translator: baumkuchen
Back to Lu Qingjiu, after sending Pang Ziqi and Meng Shuiyi off, Lu Qingjiu was planning to go do something when he suddenly noticed a red stain on a corner of his shirt. In the beginning, he thought accidentally come into contact with paint somewhere, but after smelling it carefully, he found that the red stain was actually blood.
Where did the blood come from? Lu Qingjiu was stunned in place. He inspected his body and the area around the table, and confirmed that other than the corner of his clothes, no other area had a trace of blood.
โStrange.โ Lu Qingjiu pulled at the corner of his clothes, his brows furrowing. โWhere did it come fromโฆโ
โDonโt bother looking anymore.โ Bai Yuehu, finished eating the corn cakes, slowly came out of the kitchen. He was still holding one in his hand, slowly munching on it as he spoke, โThat Meng Shuiyi isnโt human.โ
โNot human?โ Lu Qingjiu replied, โThen what is he?โ
โHeโs a Mengtu,โ Bai Yuehu replied.
Lu Qingjiu, whoโd already become familiar with the Classic of Mountains and Seas, instantly understood what had happened upon hearing the two words โMengtuโ. Mengtu were a type of deity in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. It was said that when people in ancient times wanted to lodge a complaint, they would have to go before a Mengtu and explain their circumstances. The one who lied would have blood appear on their clothes, which was what the Mengtu used to judge the case, and would avoid a situation where someone was wronged.
Without a doubt, the blood on Lu Qingjiuโs clothes was the proof that heโd lied. Thinking back to his conversation with Pang Ziqi from just now, he felt like it didnโt matter that his lies had been exposed, and relaxed. โCan it be washed off?โ
Bai Yuehu looked at the blood on Lu Qingjiuโs clothes. โIt canโt be washed off.โ
โAh, it canโt?โ Lu Qingjiu was a little surprised. The shirt he was wearing was his favourite. No longer being able to wear it just like that was truly a bit of a pity.
Hearing Lu Qingjiuโs words, Bai Yuehu said an โitโs okayโ, then didnโt speak again.
Lu Qingjiu thought that he was comforting him, and hence didnโt think more about it. After taking off his clothes, he tried to wash it. Sure enough, like Bai Yuehu had said, the blood on his clothes didnโt move a single jot. Even though there wasnโt much, these clothes could be considered destroyed.
Even though he found it a bit of a pity, Lu Qingjiu didnโt bother himself about it for too long. If he really couldnโt wear it, he could still cut the clothes shorter for the little fox to wear. It was going to be winter soon, preparing a few more clothes for the little fox was also good.
Lu Qingjiu had never been one to dwell, and he soon forgot about this matter. But just a few days later, there was once again people at their doorstep. This time, the visitors were Meng Shuiyi and an old man who looked to be getting on in age.
The moment the two entered the house, their attitudes were incredibly deferential. The old man even addressed Bai Yuehu as Mister Bai several times in a row.
Bai Yuehu glanced at the old man, then looked back down and continued to eat his chestnuts, no intention of speaking.
โMister Bai, Iโm truly very sorry, this child is young and not very thoughtful,โ The old man said respectfully, โI specifically brought him over here today to apologise to you.โ
Meng Shuiyi, next to him, said, โMister Bai, Iโm truly sorry.โ He then looked towards Lu Qingjiu and said, โMister Lu, the matter from before is really my bad. I specially brought you new clothes, I hope that youโll take them.โ As he spoke, he actually pulled out several shirts from the backpack behind him and carefully placed them on the table before him. These shirts were exactly identical to the one that had been stained by blood. They clearly had been bought specially.
Lu Qingjiu actually had never expected to see a scene like this. After a moment of surprise, he was about to reject them, but seeing the pleading gaze the old man gave himโฆ He was asking Lu Qingjiu to accept this gift.
Lu Qingjiu glanced at Bai Yuehu. Vaguely understanding something, he said, โThatโฆ Thank you.โ
The moment these words left his mouth, Meng Shuiyi and the old manโs expressions finally relaxed slightly.
โShuiyi, you go out for a while, I have some things I want to talk to Mister Bai about alone,โ the old man said.
Meng Shuiyi nodded, then turned and left the house. Lu Qingjiu also made an excuse, saying that he was going to feed the chickens, and left together with Meng Shuiyi, leaving the house to Bai Yuehu and the old man.
Meng Shuiyi stood in the courtyard, watching Lu Qingjiu feed the chickens rice and corn. He asked, โMind if I smoke?โ
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Lu Qingjiu was indeed an ordinary human, but what he was tangled up with absolutely wasnโt a fierce beast, it was someone Meng Shuiyi couldnโt afford to provokeโโ No, to put it more accurately, it was someone the entire Mengtu race couldnโt afford to provoke.
Sure enough, just a few days later, his grandfather called him back home. After a round of scolding, he asked him how heโd managed to provoke Bai Yuehu. Only when he thought about it, did he realise that he seemed to have offended Lu Qingjiu.
After that, the situation had become what it was now. His grandfather shakingly brought him here to make amends, deathly afraid that heโd really managed to piss Bai Yuehu off.
Meng Shuiyi looked at Lu Qingjiu. Lu Qingjiu looked at his familyโs chickens. Neither of them said a word.
Just as the atmosphere was turning stiff, Yin Xun, here to bum a meal, walking in, yawning. Seeing Meng Shuiyi, he froze for a moment. โJiu-er ah, whoโs this?โ
โThis is Meng Shuiyi,โ Lu Qingjiu said, โPang Ziqiโs colleague, heโs also a police officer.โ
โOh,โ Yin Xun replied, not very interested. He said, โIs there anything to eat? Iโm really hungry.โ
Lu Qingjiu said, โDonโt go in first, Bai Yuehuโs talking to someone. Just bear it a little while more. Zhu Miaomiao sent over another few crabs, Iโll steam them in a bit for you guys to eat.โ One ate female crabs in September, and male crabs in October, these things were very dependent on the season. Once a certain time passed, the crab roe wouldnโt be as luxuriant anymore.
โAlright.โ Yin Xun rubbed his nose, and casually found a place to sit.
Meng Shuiyi wasnโt a talkative person. He stood to the side and smoked quietly as he listened to the two talk.
Lu Qingjiu gave Meng Shuiyi a look. Seeing that he had no plans on talking, he began casually chatting with Yin Xun.
Lu Qingjiu asked, โDo you like crabs?โ
Yin Xun smiled and said, โI do. Crabs are really delicious. Before you came, Iโd never eaten them before.โ
Lu Qingjiu said, โBefore I came, how were you doing on your own in Shuifu village?โ
Yin Xun said blankly, โWhat how were you doing? I think it was very good.โ He smiled just like usual. โAiya, donโt worry about me. Iโm an adult too, alright? People on their own also have their own ways of getting along on their own. When you werenโt here, I was always able to find my own fun, I was also really happy then.โ
Lu Qingjiu looked at Yin Xun, silent. He saw, after Yin Xun said that, a patch of blood bloom on the corner of his clothes.
But Yin Xun didnโt notice, still smiling happily.
Lu Qingjiuโs voice lowered slightly. โThen what if one day, I go back to the city?โ
Yin Xun scratched his head. โAs long as it makes you happy, you can go anywhere.โ
Lu Qingjiu asked, โThen what about you?โ
Yin Xun said, โMe? Iโll continue to stay in Shuifu village. I really like it here.โ
The bloodstain on the corner of his clothes was growing bigger. Paired with Yin Xunโs smile, it looked particularly ironic.
Lu Qingjiu looked at his good friend. He sighed. โI wonโt be going anywhere. There are two mouths to feed at home, after all. Besidesโฆ I really think of you as my son.โ After he said that, his clothes were still clean as ever, without a single bloodstain.
Yin Xun raged, โYouโre fucking taking advantage of me again!!โ
Yin Xun didnโt know what had happened, but Meng Shuiyi understood the meaning behind the bloodstain on Yin Xunโs shoes. He glanced at Lu Qingjiu, and realised that this person didnโt seem to be as harmless as acted. Lu Qingjiu, was more interesting than heโd thought.
The two had talked for a while. On that end, Meng Shuiyiand Bai Yuehu were also about done with their conversation. The old man soon came out. After bidding Lu QIngjiu goodbye, he left, bringing Meng Shuiyi with him.
โThat, Iโm sorry.โ Lu Qingjiu stopped Meng Shuiyi. โCould you leave me your contact information?โ
Meng Shuiyi was stunned. He then nodded his head, and left his phone number with Lu Qingjiu. Even though he didnโt know what Lu Qingjiu wanted to do, getting on good terms with him obviously wasnโt a bad thing.
After the two left, Lu Qingjiu went into the house, picked up a shirt, and passed it to Yin Xun to change into.
Yin Xun was puzzled. โWhy do you want me to change clothes?โ
Lu Qingjiu said, โIf I tell you to change, you change. What are you asking all these questions for?โ
Yin Xun could only take off his shirt. After he took it off, Lu Qingjiu casually took it from him and scrunched it into a ball, covering the corner that had been stained by blood.
Seeing Lu Qingjiuโs movements, the corner of Bai Yuehuโs lips rose slightly. He and Lu Qingjiu met gazes for a moment, each understanding the meaning in the otherโs gazes.
Yin Xunโs figure was pretty much the same as Lu Qingjiuโs. The shirt fit him perfectly. He looked left and right, then asked, โWhat did you buy so many identical shirts for?โ
Lu Qingjiu said, โWhat do you know, these are parent-child sets.โ
Yin Xun, โ…Fuck.โ
Lu Qingjiu burst into loud laughter. He didnโt have any plans of wearing these clothes again. Rather, he gave all the shirts to Yin Xun, getting him to first wash them before wearing them. Even though he was confused, under Lu Qingjiuโs insistence, Yin Xun accepted this gift, taking back all the clothes Meng Shuiyi had given him back with him.
โIโll give this shirt to the little fox.โ Lu Qingjiu took the shirt Yin Xun had changed out of away. Yin Xun didnโt mind, he was just confused as to why Lu Qingjiu had bought so many clothes, and all of them even looked the sameโฆ
Bai Yuehu quietly watched the twoโs interaction. He didnโt speak at all, until that night, after Yin Xun left after dinner, only then did he finally let out a sentence, โYouโre not going to keep one for yourself?โ
โNo,โ Lu Qingjiu said, โIt seems like I didnโt actually like that shirt that much.โ
โWhat lie did he tell?โ Bai Yuehu perceived that Lu Qingjiu didnโt seem to be in very high spirits. He knew that it must have something to do with Yin Xunโs lie.
โHe said that he was very happy staying in Shuifu village before,โ Lu Qingjiu said.
Bai Yuehu was silent.
โWhat about you? Are you happy here?โ Lu Qingjiu looked at his beautiful yet mysterious tenant. After this period of interaction, he could tell that Bai Yuehuโs status in the supernatural world was very special. He could originally have lived even more freely, sp why did he have to confine himself to this little, remote, mountain village?
Bai Yuehu said indifferently, โMeng Shuiyi isnโt here.โ The meaning behind his words was that even if he lied, Lu Qingjiu would have no way to tell.
Lu Qingjiu let out an involuntary laugh, โDo you have the need to lie?โ
Bai Yuehu asked, โWhy wouldnโt I?โ
Lu Qingjiu said, โI thought that you thought lying was beneath you.โ
Bai Yuehu said, โIโve lived for so many years, Iโve seen people who didnโt lie. But their lives arenโt as good as you might imagine.โ
Lu Qingjiu sighed. He didnโt say anything else. Reality was like this, sometimes, a white lie could actually make people happier than a cruel truth. He said, โSo you actually donโt like this place?โ
Hearing this, however, Bai Yuehu smiled, the corners of his mouth drawing upwards into an alluring curve. โNo, I like this place.โ
Lu Qingjiu frowned at him.
โYou see, Iโm telling the truth, but you donโt believe me,โ Bai Yuehu said, โBut Iโm serious. At least now, I like it here.โ
Lu Qingjiu gave up on continuing to debate with Bai Yuehu on this. He shrugged. โAlright, it looks like thereโs no point in asking this question. Letโs talk about something more meaningful, then.โ
Bai Yuehu raised his eyebrow, indicating for Lu Qingjiu to speak.
Lu Qingjiu said, โLike what you want to eat for lunch tomorrow. Itโs starting to get colder, so I want to store up some goat meat, but thereโs not enough space in the fridge at homeโฆ I guess I should just go buy a fridge tomorrowโฆโ The broken fragments of speech were filled with the smoke and fire of the human world.
Bai Yuehu said, โThereโs no need to hoard goat meat, when itโs coldest, thatโs also the time when the Conglongโs meat is at its plumpest. I can just catch a few and bring them back.โ
Lu Qingjiu, โ…So what we ate before was also a Conglong, right?โ Conglong were a type of animal in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. They looked like goats, but its fur was red. It was said that eating it could even cure deafnessโโ Lu Qingjiu sighed. With his familiarity with the Classic of Mountains and Seas, he could already communicate seamlessly with Bai Yuehu, there was no need for him to try and popularise science again.
Bai Yuehu blinked. โDid it taste good?โ
Lu Qingjiu heartlessly threw away his conscience. โDelicious.โ
Bai Yuehuโs face broke into a big smile.
The author has something to say:
Lu Qingjiu: This animal is really precious, arenโt we being too cruel by doing this?
Bai Yuehu: Then what are we supposed to do for it to not be cruel?
Lu Qingjiu: Put in some more star anise to reduce the gaminess
Bai Yuehu: โฆ
baum: fun fact, the word for goat and sheep is the same in chinese orz
time to go edit that past chapter sigh
Merry Christmas~ย
Itโs steadily getting better and better aaaahhhhhhh!!!!! Ty and merry Christmas!
Aww Bai Yuehu smiles so much now! Lu Qingjiu, don’t worry about your son, I think Yin Xun is very happy now~
Thank you for the chapter~
Okay, that’s really difficult, reminds me of how I had to explain to a non-English speaker what the difference between a bunny and a rabbit is… I ended up physically showing it with my hands and feet, hopping and crouching on the ground….they did get it after that, but also ended up rolling on the ground from laughter! ๐ฝ
Merry Christmas!
โ๏ธ๏ฟผ๏ฟผ๏ฟผโ๏ธโ๏ธ๐๐๐โ๏ธโ๏ธโ๏ธ
Thanks for the chapter!
Erm, isn’t bunny and rabbit the same thing๐ฐ??
From what I know, “bunny” is the cutesy name of a “hare” which, though similar to a rabbit in appearance, is, in fact, a different species.
Hares, or bunnies, are bigger in size and have longer ears, and, because of the whole Easter tradition and their association with it, they started being called bunnies since it was more appealing to the children. It sounds cuter ๐
eh, its different? i think its the same
Like โbunny rabbitโ
Thanks and Merry Christmas ๐
YinXun hiding feelings from dad LQJ.
Glad to see them happy now (oหโกหo)
Awwww Yin Xun… Just like an obedient child who doesn’t want to burden his parent who work in the city even though he really wants to be with them. Good thing your dad you’ve been waiting for is finally back in your village to take care of you~
Thanks for the update! ๐
Hehe. Believe him LQ. Poor baby YX.
Thanks for the great translation โฅ๏ธ
i remember Yin Xunโs death again ๐ im really glad that Lu Qingjiu came back to this village.
Thank you for the chapter!
โMore stable strange beings… what do you want for lunch?โ ๐
Thank you & happy holidays
Does anybody feel like the Classics of Mountains and Seas seems more and more like a menu than it is a compendium of monsters? Lololol thanks for the chapter!!
๐๐๐
Thanks for the update
LQJ: were you happy in this village.
YX: *missing daddy.
BYH: I’m happier now. โคโคโคโคโค
That’s a way too to get new clothes lololol And that Mengtu guys are the world bests lie detectors xD
Thx for the ch and Merry Christmas too~
BAI YUEHU IS SO CUTE AAAAAAAAAA
look at him getting happy by hearing Lu Qingjiu say it was delicious
๐
Yin Yin is so cute๐
I love this story so much.
Man, the sass and all those burns!
Thank you so much for the chapter!(เนยด>แ<)~โค
my heart still aches for yin xun ๐ข but now atleast LQJ is by his side now
Lol reminds me of yin and ็พ.
Thanks for the chapter! ๐
He’s bringing LQ to dark side ๐คฃ๐คฃ
Their eyes communication is getting better๐ถ๐ถ๐ถ