On an autumn night of chirping insects, moon dew accompanied frost's splendor.
In the dead of night, within the covered corridor of the Sea God Temple's rear courtyard.
Through the Paper Daoist wearing the old immortal's skin, Li Changshou looked up at the fairy beside him, who seemed to have stepped straight out of one of his proper paintings, and felt a surge of relief.
He truly ought to be relieved;
when he had hoodwinked—cough—verbally persuaded Golden Light Holy Mother and the others, he had merely altered a few turns of phrase and had not twisted the facts.
Otherwise, it would have been quite difficult to explain himself before this fairy now.
It gave Li Changshou an even deeper understanding of just how important it was to uphold the principles he had laid down before.
For a man, persistence was what mattered.
Who was this fairy?
At this moment, someone who had come because of Zhao Gongming, and who could stir even the slightest ripple in Li Changshou's state of mind... apart from Empress Yunxiao, whom Grandpa Zhao somewhat feared, there was likely no one else.
Li Changshou smiled. "Fairy, you have come visiting deep into the night. May I ask what brings you here?"
"I came from my elder brother's place," Yunxiao said softly, but stopped halfway through her sentence.
She clasped her delicate hands behind her back. Her long dress seemed woven from gathered clouds, carrying a light, soft texture;
whenever she moved, two faint clusters of white cloud seemed to follow beneath her feet. Though she walked through the Mortal World, not a speck of its dust stained her.
Yet Li Changshou had no mind to admire such beauty so close at hand. Thoughts raced through his mind as he carefully analyzed the situation.
This fairy... had