Chapter 3: Poem about Plum Blossoms, Moonlight, Tea Brewing, and Spring Rain

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  "Dragon God, since you always grant wishes, I only ask that you quickly take me away. Losing the Yang energy is a small matter now, but if we're late, I'm afraid I'll be swallowed alive by those ghosts!" Wei Gongzi's face was strong, but at this moment, his eyes were filled with tears, and he looked very pitiful.

  I had no choice but to say: "Young master, don't worry, I'll ask the Dragon God to bless Miss Mei and convey your message to her, to alleviate your concerns."

  "Alright, plum blossom, quickly go with me!" Wei Gongzi grabbed onto me like a lifeline and hastily dragged me towards the Dragon God Temple.

  My heart was filled with doubts, but I had to follow Wei Gongzi and run quickly over. Before long, we arrived at the outer temple of Longshen Temple. The lanterns in the Smoke and Rain Pavilion were shining brightly, illuminating the surroundings with a warm glow. The black and white Longshen Temple was hidden among the vibrant colors of spring, exuding an air of serenity.

  We were just about to enter the door when we heard a sudden movement behind us: whoosh... whoosh... It was as if something heavy was being blown towards the back of our heads with the wind. Wei Gongzi's dark face turned pale, and he stuttered: "It's... it's this sound..."

  Although I was terrified, my curiosity still got the better of me, and I turned around to take a look. What I saw was a skull about the size of a pickled vegetable jar, more than half of which had rotted away, with yellowish wax-like flesh hanging from it, its eyebrows and eyes looking fierce, and its hair and beard still vaguely discernible, emitting a pale blue ghostly flame that flickered and floated in mid-air, heading straight for us, only a few feet away.

  I suddenly felt dizzy and my knees went weak, I fell onto the stone road. Wei Gongzi saw this but didn't care about me, he quickly ran towards the Longshen Temple. His large body was surprisingly fast when running. I sat there alone, calling out to heaven and earth but no one responded, I was so scared that my legs were numb.

  That skull stopped, hesitated and looked at the Dragon God Temple, its face twisted, seeing the fat sheep that had flown into its mouth, seemingly unwilling to give up, as if it had hesitated for a moment, glanced at me with disgust, reluctantly, and rushed towards me.

  "Oh no!" I had just opened my mouth, and that rotten piece of flesh on the head fell down, right into my mouth. It was sour and bitter, with a hint of rotting smell. I almost vomited, but that small piece of flesh melted in my mouth as soon as it entered, as if it had slid into my stomach. No matter how hard I tried to spit it out, I couldn't. My intestines were already twisted together from fear, and now they were even more knotted up. This time, it seemed like I was the innocent victim. "I'm doomed," I thought, closing my eyes to await my fate. But after a long while, there was no sound from that rotten head. When I opened my eyes again, that rotten head had vanished without a trace.

  "Hmph, foolish child, today you've had a great fortune, this unknown thousand-year-old flesh of the Golden Age has been given to you to eat, and you've actually obtained a spiritual body! This is really interesting!" Just then, a lazy, drawling, yet very clear and pleasant male voice came from behind me. I turned my head to look, and a young nobleman with a tall stature, wearing a moon-white long shirt and a sapphire blue waistband with what seemed like a very valuable jade embedded in it, walked out of the Dragon God Temple, stuffing something into his mouth and swallowing it.

  I took a closer look, and this young master had an ivory-like complexion, quite handsome, with eyebrows like ink paintings, and eyes that sparkled like phoenix eyes, slightly narrowed as he gazed at me with interest. One corner of his mouth was eating something, yet still held a hint of mocking smile, his chin pointed, the collar of his shirt revealing a prominent Adam's apple, giving off an air of having not eaten for a long time, weak and frail. On his shoulders stood a parrot with bright green feathers, shouting non-stop "Stupid donkey great fortune, stupid donkey is back!"

  Who is this again? Who is the silly boy calling out to now? Me? But this young master has a completely unfamiliar face, not like a familiar guest! Moreover, I don't know when it was passed down that the main hall of the Dragon God Temple, except for me who is specially sent to offer sacrifices, is not allowed to enter. How did he come out from inside? That Wei Gongzi is still hiding outside the main hall of the Dragon God Temple, peeking at me through the window on the outer wall, shivering with fear.

  "The young master is..." I stared at him in a daze: "That skull..."

  "This deity... no, I'm not the one who turned into a skull, but rather I rescued you from that skull's mouth," said the young master in a languid tone: "Even I couldn't recognize you, it's really infuriating. Considering you don't remember past events, I won't bother to settle accounts with you either."

  It sounds like he knows me? "But I've never met the young master before?" I said awkwardly: "Could it be that the young master saved me? And how should I address him? Plum blossoms are confused, forgot the face of a benefactor, this is also possible."

  "You can just call me Longjing-sama! And I'll call you stupid donkey."

  "But, young master, why did you call me a foolish child..." I looked at the young master with suspicion, wondering what kind of person he was to be able to tame that fierce head, and must have had extraordinary abilities.

  "Alright, alright," the young master didn't respond, but instead began to order me around: "This is actually quite convenient. Whatever I want to eat, you can just listen and bring it over, so we don't waste anything on things I don't like. I don't like that peach blossom pastry, next time just send over some osmanthus sugar cookies. And isn't that Wei fellow going to make an offering to the Dragon God? Tell him to arrange everything with precision, bear paws and deer antlers, mountain delicacies and seafood, I'll eat whatever he brings."

  "I'm eating peach blossom cake! I'm eating peach blossom cake!" The parrot flapped its wings and shouted loudly.

  "This deity doesn't eat, and neither should you. This deity dislikes the taste of peach blossoms, lest you eat them and annoy others with their fragrance." The young master frowned his straight eyebrows in distaste and said.

  "The fragrance of peach blossoms, the fragrance of peach blossoms." The parrot had just let out a few loud cries when it was roughly tossed out by the young master. Just as it was about to crash to the ground, the parrot surprisingly proved agile, spreading its wings and landing steadily on top of the sandalwood statue, saying indignantly: "Don't mention it, don't mention it."

  Peach blossom cake? Isn't it what I offered to the Dragon God Temple recently?

  "Is the young master referring to the offerings at the Dragon God Temple?" I was getting more and more confused, earlier he said he ate the offerings at the Dragon God Temple, now he's saying that someone sent him pastries to eat, could it be that he actually lives in the Dragon God Temple and makes a living by stealing offerings...

  "I live here, you sent it over, isn't it just to give me something to eat?" The young master said with a pleased expression: "Today's words, remember them one by one. Recently, I've encountered some changes, and there are some scattered monsters on Purple Jade Hairpin Street, some strange things, I suppose you're busy."

  "I asked incredulously: 'You mean to say that you live in the Dragon God Temple and only eat the offerings here? This is...'"

  That young master glanced at me and smiled, saying: "You also saw it just now. Since I can subdue demons and catch ghosts, living in the Dragon God Temple is nothing wrong. Whether it's you or me who comes to pray for peace, isn't it all the same? I'm too lazy to waste my breath, so wait for now! These days have been uneasy, and there must be strange things happening! Wait until you hear about the demon causing trouble, then come ask for help from Dragon Well Master, it won't be too late." As he spoke, he beckoned with his hand, and the parrot flew back onto his shoulder. The young master swaggered along, as if returning to his own home, and turned to enter the Dragon God Temple.

  "But what about that skull..."

  That young master didn't even turn his head and said, "The name of that monster is Thousand Year Flesh Old Golden Tai Sui. Eating it can make ordinary people intelligent, it's a kind of monster that specializes in absorbing the aura of poetry and books. Although Wei Gongzi looks a bit rough, he has a poetic air about him, which attracted the attention of the monster, who wants to eat his knowledge every night! As for why Wei Gongzi encountered this situation and became weak, it's because of his jealous wife at home, who called him back to give him a good scolding, and then everything became clear."

  "But...the palm slap was too much..." As I watched the young master disappear into the main hall, I became even more bewildered. Was he saying his name was Longjing? This Young Master Longjing, who spoke such arrogant words, could he really be a extraordinary person capable of subduing demons and evil spirits?

  I haven't figured it out yet, Wei Gongzi rolled and crawled out of the main hall, asking: "Mei Cai, you were talking to yourself, who were you talking to? The head that flashed by earlier was gone in an instant, could it be that the Dragon God is really showing his spirit?"