Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

"Brother Cheng! Miss Xia! Come and see this good stuff!"

Qiu Rang's shouts came from outside, accompanied by Ding Ziheng's chuckles.

Inside the room, Cheng Mo stretched his neck, making a slight clicking sound, and looked directly at Xia He: "Have you ever heard of the 15-second rule of eye contact?"

Xia He also twisted and stretched her body, her joints cracking softly. She wondered, "What are you doing for fifteen seconds?"

Cheng Mo smiled, thinking he had confirmed something: "It's nothing, let's go see what those two idiots brought."

He got up and got out of bed.

Xia He watched his retreating figure, tilted her head, and muttered softly, "Silly... Wow, that little Taoist priest really knows how to name people."

He then jumped off the bed and followed.

At the front door, Qiu Rang and Ding Ziheng were each carrying a plump wild rabbit, running excitedly towards the kitchen.

Xia He's eyes lit up: "Wow, are we having rabbit meat today? Rabbits are so cute, they must taste better than wild boar!"

Cheng Mo turned his head to look at her: "...I really never thought of this angle before."

Just then, Ding Ziheng called from the kitchen, "Brother Cheng! The water's boiled, what should we do with this rabbit?"

Cheng Mo patted Xia He on the shoulder, sighed with a complicated expression, and turned to go into the kitchen.

Xia He was left with a bewildered look: "??? Little Mozi, what mischief are you up to now?"

In the kitchen, Cheng Mo was preparing a rabbit. He skinned and deboned the rabbit, sliced ​​it into thin pieces, and marinated it with egg white, cooking wine, and a little starch.

Heat a wok with plenty of oil, stir-fry the rabbit slices until they change color, then remove them from the wok. Leave some oil in the wok and sauté the scallions, ginger, garlic, and dried chili peppers until fragrant. Add the rabbit slices and stir-fry quickly over high heat. Pour in the sauce, sprinkle with cilantro, and a tender and fragrant stir-fried rabbit slice dish is ready to serve.

He asked Qiu Rang to find some fermented black beans, chopped the other rabbit into pieces, sautéed it with ginger, garlic and fermented black beans, added a little water and simmered it, finally reduced the sauce and sprinkled on scallions to make braised rabbit with fermented black beans.

The aroma quickly filled the air.

Qiu Rang kept swallowing hard, saying, "Isn't this a bit too much? We should freeze some and make something else to eat tomorrow."

Ding Ziheng nodded repeatedly: "That's right, that's right, it would be so satisfying to eat both of these."

Cheng Mo wiped his hands: "This isn't just for us. You two take some to Brother Ma later. He's been working too hard because of me, so he needs some nourishment."

Qiu Rang immediately gave Cheng Mo a thumbs up: "Brother Cheng, you're a true gentleman!"

Ding Ziheng also looked approving: "I knew I hadn't misjudged you, Brother Cheng, you're so generous!"

Xia He, standing nearby, thought to herself: "This little Taoist priest is quite good at winning people over."

If Cheng Mo knew what she was thinking, he would definitely scoff: "Winning people's hearts? This is just normal social interaction..."

The meal was very lively and harmonious.

After the meal, Ding Ziheng insisted on clearing the dishes, while Qiu Rang helped pack the leftovers.

The two quickly finished, thanked Cheng Moxiahe, and ran towards Xiushantang with the packaged rabbit meat in their hands.

Cheng Mo and Xia He sat in the courtyard for a while, looked at the stars, and chatted about random things before going back inside to practice the Longevity Exercise.

As night deepened, only a small oil lamp was lit in the room, casting a dim yellow light. The two stood facing each other, their breaths long and their movements slow.

Just as their minds were gradually calming down, they heard a rustling sound outside.

The two continued moving, but their eyes met instantly.

Cheng Mo silently raised an eyebrow: How about it, I didn't lie to you, did I?

Xia He pouted and replied with her eyes: Stop making noise, be quiet, and continue practicing.

The two remained calm and seemingly oblivious, continuing their slow and rhythmic movements.

On the rooftop, a figure listened intently for a moment. Apart from long breaths and the soft rustling of clothes, there was no other sound.

He gently lifted a tile and peered through the crack.

Inside the room, two people stood facing each other, their bodies rising and falling slightly, their movements slow and synchronized, as if they were performing some kind of strange ritual.

Someone frowned: "These days, young couples play these weird games?"

He patiently looked at it for a long time.

Finally, the two slowly came to a stop, ending their practice.

Then came washing up, turning off the lights, and going to their respective beds.

Upon seeing this, the person's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and they nodded gently.

Hmm, not bad, not bad. They're not even married yet, how could they sleep in the same bed? These two are quite self-disciplined. But...

That's all there is to it. Men and women sharing a room but sleeping in separate beds is nothing more than self-deception.

If Cheng Mo knew what this guy was thinking, he would definitely yell at him: "You're just being dramatic, it's none of your business."

The breathing inside the room gradually evened out. Someone covered the roof with tiles and quietly left.

Once he confirmed that the noise outside had completely disappeared, Cheng Mo calmed down.

He recalled the wondrous state of resonance with heaven and earth he had experienced in the cultivation furnace during the day. Gradually, his consciousness seemed to sink into a warm and chaotic ocean, without beginning or end, yet utterly peaceful.

He was acutely aware of his existence as a "human being," yet at the same time, he seemed to merge with some grander rhythm, immersing himself in it, his mind at peace.

As Cheng Mo entered that profound state of mind, his body also reacted, and his breathing gradually became heavier.

Xia He asked softly, "Little Mozi, it seems like he's gone."

There was no response from the bed opposite.

Gradually, the breathing became a rhythm of "whoosh...whoosh...thump!"

Xia He: "..."

She closed her eyes, trying to block out the annoying sound, but it was no use. The snoring seemed to have a magical power, drilling straight into her brain.

The key is that it is also rhythmic, and Xia He's own breathing is unconsciously affected, and she has to adjust her breathing from time to time when she feels short of breath.

Xia He barely slept all night. Occasionally, in her half-awake state, the snoring would intensify and erupt, completely waking her up.

The next day, as the sun was about to rise, Xia He, with a faint bluish-black ring around her head, sat on the edge of the bed.

Not sleeping one night wouldn't necessarily make her feel listless, but if it happened every night...

The snoring from the other side suddenly stopped.

A moment later, Cheng Mo stretched and sat up. When he turned his head, he saw Xia He staring at him with a resentful look.

Cheng Mo grinned, looking refreshed: "Hey, you're up pretty early today~"

Xia He said, enunciating each word clearly: "I didn't sleep a wink all night!"

Cheng Mo: "Huh? How about you take a nap after you finish practicing?"

Xia He stared at Cheng Mo for a few seconds, then suddenly realized—

The little Taoist priest is trying to get me used to married life early! This snoring is a test; if I can't stand it, I should just give up now. If I can, I can use it to practice my willpower. At the very least, I have to learn to fall asleep before him!

Tsk tsk, little Taoist priest, I've seen through you!

Having figured this out, Xia He suddenly broke into a bright smile: "Little Taoist, I've discovered that you're a really awkward person, especially stubborn."

Cheng Mo pointed to himself, looking completely bewildered: "??? You mean me?"

Xia He hummed twice, said no more, put her hands behind her back, and skipped out to prepare for her martial arts practice, leaving Cheng Mo looking completely bewildered.

He just accidentally fell asleep last night... no, not accidentally, he only fell asleep after making sure there was no danger.

Hmm... Could that girl have done something while I was asleep?

Cheng Mo quickly checked his body and only felt relieved after confirming that everything was fine...

Wait, that's not right. No matter how you look at it, the man shouldn't be at a disadvantage. What am I worrying about for no reason?

Honestly, so pretentious.

He tapped his head and followed Xia He to the backyard.