Hua Gu Zi returned home dejectedly. Upon seeing her parents had suddenly reverted to their original forms, she didn't bother to inquire about their condition.
Instead, she began berating her parents for their faults, blaming them for her missed opportunity and for scaring Young Master An. She worried that Young Master An might stop paying attention to her.
These shameless words were overheard by Tao Zui, who had just entered from outside.
Tao Zui, who had been gravely injured saving her and the sunflower spirit, had recovered sufficiently and wanted to check on Hua Gu Zi's attitude towards his injury.
What was he even hoping for? He had heard it all clearly that day; why was he here to embarrass himself?
With this thought, Tao Zui turned to leave. The little sunflower spirit happened to come out and saw him.
"Brother Tao, why don't you come in when you're here?"
Hua Gu Zi, hearing that Brother Tao had arrived, excitedly ran out, exclaiming.
"Brother Tao, you're just in time. That darn Taoist priest wants to take Young Master An as his disciple. He's always around Young Master An, how can I get close to him? Can you help me lure him away?"
Before Tao Zui could even speak, Hua Gu Zi, shaking his hand, continued.
"I knew Brother Tao was the best, Brother Tao will definitely help me, right?" She then pulled the little sunflower, resuming her suffocatingly lively performance.
"Young Master An, Young Master An, your eyes are only for your Young Master An. Then what do you consider me? A tool, like Shui Sanniang said?"
"Every time you look for me, it's for your Young Master An. Aren't you afraid I'll get hurt by others, aren't you afraid I'm in danger?"
"If you won't help, then you won't help. Stingy ghost, humph." After speaking, Hua Gu Zi turned and left, while Tao Zui felt a sense of disappointment and walked out of the Hua residence.
After Hua Gu Zi returned to the room, her parents had already transformed back into human form. Before she could start lecturing again, she was slapped by her mother.
"Mom, why did you hit me?" She asked, covering her right cheek, her expression aggrieved and disbelieving.
Her mother was so angry she was gasping, "Do you not know why your father and I couldn't sustain ourselves and reverted to our original forms? For your Young Master An, we both gave you our Yuan Dan. For a man, you actually berated the parents who raised you for so many years. You've truly disappointed me."
Hua Gu Zi, upon hearing this, remained unrepentant, stubbornly arguing, "You and Dad agreed to give me your Yuan Dan back then, and now you're blaming me. Humph, I'm not talking to you anymore."
With that, she turned and left home as well.
Her father quickly called out from behind, "Come back, where are you going so late? Come back quickly?"
"Let her go. It's all your spoiling that made her this way. From today onwards, I will act as if I never gave birth to her."
007: "The female lead has gone too far, I think her mother really doesn't want to deal with her anymore."
"How could she not care? After all, she's flesh and blood. The disappointment is real, but there's still heartache."
007: "Human emotions are truly complex."
"Alright, after hearing Hua Gu Zi's words, Tao Zui probably needs someone to comfort him. Tomorrow, I'll go out to wander the martial world, and let Su Qiu look after the shop for me. This will create an opportunity for the two of them to be alone together."
Indeed, the next day Tao Zui arrived at Moonlit Inn. He ordered a table of food and drank his sorrows alone by the window. Soon after, Su Qiu also arrived.
Su Qiu sat with him, chatting about everything. It seemed Tao Zui's emotional knot had loosened a little, and the atmosphere was much better than before. Su Qiu also had a couple of drinks, her cheeks and earlobes slightly flushed.
She was a bit drunk and, looking at Tao Zui's face, couldn't help but speak the words buried in her heart.
She reached out, wanting to caress Tao Zui's face, but Tao Zui stopped her hand just as it was about to reach him, holding it tightly.
After all, this was in public, and he was afraid it would damage Su Qiu's reputation. He called over Jun Jiu Li, who was spectating nearby, and asked her to take Su Qiu to a place to rest.
After Jun Jiu Li came out, she directly told Tao Zui.
"I'm planning to travel around and see things. This inn, I'll temporarily entrust it to you and Su Qiu to look after."
Tao Zui hesitated for a moment before agreeing.
And so, Jun Jiu Li, accompanied by 007, traveled all over the country, buying clothes whenever she saw something she liked. She also had to try everything fun and delicious.
She also bought many seeds of various crops, as she had never seen these things before in space and found them very novel. She bought them all and stored them in her spatial dimension.
This month-long journey greatly broadened the horizons of our bumpkin Jiu.
In the cultivation world, food was mostly simple and monotonous. Most of the time, she ate辟谷丹 (Bigu Pills). Jun Jiu Li had thought that all food in the world was only of those few types.
Now that she had arrived in this realm, she had truly gained knowledge. The flavors of food were different in every place. She had thought it was good enough in Laohshan County before.
Now, having traveled to the Sichuan and Chongqing region, she finally discovered her preferred tastes. She bought many more dishes locally and put them into her spatial dimension.
She even went to the imperial palace, as she heard the food from the imperial kitchens was the best. By exchanging a Qi Nourishing Pill, she received many rewards from the emperor, countless gold and silver treasures, and thousands of taels of gold.
The emperor even wanted to bestow upon her the title of Grand Tutor, but she refused. She only wanted to eat and live freely in the palace for a period. She still had missions to complete.
After obtaining the imperial chef's recipes and tasting all the palace delicacies, she quietly departed.
She bought many fashionable clothes and accessories from various regions. Therefore, her past month had been very fulfilling, and she was preparing to return to Laohshan County.
Meanwhile, Tao Zui and Su Qiu's relationship had gradually deepened during the month Jun Jiu Li was away. They chatted about poetry and painting, went boating on the lake, and played music together, confirming their relationship as a couple.
Tao Zui also fabricated an identity and went to Master Zhong to propose. The proposal was proper, adhering to all the traditional rites. The two were thus engaged and became betrothed.
As for the male and female leads, because the mad Taoist priest was often erratic, and the male lead's true identity was exposed by painting him as a living person.
Those who had previously sought the divine brush also found them. An You Yu was no match for the Black and White Taoist priest and was directly stabbed through. He was fortunately rescued by Hua Gu Zi, who arrived just in time.
Hua Gu Zi sucked the poison out of An You Yu's mouth and discovered the small bird she had given him inside his chest pocket. Realizing he had always carried her gift, Hua Gu Zi fell even more in love with this male lead.
Hua Gu Zi desperately healed An You Yu and took him back to her home. Hua's mother also discovered the two divine artifacts in An You Yu's backpack.
She strongly opposed the two getting together, but Hua Gu Zi ignored her. She even shared a kiss with the male lead while feeding him medicine, escalating their love.
Worried about An You Yu, Hua Gu Zi went to the mountain god temple to pray for the mountain god's protection. She coincidentally encountered the mad Taoist priest and was easily sent flying. Hua's father and mother, along with the little sunflower, rushed over, but their combined efforts were no match for the mad Taoist priest.
Fortunately, at a critical moment, An You Yu appeared. Xiao Kui led Hua Gu Zi's parents away first. An You Yu pulled Hua Gu Zi and fled.
The two were pursued by the mad Taoist priest until they had no escape, hiding in a mountain cave. The mad Taoist priest used his magic to seal the cave entrance. The two were then crushed by large rocks, unable to escape, finding themselves in close intimate proximity.
They exchanged heartfelt declarations of love and slept in the cave. The next day, they emerged, indicating that they could have escaped earlier but simply chose not to.
Hua Gu Zi used the small bird to signal Tao Zui for help, while An You Yu, having shared intimate moments with Hua Gu Zi, decided to marry her. The two pledged their lifelong commitment in this dilapidated cave.
An You Yu, possessing a romantic flair, even fashioned a pair of rings from grass, one for each of them.