"Hey, have you really started thinking of yourself as a mortal?"
Qingqing, feeling idle, followed behind Chu Xuan for half a day and finally couldn’t resist asking.
Chu Xuan, with a fortune-telling banner in hand, walked along the official road, occasionally glancing at the fertile fields on the roadside and the old farrs working in the distance.
"We’re not in a hurry. It’s a good ti to enjoy the scenery of the human world. If you’re in a rush, you could fly ahead first."
Qingqing finally stopped being careful and walked quickly up to him, saying: "No."
As the sky grew darker, Chu Xuan asked, "Qingqing, as a young maiden, isn’t it inappropriate for you to follow like this? How should we explain it when we stay at an inn later?"
"How many tis do I have to tell you? Don’t call Qingqing!"
Qingqing threatened: "If you keep calling that, don’t bla for being rude."
Chu Xuan calmly said: "In the phrase ’dear Qingqing,’ it’s ’Qingqing’ for affection; if I don’t call you Qingqing, who will?"
Qingqing beca more irritated. "What’s with all this affectionate this and that, calling Qingqing?"
"Chu Xuan, I’m warning you, if you take advantage of again, I’ll fight you right now."
Chu Xuan wasn’t scared, and simply explained seriously: "Once upon a ti, there was a famous scholar nad Wang Rong."
"His wife liked to call him ’Qing’ as a nickna."
"So Wang Rong said to her: Calling your husband ’Qing’ is disrespectful according to etiquette; don’t do it from now on."
"His wife replied: Because I am dear to you and love you, I call you ’Qing.’ If I don’t call you ’Qing,’ who should?"
Qingqing looked at Chu Xuan with a suspicious face, "Are you saying you’ve fallen in love with ?"
As she spoke, she extended her hand, "Then give that token as a love pledge, got it?"
Chu Xuan shook his head, "I just think the na Qingqing suits you, that’s all."
"If you’re unwilling, can we start over and get to know each other? This ti you have to tell your full na."
Qingqing hesitated for a mont, still reluctant to reveal her true identity.
With her surna and her demonic background, who she really was would be all too obvious.
"Anyway, my na rely has ’Qing’ in it, not Qingqing. From now on, you’re not allowed to call that unless you give that token."
Chu Xuan sighed, "Wanting to call you affectionately has such a high price."
Qingqing snorted softly, "Then don’t call if you have the guts."
"Alright, I’ll try to be careful. What should I call you then?"
Considering that he still needed to gather information, Chu Xuan temporarily restrained his desire to take advantage of her, as seeing her puffed up made him happy.
"Just call Qingniang, as I’ve said!" Qingqing confidently stated.
Chu Xuan shook his head, "Sounds too much like mother, let’s change it."
This ti, Qingqing wanted to take advantage of him, "It just sounds like it, the tone isn’t the sa; besides, being my son, does that wrong you?"
Seeing her looking smug, arms crossed over her chest, the warm places overflowing, Chu Xuan decided that enough was enough!
He smiled at Qingqing: "Hello, wife, may I ask your family na, given na, place of residence, and age, and whether you are married?"
"Go to hell!" Qingqing finally couldn’t stand it and slapped him, but Chu Xuan, who was prepared, dodged it imdiately.
As he jumped ahead, he turned back and laughed:
"You can’t win against when it cos to taking advantage. Let’s neither of us take advantage, shall we?"
"No way! I want you to call mother."
Qingqing puffed up and chased after him, vowing to give this sweet-talking rogue a good lesson.
But Chu Xuan’s figure was elusive, diving underground and reappearing, making Qingqing feel like she was playing whack-a-mole, always missing her target.
The two of them played and laughed all the way, finally arriving at a small city called Anping.
...
In a densely populated place, Chu Xuan dared not casually display his Divine Techniques, fearing it would cause chaos.
He finally managed to calm Qingqing down, and the two temporarily reconciled, postponing the score-settling until the next day on the road.
Despite this, Qingqing still had a furious look, as if she wanted to eat Chu Xuan alive.
Chu Xuan had no choice but to carefully coax her a bit, lest others think he was a kidnapper who had induced so rich family’s young lady to run off.
After entering the city, there happened to be a peddler selling candied snacks along the street. Chu Xuan approached and bought a pack of candied polo peel for Qingqing, saying it would soothe her throat and cool her down.
This kind of snack was sweet with a hint of sourness and not overly sugary like candied winter lon. It was Qingqing’s first ti trying it, and she quite liked it after one piece.
Of course, she didn’t show it, rely storing the remaining pieces away while still pretending to be angry.
Next, the two found an inn to lodge.
The shopkeeper was quite enthusiastic, "Two esteed guests, are you here for a al or staying the night?"
"Both."
"May I ask how the two of you are addressed?"
Chu Xuan felt a bit puzzled, "Is it so strict? Why ask for the guests’ nas just to stay at an inn?"
The middle-aged shopkeeper had his own troubles, "Recently several people have gone missing in the city, and the authorities are investigating strictly. We who run businesses have no choice, we hope you two understand."
Chu Xuan nodded, "Anonymous."
The shopkeeper was montarily stunned and looked at the lady guest.
Qingqing maintained a cold deanor, "No Questions."
The shopkeeper was stunned again, murmuring under his breath, "So mysterious?"
Chu Xuan laughed heartily, "Just write it down, ’Anonymous’ and ’No Questions.’"
It suddenly dawned on him, and he slapped his forehead, "Silly , silly ."
As he was writing, the shopkeeper asked again, "What is the relationship between you two?"
"Husband and wife," Chu Xuan blurted out, to prevent Qingqing from jumping in with "mother and son" later on.
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