s so eager to get rid of me, it only made me more curious. What was this guy up toTwo dark figures retreated at my gesture. The little imp turned back, looking at me with a haughty twitch of its ears:...This big bird suddenly opened its mouth, and I realized it was a Qingluan.

I used to hear from Jiang Qiyun that ancients attributed "five virtues" to chickens.

Having a crown on the head represents literary virtue, having spurs on the hind feet represents martial virtue, daring to fight and struggle represents courageous virtue, inviting fellow beings with food represents benevolent virtue, and being bright at dawn represents trustworthy virtue.

Later, when reading some miscellaneous texts and classics, I came across the idea that in folk tradition, chickens were considered to ward off evil spirits, with the term "celestial rooster" being used.

And the source of this statement is surprisingly from the Mount Dusuo where the two Ghost Emperors Shen Tu and Yu Lei reside.

Legend has it that on Mount Dusuo there was a huge rooster. Its crowing caused all the roosters in the world to begin their morning calls. Therefore, ancient people had the custom of carving peach charms, inserting rooster feathers, and cutting paper rooster window decorations.

The Qingluan's call speeds up the chickens' crowing and also hastens the dispelling of gloomy and malevolent qi.

I remember Jiang Qiyun once said that Qingluan was good at setting up barriers, so he asked Taiyi Zhenjun for Qingluan to guard the palace.

It seems she's not only skilled at defense, but also has some peculiar methods for breaking through strange boundaries.

"You're too loud," Jiang Qiyun frowned.

Qingluan laughed and said, "We can quarrel as much as we like, but if it works, it works. This kind of spatial crisscross formation is most afraid of abundant yang energy... Even a rooster's crow can accelerate the dissipation of yin energy, and it doesn't even disrupt the balance of the aura!"

"What is spatial intersection" I asked.

"Hee hee, why don't you ask the Celestial Emperor himself I'd better be going... Oh, and my elder brother is waiting for me down below." Qingluan seemed to be in a hurry.

My brother is fine, luckily the target was only me.

Jiang Qiyun said that the true demon is powerful in magic and very good at hiding themselves.

The boundary between gods and demons is a thousandfold, countless. The great deities on the ninth heaven carefully confine these powerful beasts and demonic spirits. Once a powerful demon appears, it will inevitably attract the attention of the deities on the ninth heaven, who will do everything in their power to eradicate it.

"Demons cultivate using malevolent energy, and many are celestial beings and deities who have fallen to the demonic path. If they could freely travel between realms, how could the great gods maintain the foundation of yin-yang balance in the human world" Jiang Qiyun simply explained to me.

"These are none of your concern. If you encounter danger again next time, find me first."

He stared at me seriously, and I could only nod meekly.

》》》

I got into an accident near my hometown, which caused some alarm among the Mu family.

Some people think that if I encounter danger, it must be because a very powerful "opponent" has appeared, and that me running home crying now will only cause trouble for my family.

Some people even took glee in misfortune, like my clueless cousin, Chen Susin.

She is two years younger than me and is now a twenty-year-old girl. Hearing that I was in danger, she was very excited to come find me to play.

I don't get to see her often. I heard she is studying at a medical college in the next city over.

When she was young, her soul wasn't stable and she needed to wear a red string around her neck to anchor it.

I casually asked once, how come you wear such a long red string, wrapped around your neck so many times.

She was in her rebellious phase at the time, so she secretly took off the red string. That night, her soul left her body, scaring my brother and giving him psychological trauma.

To this day, my brother avoids her at all costs.

"What's going on... Why did my cousin run away when he saw me" Chen Susin held a basin of hot water and walked to my door.

My brother was sitting in the room just now, Jiang Qiyun and I were sitting on the edge of the bed facing each other. He was going to check my shoulders, so my brother got up to avoid suspicion. When he opened the door, he saw Chen Suxin coming over, and he slipped away with a whoosh.

"What are you doing here Just have Auntie Zhang bring over some hot water." I looked at her in confusion — would this young lady's cousin actually serve people

"I want to see my cousin you~~ It's been so long, you've become even prettier..." she said with a smile as she sat in the room.

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

Jiang Qiyun is sitting across from me. This girl can't be seen, she has the air of settling down and not leaving.

"You...just go wait outside for a while. Let me clean myself up, put some liniment on, and I'll talk to you later." I had no choice but to ask him to leave.

Chen Susin always felt that her grandfather favored her, keeping her alone in the old house. So she often picked on her.

Although he was unpleasant to talk to and his words were annoying, he didn't really bully me.

“We even bathed together, why are you kicking me out… I can help you dry off too.” She was reluctant to leave: “Could it be… Auntie, did you go for breast augmentation again There’s nothing to be ashamed of, let me take a look. Hey, I want to get breast augmentation too…”

My scalp went numb. This guy has been asking me since I was a kid if I got breast implants, why won't he let it go

This girl kept going, "I heard that your sister got caught by a man again How come you always get involved with some weirdos... Big breasts really do attract lots of men, I want to be pursued by men too... Why do I only have one boyfriend."

"...How many more do you want" I rolled my eyes at him, speechless. "Just go out for now, okay Let me check my injuries myself and we can talk later."

I stood up to signal that I didn't want her to stay in the house any longer. She got to her feet and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Sister... aren't you, aware of my situation, that's why you don't want to hear me speak..."

I was taken aback, knowing what you meant About an unstable soul Well, I knew about it three or four years ago.

She said huffily, "Fine, you all make fun of me. I'll just go myself."

I'm completely baffled, what could she possibly find so funny

As soon as the door closed, Jiang Qiyun frowned and said: "This woman has an impure heart, her eyes are frivolous, her nose is slightly hooked. She has good fortune but lacks virtue, she is solitary and sensitive, and her family ties are weak."

I didn't dare to speak. Jiang Qiyun rarely gave people "notes," so saying this must be a reminder for me to pay attention to my cousin.

"I know, I'll keep my distance from her. She probably doesn't say more than a few words to me all year. Maybe she's just trying to mock or tease me." I sat on the bed and took off my clothes.

There was a bump on his shoulder, with redness and faint bruising.

Jiang Qiyun poured the medicated wine into her palm and covered it on my shoulder, gently rubbing and pressing.

The medicinal wine's aroma made me drowsy. To perk myself up, I murmured, "I didn't expect the Heavenly Emperor to attend to people..."

"You're the only one I've ever served." He let out a soft hum: "Not even crying when you're injured, but crying for those two little errand boys."

"Don't even mention it," a wave of bittersweet pain surged through me.

"Stop crying... Mu Xiaoqiao, how many times do I have to repeat myself" Jiang Qiyun said with a hint of anger, suddenly pulling me into his arms and holding me tightly. He whispered in my ear, "You just won't listen..."

"Life and death follow rules, it's just a matter of time. They did what they were supposed to do, that's good... If you're truly reluctant, I... will think of another way."

I looked up at him, he bowed his head slightly, his eyes like stars in the night.

"Little Qiao, you...you..." He chuckled softly, shaking his head with an unreadable expression.

What's wrong with me

"Remember, I don't want to see you cry except between the sheets." Jiang Qiyun timely stopped the topic and lifted a finger to gently press on my lips.

Psst...

Footsteps came from outside the door. Before I could ask who it was, Jiang Qiyun suddenly leaned down and kissed me.

I thought it was a gentle, light kiss, who knew he held me tightly, kissing fiercely and passionately, leaving me no room to resist.

"Hmm... Mmm..."ose and my heart—actually, I was looking at the small nameplate hanging on my chest.There is a quiet and unwavering depth of affection within the comprehension of the Tao.Perhaps I'm the kind of perso...