The Celestial Court, Black Tortoise Bureau
Di Yiqiu returned to his study, and Li Lu quickly approached, saying, “Chief, have you met with Mr. Third Dream?”
“Of course I have,” Di Yiqiu replied as he walked to his desk. Just as he was about to sit down, he noticed an invitation letter. He picked it up and saw that it was from the Yuhu Immortal Sect. It stated that Xie Hongchen was about to succeed as the sect’s leader and invited him to witness the ceremony.
Xie Hongchen?
The chief furrowed his brows. Why did the combination of these three words alone leave him feeling dissatisfied?
He turned to look at the hourglass and then at the table, asking, “Has Huang Rang not come today?”
“What?” Li Lu, who rarely heard him ask about Huang Rang, was momentarily taken aback. It took him a while to respond, “No, she should still be at the institute. Shall I send someone to fetch her?”
“No need.” Di Yiqiu glanced at the documents on the table. Li Lu understood and added, “As you wish, Chief. It won’t be long before Miss Ah Rang comes to deliver the soup.”
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Nk Nw nsxqsavle bkx, pyukdt, “Ubklq kp pvkzz uswdt, yde yp y xlxcla sq vbl kxxsavyz plnv, Ykpvla byp yeele xydu ulyap vs bkp zkql. Mblal kp ds pbsavytl sq vyzldvle kdekhkewyzp.”
Di Yiqiu made a sound of acknowledgment and couldn’t help but glance at the hourglass again.
The appointed time was fast approaching, and the person supposed to deliver the soup today had not arrived yet. Li Lu noticed this glance and found it strange as well—why hadn’t she come today?
Of course, Huang Rang hadn’t gone. She had carefully avoided Xie Hongchen, found a place to change out of her disguise, and then crushed a teleportation talisman to return to the capital.
Just going to the appointment today had already taken up a lot of her time. How could she have had time to prepare soup?
Hmmp, Di Yiqiu had promised to accompany her to the capital!
Huang Rang lay down on the bed, thinking about the two of them traveling together, and eventually she fell asleep. Even her dreams were filled with sweetness.
The chief continued to wait until midnight, and that salted fish hadn’t shown up!
This doesn’t fit her superficial personality!
She had introduced him to Mr.Third Dream, so shouldn’t she have been waiting here proudly?
Could something have happened?
The Chief had a slight inclination to go and look for her, but it was the middle of the night, and going to find a female student from the Black Tortoise Bureau would be inappropriate.
After thinking it over, he had no choice but to give up.
Fortunately, the next day, Huang Rang soon arrived carrying a food box.
“Chief, please try the breakfast I prepared for you,” she said. Today, she was wearing a light golden dress that made her appear gentle and elegant. The light gold color suited her well.
Di Yiqiu withdrew his gaze and asked, “How did you come to know Mr.Third Dream?”
Huang Rang scooped some porridge for him into a small bowl and arranged the side dishes neatly. Since he needed her help, he couldn’t afford to be too aloof. He accepted the porridge and took a sip.
The porridge appeared snowy white but was actually made with fresh milk and lily, sweet but not cloying. It warmed the stomach and made the internal organs feel comfortable.
Di Yiqiu couldn’t help but start eating his breakfast, complementing it with the side dishes one bite at a time.
Only then did Huang Rang explain, “Third Dream… I mean, she doesn’t want to show herself but wants to cultivate good crops for small farmers, so she asked me to help secretly.”
Di Yiqiu believed her words as she spoke in this manner.
—This old salted fish seems to have too much free time if we talk about helping others
Di Yiqiu remarked. “Aren’t you worried about getting into trouble by helping her?”
“Getting into trouble?”
Huang Rang served him some vegetables and said, “Some things, even if they’re troublesome, still need to be done by someone.”
“I didn’t expect someone like you to have such a broad mindset.” Di Yiqiu sighed and found the porridge and vegetables even more delightful.
Huang Rang replied, “What do you mean by “someone like me”? How am I? I’m both beautiful and intelligent.”
The chief snorted—just as he complimented her, she started to act conceited.
“Where should we go today?” Huang Rang asked.
She had dressed up carefully today, saying she looked “radiant,” and she looked absolutely stunning.
Chief, despite being young, was a man of his word. He said, “It’s up to you.”
Huang Rang propped her chin on her hand and thought for a while before saying, “Actually, I haven’t been to many places in the capital before.”
only a few places that you took me to.
She suddenly remembered Di Yiqiu from outside the dream and looked at the youthful young man in front of her. Memories that couldn’t be recalled easily stirred her emotions.
“But it doesn’t matter; as long as I’m with you, anywhere we go will be fine!” She quickly regained her enthusiasm.
Di Yiqiu asked, “Anywhere will be fine?”
Huang Rang nodded earnestly. “Anywhere will be fine.”
So, Chief indeed took Huang Rang and boarded a carriage.
As the carriage began to move, Huang Rang sat facing him, looking out of the window at the changing scenery. In that moment, memories almost overwhelmed her.
At first, Di Yiqiu didn’t want to share a carriage with her, but he knew that she would probably pester him if they didn’t.
So, it was better to bring her along.
Huang Rang looked out of the window all the way, and the scenery seemed strangely familiar.
It was like… the year 115 in the outside world, when Di Yiqiu had rescued her from the Yuhu Immortal Sect and they had passed by this road on their way back to the capital.
She stared out of the window, surprisingly not striking up a conversation with Di Yiqiu.
Di Yiqiu asked, “Have you seen the true appearance of Mr.Third Dream?”
Huang Rang didn’t answer; she placed her hand on the window sill and remained silent.
“Huang Rang?” Di Yiqiu called out .This usually carefree and lighthearted salted fish rarely showed such a heavy-hearted expression, and it made her look somewhat sorrowful.
“Huh?” Huang Rang suddenly snapped out of her thoughts, and the shattered glint in her eyes quickly disappeared. She smiled and said, “Why do you keep talking about Third Dream? We agreed to spend the day together today, but you haven’t even asked me where I want to go.”
Di Yiqiu seldom saw her like this, with that tearful yet smiling expression, and it softened his heart a bit. So he said, “After all, we’ve known each other since childhood. There’s not much to ask.”
“How can there not be much to ask?” Huang Rang hurriedly said, “Why don’t you ask me why I’m so good to you?”
Di Yiqiu was taken aback; he had never thought about this before. Wasn’t this salted fish naturally optimistic, carefree, and fond of making soup and offering help for no reason?
So, he asked, “Why?”
“Because I had a dream,” Huang Rang said mysteriously. “I dreamt that when you grew up, you would be very handsome.”
“Boring,” the chief muttered and added after a while, “Shallow.”
Huang Rang burst into laughter for a long time. Then, she looked out of the window and suddenly said, “This is… the road to the Yuhu Immortal Sect.”
Di Yiqiu paused and asked, “You know this?”
“I do.” Huang Rang gazed outside for a while and then said, “I walked this road once. I was so focused at the time that I recognized it at a glance.”
“Did Sect Leader He and his wife take you to the Yuhu Immortal Sect?” Di Yiqiu asked casually.
Huang Rang shook her head but didn’t continue the conversation. She didn’t have much interest in discussing the past along this road.
Memories flowed like gravel, and she smiled with closed eyes.
Di Yiqiu had never seen her so quiet and peaceful. The spring sunlight at that moment spilled onto her profile, creating a gentle halo.
She looked out of the window, silent all the way.
Di Yiqiu had grown used to her being proactive and chatty.
At this moment, when she didn’t speak, the world fell into complete silence.
Di Yiqiu even began to think that he had promised to spend a day with her, but the entire day seemed to be wasted in the carriage, which didn’t seem quite right.
Considering that Huang Rang had indeed managed to arrange a meeting with Third Dream for him, Di Yiqiu’s conscience finally pricked him. So, he said, “Tomorrow, Xie Hongchen is succeeding as the sect’s leader, and we should go to witness the ceremony. If you find the journey boring, we can make plans for another day.”
“Xie Hongchen?” Huang Rang muttered, “He’s becoming the sect’s leader tomorrow?”
The tone was strangely familiar, as if she were inquiring about someone long gone. Di Yiqiu frowned and asked, “Do you know him?”
Huang Rang didn’t turn around and replied after a while, “I had a dream before. In that dream, I married him.”
“Shallow,” Di Yiqiu snorted.
Huang Rang laughed heartily and said, “Who said I wasn’t?”
Her self-deprecating laughter made Di Yiqiu feel that something was amiss. He didn’t like the chatty Huang Rang, but when she fell into silence like this, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of emptiness.
So he had to find something to talk about himself. “Do you women all want to marry him?”
Huang Rang thought seriously about this question and said, “I don’t know about others, but I used to think about it. But in the dream, the ending wasn’t good. So now, I don’t think about it anymore.”
For some reason, hearing her say this made Di Yiqiu feel much better.
He also found it strange—he wasn’t the jealous type, so why did he have such strange thoughts?
The horse’s hooves pounded the ground, and the carriage sped along.
Of course, this was much faster than a regular carriage, but it still couldn’t compare to the speed of a teleportation talisman.
Huang Rang realized this and asked, “Why not use a teleportation talisman?”
Di Yiqiu didn’t hesitate to reply with two words: “Too expensive.”
“…” Well, Huang Rang had nothing to say.
Yuhu Immortal Sect.
Xie Hongchen’s succession as sect leader surprised no one.
He was the chosen successor appointed by Xie Lingbi, and Xie Lingbi had never hidden this fact from the beginning.
This was a significant event in the sect, and almost all the renowned virtuous scholars were invited to attend.
For a while, the Yuhu Immortal Sect was bustling with activity.
Although the court and the Yuhu Immortal Sect were not on the best terms, Shi Wenyu still sent a congratulatory gift through Di Yiqiu.
Di Yiqiu, accompanied by Huang Rang, arrived at the sect’s entrance.
Due to the large number of guests, Xie Lingbi was receiving guests in the Harmony Garden, while Xie Hongchen was welcoming guests at the sect’s entrance.
He was dressed in a snowy robe, with a jade crown on his head and a jade pendant at his waist. At this moment, he hardly looked any different than a hundred years later.
“Master Xie, I should change your address to Sect Master Xie from now on. Congratulations!” Di Yiqiu approached and offered his congratulations, albeit insincerely.
Xie Hongchen greeted him with a fist salute and said, “Lord Di, you’re too kind. With your esteemed presence today, the Yuhu Immortal Sect is truly honored…” He paused abruptly, his entire being frozen in place.
He had seen Huang Rang behind Di Yiqiu.
Huang Rang had dressed meticulously for their outing today. Her long hair was adorned with flowers, and the ends hung loosely, secured with three strands of pearl chains. Silver-white floral hairpins adorned her forehead, enhancing her beautiful features like a lotus emerging from the water. She wore a light golden dress that accentuated her fair and translucent skin, and her slender waist and graceful movements made her appear as delicate as a gentle breeze caressing flowers.
Xie Hongchen was a person accustomed to beauty, but at that moment, it was as if someone had punched him in the heart.
Master Xie forgot the rest of his words.
Di Yiqiu noticed that he had stopped speaking abruptly and found it quite strange. Following Xie Hongchen’s gaze, he saw Huang Rang standing there with a radiant smile.
Di Yiqiu simply couldn’t believe his eyes. The legendary Xie Hongchen is so young and already widely renowned.
Who would have thought that this person would be so lecherous?
Di Yiqiu frowned and reminded him, “Master Xie.”
His three cold words were meant to bring back Xie Hongchen’s wandering soul.
“Cough.” Xie Hongchen had just returned to his senses, and Huang Rang floated gracefully forward, giving a slight bow to Xie Hongchen. “Greetings to Master Xie.”
The just-restored soul of Master Xie once again drifted away aimlessly from its place.
Di Yiqiu was thoroughly displeased!
Haha he’s jealous!😂😂