[Translation] Fate Chooses You (佳偶天成) by Shi Si Lang (十四郎): Chapter 2: You’ve Misunderstood

For the next several days, Xin Mei camped in the mountain forests at night, yet never again encountered anything unusual.

People said there was an imperial mausoleum somewhere within the Wanlan Mountains. Because successive generations of emperors had buried too many sacrificial attendants there, the area was perpetually shrouded in sinister winds, and ghost stories had become more and more frequent in recent years. The current emperor rarely visited the mausoleum for rites and offerings, so by now it had likely become a gathering place for demons and monsters.

The bird demon and strange man she encountered that night were probably monsters from the imperial tomb.

To accidentally stumble into the imperial mausoleum amid the endless Wanlan Mountains and encounter such extraordinary events — this fully proved that her luck was exceptionally good. This trip would definitely bring results. She was certain she’d be able to buy a husband who was both handsome and useful and bring him home to make her father happy.

By the time she finally arrived at Chongling Valley, four days had passed. The gate disciples stared open-mouthed at the gigantic pelican descending from the sky.

That spirit beast… was certainly eye-catching. No one had ever dared use a spirit beast that was both so huge and so ugly.

When Xin Mei jumped down from Qiuyue’s back, their mouths opened even wider.

What… what a beautiful girl…

Though she wore only simple green traveling clothes for convenience on the road, her beauty was impossible to hide. She walked toward them smiling brightly, her cheeks pale and translucent like fine porcelain, her smile innocent and carefree. Seeing her smile made one feel as though there were no troubles left in the world.

Xin Mei originally intended to greet them and hand over the spirit beasts so she could collect the payment, but the two gate disciples only stood there blushing.

Hmm. Looking more carefully, both of them were rather handsome!

Xin Mei glanced left, then right, and decided the one on the right looked more manly. She liked real men and had no interest in overly delicate beauties. She touched her money pouch — inside were three thousand taels’ worth of banknotes, reserved for purchasing a husband.

This one could just come home with her.

Xin Mei cleared her throat.

“Excuse me, young master, would you be willing to—”

“Are you Boss Xin from Xinxie Manor?”

Someone from inside the gates interrupted her.

“Yes.”

Business was more important. The husband matter could be discussed slowly later.

Xin Mei answered, then flashed a grin at the handsome gate disciple while glancing at the nameplate on his waist.

“Oh, your name is Zhang Dahu. Good, I’ll remember it. I’ll come find you later so we can spar a little.”

Being handsome alone was useless. He also had to be useful. She needed to test his martial skills.

His face turned red, then pale. Presumably this was what plays described as being shocked and delighted at the same time.

Xin Mei’s mood improved further as she led the spirit beasts inside behind the stewardess.

Chongling Valley was one of Xinxie Manor’s major clients, purchasing large batches of spirit beasts nearly every year. Normally her father handled these long journeys himself, so this was her first time visiting.

A blessed immortal land truly was different. Everything was clean, spacious, and beautiful. Even ordinary green brick houses and tiled roofs looked elegant when arranged among emerald grass and red flowers. Along the road she occasionally encountered disciples of the valley master. Each one was neat and refined, politely greeting her with courteous nods.

Eventually they arrived before a magnificent pavilion. The stewardess entered to announce her arrival, then returned and said:

“Boss Xin, the Valley Master says he’s in a good mood today and wishes to see an old friend. He’d also like you to stay here for a few days.”

Xin Mei had once heard from her father that Chongling Valley’s master was a fox immortal who had attained enlightenment over a thousand years ago. He was famously easygoing, so even younger generations could joke around with him freely without fear of reprimand.

It was wonderful that he was willing to let her stay. Later she could go find Zhang Dahu and discuss buying-husband matters.

She had just stepped forward to enter when suddenly a loud mooing came from overhead. A battered old ox cart descended from the sky and landed right beside her.

The carriage door burst open, and a blur of white rolled out, dashing frantically into the pavilion while shouting:

“Move aside! Zhen Hongsheng! You damned fox, get out here this instant!”

He moved so quickly Xin Mei couldn’t even see his face clearly. Turning back toward the stewardess, she saw the woman remained perfectly calm, obviously long accustomed to such scenes.

“Boss Xin, please,” she said, gesturing for her to go upstairs.

Since everyone else was so calm, Xin Mei felt embarrassed to ask questions and simply followed.

From the outside the pavilion appeared ordinary, but inside it contained bright skies and distinct seasons — each floor embodied a different season.

After passing through the beauty of spring, summer, and autumn, Xin Mei stopped at the staircase leading to the top floor. Above lay a world of snow and freezing winds, clearly the dead of winter.

At the top was a small courtyard with a frozen pond, trees bearing tiny red winter fruits, and a snow-covered pavilion.

And inside the pavilion, two men tangled together on the ground.

“Give it to me!” the man on top demanded fiercely.

“Beg me. If you beg, I’ll give it to you,” purred the man underneath, eyes full of flirtation.

“You want to die?!”

“Not only do I want to die — I want to die from ecstasy.”

“You—”

The man on top suddenly froze. He looked up and saw Xin Mei standing dumbfounded in the doorway.

He stiffened instantly.

“Oh? You must be Xin Mei?”

The man beneath him turned around smiling.

“When I last saw you, you were still a baby in swaddling clothes. Now you’ve grown so much. Come here and let me get a good look at you.”

Xin Mei stood silently for a moment, then thoughtfully turned around to leave downstairs.

“Sorry for interrupting. I’ll come back later.”

“Stop right there!”

Someone roared behind her.

Turning back, Xin Mei saw that the man who had been on top was now standing in the snow. He wore a loose, somewhat worn robe and was thin as a skeleton. His face carried a subtle mixture of shame, anger, and despair as he stared at her.

Carefully, he said:

“You’ve misunderstood!”

What a classic line.

It appeared in dramas all the time.

For example, when a man accidentally held hands with or wrapped an arm around a woman who wasn’t his wife, only for his wife to witness it — the first thing he’d always say was exactly this.

Or when a woman was framed by a scheming romantic rival and her husband began treating her coldly — after sufficient emotional torment, she would spit out these four mountain-heavy words through blood and tears.

Xin Mei sympathized deeply with such feelings. She absolutely wouldn’t react in a way that made them more miserable.

So she nodded immediately.

“Oh, I understand.”

The man became even more frantic.

“What do you understand?! Don’t look at me with that expression! You understand absolutely nothing! Aaaah!”

Xin Mei scratched her head awkwardly.

Meanwhile, the other man in the pavilion burst into laughter. Flicking his sleeve, he tossed over a worn old booklet.

“Meishan, your temper’s become more explosive every year. And you’re supposed to be an immortal. Go eat some calming pills. Here’s your book — it’s just a brewing manual, yet you’ve nearly gone mad over it.”

Meishan carefully tucked the shabby booklet into his robes like a treasured possession. Looking at Xin Mei again, he still seemed embarrassed, so he simply flicked his sleeve and left.

His voice drifted up from downstairs:

“You have many medicinal herbs here. Let me stay a few days and gather ingredients for brewing wine.”

“Xiao Mei, come here.”

The man in the pavilion lazily beckoned her over.

Around his neck was draped a living white fox, motionless enough to resemble a scarf if not for its blinking eyes. Above the fox’s thick, crystalline fur was a smiling and gentle face.

He was… truly breathtakingly beautiful.

“Hehe, it’s been so long. You’ve grown up already.”

He raised a hand to stroke her porcelain-like cheek, his palm warm and fragrant.

“And become so pretty too.”

Xin Mei immediately felt goosebumps all over. Then she remembered her father’s warning: this fox immortal lacked any sense of proper elder dignity. Regardless of gender, he liked touching people affectionately.

Just let him touch you a couple times and endure it.

But he… why wasn’t he stopping?!

He took her hand and carefully examined her palm lines for a while before silently turning it back over and continuing to knead her hand like a toy.

“I hear your father has been quite troubled lately over your marriage,” he said casually. “Stay here a few days. The valley has many handsome young disciples. If you take a liking to anyone, simply tell me.”

Xin Mei’s eyes instantly lit up.

Being touched a little suddenly didn’t seem so unbearable anymore.

“Really? Actually, I already liked the gate disciple Zhang Dahu!”

Zhen Hongsheng paused. Looking at her with an amused half-smile, he hummed softly.

“What’s so special about him? He’s only been here a few months, has no particular skills, and looks ordinary.”

“No, I think he looks very good.”

He laughed softly. Suddenly feeling mischievous, a seductive gleam appeared in his rich, charming eyes. He pinched her chin gently and lifted it so she would look directly at him.

“Is he better-looking than me? After seeing someone like me, you still want him? Little girl, your taste is terrible.”

Xin Mei looked at him with clear innocent eyes. Her gaze shifted around thoughtfully as though struggling for words.

“You… um… Fox Immortal Lord… how should I put this…”

“Just say it,” Zhen Hongsheng urged eagerly. He cared enormously about his appearance and immediately perked up to hear her honest opinion.

Xin Mei answered seriously:

“You look like a woman. I don’t like the ‘beautiful as a flower’ type.”

“……”

Crack.

His soul suffered catastrophic damage.

The winter snow scenery around the top floor shattered into fragments, dissolving into floating sparks of light as the pavilion reverted to its original carved-and-painted architecture.

Fox Immortal Zhen Hongsheng staggered to his feet like a dying man and walked away tragically, step by step.

Looks like a woman. Looks like a woman. Looks like a woman…

Those words echoed endlessly in his mind.

He had lived for over a thousand years, yet nothing had ever wounded him so deeply. It was a direct hit to his weakest point.

“Um… Fox Immortal Lord?”

Xin Mei called after him blankly. So… what about Zhang Dahu?

Suddenly he spun around.

“This is called refined beauty! Refined beauty, understand?! You ignorant little brat! I will never give any disciple of mine to you! Not one! Not half of one! Absolutely not!”

Having declared this, he covered his face and ran away.