The little girl from the shop rushed out with a teapot, shouting, “Grandpa!” Upon seeing Bao Gu and Yu Mi, she was shocked and knelt on the ground to kowtow, “Greetings, Female Immortal.”
Yu Mi’s mouth twitched uncontrollably!
Bao Gu helped the little girl up, saying, “It’s cold outside, go back in. Don’t come out without being called, no eavesdropping, stay in the backyard.”
“Yes!” The little girl complied, not daring to go against the immortals’ wishes, hurriedly returning to the backyard, continuously bowing in the direction of the inn’s front door where the two Female Immortals were, praying for their blessing to marry into a good family in the future.
Yu Mi bit her lip, struggling to hold back her laughter until her insides were nearly knotted.
Master Feng and Lord Lu walked a few dozen steps away, their divine senses already probing into the Mountain God Temple, only to find a yellow-skinned beast with strength equivalent to the late Foundation Establishment stage of a cultivator enjoying the incense offerings inside the temple.
Could this beast be raised by Nanshan Yijian?
If Nanshan Yijian was so easy to find, even an old innkeeper knew about it, why had they not found him after so many years of searching?
Lord Lu exclaimed, “Something’s not right!”
Master Feng also noticed Yu Mi and Bao Gu standing at the inn’s entrance without moving, their reactions making him want to laugh at them! They were watching the fun! Master Feng said, “Hold on a moment!” He strode back to the inn’s entrance, glared at Bao Gu, and said, “Still playing coy?”
Bao Gu pointed towards an old beggar crouching on the ground.
Master Feng raised his hand, wanting to slap Bao Gu! To think he was joking with him, daring to use an old beggar to mock him!
Pavillion Master Lu said irritably, “Stop fooling around, or be careful your master might spank you!”
Yu Mi sighed, “I finally understand why the cultivation world hasn’t found Nanshan Yijian after so many years.” Nanshan Yijian, in this state, was right in front of them, and these two didn’t even bother to glance at this old beggar.
Pavillion Master Lu and Master Feng glanced at Yu Mi skeptically, somewhat moved, and probed the inn again with their divine senses, finding nothing. Finally, their gaze fell on the old beggar at the entrance. There were only three people inside and outside the inn, and with no one inside, they could only look at this old beggar.
Pavillion Master Lu said, “Could it be this old beggar?” Casually sweeping his divine sense over, he found an old man nearly frozen to death, sighing inwardly, “Homeless and pitiful!” He told the trembling innkeeper following behind, “Take him into your inn to stay, let him have a good winter.” He casually flipped a piece of jade raw stone to the innkeeper.
Master Feng, still suspicious, probed the old beggar with his divine sense but saw no spiritual energy fluctuations. He asked Bao Gu, “You’re not saying this old beggar is Nanshan Yijian, are you?”
Yu Mi, seeing that Master Feng and Uncle Lu still hadn’t recognized him, also probed the old beggar with her divine sense, finding that he had completely concealed his aura, appearing just like an ordinary person.
Bao Gu squatted beside the old beggar, using her hand to brush away his snow-covered, messy, dirty, and smelly hair.
The old beggar opened his muddled eyes to look at Bao Gu.
Bao Gu felt an inexplicable sadness, saying, “I don’t know if you can understand. In this state, if Yunxi knew in the underworld, she would feel heartache and sorrow for you.”
The old beggar gently uttered two words, “Yunxi?” His muddled eyes brightened slightly, and a big smile appeared on his dirty, wrinkled face, his eyes seemingly seeing his past lover through Bao Gu.
Bao Gu said, “Su Yunxi!”
Master Feng and Lord Lu were utterly shocked!
Master Feng’s eyes widened more than copper bells.
Pavillion Master Lu’s mouth was wide enough to fit an egg!
This is Nanshan Yijian! This appearance? This old beggar? The peerlessly elegant and handsome Nanshan Yijian is this old beggar?
How could they pay respects to a senior like this? How could they even begin to do so!
Regaining their senses, they stiffly paid their respects, “Greetings to Senior Nanshan!”
The old beggar ignored them, closing his eyes to sleep.
Bao Gu scratched her head, bit the bullet, and shouted, “Su Yunxi is calling you home for dinner!”
The old beggar suddenly sat up, his eyes wide open, looking around before fixing his gaze on Bao Gu.
This startled Pavillion Master Lu and Master Feng.
Yu Mi rushed out, fearing the mentally unstable Nascent Soul stage cultivator might go mad. She secretly exclaimed, “Bao Gu, you’re too bold, daring to joke about a Nascent Soul stage Sword God’s deceased lover, aren’t you afraid he’ll turn you into a blood mist with a slap?”
Bao Gu and Nanshan Yijian stared at each other.
Bao Gu called out again, “Su Yunxi is calling you home for dinner!”
The old beggar was stunned for a while, asking, “Yunxi is calling me home for dinner?” He mumbled, “Yunxi is calling me home for dinner?” looking bewildered.
Bao Gu said, “Su Yunxi is asking you to come home for dinner, if you don’t go, she’ll ignore you!”
Yu Mi, hiding in the distance, was so scared her heart and liver were trembling, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest.
Lord Lu and Master Feng broke out in cold sweat.
This is madness!
Pavillion Master Lu and Master Feng secretly and quietly backed away, fearing the crazed Nanshan Yijian might suddenly attack Bao Gu for mocking him. With their strength, they absolutely couldn’t stop Nanshan Yijian; if he attacked, they would be in trouble even standing close.
The old beggar “hmm”ed, lifted his head, flung his dirty hair, and said, “Let’s go, home for dinner! Yunxi, it’s time for dinner!” laughing with his mouth full of blackened teeth.
Bao Gu, smelling his bad breath, couldn’t help but cover her nose and thought, “How long has it been since you brushed your teeth!”
The old beggar stood up against the wind, smilingly asked, “Is it my favorite steamed dragon fish?”
Bao Gu looked at Nanshan Yijian awkwardly, saying, “We’re broke recently, how about roasted tiger meat? Wolf meat works too! I also have rabbit meat!”
Nanshan Yijian looked at Bao Gu, his gaze gradually becoming misty, then shifted behind her, smiling softly, “Alright, anything is fine.”
Bao Gu thought for a moment, looked at Nanshan Yijian, and said, “You’re dirty and smelly, how about taking a bath before going home?” She waved at Master Feng, who had retreated to the street corner, “Master, lend a set of clean clothes!”
Master Feng threw a set of white robes from afar, caught by Bao Gu.
Bao Gu, holding the clothes Master Feng threw, dragged Nanshan Yijian into the inn, shouting, “Old man, please heat up a tub of water!”
Lord Lu, who had activated a stealth formation at the street corner, watched Bao Gu drag the crazed Nanshan Yijian into the inn, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and said to Master Feng, “Your niece is too bold!” Daring to provoke a crazed Nascent Soul stage Sword God, and even deceiving him! She’s playing with her life!
The innkeeper, having seen Bao Gu before, recognized her. Hearing Bao Gu’s order, he dared not delay and hurried to heat the water.
Bao Gu waited for the innkeeper to heat the water and deliver it to the premium guest room, then handed the clothes from Master Feng to the innkeeper, saying, “Help him wash up properly!” As she spoke, she pushed Nanshan Yijian into the room, standing at the door to send him off, “Wash up properly, dirty and smelly people can’t eat.”
Nanshan Yijian, standing stiffly in the room like a wooden figure, was slightly startled upon hearing Bao Gu’s words, then smiled, “I, Nanshan Yijian, am a renowned handsome man, how could I be dirty and smelly! Yunxi, come over and smell me!” After speaking, he raised his hands and lunged at the air in front of him, tumbling onto a nearby table, but it was a hearty laugh, laughing freely and joyfully.
Bao Gu, hearing his laughter becoming younger and younger, felt inexplicably creeped out and quickly retreated to the first floor of the inn.
The drama of talking to himself began again in the premium guest room upstairs, one moment pretending to catch fish, the next moment pretending to cook, even showcasing his culinary skills very virtuously, teaching Su Yunxi how to cook a dragon fish feast, causing a ruckus for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn before jumping into the tub to bathe!
Bao Gu heard Nanshan Yijian’s laughter and self-talk, filled with the bits and pieces of his past with Su Yunxi, all happiness.
The happiness of the past, now only a lifetime of solitary existence in the world, what kind of pain must that be.
A deeply in love couple, one dead, the other living in the world crazed, living in memories, living in confusion.
The innkeeper, trembling, retreated to the first floor, timidly looking at Bao Gu and calling, “Immortal!” The mad beggar was going crazy, he dared not enter.
Bao Gu turned to the innkeeper and said, “Let him wash himself.”
Not long after, a man in a white robe came down from upstairs.
Bao Gu was stunned to see this man in a snow-white robe, with snow-white long hair casually draped behind him! Is this Nanshan Yijian? The old beggar? This man looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with red lips and white teeth, as beautiful as if he had stepped out of a painting, in a snow-white robe, white clothes and white hair elegant and graceful, more celestial than immortals.
Bao Gu stared blankly at the man, blinking non-stop, then rubbed her eyes hard, completely dumbfounded! The old beggar cleaned up into a handsome man? She quickly stood up, squeezed past this handsome man, and rushed upstairs to the guest room, only to see no one in the room, just a tub of clean water placed in the room. She rushed downstairs again, seeing the man standing at the inn’s entrance looking at the sky, not knowing what he was looking at.
He was much taller than Bao Gu, with Bao Gu’s height only reaching his shoulders, making Bao Gu have to tiptoe to close the distance a bit, asking, “Are you Nanshan Yijian?”
The handsome man glanced down at Bao Gu and said, “Are you challenging me? Hehe, you’re not capable!” As he spoke, he looked around again, then became lost in thought.
After a few moments, he shrank under the eaves, curling up there.
The elegant demeanor disappeared in an instant, hunching his body into a ball, hugging himself, as if unable to withstand the cold of deep winter.
Bao Gu squatted in front of him, seeing the vicissitudes and desolation in his eyes, like an old man who had experienced countless hardships. She suddenly understood why he was like this. In a world without his beloved, only unbearable cold and chill remained, only loneliness and helplessness, so he had to curl up and hug himself. She called out, “Hey, Nanshan Yijian.”
Nanshan Yijian ignored her.
Bao Gu said again, “It’s time to go home for dinner.” Saying so, she dragged him in without further ado, waving at Master Feng and Lord Lu, who had retreated to the street corner, shouting, “He’s cleaned up, you can take him back to Qingfeng Pavilion now.”
Master Feng and Lord Lu looked at each other, neither daring to move.
Bao Gu waved and called, “Come on over!”
Master Feng whispered, “I want to turn around and leave.”
Pavillion Master Lu said, “Me too!” He secretly transmitted, “Brother Feng, let Yu Mi go help her.”
Master Feng thought it was a good idea and quickly transmitted to Yu Mi to help Bao Gu.
Yu Mi cursed silently, “You two don’t dare to go, making me go?” She wanted to strangle Bao Gu.
