Fate Chooses You

Meishan Jun had some knowledge about Fu Jiuyun and that girl’s affairs, and he didn’t approve of his old friend’s relationship. Of course, Fu Jiuyun also disapproved of his and Xin Mei’s situation. Taking advantage of the girl still being in the hot spring, the two of them exchanged quite a few sarcastic remarks.

“If you have something to say, say it now. Tonight, even if you bring out a hundred carts of ‘Drunken Dreams,’ I won’t drink with you.”

Meishan Jun was distracted, eager to send them both away as soon as possible.

Fu Jiuyun simply looked at him and smiled, making him so uneasy that he couldn’t help but explode: “What are you laughing at?!”

Fu Jiuyun replied calmly, “I’m laughing at a certain cowardly immortal who’s about to turn into a pig’s head.”

“Y-you… what are you saying…”

“Is the War Fiend General’s wife at your place?”

“H-how did you know…”

“So it’s true.” Fu Jiuyun continued to smile. “Aren’t you afraid the War Fiend General will beat you into a pig’s head?”

Meishan Jun’s face turned green with defiance. “He wouldn’t dare! This is my territory!”

Fu Jiuyun nodded, too lazy to argue with him. “Then do your best. I’ll go outside to meet Tan Chuan. Get the things ready—no backing out if you lose the drinking contest later.”

“You’re the one who’ll lose!” He could only stomp his feet in frustration, then suddenly paused. “Tan Chuan? Did that girl change her name?”

Fu Jiuyun didn’t answer. The smile on his face dimmed for a moment before he turned and left.

In the past, whenever he mentioned this girl, his face would light up with joy. But after the fall of the Great Yan Kingdom, Fu Jiuyun didn’t smile for two whole years. Only recently, during their drinking sessions, Meishan Jun vaguely sensed that there was news about the girl again, and the smile had returned to his eyes. But just now, his expression had been unsettling.

Xin Mei is so much better… Meishan Jun sighed deeply. That girl Tan Chuan was too much trouble—ordinary people couldn’t handle her.

That night, Fu Jiuyun must have enjoyed quite the romantic encounter. While Meishan Jun was drinking his sobering tea, he overheard the Spirit Guards whispering outside: “…It was so intense, even the banana spirits outside the window ran away in embarrassment. Truly worthy of Lord Jiuyun. Our master is miles behind—she’s been here for two days, and he hasn’t even held her hand.”

Blushing, he rushed over to scold them. “Shut up! I am a dignified gentleman—don’t compare me to that debauched rake!”

The newer Spirit Guards fled in fright, but the old one who often picked his nose rolled his eyes. “You’re just too scared to try.”

“Come to think of it, I’ve always wondered—am I your master, or is someone else?”

“Don’t change the subject.”

“My relationship with Xin Mei is pure!”

“Actually, it’s just you pining for her while she treats you like air.”

Meishan Jun stormed out furiously. “I told you, it’s pure—”

“Self-deception.”

With tears in his eyes, Meishan Jun ran off. “Just you wait! Tonight, I’ll show you my skills!”

The Spirit Guards peeked out from the bushes, both admiring and fearful, looking up at their bold senior. “…Senior, you’re too blunt. At least save some face for our master.”

The senior Spirit Guard flicked away a booger and sighed with deep concern. “A jade must be carved to become a treasure. I provoked him—see? Now he’s taking action.”Meishan Jun's burst of motivation only lasted until he reached the door of Xin Mei's guest room. She wasn't asleep yet, sitting by the open window, idly playing with a somewhat worn-out doll. The doll's armor gleamed brightly, holding a majestic long blade in its hand—quite exquisite.

Seeing him standing outside, Xin Mei smiled and waved at him: "Lord Meishan, are you here to play with me?"

Meishan Jun instantly softened, his entire body feeling as if it were soaking in spring water. He floated over without touching the ground, his voice trembling: "Tonight... tonight the flowers are lovely and the moon is round... Little Mei, shall we... uh, talk about life ideals or something?"

Flowers lovely and the moon round? Xin Mei looked up at the overcast sky, where a light rain was falling. Half of his clothes were already wet, and there wasn't a trace of flowers or the moon to be seen.

"It's raining outside, Lord Meishan. Come in."

She generously opened the door and welcomed the somewhat disheveled, drenched immortal inside, pulling out a stool for him and kindly pouring a cup of hot tea.

Meishan Jun took a sip of tea and cautiously glanced up at her.

Just then, the candle flame flickered. Her face was slightly lowered, her beautiful eyelashes trembling faintly as she gazed intently at the doll in her hands, her expression gentle. Her cheeks were still plump and fair, her eyes as lively and smiling as ever—not much different from the sixteen-year-old Xin Mei in his memories.

Yet he felt she had changed in many ways.

The sixteen-year-old Xin Mei had been carefree and reckless, still carrying a child's naivety. The tender, womanly grace she now exuded would never have appeared on her face back then. The doll in her hands, though its attire was bright, was clearly old, its features worn down from handling, its paint mostly faded. Yet she adored it so much, even staring at it entranced, smiling for reasons unknown, her brows dancing with amusement.

Meishan Jun thought of the small portrait of Xin Mei he always kept close to his heart. He had once admired Fu Jiuyun for his delicate and profound understanding of women. The Xin Mei in the painting was clearly two or three years older than she had been then, her features identical, yet her demeanor entirely different—filled with confidence and a woman's tenderness, just like the Xin Mei before him now... No, the Xin Mei before him now was even more radiant than the one in the painting.

He knew exactly who had brought out this radiance in her.

And it certainly wasn't him.

Meishan Jun slumped his shoulders in dejection.

"Lord Meishan, why aren't you saying anything? Didn't you want to play with me?"

Xin Mei finally snapped out of her reverie, looking up at him expectantly.

...Somehow, he felt that if he continued being this pathetic, the things he desired would only drift further away. Meishan, summon your courage! Just like when you endured the heavenly tribulation to become an immortal! Stand tall and endure—everything will pass.

Meishan Jun cleared his throat, unusually composed and serious in front of her: "Little Mei... what kind of man do you think I am?"

First, he needed to understand his place in her heart before he could proceed accordingly.

Xin Mei thought for a moment: "An immortal older than my great-grandfather."

"......"

Two lines of desolate tears slid down his face.

So that was it. He understood now. Great-grandfather...

There was no need to ask or say anything more. He rose despondently.

"Lord Meishan, do you have someone you like?"Xin Mei's sudden question was like a ray of sunlight piercing through the gloom, giving him a sliver of hope. Meishan Jun turned back shakily, choking back sobs as he asked, "Y-you finally noticed?"

Xin Mei nodded: "Zhao Guanren says that caring about how others see you is a sign of spring fever."

Well, compared to "spring fever," he preferred the phrase "spring has come." It's just that his spring arrived too slowly, and the winter had been unbearably long.

"Do you know who I like?" Meishan Jun whispered.

Xin Mei smiled mysteriously: "It's the Fox Immortal Lord, right?"

"......"

Someone... someone save him? His heart—his already shattered heart—felt like it had broken all over again.

"You're both immortals; you don't need to care about mortal opinions. Honestly, ever since I first saw you together, I thought you two were a perfect match. Don't worry, I support you. Even though I'll never get to see the Fox Immortal Lord in this lifetime, you're both immortals. Next time he comes out of seclusion, you should boldly confess your feelings... Huh? Lord Meishan? Lord Meishan?"

Why had he suddenly disappeared mid-conversation? Xin Mei looked around in confusion. Was he... embarrassed?

Meishan Jun was sprinting through the rain, the cold droplets striking his face and mixing with scalding tears as they rolled down his cheeks.

"Heavenly thunder—!" He collapsed to his knees in a pond, raising his arms to the sky in despair, wailing, "Strike me down with lightning—!"

No lightning came. The rain gradually stopped, the clouds parted, and instead, a round, silvery moon emerged.

That night, the pond echoed with howls and ghostly cries, enough to move listeners to tears and break hearts.

"...Did a wolf demon break into Meishan Residence?"

In one of the guest rooms, Qin Chuan, unable to sleep, couldn't help but ask.

Fu Jiuyun covered her ears: "Don't mind it. It's just someone celebrating his one hundred and first heartbreak."

Xin Mei, disturbed by the howling all night, didn't sleep well, tossing and turning in bed—perhaps also because she was no longer used to sleeping alone. Under the moonlight, she gazed at the General Puppet. Though Lu Qianqiao had made many more puppets afterward, her favorite remained the very first General, even if its features had blurred. She simply couldn't let it go.

Without the familiar embrace to hold her as she slept, she had to make do with hugging the puppet instead.

Xin Mei kissed the General's nose lightly and murmured, "Lu Qianqiao, why haven't you found me yet?"

She had grown accustomed to curling up in his arms at night, to the scent of his hair and collar, to the warmth of his body and the deep timbre of his voice. Without these, she couldn't sleep well. Where was he now? Was he riding Fierce Cloud Colt tirelessly in search of her, or was he also trying to sleep? He probably couldn't sleep either. Was he missing her scent too?

The little demons in the Imperial Mausoleum loved to tease them in private for being so clingy. Even Zhao Guanren had said that couples needed some distance—that distance fostered beauty. Well, now they had distance, but where was the beauty? She certainly hadn't found any.

"You need to correct your mistakes," Xin Mei lectured the General's nose sternly. "You can't be so domineering and unreasonable in the future. I'm your wife, not your daughter."

The General couldn't speak. Xin Mei sighed and finally drifted into a hazy sleep as dawn approached.She didn't know how long she'd slept when the noise outside woke her. Rubbing her eyes before she could even sit up, the door was kicked open with a bang. There stood the very real War Fiend General who had held her in her dreams last night, gripping a long whip as he forced back the startled Spirit Guards.

"Ah, Lu Qianqiao," Xin Mei called sleepily.

Having finally found his wife, Lu Qianqiao strode over with a dark expression, scooping her up by the waist. He weighed her in his arms, confirming she hadn't lost weight or suffered any melancholy, then finally relaxed. Turning proudly, he carried her out, treating the Spirit Guards outside as mere air.

"You found me?" Xin Mei nuzzled her head into the warm collar of his clothes. Ah, her husband's scent was truly the most comforting and secure.

He remained silent in his sulk. For two days he'd searched tirelessly—from the Sinister Clan to Esteemed Spirit Valley—wanting to turn over every inch of land. Only later did he recall a place called Meishan's abode, where some cowardly, gossipy immortal had once claimed to like Xin Mei. Sure enough, he'd found her here.

A sudden ominous alertness rose within him, his War Ghost instincts flaring. Someone admiring her was one thing—he could ignore that—but luring and harassing her was another matter entirely.

Lu Qianqiao glided to the main hall entrance, then turned to glare sharply behind him—but failed to catch Meishan Jun, who seemed to have hidden under a table. Too cowardly to even face him. With contempt, he left.

"...Don't come here again."

Mounting Fierce Cloud Colt, he tossed the words at Xin Mei.

Still half-asleep, Xin Mei was roused by his domineering, unreasonable tone. Clearly, he hadn't reflected at all.

"Lu Qianqiao," she lifted her eyes to him, "you need to understand—I'm not your daughter. We're equals. You shouldn't tell me what I can't do. I'm free!"

He said nothing.

Xin Mei pushed him away to dismount, but her wrist was caught.

"...Sorry."

Holding her tightly, he buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply the fragrance he'd missed for so long.

He wasn't skilled at interacting with women—partly due to Li Chao Yang's influence, but mostly because his mixed bloodline had left him with low status in the clan, making him unapproachable to the opposite sex. Since fifteen, he'd led troops in battle, where iron discipline and masculine fervor for home and country left no room for tender romance. Then he met her. Right after their marriage, he had to deal with the Youhu Clan. Accustomed to a life of bloodshed, to giving orders and speaking little, he'd unknowingly applied the same approach to her.

In truth, his prohibitions had no effect on her—they both knew that.

He just... didn't know how else to say it.

He wanted to treat her well, to ensure her happiness without worries, to give her everything he thought was good. She probably hated this forceful approach.

Seeing her silence, he gradually loosened his arms.

"Don't move," she mumbled, nestling deeper into his embrace. "Hold me tighter. I want to sleep."

His arms tightened around her warmly again. Only now did Xin Mei feel she could finally rest peacefully, sighing contentedly: "Missed you so much... Did you miss me?"

After a long pause, the shy and reserved man finally gave a quiet "Mm." Ah, even after all these years of marriage, this habit of his would probably never change.Xin Mei had a blissful sleep and didn’t wake up even when they returned to the Imperial Mausoleum, so she was unaware that Meishan Jun had chased after them and ended up fighting Lu Qianqiao.

This was something Zhao Guanren later told her, though he was rather vague about it. Apparently, Meishan Jun had challenged Lu Qianqiao for some reason and ended up getting beaten black and blue, weeping as he retreated.

“Poor thing. Picking a fight with the General—he was just asking for humiliation…”

Zhao Guanren pitied him so much that he wiped away a few tears and decided to write this character into his new play.

That night, she asked Lu Qianqiao, “Did you really beat Meishan Jun into a tattered rag? Why did he fight you?”

Lu Qianqiao thought for a moment before answering, “He said his skin was itching lately and asked me to hit him a few times to help him make up his mind.”

Xin Mei suddenly understood. “Ah! So he really was steeling himself to confess to the Fox Immortal Lord!”

Lu Qianqiao wisely let her misunderstanding stand, not bothering to correct her.

Life in the Imperial Mausoleum was leisurely and pleasant, a stark contrast to the chaos outside.

Rumors said that the ancient divine artifact, the Soul Lamp, had been lit, drawing the souls of countless Demons across the land. Fortunately, with Lu Qianqiao guarding the Imperial Mausoleum, hundreds of little Demons were spared. The outside world, now devoid of demonic energy, had grown bleak and dull, so the little Demons lost interest in venturing out.

Meishan Jun came again, this time to beg Lu Qianqiao for help. It was said that because the Soul Lamp had been lit, a man named Fu Jiuyun had his soul scattered, while the girl he loved, Qin Chuan, was left barely alive due to a vicious curse. Hearing that the War Ghost Clan possessed an immortal elixir passed down through generations, Meishan Jun, in desperation, swallowed his pride and came to plead with Lu Qianqiao.

Xin Mei recalled the man with the melancholic teardrop mole who had once laughed so freely in the tavern and couldn’t help but sigh. She wondered if those two had ever found happiness together. Lu Qianqiao did hand over the elixir to save them, and it seemed he had also made some private agreement with Meishan Jun. After that, whenever she brought buns, pastries, or mooncakes to Meishan’s residence, he was never there—whether truly absent or avoiding her, she couldn’t say.

Tao Guoguo had spent the last two years practicing transformation magic. When asked what he wanted to turn into, he would only blush and stay silent. Later, Xin Mei happened to pass by Si Lan’s room and overheard him asking Si Lan how to transform into a girl. The reason behind this was beyond imagination, but since it was his own business, neither she nor her husband pried further and let him be.

Within another two years, the tyrannical Rong Zhengdi was overthrown by rebel Peasant Soldiers, with forces from the Tianyuan Kingdom allegedly involved. In their fury, the Peasant Soldiers hung the heads of the emperor and empress on the city gates for three days as a warning. Xin Xiong even lamented over this.

But perhaps the most lamentable figure was the Lake Princess, the prized treasure of Qiong Kingdom. After the Peasant Soldiers stormed the palace, the princess vanished. Many nations secretly sent people to search for her, but no news ever surfaced. Only later, when the Soul Lamp was extinguished and demonic energy returned to the world, did whispers spread that she was the one who had snuffed out the lamp—and that she had even become the wife of Tianyuan Kingdom’s Second Prince?

Right or wrong, rumors swirled, and no one knew the truth. But for the people and Demons in the Imperial Mausoleum, none of that mattered.Outside, there was the fall of nations and the sorrow of parting, schemes and plunder. The tides of time ebbed and flowed, dynasties rose and fell—what was decayed would fade, and what was new would in turn decay. Only the Imperial Mausoleum remained forever fresh and carefree, filled with gossip, laughter, melodrama, and absurdity.

They were but a group of detached spectators, idling away their days with a cup of tea under the shade of flame trees, passing the years in joy and mirth.