In the evening, Ma's house gradually became lively.
The men and women who were preparing for the ceremony were freed from the complicated work and gathered in the ancestral hall for dinner.
During the preparations for the festival, all the men and women involved in the preparations eat here to save time and energy.
Yin Xiu also followed the local customs and sat down on an Eight Immortals table in the ancestral hall.
There are separate tables for men and women, so those sitting with Yin Xiu are all men from the Ma family.
According to Yin Xiu's observation, the Ma family is a typical example of yin rising and yang declining. Of the nine tables in the ancestral hall, only three are occupied by men, and they are still not full.
Ma Jiaju poured tea for Yin Xiu and greeted him enthusiastically.
Ma Jiaju is Ma Xiaoyu's cousin and Ma Xinyi's brother.
"I heard that you are a Maoshan Taoist priest from Kyushu, or a descendant of the Mao family?"
Everyone at the table also looked at him. It seemed that they already knew Yin Xiu's origins very well.
Yin Xiu nodded, "That's because the master thinks highly of me and accepted me as his apprentice to learn some skills."
"You'll be fine."
Ma Jiaju sighed, "Men like us, in addition to passing on the family lineage, let alone practicing magic, we have to get the nod from the family even if we want to go out to do business."
Yin Xiu smiled and said: "Isn't this kind of life enviable? If I were as leisurely as you, I wouldn't run around at all. Instead, I would lie on the beach in Hawaii and bask in the sun, drinking drinks. Looking at the sea, there are still some beauties around me..."
"Several what?"
Yin Xiu heard the cold questioning voice behind her and immediately felt something was wrong.
Before he turned around, he caught a glimpse of the men at the same table losing their original laughter. They all winked at him, seeming to be very worried about Yin Xiu's situation.
So Yin Xiu swallowed, forced a smile, and when she turned around, Ma Xiaoyu had left and sat down on the top table expressionlessly.
This can't help but make Yin Xiu a little worried.
"Friend, are you afraid of women?" Ma Jiaju asked him.
"What does it mean to be afraid of women?"
Yin Xiu was unconvinced and said: "This is called respecting women. Am I afraid of her? I respect her."
"Okay, respect respect."
Ma Jiaju poured tea for him and said sympathetically: "Ma Xiaoyu, she is the most powerful person in our family, both in terms of ability and personality.
Now even my sister imitates her way of speaking and doing things, which is causing quite a headache for our family. ”
Yin Xiu thought of Ma Xinyi, and suddenly felt that Ma Jiaju deserved more sympathy, so she poured him tea and comforted him.
"Understand, understand."
The distance between the people at the table suddenly became much closer.
When the meal started and plates of food were served, Yin Xiu was shocked.
There were plates on the table, and the dishes were arranged neatly. The dishes were exquisite, clean, and well-organized, but the content made it difficult for him to eat with chopsticks.
Choy sum, tofu, mixed vegetables, lily and lotus seed soup, carved radish, boiled rapeseed, except for one or two steamed fish without soy sauce and seasoned with ginger and green onion, the whole table was pure and white.
"Are you going to eat fast today?" Yin Xiu asked.
"Huh?"
Others looked at him strangely, "Isn't there a fish?"
"Oh, sorry, I saw it wrong."
Now Yin Xiu finally understood why Ma Xiaoyu seemed to be the reincarnation of a starving ghost every time he ate. If he ate this kind of food every day, even an anorexic patient would probably be cured immediately when he went to one of those fried chicken restaurants.
Yin Xiu lowered his head to eat, and looked over at Ma Xiaoyu from time to time.
However, except for the occasional glance from Ma Lan, Ma Xiaoyu did not turn her head to look at him the whole time.
Ma Xiaoyu just took small bites of vegetables, ate, chewed a few times with her mouth closed, and then swallowed it calmly.
Although Ma Xiaoyu is usually very ladylike in front of the public, this is the first time Yin Xiu has seen an appearance that looks too much like Xiaojiabiyu's.
After he looked at her a few more times, Ma Lan looked over again, as if asking Yin Xiu if he could help?
Yin Xiu quickly turned around and just lowered her head to eat and pick up vegetables.
After finally finishing the meal, the servant came up and took him to the guest room to rest.
This can't help but make Yin Xiu feel like a person under house arrest, not a guest.
Ma Xiaoyu had to stay in the ancestral hall at night and review the rituals and hymns of the ceremony with Ma Lan. It seemed that they had not had much chance to get along recently.
Although Yin Xiu felt regretful, after taking a bath and lying on the bed, she began to think about another problem.
That's Ma Xiaoyu. Will she go back to Kyushu with him?
Initially, she came to Kyushu and Hong Kong Island from Malaysia because of hunting those vampires.
After destroying the vampire, her mission and goal have been completed, and what happens after that actually has little to do with her.
Moreover, the connection between the Ma family and the Central Plains of Kyushu is very few. Their entire family has moved to Malaysia and lives their own life in this small village.
Because of his relationship, he put Ma Xiaoyu into crisis several times, and because of his relationship, the fairy capital that had been hidden in the world for a long time reappeared, and he also found the exorcist Ma's family in Malaysia.
All the whirlpools and storms came because of Yin Xiu.
If this is the case, asking Ma Xiaoyu to stay in Malaysia first will also allow her to avoid those risks.
Liu Banxian takes Feng Shui as his highest pursuit, restoring the aura of Kyushu and collecting the dragon veins of the world. For him, it is the ultimate dream. For this, he will have no complaints even if he dies, because this is the risk and price he has to take.
Ren Qi's goal is not Dragon Vein at all, but because the imperial court is looking for the Dragon Emperor's son, and based on the principle that the enemy of the enemy is a friend, by helping Yin Xiu, he is destroying the imperial court and the White Lotus Sect in disguise, so he is willing to take risks.
But Ma Xiaoyu, everything is irrelevant to her, there is no need to ask her to die for this, right?
After all, Yin Xiu does the most dangerous and most difficult job in the world.
Maybe he should ask Ma Xiaoyu what she thinks. She has expressed her thoughts before, but now maybe both he and Ma Xiaoyu have changed in some way because of some things they have experienced?
After all, people are different from the world. The world will never change, but people will inevitably change for various reasons.
While Yin Xiu was tossing and turning, there was a soft knocking sound from the window.
"Who?" Yin Xiu asked.
"Ma Xinyi."
Yin Xiu was startled when she heard the name, but when she reacted, she felt that it was obviously Ma Xiaoyu's voice.
Sure enough, as soon as Yin Xiu opened the window, Ma Xiaoyu grabbed his hand.
Ma Xiaoyu had also finished taking a shower and changed her clothes. Her hair was a little wet and she exuded a faint fragrance.
Seeing Ma Xiaoyu, Yin Xiu was inevitably excited. She thought that she might not sleep well tonight, so she wanted to take her into the room immediately.
However, Ma Xiaoyu pulled him out of the window first.
"Let's go to town," she whispered.
"What are you doing in town at this time?"
Yin Xiu still had some expectations. After all, some things were really inconvenient in the Ma family's house.
"Go and do something happy that only you can take me to do." A hint of cunning flashed in Ma Xiaoyu's eyes. In this way, Yin Xiu had no hesitation. He just followed Ma Xiaoyu and climbed up to the roof. Then the two of them used their skills to sneak out of the village quietly.
When they got outside, Ma Xiaoyu obviously felt a lot more relaxed. After walking out from the alley with Yin Xiu, he stopped a rickshaw.
The man pulling the cart was a local. His thin, dark face was flushed with redness caused by prolonged exposure to the sun and long-distance running, and his muscles were well developed.
After Ma Xiaoyu told him the location, she and Yin Xiu got into the car.
Yin Xiu secretly rummaged through his pockets, but could not find the two "self-defense tools" Liu Banxian had given him.
"What are you looking for?"
Ma Xiaoyu's eyes were sharp, "I don't think you are looking for change."
"Oh, it's nothing, I just thought I brought something wrong." Yin Xiu replied quickly.
"You don't need to bring anything else, just bring money."
Ma Xiaoyu said seriously: "If you bring money, what can't you buy in the town?"
"Oh, this makes me feel relieved. I didn't expect that Malaysia is quite open."
Yin Xiu touched her neck again and said to herself: "I'll have to take a shower when I get to town. It's too hot here."
"Take a bath?"
Ma Xiaoyu glanced at him and said, "Do you still have the habit of taking a shower before eating midnight snacks? Why didn't I know?"
"I would like you to know."
"No need." Ma Xiaoyu turned away.
Although she took advantage of her words, the thoughts in Yin Xiu's heart were also shattered.
It turned out that Ma Xiaoyu was looking for him just to go to town for a late-night snack.
Ma Xiaoyu didn't see what Yin Xiu was thinking, and just asked him: "How is it, are you used to it here?"
"It's only been a day, it's definitely not a habit."
Yin Xiu smiled, "But this is a nice place, isn't it?"
"It's a little hot, a little far away, and a little out of the way, but other than that, everything is good."
Ma Xiaoyu played with her fingers, "No matter how bland the food is, you will get used to it if you eat too much."
"Really?"
Yin Xiu finally brought up the previous topic from a hidden angle.
"You know, to a certain extent, I am a person without a [hometown]. I am a born prodigal. I live wherever I go. For me, it is the same everywhere.
So I am willing to run around and run around, because for me, these wanderings are not bad.
But this is impossible for Uncle Ming. He grew up on Hong Kong Island and his father left him a building.
Even if he wants to contribute to the world and you ask him to establish Hong Kong Island, he will inevitably hesitate. ”
"People are cheap when they leave their hometown."
Ma Xiaoyu pushed a strand of hair behind her ears, "This is what my aunt often said. It's hard for me to say that she is a pure Taoist priest, because she always thinks more about the survival of the Ma family.
As for matters in Zhongyuan, she actually doesn't care much. ”
"What about you?" Yin Xiu suddenly asked.
"What?" Ma Xiaoyu asked confused.
"I'm talking about Kyushu."
Yin Xiu looked outside. The moonlight illuminated the road, and the lantern on the rickshaw driver's handlebar also flickered, emitting a dim orange light.
The forest outside was pitch black, and from time to time fireflies passed through the bushes, flickering like twinkling stars.
"I feel that Xiandu is not actually such an illusory existence. It is a real existence, a big monster with tentacles extending in all directions, just like an octopus in the deep sea.
You look at the pitch black sea and think there is nothing underneath, but in fact the Immortal City is hidden in this darkness, but it has not emerged yet.
In North America, I saw the power of the combination of the immortal capital and the imperial court, which made this feeling more real and urgent. It was really a giant. ”
"Are you afraid?"
Ma Xiaoyu was shocked at first, and then realized that Yin Xiu was actually worried not about herself, but about her.
So Ma Xiaoyu couldn't help but feel funny and angry, "You came to Malaysia just to tell me this? If you just want to persuade me to stay here, you can write me a letter instead of running here in person."< br>
"I came here first because I wanted to see you, and then nothing else."
Yin Xiu emphasized: "I didn't come here just to ask you to stay."
For a girl, no matter how many reasons or factors there are, when she hears that the primary reason why Yin Xiu wants to see her is "wanting to see her", everything else becomes irrelevant.
So she was not as angry as before, and just asked lightly: "Xiandu, how many heavenly masters are there?"
In this way, Yin Xiu finally understood Ma Xiaoyu's thoughts.
Although he should have known that Ma Xiaoyu was not the kind of person who would be defeated and forced to retreat by the world or some kind of pressure.
So he asked apologetically: "What shall we have for dinner tonight? I'll treat you."
"Of course it has to be you."
Ma Xiaoyu glanced at him and said, "You know I can never get money."
"So you used this method to sneak out for midnight snacks before?"
Yin Xiu looked at her as if she was familiar with the road.
Unexpectedly, Ma Xiaoyu shook her head, "It's not that simple. If you are caught, you will be punished once, so I usually don't have the chance to go out, but I finally waited until you came."
"Because you are a guest of the Ma family, even if the responsibility is put on you, it won't be a big deal." Ma Xiaoyu explained.
"It turns out that I came here as Dou E." Yin Xiu said with a smile.
As the rickshaw swayed, the two of them had forgotten their hesitation and unhappiness.
Yin Xiu gently pulled down the awning of the rickshaw to cover the upper bodies of the two of them.
Ma Xiaoyu couldn't help but squirm, and the two white patches in her sandals swayed under her skirt.
"After the festival is over, I will take you back." Yin Xiu said softly.
Ma Xiaoyu said nothing, neither said yes nor refused, she just hummed a Minnan tune softly.
Her singing voice is soft and long, accompanied by the squeaking sound of the rickshaw, echoing on the forest road.
"Sitting under the lamp alone at night, with the breeze blowing across the way.
Unmarried at the age of seventeen or eighteen, meeting a young man's family...
If I want to ask about Yi Jing's evil situation, I will play the pipa in my heart..." (End of Chapter)