HITA Chapter 25

“Sect Master, it’s time to wake up!” Mulan looked at Shi Shuiyue, who was wrapped up like a silkworm cocoon in bed, and gently patted the ‘cocoon’.

“…” No movement at all.

“Sect Master!”  Mulan’s mouth twitched—Sect Master must change her bad habit of sleeping in!

“…” The blanket moved slightly, and then stopped again.

“…” Mulan’s expression instantly darkened.

Bang!

Shi Shuiyue stared at the swollen bump on her forehead in the mirror, and then glanced at Mulan, who was combing her hair with a bright smile on her face. Then she quietly took out and nibbled on the steamed bun that she had secretly hidden last night. 

Mhm, it was a bit stiff—Shi Shuiyue thought with an expressionless face. Freshly steamed buns were indeed tastier.

“Sect Master, try my freshly cooked Laba congee. Let me tell you—I’ve been stewing this Laba congee¹rice porridge with nuts and dried fruit eaten on the 8th day of the 12th lunar month for 49 hours, so the taste must be superb!” Muqing kicked open the door and ran inside with a pot of unknown substance in her hands. Shi Shuiyue seemed to be able to see some black steam drifting out. 

Shi Shuiyue looked at Muqing, showed her the half-eaten steamed bun with an expressionless face, and said, “Thanks for your hard work, but I’m full already. You should share it with the townsfolk.” Sorry everybody!

Muqing replied regretfully, “Alright, but I’ll leave a bowl for you, Sect Master.” After she said that, she ran outside with the ‘Laba congee’. 

Shi Shuiyue: “…” Oh my god.

Mulan, who just finished combing Shi Shuiyue’s hair, laughed out loud unreservedly. 

“Oh right, Mulan, I left a bowl for you too. No need to thank me—we’re best buds!” Muqing suddenly popped her head into the room and said as she looked at Mulan gleefully. 

Mulan: “…” Who was best buds with you ah?!

Thus, on that day, the townsfolk of Yuehua City all fought for the toilet. 

That day was also the most profitable day for toilet plumbers.

Shi Shuiyue slowly walked out of the outhouse and looked up to see Muqing with a bright smile on her face. Then she quietly walked around her. 

“Hey, Sect Master, where are you going?!” Muqing hastily caught up to her. 

“I’m going out for a walk. You don’t have to follow me.” Shi Shuiyue rubbed her tummy as she walked—it was probably better if she got some medicine from the pharmacy. 

“Okay!” Muqing agreed. Then, as if she had thought of something, she added, “I’ll have dinner ready by the time you return!”

Shi Shuiyue staggered upon hearing her words. 

Muqing thought that she had tripped over something and reminded her, “Sect Master, watch where you’re going!”

Shi Shuiyue: “…”

Oh heavens—could someone come to capture this demon?!

How exactly did the original host endure her food ah?!

 ——

“Oh—this is yummy!” After swallowing a mouthful of Laba congee, Shi Shuiyue’s eyes immediately glowed. 

“Is it really that good?” The handsome man sitting across from Shi Shuiyue also took a bite and couldn’t help but think that it was strange—it clearly tasted like a very ordinary eight treasure congee²rice porridge made with various ingredients such as red bean, lotus seeds, dried longan, red dates, nuts, etc.. 

“Yes, it’s much better than the ones that Muqing makes!” Shi Shuiyue nodded fiercely. 

When the handsome man heard the unfamiliar name ‘Muqing’, he couldn’t help but ask, “Who’s this Muqing?”

Shi Shuiyue swallowed a big mouthful of Laba congee and revealed a satisfied expression as she said, “My former subordinate!” 

“Oh…” Wasn’t she just an ordinary student? How could she have subordinates? The handsome man quietly looked at Shi Shuiyue, who was clearly in a good mood, and felt as if something just striked the soft spot of his heart. He let out a soft sigh, and then unconsciously touched Shi Shuiyue’s fluffy hair with his hand. 

“Mhm…” Shi Shuiyue, who was currently enjoying the food, was too busy to mind him and gave up resisting after struggling slightly.

The handsome man looked at her dotingly. Forget it—he would protect her no matter what, and other things didn’t matter. 

“Mhm, why are you in a daze? If you don’t eat, I’m going to finish everything!” After Shi Shuiyue said that, she reached out to take his bowl of eight treasure congee. Unfortunately, her arm was too short to reach it, so she had to stand up and reach over the table to get it.

The handsome man looked down at Shi Shuiyue, who was very close to him, and his gaze gradually became gentle. 

“Eat slowly—there’s more.”

 ——

“Oh gosh!”

“The person inside needs to hurry up. I’m still waiting to see the doctor!”

“Move over—everyone move—someone fainted here!”

Shi Shuiyue looked at the tightly packed hospital, and then looked at the seemingly suffering townsfolk. Then she quietly rubbed her tummy and walked away.

It was very busy at the hospital today.

She walked along the path of the bridge. There was a crystal-clear lake below the bridge, and several red carps could be seen folicking in the water. 

A small boat drifted from afar on the lake. The boatman lifted his straw hat and looked at Shi Shuiyue with a sincere smile, “Miss, do you want a ride on the boat?” Shi Shuiyue nodded, and then stepped onto the small boat. 

The small boat slowly moved along the direction of the water, and the warm sunshine shone on Shi Shuiyue. Shi Shuiyue felt the warmth of the sunshine and felt as if the discomfort that she had just experienced had disappeared. 

“Miss, you must not be from around here, right?” The boatman chatted with Shi Shuiyue cordially.

Shi Shuiyue nodded and said, “I just arrived at Yuehua City recently.”

The boatman smiled and said, “No wonder you look somewhat unfamiliar.” 

Shi Shuiyue became interested and asked curiously, “Oh—it seems as if you know everyone in this city.”

When the boatman heard her words, he chortled and said, “That’s right, I know everyone in this city!”

Shi Shuiyue smiled slightly and said, “Then do you know which shop’s pastries are more delicious?” She was a bit hungry. 

The boatman thought about it and replied, “If it’s pastries, then Miss Ran’s red bean cake is the most delicious pastry that I have ever tasted!”

“Red bean cake.” Shi Shuiyue blinked and asked, “You guys actually have red beans here?” But she knew that red beans didn’t appear in this world. Even Delicacies Pavillion didn’t have any food containing red beans, so how was it possible for someone to make red bean cakes in such a small place like Yuehua City?

The boatman looked at Shi Shuiyue with an enigmatic expression and said, “In fact, I have never heard of red beans, but Miss Ran said that the beans were edible. She also said that they were called red beans and there were a lot of them in the Sun Moon Forest. However, only Miss Ran can make red bean cakes and there’s an exceeding demand for them now. I was only fortunate enough to eat it once, and the taste…”

“Wait.” Shi Shuiyue interjected, “What’s Sun Moon Forest?”

Speaking of this matter, the boatman immediately became interested and explained in detail.

Besides the Yuehua Pagoda, the most famous thing in Yuehua City should be the Sun Moon Forest. There was a lake in the Sun Moon Forest called the Sun Moon Lake. It was said that one could see the sun and the moon appear at the same time at night on the 15th of each month. Thus the Sun Moon Forest became a popular dating spot for couples. 

However, those who went to see the moon on that night would undoubtedly get sick the next day. The temperature in the Sun Moon Forest would become extremely low at night, and even the entire forest would become an ice field—completely lifeless.

Shi Shuiyue commented, “That is quite strange.” There must be something peculiar about that place.

Seeing that Shi Shuiyue seemed to be interested, the boatman hastily said, “Don’t go there to look at the moon at night. The temperature in the Sun Moon Forest has become increasingly unstable lately, and some people even froze into ice as soon as they entered the forest. Had they not been discovered by someone early the next day, they would have lost their lives!”

“Mhm.” Shi Shuiyue answered, “I understand. Thank you.”

“No need, no need. Where do you want to go now?”

“Please take me to…the west side of the city.” Shi Shuiyue lowered her head to look at the compass in her hands and said. 

“Alright!” The boatman replied. 

The small boat glided through the steady patterns of ripples on the surface of the water. 

  ——

“Phew—” Ran Shu wiped the sweat on her forehead with her hands, and then put away the finished red bean cakes to sell the next day. 

“Miss Ran.” A familiar voice suddenly sounded from outside the door. Ran Shu turned her head to look at him and said with a smile, “What’s the matter, my big client?” Mu Xingzhi was truly a VIP client ah! Most of her red bean cakes were brought by Mu Xingzhi!

Mu Xingzhi was somewhat embarrassed and said, “That…”

Ran Shu, on the other hand, patted Mu Xingzhi’s shoulder as if they were good buddies, “If you have something to say, then just say it. I definitely won’t hesitate to help you even if I have to climb up a mountain of swords and dive down a sea of fire!”

“Miss Ran’s words are too serious!” Mu Xingzhi, who was a man from the ancient times, was frightened by her words, and hurriedly said, “I just wanted to invite Miss Ran to the auction house.”

“Auction house?” It was Ran Shu’s first time hearing about this, so she asked as she looked at Mu Xingzhi in confusion, “What’s that?”

Mu Xingzhi explained, “The auction house is a place where one can buy rare items.”

“Oh!” Ran Shu immediately understood, “Alright, I should also give myself a day off!” Then she should rest for a day tomorrow! 

“Mhm.” Mu Xingzhi replied with a smile. 

“Oh right, Miss Ran, the person that you asked me to investigate turned out to be the eldest young master of the Tang Family!” Speaking of this matter, Mu Xingzhi was also shocked. The Tang Family was a well-known clan in the Jianghu, so why would they target a weak young girl?

Ran Shu: “…” A weak young girl…yep, that was her! Young hero³I think this is a reference to a song.…ah, not this…she was a cute and pretty young girl ah!

“The Tang Family? Are they really that powerful?” Ran Shu asked dejectedly.

Mu Xingzhi nodded and said, “Of course…”

The sound of the two people talking occasionally sounded in the room.

Bang

Tang Xing withdrew his hand and glanced at the tree that had been split into pieces. With his back facing Ling, he asked, “She escaped to Yuehua City?”

Upon seeing this, Ling immediately kneeled on one knee, “Yes, this subordinate is useless!” 

Everything became quiet in an instant. After a long time, Tang Xing emotionlessly said, “Then let her go for now.”

Tang Xing walked back to his room and returned to his busy and boring work. He must acquire Wulin League during this time so that he would have the ability to protect the people who he wanted to protect. 

But he didn’t know how she was doing. With this thought in mind, Tang Xing couldn’t help but stop what he was doing. 

It had been some time since he had paid attention to matters regarding Shi Shuiyue. He wanted to handle the situation here before going to find her. Moreover, he wanted to give Shi Shuiyue some time to think things over because he wouldn’t let her be so relaxed afterwards.