Ch52 - Coincidental meeting

Xie Zhiwei had been sitting in his room for an entire day, wondering whether he should go out. His carriage drive had gotten lost on the way to the capital city and actually drove him in the opposite direction. He was now 10 miles away from Aureate Sect.

On the basis of his master-disciple relationship, Xie Zhiwei still wanted to see with his own eyes whether the hero had gotten together with girls, even if he had blackened by now. It was like dealing with a nightmare: he needed a painful slap in the face to make sure he was awake.

There were some advantages to being reborn.

He had bargained with Gallant Outlaw so the System could relax its restrictions on him—he didn’t have to steal any scenes, but simply stay near the plotline to maintain his four stars of Presence Points.

Then again, that was intolerable for an acting fanatic like himself. Xie Zhiwei was depressed. He had already acted out such a shockingly touching death scene, but his Presence Points didn’t change. What else did he have to do to reach the full five stars?

Also, the sudden speech ban from the System was very inconvenient. If he hadn’t found Gallant Outlaw in time to forcibly lift the restriction, he wouldn’t know how to scare those two grave robbers. In the future, he had to be careful not to curse.

Oh right, another good thing is that I have money!

Yep, the silver he stole from the grave diggers’ house was enough for him to spend a few days in luxury. In his past life as an actor, he never lacked money even at his lowest point. But four years ago, he had to count his coins just to buy Mu He a sugar figurine down the mountain. It was very painful.

Xie Zhiwei had flagged down a carriage for slow travel and lived in top-tier inns during his trip. If the driver hadn’t lost his way, he’d be very carefree by now. He even changed his looks. The taoist robes were traded for a simple long shirt and a long and delicate sword. If anything, he looked like a scholar skilled in the literary and martial arts. Picking up a mirror, Xie Zhiwei finally saw some color in his spring-soaked face. He had a pair of handsome eyes, a high nose, and thin lips that, despite being pursed, looked soft and amiable.

Pretty dashing, pretty stylish.

But he was still unsatisfied. Opening up the System, Xie Zhiwei asked, “Gallant Outlaw, this image won’t do.”

“Airy and handsome, floating like an immortal—that’s plenty suave, ah. What’s the matter?”

“How am I supposed to roam the jianghu if people can recognize me from four years ago?” Xie Zhiwei fussed. “Of course I know I’m handsome, but these kind of looks are rare. Otherwise, why would you have picked me as a prototype?”

Gallant Outlaw echoed, “Right right right, your looks are unforgettable to others. Then Idol, if you don’t think it’s bothersome, why not cover up your face?”

“No good, won’t I suffocate under the hot sun?”

“Then…then how about you slash your face a couple times? Except that’ll hurt, ah.”

“Grow some guts. A manly man wants to accomplish great things but fears pain…heheh.” Disgusted, Xie Zhiwei hung up and then righteously opened up his bag to take out a large square towel that he used to hide his features.

…just stealing a scene doesn’t count as accomplishing some great thing.

He finally left his rooms. Aureate Sect was a super sect in the novel too, so he might as well observe it from a distance. Otherwise, who knew when he’d return after leaving?

The little town at the base of the mountain was having market day today, so the streets were full of vendors and people. As expected of the Buddhist sect, the incense industry here was no less impressive than Flying Flowers Township. Even the wind was wrapped in varying scents of incense ash. He almost had the impression of going back to four years earlier. Back then, there was still a lively youth in white robes asking to buy him a sugar figurine…

“Owner, how much for this sugar  figurine?”

Xie Zhiwei’s thoughts drifted as he turned to see an actual candy stall in a corner. But it was a female in coarse robes standing in front of the seller with her back to him.

The stall vendor replied, “Two copper coins.”

Times had really changed. In the past these candies sold for one copper coin, but the price had doubled.

Someone this old eats sugar figurines? She’s like Qiu Chongyun.

“All right.” The female counted out two coins from her shriveled purse, took the sugar figurine, and turned to hand it to a little beggar boy who was gnawing on his fingers. The boy’s eyes lit up before he licked the candy.

When the sweetness hit his tongue, he wiped away his drool in embarrassment and said, “Thank you, big sister.”

I misunderstood. She’s cheering up someone else instead.

“You’re welcome,” the female replied before rubbing his head. “Run off and play.”

The little beggar skipped away while the female smiled faintly, as if she was the one eating the candy instead. The stall vendor could only sigh. “Miss is beautiful but also has a beautiful heart, ah.”

He was too coarse to know rhetoric, so his compliments were very direct. The female wasn’t shy and openly nodded back. “My master always says that one should be compassionate. This small matter isn’t worth mentioning.”

Xie Zhiwei only watched quietly from a distance. Although he looked calm, his chest had been surging from the moment the girl turned around.

He was powerless to speak.

What kind of world is this?!

He came back from the dead after four years and actually met the right person in the wrong place!

—This is Tantai Meng ah, hey!

But right after Xie Zhiwei went wild with joy, he realized something was wrong.

Or rather, unusual.

What kind of character was Tantai Meng? In the original novel, she was a cold and aloof goddess, the standard white moonlight template of every stallion novel. How could she be friendly enough to buy candy for little beggars and even chat with the stall vendor? Where was her sense of self-image?

It’s not that Tantai Meng wasn’t kind or did good deeds. In fact, she was the kindest and most decent member of Mu He’s harem. But in the original novel, she never left her name when helping out younger junior sisters at Earthly Moon City. Nor would she smile randomly at people. At most, she’d just nod.

Oh right, she was pushed into the river by Mu He and swept away. Since she didn’t enter Earthly Moon City and become Xia Zhiqi’s foremost disciple, she doesn’t have the qualifications of those female disciples.

So how did she spend these past years? What caused her fall from grace from her original cold and mighty self?

Thankfully, Xie Zhiwei was hiding his face and didn’t expose his sympathetic expression.

—Her days must be hard. She can’t even afford to wear the matching white couples’ robes with Mu He anymore.

Tantai Meng began to head back. Despite her rough clothing, her temperament still shone through like a hibiscus fallen into the mortal realm. Xie Zhiwei couldn’t help but follow. But when he witnessed her chatting familiarly with the town’s grandpas and grandmas, then purchasing some personal supplies from little shops, then smiling good-naturedly without any arrogance, she seemed all too friendly. Xie Zhiwei began to second-guess his impression of the original novel’s goddess image.

After all, Mu He had won over everything in the world except Tantai Meng by the end of the book. This woman had quite a personality, and her personal motto was, “We have intimate relations because I like you, but I’m still myself.” Because of this, she eventually disagreed with Mu He’s methods and left him, leaving an unsatisfactory ending.

Who told Mu He to be all-conquering? It wasn’t enough for him to have all the women and land in the world. After obtaining all four lotuses, he even used Qingping Sword to guide his way to a supposedly separate world. It was a realm of legends sealed by the demon race and filled with many ancient godly artifacts. The divine race used all their strength to isolate the realm. No one was guarantee to obtain those artifacts even if it was released. They could even end up burying the world back into its purgatory period. The whole story ended with a crack opening up in that world while Tantai Meng fluttered off in her white robes. Nobody knew what happened after that.

But that was too far off to worry about now. Xie Zhiwei suddenly felt that if he gave this kind of Tantai Meng to Mu He, she would be a completely virtuous and obedient type. If the hero wanted to open a new world later, Tantai Meng would probably follow him even if he overturned the skies.

Eventually they reached the base of the mountain. After days of rain, the air was very clean. Tantai Meng was in a good mood as she carried a heavy pouch and glanced at the wildflowers by her feet from time to time. The mountain path winding uphill turned into masonry steps at the first mountain gate. Xie Zhiwei now understood that Tantai Meng didn’t become a daoist, but was picked up by these Aureate Sect monks.

Tantai Meng suddenly stopped and bent down to pick something up. She looked at the empty road before her before relaxing and said, “Thank goodness…”

Then she looked back and met gazes with Xie Zhiwei with his hands folded behind him. Xie Zhiwei had intended to get closer to Tantai Meng, so he’d been following her for a while. Because his cultivation base was much higher, Tantai Meng hadn’t sensed him at all. She was a little stunned.

“Why are you following me, sir?”

Of course Xie Zhiwei wouldn’t admit that, so he simply said without changing expression, “I’m only a passerby here to pay my respects at the Buddhist sect.”

Tantai Meng was suspicious. “But this is the rear mountain. If you want to pay your respects, you should go to the Mahavira Hall in front of the mountain.”

Xie Zhiwei came to a “sudden realization.” “So it’s like that. This is my first time here and I don’t know the way. Many thanks to Miss for the reminder.” He glanced back, aggrieved. “I’ve already come this far, so it’ll be dark if I retrace my steps…aye, forget about paying respects. It looks like my face can’t be healed.”

Tantai Meng was frightened at first because of the cloth hiding his face like a knave. But Xie Zhiwei spoke soberly and even mentioned his face, so she couldn’t help asking, “May I ask, about sir’s face…”

Xie Zhiwei broke into a bitter smile. “Last year I got chicken pox that left pockmarks all over my face. They still haven’t healed and none of the doctors helped, so I’ve come begging the Buddha to try my luck.”

“So that’s the case,” Tantai Meng mused. “Since you’re so sincere…why don’t you wait here? I’ll tell the abbot and see if you can enter from the rear mountain first.”

Although the Buddhist sect had no immortal-level experts like Xie Zhiwei, Du Sheng and his two sect brothers were considered a generation of masters. It would be bad if he was exposed. As a daoist, Xie Zhiwei couldn’t pray to Shakyamuni, so he waved his hand and refused. “No need to trouble this Miss. I’ll pass by again in a few days and visit then.”

Tantai Meng nodded. “Then sir shall have to be troubled.” She turned as she finished, holding the item she picked up from the ground. It shone brightly in the sun with this action.

“Miss, please wait,” Xie Zhiwei called.

“Is there anything else, sir?” Tantai Meng asked.

“The object in Miss’s hand, may I take a look at it?”

“Of course, but it’s just a hairpin I picked up,” Tantai Meng took a couple steps and showed Xie Zhiwei the item. “I think it was left by one of the female incense bearers.”

It was just an ordinary wooden hairstick embedded with a single red stone of unknown make at its end. Both the wood and stone didn’t seem very valuable. Xie Zhiwei thought it looked familiar at first glance, but couldn’t remember where he’d seen it before. Still, he didn’t pay much attention to female accessories. Something this simple was probably some cheap roadside stall goods.

Xie Zhiwei asked, “Why did Miss say ‘thank goodness’ after picking this up?”

Tantai Meng gave a start before she thought back. Helplessly she replied, “I’m ashamed. I wanted to say ‘thank goodness Master didn’t find out.’ If he saw this, he’d probably put it into the donation box.”

“This doesn’t look like a valuable hairpin, but it also has to be given to Buddha?”

Tantai Meng smiled. “Sir, you don’t know. My master is so devout that he’d rather offer everything in the world to Buddha.”

Xie Zhiwei felt like he could guess who Tantai Meng’s teacher was. “May I ask which high level monk is your master?”

Tantai Meng answered, “He’s one of the three Great Sages, Great Master Du Sheng.”

—

Translator’s Note: Are you surprised? Are you pleased? The heroine is here, Mu He’s maybe engaged, and wait….why does this suddenly feel like a BG instead of a BL story? Bwahahaha…