Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 295, Section 294: Business with Wan Laiqiu

Feng Xiuhu curled his lip in disdain: "I'm not trying to criticize you, but Lao Wan, you're supposed to be a temple lord, how come you're acting like a lackey? If I were you, I'd have the Marriage Temple exchange something of equal value for it."

Wan Laiqiu wasn't angry. He shook his head and said, "The other party is also a temple lord. We all belong to the same temple. The Marriage Temple and the Wind and Rain Temple have this kind of relationship. It's just a small favor. Why make things awkward for each other?"

Feng Xiuhu didn't care about how the temples interacted; he went straight to the point: "Tell me first, what good things did the Temple of Marriage give out?"

Wan Laiqiu smiled helplessly: "A high-grade magic artifact, a Beauty Manual, and a Thousand Miles of Affection Tree—well, although this isn't a magic artifact, its value is comparable to a high-grade one. These two items are the main prize. Apart from that, there are some insignificant items, such as five Youth Preservation Mirrors, ten bundles of Love-Sickness Red Threads, and a number of talismans and pills."

Feng Xiuhu had never heard of or recognized any of these things, but just hearing that the most valuable item was a high-level magic artifact, he knew that Wan Laiqiu had suffered a huge loss.

He couldn't help but wonder—what could he get in return if he handed over the Double Happiness Cup to Vadrajo?

Just then, a voice in his mind suddenly said, "Exchange with him for the Beauty Manual and the Youth-Preserving Mirror."

Feng Xiuhu still trusted Shi very much when it came to things that brought him benefits.

So he nodded and said, "Then you don't need to give me any other compensation. I'll just pick from these."

Wan Laiqiu was taken aback: "What do you want?"

Feng Xiuhu made an outrageous demand: "I can't let you do this work for free. You can keep the talismans and pills, but I'll just take the rest."

Wan Laiqiu accidentally plucked a whisker from his beard: "You wish!"

Feng Xiuhu thought about it for a moment and realized that he did indeed want too much: "Then I'll leave the red thread for you too?"

Wan Laiqiu's face darkened: "Do you want to talk or not?"

Feng Xiuhu was too lazy to continue haggling and grinned at Wan Laiqiu: "I have to take one of the two most valuable items."

Wan Laiqiu immediately nodded: "Okay, here's the list of beauties for you."

Feng Xiuhu was taken aback—he hadn't even gotten to this point yet, so why had Wan Laiqiu spoken up for him first?

Is the tree actually the most valuable thing?
He couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is the 'Thousand Miles of Love Tree' for?"

Wan Laiqiu shook his head: "You don't need to worry about anything else, just know that it was something I asked for on behalf of the Empress."

So he had planned this all along.

Feng Xiuhu added, "I want a mirror too."

Wan Laiqiu glanced at him: "Do you even know what the Youth-Preserving Mirror is for? And you want it?"

Feng Xiuhu replied, "Mind your own business. I like looking in the mirror."

Wan Laiqiu pondered for a moment: "I'll give you one look at most."

He agreed readily, and Feng Xiuhu subconsciously felt he was being taken advantage of, so he immediately argued, "No, I want both sides."

Wan Laiqiu looked at him with incomprehension: "Isn't one side enough for you to take? Why do you have to take two?"

Feng Xiuhu sneered: "Is it wrong for me to be two-faced?"

Wan Laiqiu took a deep breath and raised his hand to stop the "negotiation": "Fine, that's it. It ends here. If you make any more demands, there's nothing left to talk about."

Feng Xiuhu thought it was alright; in the end, he even gained an extra mirror, so he nodded in agreement.

Wan Laiqiu told Feng Xiuhu to deliver the goods at this time tomorrow, and then prepared to send him away.

But just then, the door to the cabin suddenly opened.

The Goddess of Wind and Rain came out of the house. She still had that aloof and untouched appearance, but there was a hint of fatigue between her brows.

Feng Xiuhu and Wan Laiqiu both reacted quickly.

Wan Laiqiu immediately prostrated himself on the ground and knelt down to pay his respects.

Feng Xiuhu picked up the flowers on the table and walked over: "Look what I brought you!"

The Goddess of Wind and Rain glanced at the bouquet in front of her, her expression unchanged: "What is the meaning of this?"

Feng Xiuhu was taken aback: "Didn't you tell me to..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Goddess of Wind and Rain didn't even glance at him and walked straight past him.

She walked to the recliner, lay down, and closed her eyes to rest: "Take it far away and throw it away. Don't leave it in the yard to pollute my eyes. See the guest out." "Yes."

Wan Laiqiu kowtowed in response.

He waved his hand and flicked his sleeve at Feng Xiuhu, a strong gust of wind rushed towards him, pushing Feng Xiuhu backward.

The courtyard gate opened, and then slammed shut again after Feng Xiuhu retreated to the threshold.

It seems I've come at the wrong time.

Or perhaps it wasn't the timing that was wrong, but the person.

Feng Xiuhu casually tossed the flowers aside, showing no hesitation, and turned to leave.

……

Back home, Feng Xiuhu knocked on Gu Zhili's door again.

Gu Zhili was still angry and didn't open the door.

Feng Xiuhu had already suffered enough setbacks with women today, so he decided to give up and just let things slide.

He turned and went back to his bedroom, locked the door, and lay down on the bed, letting his consciousness sink into the spirit world.

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Chang Wei hitting Lai Fu.

I rubbed my eyes and saw clearly that it was actually the Eclipse and the Shadow Owl fighting each other.

The Eclipse's face was covered in bloody scratches, and its clothes were torn to shreds; the Shadow Owl was in no better shape, its rear end almost bald from the Eclipse's ravenous stalks, and its feathers flew wildly as it flapped its wings.

Feng Xiuhu went over to mediate the fight. He took out a ticket from his shirt pocket and stuck it on Shi's face: "You are being arrested on charges of abusing a nationally protected animal. You have the right to remain silent."

Then they covered the owl with a cage: "After your medical check-up, we'll send you to the zoo. You don't have bird flu, do you?"

The owl stretched out its wings and slapped Feng Xiuhu across the face: "Although I don't know what bird flu is, I know it's definitely not a nice thing to say."

Shi tore off the parking ticket and stuck it on the owl's forehead, then asked Feng Xiuhu, "Why am I not a protected animal?"

The owl immediately exclaimed, "Look at yourself! How do you look like an animal? You have hands and feet; you're clearly a human!"

Shi couldn't take it anymore: "That's because this is Dream Forest! I am whatever he thinks I am—"

Seeing that another argument was about to break out, Feng Xiuhu raised his hand to stop it: "Let me be the judge. What exactly happened?"

The owl spoke first: "He struck first!"

Erosion was just a second too slow, and his composure crumbled instantly. He lunged forward, ready to tear the owl apart: "I'll fight you to the death!"

Feng Xiuhu quickly stopped him: "This defendant, please speak."

With gritted teeth and eyes blazing with fury, he was absolutely enraged: "She—she clearly said she was going to give you nightmares—and I've had nightmares for three days straight!"

Feng Xiuhu looked at Yin Xiao.

The owl seemed a little unsure of itself, turning its head ninety degrees to look to the side: "Didn't he say he wasn't afraid...?"

Feng Xiuhu suddenly realized—no wonder he had been sleeping well these past few nights.

Shi was so angry he jumped up and down: "It's his business if he's not afraid! Why are you trying to scare me?"

Feng Xiuhu suddenly realized again: "So you're scared? What dream did you have? Tell me about it."

Shi fell silent again.

The owl sneered, "He dreamt that he was being roasted over a fire by Xi Jun..."

"Roar--!"

The Eclipse roared like a tiger and pounced on the Shadow Owl.

Seeing that things were not going well, the owl exploded into feathers with a bang and disappeared.

(End of this chapter)