Qingchen's later explanation to Ling Wu went like this: given their relationship, "husband and wife" was the only fitting thing to call each other—every bit as close as master and disciple.
That was why he'd taken the liberty of addressing her so in front of others.
Naturally, Ling Wu objected. In her view, calling him "Father" would be closer still—what bond in this world outdid family? Father and daughter suited them far better.
The words were barely out when Qingchen's face went black.
She grumbled inwardly: he was that much older than her—"Father" was letting him off easy. When you're old, own it. Being this sensitive about age was no way to live!
"If Ah-Wu ever calls me that, she need not bother returning to Kunlun." His gaze on her went frosty, his expression anything but a joke.
An expulsion warning!
What could Ling Wu say? Utterly defeated!
Yunshu, who had heard the whole exchange, sighed yet again. Getting this Ling Wu to understand—it was a long, long road!
She genuinely wondered whether Ling Wu was missing a screw, or simply born one heartstring short.
Qingchen had all but fanned his tail like a peacock, and she still only half got it.
Even a dog would shake its head at this—no wait, even a cat shook its head!
In the end, Ling Wu yielded.
Looked at any way, she wasn't losing out.
An immortal companion as powerful as Master? She couldn't ask for better.
Besides, it was all empty titles. New place, new identity. Worst case, she simply wouldn't come down to the mortal realm with Master anymore.
Cowed by Qingchen's authority, she forced out a "husband," awkward and blushing.
He found it very much to his taste.
Just as he moved to respond, she hurried to cut him off. "M-Master! This disciple is a little hungry. I'll go find something to eat first—c-call me if you need anything!"
Her face had gone scarlet. The mere thought of Master calling her "wife" set her heart pounding and her mind blanking.
Too strange. Everything was too strange.
She felt Qingchen wasn't acting normal, but couldn't put a finger on what was off—all his explanations were perfectly reasonable.
If ghosts couldn't approach him, she'd have suspected he was possessed by something unclean.
She genuinely wanted to go beg a bowl of talisman water and pour it down Master's throat!
Her thoughts stayed a tangled mess the whole way.
Hunger cut through them soon enough, though. After a quick confab with Yunshu, the two headed for the busy market.
Ling Wu meant to grab a few buns to tide herself over. Yunshu wouldn't allow it.
There was a place, she said, where you could eat, play, and sleep all in one—far more enjoyable than buns on a roadside.
Ling Wu was puzzled. "You mean an inn?"
Yunshu waved her off. "Not even close! Ever heard of a flower house?"
Ling Wu shook her head. The only time she'd ever heard the term was from Yunshu herself.
Yunshu looked heartbroken. "Aiya, honestly. You've been down to the mortal realm so many times—how have you never even set foot in a flower house!"
Ling Wu flushed. Every time she came down, her purse was pathetically light—and unlike her senior brothers, she couldn't conjure money with a hand sign. Naturally she could only pick the cheapest places!
And "flower house" sounded expensive just from the name.
"Let me tell you—coming down to the mortal realm and skipping the flower house means you came for nothing. Know what I mean?" Once Yunshu got going about the inside of one, the floodgates opened, and there was no stopping her. "All that talk about the Jade Pool fairyland—compared to this place, it's nothing! Everyone who stands in a flower house is a rare beauty! Ranked from low to high, and every item they use is more precious than the last. Most beautiful of all is the Flower Queen—mortals have thrown whole fortunes just for one glimpse of her!"
"One tune played on the high stage, and the gold and jewels come pouring in. That beauty, that talent—don't you want to see it for yourself?"
Ling Wu's eyes lit up like lanterns.
The mortal realm had a place this good?!
By that description, this Flower Queen was truly a one-of-a-kind wonder, in heaven or on earth!
She'd like to see how this one's music compared to the fairy maidens of the Celestial Realm.
Before long, the two arrived at the nearest flower house: the Golden Night Pavilion.
The beauty arrived second; her fragrance got there first. Ling Wu took one deep lungful, then burst into sneezes.
Aiyo—what a perfume! Enough to knock a person flat!
Not that she was picky, but the smell was genuinely heavy—like it had been pickled in cosmetics for a fortnight.
For some reason, she thought of the faint floral scent Qingchen carried.
Master's scent really did suit her taste better.
The women touting for customers at the door took one look at the two of them—two girls—and didn't so much as tilt their eyes. Treated like air.
Ling Wu was baffled. Were flower-house folk all this rude? Customers walk in and not a word of welcome?
But Yunshu just pulled her straight inside, navigated the main hall with practiced ease, and dropped into a table at random.
The moment they stepped in, Ling Wu felt she'd entered another world.
A startled "whoa" escaped her, undisguised wonder in her eyes.
Rich. This place was rich!
Just as Yunshu said, a high stage stood in the hall, and on it several slender women were dancing—graceful down to every line.
At their outfits, Ling Wu's old face went red.
She hadn't known clothes like that existed—barely covering the essentials, everything else on open display.
If she dressed like that, her senior brothers would beat her to death with sticks.
Lanterns and gauze drapes hung from every corner of the hall, all the scents mingling—though with all that space, it wasn't as overpowering as outside.
She asked Yunshu quietly, "How do you know this place?"
"It's a long story. One dark and windy night, I'd just taken human form. On my way to the mortal realm, a woman struck up a conversation—said I had fine looks, asked if I wanted to come earn big money with her. Who says no to money? I nodded on the spot."
"Then she brought me here, traded me for silver, and left. Watching her walk away, it finally dawned on me—she was the one planning to make big money off me!"
At the memory, Yunshu sighed again and again. Truly bitter times!
Ling Wu patted her hand with deep sympathy. "You fetched a good price, at least!"
First the butcher, then the flower house. Yunshu truly was a rare commodity.
"Never mind all that. The food and lodging here are superb—far comfier than trailing that scholar! At first I set my sights on becoming the Flower Queen, but I couldn't learn a single one of the four arts—zither, chess, calligraphy, painting. The madam was furious and went looking for bruisers to teach me a lesson. But who am I? Afraid of them?"
"So you beat them all to a pulp!" Ling Wu supplied, following the logic perfectly.
Yunshu shook her head. "The moment I made a move, the Demon Lord found me. Nearly got sent to the Demon-Locking Tower. Fled that very night."
"I slept rough for ages before I finally shook him! And honestly—what's his problem? I never even killed anyone, and he still wouldn't stop hunting me!"
The demon realm simply had too many rules. Bullied half to death, and still not allowed to touch a mortal.
Born a demon, she was sorry.
"By the time I made it back, I heard the scholar had died. But his spirit refused to leave, so I thought I'd fulfill his last wish." At the mention of the scholar, Yunshu couldn't help sighing. "No idea how he's doing now—whether he's let go of that obsession."
"I hear that a vengeful ghost with too strong an obsession can't enter the cycle of rebirth. If it hurts someone, it has to make a trip through the eighteen levels of hell. With that frail frame of his, I doubt he'd survive the way out!"
"You'd worry more about yourself!" Ling Wu offered kindly. "That Demon Lord is still looking for you!"
She stopped there—didn't mention that the Demon Lord meant to execute her.
Sure enough, Yunshu shuddered at the words.
"Immortal one—when this is all over, why not take me with you!"
Ling Wu smiled. Couldn't be done. Kunlun didn't keep demons—and she certainly wasn't about to let Master take another disciple.