Walking back along the river bank, the lights in my hands were blown away. Most of the small vendors along the river had closed their stalls and were ready to go home. A few who were slower on their feet saw Xu and Xiao dressed in noble clothes and shouted loudly:
"Tangyuan! Hot and fragrant brown sugar glutinous rice dumplings!"
"Fried noodles, fried rice, it's so cheap, you can fry anything!"
"Osmanthus and chestnut cake! Pea and candied dates cake! It's always hot every time. It's delicious, sweet and not expensive!"
The two of them had lunch at Lu's shop. When Xu Zhuchen finished taking a bath, Xiao Mei was still awake. She was so hungry that the little girls took her to a simple but hearty porridge feast.
It is said to be rich. There are all kinds of side dishes, cold cuts, fruits and snacks on the table. The variety is rich and the taste is fresh. But it is simple, and there is not a single hot dish that should be served. The only two dishes that can be regarded as "main dishes" are a dish of fried carrot slices and shredded yam, and a dish of broccoli with garlic paste. More than a dozen people sat around the round table, the atmosphere was depressing, and everyone was quietly drinking porridge from the wooden bucket in the center of the table.
Xu Zhuchen has a clear understanding of his cooking skills and naturally he does not dare to make mistakes. There was a little girl on the road just now who explained to her that the real owner of Lu's shop, Lu Ruxue, did not smoke oil and did not like meat and fish. Although she had never made any requirements or restrictions on her servants, the little girls were influenced by her and treated her badly. The worshipers all imitate Lu Ruxue's diet and daily life devoutly. Therefore, although the food is light, I still enjoy it.
But Xu Zhuchen was not so adaptable to this kind of diet. She practiced martial arts all year round. To maintain muscle strength, she naturally had to eat meat, eggs, and milk. This kind of bland food was really too bland to swallow. At night, after she finished practicing physical skills in the courtyard and before eating, she heard the news that Xiao Mei had woken up and rushed over happily. Smelling the fragrance of the riverside, I was already salivating, so I looked at Xiao Mei longingly: "Ah Mei, do you want to eat something? I'll treat you to whatever you want to eat."
Xiao Mei was only fed a few drops of water by Gu Wenxu at noon, and he only ate a bowl of gruel after waking up. Although she doesn't have as strong a need to practice martial arts as Xu Zhuchen, she is still a strong adult woman. At this moment, listening to Xu Zhuchen acting coquettishly in her ears, she feels cute in her heart and can't help teasing her: "What should I do? I'm not that hungry now. Why don't we... Go back to Lu’s shop first?”
Xu Zhuchen took her hand, shook it a little lowly, and said aggrievedly: "Okay, okay. If you are not hungry, I must not be very hungry either, and the people setting up stalls by the river must also want to go home. It’s already so late…”
Xiao Mei laughed out loud, held Xu Zhuchen's hand, and said, "Okay, I want to eat. The Lu family's place is really a bit light, and patients should supplement their nutrition, right?"
As she spoke, she took Xu Zhuchen's hand, closed her eyes, and simply followed the scent from the stall to find the nearest food. Xu Zhuchen followed her while carefully guarding her safety, and he was really nervous. When Xiao Mei suddenly stopped, Xu Zhuchen became unsteady and bumped into Xiao Mei's back with an "oops" sound, almost knocking Xiao Mei to the ground. The two of them stumbled, you pulled me and I pulled you, and finally stood still, unable to help but laugh.
The owner of the fried noodle stall was an old woman with bad eyesight. It was getting late, and the lamps in their hands were clearly going out. Seeing the close relationship between the two, she smiled and said a few words such as "a happy marriage" and "a child will be born soon", which made the two of them laugh. Xiao Mei ordered a portion of the signature stir-fried noodles, and then asked Xu Zhuchen. Xu Zhuchen wanted to try all the varieties. Xiao Mei gave him a gentle nudge, so he ordered a chicken stir-fried noodles and reluctantly added another. Egg, then he and Xiao Mei sat on the low stool, waiting for the fried noodles to come out of the pot.
The sky was dimming, and the policemen on the riverside had begun to take down the lanterns. The night breeze was gentle, and the fragrance of osmanthus lingered between the two of them. Xiao Mei lowered her eyelashes, the ring in her hand did not flash, she just felt the wind by the river quietly. She had already taken off the hood of her black cloak, and her long untied black hair hung gently on the side of her face, carrying a faint scent of honey locust. Xu Zhuchen's lantern was placed on the table, and the light and shadow chased back and forth on Xiao Mei's thin cheeks. A pair of beautiful eyes shone with dim silver gray, and they were extremely beautiful.
Xu Zhuchen was fascinated by what he saw and couldn't help but reach out to grab Xiao Mei's hand. Xiao Mei turned around, smiled softly, and said, "Zhu Chen, can I practice the skills here?"
She should have refused, but Xiao Mei then said: "Right in front of you, right here, look at me, okay?"
The warm and fragrant nephrite is in front, the fragrance of flowers is fragrant, and the wind and moon are boundless. Xu Zhuchen let go of Xiao Mei's hand, tapped his finger on the back of her hand, and said softly: "Ah Mei, I'm here, you don't have to be afraid. If you feel uncomfortable, just call me and I'll interrupt, okay?" "
Xiao Mei nodded slightly, raised his right hand, and drew it in the air, as if he had caught a ball of crystal fire.
Xu Zhuchen stared at Xiao Mei without blinking - her eyes were closed tightly, her brows were furrowed, and a pale color gradually appeared on her face. Sweat seeped out from Xiao Mei's forehead, drop by drop, and it seemed like it was steaming Xiao Mei to dryness. Xu Zhuchen tried his best to restrain his broken hand and used his inner strength to build a net around Xiao Mei to prevent her from being too disturbed. She used her own inner force flow to continuously guide Xiao Mei's movement methods, and eliminated the influence from the surroundings, just to alleviate Xiao Mei's pain.
This method of condensing internal force is like using your own vitality to condense water droplets in dry air. It is just consuming life and earning every bit of resources. But Xiao Mei never felt unfair about this. She just practiced steadfastly and tried her best to absorb all the water drops that could be used for herself.
Xu Zhuchen stared at her and saw Xiao Mei's expression becoming more and more distorted, and he probably had a hunch in his heart - this was probably a failed attempt.
However, almost suddenly, Xu Zhuchen's vision suddenly lit up, and some faint light seemed to rise in front of his eyes. She looked at it intently and laughed instantly.
A faint layer of crimson appeared vaguely all over Xiao Mei's body. It was not bright, but extremely dense. Little by little, it formed a large soft net covering Xiao Mei's whole body. Xu Zhuchen was about to celebrate her success, but before he took action, he saw the crimson stars around her getting brighter and more brilliant, gradually forming a vague star-shaped pattern. The red stars were slowly hovering around her. They were internal forces, but the purity of that internal energy was far beyond her imagination.
wrong. How can such a pure internal force be formed by taking in the power of nature and putting it at one's own disposal? What's more, Xiao Mei has never succeeded before, but now he seems to have figured out the trick. This is by no means ordinary. Xu Zhuchen reacted quickly and took action immediately, trying to interrupt Xiao Mei's transformation. But in an instant, Xiao Mei opened her eyes. The fiery red starlight wrapped around Xu Zhuchen's palm, and her gray eyes gradually turned into crystal red color - she was smiling.
"Zhuchen, Zhuchen." Her starlight gradually left Xu Zhuchen's hand and gradually poured into the ring on her right hand. The ring gradually turned red. Xiao Mei raised his hand and hugged Xu Zhuchen's neck tightly, "I succeeded, Zhuchen, I succeeded."
But a cold voice suddenly sounded in her mind, vague and void, like a cold light, piercing into her joyful heart——
"That's not your success, that's the skill you learned, called 'Candle Shadow Shakes Red'."
