"What, that's something others made up?"
The young man riding the tiger asked, his face filled with shock. "But that's how Earthlings have always told it!"
Chang'e let out a soft sigh and said, "Hou Yi did pursue me. While he was a hero in my heart, he wasn't the man I loved!"
"I rejected him, which led to the anger of many people."
"And so!"
"This story was fabricated, pinning the blame on me."
"When three people say something, even a fox becomes a tiger. In others' eyes, I became a heartless and unrighteous woman!"
The young man riding the tiger blinked his star-like eyes.
He smiled slightly and said, "Immortal Chang'e, if you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known the truth of the matter at all!"
"Can you tell me how you ascended to the moon?"
Chang'e chuckled, "Speaking of this, it was many years ago. Not far from my home, there was a Shennong Medicine Garden. I rashly entered and accidentally consumed a spirit herb flower cultivated by Emperor Shennong, and that's how I ascended to the moon!"
The young man riding the tiger laughed, "I'm sorry, Immortal Chang'e. I mistakenly heard and believed, and misunderstood you. Please don't take offense!"
Chang'e beamed and replied, "You are my savior, how could I blame you!"
"By the way, little brother, you are so handsome and so powerful. Can you tell me your name?"
The young man riding the tiger smiled faintly and said, "Immortal Chang'e, my name is Cheng Xiaofan!"
"Oh, I have to go now, I can't chat with you any longer. There are monsters and venomous insects everywhere here. You should return to the Moon Palace!"
Chang'e was touched by his concern.
She said, "Cheng Xiaofan, you are truly kind. Thank you!"
Cheng Xiaofan casually took a jade pendant from his body and threw it into Chang'e's hand. "Immortal Chang'e, this is a jade pendant I refined. Take it as a memento!"
He then couldn't help but smile playfully at her and said, "Immortal Chang'e, when you return to the Moon Palace, don't forget that there's a little brother named Cheng Xiaofan on Earth!"
"Mmm, I will definitely remember you!"
Cheng Xiaofan waved goodbye to her, leaped up, and immediately mounted the tiger's back. With a tiger's roar, the man and the tiger disappeared into the distance from the dense forest.
Chang'e gazed at Cheng Xiaofan's disappearing back, lost in thought.
She lowered her head and looked at the jade pendant, finding three words engraved on it: Cheng Xiaofan!
For some reason, after returning to the Moon Palace, Chang'e couldn't stop thinking about the incredibly handsome Cheng Xiaofan.
Compared to Hou Yi, Cheng Xiaofan was young and handsome, exuding an otherworldly aura.
Hou Yi had a powerful physique and a beard full of rugged lines.
Every maiden had her own idol in her heart.
In comparison, Cheng Xiaofan was the man Chang'e truly liked.
In order to meet Cheng Xiaofan again, Chang'e flew back to Earth several more times, searching around the vicinity of that dense forest.
But!
She never saw Cheng Xiaofan again.
—Until a summer morning.
Still in that dense forest.
"Chirp—"
"Chirp!"
The cicadas in the forest chirped incessantly, on and off.
Chang'e sat on a rock, her hands constantly stroking the jade pendant Cheng Xiaofan had given her, muttering to herself.
"Cheng Xiaofan, come out quickly!"
"Stop playing hide-and-seek with me. You must be nearby!"
"Cheng Xiaofan, come out now, I've found you!"
"Hahaha..."
Chang'e was engrossed in her muttering.
Unexpectedly!
A hearty laugh came from behind her.
She was startled by the laugh and immediately turned her head.
She saw an old man standing not far opposite her, wearing a hemp robe, looking at her with a benevolent smile.
The old man laughed and said, "Little girl, you stole my spirit herb flower, and along with Wu Gang and the little white rabbit, ascended to the moon."
"Instead of staying on the moon, you've come down to Earth and even have the audacity to set your sights on my disciple."
"Do you know that the spirit herb flower was something I spent nearly thousands of years cultivating, and it was the only one of its kind that could lead to ascension. Yet you consumed it."
"I'll never be able to cultivate such a flower again. I haven't even settled that debt with you yet!"
"And now you've even entangled yourself with my disciple?"
Upon hearing this, Chang'e immediately recognized the old man before her.
He was the renowned Emperor Shennong!
She had heard that Cheng Xiaofan was Emperor Shennong's disciple. Without thinking, she immediately knelt before him.
She said, "Emperor Shennong, I didn't realize Cheng Xiaofan was your disciple!"
"This humble woman inadvertently trespassed into your Shennong Medicine Garden and mistakenly consumed your spirit herb flower!"
"The remaining leaves and branches, I brought back and brewed them into water for Wu Gang and the little rabbit to drink. Unexpectedly, the man and the rabbit ascended to the moon with me."
"Emperor Shennong, Cheng Xiaofan saved me. I sought him out only to see him, with no other intentions!"
Emperor Shennong heard her words and smiled slightly, saying, "Girl, I was just joking with you a moment ago. I didn't truly intend to blame you."
"The spirit herb was mistakenly consumed by you, that's fate. I can't change it."
Hearing this, Chang'e finally breathed a long sigh of relief and asked with a smile, "Emperor Shennong, is Cheng Xiaofan truly your disciple?"
Emperor Shennong heard this and said, "He is not yet my disciple, but in the future, his main body will be my disciple."
For a moment, Chang'e didn't understand Emperor Shennong's meaning and asked, "What is Cheng Xiaofan's main body?"
Emperor Shennong said, "The secrets of heaven cannot be revealed, girl. I cannot tell you this for now. You will understand in the future."
"One thing I must tell you is that after consuming my spirit herb flower, you have already joined the ranks of immortals. You should come to Earth less often in the future."
"Otherwise, if you do so too frequently, you will face heavenly tribulations and find no escape from death!"
"Girl, you and Cheng Xiaofan have already formed a destiny. There will be opportunities to meet in the future!"
"For the sake of my future disciple, I will now impart a set of cultivation techniques to you. You will find them useful later!"
"Many thanks, Emperor Shennong!"
From Emperor Shennong's tone, Chang'e could tell that she would not be able to see Cheng Xiaofan for the time being.
She knelt respectfully before Emperor Shennong and received the cultivation techniques he imparted.
Emperor Shennong placed a large hand on Chang'e's head and said, "Girl, from today onwards, you are considered my half-disciple!"
...
"Sister Chang'e, why are you crying?"
Wu Gang picked a fresh peach.
He washed it clean in the spiritual pond and handed it to Chang'e.
Chang'e took the peach but did not eat it. Her beautiful eyes gazed towards the blue sky.
She murmured, "Emperor Shennong once told me that you and Cheng Xiaofan had formed a destiny, but so many years have passed, where is this destiny?"
Thinking of how she had risked her life to bring the Yanhuang Cosmic Sword into the Yanhuang planet more than ten years ago, Chang'e couldn't help but sigh...