The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 314 Fate and Destiny (3k)

Inside the gates of the Cui family mansion in Qinghe, since Zhang Miao was seen off yesterday.

Although Cui Shilu was filled with mixed emotions, he also felt that this was the most ordinary night he had slept in many years.
There's not much to say, but precisely because of that, it's quite peaceful.

Early this morning, he carefully washed up, ate breakfast, and dressed impeccably before coming to pay his respects to his aunt—the one who married into the Langya Wang clan and gave birth to Wang Chengsi.

At this time, his aunt had just finished breakfast, and his mother was also present.

Upon hearing of his sister's return yesterday, his mother made a special trip to keep her company and have a heart-to-heart talk; although the two were not related by blood, their affection was closer than that of sisters, and they even slept in the same bed last night. It was precisely because of this that Cui Shilu had always been close to this aunt.

Upon entering, Cui Shilu bowed respectfully and said, "Nephew greets Aunt!"

Upon seeing him enter, the noblewoman from the Cui family's eyes lit up immediately, and she hurriedly waved her hand, saying:

"My son, come here quickly, let your aunt take a good look at you."

Cui Shilu naturally followed her instructions and stepped forward. As soon as he got close, his aunt grabbed his hand and pulled him close to examine him closely.

Her fingertips were constantly rubbing his wrist, with noticeably more force than usual. And there seemed to be a slight, almost imperceptible tremor?

Cui Shilu felt a little strange, but he didn't think much of it, assuming that his aunt really missed him.

When Aunt Cui touched his sleeve, she suddenly raised an eyebrow and said:
"Although the sun has been scorching lately, it's not like the south here. It gets quite chilly at night. My son, your clothes are really too thin. How can you not add more lining?"

As she spoke, she looked up at Cui Shilu and smiled:
"A batch of Shu brocade has just arrived. It's top-quality imperial tribute. I'll send someone back to call the old women over to make you a few new clothes. Don't worry, I'll not only have them work overtime, but I'll also use the famous scissors from Yizhou. I guarantee it will be fast and good!"

“He is absolutely a perfect match for my son’s dashing good looks!”

Cui Shilu was slightly taken aback, and quickly bowed and said:

"Thank you for your concern, Aunt. I have warm clothes in my room, so there's no need for you to trouble yourself."

He felt that his aunt was unusually warm today. Although they were close in the past, she had never been so attentive to him in every way—even the thickness of his clothes and what material to use for his jacket. She was just as meticulous as his mother was to him when he was young.
The mother, who was holding a teacup, paused for a moment, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.

She had known this older sister for many years and knew that the older sister had always doted on Shilu, but today's intimacy seemed a bit excessive.

And just now, when the recording came in, my sister called out "My son" so urgently, as if she had been waiting for it for a long time.

Not to mention that she was holding Shi Lu's hand tightly and wouldn't let go, and when her eyes fell on Shi Lu's face, she seemed to be in a daze.

She couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong, but she had a feeling that something was definitely amiss.

Aunt Cui did not notice her sister-in-law's strange behavior and pulled Cui Shilu to sit on the soft couch next to her.

"You're always like this, always saying you don't need to worry, but how can an elder not worry? By the way, is there a girl you've taken a fancy to? Your father always says you're still young and need to be trained for a couple of years before talking about matchmakers."

"That won't do! You're at the age where you should be getting married. Tell your aunt, is there any girl you've taken a fancy to? If so, your aunt will go and check it out for you. If not, that's alright. There are so many good girls from the Five Surnames and Seven Families. Whichever family you like, your aunt will go and find one for you!"

Cui Shilu suddenly felt something was strange.

Why is my aunt worrying about this even more than my mother? Besides, isn't my cousin getting married soon? Aren't you busy with my cousin's affairs? Why are you asking about me?
This left him sitting beside his aunt, Cui, somewhat bewildered, his body stiffening. He wanted to withdraw his hand, but feared displeasing his aunt, so he could only vaguely agree:

"I understand, thank you for your concern, Aunt."

As he spoke, he secretly glanced at his mother and saw that she also seemed to be deep in thought.

He then knew that his mother must have also noticed his aunt's unusual behavior.

Aunt Cui, however, seemed completely unaware. She reached out and straightened Cui Shilu's collar, and when her hand accidentally touched his neck, she suddenly seemed to remember something, and her voice softened even more:
"I remember when you were little, you always followed me around, asking me to find you all sorts of strange and interesting things. Now that you're older, you don't come as often."

As she spoke, her voice grew increasingly low, and a fleeting, faint trace of melancholy flashed across her eyes, so fleeting as to be almost imperceptible.

Mother Cui put down her teacup and said tentatively:

"Sister, Shilu has a lot to do. Why don't you ask him to leave first, and he can come and keep you company when he's done?"

Aunt Cui came to her senses and smiled somewhat embarrassedly, but she did not let go of Cui Shilu's hand, only loosened her grip a little: "I just haven't seen him for a long time, so I always thought I'd give him a few more words of advice."

As she spoke, she turned to Cui Shilu and said, "Don't listen to your mother. There's always something to do. We'll have lunch here today. Spend some time with your aunt and get some rest!"

What does this mean? Cui Shilu was extremely surprised; his aunt was really different from usual.

She used to say that she should hone her skills and temper her character, and never be like her cousin.

This doesn't seem like they're visiting a nephew they just saw recently; it's more like they're seeing a long-lost son.
No, that's still not quite right.
As he was pondering what was amiss and how to subtly inquire about it, he suddenly heard his mother ask:

"I heard Chengsi is getting married soon. Shouldn't you prioritize Chengsi, sister?"

She deliberately brought up Wang Chengsi to see her sister's reaction. Although the boy was absurd and unreliable, he was actually very much liked by her sister.

First, that's her own child; no mother would dislike her own child. Second, aside from being absurd and unreliable, that child is actually very filial.

Aunt Cui's fingertips visibly stiffened, and she gripped Cui Shilu's hand tighter, but a smile still lingered on her face as she said, "Chengsi's affairs are being handled by his father, so I can't interfere. But I'm always worried about Shilu; look how thin he is."

Finally, he added:
"Eat more today, I'll feel at ease watching you eat."

Cui Shilu's eyes widened in astonishment. After glancing at his mother, he released his aunt's hand and, before she could stop him, resolutely rose and bowed:

"Aunt, I have some good news to tell you."

Upon hearing that it was her nephew's happy occasion, Aunt Cui, assuming he had taken a fancy to a girl, immediately brightened up and asked, "Have you taken a fancy to a girl?"

"No, Aunt, it was a celestial being who recently learned that my cousin was about to get married. He was entrusted by someone to ask me to send a jar of celestial wine as a wedding gift!"

As they spoke, both mother and son carefully observed Aunt Cui's expression.

A fleeting, unnatural expression crossed his face. This immediately made it clear to both of them—it really was Wang Chengsi's affair!
Cui Shilu also pondered the matter more carefully, saying:

“Aunt, this is the jar of celestial wine.”

As he spoke, he ordered several guards to carefully present the jar of Dawn God Wine that Du Yuan had sent.

Last night, he spoke to the elders of the Cui family about the matter, and together with his father, they overcame all objections and finalized a policy of never getting involved.

Looking at this jar of divine wine, Aunt Cui's eyes showed no joy.

All that remained was loneliness.

She raised her hand and touched the jar of celestial wine, saying:

"Was this wedding wine given to Chengsi by an immortal?"

Choi Si-rok frowned and looked at his mother, wanting to ask her if she knew what was going on.

But he saw that his mother was also shaking her head in confusion, clearly not knowing the specifics.

After hesitating for a long time, Cui Shilu could only respectfully cup his hands and say:
“Aunt, I am your nephew, and your mother is your sister-in-law. This is where you grew up. There are no outsiders here. If there is anything wrong with your mind, you might as well tell us?”

Without a word, the servants and guards all retreated and then closed the door.

Only three people remained.

But Aunt Cui remained silent.

The mother and son did not urge them, but simply stood there and waited patiently.

Finally, just before noon, Aunt Cui addressed Cui Shilu:

"Could I meet that immortal? Aunt, there are some things I'd like to ask him!"

How rare is a chance to become an immortal!

Just as Cui's mother was about to politely decline, she saw her son resolutely say:
"I have a slight idea, and I will certainly do my best! But Aunt, the opportunity to become an immortal is rare, and I may not be able to succeed. Please do not place too much hope on this! I take my leave!"

His aunt had always been close to him, so he had no reason to refuse.

Moreover, this action was not a matter of going through fire and water, but was even specially instructed by the immortals—do not distance yourself from your loved ones because of outsiders!
Given this, how can we refuse?
Absolutely not!

However, he wasn't really sure himself, so he said those words because he was afraid that his aunt really had too high expectations for this.
-
What he didn't expect was that the trip went exceptionally smoothly.

Upon hearing that he had come to the Cui family of Boling, he immediately met Cui Yuancheng. After hearing this, the other party promptly introduced him to Du Yuan.

After explaining his purpose, the immortal smiled and said:
"In that case, I shall go and meet this lady!"

"what?!"

That simple?!

Before coming, Cui Shilu kept recalling various stories and wondered if he would first enter the Land of Illusion and experience all sorts of hardships.

After all, isn't that what the books say?
For thirty years I sought immortality and questioned my own heart, only to realize it was all a dream.

The result was surprisingly simple?!

Seeing his exclamation, Du Yuan asked with a smile:

"But is something wrong?"

Cui Shilu hurriedly lowered his head:

"No, no, it's just a bit of a surprise that the Immortal Master is so easygoing."

Upon hearing this, Du Yuan chuckled and said:
"It's just that you think it's too difficult."

Even without comparing herself to others, based on Du Yuan's previous experience, she knew that often the higher up one goes, the more easygoing and approachable one becomes.

The most difficult people to deal with are never the big shots at the top, but the little people at the bottom!

After all, what's that saying again?

The airs of these important figures are so grand that they simply cannot be displayed!
As she spoke, Du Yuan added with amusement:
"However, if you had come any later today, you probably wouldn't have been able to find me!"

He came here to say goodbye to Choi Won-sung and was already preparing to leave when he unexpectedly ran into Choi Si-rok.

Upon hearing this, Cui Shilu's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but say:
"It seems that the karmic connection between my Cui family and you is not yet severed!"

(End of this chapter)