The male supporting character was actually myself.

Since we live not far apart, we should be able to run into each other often, and we can look out for each other.

Mu Jiuxiu chuckled and changed the subject, "Young man, this gourd is really nice, big, beautiful, and very practical. Did you find it in these mountains?"

"Of course not. Although the deep mountains and forests are rich in spiritual energy, wild plants don't need much care and won't grow this big. This is something I grew myself. Gourds are a wonderful thing. When they're young, you can eat them; when they're old, you can dry them to store water and other things. You can even use them as ladles to scoop water—they're multi-purpose! People also give them the meaning of good fortune and prosperity. They're truly wonderful!"

He looked at the empty-handed Cowherd, smiled knowingly, and handed him an empty gourd. "Brother Cowherd, you are new here and probably do not have all the necessary items. Since we are meeting for the first time, I have nothing to offer. I am presenting you with this gourd that I grew myself. If it can bring you some convenience, it is my humble offering."

"Oh dear, this, this is too much trouble!" Mu Jiuxiu was overjoyed to have achieved his goal, but he held onto the gourd tightly and stammered, "I accepted your gift on our first meeting, this, this... I don't have anything to give back. How about you take some wild fruit? It's just a small token of my appreciation."

He picked a lot of wild fruits, but they were all small. Any adult could easily have thirty or forty of them. He had already eaten some in the valley, and he was bringing these back to give to the Weaver Girl for breakfast.

Mu Jiuxiu was too lazy to make another trip into the mountain valley, and his intention in delivering the wild fruit was not sincere. He just talked about it but didn't actually move the gourd in his hand.

Jiang Chen couldn't help but find it laughable.

I initially thought of taking all the fruit without hesitation to make him lose face, but then I realized it wouldn't be very interesting. Besides, if I wanted to infiltrate his ranks, I had to let him take advantage of me a little. So I smiled and waved my hand, saying, "Brother Niulang, it's nice to pick these wild fruits occasionally for a taste, but you can't eat them for long or too often, otherwise your stomach and intestines will be easily damaged."

I, your humble servant, have grown some millet and rice myself. I don't usually eat these kinds of wild fruits, and I advise you, Brother Cowherd, to eat as little as possible and not to overindulge. I've filled my water container and must depart now. Farewell, Brother Cowherd.

Seeing the tall, thin boy carrying a water-filled gourd on his shoulder without any apparent burden, walking briskly away from the riverbank and disappearing from sight, Mu Jiuxiu couldn't help but feel astonished.

What did that kid eat to grow up so strong?

A gourd filled with water must weigh at least seven or eight pounds, and he was able to carry that much!

"Hehe, gourd as a spoils of war +1!" He shrugged without thinking much of it, assuming that he was being treated like a protagonist with people rushing to offer him conveniences wherever he went. He bent down, filled the gourd with spring water, and then carried the gourd and dragged the branch back home.

The Weaver Girl had cleaned the cave spotlessly, and even wove a small bed out of the dry branches prepared by the little tree spirit. She also went outside to find some dry grass to lay on it. At first glance, it looked like a little bird's nest. The pile of dry grass was thick and soft, so at least there was a place to rest.

"I found you some food!" Mu Jiuxiu walked into the cave excitedly, and his face lit up with joy when he saw the changes.

Compared to the previous dirty ground and cobweb-covered stone walls, the cave is now clean and tidy, and even has a somewhat cozy atmosphere.

He couldn't help but sigh to himself, "I still need a woman."

It has to be said that women are truly amazing creatures; their hands seem to have a magical power to make even the simplest things useful and warm. Mu Jiuxiu suddenly thought of his mother. No matter how difficult things were at home, she always made sure he was dressed cleanly; even when there wasn't much food, she would still find a way to make the meals delicious.

On the contrary, after graduating from university and starting work, I earned a salary of five or six thousand yuan and lived in a small rented room that was neither leaky nor drafty, but I never cooked a single meal and was too lazy to clean. I just did whatever made me comfortable. No wonder I always felt lightheaded and had no sense of belonging to home.

The root cause is the lack of a sensible and considerate woman!

Pshaw~ These young women nowadays just can't compare to the older generation of women.

They expect all the men in the world to worship them, and they only earn enough to cover their own expenses, yet they proclaim themselves as independent women, never cooking, cleaning, or doing any housework.

In this respect, the ancient times were better. Men were respected and husbands were the head of the household. Women were all good at housework and childcare. They were obedient and did what they were supposed to do to serve their men. They didn't even dare to raise their voices.

More importantly, they had to adhere to the three obediences and four virtues. If a wife didn't allow her husband to take a concubine, she was considered unvirtuous. How dare she be jealous? She would be sent back to her parents' home with a letter of divorce, and she would never be able to face anyone again in her next life!

"You're back?" The Weaver Girl was sweeping an inconspicuous corner with a "broom" made of foxtail grass. When she heard him speak, she turned around and smiled, making the whole cave seem to glow.

Mu Jiuxiu was stunned.

The feelings that had just arisen vanished instantly, leaving only one thought in his mind—the Weaver Girl is mine, hehe!

"Take a rest, eat something, and drink some water." After putting the things down, Mu Jiuxiu scratched his head and said with a simple and honest smile, "I'll go find you a loom and some cotton thread right away, and then you can do what you love most!"

The Weaver Girl rolled her eyes inwardly, but nodded with a faint smile on her face.

After he left the cave and lingered, pretending to look for a loom, the Weaver Girl picked all the wild fruits and buried them in the pit she had dug at the cave entrance. After filling it in, she poured some water out of the gourd and pretended to drink it herself.

Fairies do not eat earthly food. If they eat too much earthly food, they will not be able to maintain their state of fasting. Over time, they will become more and more like mortals. At that time, even if they wear fairy clothes, they will lose a lot of their magic power.

It's not easy to become an immortal, and she doesn't want to fall to the mortal world and ruin her future by fulfilling the other party's wishes.

Gods can enjoy eternal bliss while also having their own duties and responsibilities. The Weaver Girl likes to weave clouds and mist to create all kinds of beautiful sunrises, clouds, and sunsets to decorate the sky. On days when she is not weaving clouds and mist, how carefree and happy she is to roam the sky with her sisters. She does not want to lose everything because of her infatuation with love between men and women for only a few decades.

Moreover, in the Weaver Girl's view, romantic love is merely a product of mortals' desire to reproduce, satisfy their emotions, and pass the time. For celestial beings, there are many more and better options than romantic love.

Even if one's worldly desires occasionally ignite and one wishes to descend to the mortal realm to experience illusory romances, one only needs to register before the Queen Mother of the West according to the Heavenly Rules and descend to be a human. Once all romantic relationships are resolved, one will naturally return to the Heavenly Palace and resume one's original position.

How can someone who doesn't have a title or descend to earth be a mortal, yet still possesses the qualities of an immortal and lives a mundane life?

Such a clandestine affair, neither celestial nor mortal, is utterly shameless. If there truly were love, how could the mortals bear to let a celestial being break the heavenly rules and bear the burden of guilt? And how could the celestial being bear to let a mortal suffer the wrath of thunder and the constant threat of being shattered to pieces?

True love should be open, honest, and aboveboard, with neither party wanting the other to suffer even the slightest grievance!

In the Weaver Girl's view, having fallen in love with mortals and then sneaking down to the mortal realm to have an affair with a mortal was nothing more than using so-called love and a yearning for freedom as an excuse to satisfy her own selfish desires.

A love affair between a celestial being and a mortal is unfair to both, and is neither reasonable nor emotionally sound.

She would never abandon her fairy dignity and fall to the mortal world for a lazy bum who stole her fairy clothes and used them to blackmail her!

"Seventh Princess, I am Jiang Chen." She had just returned to the cave with the gourd when she heard a very soft voice coming from the gourd. "I attached a little magic to the gourd, and when Niulang gave it to you, it didn't attract the old ox's attention."

The Weaver Girl quickly looked outside and saw the old ox grazing under a big tree not far away. She didn't know where the Cowherd was and hurriedly whispered back, "You'll expose yourself like this, which is very dangerous! I'm fine here. The magic we cast together is more than enough to deal with the Cowherd. He won't dare to lay a hand on me, and I'm trying to gain his trust."

"I discovered early this morning that the old ox was in contact with a magpie spirit. Judging from their conversation, the one secretly directing the operation is a deity in heaven. Seventh Princess, you should think carefully about whether you have offended anyone in the Heavenly Palace?"

As expected, there were celestial beings from the Heavenly Court involved.

But who could it be?

According to traditional stories, the old ox is said to be the Golden Ox Star who was banished to the mortal world.

Jiang Chen didn't see what Mu Jiuxiu had entered, but from the verification in another mirror world, it seemed that the "human trafficker" had a grudge against the big boss but couldn't directly retaliate, so he chose to target the delicate young girl.

It's highly likely that the old ox still follows tradition and is the Taurus star that has been banished to the mortal realm.

Holding a piece of gourd vine, he softly reminded him, "I vaguely heard the old ox say that it was quite a figure in Heaven back in the day. Since it now possesses magical powers but can't even transform into human form, could it be that..."

Before the little tree spirit could finish speaking, a bright idea flashed through the Weaver Girl's mind: "Being banished to the mortal realm! Yes, only gods who have been banished to the mortal realm are bound by heavenly laws and must complete tasks to atone for their sins. Even if they attain enlightenment and cultivate further, they cannot transform into human form."

Those banished to the mortal realm have their memories erased to prevent them from taking shortcuts and breaking mortal rules. How did the old ox know about what happened in Heaven back then?

"Could it be that someone in Heaven is secretly helping you?" Jiang Chen coaxed. "Seventh Princess, think it over carefully. There aren't many gods in Heaven who have been banished to the mortal realm. Is there anyone who has a grudge against you or has a feud with the Queen Mother or the Heavenly Emperor that would take their anger out on you?"

ox?

The Weaver Girl frowned slightly; the answer was obvious—Taurus Star Lord!

“It must be him. Before he was banished to the mortal realm, I had a brief encounter with Taurus Star Lord while he was repairing celestial garments.” She sighed softly. “The reason Taurus Star Lord was banished to the mortal realm was because he was drinking with the Old Man of the Moon.”

The Old Man Under the Moon (Yue Lao) got drunk and passed out. The Golden Bull Star Lord saw the Book of Marriages under his control and, driven by his drunkenness, opened it to look through it. It is said that on a whim, he secretly modified several couples' marriages and even wrote a happy ending for a poor, lazy man who should have lived a lonely life, thus harming a good girl.

When the truth came out, the Heavenly Emperor was furious and banished him to the mortal realm to be an ox for eternity until he atoneed for his sins. This must be it; once a dignified star deity, fallen to the mortal world as an ox, he was naturally oblivious and dutiful. Once his memories were awakened, he would surely harbor hatred and resentment!

Jiang Chen: Σ(☉▽☉"a

Why would someone give a perfectly good girl to a poor, lazy man to offer him comfort?

Could it be that Taurus Star Lord altered the Cowherd's marriage register?! If he wants to be a good person, why doesn't he descend to earth and become a woman to help the poor? Why does he have to harm others to fulfill his own saintly heart?!

The Heavenly Emperor made a mistake in punishing him. He should have sent the Taurus Star Lord, who had secretly altered the marriage register, to the mortal realm as a woman to replace the good girls he had harmed and marry them off to poor, lazy men.

Don't you want to be a good person and give them a happy ending? Then work hard and diligently to earn money to support them and raise their children. Why be so generous with other people's money?

No wonder the Weaver Girl said that the Heavenly Laws forbid interfering in the fates of mortals. If everyone were to change things according to their own ideas, the world would be in chaos. This is only the Book of Marriage that the Old Man Under the Moon has touched. What if he went to the King of Hell, got him drunk, and changed the Book of Life and Death?

True freedom is freedom within order. Unrestrained pursuit of freedom without regard for morality or laws is called unbridled growth, which will eventually destroy itself.

Jiang Chen was even more confused. Who in the Heavenly Court would orchestrate the awakening of the Golden Bull Star Lord to harm the Weaver Girl, and what was their purpose? What benefits could they possibly gain from forcibly abducting the Weaver Girl to a poor, lazy man as his wife, besides making her violate the Heavenly Laws?

Chapter Nine: How can all of this be interconnected?

Based on the known results, it can be deduced that the other party must have promised something to ensure the loyalty and obedience of the ox and the magpie spirit.

The magpie spirit's situation is simple; cultivation in the mortal realm is arduous, and how easy is it to ascend to the ranks of immortals? It can use moral blackmail to force the Queen Mother of the West to hold the annual Magpie Bridge meeting between the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. It can also lead the little demons in its clan across the Milky Way to absorb immortal energy up close, making their cultivation twice as effective.

The immortal energy above the Milky Way is abundant, just like the magical places in fantasy stories that are specially provided for the protagonists to train. It should be the reward that the magpie spirits received for participating in the conspiracy and sending messages - allowing the magpie clan to cross the Milky Way for generations and have the opportunity to absorb immortal energy once a year, which can greatly increase the success rate of cultivation.

It's understandable that Taurus, destined to be an ox for eternity, would be willing to be driven by a little enticement or provocation.

"No one gets up early without a reason. There must be something they're after, risking breaking the heavenly rules. What exactly do they want?" Jiang Chen frowned, completely baffled. Then, thinking about the mirror world, he suddenly understood. "Public opinion? Using public opinion to morally blackmail someone is exactly what the Cowherd does!"

In the end, the Cowherd who abducted and imprisoned the fairy was not only not punished, but was also morally blackmailed into staying in the Heavenly Court by his two young children. On the contrary, the Heavenly Court's reputation continued to decline.

That traditional story has been passed down for many years, and the mainstream ideology is to condemn the Queen Mother of the West for being heartless and to praise the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl for breaking free from constraints and yearning for free love. In reality, it is a way of using the name of love to incite, instigate, brainwash, and support poverty alleviation through marriage.

Back in the mirror world, marriage between immortals and mortals is forbidden.

Someone arranged for the old ox to secretly instigate the cowherd to break the heavenly rules, yet he was allowed to go to the heavenly court and enjoy eternal bliss, thus directly destroying the heavenly rules that had existed for millions of years.

From now on, any deity who wants to descend to earth can just go down, find a partner, and have a bunch of kids. There's the example of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl anyway. Wouldn't it be a happy ending if all the blame were placed on "love"?

Ultimately, the ones who will benefit from this are the gods who have descended to the mortal realm or are considering doing so.

The suspect was narrowed down to the protagonists of a traditional love story between immortals and mortals, and Jiang Chen couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile.

Most of these stories were made up by poor scholars due to the overall environment, especially those love myths. Which one wasn't about celestial beings or fox spirits descending to earth and happily marrying ordinary mortals? Apart from some rumors, I've never heard of a male deity descending to earth to find a poor girl and grow old together.

The celestial beings abandoned their heavenly riches and glory to descend to the mortal realm, finding penniless young men to experience human suffering, and even had to help them become wealthy and have children...

"Holy crap! No way? Aren't there only a few people who have given birth?" As his thoughts were wandering, Jiang Chen suddenly froze.

He first used the Soul Artifact to confirm that only the Weaver Girl was in the cave, then hurriedly asked through the gourd vine, "Seventh Princess? Are you still there?"

The Weaver Girl was startled and quickly stepped forward to hug the gourd to her chest, lowering her voice to say, "Don't take such a risk to contact me next time. Wait for my signal! Otherwise, if the old ox finds out, he'll kill you!"

"Seventh Princess, I have something very important to ask you to confirm." Jiang Chen held the gourd vine in his hand and asked in a low voice, "Are you the legendary Seventh Princess?"

Unexpectedly, the little tree spirit asked this question. The Weaver Girl gave a wry smile and shook her head, saying, "Of course not. Although I am also the seventh child, I am the daughter of the Heavenly Emperor, the Weaver Girl who weaves clouds and mist."

The Seven Fairy Maidens, as commonly known in the mortal world, are the seventh daughters of the Jade Emperor. She was usually responsible for weaving the celestial gauze used to make the heavenly garments. She wore purple and was known as the Purple-Clad Fairy. The other six sisters were: the Red-Clad Fairy, the Plain-Clad Fairy, the Green-Clad Fairy, the Dark-Clad Fairy, the Yellow-Clad Fairy, and the Green-Clad Fairy.

The Seven Fairy Maidens served under the Queen Mother of the West, and their duties included picking immortal peaches for events like the Peach Banquet, and weaving fairy silk was not their only job. The Queen Mother of the West was a colleague of both the Jade Emperor and the Heavenly Emperor. She was the head of the female immortals and oversaw the Kunlun Immortal Mountain, the Jade Pool Immortal Realm, and many other female immortals in the Heavenly Palace.

My job is to weave clouds and mist to decorate the sky; I don't need to worry about anything else.

Jiang Chen pressed further, "Did the Seven Fairies descend to earth?"

"Huh? Her?" The Weaver Girl was even more confused. After thinking carefully, she replied, "We are not on the same level of heaven, and I am not familiar with the Seven Fairy Maidens. I have never heard of her descending to the mortal realm. Why would you ask about this?"

"Someone wants to forcibly drag the Seventh Princess down to the mortal realm, probably to change the heavenly rules!" He lowered his voice and continued, "I haven't heard much about this in the mortal world, but I vaguely know that Yao Ji and the Third Holy Mother and her daughter are both attached to the mortal realm... Does the Seventh Princess know about this?"

Sure enough, such things that damage a fairy's pride and dignity have spread to the mortal world.

The Weaver Girl sighed heavily and said helplessly, "How could I not know? Yao Ji was originally the Jade Emperor's sister. As the eldest princess, she openly defied the heavenly rules and descended to the mortal realm to have an affair with Yang Tianyou, giving birth to a son and a daughter: Erlang Shen Yang Jian and the Third Holy Mother Yang Chan."

Immortals originate from the mortal realm and undergo arduous cultivation through heavenly tribulations to ascend to the ranks of immortals. Offspring born from the union of immortals are directly born in the Heavenly Palace, occupying celestial resources to cultivate into immortals. Offspring born from the love between an immortal and a mortal possess half the bloodline of an immortal and receive secret assistance, yet they attempt to seize opportunities from other cultivators in the mortal realm, violating the fairness of the Heavenly Dao. Therefore, illicit relations between immortals and mortals are strictly prohibited.

Yao Ji descended to the mortal realm without permission, and met a tragic end.

Her daughter, however, disregarded everything and single-mindedly pursued so-called love, secretly descending to the mortal realm to marry Liu Yanchang.

The Heavenly Court views worldly desires as a monstrous threat partly to uphold fairness and justice, and partly as a constraint on immortals. Worldly desires involve more than just romantic love; they encompass endless desires and ambitions. Once these desires become insatiable, and immortals begin to use their magical powers to satisfy their selfish motives, they violate the fundamental principles of immortality.