Chapter 456: Husband and Wife Return Home Together

Sun Yaya rubbed her eyes, confirming she hadn't seen wrong. But she didn't actually recognize a fox; she had never seen fur so vibrant, even in the market, let alone a live fox before.

“Sir, there’s a red... big dog over there?”

Sun Yaya tugged at Ji Yuan's sleeve, pointing to Hu Yun by the stone table. Ji Yuan glanced at Hu Yun upon hearing this, and saw that the latter's fur had indeed bristled.

“I am not a dog! Have you ever seen such a beautiful dog? I’m a fox! A fox! A red fox!”

Hu Yun stood up, flailing his paws, and jumped in front of Sun Yaya, gesticulating wildly as he argued with her. He hated dogs more than anything else in his life, followed by thugs and ruffians.

This terrified the little girl, who immediately shrank behind Ji Yuan, clutching him and crying out.

“Sir! Sir! It can talk! It can talk!”

Hu Yun immediately clapped a paw over his mouth, cautiously looking at Ji Yuan. Ji Yuan shook his head slightly and walked back into the courtyard.

Sun Yaya followed nervously, her eyes fixed on Hu Yun.

“Sir, this... this fox can talk. Is it a monster? Will it eat people?”

Ji Yuan walked directly to the stone table in the courtyard, sat down, and carefully read the contents of Yin Qing's letter. He then pointed to the papers on the table and said,

“Yaya, practice your calligraphy.”

“But, but...”

Sun Yaya stuttered "but, but," her eyes still on Hu Yun. Then she looked at Ji Yuan, noticing he showed no particular reaction.

Hu Yun walked back into the courtyard, placing his front paws on his hips, and pointed first at Sun Yaya, then at himself.

“You... can you see me?”

Sun Yaya looked at Ji Yuan again, seeing that he was intently reading the latter pages of the letter, not paying attention to what was happening on their side. Connecting this with the fox's words, a thought suddenly struck her.

‘Could it be that Sir Ji Yuan can't see this fox, which is why he's ignoring it?’

Although Sun Yaya didn't answer, the little girl's gaze was focused on him, making Hu Yun realize he had asked a foolish question. So, he gathered his demonic energy and cast his spell.

That wasn't enough. Hu Yun knew Sir Ji Yuan had mentioned something about focus, so he shimmered, then jumped behind the stone-covered well in the courtyard, making himself disappear from Sun Yaya's sight. He then stealthily walked out from behind the well again.

Indeed, Hu Yun saw that Sun Yaya was still staring at the well's location, not noticing he had reappeared, confirming she couldn't see him again.

Ji Yuan glanced at Hu Yun, observing the red fox's actions. Seeing Sun Yaya's reaction, he concluded that the little girl's spiritual perception was becoming keener.

The little girl, seeing the fox hadn't reappeared for a while, looked at Ji Yuan, then walked around the trunk of a jujube tree, and peered behind the well. She found the fox wasn't there. She looked around, but still couldn't find him.

“Yaya, practice your calligraphy.”

Ji Yuan called out again.

“Oh...”

Hearing Sir Ji Yuan call her a second time, the little girl replied, obediently returned to the table, and picked up her brush to practice calligraphy. However, she was often distracted, glancing around the courtyard from time to time.

As soon as the You hour (5-7 PM) arrived, Sun Yaya bid farewell to Sir Ji Yuan and left Ju'an Xiaoge for home. The moment she was gone, Hu Yun immediately leaped out again.

“Sir Ji Yuan, Yaya really saw me just now. Although it was partly because I spoke and caught her attention, her perception has become much sharper.”

“There's nothing to be surprised about. Young children, especially very young ones, often have strong spiritual perception and can see unusual things. As Yaya's spiritual perception grows stronger, it's natural she can see you.”

Ji Yuan added, “In fact, many children might have seen unusual things when they were young, but they experience protective amnesia as they grow older.”

Hu Yun made a mental note, then hopped onto the stone stool and looked at the letters on the table.

“Sir, when exactly is Yin Qing getting married? If you're going to attend his wedding, could you take me with you?”

“No need to rush, you don't even have to go. He'll bring his fiancée to Ning'an County himself, to personally invite close relatives like uncles and aunts. Of course, he'll also visit Ju'an Xiaoge.”

According to the customs in Ning'an County, engagements can be grand or simple, with some even being settled by a mere verbal promise for betrothals made before birth. However, for weddings, it's essential to personally visit relatives' homes to invite them.

Originally, given Yin Zhaoxian and Yin Qing's status and busy official duties, this step could have been omitted. However, it was clear that for some reason, Yin Qing wished to bring Princess Changping along to extend the invitations.

“Really? When will they arrive?”

Hu Yun immediately grew excited. Compared to the restrictive atmosphere of the capital, Ning'an County felt much freer, almost like being at home. He could even take Yin Qing to play in Niu Kui Mountain.

Nowadays, none of the sprites, goblins, or fierce beasts like jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards in Niu Kui Mountain dared to provoke Hu Yun. It wasn't that Hu Yun was invincible in the mountains, but rather that all the animals and spirits in the mountain feared Lu Shanjun, and by extension, they also feared Hu Yun, who often appeared with Lu Shanjun and carried a similar scent.

Furthermore, the fact that Niu Kui Mountain has been without a mountain god for many years is largely related to Lu Shanjun. The name "Lu Shanjun" itself, which he chose after learning literacy from a group of changgui, means "Lord of the Mountain." In some obscure texts, this term also refers to a supreme tiger ruling a mountain.

Unless necessary, Ji Yuan generally wouldn't casually divine trivial matters concerning his friends' lives. This situation, however, was clearly simple, so he made a quick calculation with his fingers and smiled at Hu Yun.

“Their pleasure boat is already on the Chunmu River, so they should arrive in a few days. You can prepare yourself; it might not be suitable for you to attend his wedding.”

“Understood. I'll head back to Niu Kui Mountain first then!”

With that, Hu Yun leaped off the stone stool, dashed to the wall, and jumped over it. After he left, Ji Yuan frowned slightly as he looked at the letter in his hand.

“It seems Qing'er trusts his future wife very much!”

For Yin Qing to explicitly state in the letter that he would bring Princess Changping to Ju'an Xiaoge, based on Ji Yuan's understanding of him, implied a complete lack of secrets between the couple. Otherwise, Yin Qing might not have even planned this trip to Ning'an County.

Indeed, it wasn't Ji Yuan's self-satisfaction; he knew that Yin Qing's trip back home with Princess Changping, rather than merely inviting elder relatives according to local custom, was specifically to invite Ji Yuan himself.

In Chunhui Prefecture, Yin Qing took Princess Changping to visit the academy where he had once studied, and they also went to the large willow tree that leaned horizontally over the river. Attendants and guards kept a respectful distance.

“My lord, is this where you often came to study when you were a student here?”

“Exactly. This is where I recited by the river, not only to cultivate my character but also to read to the fish and shrimp in the water.”

Princess Changping covered her mouth with her round fan and smiled.

“Oh yes, and you also told me an amusing story: that when you studied here, a large fish and an old turtle would occasionally come from the river and linger in the water.”

“By the way, my lord, exactly how big were the fish and the old turtle?”

Facing Princess Changping's playful demeanor, Yin Qing gestured earnestly with both hands.

“Bigger than a person. Definitely bigger than you'd imagine.”

At this moment, two guards hurried from the direction of the city. They weren't wearing official guard uniforms but rather practical, fitted clothing, each carrying a jar of wine.

“Sir, we've bought it.”

“What is this? Wine?”

Princess Changping asked, puzzled. Yin Qing picked up one of the jars, shook it, and explained,

“This is 'Thousand-Day Spring,' a famous wine from Chunhui Prefecture. And these two small jars, they're twenty-year-old, right?”

“Reporting, sir, both jars are twenty-year-old 'Thousand-Day Spring,' buried wines. We watched the owner of the Garden Shop dig them up from the wine cellar.”

Yin Qing nodded.

“Good. You didn't shortchange them, did you?”

The guard smiled.

“Of course not. If the shopkeeper hadn't initially refused to sell, I wouldn't have had to show the imperial procurement order.”

“Next time, if you can't find twenty-year-old wine, never mind. There's no need to show an imperial order.”

Yin Qing mildly reprimanded him. The guard quickly clasped his hands and said, "Yes, sir." While their main duty was to protect Princess Changping, they dared not disobey Lord Yin.

“Alright, Chunhui Prefecture has too many places worth visiting. We'll come back another day to explore properly. Today, we've seen the academy and the River God Temple, and had a stroll by the river. That's enough for now. We should board the boat and depart.”

“Mmm, I'll listen to you, my lord!”

So, the group turned and began walking towards the pier.

“Splash...”

By the willow tree leaning over the river, there was a sound of water being disturbed. Princess Changping instinctively turned to look and vaguely saw a very large fish moving away in the ripples.

Following the Chunmu River and turning into the Xiaoshun River, a pleasure boat eventually docked at the foot of Old Birch Mountain. Yin Qing and Princess Changping waited on the boat for a while, then together boarded the carriage prepared by their attendants, and traversed Old Birch Mountain along the mountain road.

As they traveled through the mountain path, admiring the scenery, Princess Changping suddenly asked,

“My lord, is there truly an Azure Pool deep within Old Birch Mountain, with small fish whose bones dissolve when cooked in soup?”

“Yes, there is...”

As a princess and a future imperial son-in-law, no matter how low-key they tried to be, the necessary retinue could not be reduced. With three carriages and a dozen riders accompanying them, it was unremarkable in a bustling place like Chunhui Prefecture. However, upon arriving in "rural" Ning'an County, their presence immediately stood out like a crane among chickens.

As the carriages and their entourage entered the county, many common folk on the sidelines began to whisper, speculating about which important person had arrived. Under such close public scrutiny, the carriages proceeded directly towards Tianniu Ward, without sending anyone to notify the county yamen.