Chapter Fifteen: Yanhe Town

The crimson sun rose, illuminating the Heavenly Pool waterfall and scattering sparkling lights across its surface.

Tu Shan Ke was once again lost in deep thought, while Zhou Hongxian grew impatient waiting and couldn't help but break the silence. "Fox—Fifth Brother, didn't you say you'd teach me something?"

Tu Shan Ke returned to himself, glanced at Zhou Hongxian, and smiled faintly. He extended his palm, and a vellum scroll appeared out of thin air, which he handed to her. "Hong Gu, I'm giving this to you. You must study it well."

"What is this?" Zhou Hongxian saw the scroll looked aged and took it carefully. It felt ancient to the touch, reminding her of the legendary secret manuals in martial arts films from her previous life, which made her secretly delighted. Eagerly, she unrolled the scroll, but upon seeing the title, she was stunned: "The Yellow Emperor and Qi Bo’s Manual on Massage?"

Tu Shan Ke nodded and smiled. "This is a classic from the Qin and Han dynasties."

"A classic? But the word 'massage' is so glaring," Zhou Hongxian muttered inwardly. However, instead of bombarding him with questions, she restrained herself and thought, "Perhaps this is like the 'Wedding Dress Divine Skill'—just an oddly named manual. Better not be shallow; if I say something naive, I'll be laughed at. Let me check the contents first." With renewed interest, she quickly leafed through the scroll, but when she finished, she felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her heart. The book was indeed entirely about massage and acupressure, without even a hidden bonus chapter like the 'Forty-Two Chapter Sutra'.

Zhou Hongxian frowned. "What's the point of me learning this?"

Tu Shan Ke replied, "Of course there’s a point. If you learn this, you can massage me to relieve my fatigue."

Zhou Hongxian's eyes widened. "So you want me to learn this just to serve you?" She felt an urge to toss the scroll back at him.

Tu Shan Ke smiled calmly. "If you wish to continue learning the Way with me, shouldn't you make some contribution?"

"But I've already contributed. I sought Daughter's Red for you for over ten years."

"The price of learning the Way is not so easily paid with such a small matter. Previously, you were a fox and unable to do certain things; I didn’t want to trouble you. But now that you have attained human form, naturally, you must give more."

Zhou Hongxian felt weary at these words, but after a moment's hesitation, she compromised. "Fine, I can learn it. But I just want to know—can I really not learn even a bit of magic right now? Even the simplest kind?"

Tu Shan Ke's tone turned stern. "Are you seeking the Way from me, or are you bargaining?"

Zhou Hongxian, who in her previous life was a single woman at the bottom of society, had pursued over a dozen girls without success, and lacked much confidence, her personality somewhat meek. Yet she wasn’t entirely timid—she still had a bit of spirit. If pressured too much, she would push back. Moreover, Tu Shan Ke had deceived her for nineteen years by pretending to be an old fox. Her reverence for elders and care for the young had long since faded, and Tu Shan Ke’s commanding attitude only annoyed her. She couldn’t help but retort, "Everything you do revolves around yourself. If I can’t get even a small reward, why should I learn the Way from you? Am I supposed to have no pride?"

She intended her words to be severe, but with her beautiful, delicate appearance and soft, tender voice, the rebuke lost its bite and sounded more like a coquettish complaint.

A flicker of dark light surged in Tu Shan Ke’s eyes. In that moment, Zhou Hongxian’s playful demeanor overlapped again with the enchanting Feng Xiaolian in his mind, making his attitude gentler. "Hong Gu, if I teach you magic, will you willingly stay by my side and ease my worries?"

His words carried hidden meaning, but Zhou Hongxian misunderstood. She simply thought Tu Shan Ke was unable to leave the Heavenly Pool waterfall and needed her help. So she replied, "Of course. You help me, I help you. That’s called a win-win partnership!"

"So it’s just partnership?" Tu Shan Ke felt a twinge of disappointment, but then thought, "It doesn’t matter. She’s only Xiaolian’s substitute, not the real Xiaolian. I just want her to emulate Xiaolian as much as possible. Her true feelings aren’t necessary; mutual benefit is fine." He said, "Very well. As long as you master the art of massage and serve me comfortably, I will begin teaching you some magic. What do you think?"

Zhou Hongxian blushed at his words, thinking, "What does it mean to serve you comfortably? It sounds like I’m doing something unspeakable. We’re just helping each other!" Yet under Tu Shan Ke’s expectant gaze, she felt it was fair and agreed, "Alright."

A trace of joy flashed in Tu Shan Ke’s eyes. He smiled. "In that case, from today on, you must diligently practice your craft!"

Winter passed, spring came, summer faded into autumn, and another year went by in the blink of an eye.

Throughout the year, Zhou Hongxian devoted herself to studying the Yellow Emperor and Qi Bo’s Manual on Massage, her skills steadily improving. Tu Shan Ke enjoyed not only her expert massages but also the Daughter’s Red she brought back, feeling as if he’d returned to the days of his former life as Gao Wei, once again living in drunken bliss with beauty by his side.

As promised, Tu Shan Ke did not go back on his word and taught Zhou Hongxian some magic. However, her cultivation was still shallow, so the spells were simple—mostly illusions, tricks to deceive the eye. The only real spell was the Earth Compression Technique, primarily for traveling quickly, so she could fetch Daughter’s Red for him faster.

For Zhou Hongxian, a novice, learning these spells was already a source of great joy. The long years in the mountains were hard to bear for her now that she had a human form, but mastering illusions gave her a way to amuse herself and pass the time.

Zhou Hongxian liked to use illusions to transform stones into various models of car robots, but her creativity was so lacking that the models were crude beyond measure. Rather than resembling Transformers, they were more like Iron Armor Little Treasure.

Yet she also showed her own talent, using her memories to conjure up all sorts of game pieces from the future—military chess, flying chess, even tabletop games like Three Kingdoms Kill and Werewolf. Tu Shan Ke found these novelties fascinating and, after learning the rules, played them with great enthusiasm. Soon he became masterful at these games, often defeating Zhou Hongxian so thoroughly that her addiction was cured. In the end, it was Tu Shan Ke who insisted on playing with her each time.

As time passed, Tu Shan Ke gradually discovered something he was reluctant to admit: he had begun to depend on Zhou Hongxian.

One day in August, the sunlight was gentle. The white fox lazily awoke atop a rock by the Heavenly Pool waterfall, and its first act upon opening its eyes was to search for Zhou Hongxian. Seeing her red figure quietly arranging her car models by the water, it felt reassured. Shaking its head and smiling, it called out, "Hong Gu, stop fiddling with your toys—I’m awake, come massage me!"

"Alright, coming!" Zhou Hongxian responded softly. She lifted her fair feet from the water, went ashore, and tidied her skirt. The white fox transformed into Tu Shan Ke’s handsome form and waved at her with a smile. "Hurry up!"

Zhou Hongxian walked barefoot onto the stone and sat gently. Tu Shan Ke then reclined, resting his head directly on her lap, lazily smiling, "Massage my temples first—remember, be gentle."

"I know." Zhou Hongxian supported Tu Shan Ke’s head and began to rub his temples with her slender fingers. She remembered how, at first, she couldn’t control her strength and often pressed too hard, earning his scolding. But now she knew exactly how much pressure he liked, and even if he didn't say so, she would get it just right.

Sure enough, Tu Shan Ke gradually closed his eyes under her gentle touch and wore a look of enjoyment. He smiled, "Hong Gu, you truly understand me more and more."

Zhou Hongxian did not respond, focusing intently on her task. A stray lock of her hair fell over her forehead, and the tips brushed Tu Shan Ke’s face. He caught a faint fragrance and was moved; he reached to grasp the strand and bring it to his nose, but before he could, Zhou Hongxian noticed and quickly tucked the hair behind her ear. "My hair touched you—sorry!"

Hearing this, Tu Shan Ke felt a sudden irritation. He opened his eyes and coldly glared at her. "Hong Gu, you truly lack charm!"

Zhou Hongxian was momentarily stunned. She couldn’t understand why Tu Shan Ke became angry so abruptly, nor what he meant by his words. She simply felt wronged.

Tu Shan Ke looked at Zhou Hongxian’s beautiful, confused eyes, and after a moment’s gaze, sighed inwardly. "I really shouldn’t have made her look like Xiaolian—it’s making it harder and harder for me to control myself." After the sigh, his expression grew distant. "Never mind, continue. Later, remember to massage my back."

"Alright."

"By the way, is there any Daughter’s Red left?"

"No, you finished it yesterday!"

"Then remember to go down the mountain for more today!"

"Okay."

To explain, two hundred miles south of Mount Taibai was a small town called Yanhe. Ten years ago, it was merely a village, but thanks to its advantageous location, merchants trading ginseng and deer antler often stopped there. Initially, it was just a resting place, but soon business transactions took place directly there, gradually boosting the local economy. In the past three or four years, Yanhe had attracted scattered populations from dozens of miles around, transforming from a village of just over a hundred people into a town of several thousand.

Among the residents was Yang Shoucheng, twenty-six years old. Two years ago, his wife tragically passed away, leaving him with a seven-year-old son, making him a widower. He ran an inn, and business had been booming in recent years, accumulating considerable wealth. Matchmakers seeking to arrange a second marriage for him had worn out his doorstep.

But as his business prospered, Yang Shoucheng’s standards rose, and none of the women introduced by matchmakers appealed to him—either their looks weren’t good enough, their figures were lacking, or, rarely, if both were acceptable, he found them dull. In short, none satisfied him.

However, times had changed, and Yang Shoucheng found his heart stirred—not for any of the matchmaker’s candidates, but for a woman who had come to buy wine at his inn a few days before. How to describe her? In a word—beautiful! So beautiful that, in Yang Shoucheng’s limited vocabulary, he could only say she was as lovely as a fairy, so beautiful that if he could taste her lips just once, he’d willingly hand over all his wealth for her to manage.

"Shopkeeper, I’m sorry, I still don’t have any money, but I brought six wild rabbits. Can I trade them for wine again?" Near dusk, the beauty returned, just as the first time—wearing a red dress, her hair styled in floating clouds, so dazzling that everything around her faded into insignificance. Her tender voice came from her luscious red lips, making Yang Shoucheng’s heart melt.

Yang Shoucheng shot an annoyed glance at his staff, who were gawking like lapdogs, but they merely stepped back a bit; even his authority couldn’t drive them away entirely. He didn’t bother with them, turned quickly, and gazed deeply at the woman’s exquisite face and lips, then feigned nonchalance as he glanced at her impressively curvaceous chest, swallowing hard.

The woman in red seemed to notice, her brows slightly knitted, but she didn’t react, continuing, "Shopkeeper, answer me—six wild rabbits for a jar of Daughter’s Red. It’s a fair deal!"

Yang Shoucheng’s soul finally returned. He put on what he considered a sunny smile and said amiably, "Miss, you dress respectably—why are you always penniless? If you have urgent needs at home, I’d be happy to let you buy on credit!"

His words were purposeful. He guessed her family faced financial difficulties, forcing her to trade goods. If so, he could play the role of a good Samaritan, helping her out, and perhaps win her hand.

Unexpectedly, the woman in red was unmoved. "We’re not related—why would I buy on credit here? These rabbits aren’t worthless; I could sell them for silver and then buy wine, but since your inn uses them for dishes, I thought it’d be less trouble to trade directly. Don’t treat me like a beggar!"

Yang Shoucheng was rebuffed by her rapid-fire response, but remained smiling. "You misunderstand—I’d never think that. I just meant well. If you want to trade rabbits for wine, I’m happy to oblige. In fact, your six rabbits are worth more than a jar of wine; I’ll give you the market price and return any extra to you!"

The woman in red paused, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Then I misunderstood you—sorry! Shopkeeper, you conduct business fairly. If there’s extra, I’ll save it and pay directly next time!"

Yang Shoucheng was delighted. Her words revealed valuable information—she was short on money. That meant he had a real opportunity! He smiled, "You flatter me. I’m always honest in business. Whether you pay or trade, you’re welcome anytime!"

The woman in red smiled, radiant as a peach blossom. "Since you’re so straightforward, I’ll always buy wine here from now on!"

Yang Shoucheng gladly accepted the rabbits, then calculated on his abacus and returned fifteen copper coins to her. Seeing her bright smile, he felt even more certain of his hopes. While his staff fetched the wine, he decided to seize the moment and ask about her family.

"Miss, you’re so delicate—why do you buy wine yourself? Does your family have no one else to send?"

The woman in red replied, "Do I look like someone who gives orders? I’m usually the one being ordered around."

"Oh, and who usually sends you for wine?"

She paused, thinking, then answered, "My young master."

Yang Shoucheng’s heart sank. So she was someone’s maid, and with her beauty, likely already claimed by her master. That complicated things. Still, he pressed on, "Your young master must be from a wealthy family to have such a beautiful maid. Why doesn’t he give you silver for wine?"

The woman blushed again—perhaps embarrassed by the compliment, or ashamed to go out without money. She hesitated, then said, "My young master’s family has fallen on hard times and owes a mountain of debt. So he has to rely on hunting to get by. He loves wine, but is too proud to buy it himself, so he sends me."

Yang Shoucheng was overjoyed. What luck! She was a maid in a ruined household—if her master was so cash-strapped, this was his big chance! He resolved to find out who her master was and buy her out.

Then he felt a pang of regret. With her beauty, unless her master was utterly incompetent, surely she’d already be his. Perhaps he’d never taste her cherry lips. But then he reconsidered—such a beauty, even if not untouched, sharing a night with her would be far more pleasurable than marrying ten virgins.

End of page.