Chapter 10: Argument

Di Jiang spent the entire afternoon at the Hualing Pool and only returned when the sun was setting. By the time she got back, Wu Rui’an had already woken up. The courtyard was filled with the aroma of beef tallow, and even the northern wind carried a spicy scent.

“Add more red chili; it looks festive!”

“I don’t eat spicy food!”

“But my boss likes it!”

The voices of Priest Yu Ling and Wen Yao arguing came from inside the house. Di Jiang walked to the door and heard Wu Rui’an mediating, “You’ll get used to eating chili. I didn’t eat it at first, but after living with Miss Di for two months, I’ve fallen in love with it.”

“Are you in love with the chili or the person?” Wen Yao teased with a wink.

“Isn’t your boss the wife of Abbot Zhong? Why are you searching for him a thousand miles away while bringing along extra baggage? Your circle is quite messy,” Priest Yu Ling commented curiously. As expected, this remark led to chaos inside as Wu Rui’an started beating him up.

“Cough cough—” Di Jiang cleared her throat and pushed open the door to enter the room.

The room was packed with people gathered around the table cooking hot pot. A large iron pot sat on a small wooden table over burning charcoal. The oil in the pot was a bright red, bubbling vigorously.

“You’re eating hot pot?” Di Jiang widened her eyes, clearly incredulous.

Wen Yao proudly raised her head, “We’ve eaten bland food for days. I’m improving our meals. Boss, isn’t my cooking good?”

Di Jiang approached and carefully examined the pot. It contained fresh chili, bean paste, fermented soybeans, beef tallow, Sichuan peppercorns, ginger slices, green onions, and more, presenting a full array of colors, aromas, and flavors. Around the pot were lined more than ten dishes, both meat and vegetables, looking just like what they ate in Taiping Prefecture.

“Try some?” Wen Yao handed over a pair of chopsticks and a bowl, but Di Jiang didn’t immediately take them.

Di Jiang’s gaze finally settled on Wu Rui’an, who was wrestling with Priest Yu Ling. Her expression darkened, and she said coldly, “Are you fully recovered?”

“Yes! See…” Wu Rui’an said, pulling on Priest Yu Ling’s beard again.

“Ouch, be gentle!” Priest Yu Ling cried out in pain, but Di Jiang ignored him.

“Even if you’re better now, you’re not allowed to eat. You should avoid spicy and greasy foods these days.” After saying that, Di Jiang took the chopsticks and bowl, freely picking a piece of meat and eating it with satisfaction.

Wu Rui’an let go of Priest Yu Ling and walked over to Di Jiang, looking pitifully at her and asking, “Can’t I have just one bite?”

“No,” Di Jiang stated firmly, giving him no room for negotiation.

With no choice, Wu Rui’an obediently sat aside and watched them eat.

Priest Yu Ling obviously tasted such food for the first time and enjoyed it immensely with his disciples. They all ate until they sweated profusely, feeling thoroughly satisfied, leaving Wu Rui’an alone, drooling with envy.

At the Hai hour, after finishing the hot pot, the Daoists of Baiyun Temple and Wen Yao stayed behind to clean up. Wu Rui’an strolled alone in the courtyard, and Di Jiang disappeared again.

When Wen Yao finished cleaning and stepped outside, seeing only Wu Rui’an in the courtyard, she asked, “Your Highness, where is our boss?”

“She’s not eating hot pot with you?” Wu Rui’an looked aggrieved and dissatisfied.

Wen Yao shook her head, “She left early.”

“Really? I didn’t see her.” Wu Rui’an shook his head, his heart sinking suddenly.

“Do you think she…?” Wen Yao hesitated, and Wu Rui’an immediately recalled the conversation he heard in his dream.

“Could the boss be jumping into the Hualing Pool to accompany Zhong Xu?”

Both felt an ominous premonition and were about to look for Di Jiang when they saw her walking towards them from another path, carrying an old lunch box.

“Boss! Where did you go?” Wen Yao immediately surrounded her.

Di Jiang shook her head, “I didn’t go anywhere.” Noticing their strange expressions, she added, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s fine if nothing happened. I thought...” Wen Yao hesitated, fearing her words might upset Di Jiang, so she simply shook her head, “Nothing, the mountain paths are slippery. I was worried you might encounter danger.” With that, she quickly slipped away, leaving only Wu Rui’an and Di Jiang in the courtyard.

“I’m going back to rest,” Wu Rui’an said, taking a step forward.

“Don’t leave yet, Your Highness,” Di Jiang pulled him and seated him on a stone bench, “Aren’t you hungry?”

Not mentioning this was fine, but once mentioned, Wu Rui’an felt utterly powerless.

He grunted twice, tacitly acknowledging.

“Here, I’ve just made you a small rib porridge. Don’t say I never cared for you.” Di Jiang smiled and took out a bowl of porridge sprinkled with chopped green onions from the lunch box, placing it before Wu Rui’an. The faint aroma of meat wafted through the air, making Wu Rui’an’s mouth water.

“Eat quickly,” Di Jiang handed him a spoon.

Wu Rui’an took it but didn’t eat immediately.

“What happened to your hands?” He stared directly at Di Jiang’s hands, noticing they were red and blistered in several places.

“This? It’s nothing,” Di Jiang raised her hand, smiling unconcernedly, “Maybe the Taoists forgot to close the window a few days ago. The firewood in the storage room got damp, so I rearranged them. It took a while to light the fire. That’s probably when I got these.”

“Leave such tasks to Wen Yao in the future. Seeing you like this makes me心疼,” Wu Rui’an held Di Jiang’s hand and pulled her to sit beside him.

Uncharacteristically, Di Jiang didn’t react, allowing him to hold her hand.

Overjoyed, Wu Rui’an wanted to hug her immediately.

“Your Highness, don’t just stare at me. Eat the porridge, or my efforts would be wasted,” Di Jiang prompted.

“Oh, alright,” Wu Rui’an immediately began eating voraciously, finishing the bowl in no time.

“It seems not enough... I’ll get you another bowl.” Di Jiang quickly disappeared down the path with the lunch box.

Watching her bustling and tender demeanor, Wu Rui’an felt dazed, wondering if he was dreaming. How could she suddenly become so considerate?

After Di Jiang returned, Wu Rui’an didn’t start eating immediately but sat facing her solemnly, “Di Jiang, what’s wrong with you? Are you hiding something from me?”

“No,” Di Jiang blinked, seemingly puzzled.

Wu Rui’an sighed, “I know everything.”

“Know what?” Di Jiang was startled.

“About Zhong Xu. I know his death hit you hard, but the deceased are gone. You don’t need to...”

“He’s not dead,” Di Jiang interrupted, “Zhong Xu is still alive.”

“Yes, he turned to stone. Does that count as being alive?” Wu Rui’an frowned, agitated, “I know you don’t want to admit it, but he’s dead! He can’t come back to life!”

“Who says it’s impossible?” Di Jiang grinned, “I will definitely bring him back.”

“How do you plan to do that?” Wu Rui’an widened his eyes, finding it hard to believe, yet Di Jiang’s words carried no hint of jest, only certainty.

“If I enter the Sword Tomb, I can trade one life for another.”

“I forbid you to go!” Wu Rui’an slammed the table, angrily shouting, “No matter what you say, true or false, you are not allowed to go!”

“Why?” Di Jiang asked, confused, “Zhong Xu is my only friend. If I don’t save him, no one else will.”

“And what about me? Zhong Xu is your only friend, then where do you place me?” Wu Rui’an’s eyes brimmed with deep anger, wanting to break open Di Jiang’s mind to see what was inside!

“But your feelings for me aren’t friendship,” Di Jiang thought for a moment, shrugged, and smiled, “And I don’t need love.”

“How do you know you don’t need it?”

“...” Di Jiang remained silent, only smiling.

Seeing her like this, Wu Rui’an grew even more frustrated, “Loving you is my business. Whether you love me back or not doesn’t matter. I won’t stop liking you because of that. I know your only love is your late husband. I don’t know who he is, and I don’t want to replace him, but I know I can treat you better than he did! Why won’t you give me a chance?”

“...”

Seeing Di Jiang remain silent, Wu Rui’an continued, “I won’t claim to treat you a thousand times or ten thousand times better than him, but at least I won’t abandon you like he did, leaving you alone in this world.”

“Finished?” Di Jiang lowered her head, lightly laughing, “If you’re done, go to sleep early.”

“Why don’t you understand me?” Wu Rui’an urged, “Three years ago, I joined the army for you. After returning to court, I humbled myself before you for half a year, doing everything according to your wishes. This past month, I haven’t referred to myself as ‘this king’ in front of you. I regard you as my beloved, yet you always think of others!”

“You don’t know anything, and you don’t need to know,” Di Jiang’s face darkened, her eyes icy, “There’s no possibility between us.”

“How is it impossible? In what way am I worse than him?”

“You don’t understand,” Di Jiang sighed deeply, shaking her head.

“I don’t understand, but I like you. Isn’t that enough? No matter how good your late husband was to you, that’s the past. You should accept new feelings and a new life. I don’t want you to remain lonely for him anymore. If you keep going like this... I’m afraid one day you’ll lose hope and really jump into that... whatever pool for Zhong Xu...”

Di Jiang’s face turned green, correcting him, “It’s the Hualing Pool.”

“I don’t care what pool it is. You’re not allowed to jump!”

“Oh...” Di Jiang smiled faintly, lowering her head to idly play with the dew on tree branches. Wu Rui’an silently watched her, and the two fell into silence.

After a long while, Di Jiang finally spoke, “I can’t forgive myself. If I could, I would have accepted you long ago, without waiting till now.”

“You do love me, don’t you?” Wu Rui’an’s eyes instantly filled with hope. He desperately searched Di Jiang’s face for the reaction he wanted, but he was disappointed again.

Di Jiang shook her head and sighed, smiling silently. Her face always bore the estrangement and resolve he couldn’t understand.

He couldn’t figure out how he was inferior to Zhong Xu. Why did she care so much about Zhong Xu yet disregard him completely?

Wu Rui’an continued, “I can see you’re suffering. Although you smile all day, your smiles lack heart. I pity you, deeply, very deeply!”

“But so what? The person I like isn’t you...” Di Jiang batted her big eyes innocently, looking at him.

Wu Rui’an’s face was filled with anger, seemingly on the verge of exploding.

Seeing him like this, Di Jiang wondered inwardly: Such excellent acting skills... I wonder how long you can keep it up.

After a long while, Wu Rui’an still hadn’t erupted. He gave a shallow smile, shrugged, and said, “Aren’t you just fond of Daoists? I’ll show you that whatever Zhong Xu can do, I can too!”

With that, Wu Rui’an turned and walked away without looking back, leaving Di Jiang sitting alone in the courtyard, suddenly feeling somewhat at a loss.

This was the first time Wu Rui’an had angrily left, and it didn’t seem like he was pretending.

Di Jiang found it strange. If he had feelings for her, drinking the Forgetful River water should have erased those feelings.

But if he had no feelings, why did he act like this...

What was he thinking?

Di Jiang pondered for a long time but still couldn’t figure it out.