Chapter 27: Splendid Voice (Part 6) "This is a freak, we can't keep her."...

Yun Ying and Yun Tianpiao embraced Chu Mozhi. She glanced back at the thatched courtyard, which gradually faded from view, and turned her head away.

Aunt Yun, who was watching her closely, stopped everyone and wiped the tears from her face with a handkerchief. She said earnestly, "People like that aren't worth your concern."

Chu Mozhi looked at her.

"From now on, settle down in the villa. They are all your family," she said. Yun Yan looked at the young girls behind her. "We will take good care of you."

The young embroiderers all looked worried and nodded slightly.

Yun Tianpiao took her hand and coaxed her softly, "Madam Yun is a very kind person. Yun Ying and I..." She glanced at her own sister, then at the sisters at the villa, her gaze gently falling back on Chu Mozhi. "And the sisters at the villa, we are all children adopted by Madam Yun. Madam Yun treats us like her own children, like family. We will definitely treat you like our own sister."

As she finished speaking, the women nodded in unison.

Under their concerned and warm gazes, Chu Mozhi nodded, and a smile finally broke through her pursed lips.

Seeing this, Concubine Yun finally put her heart at ease. Quietly gazing at the now-blurred courtyard in the distance, she said, "That's good! We must hurry. We got lost yesterday, and we're out of money today. If we don't make it back to Fenghua County before sunset, it'll be disastrous."

Yesterday, they had been traveling by carriage, but upon entering Camellia Village, they were encountered by bandits. Their embroidery and valuables were all stolen, and the purse in her sleeve had slipped through the cracks.

She had thought that if they dared to touch these women, she would risk her life to protect them, even if she had to use her demonic powers in public. Fortunately, the robbers had only robbed them of their money, leaving the girls unharmed.

Thinking of this, Yunyan glanced at the three alchemists walking beside them. After a moment's hesitation, she smiled and said, "Three alchemists, Yunyan has a favor to ask."

Ye Qingzhan, hanging from Yun Tianpiao's waist, had been drowsily listening to their conversation, but suddenly became more alert and looked at Wen Gu and the others.

Li Zhixing was secretly thinking about something. Upon hearing this, he looked at Yunyan and said, "Aunt Yun, please feel free to speak."

Yunyan seemed a little embarrassed. After a pause, she finally spoke, "Can you escort us back to Fenghua County?" Seeing the doubts on the faces of several people, she hurriedly said, "It's not for free. I will reward you when we get to Jinxiu Villa."

Ye Qingzhan didn't know what the exiled immortal felt. He felt embarrassed for him - on the one hand, the fantasy story could not be changed without permission, and on the other hand, the beautiful embroiderer was sincerely asking for it. How would the exiled immortal answer?

Li Zhixing looked at her and said, "Our mission of exorcising the demon is not yet complete. We should have gone to the place where the demon is wreaking havoc. Now, several neighboring counties have been invaded by demons, and only Fenghua County remains. I believe the demon's next destination will be there. It's just a matter of convenience, so why should we ask for a farewell, and how can we accept any reward?"

Aunt Yun smiled and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Taoist priests."

Li Zhixing returned the

greeting with a bow, saying, "You're welcome." Wen Gu, who was standing beside him, glanced at him and whispered a reminder, "These are the rules of the illusion."

Li Zhixing gritted his teeth and whispered, "I have something to ask her."

Mo Zhi, who was quiet, listened to the conversation of the few people. His eyes moved, and he touched a strand of hair on his shoulder and made a willful decision.

The illusion changed again.

While chatting with someone with his head down, Li Zhixing realized that he was standing on a different ground. He slowly raised his head and looked at the little girl beside him with Wen Gu.

The innocent almond eyes blinked, with words written on her face like "I didn't do anything", "I don't know anything", "Don't look at me", "I just helped a little"...

Li Zhixing was so angry that he laughed. He looked at the surrounding environment and said, "You and Qinghuai are really two top-notch people. One is eager to stay in the illusion and drag it out; the other is afraid of wasting time and speeds up desperately."

Mo Zhi smiled sweetly at him. He couldn't speak and didn't want to speak.

Wen Gu took a step ahead of the two of them, walked forward, avoided the crowd, and sent a letter to Ye Qingzhan using ginkgo.

Ye Qingzhan, who was lying in the embroidered handkerchief, received the message from him and knew that Mo Zhi had sped up his pace without authorization. She put away the ginkgo, sat up, looked at the busy street, and paid attention to the reactions of the embroiderers.

They didn't seem to think there was anything wrong, and followed Aunt Yun into a tavern one after another.

As soon as they entered the door, the waiter of the shop came up to greet them and said with a smile: "Madam Yun and the girls are back. Did the competition go well?"

Yun Yan waved her hand and said impatiently: "Don't ask, serve the dishes first."

"Okay, same as usual?" asked the waiter.

Madam Yun nodded tiredly, then looked at Wen Gu and the others and instructed: "Go ask the three alchemists what they like."

After the waiter greeted them, he retreated. The girls sat down, filling up the three large tables. Wen Gu and Li Zhixing also found a place to sit with Mo Zhi.

As the dishes were served one by one, the storyteller in front of the screen glanced at Madam Yun, smiled and began to tell a story.

When the story was finished, the meal was almost over.

The storyteller, sporting a mustache, walked over with a smile, saying, "Yunyan, you're back! Have you finished your meal? Do you want some more?" She

could only stare at the inedible embroidered handkerchief-leaf green cup and listen to the chubby storyteller's words, nodding like a chick pecking at rice. They were all full, but she was the only one starving, her stomach rumbling with hunger.

Madam Yun stood up, glanced at him, and said, "Dinner's done. Let's put the bill down first. I don't have any money with me today."

"How can that be?" The fat man stepped in front of her, smiling, "How can that be? We're a small business, and we don't take credit."

Madam Yun looked at him intently and was about to say something when a customer in the shop interrupted her:

"Boss Jia, that story you told today was so boring. If you keep up this perfunctory attitude, we'll have to go to dinner across the street tomorrow."

Another person added, "We originally came here for your perfect combination of food and stories, but the stories these days are getting worse by the day."

"If you keep this up, we'll really go somewhere else."

The hall was bustling with activity, and Li Zhixing sipped his tea, watching with a smile.

He ignored the clamor around him, his eyes fixed on the handkerchief at Yun Tianpiao's waist, and when she noticed, he looked away.

The man called Boss Jia was anxious and was about to argue when Yun Yan grabbed his sleeve.

When a beauty pulls at her sleeves, everyone will be moved.

Boss Jia, who had no idea who the guest was, looked at her infatuatedly and said, "Yunyan, it was just a joke just now. How could I charge you for the meal?"

But Aunt Yun smiled disapprovingly and said, "You still have to pay. Let's change the way we pay today."

As she spoke, she walked to the screen where Boss Jia had just been telling stories, stood behind the desk, glanced at Chu Mozhi who was worried about her, and said, "Today, I, Yunyan, the owner of Jinxiu Villa, will tell you a story of a strange fate in this world, a love story between a human and a demon."

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone's faces showed an expression of expectation and excitement.

Li Zhixing stopped the cup he was holding at his lips and looked at her. Mo Zhi put down his bowl and chopsticks, looking at Aunt Yun like a scholar banished from the world.

Wen Gu also withdrew his gaze from the embroidered handkerchief and looked at the person behind the desk.

Amidst the rumbling of her bowels, Ye Qingzhan pricked up her ears and listened intently.

There were things she had to say, stories she wanted to share with everyone.

Yunyan narrated, "As the saying goes, ghosts harm people, and goblins seduce them. Today, I, Yunyan, would like to tell a story of human and goblin love, so that you can judge what is true and what is false, and whether it can be considered the true meaning of human love."

The drinker grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds from the table and listened with relish.

"It is said that ten thousand years ago, the eight supreme gods of Tianjing fought a great battle. The pillars of heaven broke, the earth cracked, and the rocks collapsed, crushing Wuqing Mountain and breaking through Yuyuan Island, causing the monsters and spirits on the island to flee and scatter among the human world."

"One day, a storm was raging. A hunter took shelter under a tree. The tree was covered with fallen flowers, and the fragrance was overwhelming. Suddenly, lightning and thunder flashed. The hunter shook off the fallen flowers and hurriedly stepped away from the tree. Unexpectedly, as he walked away, a bolt of lightning struck the tree."

"The hunter turned and saw that the intoxicatingly fragrant flower tree had been split down the trunk by the lightning. It was shocking and heartbreaking. He only took a glance and hurried back home. But at night, he dreamed of the osmanthus tree again, and dreamed of her..." Yunyan said, looking at Chu Mozhi, who was quietly listening to the story, and continued:

"It bled."

Someone in the hall immediately said: "The tree must have been transformed by a monster. The lightning must be her punishment."

"Don't make a noise, let Aunt Yun continue."

Yun Yan smiled lightly and continued: "The next day, the hunter dug up the flower tree with its roots-"

Before she finished speaking, a guest shook his head and said: "As the saying goes, 'A moved man lives, a moved tree dies'. If this hunter is not a hunter, he would be so cruel to a tree that was chopped to death." His guess was soon slapped in the face.

Glancing at him, Yun Yan continued: "It was moved back home and kept alive."

The guests in the hall suddenly fell silent, waiting for Aunt Yun to continue.

"This flower tree is not only alive, but also has lush branches and leaves, and the flowers are blooming so brilliantly!"

Ye Qingzhan listened to Yun Yan's words, and suddenly remembered his secret conversation with Chu Letian last night-she was talking about the story of Chu Letian and his wife Luo Fengjun.

Last night, Chu Letian said, "Ever since I rescued Fengjun and brought her home, she's always been a bit surly and jealous. If I'd only cared for the other flowers and plants in the yard and neglected her, the next day, they'd have fallen to the ground, one pot after another, as if ravaged by a violent wind."

His tone was serious, not accusatory, but rather a smile.

Behind the desk, Aunt Yun said, "The hunter loves to lie under the flower tree on a sunny day to enjoy the cool. The flower tree always shakes its branches, waking him when he falls asleep."

Li Zhixing listened, entranced, and wondered if this wasn't just a wife teasing her husband... As he was thinking, a series of fragmented images suddenly flashed through his mind—someone using green grass to tug at his eyelashes.

"That flower tree was originally transformed by a demon. Its soul left its body at night and went to find its friend in the human world, a crabapple tree, to tell her story about her and the hunter. She said that the hunter looked fierce, but he was a very kind person. He treated flowers and plants with care, like a gentle breeze and drizzle. She had never seen such a gentle man in the world."

As soon as these words were spoken, the guests in the hall had their own thoughts.

Ye Qingzhan thought of what Chu Letian said: "When I was a young man, my parents died one after another. Because of my strong physique and fierce appearance, I was a hunter and got scratched on the face by a wild beast. I was also a butcher and saw blood all day long. People usually avoided me when they saw me. I could only raise some flowers and plants to keep me company. As I raised them, my temperament became much gentler and I even developed feelings for them."

She thought that Aunt Yun deliberately concealed the identity of Chu Letian, the butcher in the story, and that the flower tree was actually a laurel tree. She was afraid that Chu Mozhi would guess it - then their efforts would be in vain.

Wen Guyi thought of Chu Letian's face with claw marks, staring at Yunyan, thinking: It turned out to be a crabapple tree, no wonder it has no fragrance and a faint demonic aura.

The tea in the cup has cooled, but the story continues.

"Later, the tree was still there, but it was getting older day by day. The hunter was worried, but by chance, someone knocked on his door at this time. It was a beautiful and frail woman."

"The woman said that her parents had died, she was homeless, and she encountered bandits. In a panic, she ran to this thatched cottage."

"The hunter looked at her, and a burst of floral fragrance filled his nose - he glanced at the gradually withering flower tree, said nothing, and let the woman in."

The guests in the hall looked at each other in confusion. Boss Jia stood with the shop assistants, scratching his head and asking, "It sounds like the hunter must have discovered that the woman was transformed by a flower demon. Why did he let her in? Isn't he afraid?"

Then someone retorted, "This flower demon is so interesting and hasn't hurt him in these days. Why didn't he let her in?"

Someone else responded, "To die under the peony flowers is to be a romantic ghost."

Aunt Yun looked at several people one by one and said, "Others don't know what the hunter is thinking. We only know that they got married and later had a child."

When everyone heard this, their expressions suddenly changed, and they said in a flurry, "How can they have a child?"

"Yes, a child born by a human and a demon, how can this be possible?"

"It's a freak, we can't keep it."

A female tea drinker protested, "She's giving birth to a hunter, what are you arguing about?"

Another woman chimed in, "Exactly. Do you really think giving birth is easy for women? Besides, the child is innocent, after all. How can it be called a freak?"

The previous drinker fell silent, his face flushing and then blue. It was difficult for them to speak about childbirth; after all, they had never given birth, but they knew the pain their wives endured.

Yunyan looked at the woman who had spoken and smiled, "Your words are correct. For a mortal woman, giving birth is like going to the gates of hell once, but for a mortal woman to give birth to a child in the demon realm is like going there twice."

As soon as she finished speaking, the guests in the hall all opened their eyes wide. Boss Jia anxiously said, "Madam Yun, please speak quickly."

Yun Yan glanced at him and said slowly, "It was said before that these ghosts came from Yuyuan Island, the home of monsters and spirits. If a monster wants to transform into a human body, it must hand over its monster essence and beg the island master, Peach Blossom Fairy, to grant it a human body."

Someone asked, "Don't the storybooks say that monsters can cultivate into human bodies?"

Madam Yun looked at him and said, "You said so too, isn't this the storybook? The monsters on Yuyuan Island can't cultivate into human bodies, they can only possess people. If they could really cultivate into human bodies, it would be difficult to tell them apart, and the world would be in chaos."

The guests nodded. Madam Yun glanced at the silent Chu Mozhi and continued, "After the flower monster gave birth to the child, she left without saying goodbye. There has been no news since."

The guests were startled again and asked, "Why?"

"Because, for a demon to give birth to a human child, she has to sacrifice her own lifespan. The longer she wants her child to live, the more she has to sacrifice her own lifespan." Yun Yan paused, then added, "Not to mention, demons have short lives to begin with." Her gaze fell on Chu Mozhi, then quickly averted. "She wanted her child to live a hundred years, so she had no choice but to 'exchange her life' for his."

Silence fell in the hall. The shop assistant raised his hand and asked, "What happened next?"

"The hunter, carrying the child, searched for his wife in vain. He became depressed, and his once strong body became as thin as a bamboo pole. Not long after, he died."

"Huh?" Yun Ying placed her chopsticks on the table, puzzled. "What about the child? What happened to the child?"

Aunt Yun walked back to the table and answered, "The child is nowhere to be found." She looked at the crowd again. "The story ends," she said, her eyes flickering to Chu Mozhi.

She had changed the ending.

"How can this be called a bitter love?" Yun Ying complained. "I just feel bad for the child. He lost both his parents shortly after birth. How is he supposed to survive?"

The girls at Jinxiu Villa agreed deeply, having all been abandoned or orphaned by their parents—they knew the pain of parentlessness best.

Yun Tianpiao tugged at her sleeve, inviting her to sit.

One woman followed up, saying, "I think the flower demon is the one who's suffered. She was struck by lightning, sacrificed her demon essence, and even sacrificed her life to give birth to a child. How much love must this hunter and his child have for each other?"

The married women in the shop nodded.

Among the drinkers, someone whispered, "This hunter is quite pitiful. He finally has a wife and a child, but only one can survive. I'd go crazy if it were me."

Wen Gu, who had excellent hearing, listened to the drinkers' whispers with a mocking smile on his face. He asked as if to himself, "If it was true love, why did he let her go through the pain of childbirth?"

Li Zhixing raised his eyebrows when his words fell into his ears. He patted the boy's shoulder and said with a smile, "Love is hard to understand."

Ye Qingzhan sat in her handkerchief, listening to the conversation from all sides. She felt that what everyone said seemed to make sense. She knew more than others, but she always felt that what they said was not comprehensive enough.

She took out the ginkgo and was about to talk to the exiled immortal about her doubts when she was startled by a loud voice. Someone shouted, "County Magistrate Jin has arrived!" As soon as

the words fell, Ye Qingzhan, the exiled immortal, Wen Gu, and everyone else in the inn looked towards the door.

A man in a golden robe strode through the door with a show of force. It was the magistrate of Sui'an County, Jin Chan. Two people followed behind him, one with pointed ears and monkey cheeks, the other with a fox-like face in a robe.

Boss Jia greeted them with a smile.

Wen Gu and Li Zhixing exchanged a glance. Ye Qingzhan turned to look at the two men, but her eyes were drawn to Mo Zhi standing beside them. She saw—

Mo Zhi suddenly folded his arms, his body trembling.