The First Book: The Chapter of Birth - Chapter 5: A Stormy and Rainy Day with a Disheartening Situation

  Suddenly, Lu Kuan loudly exclaimed, "Quickly come out and see the monster!" Tao Yao got up quickly and rushed out of the door. She raised her head to look up and saw a strange beast lying on the ridge of the roof. It had purple whiskers on its chin, horns on the back of its head, and was over 6 meters long. Its body was covered with golden scales, resembling the dragon often depicted in paintings and calligraphy. Ding Zhi Xuan followed her out and said, "It is actually a descendant of the Shenlong of Minjiang River, but it's still young. However, it has none of its ancestors' majesty and only knows how to crow like a rooster, which has made it become this unlucky creature over time."

  Lu Kuandao said: "Since you are a dragon breed, why learn from the rooster's crowing?"

  Ding Zhi Xuan said, "According to the old people in the village, the divine dragon of Minshan was imprisoned by the Eastern Sea's Yao Huang and left behind a dragon egg. Our sect's master brought it back to Emei and put it in a chicken coop to hatch. After the little dragon was born, it accompanied the chickens day and night, thinking it was the descendant of the mother hen, so it imitated the habits of the chickens everywhere." As he spoke, he scattered some wheat grains and called out with his head raised, "Little , don't be naughty, come down quickly to eat something." The little dragon jumped onto the ground, shaking its head and tail, making strange cries of "giggle giggle", poking its nose into the ground again and again, just like a domestic fowl pecking at food.

  Lu Kuan bit his finger and sighed: "The dragon species has become small, Emei Sect is really formidable."

  They were so engrossed in conversation that they forgot about their work. The Flowering Mother appeared out of nowhere, the bamboo clappers "crackling" as she drove the three back to the kitchen to get back to work. Breakfast was ready, and then it was time to prepare lunch. Tao Yaoyao suppressed her temper and worked diligently, hoping to catch a glimpse of Little Snow when the food was served. However, just like yesterday, after scanning the crowd of Emei disciples who came to collect their meals, there was still no sign of Little Snow. As the afternoon wore on, the three young men bustled about on empty stomachs, with golden stars flashing before everyone's eyes. The Flowering Mother was leisurely, sipping tea, picking her teeth, taking a nap, and snacking on dried pumpkin seeds, spitting out the shells all over the floor, and ordering Tao Yaoyao to sweep them up.

  The peach tenderly and angrily said: "May I ask, Madam, the many female disciples of Emei Sect, did they also come to the kitchen to do hard labor in the past? Did they also have to endure your cruel beatings?"

  The flower lady spat out a watermelon seed shell and said, "All those who come to ask for immortality, men go to the kitchen to temper their bones. As for girls, as long as they are clean and innocent, they can enter the door and help their fellow brothers and sisters with some needlework."

  Tao Yaoyao loudly said: "The Orthodox School of Mysticism, why do you favor women over men?"

  "Flower Granny glared with her round eyes and scolded, 'You're a man, how can you argue with a girl? It's often said that 'a good man comes from a golden rod'. The reputation of the Emei Sect for a thousand years cannot be ruined by a cowardly and lazy scoundrel like you! Moreover, you are my nephew-in-law. Our family's ancestral teachings say 'if a man doesn't get beaten for three days, he'll go up to the roof and remove tiles'. I'll first help Water Fairy discipline her husband, lest she takes matters into her own hands later.' While scolding, she swung her board and Peach Blossom was beaten again."

  As the golden crow sank in the west, day and night took turns again, and it was time to sleep. Lu Kuan and Ding Zhi Xuan fell onto their beds, sleeping like dead men. Tao Yao Yao was filled with worries and thoughts, recalling the reason for her departure from home this time, truly a mute eating bitter melon, having bitterness that cannot be spoken. After thinking for a long time, drowsiness gradually surged up, just as she was about to doze off, the sound of Open-Flower Granny's snores started again, and Lai Fu shouted excitedly as usual. Tao Yao Yao covered her ears and hid under the quilt, only blaming herself for not being able to sleep earlier due to her wild thoughts. Enduring for half the night, the eastern sky gradually turned white, the snores and barks slowly ceased, but then it was time for "Little" to announce the dawn again. Tao Yao Yao's accumulated resentment finally burst out, she suddenly threw off the quilt, coldly smiled and said: "If I were a man, how could I tolerate being humiliated and enslaved by others? What kind of dog fart Emei immortal art would I want to learn? Coming here was to meet with Little Snow, why bother getting entangled with these messy people."

  She made up her mind at once, got out of bed, and sneaked into the kitchen. Tao Yao-yao concentrated her energy and struck the "Disaster Bell" with a small iron rod, striking it forty or fifty times in succession, then hid behind the kitchen cabinet. Less than half a minute later, there was a loud noise outside the window. A large group of monkeys rushed into the house from the windows, chimney, and back door, rummaging through boxes and cabinets, snatching bowls and plates, like ten thousand hungry ghosts had been let loose at a banquet. Tong Bian Xian laughed shrilly: "Haha, the Disaster Bell rang for so long, the Emei Sect must be having a feast, with plenty of fine wine and food left over! Children, search carefully!" The monkeys cheered and jumped for joy, causing a ruckus, with cups and plates flying through the air, shards scattered all over the floor, and the kitchen in disarray.

  Lu Kuan and Ding Zhi Xuan had already woken up, watching the monkeys wreak havoc, stunned and helpless. The flower granny also woke up, hastily putting on her clothes, asking what was going on. Ding Zhi Xuan looked flustered, stuttering: "Something big is happening, the monkeys...the monkeys are rebelling..."

  Taoyao slipped out of the room, taking advantage of the commotion. At this moment, it was still early in the morning, and a light rain was falling, casting a gray mist over everything. Some Emei disciples were already up practicing their skills, breathing in the morning dew, and no one noticed any movement around them. Taoyao walked quickly with her head down, passing through the trial grounds, following the stone path she had taken two days ago to Xuanji Peak. She thought to herself, "Ding Zhixuan said that the Sword Immortal's disciples live on Wuliang Peak. I'll go there to find Xiaoxue and confess my feelings to her face-to-face. Whether or not she agrees is up to her." As the saying goes, 'A virtuous woman is a good match for a gentleman.' This matter is straightforward and upright, what's there to hide?

  They arrived at Xuanji Peak in a moment, with dense forests and towering buildings in front of them. The majestic atmosphere hit them in the face. Taoyao thought that there were many masters of Emei Sect, if they acted rashly, they might have gotten into trouble before finding Xiaoxue. He observed the surrounding terrain and saw a large bamboo forest on the left side. He crouched down and entered the forest, but just after walking a few steps, he suddenly saw a black shadow flickering in the depths of the bamboo forest, moving stealthily. Taoyao was surprised and thought to himself, "Strange, this is the sacred land of Emei Sect, could it be that there are thieves here?"

  He held his breath and crouched down, creeping quietly closer. The man was half-kneeling, motionless, seemingly focused on something in front of him. Taoyan stretched her neck to take a peek and saw that the man was wearing a light purple cloak, with his head and face completely hidden under the hood. As her gaze moved downward, she noticed that his right shoulder was slightly moving, and his left arm was bent inward, with a strand of black silk hanging down, and a pale white arm dangling beside his foot - it was obvious that this person was holding a woman in his arms, using his right hand to feel her body.

  Tao Yao's eyebrows furrowed, and she silently sighed, "No need to guess, this guy is here to flirt with girls, and it turns out we have the same hobby. Unfortunately, his behavior is despicable, using a flower thief's tactics to take advantage of young girls." With that thought, she took big strides forward. The man suddenly became aware, quickly turned his head, but his face was still covered by his wind hat. Tao Yao smiled and said, "Brother, your audacity is impressive, I admire you, why not give me a lesson in person?"

  That man released the woman, jumped up and swung his palm at Tao Yao, making a false slap. He then floated away, his movements as fast as a ghost. Tao Yao shivered with fear, exclaiming: "Ah, I've escaped his sinister plot!" She ran her hands from head to toe, finding herself unharmed. She let out a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to help the other girl up, her eyes suddenly widened and her limbs trembled, as if a thousand thunderbolts had struck her brain at once.

  All that could be seen was the young girl's dark eyebrows and red lips, her face as delicate as a flower. It was actually Dongye Xiaoxue. She lay on her back on the grassy ground, her eyes tightly closed, and incredibly, she wasn't wearing a single thread!

  At this time, the sun rises in the east, and the sunlight illuminates every corner of the bamboo forest. The delicate body is completely exposed. Snow's skin is set off against the green grass, like a jade carving immersed in clear spring water, without a speck of dust. Xiao Xue's figure has not yet matured, and her slender waist still retains some childishness, but she appears icy and pure, transcending worldly vulgarity. Tao Yan looks foolishly, her mind a complete blank. Her initial shock turns to admiration, and then to worship, almost causing her to kneel down and kowtow. Seeing Xiao Xue's chest heaving, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, Tao Yan suddenly comes back to herself, secretly scolding herself: "She was kidnapped by villains, unconscious, and I actually stood by and did nothing! What if she gets frostbite in this cold wind and rain?"

  Thinking of this, he hastily took off his short jacket, fearing that she couldn't keep warm, and then took off the cloth shirt inside. He squatted down to pick up Xiaoxue, holding the clothes with one hand and trying to put them on her. However, the more anxious he became, the more mistakes he made. After fumbling for a long time, he still couldn't dress her properly. In his haste, his bare chest touched Xiaoxue's skin, his fingers kneading her tender body, which was warm, fragrant, and smooth to the touch. Taoyan's face was flushed with embarrassment, her breathing heavy through her nose. When she glanced up and saw the girl's shy expression, he suddenly realized that Xiaoxue's lower body was still exposed. What if someone saw them? He quickly took off his pants and carelessly covered Xiaoxue's waist.

  At this moment, there was a rustling sound of footsteps outside the bamboo forest, followed by someone shouting: "Hey, who are you? What are you doing?" Tao Yaoyao guessed that it was the disciples of Emei who had arrived, and she lowered her head to carefully examine herself, making sure that all her vital parts were covered before feeling at ease. She turned around and saw Zhou Tian's astonished face, as well as several male and female disciples standing on either side, each with a stupid expression, looking like they couldn't believe their eyes.

  A gust of cold wind blew, and Taoyao suddenly let out two loud sneezes, only to find herself wearing only her underpants. At the same time, a famous female disciple exclaimed: "Dongye Shijie! She... she..." It turned out that Xiaoxue's clothes were barely enough to cover her shame, with her arms and legs still exposed, clearly having been stripped of her underwear. Taoyao stood beside her, naked and red-faced like a monkey's buttocks, the situation was self-evident! Truly, the wolf-like nature is revealed!

  Peaches guessed the thoughts of the crowd, secretly calling out in distress: "These people came early or late, but they happened to rush in at the critical moment. Now even if I jumped into the Yellow River, I couldn't wash it clean! I'm so unlucky, I've arrived at my grandma's house!" Wanting to explain but having no words, she waved her hand and said: "No, no, what you saw... isn't true... isn't that way!"

  "Quickly seize the scoundrel!" Zhou Tian Sheng shouted. The crowd immediately pinned down Tao Yao Yao, binding his wrists with a belt. The female disciple removed her cloak and wrapped it around Xiao Xue, carrying her down from Xuan Ji Peak to urgently seek help from their sect's high-ranking members. Tao Yao Yao looked embarrassed, secretly smiling bitterly "I'm done for, probably going to be torn into eight pieces. Fortunately, Xiao Xue was rescued, hopefully she didn't suffer any harm." Thinking of Xiao Xue's safety, he couldn't care less about his own situation.

  It is said that "good news doesn't spread far, but bad news travels a thousand miles." In just half a day's time, the entire Emei Sect was in an uproar. The rumor of Tao Yanyan violating Xiao Xue spread like wildfire, with all sorts of strange and bizarre details emerging. Amidst the outrage and suspicion among the disciples, they wondered where Tao Yanyan came from and how she managed to abduct a high-ranking member of the Jianxian Gate. Meanwhile, Xiao Xue was normally kind to everyone, but never showed any romantic feelings towards anyone - what kind of scene would it be for this "chaotic beauty" to strip naked? The Emei Sect's disciples were a mixed bag, and those with lustful intentions couldn't help but imagine the worst. They regretted not being present at the scene. As people's minds were in turmoil, the leader of the Shexian Gate, Changshengzi, ordered an investigation into the "lecher" to quickly quell the public outrage.