Chapter 124: Danqiu (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Master Foshan Dazhao

That night, at last, there was no more turmoil; the couple slept side by side until dawn.

Su Wuniang sat quietly on the bed in meditation, while Liu Xiaolou lay listlessly, his mind wandering—sometimes he wanted to test the effects of the Mysterious Incense, but still couldn’t muster the courage; sometimes he was haunted by the threat from his dry-nanny Cai Yaojun, repeatedly touching himself unconsciously to guard his manhood, always feeling drained and unable to stir any vigor.

Since childhood, this was the first time he had woken at dawn without feeling any vitality, and Liu Xiaolou’s mood sank another third.

At the moment light seeped through the window, Su Wuniang awoke from meditation, glanced at Liu Xiaolou beside her, and smiled faintly in thought: truly, a useless fellow.

She flipped her wrist and drew from her bracelet a golden basin, a towel, bamboo salt, and willow twigs. After washing up with Liu Xiaolou, she took out a food basket: the top layer held several rice cakes baked with spirit rice, the bottom held two small dishes and a bowl of soup—the dishes were Dragon Whisker Golden Carp and unknown mountain mushrooms from Mount Shenwu, the soup steamed with rich aroma, a belly broth.

The basket was made of nanmu wood and could serve directly as a table; the two ate on the bed. Though the dishes were simple, the rice cakes were exquisitely crisp and carried a faint lotus leaf fragrance; the golden carp was fried crisp outside, tender within, melting on the tongue; the mountain mushrooms, stir-fried with Sichuan pepper and cornelian cherry, filled the air with fragrance; the belly broth was deeply flavorful, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

Liu Xiaolou’s appetite opened wide; he devoured two rice cakes in a few bites and ate more than half the fish, leaving only the tail and head for Su Wuniang. Su Wuniang chewed slowly but ate no less than Liu Xiaolou, focusing mostly on the mountain mushrooms and belly broth.

“Delicious! The cakes are amazing!”

“What about the fish?”

“The fish is even better—way better than Susu’s. She only knows how to steam, steaming it over and over… Is this Xiao Huan’s cooking? No? Then who in the main kitchen made this? I’ll go meet them later!”

“I made it.”

“Oh! My apologies—I had no idea Fifth Sister was such a master!”

“I love good food, and often train alone in the back mountain, so I learned to cook.”

“Fifth Sister, you’re talented! And this bracelet is amazing—the dishes come out as fresh as just cooked.”

“It’s the Misty Jade Bracelet. My dry-nanny gave it to me when I was twelve.”

“Oh…”

Soon, they finished everything. Liu Xiaolou still felt unsatisfied: “Too little. Not enough.”

Su Wuniang said: “Don’t eat until full. Don’t exhaust your strength. Deep emotion doesn’t last long. Extreme strength invites humiliation. Didn’t your master teach you this?”

Liu Xiaolou fell silent for a moment: “My master raised me—he had no time to teach me these things.”

Su Wuniang paused: “I’m sorry…”

She put the basket back into her bracelet. The two got up, opened the door, and found the morning clouds painted the sky and earth a brilliant red.

“Is the Danxia Cave Heaven always this color?” Liu Xiaolou asked.

“Sometimes it’s gold, or purple, or blue,” Su Wuniang said.

Doors of every thatched hut opened; the Su family was ready. Liu Xiaolou saw Su Dalang across from him glance his way, then turn back inside and shut the door. Only when the subordinate families and minor sects entered the courtyard and gathered on the central open ground did he open his door again and stride out, head high and chest out.

These vassals included the Jia family of Dongheng Town, the Qian family of Fuzhou, Lotus Camp on Mount Wutong, the Xiong family of Huagou, Fuhu Gate on Meiling, Zhe Mei Sect on Yue Mountain, and Zhai Yue Sect on Hu Mountain—seven in total. Among the Jia, Qian, and Lotus Camp crowds were participants from the early-year Shenwu Mountain Bride Selection, including Jia Po, who had mocked Liu Xiaolou with Dong Wei—and Jia Po was bent.

Seeing Jia Po, his heart steadied: if Elder Cai and Tu Er were dissatisfied with Dong Wei, this fellow might serve as his second shield. He smiled at Jia Po, making the man hesitate, uncertain.

Liu Xiaolou’s gaze met those of several other Bride Selection participants; he offered them the calm, magnanimous smile of a victor. They smiled back, but their smiles were strained, awkward.

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Soon, Su Zhi and Su Xun stepped out, scanned the dozens gathered, and Su Zhi nodded, hands behind his back, leading the way toward the towering Danqiu in the distance.

Liu Xiaolou followed behind Su Wuniang, glancing around, spotting Su Jiuniang, and using his eyes to ask about her meeting with Yin Gong last night.

Su Jiuniang stepped lightly to his side and shook her head: “It’s over. We broke ties.”

Liu Xiaolou wanted to ask more, but Su Wuniang turned and called: “Jiuniang.”

Su Jiuniang hurried forward and walked shoulder to shoulder with Su Wuniang.

Su Wuniang’s lips tilted slightly backward: “That woman from the Xiong family, Xiong Wushi—what do you think is different between her and me?”

Su Jiuniang blinked: “What?”

Su Wuniang whispered: “Don’t stare. Just glance once. What’s different about her figure?”

Su Jiuniang said: “Broad shoulders, thick waist—so what?”

“And her walk?”

“Her walk… steadier, maybe…”

“Steadier?”

“Or rather, her upper body is straight, but her hips sway as she walks. Fifth Sister walks like this… legs together, like this… hehe, actually I walk like this too…”

“Stop it…”

“No, why are you imitating her? It’s awkward!”

“I think it’s awkward too. Forget it.”

The grandeur of Danqiu could not be felt unless you stood beneath it. Liu Xiaolou looked up, stunned. From base to peak, it rose thirty to forty zhang high; to either side, the curves vanished beyond two li. The key was that such a massive hill appeared as one single piece of red rock—not piled stones, but carved whole. Who could have mined and carved this? If it was man-made, how was it mined and transported here? What kind of divine power could achieve such a feat?

Danqiu had no path, no rope ladder. Its cliffs were nearly vertical and unnaturally smooth, with few cracks. With his cultivation, Liu Xiaolou could only rely on external aid. He drew Sanxuan Sword and tested the cliff—its surface was incredibly hard; the blade sank in only to its tip.

Just as he struggled, Jiuniang grabbed his waist and shoved upward with force, launching him over three zhang.

As a fourth-layer cultivator, Liu Xiaolou used his fingers and toes in quick succession, tapping the cliff face, leaping another three zhang higher. Above, no more holds remained; he felt himself falling—then caught sight of a foot on his left, planted on a tiny ledge: Jia Po.

Jia Po was Qi Refining sixth-layer—two levels above him. No wonder he could stand on such minor protrusions. In a flash, Liu Xiaolou shot out his Dispersed Yuan Rope, coiling it around Jia Po’s ankle, using the pull to surge upward several more zhang. The rope retracted silently, imperceptibly.

A cry of “Oof!” rang out—and Jia Po plummeted.

Su Wuniang waited halfway up the cliff. No one else saw what Liu Xiaolou did—not even Jia Po himself—but she saw clearly. She was both annoyed and amused, reached down, and with a single Palm of the Dragon and Crane, yanked Liu Xiaolou to her side.

Liu Xiaolou gasped: “Do you have to compete so hard just for a meeting?”

No sooner had he spoken than Su Wuniang seized his belt and hauled him up the peak in three swift strides.

What a vast, level, open plaza!

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