Hantao: A stroke of good news?
Chapter 11
The gates of the city lord's mansion had already been closed when the two entered, so no one could see the fascinating expressions on the faces of the four people present.
Fu Mingxu stood there stunned, not even noticing the rough force on his wrist.
The destined one?
Seeing the priest's expression, as if he had witnessed a miracle, he was completely stunned.
Han Tao was no less shocked than him. The smooth, cool touch in his palm turned into a raging fire as those four words appeared. The fire quickly transformed into burning vines, climbing up his palm and almost instantly burning into his heart.
He unconsciously lowered his head, and his gaze paused when he met Fu Mingxu's astonished and unfamiliar eyes. The flames that were burning brightly seemed to encounter extreme cold, and were frozen inch by inch by the ice, until only the unwilling flames were left to leap under the ice.
The flames were still specks of bitterness.
Clearly, Fu Mingxu did not believe this.
However, he knew that many cultivators on the Cangling Continent believed in cause and effect and accepted fate; otherwise, why would the Tianyan Sect, which relied on divination and fortune-telling, have stood among the four major sects for so many years?
What if Hantao were like those people? What if he believed what the priest said?
Although he didn't know the specific meaning of this "destined person," he knew that if Han Tao truly believed in this, he estimated that it would be difficult for him to leave the city lord's mansion and never be able to leave again.
He wasn't stupid; he could tell from the priest's behavior how important this destined person was to Hantao.
This wasn't his "confidence" in himself, but rather his worry.
Even though Fu Mingxu didn't think of those four words in an ambiguous way, the undisguised expression on his face betrayed his inner turmoil and fear.
He is resisting.
Han Tao could see the expression on his face clearly. The ice around the flame had not yet dissipated, and the remaining cold air turned into chains, pulling the throbbing flesh below the chest down bit by bit.
"You don't believe me?" The priest found their expressions too strange and became anxious, wanting to explain things to them properly.
Han Zhengzhi stood aside, watching with trepidation, secretly regretting that he shouldn't have agreed to come here after the priest's persistent pleading.
The priest was about to speak again when he found himself unable to open his mouth.
Before he could say another word, Han Zhengzhi pulled him down with all his might and at top speed.
Fu Mingxu stood still, pursing his lips, until a slight pain came from his wrist, which brought him out of his worries.
"Can you let go of me?" He wasn't that delicate, but he didn't really like being touched by others.
These words reminded Han Tao, and he slowly released his grip, his thin lips parting slightly: "I'm sorry."
"It's nothing." The sleeves of the blue robe were large, and Fu Mingxu clasped his hands together, but his fingertips drew out slightly when they touched his wrists.
Han Tao was about to explain about the priest when he heard Han Tao gasp before Han Tao could even speak. He immediately disregarded everything else and instinctively raised Han Tao's hand.
The right hand was slightly raised, and the wide sleeve slipped down with the movement, revealing a section of the wrist.
Fu Mingxu was thin and frail; even his wrist was too small for Fu Mingxu to grasp.
The wrist that he had just released was now exposed in front of her, and the smooth, porcelain-white flesh had a red mark that caught her eye.
This is the mark I left just now.
Han Tao stared at the red mark, and for some reason, this thought popped into his mind.
The flames sealed beneath the ice seemed to be doused with the most concentrated spiritual energy, breaking through the ice almost instantly.
"Did I do this?" He stared at the red mark for a couple of moments, muttering under Fu Mingxu's uneasy gaze.
Perhaps it was because the two were too close, or perhaps it was because the action was too ambiguous, but Fu Mingxu felt an unknown aura surrounding him, making him unable to break free even though he was not bound by any force.
When the rough fingertips landed on the delicate, white skin, the completely different sensation, unlike anything they had ever experienced before, made them both tremble.
Fu Mingxu suddenly felt a sense of danger, as if he were being watched by a ferocious beast. He forced himself to come to his senses, pushed Han Tao away with all his might, and hurriedly took two steps back.
Han Tao was caught off guard and was actually pushed by him.
A vortex appeared in his golden pupils. He desperately suppressed his emotions and refrained from making any other moves.
The distance created allowed Fu Mingxu to extricate himself from the strange atmosphere. He had no mind to think about his destined person anymore. Instead, he pursed his lips and calmly said, "I would appreciate it if the city lord could prepare a quiet room for me. I will use it to make medicine, refine pills, and even rest and live."
"As for other alchemical fires, just have anyone deliver them."
He finished speaking in one breath, behaving with great politeness, but his expression was unusually distant.
The little bit of familiarity that the two had painstakingly built up vanished completely in an instant.
Han Tao's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but seeing the unfamiliarity and resistance in his expression, the words stuck in his throat.
"Alright." In the end, he could only agree, "The divination and predictions of heavenly secrets are ever-changing, you don't need to worry about them."
Fu Mingxu was taken aback, but finally breathed a sigh of relief after understanding what he meant. He nodded without saying anything more. He couldn't tell whether their words were true or false, and decided to take it one step at a time.
...
Han Tao made the arrangements quickly; after a short while, Han Zhengzhi led Fu Mingxu to a certain place.
More specifically, it is a small courtyard.
The courtyard was located within the folded space where he had previously stayed, but a clump of green bamboo acted as a natural barrier, separating the courtyard from the lake and also isolating it from the main house of the city lord.
The environment is serene, with dedicated areas for alchemy, medicine making, and rest.
If there's anything wrong with it, it's that it falls within the folded space where Han Tao is located.
Han Zhengzhi carefully placed the jade box containing the alchemical fire on the shelf. While setting up the alchemical furnace, he lowered his head and explained, "This area is within the city lord's dragon breath's domain. No one can enter except the three of us, making it safer than other places."
Dragon's breath envelops?
Fu Mingxu suddenly felt a little uneasy, but since Han Zhengzhi didn't show any other reaction when he said those words, he simply assumed that he was overthinking it.
What are you thinking? Are you really going to give up on life just because of the words "destined person"?
Do you really think Han Tao would do anything extra for these four words?
Fu Mingxu remembered the purpose of his visit to the City Lord's Mansion, and his mind gradually calmed down.
After the alchemy room was tidied up, he had become completely indifferent.
"Very good." Fu Mingxu looked at the more than ten kinds of pill fire arranged on the shelf and finally smiled. "I need to nurture the pill furnace in the next few days. You can give these pills to the city lord first. Just crush them and sprinkle them on the wound."
He selected some pills suitable for Han Tao from his storage bag and gave them to Han Zhengzhi, not forgetting to instruct him: "I have already given the city lord the list of the other required spiritual herbs. Collect them according to the list, and give them to me in five days, regardless of whether you can collect them all."
It would take four days to warm and nurture the alchemy furnace. He would use the remaining day to rest and prepare for the next steps of alchemy and medicine making.
Han Zhengzhi smiled and accepted the pill. He was curious about what had happened between him and the priest after they left, and why the city lord looked so gloomy. However, he remembered the consequences of his previous actions and decided to give up.
Fu Mingxu watched him leave, but called out to him again just as he was about to step out the door.
"Is there anything missing?" Han Zhengzhi asked.
A fleeting doubt crossed Fu Mingxu's mind, but he ultimately shook his head and said, "No, I just forgot to say thank you."
Why did he suddenly feel like he had seen Han Zhengzhi somewhere before?
"No need for such formalities." Han Zhengzhi wanted to say that he was now one of the masters of the City Lord's Mansion, but he felt that the man would not be happy, so he changed his words, "Just tell me what you want."
Finally, he added, "After all, the city lord's injuries depend on you."
Perhaps because he could finally openly refine pills and make medicines without any worries, Fu Mingxu subconsciously overlooked why the two were so confident in his abilities.
He smiled and said, "I will do my best."
Han Zhengzhi nodded and took the pills to find the city lord.
After he left, Fu Mingxu's smile faded, his gaze sweeping over the fine alchemy furnace and the sealed alchemical fire, and he murmured, "Let's refine pills and make medicine first."
He deliberately ignored what the priest said, focusing all his attention on the new alchemical furnace and the fire.
On the other side, Han Zhengzhi took the pills and left the small courtyard. He walked around a large clump of green bamboo and bumped right into the priest who was exhausted.
This was the priest's first time entering his own city lord's folded space. As soon as he saw him, he began to complain: "What is the city lord thinking? I told you that Fu Mingxu is his destined one. With his assistance in dual cultivation, the city lord will definitely recover and his cultivation will reach a higher level."
Han Zhengzhi had originally intended to comfort him, but upon hearing his words, he couldn't help but sneer: "What? Didn't you say before that the person you were marrying to ward off bad luck was Fu Shanqing?"
The priest was taken aback by his words and remembered what he had said back then. He immediately put on a bitter face: "The divination did not show which one it was. At the time, I just thought that the one who could match the city lord must be the most outstanding genius of the Fu family."
Who could have predicted that the marriage to bring good luck would not only involve a last-minute change of brides, but also inadvertently bring in the person truly destined for the marriage?
The priest felt that being a human was too difficult.
He looked up at Han Zhengzhi, who was sneering, and his eyes suddenly lit up: "By the way, don't think I don't know you originally planned to cause a scene at the Fu family, so why did you agree to change the bride to bring good luck?"
"Did the city lord know something back then?"
Han Zhengzhi paused, too lazy to pay him any attention, and said irritably, "The city lord was unconscious at the time, what could he know? Didn't you say that if he didn't wake up on the night of the full moon, you would listen to Ao Yushu and return to the Dragon Clan's ancestral land?"
Why haven't you gone back yet?
"Shouldn't it be the right thing to do? If the city lord doesn't wake up, Ao Yushu will be the next leader of the dragon race. He doesn't have great strength right now. The dragon race lost many elites in the war between immortals and demons. Isn't preserving strength the best option?"
The priest didn't think he had done anything wrong; everything he did was for the sake of the dragons.
Han Zhengzhi was almost amused by his self-righteousness. He finally understood why the city lord had fought his way through to become the leader of the dragon clan. After all, under the leadership of these stubborn old men, the dragon clan would probably perish like the phoenix clan before.
If it weren't for the previous Dragon Lord Ao Qin's kindness to the City Lord, the City Lord wouldn't have taken on these responsibilities. Wouldn't it have been better to be a free and unrestrained dragon?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and in the end, he simply blasted the priest out of the folded space.
Even so, the priest kept asking him, "Did the city lord really not know who his destined one was? Otherwise, why would he agree to let you send Fu Mingxu to bring good luck?"
Han Zhengzhi pushed him out and said seriously, "The city lord really doesn't know anything about a destined person. Didn't you perform divination while he was unconscious?"
This straightforward reason kept the priest out.
Han Tao truly didn't know about the destined person, but Han Zhengzhi was certain that if he woke up and saw that the person he was marrying to bring good luck was Fu Mingxu, he would not object.
A note from the author:
Han Zhengzhi: I'm just an ordinary "matchmaker"...
(I will read all your comments! Thank you everyone! *bows*)
Ha ha.