After a satisfying meal and drink, they stayed at the inn for another night.
The next day, they bid farewell to the innkeeper and rode away on their horses.
Along the way, I felt filled with doubt and after much thought, I asked Zhang Tianshi.
"Tianshi, I have eaten fish and know that fish has a腥味 (xīngwèi - fishy smell).
But the meat I ate just now had no fishy smell at all, and instead had a sweet taste. It didn't look like fish.
Can you tell me, what kind of meat was it?"
Seeing me ask, Tianshi thought for a moment and said.
"That meat was indeed fish, but it was merfolk meat."
"What! Merfolk meat?"
I was startled.
In my memory, I only recalled reading about merfolk in books.
I had also heard A Li say before that there were merfolk here, but I had never seen them and didn't believe it.
I never expected that what I ate just now was merfolk meat.
But merfolk are half-fish and half-human, so was I eating fish meat or human meat?
Tianshi saw my tense expression and pale face, and couldn't help but laugh heartily.
"Hahaha, it was the right decision not to tell you yesterday.
If you had known, you definitely wouldn't have dared to eat it, especially Muye."
"I truly wouldn't have dared to eat it, it's a good thing you didn't say anything."
I gave a sheepish smile, thinking that since I had eaten it, I couldn't spit it out.
I could only offer a prayer for him.
A Li, however, asked with confusion.
"I've heard that merfolk live in the vast oceans to the south, how did they end up here?"
Tianshi said.
"There are indeed some intricacies to this.
For thousands of years, the merfolk tribe has had no contact with the Four Cities.
They lived in the sea, much like wild fish.
People living by the sea often caught them and ate them as food.
When traveling merchants heard of this, they would buy them at high prices and transport them to various places.
Generally, only the children of high officials could enjoy such delicacies."
"Then why is it called 'Pear Mountain Beauty'?"
I was very curious, was this to cover up the truth?
"This brings us to a poignant story.
Legend has it that a long time ago, a merfolk lived on Pear Mountain.
She fell in love with a small demon who also lived on Pear Mountain.
But this small demon had an extremely short lifespan, living at most three hundred years.
To prolong his life, the merfolk would cut off her own flesh for him to eat, delaying his death.
Therefore, later generations called this merfolk meat 'Pear Mountain Beauty'."
"What a touching story,"
A Li exclaimed.
Following this main road, it wouldn't be long before they reached the main city of the Western Purple Kingdom.
Seeing everyone so happy, Tianshi decided to share a few more words.
"Let me tell you, actually, I have eaten human flesh."
"What!"
My face filled with horror. He, he had actually eaten human flesh.
Seeing my panic, Tianshi deliberately said.
"Human flesh tastes much like other meats, you can't distinguish the flavor."
My heart was filled with dread, and I dared not look at him anymore.
He saw that I was becoming increasingly flustered and felt he had gone far enough, so he explained.
"I was joking, look how scared you are. How could I have eaten human flesh? I am a vegetarian."
Hearing him say this, I felt much better.
"That's a relief, it's not true."
"Yes, who would want it to be true."
As they were talking, suddenly, an arrow flew out from somewhere.
It was aimed directly at A Li and me.
Tianshi leaped onto his horse, caught the arrow, and landed on the ground.
"Why is there an arrow here?"
A Li became nervous, not knowing who might be from which mountain.
Tianshi examined the arrow but found nothing special about it.
Suddenly, three arrows were fired simultaneously, flying through the air.
Tianshi remained calm, stomped his foot, leaped into the air, turned, caught the arrows, and landed.
A Li exclaimed again.
"Who could it be?"
Tianshi said.
"No need to worry, judging by the archer, they are likely not as skilled as I am."
It seemed like he was stating the obvious.
He continued.
"You two stay put, so you don't get hurt."
We listened to him and stayed safely on our horses.
Suddenly, a dark figure leaped into the air, brandishing a saber to attack.
Tianshi dodged to the side, spun, and threw the arrow in his hand.
The dark-clothed figure quickly cut down the arrow and then drew a flying knife from his waist, flinging it towards Tianshi.
Tianshi channeled his energy with both hands, controlling the flying knife, and then with a push of his hands, the flying knife flew back.
The person turned, opened one hand, caught the returning flying knife, and returned it to his waist.
I saw that he was carrying a long bow and a quiver on his back.
It seemed that those arrows were shot by him.
I wondered why he was trying to harm us.
The person leaped up again, striking with a saber.
Tianshi spun and struck the saber with his palm.
Instantly, a powerful force sent the person flying backward.
The person landed far away and slid several meters backward before stopping.
Tianshi walked towards the person with a smile, his steps confident.
"How about it, Brother Tan, has my martial arts improved a bit?"
Brother Tan? I felt like I had heard that name somewhere before.
Seeing that his disguise had been seen through, the person stopped pretending and pulled off the black cloth from his face.
It was a man of similar age to Tianshi.
The man cupped his hands.
"Brother-in-law, it's been a while."
Tianshi laughed heartily.
"My name is Zhang Tianshi now, you should still call me Tianshi."
"Alright, then Tianshi."
"Why are you here?"
Tianshi was curious, he hadn't reached the city of the Western Purple Kingdom yet, how had he arrived.
Brother Tan said.
"Brother Murong knew you would be returning, so he informed me in advance."
"I just ate at his place, it seems he arranged for people to inquire about me long ago."
"Of course, you've been gone for many years with no news.
If he didn't send many people to inquire, how would he know your whereabouts?"
"It's good of you all to still remember me."
"We are old friends, how could we not miss you."
I didn't expect him to be someone Tianshi knew, judging by their rapport.
It seemed he was someone from his childhood, just like the innkeeper.
I truly envied their friendship.
They chatted for a long time, and Tianshi finally remembered us.
He brought us over and introduced us to him.
"Let me introduce you, this is A Li, and this is Muye."
Brother Tan cupped his hands.
"Young Master A Li, Miss Muye, I apologize for the offense just now, please forgive me."
A Li said.
"We could tell those arrows weren't meant to cause serious harm, so we didn't mind."
I also said.
"It's alright, it was just a bit of entertainment."
"Hahaha."
Seeing that we didn't take it to heart, he was relieved and laughed heartily.
Tianshi looked into the distance and asked him.
"How much longer until we reach the capital of the Western Purple Kingdom?"
"Soon, we should arrive by tomorrow morning."
"You didn't come here just to test my martial arts, did you?"
Tianshi could tell he had other matters.
Brother Tan did not hide anything from him and said directly.
"Indeed, I came here for two reasons. Firstly, to see you.
Secondly, after seeing you, I need to go to Murong's place quickly."
"What happened? Is there something wrong?"
"Nothing much, I just have some news to tell him.
You know, he's in business and has to travel far.
There are some things I need to discuss with him."
"That's true, in that case, you should go."
"Then I will look for you when I return to the Western Purple Kingdom."
"No need, I have to go on a long journey, and I don't know when I'll be back."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm taking these two to meet a friend who lives far away."
"Alright, then remember to come back after you're done."
"Okay."
"Then I'll be going now."
"Go ahead."
They cupped their hands in farewell, and Brother Tan left alone.
I always felt like I had heard their names somewhere before, but I couldn't recall.
A Li saw me deep in thought and asked curiously.
"Muye, what's wrong?"
"I just feel like I've heard their names somewhere before.
But I can't recall. It's just..."
"Perhaps you heard someone mention them on the road, it's alright, no need to think about it."
Hearing his words, I stopped pondering the matter.
Tianshi also mounted his horse and turned back to us.
"Let's go, we need to make up for lost time, we'll soon reach the Western Purple Kingdom."
"Okay."
"Giddy up!"
He shouted and rode off, with us following closely behind.
As night fell, the horses moved from the flat plains into the woods.
There was a moon tonight, a half-waning crescent, like a lone boat drifting on the vast sea.
Tianshi led the horses to a tree by the roadside.
He gathered some dry branches, piled them up, and with a burst of energy from his palm, created a flame.
A Li and I also brought our horses over, dismounted, and gathered around the campfire.
Tianshi said.
"The Western Purple Kingdom is not like the Southern Sea City. It gets so cold here at night that it can freeze you."
"You all sit closer to warm yourselves up."
"Okay."
A Li and I agreed and moved closer to the campfire.
Before long, a cold wind blew in, chilling my neck.
I raised my hand to touch it and felt an unusual coldness.
"What's wrong?"
A Li noticed my discomfort.
I frowned, filled with confusion.
"It's strange, my neck feels so cold for some reason."
"It must be the cold wind, let me warm it for you."
Saying this, A Li warmed his hands and placed them on my neck.
With this warmth, I instantly felt no longer cold.
Tianshi looked at the two young people before him, so affectionate and sweet.
It truly made him feel a sense of envy. He thought that perhaps he too had once had the chance for a beautiful romance, but alas, fate had not allowed it.
Just then, a strong gust of wind blew, nearly extinguishing the campfire.
Tianshi quickly injected a surge of true qi into the fire, thus saving it.
Suddenly, a soft call came from the woods behind them.
"Tianshi."
Tianshi stood up in surprise and looked towards the woods.
In the dim moonlight, he vaguely saw a person standing beneath a tree.
A Li and I also turned our heads curiously.
The person slowly emerged from the shadows of the trees and stood in the moonlight.
It was then that we saw clearly that the newcomer was dressed in white, with black hair tied up at the back of her head.
She was a beautiful woman.
"Ruodi."
Tianshi recognized her immediately.
The woman nodded slightly and smiled gently.
"Tianshi, you're back."
Tianshi was full of surprise, not expecting to meet her here.
He walked forward, filled with joy, and asked her.
"You, how did you get here?"
"I heard you were back, so I wanted to come and see you."
"I'll be in the Western Purple Kingdom soon, why didn't you wait for me in the city."
She shook her head slightly.
"It's too noisy there, I prefer it here, it's more peaceful."
"You, you live here?"
Tianshi couldn't believe it, a young lady living in such a place.
"My home is not far from here, would you like to come over for a visit?"
"Then, let's go over for a visit."
Then, we led our horses and followed the woman to her dwelling.
After walking for a short while, we arrived at her residence, a house thatched with straw.
The yard in front of the house was clean and paved with flagstones.
We tied our horses outside the yard and followed her into the courtyard.
We arrived in front of this thatched hut.
Tianshi said with some concern.
"You, you live here."
"Yes, although the house is small, I feel safe living here. Please come in."
Pushing open the door and entering the house, the woman fumbled for a moment and lit a candle.
Instantly, the pitch-black room was illuminated.
She said.
"Everyone, please sit anywhere."
A Li and I found places to sit down.
The woman took the initiative to sit beside Tianshi and carefully reached out to brush aside his messy hair.
It was evident that their relationship was not ordinary.
Tianshi said.
"How long have you been here?"
The woman said.
"After you left, I left the Western Purple Kingdom and came to live here alone."
"Ruodi, I, I'm sorry to you."
It seemed they had important things to discuss.
I exchanged a look with A Li, and A Li understood. We both stood up and said.
"Tianshi, Sister Ruodi, we'll go for a walk outside and enjoy the night view."
Tianshi also understood, and before Ruodi could speak, he waved his hand and said.
"Go quickly, go quickly."
A Li and I exchanged smiles and went out the door.
Seeing us leave, Ruodi chided him.
"How could you let your friends go out, it's so cold outside."
"It's alright, they have thick skin and aren't afraid of the cold."
"Look at you, you're still like this."
"It's alright, I'll personally call them back later."
"Then, what did you want to tell me?"
Tianshi sighed deeply, filled with regret.
"Back then, when my younger sister left, I was devastated and couldn't recover. I left the pass.
The good marriage I had with you, I also, alas!"
Ruodi knew his inner pain and did not blame him, only saying.
"We had fate but no connection, you shouldn't blame yourself too much.
You must have suffered a lot alone all these years, haven't you?"
Tianshi sighed softly, unwilling to say more.
Ruodi knew he must have endured much hardship.
Seeing that he had let go of much now, she felt at ease.
She only said.
"Let the past be the past. You must have met many good people over the years.
I truly wish to thank them for saving you from the abyss of Wuji."
"Yes, this time, come back to the Western Purple Kingdom with me, don't live here anymore."
Ruodi shook her head slightly.
"No, I'm used to living here."
"Ruodi."
Saying this, Tianshi reached out to take her hand.
But as soon as he touched it, a chilling coldness spread.
Ruodi quickly withdrew her hand.
Tianshi was greatly surprised and hurriedly asked her.
"Ruodi, your hand, why is it so cold."
Ruodi sighed slightly.
"Alas, in this desolate place, I often wash clothes with cold water, so my hands are often ice-cold."
"I never imagined you lived such a hard life. Come back with me tomorrow."
"We'll talk about it tomorrow. It's getting late, and you still have to travel.
I have a few empty beds in my house, you can ask your friends to come in and sleep."
After speaking, she slowly turned around and, with light steps, entered the inner room.
Tianshi frowned slightly, turned, and went out the door to call us.
"Muye, A Li, come back, it's time to sleep."
"So soon?"
I thought they would chat for a long time, but I didn't expect it to be so quick.
"Come quickly."
Seeing our confusion, he called out again.
Only then did A Li and I enter the house, and he arranged sleeping quarters for us.
Three people, three beds, separated by small curtains, each sleeping in their own space.
Tianshi lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
He vaguely sensed that Ruodi seemed to be hiding something.
However, he couldn't quite pinpoint what it might be.
Tonight, it was already late, and even if there were problems, he would have to wait until tomorrow to ask her carefully.
Thinking this, he turned over slightly and slowly fell asleep.