very solid, and the monsters can't break through it for a while."
"But the leader is worried about the lives of the millions of people in the mortal world. He said that human life is the foundation of everything in the Taoist sect, so he sent us out one by one to support these cities in the mortal world. Now the sect is empty, with only a few masters to keep it together, and I am really worried."
He looked up at the dark gate standing at the edge of the sky, from where demons were constantly flying into the human world through the gate.
Ye Hangzhou pounded his fist in anger, "Xiaoxue, do you know that all I saw on my way here were mountains of corpses and seas of blood. I don't know how many people died! These damn demons!"