The invincible female ghost is a bit love-struck.

Chapter 129 Should I tell Qingwan about my marriage?

I slept without any dreams.

When Lu Yuan was awakened by the dazzling winter sun outside the window, it was already broad daylight.

He was completely buried in the blankets, which smelled of sunshine and were fluffy and warm.

Lu Yuan only showed half of his head, and let out a satisfied sigh.

"Ah...that feels so good..."

The fatigue and tension from five days of non-stop work seemed to have been smoothed out by this long, restful sleep until I naturally woke up. The warmth of the heated kang bed beneath me was still there, and the comforting warmth emanated from the mattress, making me feel lazy and relaxed all over.

I just want to lie here and do nothing.

However, no matter how comfortable it is, you still have to get up.

Counting the days, the Heavenly Venerable Ceremony has already entered its third day.

We are currently in the public opinion phase, which can also be understood as the stage of campaigning for votes.

Lu Yuan quickly organized all the things he had done regarding the elimination of the evil spirit land, and not only put them into the "Book of Merit".

They also need to be made into comic books, brochures, and the like, and distributed.

As the saying goes, even good wine needs advertising.

During this period of public opinion review, various Taoist temples listed out all the good deeds they had done over the past five years.

Let the people outside the pass know what good things we have done in the past five years.

All the Taoist temples were putting in a lot of effort to promote themselves during this period, as if they were afraid that others wouldn't know about them.

If Lu Yuan hadn't joined in the clamor and had simply wanted to eliminate the evil-nurturing land and sit at home waiting for jade beans to fall from the sky...

That's really stupid.

When Lu Yuan finished washing up, it was just past 11 a.m.

Let's call the old man over and have lunch first.

When Lu Yuan arrived at the old man's quiet room, before he could even go in, he saw the old man walk out with bloodshot eyes.

Judging from his appearance, he must have stayed up all night trying to find a way to untangle his fate.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan felt a little sorry for him. He was over sixty years old and was staying up all night every day.

Lu Yuan immediately said:

"What's the rush? Didn't we say we'd find a solution after we finished dealing with the Ghost-Controlling Liu family?"

The old man yawned, stretched, and said:

"I got so engrossed in it that I ended up watching it all night."

Hearing this, Lu Yuan and the old man walked towards the dining hall, asking curiously:

"So you found a solution?"

The old man nodded slightly and said:

"We've made some progress, but we still need to observe more."

The master and apprentice talked as they entered the dining hall.

Today's vegetarian meal was quite good: stewed pork and cabbage with glass noodles, golden and crispy fried dough twists, and sticky rice cakes and fluffy flower rolls as the main dishes. The aroma was incredibly enticing.

Lu Yuan was carrying a large pot of stew, which was so hot that he kept shaking his hands. After putting the pot down, he rubbed his earlobes and looked around, but then realized something was wrong.

"Hey, the food's so good today, why are there so few people?"

These two dishes today are definitely hearty dishes.

Pork, cabbage, and glass noodle stew—no need to say more, just eat this whole pot of stew.

Not only does it taste delicious, but it also warms you up from head to toe, which is incredibly comforting in the dead of winter.

There's also oil scraps, which are the meat scraps left after rendering pork fat or lard.

Sprinkle some salt and chili powder on this stuff, and eat it raw and crunchy—it's incredibly delicious!

Logically speaking, just for these two dishes, the threshold of the vegetarian hall should be worn down by the crowds.

But there are really very few people in this dining hall today.

"He went to the countryside."

The old man didn't even look up, scooping a large spoonful of stew into his own bowl.

Then, holding a steamed bun in one hand and chopsticks in the other, he picked up the small bowl and started shoveling food into his mouth.

They ate with great relish.

Lu Yuan was so hungry that he immediately sat down, just like the old man.

He first shoveled half a bowl of stew into his mouth, then picked up a steamed bun and took a bite before muttering:

"Which rural area are you going to?"

The old man put down the bowl of stew he was holding, picked up a piece of fried dough, and chewed it with a crunchy texture.

"The period for public opinion regarding the Heavenly Venerable Ceremony has begun. Since we are vying for the title of Heavenly Venerable, we cannot simply sit and wait for the Jade Bean to fall from the sky."

"At this time, all the major Taoist temples will send someone to inform their former owners."

"These owners remember the kindness they received in the past, and they not only donate jade beans to their own families, but also bring their relatives and friends along."

Hearing the old man's words, Lu Yuan looked at him with amusement and said:

"Did you send someone?"

After all, the old man had kept saying he wouldn't compete, that there was no chance of winning.

But now that the Heavenly Venerable Ceremony has begun, the old man is still quite honest in his physical condition!

The old man looked up at Lu Yuan, then couldn't help but glare at him and said:

"nonsense!"

"You've worked so hard for so long, and almost lost your life, you can't just end up not even making a sound!"

Looking at the old man's expression, Lu Yuan grinned, then said seriously:

"It's not necessarily hopeless."

Lu Yuan wanted to say something more, but his eyes were fixed on something else.

The "Goddess of Beauty" stepped lightly across the threshold of the dining hall.

She was still wearing that simple porcelain-patterned long dress, with a plain style and subdued colors.

But when she wore it, it made the once vibrant and lively dining hall look like a faded old painting.

She alone is that breathtaking, vibrant glaze of life within the painting.

Lu Yuan looked completely bewildered.

no………

This "goddess of beauty" just swaggered out in broad daylight like that?

Her face was calm, and her star-like eyes swept lightly over the somewhat empty dining hall, without deliberately displaying any divinity.

But that kind of transcendent, natural perfection is more impactful than any gorgeous clothes or jewelry.

The eyebrows, eyes, bridge of the nose, lips—every feature is so exquisitely detailed it takes your breath away.

Under the light, the skin has a warm, jade-like luster, as delicate as fine porcelain.

She walked in like a celestial maiden who had accidentally stumbled into the kitchen of the mortal realm.

The surrounding area features rough wooden tables and chairs, a steaming iron pot, and the aroma of stew and pork cracklings filling the air.

This creates an extremely strong yet inexplicably harmonious contrast.

The few Taoist priests in the dining hall, who were already few in number, seemed to be frozen in place for a moment.

A young Taoist priest who was serving soup near the door dropped his ladle back into the soup pot with a "clatter".

He was completely unaware that the scalding soup had splashed onto the back of his hand; he just stared wide-eyed and mouth agape, dumbfounded.

Two middle-aged Taoist priests who were engrossed in eating in the corner looked up when they heard the sound, and then froze.

A noodle from one of the chopsticks slipped back into the bowl, splashing a few drops of oil.

The other chewing motion stopped there, cheeks puffed out, eyes glazed over.

Even the Taoist priest who was busy working behind the stove slowed down his hand-wiping movements several beats when he glanced at the doorway while wiping his hands with his apron.

A clear look of astonishment and a hint of instinctive bewilderment at the ultimate beauty flashed in his cloudy old eyes.

"Wait... what's wrong with her??"

Lu Yuan looked at the old man sitting opposite him, who was still simmering the stew with his head down, with a blank expression and asked.

The old man, without even looking up, muttered:

"What's wrong?"

"She has a physical body, and since she has a physical body, of course she needs to eat too."

Lu Yuan: "????"

"Is this correct?"

At this point, the old man put down his soup bowl and looked at Lu Yuandao speechlessly:

"How should I know if I'm right or wrong?"

"I'd never even heard of such a thing before, but that's what she said. She did come over for breakfast."

Lu Yuan looked completely bewildered.

"Won't others notice something's wrong with her?"

The old man shook his head and said:

"As long as she conceals her divine nature and doesn't fight with others, who could guess that she's a god?"

At this point, the old man paused, then curled his lip and said:

"Moreover, even if they discover that she possesses divinity, others will not be able to figure out what's going on."

Lu Yuan blinked, somewhat bewildered. This…

At this moment, only the soft bubbling sound of stewing vegetables in a large iron pot could be heard in the dining hall.

And everyone could almost hear their own heartbeats suddenly quickening.

The "goddess" seemed oblivious to the gazes fixed upon her, or perhaps she was simply used to being watched.

She went straight to the food window, where bowls of steaming dishes were laid out.

She stopped in front of the large pot of pork, cabbage, and glass noodles, tilting her head slightly as if observing this simple, unpretentious dish, rich in oil and sauce. A subtle curiosity flickered in Xingkong's eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings.

Then, she reached out her flawless hand, the fingertips gleaming with a soft, warm glaze, and picked up a clean, rough earthenware bowl beside her. The "Goddess of Beauty" ladled herself a bowl of stew, and then took a steamed bun and a sticky rice cake.

She turned around, carrying the bowl of rustic food that seemed out of place with her demeanor yet somehow elevated by her aura. Her gaze swept around the dining hall.

Finally, those bright, starry eyes landed precisely on the empty seat next to Lu Yuan.

The corners of her lips seemed to curve upwards in a very subtle, almost imperceptible arc.

Then, she took a step and walked lightly toward Lu Yuan's table.

Lu Yuan felt his throat was a little dry, so he quickly drank some soup and watched as she got closer and closer.

Wherever she went, all the Taoist priests involuntarily leaned back slightly and held their breath, as if she carried an invisible and awe-inspiring aura.

Finally, she walked up to Lu Yuan.

"Cheer".

With a soft sound, she gently placed the large, rough pottery bowl on the table.

The movement was so elegant, as if what he was putting down was not a bowl of stew, but a rare treasure.

Then, under the watchful eyes of everyone, she gracefully sat down, looked at the old man earnestly, and said:

"Master."

Then, she slowly turned her head, her deep and beautiful eyes, like the starry sky, looking at Lu Yuan.

As his gaze shifted, the coldness vanished, replaced by a subtle hint of intimacy.

"Senior brother~"

Lu Yuan: "???"

What is that??

How did I become the senior brother?

Lu Yuan looked at the old man with a face full of astonishment.

"How did I become the senior brother?"

The old man didn't even look up, continuing to slurp the stew in his bowl, mumbling indistinctly:

"She'll be staying at the temple for several months; she needs a title, otherwise how can we explain it to outsiders?"

"Why not just take her on as a nominal disciple? That way, she can come and go freely from Zhenlong Temple."

Before Lu Yuan could refute the old man's words, the "Goddess of Beauty" beside him raised her eyebrows, which resembled distant mountains shrouded in mist, and spoke with a hint of amusement.

"What's wrong? You're not happy about being this senior brother?"

Her voice was soft and sweet, yet it possessed a strange penetrating power.

"If you don't want to, then I'll call you junior brother next time."

Lu Yuan's lips twitched; he was too lazy to argue with her about this.

He remembered something more important and immediately turned to "Athena" with a serious expression.

"You heard what was said last night. Tell me everything you know about the Ghost-Controlling Liu family."

"The sooner we resolve the matter of the Ghost-Controlling Liu family, the sooner we can deal with our fateful entanglement."

Upon hearing this, the old man, who had been engrossed in eating, raised his face and stared intently at the "Goddess of Beauty."

However, the "Goddess of Beauty" shook her head, her flawless face showing a serious expression without a trace of impurity.

"I have no idea."

ha?

Lu Yuan was stunned.

The old man seemed to have guessed something, and lowered his head again to continue his battle with the rice noodles in the bowl.

Before Lu Yuan could ask any further questions, the "Goddess of Beauty" gazed at him with her starry eyes and blinked gently.

"I've told you this so many times!"

"Liu Ruyan is Liu Ruyan, and I am me."

"Liu Ruyan is long dead."

She paused, her voice becoming slightly ethereal.

"Of course, we shared memories before that."

"But those memories have been completely reduced to ashes under the tempering of the ancestral master's divine fire."

"I am now truly 'reborn,' and I remember nothing about Liu Ruyan whatsoever."

Lu Yuan: ..…….…”

He wanted to ask something else, but the old man opposite him had already finished his first bowl and was scooping out his second bowl, which was now completely full.

"I've made some progress on the matter of the Ghost-Controlling Liu family."

As the old man spoke, he shoveled the freshly ladled stew into his mouth.

"I can go find them after the Heavenly Venerable Ceremony is over."

"You don't need to worry about that. Just focus on preparing your Heavenly Venerable Ceremony."

After saying that, the old man picked up the small bowl and started slurping again.

Hearing the old man say this, Lu Yuan was somewhat bewildered.

There's already some progress? So fast?

He then realized that there must have been some new developments with the Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable of Tianlong Temple, who had informed the old man.

Lu Yuan didn't ask any more questions and nodded solemnly.

"After I finish eating, I'll spend some time with Qingwan, and then I'll head to Fengtian City tonight."

The old man grunted in agreement and said nothing more.

After finishing lunch, Lu Yuan gave the old man a few brief instructions and then walked alone towards the side hall in the backyard.

The afternoon sun had lost its sharpness, casting a slanted light on the bluestone path and illuminating the damp marks left by the melting snow under the eaves.

The air was crisp and clear, yet it carried a rare warmth for a winter day.

Pushing open the door to the side hall, a familiar scent, a mixture of chill and fragrance, wafted towards you.

The hall was dimly lit, with only a few rays of sunlight squeezing in through the cracks in the windows high up.

Several beams of light were formed, illuminating the slowly floating dust particles in the air.

Gu Qingwan remained seated on the enormous red lacquered wooden coffin.

She wore a long, moon-white robe, and her long hair was simply tied up with a cloth rope of the same color, making her look not like an evil spirit, but rather like a fairy from the moon palace imprisoned in this place.

She turned her head slightly and looked over.

Those eyes, usually as deep and cold as a pool, softened almost imperceptibly for a moment when they met Lu Yuan's figure.

When Lu Yuan arrived here, it felt like he was back home.

He and Gu Qingwan were so familiar with each other that they didn't need to say a word, and even when they were in silence, they were never awkward.

He closed the palace door behind him and walked straight toward the red coffin.

"Let me see how the curse on your mouth is healing."

Gu Qingwan nodded her delicate chin without saying a word.

creak

With a soft thud, the heavy coffin lid slid open to the side on its own, no longer requiring Lu Yuan to use his shoulder to push it open.

Lu Yuan peeked inside and took a look.

Hmm... the speed is alright, faster than expected.

At this rate, the curse and restrictions should be completely broken once the Heavenly Venerable Ceremony is over.

Next, we need to find rare and precious items to help her grow a new tongue.

This matter cannot be rushed; we must search carefully.

It just so happens that all the Taoists are gathered in Fengtian City. We can see if we can barter and find her the best one.

"Here you are."

Lu Yuan straightened up, took out a small package wrapped in oil paper from the tower chain, and placed it on the coffin lid.

"I came back in a hurry this time and didn't have time to go shopping, so I didn't buy you any new clothes."

"But when we were waiting for the bus in the market town, I bought you some little trinkets."

The paper package contained jewelry, rouge, and other things typically associated with young women; they weren't particularly valuable, but they represented his heartfelt sentiment.

"I have to go back to Fengtian City tonight."

Lu Yuan looked at her with an exceptionally serious gaze.

"When I come back from there, I'll definitely bring you the prettiest clothes."

He had already made up his mind that the first thing he would do when he got back was to ask Aunt Qiao'er for help.

Based on Gu Qingwan's figure, go buy the newest and most fashionable clothes in the city, and buy a whole bunch of them!

When Aunt Qiao'er flashed through my mind, I naturally thought of Aunt Qin.

Thinking of these two charming women, Lu Yuan felt a slight warmth in his heart.

They... are now his rightful wives.

Lu Yuan stood in the side hall, pondering for a moment.

Suddenly, Lu Yuan started thinking about something: should he tell Qing Wan about his marriage?