Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 776 Fish-eating fantasies
Ming Qitian leaned against the railing, the night candles flickering in the rain on the terrace, and the long stream below flowed far into the vast West Pond.

Perhaps because of their conversation, Pei Ye seemed to be able to see her relaxation and comfort. He leaned on the railing, watching the wind blow through her hair and clothes, as if it were carrying the woman up into the night sky.

"What are you looking at?" Ming Qitian lowered her eyes to look at him.

“…Miss Ming, you say you don’t care…don’t care that I’ve become cluttered with thoughts, that I’ve become scheming and calculating.” Pei Ye pursed her lips. “Then what do you care about? If Miss Ming sees everything so clearly, how am I any different from everyone else?”

Ming Qitian was slightly taken aback, as if she was thinking for a while for the first time.

Pei Ye looked at her.

"There's no difference, is there?"

"what?"

"Food, lust, obsession, doubt—today we meet, and everything you reveal is no different from what other people in the world do. I am one of them."

Ming Qitian looked at him: "However, everyone in the world is different from others. You are not particularly unique, but you are also unique, and I just happen to want to talk to this unique you."

"...What makes me unique?"

“Perhaps it’s the part of you that makes you who you are,” Ming Qitian said. “From my perspective, I’m willing to trust you, perhaps because we were once kindred spirits… But actually, even before that, I had a feeling that in a certain situation where you had to renounce the world, you would be the kind of person who would make that kind of choice.”

"What situation, and which choice?"

Ming Qitian tilted her head: "I don't know either."

"..."

"In short, as long as you don't change, you will always be Pei Ye. As for why you are who you are, you'll have to find out for yourself in the future."

Pei Ye paused for a moment, then said, "Oh."

“Miss Ming, you just said that you are one of them. Do you also have these worldly desires and emotions?” Pei Ye changed the order of her forearms, still slightly taken aback.

“I’m a human being too,” Ming Qitian said.

"……right."

Pei Ye realized he had asked a silly question. Miss Ming could eat pears, play cards, and play the flute... She also had her own emotions and preferences.

Moreover, she never hides it; if she likes something, she likes it; if she doesn't care, she doesn't care. It's just that her heart is like a vast ocean, so these things are like gentle ripples on a calm lake. Therefore, people who are far away often think that this ethereal woman has no human emotions whatsoever.

“Miss Ming, since you don’t care, let me have another heart-to-heart talk with you.” Pei Ye switched the position of her left and right arms again. “Actually, since I came to the capital, there has been something very different.”

"Ah."

“Miss Ming, you’re right. I’m… I’m a bit lustful now,” Pei Ye said softly. “A few days ago, I did become quite intimate with a woman.”

"So that's how you learn to flatter."

"Oh, Miss Ming, listen to me... never mind, tell me... what is love, and what is desire?"

Ming Qitian looked at him and said, "I don't have much experience with this."

"..."

"Your ears turn red as soon as you talk about this, which is quite cute."

“Oh dear. It’s just that, ever since I entered Shenjing, I’ve been having more and more… that kind of impulse.” Pei Ye looked down at the railing. “I didn’t have this before… or maybe just a little bit. The problem is… before, when I was with Piao Qing, I liked her a lot, but I didn’t really want to be with her… umm. But now, I had this irrepressible impulse first, and then I felt Xizhou’s amazing charm more and more, and then I liked her more and more… This is different from meeting Xizhou first, and then slowly liking her in my heart, and then… Miss Ming, do you understand?”

"You are troubled by the desires of your own body."

“…Hmm.” The woman was right; Pei Ye’s ears did indeed turn even redder.

“You don’t have to hate your body,” Ming Qitian said earnestly. “For me, since I cultivated the Ice and Snow Body, all my physical ailments and pains have disappeared. Although I haven’t lost my senses, my body will never urge me to do anything. But for you, your body and emotions are intertwined, and your emotions and desires are also intertwined. You don’t have to pursue any pure and clean emotions. There is both emotional connection and desire between you and your partner, which is very normal.”

Pei Ye was stunned: "...I see."

“Hmm, I think so,” Ming Qitian said, then thought for a moment, “Your partner does share a name with that Prince Jinyang.”

"It's her."

"I see."

"Ah."

The night rain was refreshing, and the spring breeze was pleasant. After filling the void of the past six months of separation with words, the vague barrier between him and the woman seemed to have disappeared.

Pei Ye turned his head and took a deep breath, then straightened up—as if he had done something terribly wrong by whispering those words to Miss Ming, and now he was going to kick that version of himself away and never admit it—stretching his hands into the night rain, and said solemnly, “Miss Ming, since you have an appetite, wouldn’t you like to eat something?”

"Didn't you say you were going to get up early tomorrow to eat?"

“Because I didn’t think of that just now,” Pei Ye said. “Do you remember when we were in the Kongtong Cave, we ate a kind of white fish that was cold? Did you like it?”

"It's very sweet and clean, with a chewy and tender texture, and tastes great."

"Shall we eat another one now?"

Ming Qitian asked curiously, "Where can we find such a cold pool at this time? Does Shenjing also have such a cold pool?"

Pei Ye laughed: "Isn't Fang Xiaochi in the backyard? Let's go fish him out."

After saying this, he tugged at the woman's sleeve, picked up some jade plates, knives, and chopsticks, and went downstairs.

The small pond in the backyard was only three zhang in diameter, dotted with circles and dots. Pei Ye placed the porcelain in his hand on the table, and Ming Qitian looked at it: "There are no cold fish in this."

Pei Ye smiled smugly: "Miss Ming, did you look carefully? You really don't have any?"

The woman naturally noticed his hidden trick, but she still shook her head and said calmly, "I really didn't see it."

"If I manage to catch one, what reward will Miss Ming give me?"

"What reward do you want?"

Pei Ye thought for a moment, and then said casually, "Then, please have Miss Ming cut the fish for me."

"Last time you were the one who peeled off the scales and bones, this time it's my turn."

"Okay." Pei Ye smiled, squatted down by the pool, scooped up a handful of water to wash his hands, and then put his hands back into the pool.

Without a net, he smiled and stirred the water. Suddenly, there was a splash in the pond, clear water gushing out. He stood up, holding a fresh, tender white fish in his hand. "Miss Ming, how is it?"

Ming Qitian was slightly taken aback, but after a moment she understood: "Is this your newly acquired [White Water] Immortal Power?"

“Not bad.” Pei Ye tapped the fish to its death and laughed, “Miss Ming, you can come to me for any kind of seafood you want to eat in the future.”

"So you're a fishmonger." Ming Qitian smiled faintly and took the fish.

Pei Ye sat cross-legged on the stone, watching the woman somewhat clumsily skin and debone the scaled creature, then summoned a glass table and laid out slices of fresh, tender fish meat.

The black cat brought some sauce and sake and leaped onto the bluestone.

Pei Ye picked up a slice of fish and put it into the kitten's open mouth, then rolled up another slice and placed it on the woman's plate: "Miss Ming, have you never killed a fish before?"

“Never.” Ming Qitian’s body was free of fishy smells, as if she were a natural-born helper in handling fish.

Last time, the woman was weak and hungry in the mountains, and Pei Ye prepared a whole fish for her. This time, it was the other way around. Pei Ye kept eating, while Ming Qitian only occasionally tasted a piece, and most of the time she rested her chin on her hand and quietly watched him.

After a moment, she suddenly said, "I think I'm starting to understand your sword stance, [Sleeve Tiger]."

Pei Ye paused, then raised her eyes.

“This is something I’ve never seen before, so I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” Ming Qitian said. “But now I’ve figured it out a bit. This isn’t a technique that just appeared out of thin air. In fact, if we trace its origins and lineage, we can find similar explorations in terms of ‘Sword of My Sensation,’ ‘Heart Sword Connection,’ ‘Closing the Seven Souls and Opening the Sword Gate,’ etc. However, this is the first time I’ve achieved such amazing results.”

Pei Ye's lips moved slowly again: "Cui Zhaoye—the one who helped me complete this sword form before—also mentioned these things, but I didn't quite understand them at the time."

“That means she also studied and researched deeply in the sword manual before she obtained this treasure,” Ming Qitian continued. “It manifests the uniqueness of the ‘heart’ through the sword, making it a real power that can influence the world. It has nothing to do with any sword moves, and probably belongs to the same category as the ‘Sword Realm’.”

"Miss Ming's 'Seven Luminaries Sword Realm'? What kind of sword is it?"

Ming Qitian said, "It means not to exert power through swordsmanship, but to embrace the magic of the sword itself and extend it in other directions to exert its power. This method is very rare and precious in the world, and is often a secret passed down by high-ranking families."

"I really want to thank Miss Cui for passing on the knowledge to me." Pei Ye thought to himself that organizing a hobby club was just a trivial matter.

“It was you who helped her complete it,” Ming Qitian said. “You were probably the first to remove the [Sword Form], and only the [Sword Form] in your hand has such miraculous power.”

"Is that so?"

“Hmm.” Ming Qitian still looked at him intently, her eyes reflecting the boy’s chewing face, and said slowly, “The reason you were able to take the [Sleeve Tiger] is because ‘sharpness’ is the most prominent aspect of your heart. From Fenghuai, from Xincang Mountain, all the way to Shenjing, it has always been like this. Seeking a chance to kill with a single sword in the narrowest gap is actually your anger towards this world.”

Pei Ye paused, and the black cat beside him snatched the fish from his chopsticks.

Ming Qitian still said, "It is your cry to the world, it is the transformation you want to make to this world."

Pei Ye was taken aback: "What does Miss Ming mean?"

“I think your heart isn’t just about these things,” Ming Qitian said. “There’s also a part of your heart that’s not about the world or other people, but only about yourself.”

Pei Ye stopped picking at the fish and just stared at the woman.

"Is Miss Ming helping me find another side of my heart?"

“Hmm.” Ming Qitian looked at him. “Especially after this meeting, I saw it more clearly. Although you are extremely sharp and unyielding on the outside, what you pursue on the inside is an unattainable tranquility.”

“…Miss Ming, I don’t understand.”

"You have already arrived. The Heart Sword [Reflecting Me] is the result of such a pursuit."

"That time it was mostly because of Miss Ming... Without experiencing the [Clear Mirror of Ice], I couldn't reach that level either," Pei Ye said. "It was Miss Ming's help."

"I can help you this time too."

"……what?"

Ming Qitian gazed at him quietly: "Talking heart-to-heart and playing swordsmanship, I think these are all preparations for this aspect of your heart. You have already learned to wear some masks and have some shrewdness, because you will not always be a boy, nor will you always wield a chilling sword."

"..."

"You are learning to sheathe it."

Pei Ye paused for a moment, then asked, "What do you mean by saying all this, Miss Ming?"

“I think you can condense a second ‘sword form’.” Ming Qitian looked at him seriously, “a sword form completely different from [Sleeve Tiger].

Pei Ye was completely stunned: "A second 'Sword Form'?"

"Ah."

"..." Pei Ye was stunned. The black cat took the opportunity to lower its head and eat all the fish meat on Liuli. Liuli flew up and gratefully rubbed against it, then flew into the pond to wash its body.

“Because besides the Shenjing Martial Arts Examination, you also have to participate in the Feather Scale Trial. You can never be too well-prepared,” Ming Qitian said. “Is that Miss Cui in Shenjing? Perhaps we could invite her over for a chat.”

Pei Ye nodded: "I understand."

Pei Ye recalled the first time he took off the [Sword State]. Touching the essence of the "sword" and taking off the [Sleeve Tiger] were actually two steps, with the former being close to the foundation of the latter.

At this moment, he recounted his feelings and details to the woman, and the two discussed the landing point of the second sword strike. Before they knew it, dawn had broken.

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the main entrance.

"..."

Pei Ye and the woman looked at each other, then stood up, walked to the front yard, and opened the door.

It was Qi Zhaohua, holding a black silk brocade document with gold lettering in her hand, with a carriage behind her: "Young Master Pei, what brings you here?"

"...I'm entertaining friends, is there anything I can help you with, Layman Qi?"

"As instructed by my benefactor, I have delivered an invitation to Young Hero Pei." Qi Zhaohua said earnestly, "Seven days from now, Prince Yongji of Yan will marry the Sixth Prince Li Youlong. A grand banquet will be held in the capital, and many people will attend. My benefactor said that if Young Hero Pei is tired from practicing his sword, he can go and join in the fun."

"..." Pei Ye lowered his head and took it; it was indeed an invitation with intertwined floral patterns.

He chuckled, then smiled faintly, too lazy to even look at it: "Fine, I'll go take a look then."

"My Lady also said that in seven days, the blood test will be held. At that time, regardless of whether Young Master Pei is tired from sword practice, he will have to enter the palace with her."

"...Okay, I understand."

(End of this chapter)