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Xing Ruyi touched her nose and, in that moment of lowering her head, couldn't help but smile.
It turned out that even a fox cared about its image.
In a good mood, she walked up to Xie Xuan and lightly flicked his forehead with her fingers. Xie Xuan had been dazed by a ghost, and he would wake up once the ghostly energy was dispelled. At this moment, he slowly regained consciousness and saw Xing Ruyi directly above him, causing his heart to inexplicably race.
He had seen many beauties, but Xing Ruyi was not the most memorable among them. Her features, when viewed separately, were not particularly outstanding; in fact, they had slight flaws. For instance, her lips were a bit pale, her nose was not very prominent, her eyes were not large enough, and they lacked the softness typical of women. Even her skin was not particularly fair. Yet, there was a unique charm about her.
"What are you looking at? Do you think it's comfortable sleeping on the ground?" Xing Ruyi asked, flicking his forehead again. Although it seemed like a light flick, it actually contained a bit of ghostly power. This power flowed from Xie Xuan's forehead into his body, transforming into a thin black line that traveled along his blood vessels.
Seeing that there was indeed nothing unusual within him, Xing Ruyi stood up: "Are you too weak to get up?"
She extended her right hand toward Xie Xuan. He paused for a moment before his gaze fell on her hand. Xing Ruyi's hands were the only part of her body she was truly satisfied with—her fingers were slender, straight, long, and well-defined. They were neither as delicate and boneless as those of an ordinary lady nor as stiff as those of a peasant woman. When the fox first saw her hands, it had asked if she was good at playing the piano.
How did Xing Ruyi respond? Playing the piano? She could do it in her dreams; in reality, she could only fluff cotton. Now she extended her hand toward Xie Xuan, who clearly focused on her hand.
"Miss Xing's hands are quite beautiful!" Xie Xuan remarked as he got up, his nose brushing against the tips of Xing Ruyi's fingers, faintly catching the scent of herbal medicine lingering on them.
"Thank you for the compliment, but among the Fox Demon’s features, this pair of hands is barely acceptable," Xing Ruyi replied as she withdrew her hand. Just as Xie Xuan was about to say something in return, he saw Xing Ruyi examining her own hands and sighed: "Fortunately, my hands for making rouge and face powder haven't picked up any scent from you."
"My scent?" Xie Xuan frowned and sniffed himself. Aside from the fragrance of dragon's saliva incense, there was nothing unusual.
Xing Ruyi raised an eyebrow and turned around casually: "Usually those who do business carry the smell of copper coins; fishermen have the smell of fish; since you are an official, what scent do you carry?"
"The scent of books?" Xie Xuan tentatively suggested.
Xing Ruyi shook her head: "Wrong! It's the smell of hypocrisy, corruption, and selfishness!"
"Miss Xing, are you trying to condemn everyone with one stroke? I won't deny that the officialdom is dark, but I am determined to be a good official," Xie Xuan replied.
"When the water is clear, there are no fish. Do you think there is room for a clean fish in this officialdom?" Xing Ruyi stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Xie Xuan with a smile: "However, I believe what you are saying at this moment."
“Miss Xing really believes it?” Xie Xuan couldn't help but smile.
“Of course I believe it, because at this moment, Sir Xie, you have no reason to lie to Fox Demon. After all, Fox Demon is just an ordinary commoner!” Xing Ruyi said, turning her back to Xie Xuan and waving her hand. “Also, let me remind you, Sir Xie, do not develop any fondness for Fox Demon. I, Xing Ruyi, am not someone just anyone can like.”
Xie Xuan felt a bit awkward at first, but then he regained his composure, and his gaze instantly darkened. He almost forgot his own identity. No matter who this Miss Xing was or what kind of deadly allure she possessed, to him, she could only be regarded as a noteworthy opponent. In Luoyang City, the only thing he needed to pay attention to was the Ruyi Rouge shop; the only ones he needed to be wary of were Yin Chensi and Xing Ruyi from that shop; and the only person he had to eliminate was their adopted son, a child named Yin Yuan.
That child had been checked by Phantom. According to Phantom's report, he was just an ordinary kid—perhaps a bit bolder than others and somewhat unruly, with a touch of arrogance like his adoptive parents.
While thinking about this, his steps did not slow down at all. By the time he suppressed these chaotic thoughts in his mind, he and Xing Ruyi had already entered the hall one after the other. The hall was only slightly larger than a bedroom and contained three square tables and one long table. At that moment, the long table was filled with various delicacies, including some fruits that were hard to find even in Luoyang City.
The innkeeper was a man and a woman; the man was short and thin, always speaking with a slight bow and a smile at the corners of his eyes. Whenever he appeared with the female innkeeper, he would stand behind her, revealing only half of himself—a perfect image of a henpecked husband.
In contrast, the female innkeeper embodied the popular beauty standard of the Golden Tang Dynasty, being voluptuous yet charming. She spoke loudly but was not annoying. Her attire was extremely colorful.
At this moment, the female innkeeper stood to the right of Yin Chensi, pointing at a dish on the table while introducing it to him, while the male innkeeper smiled with his head lowered, half-hidden in the shadow cast by the female innkeeper.
“Good day, Innkeeper!” Xie Xuan approached and stood beside Yin Chensi. “Why didn’t Young Master Yin come with Miss Xing? Did he come early to see if there’s anything here that Miss Xing likes?”
“My Fox Demon is picky and only eats food I make.” The fox slightly raised its eyes and glanced over Xie Xuan at Xing Ruyi: “I just checked; aside from these fruits, only this dish of Mapo Tofu is barely edible. If you find it unpalatable later on, don’t force yourself; I’ll go to the kitchen and cook something for you.”
The fox's words carried deeper meaning; it was informing Fox Demon that although this table seemed filled with delicious food, it had actually been tampered with by the Oni Beast. The only edible items were those fruits and the plate of Mapo Tofu in front of her.
Xing Ruyi understood and nodded obediently: “Then I’ll trouble you, Husband. But when out and about, I’ll try my best to make do with whatever I can.”
With husband and wife harmonizing together in a tender display of affection, it painted a picture of a loving couple. However, these words sounded somewhat awkward in Xie Xuan's ears. He first looked at the fox and then at Xing Ruyi, unable to suppress a twitch at the corner of his mouth.
“I didn’t expect that in such a remote place, the innkeeper would have such excellent culinary skills. This dish should be Princess Taiping’s original creation called Huanyang Zhi. It is said that this dish came to her by chance; later on, the imperial chef tried it according to her method and found it surprisingly delicious. I had the honor of tasting it once from Her Highness; its flavor is unforgettable.”
“Really? Young Master Xie has tasted this dish before? Come, come! Please try it yourself and see how my Huanyang Zhi compares to what your princess’s kitchen makes!”
Upon hearing about the dish, the male innkeeper stepped out from the shadows eagerly and picked up a piece to bring it to Xie Xuan's mouth. Xie Xuan initially wanted to refuse but felt awkward looking at the chopsticks extended toward him; thus, he could only open his mouth and swallow that piece of meat.
“Indeed exquisite! Exquisite! Innkeeper, your Huanyang Zhi is not only on par with what comes from the imperial kitchen but also has some unique qualities. However, I’m not skilled in cooking myself so I can’t pinpoint exactly what’s different. How about Young Master Yin and Xing Gu Niang also give it a try?”
"The so-called Hunyangbi involves stuffing flavorless minced goose meat into the belly of a lamb, sewing it up, and then roasting it. Once fully cooked, the lamb is discarded, and only the goose meat is consumed. As for the taste, since it is favored by the princess, it must be exquisite. However, this method of eating is too extravagant and wasteful. Fox Demon and my Husband are just ordinary people with ordinary tastes; such luxurious delicacies, even if consumed, would likely be too rich for us to digest. Therefore, Lord Xie need not be polite; please enjoy it."
Xing Ruyi stepped back a little, just enough to stand behind the fox.
In fact, she had tried Hunyangbi before when she first arrived at the Golden Tang Dynasty. The fox had taken her to sneak food from the imperial Kitchen and also showed her the legendary Princess Taiping. She was just an ordinary beautiful girl; if not born into royalty, she would not have faced the subsequent misfortunes. However, sympathy aside, she did not approve of such an extremely wasteful culinary practice. Thus, she did not even taste the exquisite dishes like Ambrosial Soup, Goose and Duck Skewers, or anything from the Heluo River, and dragged the fox away instead.
"These dishes are indeed somewhat extravagant; ordinary people truly cannot afford them unless they are royal nobles," Xie Xuan remarked as he pushed the shopkeeper's chopsticks over.
The Shopkeeper was unfazed and pointed to a dish in the middle of the table: "The dish in front is something that Young Master Xie should know; it's not surprising. After all, Young Master Xie comes from a family of Top Scholars, and according to tradition, he should meet with the Empress. But this dish is something that Young Master Xie might not necessarily know. Its name is quite poetic but hard to remember. In my humble shop, I don't aim for elegance, so I gave it a simpler yet memorable name: Zhang Meat Pie.
This deer was hunted from the mountains; it's a Grass Antelope aged over a hundred years and has developed some spirit. I removed its skin and entrails and steamed it with fresh herbs before turning it into a pie. The flavor is truly a delicacy of the mortal realm. Not only does it taste wonderful, but it also nourishes and revitalizes." The Shopkeeper said as he handed the pie to Xie Xuan, adding, "Would you like to give it a try?"
Xie Xuan, who originally wanted to taste what deer meat was like, saw Xing Ruyi's disgusted expression and immediately shook his head.
"No need; I just had goose meat, and its flavor still lingers in my mouth. If I were to taste deer meat now, no matter how good it is, I wouldn't be able to appreciate it. How about I choose a vegetarian dish to try instead?"
"Vegetarian dish?" The Shopkeeper's eyes darted around before he suddenly smiled mysteriously and said, "There happens to be a vegetarian dish here that I would recommend to Young Master Xie. Only you have the fortune to taste it."
As soon as the Shopkeeper finished speaking, Xing Ruyi exchanged glances with the fox and immediately felt an uneasy sensation arise within her!
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