The viewers in the live stream genuinely had no idea why they were using red threads.
However, the scene was quiet and pleasing to the eye, with a dense barrage of comments, mostly praising the actors' looks and shipping the couple, with a few occasionally asking what they were doing.
The speed at which Xiao Yuan Grains control the comments is faster than the speed at which the bullet comments scroll.
Their explanation was that Qiguan Yuan, like the people of Cloud-Hidden Town, believed in the Yue Lao. The red-clad youth called him "senior," so he must be Qiguan Yuan's junior and also a believer in Yue Lao God of Marriage.
Isn't it normal for the Old Man Under the Yue Lao's followers to arrange the red threads? It's just like monks chanting scriptures in a temple; it's part of their daily practice.
The explanation was very detailed and logical, and it included several screenshots of Qiguan Yuan at the Yue Lao Temple from previous episodes, with the timeline clearly laid out.
The passersby thought it seemed quite reasonable, so they stopped worrying about it and continued admiring the actors' good looks.
But actually, the Xiao Yuan Grains themselves are also panicking. Although they've tried to refute the rumors, the more they try to deny them, the more real it seems.
The guests spent the entire afternoon strolling around Fallen Fate Chan Monastery.
I've explored the entire Zen temple.
So they went together to find Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai. They prepared to meet and listen to Meng Xu's arrangements.
When the group found a corner of the Zen temple, they saw a red-clad boy they didn't recognize sitting in front of the stone table, besides Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai.
A red booklet lay open in front of the boy, and he held a calligraphy brush in his hand, engrossed in writing something.
Pei Yubai and Qiguan Yuan were sitting next to him. Qiguan Yuan was leaning on Pei Yubai's shoulder, while Pei Yubai was tidying up a few red threads in his hand.
From a distance, they sensed that the boy Qiguan Yuan in some ways.
Especially the feeling it gives people.
Could he be a relative of Teacher Qiguan?
Shen Yuzhou walked over and tilted his head to look at Lu Zhao for a long while.
However, Lu Zhao was busy with his work, so he didn't disturb him.
Lu Zhao noticed someone was watching him, looked up, and met Shen Yuzhou's gaze.
As the two stood close together, Shen Yuzhou noticed that the boy's eyes were very bright, with a faint golden hue in the sunlight.
"Are you related to Teacher Qiguan? And also from Cloud-Hidden Town?" Shen Yuzhou sat down on the stone bench next to Lu Zhao.
Lu Zhao thought for a moment and nodded.
Shen Yuzhou immediately perked up and introduced himself, "My name is Shen Yuzhou," then pointed to Cheng Yanqiu who was walking over and said, "This is Cheng Yanqiu. We're the only two single people here, no partners. Hehe, do you want to participate in the show? Do you have a partner? Want to join us?"
Lu Zhao shook his head. "I just have some things to discuss with Qiguan... Brother Yuan. I'll be going back soon."
Shen Yuzhou slumped onto the stone table, "Even filming a travel variety show gets me stuffed with PDA. It's so hard. Everywhere I go, it's couples everywhere. I can't even find an ally."
Cheng Yanqiu corrected him from the side, "You're the one eating dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection), don't drag me into it. I enjoy watching people fall in love."
Shen Yuzhou pretended not to hear.
After listening to Shen Yuzhou's complaints, Lu Zhao put down his pen and looked at him seriously.
As an elder once said, when someone actively expresses interest in marriage, it's a good time to play matchmaker.
Are you looking for a partner? I can help you find one.
Shen Yuzhou was momentarily speechless after hearing that.
Looking into Lu Zhao's sincere eyes, he quickly waved his hand, "No, no, no. I was just saying. I'm still an idol, and I can't let my fans down."
He paused, looked Lu Zhao up and down, his eyes filled with the scrutiny of someone with experience. "Besides, the way you're acting doesn't seem like something a strategist should do."
It was obvious that Shen Yuzhou was treating Lu Zhao as a go-between, someone who would introduce people to potential partners.
Lu Zhao asked, puzzled, "What does it look like?"
"You probably can't even find a partner yourself." Shen Yuzhou pointed to the messy pile of red threads in front of Lu Zhao, then to the densely written notes on his open notebook. "Look at you, you come out to play with a bunch of work on your hands, and you're making such a fuss over it."
"True masters of romance are always effortless; you're the type who just bury yourself in work. Someone like you shouldn't go around ruining other people's lives."
Shen Yuzhou believes he has a natural affinity for people like himself.
The boy in red in front of him, just like him, was definitely single.
However, he focused on the stage and his fans, while Lu Zhao was probably focused on his cultivation at the Yue Lao Temple.
Lu Zhao opened his mouth to refute, but then realized that the other person was not wrong.
He was really tormented by that tangled mess today; if it weren't for Brother Pei's intervention, he'd still be struggling with the red thread.
So he shut his mouth and lowered his head to continue tidying the red thread.
After dark, the guests settled into the meditation rooms in the temple's backyard.
The monks in the temple assigned several rooms to the production crew. The rooms were small, with wooden beds, plain-colored bedding, and a scroll of sutra calligraphy hanging on the wall, the ink already worn.
The photographers, who had been working on their cameras all day, finally turned them off to rest. The courtyard fell completely quiet, with only the sound of the wind whistling through the corridors and the occasional chimes from the distant clock tower.
Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai shared a room, located at the very back.
At midnight, Qiguan Yuan opened his eyes, got up, put on an overcoat, and left the room.
Pei Yubai followed behind him, and the two of them walked through the courtyard to the Tree of Fate they had seen during the day.
Lu Zhao was already waiting under the tree. The moonlight made his red clothes appear dark red, and his expression was much more serious than during the day.
"Senior, what should we do tonight?" Lu Zhao asked.
Qiguan Yuan sat down at the stone table, his voice still tinged with sleep. "You can do it in your dreams. The people around here don't believe in the Yue Lao of Marriage. If you ask them while they're awake, they won't take it seriously."
"People are less guarded in dreams, so the answers you get will be more accurate. In your dream, ask them if they are willing to entrust their marriage to the Yue Lao. Don't appear in person when you ask; let them choose for themselves in the dream."
Lu Zhao nodded, walked to the Tree of Fate, and sat down cross-legged.
He took out the Marriage Register from his sleeve, laid it on his lap, placed his hands on the register, and closed his eyes.
Moonlight fell on the pages of the book, and the words on the paper began to glow faintly. The light spilled out of the book, spread upwards along the tree trunk, through the branches and the red thread, and spread in all directions.
Qiguan Yuan leaned against Pei Yubai for a while, and after confirming that Lu Zhao's magic was working properly, he withdrew his gaze.
Enter Dreams to Inquire about Marriage would take at least an hour, and he just waited there, soon getting bored.
He yawned slightly, his eyes half-closed, his head drooping little by little, his silver hair sliding down his shoulders and onto the back of Pei Yubai.
Pei Yubai looked down at him.
Qiguan Yuan's half-asleep, half-awake state was quite different from when he was usually awake.
The divine ease that comes with being fully awake has largely faded, leaving behind a more instinctive relaxation and softness.
Pei Yubai stared for a while, then suddenly spoke, his voice lowered. " Yuanyuan."
"Hmm?" Qiguan Yuan's voice was muffled.
I want to go into your mind's eye.
Qiguan Yuan's drowsiness dissipated by a little.
He opened his eyes, turned his head to look at Pei Yubai, and asked with some confusion, "What's so interesting in my sea of consciousness?"
Pei Yubai explained, "After regaining my memories, I remembered a saying in the Heavenly Realm that partners can enter each other's sea of consciousness. I haven't done that yet."
He paused, lowered his eyes, and lowered his voice even further than before, so low that only the two of them could hear, his tone trailing slightly, "I want to see."
If Pei Yubai had said this in a normal tone, Qiguan Yuan would probably have just replied, "Let's talk about it another day," and then continued to doze off.
But he didn't use a normal tone when he said this.
There was a hint of pleading in his tone.
Qiguan Yuan stared at him for a few seconds.
Pei Yubai's gaze was so earnest that Qiguan Yuan felt he would reply "okay" if she rejected him now.
But there's an extra layer of well-hidden disappointment in those eyes.
Qiguan Yuan was all too familiar with this kind of loss; Yun Yin had felt the same way before.
She never asked anything of him, and if she was rejected, she would quietly back down. Every time, it was Qiguan Yuan who softened and agreed to his request.
"Alright then." Qiguan Yuan sat up straight and touched Pei Yubai's brow.
The skin his fingertips touched was warm, and he sensed that Pei Yubai held his breath slightly the instant he touched him.
"Relax, don't resist. The sea of consciousness will instinctively repel intruders; the more tense you are, the less you can enter."
Pei Yubai closed his eyes.
Qiguan Yuan's fingertip lingered on his brow for a moment, then he felt a very light pulling force pulling his consciousness inward from his brow.
He followed the pulling force forward, his consciousness passing through a thin, water-like film, and then his feet felt light as he landed steadily on the ground.
He opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the magical Tree of Fate.
This Tree of Fate is much larger than the others in the mortal world. Its trunk is so thick that it would take more than a dozen people to encircle it. Its canopy blocks out the sky, and red threads hang down from its branches, densely packed, swaying gently in the breeze that seems to come from nowhere.
Beneath the tree lies a flat, massive rock, its surface worn smooth and warm, gleaming with a faint bluish sheen.
A little fox was lying on the rock.
It was pure white, with nine tails spreading out behind it, forming a fluffy, large ball, the tips of which had a silvery sheen.
It lay on the rock, its nine tails swaying idly, its eyes closed, and its ears drooping limply on either side of its head.
My breathing was very light, and my stomach rose and fell with each breath.
Pei Yubai took a step forward.
The little fox's feet made no sound as they stepped on the grass, but its ears twitched.
It opened its eyes; its pupils were light-colored, exactly like Qiguan Yuan's eyes.
After recognizing Pei Yubai as the newcomer, it slowly stood up, first stretching its front paws forward, then bending down and stretching, before straightening its hind legs as well.
It shook its fur, and the fluffy fur stood up for a moment in the air before sticking back down.
It jumped down from the rock, its nine tails trailing behind it, and slowly strolled to Pei Yubai's feet.
Instead of immediately rubbing against him, she stopped beside his ankle, looked up at him, then lowered her head, brought her nose close to his shoe, and gently sniffed it.
I sniffed it again.
My nose moved up along the surface of his shoe, stopping at his ankle, and gently brushed against it.
Then it went around to his other foot and sniffed it in the same way.
Pei Yubai stood frozen, not moving.
In his mind's eye, the little fox was smaller than a real fox, about the length of his forearm, with its silver tail tip brushing around his feet.
He looked down as it circled him twice, finally sitting down between his legs and looking up at him.
His reflection was mirrored in his beautiful, light-colored eyes.
Pei Yubai squatted down, stretched out his hand, back of his hand facing up, and stopped in front of it.
The little fox lowered its head and sniffed the back of his hand, then rested its chin on his fingers, its ears slowly, little by little, perking up from the sides of its head.
Its two ears stand upright, with the tips tilting slightly forward. The inside of the ear is covered with pinkish-white downy hair, which is almost transparent in the light.
It's trying to make friends with him.
Pei Yubai's heart was jolted by those two erect ears.
He turned his hand over, palm up, and the little fox immediately moved his chin into his palm and leaned forward so that his fingers could touch his neck.
Pei Yubai gently scratched its chin, and it squinted its eyes, letting out a soft purring sound.
Then it stood up, placed its front paws on his knees, and with a couple of kicks from its hind legs, nimbly climbed onto him. Its nine tails swayed behind it; one tail hit the back of its head. It shook its head and continued climbing.
Pei Yubai reached out and scooped it up, then hugged it to his arms.
Its size was just right for him to hold in both hands, and its nine tails swayed loosely from between his hands.
The silver tip brushed against his wrist, the touch was very light, like being touched by a dandelion.
The little fox rolled over in his arms, revealing its belly.
The hair on its belly is milky white and finer and softer than the hair on its back.
It held his right thumb with its front paws, pushed against the edge of his palm with its hind legs, and lowered its head to touch his knuckles with its mouth.
His teeth gently gripped the skin on his knuckles, without applying force, just holding it in for a while before releasing it and licking the spot with his tongue.
After licking it, he put his finger in his mouth and repeated this several times.
It left its scent on his hands, and from that moment on, this human became "its" in its perception.
Pei Yubai carried it to the tree and sat down on a rock.
The little fox stood up from his arms, put its front paws on his chest, and nuzzled his chin with its cheek.
He rubbed against one side and then the other, the downy hairs on his cheeks brushing against his skin, tickling him and carrying a scent that belonged only to Qiguan Yuan.
A unique fragrance emanated from Qiguan Yuan's fluffy fur, filling his entire sea of consciousness.
Pei Yubai buried his face in the soft fur on the side of its neck, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
The little fox's fur was very soft, clinging to his nose and lips. He breathed heavily in that ball of fur, something inside his chest swelling and making his ribs ache.
He had previously fantasized about what the prototype of Qiguan Yuan would look like.
He knew that Qiguan Yuan was Nine-Tailed Fox. He had touched and kissed Qiguan Yuan's ears and tail when they popped out in Cloud-Hidden Town.
But he had never seen Yuanyuan's true form in its entirety, with all nine tails fully extended and completely unguarded.
I've never seen it even when it was still the Yun Yin Village.
The little fox was buried in his fur and sucked for a while, then let out two soft whimpers.
Then it wrapped all nine of its tails around itself.
It wrapped Pei Yubai's neck and head inside its tail.
Pei Yubai was completely enveloped in a fluffy blanket. All he could see were white fur and the occasional glimpse of a silver tail tip. His nose was filled with Qiguan Yuan's scent, and he could hear the little fox's soft breathing and occasional whimpers.
I will wrap you up with my tail, so that every inch of you will be imbued with my scent.
That way, you'll be mine, and no one will recognize you as you were before. Every part of you will be saying, "This person is mine."
A unique mark belonging exclusively to the Nine-Tailed Fox.
Pei Yubai found the little fox's belly through the gap in its tail.
He pulled his face out from under the tail's embrace and looked down at the little fox whose belly was sticking out of his arms.
He buried his face in it, his nose touching the softest spot on the little fox's belly. When he touched it, the fur there was so thin it was almost transparent, and he could feel the warm body temperature and the subtle heartbeat beneath the skin.
He opened his mouth and gently bit the small piece of soft flesh on his belly with his teeth.
Without using force, just holding it in, with the upper and lower teeth gently closing through the fine hairs.
The little fox's whimpers grew a little louder, carrying a more affectionate and playful tone.
Its nine tails tightened for a moment, then relaxed, draped loosely over Pei Yubai's shoulders and arms, the tips trembling slightly.
Pei Yubai pursed his lips and sucked on the small piece of soft meat he was holding in his mouth.
The soft fur brushed against his lips. He closed his eyes, buried his face in the little fox's belly again, and took a deep breath.
The little fox whimpered twice more in his arms, and its nine tails wrapped around him again, completely covering the back of his head.