As evening approached, the Ma family gradually became men and women who had been preparing for the festival were freed from their tedious work and gathered in the ancestral hall for dinner. During the preparations for the festival, all the men and women involved in the preparations ate here to save time and energy. Yin Xiu also followed the local customs and sat down at an eight-immortal table in the ancestral hall. Men and women sit at different tables, 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 family with more yin than yang. Among the nine tables in the ancestral hall, only three were occupied by men, and even those were not full. Ma Jiaju enthusiastically poured tea for Yin Xiu and greeted him. Ma Jiaju is Ma Xiaoyu's cousin and Ma Xinyi's biological brother. "I heard that you are a Maoshan Taoist priest from Jiuzhou, or a descendant of the Mao family?" Everyone at the table looked at him as well. It seemed that they already knew a lot about Yin Xiu's background. Yin Xiu nodded, "My master thinks highly of me and accepted me as his apprentice so that I can learn some skills."
"You're fine." Ma Jiaju sighed, "For men like us, besides continuing the Ma family's lineage, we have to get approval from our family members even if we want to do business, let alone practice magic." Yin Xiu smiled and said, "Isn't this kind of life something to be envied? If I were as leisurely as you guys, I wouldn't be running around at all. Instead, I'd lie on the beach in Hawaii, basking in the sun, drinking a drink, looking at the sea, with a few beauties around me..." "Several what?" When Yin Xiu heard the cold voice asking questions from behind him, he immediately felt something was wrong. Before he turned around, he caught a glimpse of the men at the same table no longer in their original cheerful atmosphere. They were all winking at him, as if they were very worried about Yin Xiu's situation. So Yin Xiu swallowed and forced a smile, but when he turned around, Ma Xiaoyu had already left and sat down at the top table with an expressionless face. This couldn't help but make Yin Xiu feel 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, "I call this respecting women. Am I afraid of her? I respect her." "Okay, respect, respect." Ma Jiaju poured him some tea and said sympathetically, "Ma Xiaoyu, she is the most powerful one in our family, both in terms of ability and personality. Now even my sister has imitated her way of speaking and doing things, which is causing a lot of headaches for our family." Yin Xiu thought of Ma Xinyi, and suddenly felt that Ma Jiaju was the one who deserved more sympathy, so she poured him tea and comforted him. "Understood, understood." The distance between the people at the table was suddenly shortened. When the meal started and the dishes were served one by one, Yin Xiu was shocked. The plates and bowls on the table were neatly arranged, and the dishes were exquisite, clean, and well-organized, but the food inside made him feel difficult to eat.
Chinese cabbage, tofu, mixed vegetables, lily and lotus seed soup, carved radish, blanched rapeseed, except for one or two dishes of steamed fish without soy sauce and seasoned with ginger and scallions, the whole table of dishes was plain. "Are we having a vegetarian meal today?" Yin Xiu asked. "Well?" The others looked at him strangely, "Aren't there fish?" "Oh, sorry, I misread it." Now Yin Xiu finally understood why Ma Xiaoyu looked like a starving ghost every time she ate. If she ate this kind of food every day, even if she was an anorexic patient, she would probably be cured immediately after going to those fried chicken restaurants. Yin Xiu lowered his head to eat, and looked towards Ma Xiaoyu from time to time. However, apart from the occasional glance from Ma Lan, Ma Xiaoyu never turned around to look at him the entire time. Ma Xiaoyu just took small bites of food and ate, chewing a few times with her mouth closed before swallowing calmly. Although Ma Xiaoyu usually behaves like a lady in front of public, this is the first time Yin Xiu has seen her eat in such a way that makes her look too delicate. After he looked at him a few more times, Ma Lan looked over again, as if asking Yin Xiu if there was anything he could help with? Yin Xiu quickly turned around and just lowered his head to eat and pick up dishes. After finally finishing the meal, the servant came up and took him to the guest room to rest. This made Yin Xiu feel like a person under house arrest rather than 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 would not have much chance to spend time together recently. Although Yin Xiu felt regretful, after taking a shower and lying on the bed, he began to think about another problem. That is Ma Xiaoyu. Will she go back to Jiuzhou with him? She originally came to Kyushu and Hong Kong Island from Malaysia to hunt down those vampires. After destroying the vampire, her mission and goal had been accomplished, and what happened afterwards actually had little to do with her. Moreover, the Ma family has very little contact with Kyushu Central Plains. Their entire family moved to Malaysia and lives their own life in this small village. Because of his relationship, he put Ma Xiaoyu in deep crisis several times. And because of his relationship, the fairyland that had been hidden from the world for a long time reappeared, and the exorcist Ma family far away in Malaysia was found. All the whirlpools and storms were caused by Yin Xiu. If this is the case, asking Ma Xiaoyu to stay in Malaysia first can also help her avoid those risks. Liu Banxian regards Feng Shui as his highest pursuit. Restoring the spiritual energy of Jiuzhou and collecting dragon veins from all over the world are his ultimate dreams. For this reason, he would have no complaints even if he died, because this is the risk and price he has to take. Ren Qi's target was not the dragon vein at all, but because the imperial court was looking for the Dragon Emperor's son, adhering to the principle that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, his help to Yin Xiu was a disguised way of destroying the imperial court and the White Lotus Sect, so he was willing to take the risk. But Ma Xiaoyu, everything is unimportant to her. There is no need for her to die for it, right? After all, what Yin Xiu does is the most dangerous and difficult job in the world. Maybe he should ask Ma Xiaoyu what she thinks. She has expressed her thoughts before, but now both he and Ma Xiaoyu may have changed a lot because of some things they have experienced? After all, people are different from the world. The world will never change, but people are bound to change for various reasons. As Yin Xiu tossed and turned, there was a soft knock on the window.
"Who?" Yin Xiu asked. "Ma Xinyi." When Yin Xiu heard the name, he was startled, but when he came to his senses, he 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 her shower and changed her clothes by this time. Her hair was a little wet and she exuded a faint fragrance. Seeing Ma Xiaoyu, Yin Xiu couldn't help but get excited. Thinking that she would not be able to sleep well tonight, she immediately took her into the room. However, Ma Xiaoyu pulled him out of the window first. "Let's go to town," she whispered. "What are you going to do in town at this time?" Yin Xiu still held out a glimmer of hope. After all, some things were indeed inconvenient in the Ma family's mansion. "Let's do something happy, and something that only you can lead me to do." Ma Xiaoyu's eyes flashed with cunning. In this case, Yin Xiu had no more hesitation, just followed Ma Xiaoyu to climb up to the roof, and then the two of them used their skills to quietly climb out of the village. Once they got outside, Ma Xiaoyu was obviously a lot more relaxed. She took Yin Xiu out through a small path and stopped a rickshaw. The man pulling the cart was a local, with a thin, dark face that was a little red from prolonged exposure to the sun and long-distance running, and well-developed muscles. After Ma Xiaoyu told him the location, she and Yin Xiu got in the car. Yin Xiu secretly searched his pockets, but couldn't find the two "self-defense tools" that Liu Banxian had given him. "What are you looking for?" Ma Xiaoyu's eyes were sharp, "I don't think you're looking for change." "Oh, nothing, I just thought I brought the wrong thing." Yin Xiu replied quickly. "You don't need to bring anything else, just money." Ma Xiaoyu said seriously: "With money, what can't you buy in town?" "Oh, that puts me at ease. I didn't expect Malaysia to be so open." Yin Xiu touched his neck again and said to himself, "I have to take another shower when we get to town. It's too hot here." "bath?" Ma Xiaoyu glanced at him and said, "You have the habit of taking a shower before having supper? How come I didn't know that?" "I want you to know." "No need." Ma Xiaoyu turned her head away. Although he got the upper hand verbally, Yin Xiu's fantasies were shattered. It turned out that Ma Xiaoyu was looking for him just to go to town for a midnight snack.
Ma Xiaoyu didn't see Yin Xiu's thoughts, she just asked him: "How is it, are you used to it here?" "It's only been a day, it's definitely not a habit." Yoon Soo smiled, "But this is also a nice place, isn't it?" “It’s a little hot, a little far, and a little off the beaten path, but other than that everything is pretty good.” Ma Xiaoyu played with her fingers, "No matter how bland the food is, you'll get used to it after eating too much." "right?" Yin Xiu finally brought up the previous topic from a hidden angle. "You know, to some extent, I am a person without a hometown. I am a born wanderer. I live wherever I go. To me, every place is the same. So I am willing to travel everywhere and I can travel everywhere, because to me, all this wandering doesn’t matter. But this is impossible for Uncle Ming. He grew up in Hong Kong Island and his father left him a building. Even if he wants to contribute to the world, if you ask him to establish Hong Kong Island, he will inevitably hesitate. " “People are worthless when they leave their hometown.” Ma Xiaoyu pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and said, "This is what my aunt often said. It is hard for me to say that she is a pure Taoist priest because she has always been more concerned about the survival of the Ma family. As for the affairs of the Central Plains, she actually doesn’t care that much.” "What about you?" Yin Xiu suddenly asked. "What?" Ma Xiaoyu asked puzzled. "I'm talking about Kyushu." Yin Xiu looked outside. The moonlight illuminated the road, and the lantern on the rickshaw driver's handlebars flickered, emitting a dim orange light. The woods outside were pitch black, with fireflies occasionally flying through the bushes, flickering like blinking stars. "I feel that Xiandu is not an illusory existence. It is a real monster with tentacles extending in all directions, just like an octopus in the deep sea. You look at the pitch-black sea surface and think that there is nothing underneath, but in fact, the fairyland is hidden in the darkness and has not emerged yet. In North America, I witnessed the power of Xiandu and the imperial court combined, which made this feeling more real and urgent. It is really a huge monster. " "Are you afraid?" Ma Xiaoyu was stunned at first, and then she realized that Yin Xiu was not worried about her, but about her. Ma Xiaoyu couldn't help but feel amused and angry. "You came to Malaysia just to tell me this? If you just wanted to persuade me to stay here, you could have written me a letter instead of coming here in person." "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 heard that the primary reason why Yin Xiu wanted to see her was "want to see her", everything else became irrelevant.
So she was no longer as angry as before, and just asked calmly: "Xiandu, how many heavenly masters does it have?" In this way, Yin Xiu finally understood Ma Xiaoyu's intentions. Although he should have known that Ma Xiaoyu was not the kind of person who would be defeated or retreated by the secular world or some kind of pressure. So he asked apologetically: "What shall we eat tonight? It's my treat." "Of course it has to be you." Ma Xiaoyu glanced at him and said, "You know I can't touch money." "So you used this method to sneak out for midnight snacks before?" Yin Xiu saw that she seemed to be familiar with the process. Unexpectedly, Ma Xiaoyu shook her head and said, "It's not that simple. I will be punished every time I am caught, so I usually don't have the chance to go out. I just waited for you to come with great difficulty." "Because you are a guest of the Ma family, it won't be a big deal even if all the responsibility is put on you," Ma Xiaoyu explained. "So I am Dou E." Yin Xiu said with a smile. As the rickshaw swayed, the two men had forgotten their previous hesitation and unhappiness. Yin Xiu gently pulled down the awning of the rickshaw to cover the upper bodies of the two people. Ma Xiaoyu couldn't help but feel embarrassed, and the two white spots in her sandals swayed under her skirt. "I'll take you back after the ceremony is over." Yin Xiu said softly. Ma Xiaoyu did not express anything, neither agreed nor refused, but just hummed a Minnan folk song softly. Her singing was soft and long, echoing along the forest road along with the creaking sound of the rickshaw. "I sit alone under the lamp at night, with the breeze blowing across my face. Seventeen or eighteen years old and still unmarried, she met a young man... I want to ask her about the evil situation, but I play the pipa in my heart..." (End of this chapter)