Techniques and Dao

Chapter 137 Butterfly Spirit Manor
A snowy night. Daqian Temple.

Half asleep on the coffee table, Hanamoto woke up when she heard voices coming from the living room.

Looking around the guest hall, besides Master Ruokong and the guest monk, there was also a young novice monk.

"Buxu! It's you!" Huasheng immediately perked up and greeted the young novice.

The young monk Buxu greeted him with a smile and replied, "It's been less than a day since we last met, benefactor!"

Hua Sheng said apologetically, "I'm so sorry to trouble you to lead the way tonight."

Bu Xu picked up a saddle from the ground and said, "It was arranged by the abbot. I haven't been out for a long time. I'll accompany you for a walk tonight."

The saddle was almost half the height of a cloth and looked very heavy. Hua Sheng felt bad and quickly said, "How can you let a child carry something so heavy? Let me do it. Where's the horse? I'll carry it over."

"It's nothing, it's nothing! It's very minor!"

Bu Xu carried the horse as easily as if he were carrying a blanket. He quickly walked to the open space outside the guest hall and placed the saddle on the snow.

Hua Sheng woke up Mie Ying, who was standing nearby, and the two went outside. They found only a patch of white snow on the open ground outside; there were no horses in sight.

Mieying rubbed his eyes and asked, "Are we going to ride horses? Where are the horses?"

Hua Sheng also looked at Master Ruokong with a puzzled expression. Master Ruokong smiled without saying a word and then pointed to Buxu.

Bu Xu squatted down and, disregarding the cold, crawled onto the snow, then climbed into the center of the saddle and placed the heavy saddle on his back.

"Huh?" Hua Sheng asked in surprise, "Don't joke around, what does the little kid want to do? Does he expect us to ride on his back?"

At this moment, Bu Xu raised his head and instantly transformed into a pure white steed without a single stray hair.

Upon closer inspection, this horse is over two meters tall, its body as white as jade. With its hooves thrashing and its long mane flying, it is truly magnificent!
Immediately, Mieying was wide awake, jumped up and exclaimed, "Wow! What a handsome, tall horse! Is this little monk Ma Ling?"

Master Ruokong said, "To say that Buxu is Ma Ling is to truly underestimate this child. You should call him Little Dragon Horse!"

"Little Dragon Horse? He's a dragon?"

Master Ruokong nodded and replied, “Buxu was originally the thirteenth prince of Ao Run, the Dragon King of the North Sea. However, this child was born with an excessively strong inner fire, and his magical power was difficult to control. He caused trouble in the Dragon King of the North Sea’s territory and even injured his three older brothers. In a fit of anger, the Dragon King of the North Sea asked the third prince of the West Sea Dragon King, also known as the Eight Heavenly Dragon Horse, to find the Buddha of Sandalwood Merit to plead for mercy, hoping that my master could help discipline this little dragon and tame his heart. So my master sent this child to Daqian Zen Temple to study Buddhism with me.”

Upon hearing this, Hua Sheng exclaimed in surprise, "That really is the real Little White Dragon Horse!"

Master Ruokong continued, "Lu Dongbin and Tianjizi have only been gone a short time. To be on guard against the surveillance of immortal magic, it would be safest to ride this white dragon horse to Butterfly Spirit Manor."

"Mmm-hmm!" Mieying raised her eyebrows and nodded vigorously. She looked at the white dragon horse with increasing affection and kept stroking its white mane.

Hanamori had never ridden such a magnificent horse before, and he was extremely excited.

The monk in charge of receiving guests led the two to the temple gate by the reins. After opening the gate to ensure their safety, he opened it completely.

Outside the temple, snow was falling heavily. Master Ruokong, holding an umbrella, saw them off, saying, "Lu Dongbin and the others would never have expected that you would leave the temple so soon after them. You two can rest assured."

After the two bowed to thank Master Ruokong and the guest monk, Hua Sheng stepped onto the horse and mounted it, then pulled Mieying onto the horse as well.

After mounting his horse, Mieying wrapped his arms around Huasheng's waist and sat steadily behind her.

Hua Sheng, sitting high up, noticed that Master Ruokong's paper umbrella was covered with tiny holes due to its wear and tear. He asked, "Abbot, why is your paper umbrella so full of holes? Why don't you get a better one?"

Ruokong said, "Why not? With this umbrella, even in this snowy night, we can still look up at the stars."

After saying that, he stepped forward and patted the little white dragon horse's head, saying, "It's easy to expose your whereabouts when you're in mid-air, Bu Xu, don't use your flying skills. The journey isn't far, so try to stay close to the ground and we'll be at the manor in no time."

The white dragon horse nodded after hearing what Master Ruokong said.

Only then did Master Ruokong feel relieved and waved to Huasheng and Mieying on horseback, saying, "Benefactors, this humble monk will wait for you to return and stay for another hundred days."

Hua Sheng smiled wryly and said, "If I am expelled from the Academy of Arts and Sciences, perhaps only you, Master, would be willing to take me in in Shengping Ningli."

Ruokong laughed and said, "That's great. When you return, I can consider installing a wireless network for you in the temple!"

The white dragon horse let out a dragon's roar in the snow, and leaped out of the mountain gate of Daqian Zen Temple.

The hour of Chou (1-3 AM) has passed.

The snowflakes danced like jade flowers, and as far as the eye could see, the mountains and valleys were a sea of ​​silver and jade trees.

Under the moonlight, a snow-white steed gallops through the snowy mountains and forests like a dragon, carrying two people at breakneck speed.

Aside from the faint white snow beneath their feet, many parts of the winding mountain forest were pitch black. Yet the white horse traversed the woods at high speed, as if walking on flat ground, without even panting.

As Hua Sheng rode on the back of the white dragon horse, despite the occasional undulations in the mountains and forests, she felt no bumps whatsoever. It was more like sitting on a roller coaster with a pre-set track.

Behind him, Mieying Xiaoqi's hands tightly hugged his waist, her face resting against Huasheng's back. Although it was extremely cold all around, Huasheng could feel the warmth from Mieying's face, a warmth that was slowly spreading from his back into his heart.

Just as Ruokong said, the little white dragon galloped wildly for a short while and then passed through the dense forest to a relatively flat mountain road.

After walking a while longer, by the moonlight, you can see a bamboo forest halfway up the mountain, in which a beautiful and elegant villa, like an academy, has been built.

As they approached, the white dragon horse slowed down.

Mieying pointed happily and said, "We're here! That's my brother's manor!"

Above the main gate hung a plaque with four golden characters: "Die Ling Liang Mansion".

The white dragon horse stopped in front of the manor gate. Hua Sheng dismounted and helped Mie Ying down from the horse.

After dismounting, Mieying stepped forward and hugged the white dragon horse's neck, saying with obvious affection, "Thirteenth Prince, Little White Dragon! I never imagined you were so powerful! Master Ruokong told you to spread your power, and it's true what they say!"

The white dragon horse seemed to like Mie Ying, rubbing its face against Mie Ying's body repeatedly.

Hua Sheng also patted the white dragon horse on the back: "Bu Xu, you really worked hard tonight!"

After safely delivering the two to the manor, the white dragon horse quickly departed. Looking into the distance, it turned and leaped into the air. With a single turn, it transformed into a small, pure white dragon. Letting out a soft dragon's roar, it soared into the sky and disappeared from sight!
After Bu Xu left, Hua Sheng turned to look at the gate of the Butterfly Spirit Manor. Unexpectedly, Mie Ying stopped her.

Mieying said in a low voice, "Given our current identities, the fewer people who know, the better. It's best if the Liang family's servants don't see us, otherwise it might leak out. It's one thing if it attracts people to chase us, but don't let it implicate my brother's family."

Hua Sheng thought this made sense, so he asked, "Then how do we get in?"

"Climb over the wall!" Mieying answered without hesitation.

Hua Sheng was taken aback and asked, "But this injury on your shoulder..."

"The injury is nothing. It's just..." Mie Ying hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.

"Just what?"

"It's just that I feel as Nezha's adopted daughter, having to climb over even a low wall by hand is quite embarrassing if others find out..."

"You're still thinking about this kind of thing!"

Hua Sheng suddenly realized that Mie Ying liked to focus on these seemingly insignificant things, and said, "You've already gotten yourself into trouble by following me around tonight. Why are you bothered by something like this?"

“That’s different.” Mie Ying said, finding a gap in the wall and climbing up with a push of his foot.

Hua Sheng was quite agile and followed Mie Ying up the wall. He quickly flipped over to the top, climbed onto the wall, and then pulled Mie Ying up with him, so that Mie Ying could also sit on the top of the wall.

Hua Sheng then asked, "Do you regret it?"

Mieying pouted, looked at Huasheng, and said, "I might regret it later."

Hua Sheng sighed and said, "Actually, if you go back to the Academy of Arts and Sciences now, there shouldn't be any problem."

Mie Ying smiled and said, "If you live your whole life without any regrets, won't you have even more regrets when you get old?"

"What kind of bizarre logic is this?"

"This is my logic!"

"According to you, does that mean everyone should do things they'll regret?"

"I think that if you don't dare to pursue something that makes you happy because you're afraid of regretting it, wouldn't your life be boring?"

"That being said, the price to pay could be very high..."

Mieying laughed and said, "When I was born into this world, I didn't even have a body. What is there that I can't lose?"

Hua Sheng was shocked; Mie Ying was indeed right.

He had heard Xuanwen say that Mieying's original body was severely disabled, and that the Fire Wheel Heavenly King had created a body for her using lotus roots.

Moreover, strictly speaking, the initially damaged body actually belonged to the youngest sister, Ninth Sister. The other eight sisters were merely residing in Ninth Sister's damaged body. Therefore, it's true that Seventh Sister, as the youngest sister, didn't have a body of her own.

"So I just want to see the world properly, and I just want to see the people I like properly..."

Mieying paused for a moment, then said, "Or something."

After saying that, Xiao Qi flipped over and jumped into the yard. Hua Sheng also jumped down, and was about to say something when he saw Mie Ying put her index finger to her lips and make a gesture for silence.

Mieying had obviously been to the Liang residence before and was familiar with the surroundings; she stealthily made her way forward.

Hua Sheng then followed her, and the two of them crept one after the other to a bedroom at the back of the house.

Hua Sheng, feeling uneasy about sneaking into someone else's house, asked, "Are you sure you know the Liang family's owner well? We look like thieves raiding a house at night. If one of the servants uses a Xuanming-level spell, and we can't use immortal magic to defend ourselves, we might just get killed in one hit!"

Mieying replied impatiently, "So shouldn't we be even more careful?"

"Why does that sound so unsettling?"

"Stop asking. We used to feel pretty close, but the more you ask, the less we know each other. I'm starting to worry."

"How could my question possibly have anything to do with it?"

"Shut up!"

The two were bickering and chatting when they suddenly heard a man's voice coming from the bedroom.

Who's outside?

Hua Sheng nearly had a heart attack from that shout. Mie Ying reacted quickly, immediately replying, "Brother Liang, Brother Liang! It's me, Sister Mie Ying!"

Then the bedroom light came on, and footsteps were heard inside. A man's figure was cast onto the window paper.

A man in his thirties, who looked like a scholar, opened the door. He was quite surprised to see Mieying and asked, "Sister Mieying, how did you get in? Why didn't you let our servants bring you in?"

Just as the man was about to call for the servants, Mieying immediately covered his mouth, saying, "Brother Liang, you mustn't! No one can know that Mieying is here!"

The man asked in surprise, "What happened so late?"

Mieying grabbed Huasheng and pulled her into the house, closing the door behind them. He said, "Brother Liang, you have to help your sister today!"

At this moment, a woman's voice came from inside the room: "Brother Shanbo, who is outside?"

The man turned to the inner room and said, "It's Mie Ying, the daughter of the Mie Meng family."

The woman in the inner room replied, "Why are you here, Sister Mieying? Please wait a moment, I'll put on a coat and come out."

Upon hearing this, Hua Sheng asked, "Wait! You call Mieying Brother Liang, and the people inside call him Shanbo. Is his name Liang Shanbo? Is Die Ling Liang Shanbo?"

"How come you know him too?" Mieying asked, tilting his head.

“This Liang Shanbo is incredibly famous! He’s China’s Romeo!” Hua Sheng exclaimed.

Upon hearing this, Liang Shanbo laughed and said, "What is Romeo? Just a fictional young actor. Back then, my wife and I risked our lives!"

"So the one inside is..."

Just then, a graceful woman walked out of the house. Hua Sheng noticed that this woman looked more than ten years older than Mie Ying. Even without makeup, her appearance and temperament were still extraordinary and unforgettable.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe her as an absolute beauty.

Liang Shanbo said to the woman, "It's snowing outside, and the hall is a bit cold. Yingtai, could you please make two cups of hot tea for us?"

"Wow! It really is Zhu Yingtai! Zhu..."

Hua Sheng was about to exclaim in surprise when he suddenly realized that the woman looked very familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen her before.

The woman, however, exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Hua Sheng, "Ah! It's you!"

Hanamori was taken aback by the question and asked in return, "Huh! You recognize me?"

Zhu Yingtai covered her mouth with her long sleeve and laughed, "That's right! I had a stall at the Pear Garden Market! I sold honey, don't you remember!"

Hua Sheng suddenly remembered, "That's right, it's the shopkeeper I bought honey from with Wei Yu before!" He vaguely remembered that the left side of the stall read "The vibrant colors of flowers have faded," and the right side read "Apricot blossoms and pear blossoms await your return." The shop sign read...

"Butterflies dance in vibrant colors!" Hua Sheng and Zhu Yingtai exclaimed in unison.

Zhu Yingtai laughed and said to Liang Shanbo, "Brother Shanbo, after the market closed that night, the old moon told me that he gave this child and the girl with him a piece of moonlight from that night."

Zhu Yingtai turned to Hua Sheng and asked, "It's been so long! By the way, where's the girl who was with you back then?"

Upon hearing Zhu Yingtai mention Wei Yu, Hua Sheng was overwhelmed with thoughts and unsure how to respond. Just as she was about to speak, Mie Ying suddenly stepped forward and blocked her way, shouting, "That... let's turn the page! Now I'm the female lead!"

Zhu Yingtai covered her gaping mouth and said in surprise, "As expected of the daughter of the Mongol-destroying family, could it be that you, sister, are meddling in our affairs?"

Mie Ying waved his hand and said, "This is not forced at all; it's what everyone wants!"

After hearing this, Zhu Yingtai said to Liang Shanbo, "Brother Shanbo, look at these children nowadays, how come they can turn pages faster than flipping through a book? No, they should be like the cell phones used in the human world, where you don't even need to flip through a book, you can just swipe over it directly."

"No, there are some reasons for this..." Hua Shenggang tried to explain.

Mieying turned her head and glared at him, saying sharply, "Don't mention this! Shut up and go play somewhere else!"

The flowers bloom, but only silence remains.

"This..." Seeing the awkward situation, Liang Shanbo tried to ease the tension by saying, "Yingtai, don't listen to Lao Yue's nonsense. He's an old man who wants to pair up any man or woman he sees, and he's always trying to match them up. Look how you're making people lose face by talking nonsense."

Zhu Yingtai could only stick out her tongue to stop the conversation. She placed teacups on the table and poured two cups of hot tea for Hua Sheng and Mieying.

(End of this chapter)