The Daily Life Of Mei Furen Doting On Her Husband - Chapter 71

Mei Zhuyu stood by the window with his hands behind his back, frowning as he looked toward the city gate, his fingers twitching slightly. He had been feeling uneasy, and after a brief divination, he found himself unable to discern anything. Although he wasn’t an expert in divination, he had never failed at simple readings. The inability to discern anything suggested either that the matter was too grave or that it was personally related to him.

Naturally, he didn’t believe the matter had much to do with him and could only speculate: could the situation really be so serious?

Chang’an might not be peaceful, and danger might be near. Mei Zhuyu was concerned about Wu Zhen. She had gone out and hadn’t returned before the closing drum sounded, which likely meant she wouldn’t be coming back to sleep. If she were with him, no matter what happened, he would be able to protect her, but he had no idea where she had gone…

Mei Zhuyu hesitated. Perhaps he should go find Wu Zhen. Even if he couldn’t reveal himself, he could protect her from the shadows. The noise outside the city was so loud that it might affect the city, heightening his worry.

As he was mulling over his options, Mei Zhuyu suddenly noticed a paper bird made of talisman paper fluttering in through the window. The bird’s wings emitted a faint glow, guiding it directly to him.

Reaching out to catch the paper bird, Mei Zhuyu was a bit surprised. A disciple from the temple had come to Chang’an? This technique of turning talisman paper into a bird was a minor skill used by the disciples of Changxi Temple to locate people. However, it was typically only employed by ordinary disciples, as their magic and spiritual power were drawn from the same source, enabling them to use this spiritual paper bird for tracking.

Moments after Mei Zhuyu caught the paper bird, a white figure vaulted over the wall—it was Taoist Master Shuangjiang.

Taoist Shuangjiang, who had always maintained a cold and arrogant demeanor, now appeared surprisingly humble and respectful. He brushed off the mud and dust from his clothes, walked over to Mei Zhuyu, and quietly addressed him, “Uncle Master Zhuyu.”

Despite being only a year younger than Mei Zhuyu, Shuangjiang had joined the sect several years later, which meant there was a significant difference in their seniority. In Taoism, seniority was greatly respected, so Shuangjiang, along with his senior and junior brothers—even those older than Mei Zhuyu—held him in high regard.

This respect wasn’t just due to seniority. Mei Zhuyu’s cultivation talent was so extraordinary that he overshadowed his peers, including Shuangjiang. Even their master, who was highly skilled, couldn’t compare to Mei Zhuyu. If not for the rigid hierarchy, their master might have considered bypassing the other disciples and making Mei Zhuyu the next abbot directly. When Mei Zhuyu was sent down the mountain, their master had been so troubled that he hadn’t slept for three days, sighing repeatedly.

Moreover, another reason for the reverence was that the young disciples, including Shuangjiang, had grown up under Mei Zhuyu’s strict guidance. Despite being of similar age, Mei Zhuyu had always been their mentor. When they were young and inexperienced, Mei Zhuyu would sternly guide them through their practices on the mountain. Disobedience, inattentiveness, or tears would all result in punishment, and Shuangjiang had received his fair share of discipline from his uncle master. That fear had turned into a habit over time.

Who would dare act unruly before the strict teacher who often spanked them as children? Certainly not Shuangjiang. To be honest, if it weren’t for the Cat Lord’s dire situation, Shuangjiang would never have sought out his uncle master voluntarily.

“Shuangjiang.”

“Yes, Junior Uncle Master.”

“Are you in Chang’an for training?”

“No, there are some issues.” Shuangjiang quickly relayed the situation with the Plague God to Mei Zhuyu, keeping his words concise to avoid wasting time. He then lowered his head and said, “Please help us.”

Mei Zhuyu didn’t respond immediately. He frowned and said, “There are monsters in the market in Chang’an City. The two of them are guarding the city, and this area is under their jurisdiction. After all, we are different from them. It’s not appropriate for us to interfere so casually.”

Shuangjiang glanced at his junior uncle. He had overheard conversations between his master and grandmaster about Mei Zhuyu’s personal ties to the Monster Market. Shuangjiang wasn’t surprised by his uncle’s hesitation and continued to persuade him, “Junior Uncle Master, this time the Cat Lord invited us directly. The Snake Lord isn’t in Chang’an at the moment, leaving the Cat Lord to face the Plague God alone. I’m afraid she won’t be able to stop it, and even if she does, she may suffer greatly.”

Seeing that his uncle master remained indifferent, Shuangjiang added, “There are so many innocent people in Chang’an City. If the Snake Lord doesn’t return in time and the Cat Lord can’t hold back the Plague God, countless ordinary people could be affected.”

Mei Zhuyu finally reacted. He turned and headed back inside the house. Shuangjiang, waiting anxiously outside, peeked in and saw his uncle master retrieving a peach wood sword. Feeling relieved, Shuangjiang pulled back and continued waiting obediently.

“Shuangjiang, are you coming with me or staying here?”

“I will come with Junior Uncle Master!”

Shuangjiang followed Mei Zhuyu. After having just climbed over the wall, he now walked with him out the main gate. 

An old servant was guarding the entrance. Mei Zhuyu was about to open the door but paused, turning to the servant. “If Madam returns, tell her I was invited by a friend and will be back soon.”

The old servant smiled warmly and replied, “Got it.”

Shuangjiang was stunned. Madam? He followed Mei Zhuyu out of the door in a daze, then snapped back to reality and asked in disbelief, “Junior Uncle! Did you say… Madam? You have a wife?”

His expressionless junior uncle softened, as if recalling a fond memory, and responded, “Yes, we got married not long ago. She is a very good woman. You should meet her later.”

Even in such a critical moment, Shuangjiang couldn’t help but be shocked. His stern, formidable junior uncle, who had always been so intimidating, was married? What kind of woman could possibly have captured the heart of their strict junior uncle? This had to be a joke—there was no way it could be true!

The disheveled Taoist Priest Shuangjiang pinched his arm, took a deep breath, and barely regained consciousness.

Calm down, he told himself. How could the Taoist priests of Changxi Temple lose their composure so easily? It was just a marriage, after all, and the Junior Uncle was different from the rest of them. He was allowed to marry, not to mention that he had already left the temple. It was normal, and there was nothing to be surprised about.

However, when Mei Zhuyu looked over, Shuangjiang felt his scalp tingle and tried to stay calm. If he overreacted and lost his composure at that moment, he would surely be beaten. The Junior Uncle was always cruel and merciless, no matter how old they were.

The two of them leapt onto the roofs of people’s houses, using talismans to conceal their figures, so that the soldiers patrolling the streets below couldn’t detect them at all. As they drew closer to the city gate and the towering city walls, Taoist Master Shuangjiang regained his composure but began to worry about the situation ahead. It didn’t look good at all. The Plague God was larger than anything he had seen before and extremely aggressive.

Although the red lightning was swift, the Plague God extended countless tentacles, climbing the city walls and threatening to break through the defense line.

Suddenly, hundreds of red lightning bolts exploded, scattering the black clouds that had already gone through the defenses. A ferocious beast then raised its head and inhaled the scattered black clouds. In this way, half of the black clouds in the sky suddenly vanished, forming a strange semicircle at the city gate. The moonlight from above shone through that gap, illuminating a figure falling from the sky.

“Not good!” Shuangjiang thought to himself, realizing that the cat must have been seriously injured.

Mei Zhuyu also saw the scene, and his pace quickened significantly. He stared at the figure plummeting from the sky, and a strange sense of familiarity stirred his otherwise calm heart.