Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 728 The Mermaid Palace's Touch of Red (Bonus chapter for Alliance Leader [Ordinary Passing By Wishing Lamp])
Pei Ye knew that this farewell had another meaning for her: it was a daughter saying goodbye to her mother.

She was reluctant to leave everything here and was eager to drive away the Prince of Yan's mansion, so that she could solemnly hand it all over to the young man... because everything she saw here was imbued with her mother's tender emotions.

She was composed of mirage blood and unicorn blood. Losing mirage blood meant parting from that half of her bloodline and losing all connection with her mother.

Pei Ye raised his hand and gently hugged her shoulder.

“People aren’t connected by blood,” Pei Ye said softly. “Don’t be sad.”

Li Xizhou lowered his eyes and remained silent, while Pei Ye continued softly, "I have no blood relation with Grandpa Yue. I only learned about his life on the day he died, but I never felt that I was getting further and further away from him."

"Because no matter what I do, I think about him. There are some things he taught me, and some things he never did or mentioned, but it's strange, when I think about them, it's like I can see what he would do."

"Later, when I arrived in Shenjing, I found that not everyone liked Grandpa Yue. Zhu Zhezi was such a nice person, but he didn't seem to like him much either... But I don't think I can change that." Pei Ye looked into the distance. "I think that maybe when a person grows up with someone or thinks about someone, they will carry that person's scent. It can't be changed."

He paused for a moment: "Every time I think about this 'unchangeable' situation, I feel warm and safe. When people who hate him also hate you, and people who like him also like you, even if you can't find any trace of him, you can still realize the indelible connection between you and him."

“So ‘blood’ is not the connection between people, but ‘the road’ is.” Pei Ye said softly, “You said goodbye to her shadow, but in fact you chose the same road as her, and the connection between you should be closer... If one day you can no longer see her shadow, it may mean that you have already surpassed her.”

After speaking, there was silence for a long time. Pei Ye lowered his head and saw Li Xizhou leaning on his shoulder, quietly watching him.

The tear stains at the corners of her eyes had been wiped away by the water.

"Do you often think about these things?" she asked.

"I think about it often."

Li Xizhou paused for a moment: "You didn't kill Yong Ji in the Mermaid Palace, are you still bothered by it?"

"..." Pei Ye didn't speak, gazing at the flowing sky.

“I should have killed him,” he said. “If only I hadn’t overused the name of God. Only by giving him the opportunity to kill me could I have killed him.”

"Because you think that's what it means to be on the same path as Yue Muzhou?"

Pei Ye trembled slightly, turned her head to meet the pair of eyes so close to her shoulder, and looked at him quietly.

"……Yes."

As if those eyes had pierced his heart, Pei Ye revealed this tenderness for the first time. He lowered his eyes and said, "Grandpa Yue and I have never had the title of master and disciple. He never told me anything and only taught me one sword technique... I think he doesn't like taking on disciples. Maybe he considers me family, but he may not have thought about 'walking the same path' with me."

“Since leaving Fenghuai, many people have asked me where I learned my teacher, and I have always answered that I have no teacher.” He said softly, “He is a lone wolf who cares neither heaven nor earth. The Daoist Master did not keep him before, and I did not keep him last year either. He never thought of leaving any ties in the human world... I dare not claim to be his successor.”

Pei Ye paused for a moment: "The only entrustment he left me was to take revenge on the Prince of Yan's mansion."

So he has indeed always valued this matter. Although he didn't show it on his face, he actually found it hard to accept that he didn't kill Yong Ji this time.

Li Xizhou looked at him: "But Yue Muzhou didn't tell me that."

"……what?"

Li Xizhou said, "Yue Muzhou has always told me that you are his beloved disciple and successor."

Pei Ye stared at her in a daze; the woman's face was clean and earnest.

“Wh-when...at Mingyue Palace, he also said that he would never teach disciples.” Pei Ye was stunned.

Li Xizhou smiled: "Perhaps things changed later... or maybe he changed his mind about you."

She tilted her head back, as if recalling: "I showed you the first letter we exchanged. After that, we kept in touch often. I was lonely at that time, and knowing that he and my mother were old friends, I felt very close to him and loved to ask him many things. And every time we talked about his recent situation, he would always mention you to me."

Pei Ye stared at her blankly.

Li Xizhou smiled and said, "What are you daydreaming about?"

"What did he say about me?"

“What’s there to say at your age?” Li Xizhou laughed. “It’s just a bunch of tired old phrases.”

"what?"

“Let me think… I’ll say you’re of excellent character, handsome, and loyal—you’d make a wonderful friend…” Li Xizhou pretended to think, “Anyway, I didn’t mention anything about you wetting the bed…”

"You can just send it to me from [Heart-to-Heart] to take a look."

"But it's not easy to scroll up the [Heartstrings] page now."

"Why?" Pei Ye frowned as he looked at the woman, who smiled back at him.

After two breaths, Pei Ye's face gradually turned red.

He turned his head.

A statement emerged from [understanding].

【Xizhou, I entrust Pei Ye to you. He is my only family and beloved disciple. For over fifty years I have been alone, and after my death I will leave nothing but this child. For eighteen years, he has been my only life, and I have been his only life. When I die, he will have nothing left. Yue Muzhou bows in gratitude.】

"These were the last words he passed on to me." Li Xizhou looked at the stunned boy and said gently, "I think whether you kill Yong Ji or not, or even if you can't avenge him, it won't affect your place in his heart."

Pei Ye was caught off guard when he saw these words. His nose and eyes stung at the same time, and he stared at the woman intently.

Li Xizhou tilted his head, smiling as he muttered to himself, "We've really turned so many pages."

Pei Ye was feeling sentimental when she heard this, and her ears turned red again. She glared at her, embarrassed and annoyed, and said, "Don't keep bringing this up."

Li Xizhou smiled and pursed his lips, remaining silent.

The two were silent for a moment, then she whispered, "Why did you send me so many words? In short paragraphs."

"..."

"Hmm? Go ahead and say it."

Pei Ye stared blankly into the distance and said indifferently, "I suspect you actually saw it, but you just didn't reply."

"I'll definitely reply when I see it," Li Xizhou said with a gentle smile.

"Hmm... anyway, it's not all what I really think, so don't look anymore." Pei Ye turned her head away.

Li Xizhou said leisurely, "When I have time, I will read it carefully, word by word."

Pei Ye glared at her again, but Li Xizhou just smiled.

Silence fell between them, with only water brushing against their temples. After a long while, Li Xizhou lowered his head and gently grasped his wrist: "Pei Ye, I won't laugh at you."

"..."

“I knew it all along. Although people call you the Killer Star, you are actually sensitive and soft-hearted.” Li Xizhou said softly, gently holding his wrist. “I’m so glad to see you talk to me so much. I will always cherish this. Yue Muzhou once said that you and I would definitely become best friends, and I have always believed it.”

Pei Ye felt a sudden shiver run through his heart. He turned his head away sullenly and said, "You're good at playing both sides, making it hard to tell what's real and what's fake."

Li Xizhou opened his almond-shaped eyes wide, as if he had been wronged: "I have never lied to you."

Pei Ye turned around and met her beautiful eyes, her heart skipped a beat: "You look like you love to lie."

"...What do you mean by 'appearance is deceiving'?" she laughed. "What kind of appearance is deceiving?"

“...The way you are," Pei Ye said in a muffled voice, “it seems like you can see right through me.”

After he finished speaking, the woman fell silent. Pei Ye looked into those eyes so close to hers, beautiful and gentle, with a ripple of water within them. She whispered, "I can be very well-behaved too."

Pei Ye suddenly stopped breathing.

He pursed his lips and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "...I'm getting a little angry again now."

Li Xizhou was stunned: "What?"

Before she could react, Pei Yetou pressed down on her, pushing her against the tree trunk behind him and covering her lips with his.

Only then did Li Xizhou remember that he had said, "If you're still angry, I'll give you another kiss." He was both annoyed and amused.

She gently pushed the boy's shoulder, but it didn't stop him from pressing down on her, so she had no choice but to grab his clothes.

The boy said he was angry, but he wasn't really angry. His breath was close to his mouth, and he tentatively kissed and bit him, gently and slowly deepening the kiss.

The mirage was peaceful, the trees were dark and quiet, and he tasted the woman's lips with a mixture of awkwardness and earnestness.

Li Xizhou thus got to know him a little better. Although the boy was clumsy and awkward in matters of the heart, he was never actually timid.

He has always been incredibly audacious, in everything he does.

(End of this chapter)