Chapter Forty-Three: To Youth

  "So, what happened next?" I asked the tear-stained demon girl as I handed her a tissue. It wasn't that I lacked sympathy, but I really wanted to know how this story ended. The demon girl slapped open the tissue I handed her and grabbed my arm, wiping her tears and snot all over my sleeve with a loud sniffle.

  Later, Mei Jianni kept pestering that mysterious old woman to take her on as an apprentice. And she even changed her own name to Mei Jiugu. I think she wanted to commemorate her deceased father? Actually, when she was young, more people liked to call her Mei Jiuguniang. It wasn't until later, when the old lady had passed away, that people started calling her by her original name again, Mei Jiugu! The witch seemed to have a deep-seated dislike for that Mei person and would always find excuses to badmouth her.

  "A year later, my aunt also passed away after a serious illness, leaving behind her precious son, who was left alone to struggle for survival in the mountains. That son is me. And today, I'm taking you to find the Mei family's old maid, Zhu Que Mei Jiu!" The demon girl suddenly flashed her big eyes, sniffled and leaned against my arm, whispering in my ear.

  "Hey, Master Uncle. What year are you talking about?" I asked, trying to get the demon girl's real age out of her.

  "What's wrong? Are you looking down on me? Want to trick me? What makes you think I'm not good enough for you, you little brat?! Come here and lend me your shoulder!" Soon, my intentions were seen through by the witch. After a scolding with mixed guns and sticks, I obediently lent out my own shoulder.

  "Then, Master, how did you become the White Tiger later on?" I wanted to understand this woman as much as possible.

  "This is fate, and you can't escape it. No matter where you are, what's yours will be yours. Whether good or bad, you just have to wait there, waiting for everything that this life has in store for you, waiting for them to come one by one onto your body." The witch didn't answer my question directly, but instead leaned her head on my shoulder and whispered softly.

  "After crossing this ditch, it's where I lived when I was a kid. All these years, thanks to Old Lady Mei taking care of it here. Otherwise, those two wooden houses would have collapsed long ago." The demoness walked silently for a while, then pointed at the winding mountain ditch in the snowy forest and said to me. This is still my first time hearing her mention Master Mei's kindness.

  "Master Shu, why don't you get along with Master Mei? Weren't you two raised together since childhood? Logically speaking, your relationship should be good!" I've been stuck on this question.

  "Not bad, that old hag. She's been arrogant since she was a child, and after she begged to become the apprentice of the former Zhu Que, she became even more unbearable. Always subtly showing off her superiority in front of me, what superiority? I'm currently ranked higher than her in the Four Symbols. It's really 'the wheel of fortune turns', next year it'll be my turn! Who would have thought that I would be favored by the White Tiger of the Four Symbols back then? Haha! Just mentioning Master Mei makes this witch angry again."

  "Hey, auntie, let's be a bit more ladylike! In this desolate mountain and wilderness, with your loud laughter, I feel like the snow on those trees is going to fall down!" I looked up at the snow-covered trees around us, which were falling off one by one due to the demon girl's laughter. I hastily spoke out to stop her. I was afraid that her laughter would summon some mountain spirits or wild ghosts.

  "Little rascal, I know, you like that flirtatious tone, don't you? Husband, isn't it?" As she spoke, the seductress began to tease and flirt with me. Let me secretly tell you, I really do like this tone, hehehe!

  "You shameless old man, thinking of eating young grass again?" Suddenly, this disdainful remark came from the woods.

  "Hmph, you're envious, aren't you? You can't do anything about it even if you are. Go ahead and keep on being jealous, you old silk melon! Unlike my shock and loss of color, the demon girl seemed to know who the newcomer was. Upon hearing this, not only did she not loosen her grip on my arm, but instead held on even tighter. And then she started jumping up and down, shouting curses towards a certain direction in the woods."

  "It's so disrespectful to the elderly, at such an old age and still pretending to be young. One mouthful of 'husband' this and that, it almost made my teeth ache. A crane-haired, baby-faced granny walked out of the woods? Because I also don't know how to address her or describe her! If you say she's old, her face is as smooth as a teenager's. If you say she's young, she has a full head of white hair. For now, let's just call her Granny. Anyway, nowadays women can't be judged by their appearance alone."

  The old woman was wearing a colorful dress with two strings of copper bells tied around her ankles. A hand drum hung behind her, making soft sounds as she moved. At this moment, the old woman was looking at me and the demon girl with disdain on her face. But why did I find her outfit so familiar?

  "Has your tooth fallen out? I think you're heartbroken, aren't you! Look at you, inheriting the legacy of Zhu Que and making yourself neither human nor ghost. Look at me, still youthful to this day. How many boys secretly admire me, having a one-sided love for me, do you know? Ha! But with your old, worn-out eyes, even an old man would retreat in defeat!" The demoness's sharp tongue was on full display in front of the old woman, and I also realized that the old woman in front of me was none other than Zhu Que Mei Jiu Gu!

  "Hmph! Young man, don't be deceived by her rotten hide. In terms of age, she could be your grandmother. Hmph, if you really get along with her, who knows, one day when you open your eyes, the one sleeping next to you won't be a delicate beauty, but a chicken-skinned, grey-haired old hag on the verge of death." When it comes to verbal sparring, Mei Jiugu was in no way inferior to the seductress. And with that, she launched into a tirade that instantly gave me goosebumps!

  "Oh my, this grape is really sour." The seductress hugged my arm tightly, ridiculing Mei Jiugu for saying that grapes are sour because she couldn't get any.

  "Two masters, stop arguing. It's freezing outside, let's find a warm place first and talk about other things later!" Standing in the knee-deep snow, watching two women quarrel, is really not something to be proud of. Now I can feel the biting cold has penetrated above my knees. As for below my knees, they have long been frozen numb.

  "Shut up!" The two women scolded me in unison, as if I had interrupted their argument and made them feel very uncomfortable.

  "Let's go, let's go! We've quarreled for half a lifetime, aren't you satisfied yet? Let's go home!" After calming herself down a bit, Mei Jiugu waved her hand at the demon girl and said.

  "You think who is rare to quarrel with you. Go home, go home, I said silk gourd bag, my wooden house have you swept or not?" As soon as she mentioned going home, a hint of nostalgia flashed in the eyes of the demon girl. The tone of her speech also softened a lot. In her heart, this deep mountain and old forest was her and Mei Jiugu's home.

  "You're always gone for years at a time, and that wooden house of yours wouldn't have lasted if I hadn't taken care of it! This year, I even hired someone to renovate it again, spending several thousand yuan. That's my hard-earned money, you need to pay me back!" The two women, who had grown up together, experienced misfortune together, and cultivated together, finally walked hand in hand into a new life.

  "Did it really cost several thousand to renovate this wooden house? Were you cheated?" The witch pulled out some snacks from her bag and handed a handful to Mei Jiugu, saying.

  "Hmm? Where did you buy this plum sugar, I've liked sour and sweet flavors since I was a kid." Mei Jiugu picked up a plum sugar and put it in her mouth, sucking on the flavor of the candy while happily saying so.

  "In this world, only we two understand each other." The witch took out an orange and peeled it while smiling at Mei Jiugu.

  "This orange is quite sweet, want to try some?"

  "Is your little husband buying it for you? Then I have to eat it, no eating is not eating! Haha!"

  "Nonsense! I was just teasing him. He and that monk are the successors of Qinglong and Xuanwu. This time, he's here to find your disciple!"

  Two women were whispering to each other in front of me, saying a few words and then turning back to glance at me. Then they continued whispering, occasionally letting out one or two low laughs. This situation made me feel a bit creepy.

  "Looking for my apprentice? What's the point of finding her?" As soon as she mentioned her own apprentice, Mei Jiugu's face showed a tense inquiry. It can be seen that this apprentice has a heavy weight in her heart.

  "The sun demon has appeared again, before we step down, shouldn't we hurry up and let the younger ones get together to hone their skills? I don't want these little things to have some kind of accident in the future. Those sun demons, you've also seen them, their methods are not simple." The witch stuffed the peeled orange into Mei Jiugu's hand, saying this in a low voice.

  "One of these days, I'll squash all those annoying stink bugs to death, one by one." At the mention of Ri Gui, Mei Jiugu's face turned icy with killing intent.

  "Alright, alright! Those rough tasks can be left to the younger generation. We older ones will just be responsible for touring mountains and rivers, occasionally offering guidance on their cultivation. I've been busy for half my life, I really want to take a break." The demoness gently patted Mei Jiugu's hand, chuckling softly as she spoke.

  "I'll make you braised pork with rice noodles for dinner tonight, I know you love this dish. I've also prepared some good wine, hidden in the cellar, and we can have a good drink together tonight!" The two women walked shoulder to shoulder in the snow, discussing what to have for dinner. It wasn't until now that I felt the deep friendship between them.