Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Years ago, the young lad had been so absorbed in observing a fairy that he fell from a cow's back into the water. Now, three years had passed and he was already eighteen years old. He was tall, tanned and muscular. He was a handsome-looking lad.

If not for his looks, there would not have been so many matchmakers approaching him. Of course, the wealth of the Qin Family was also another reason.

Ever since he lost that cow, the young lad never dared to bring cows or oxes out again. He learned to differentiate medicinal herbs from his father. According to what he said, since the lady accepted his gift, it meant that she agreed to marry him. Since he needs to raise his family in the future, he couldn't just play around. He had to learn a skill in order to take care of his wife.

It was because of this that the lad did not get beaten by his parents. They took it as a price for their son's maturity.

Today, the young lad returned from the mountains with a basket full of medicinal herbs on his back. He had been lucky this time and was able to find a wild ginseng. From the smell of it, it seemed to be an old ginseng as well. Of course, the young lad knew not to show it off and he hid it in the middle of all the other herbs to prevent others from smelling it.

Picking herbs from the mountain and selling them for money was one of the main sources of income for people living in the mountains. Although they were simple folks, they still had to be wary.

This was what his mother said and the young lad agreed with her. It was not until he left the mountains and returned to the familiar main road that he finally relaxed and smiled. He would be able to sell this ginseng for a lot of money.

He started walking faster, but when he entered the village, the young lad felt that something was wrong. The village elders that usually gathered at the entrance to gossip were nowhere to be seen.

And it wasn't only that. On his entire journey through the village, he did not see anyone, and this caused the young lad to frown. He hoped that nothing was wrong.

The Niu Village at the bottom of the mountains was not large. Very soon, he crossed half of the village. He heard a noise. It was like a huge gathering of people.

Passing a huge tree, the young lad's heart jumped as he ran. The entire village seemed to be gathered outside his house.

"He's back!"

Someone shouted and the air became silent. Numerous gazes turned to land on him. It was the first time that the young lad realized that gazes could feel so hot and his entire body heated up.

This was especially so from the young people in the village. They were now looking at him with eyes filled with envy and hatred.

It seems like nothing bad had happened. The young lad subconsciously walked slower and coughed, "Dear uncles and all, may I know…what is going on?"

The Niu elder from the east village, who also had the loudest voice, knocked his tobacco pipe, his face filled with delight. He came over and patted the young lad's shoulder, "You brat, you are really good. I knew that you were a truthful kid and would not lie! Hehe, I never thought. I really never thought that I would be able to see someone so beautiful before I died. No, she is much better looking than pictures. She is as beautiful as the fairy described by the storyteller in the county that I visited thirty years ago!"

His loud voice resembled cymbals. Normally, he liked to argue with fellow elders. Now, they were all nodding in agreement. They seemed to highly approve of what he was saying. Although this Niu elder took the chance to boast about his trip to the county thirty years ago, there was nothing wrong about what he said.

The young lad must have saved up eight lifetimes of good fortune. He was actually able to exchange a cow for a wife.

Thinking about all the rumors in the village, the elders could not wait to go home and slap their own grandchildren and scold them for being useless!

When the lady passed by their village back then, why didn't they meet her? What a good daughter-in-law she would have made. Now, she would marry into the Qin Family. The whole bunch of people from the Niu Family would be ashamed!

The young lad scratched his head, "Elder Niu, what is going on? I am confused."

Elder Niu laughed out loud, "Don't ask. When you reach home, you will find out. How lucky. So lucky!"

The crowd parted and the young lad walked to the door of his house. He could immediately see the cow tied up outside the door. His eyes lit up. He rushed in and saw his parents smiling widely in the living room.

Across them sat an immortal-looking old man. He looked extremely capable and had a white beard. He was touching his beard as he smiled.

The young lad's eyes shifted and fell on the woman behind the old man. Three years had passed and she had grown into a slim and beautiful young lady. However, he was able to recognise her immediately. She was the fairy who asked for his cow.

He was blushing slightly as he stepped forward, "You…you are finally back…" He played with his hands, not knowing what to say.

Mother Qin reached out and pulled him over. She was smiling, "Elder Immortal, this is my child. He is called Qin Yu. Is this the right one?"

Father Qin nodded, "Marriage is an important thing. You have to be sure. It will not be good if we make a mistake."

They had been together for decades and knew very well what each other thought. They were extremely satisfied with the lady in front of them. But a fairy that seemed to have fallen from the heavens made them somewhat uneasy, and they would rather be cautious.

The Elder Immortal laughed as he looked at Qin Yu from head to toe, "Don't worry. I have checked. My disciple has indeed been betrothed to the young Qin lad."

He turned back to look at the blushing and silent Li Ruhua. His heart squeezed slightly before relaxing, "Dear disciple, I brought you from afar to Niu Village in order to fulfil the betrothal. Since you accepted the cow as a gift, you will be married to the young man. Do you agree?"

The struggle deep in Li Ruhua's eyes slowly faded as she blushed even more. She lowered her head and bowed, "I will follow your arrangement."

The Elder Immortal laughed happily, "Great! Then I will give you to the young Qin man!" He stood up, "Parents, before I came to Niu Village, I already checked their compatibility. In three days, it will be an auspicious day to get married. If you both are okay with it, let's set that date for the marriage. What do you think?"

"Okay!"

Qin Yu shouted.

There was a series of laughter from outside the house. But amidst the laughter, there was jealousy as well.

Father Qin and Mother Qin nodded in agreement. They asked them to stay for lunch. After that, he left with Li Ruhua. He said to go to Cool Mountain in three days. They would get married in the Cool Pavilion halfway up the mountain.

In a blink of an eye, three days had passed. Father Qin invited a group of performers from the country to play songs and celebrate on the journey to the Cool Mountain. Everyone who knew about the marriage invited themselves even if they were not officially invited. This included people not from the village. There were many onlookers and the entire place was extremely lively.

Very soon, they reached the Cool Pavilion. Normally, the Cool Pavilion keeper could not be bothered about people even when they came to the pavilion to pay respects. But today, he was dressed in new attire and was smiling widely. He was extremely warm and enthusiastic towards the people from Niu Village. The villagers who had been feeling uneasy immediately relaxed and there was admiration on their faces.

It seemed like the rumor about the Elder Immortal and the fairy being true immortals was true. If not, the pavilion keeper would not have behaved like this. Perhaps the village head did not have much experience, but he was smart.

The Elder Immortal sat cross-legged as Qin Yu and his bride bowed to him. He was smiling, "Congratulations, may you be blessed with love for a hundred years."

Greeting the bride, the performers played and sang as they returned to the Niu Village. The Elder Immortal rejected the invitation to head back with them for the celebratory banquet. He said that it was his custom that people from the bride's family did not enter the house. But he would remain in the Cool Pavilion for the time being to temporarily practice his cultivation, and there would be opportunities in the future.

When everyone left, the Elder Immortal waved his hand and sent the respectful pavilion keeper away. He then stood up and went to the back hall. Coughing lightly, the Elder Immortal bowed respectfully, "I have married Li Ruhua to Qin Yu. May I know if you have further instructions?"

A few moments later, a voice could be heard from the air, "Noted."

It was just a single word and then there was silence. The person from Cloud Mist Dao then waited for a while before getting up slowly. He could not help but wipe cold sweat off his forehead. He sensed that this being was not in a good mood.

Although there was no obvious signs and she did not pick on him, he could sense it. This made him feel jitters and cold chills as if a huge disaster was looming! Hesitating, he did not dare to speak and interrupt anymore. He bowed and left.

……

The Qin Family organized a huge banquet. Whether they were invited or not, as long as the guests gave a red money packet, they would be able to enter and enjoy the feast.

The young men from the village who had been jealous were reprimanded by the elders in their family. They were determined to get Qin Yu drunk such that he would not be able to enjoy his nuptial.

Luckily, Father Qin was prepared and he gave Qin Yu a pill to take to prevent him from getting drunk. After the few young men drank and made a fuss, the elders felt like they were making an embarrassment out of themselves and started beating them. They immediately apologized on the young men's behalf and got people to drag them home.

They were not going to have easy lives after this.

After that, the pressure on Qin Yu significantly subsided. However, when all the guests left, he was already red from all the drinking and there was a heavy scent of alcohol around him.

The villagers decided to skip creating trouble in their bedroom. It was not that they did not want to do it, but after seeing the attitude of the pavilion keeper, they did not dare. They did not dare to use local customs and behaviors with a fairy from an immortal family. Things could go wrong and no one wanted to create trouble.

Qin Yu was staggering as he said good night to his parents and headed to his room. He nearly fell over as he entered the room. His head almost smacked the floor and a bamboo scroll appeared out of nowhere. He was slightly confused as he subconsciously picked it up. He was not in the mood to read it and merely put it away before walking into the room.

At this moment, he heard an indignant sigh and everything in front of him turned dark. Finally when there was light in front of him, he realized that he was now sitting in a room in the Cool Pavilion. In front of him was the Elder Immortal. He was smiling as he looked to the side. Li Ruhua sat there with her hair now in a bun.

He was slightly confused but did not know where had gone wrong. His memory was foggy and he could vaguely remember that today was the day that he should be accompanying his wife back to pay respects to her family.

"Good good. The both of you should put in more effort to have a child soon. Don't take this marriage for granted."

The scene in front of him dimmed before becoming bright once more. Qin Yu realized he was now sitting in a new house and was reading a bamboo scroll in his hand. There was a young child grabbing onto his leg and calling him father.

Li Ruhua now looked plump and round like a jade, but was still very beautiful. She walked over and pulled the child, "Little one, don't disrupt your father from reading. I will play with you."

Qin Yu reach out, wanting to say something, but his vision darkened again. When it lit back up, he found that he was checking someone's pulse. There was a pregnant lady in front of him who could not stop coughing. She asked him anxiously, "Physician Qin, is there something wrong with me?"

"Madam, don't worry. You have just caught a cold. It is no big deal." A calm voice could be heard from the side and a young man walked over. He looked respectful as he greeted, "Father, I read the medical history and checked her pulse. You were worried and wanted to take a look. Is your conclusion the same as mine?"

Qin Yu nodded, "Yes, it is a cold…" Before he could say anything more, his vision grew dark again. When he opened his eyes, he was standing next to a tomb with a bamboo scroll in his hand. There was a male and a female kneeling next to him.

"Father, Mother is now resting in peace. You have to think openly. I will be filial to you and make sure you do not suffer!"

His son's wife nodded as well, "Yes, you have not slept for three days. Head back with us to rest."

It was only then that Qin Yu felt exhaustion roll over him like a wave. His vision grew dark and he fainted. When he opened his eyes, he had returned home. His son and his daughter-in-law were tending to him. They started to cry when they saw that he had awoken.

"Father, you must take care of yourself. If anything happens to you, what will we do?"

Qin Yu was staring at the top of his head. He felt sorrow but he was confused. What happened in my life?

There were many vague memories. It felt like he had gone through them but it also felt like his imagination. Even the appearance of the lady who had been with him throughout his life was starting to become blurry.

Am I getting confused?

For the next ten years, Qin Yu stayed in the old house alone. His son and daughter-in-law were filial and had a boy and girl of their own. They were both very good looking, as if they were children from a painting. They stayed by him all day and constantly called out for him, saying, "Grandfather, carry me!"

Several other elders in the village who were about the same age as him were all jealous and always took the chance to comment on his good luck. He managed to exchange a cow to marry a fairy and that was how he got such a handsome son who had such beautiful children. They were filled with envy and hatred.

Qin Yu leaned against the tree and laughed. He felt proud and satisfied. However, his memory of his wife was now very vague. Perhaps, she was really beautiful.

Thereafter, Qin Yu lowered his head to continue reading the bamboo scroll. He had read it for many years but could never understand what it meant.

Instinct told him that the bamboo scroll was very important and he could not lose it. He had to always keep it by his side until the day he closed his eyes.