Chapter 1426 – The Live Stream Earthquake (18)
After dinner, the woman realized that the “Dreaming Back a Thousand Years” event had only twenty minutes left in its countdown.
With a sigh of relief mixed with a hint of regret, her goal had been to touch the host’s little hand, but unexpectedly, she was teleported to Yangshan County, several days away from Xiangyang County in Fengyi. Thinking about this made her expression genuinely show a bit of loss, which Dou Xi noticed.
“Lady, would you like to accompany me for a walk in the courtyard?” Dou Xi inquired.
Perhaps with only twenty minutes left, the woman was no longer as anxious as before and instead smiled in response.
“A stroll after dinner can help one live to ninety-nine, of course we should go!”
Her wooden clogs clicked rhythmically on the cobblestone path. The woman didn’t intentionally lag behind Dou Xi or walk beside him but rather took the lead by half a step. The Dou residence had a small garden, adorned with rockeries and flowers, all laid out elegantly.
Seeing her not paying attention to where she was walking, Dou Xi couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly, and a playful idea emerged.
“I am Dou from Yangshan, with the title of Recluse of the Mountain. May I ask your name, fair lady?”
The woman felt her heart skip a beat and turned to look at Dou Xi. Seeing his smiling gaze made her even more unsure of herself.
At that moment, the system kindly provided a reminder.
【System: High alert! Do not say anything you shouldn’t. If necessary, the system will impose a mute penalty.】
Besides this warning, the system also thoughtfully offered other response choices, out of which the woman selected one.
With a stiff smile, she replied, “This little woman is already married. Where do you come from, flirt?”
Dou Xi laughed upon hearing this and chose not to press further.
The two chatted for a while before arriving at the nearby water pavilion.
This water pavilion was where Dou Xi enjoyed reading in the summer, and it was regularly tended by servants. Pushing open the window allowed a view of the pond.
“Isn’t the water pavilion built here… going to be swarmed by mosquitoes in the summer?”
The woman muttered, not noticing that Dou Xi had turned to fetch something from the Treasure Pavilion. When she turned back, she saw Dou Xi cradling an ancient guqin.
Though she didn’t know much about guqin, she thought that ancient instruments were all antiques, surely exquisite.
“You’re going to play?” the woman asked Dou Xi.
Dou Xi nodded and asked with a smile, “Lady, do you have a specific piece in mind?”
“Phoenix Seeking Phoenix?”
She hesitated, realizing that apart from Phoenix Seeking Phoenix, she had no idea about any other guqin pieces.
Dou Xi smiled and politely declined, “That piece… I’m not very proficient, better not embarrass myself in front of the lady.”
The woman said, “Then play what you’re good at. Anything you play is fine.”
Even if he played poorly, she wouldn’t be able to tell the difference!
“Then I shall embarrass myself, so here goes!”
Dou Xi chuckled and, before playing, presented her with a gift.
Surprised, the woman asked, “For me?”
Dou Xi nodded, “Yes, for you.”
It was a palm-sized box, exquisitely crafted, its surface emitting a faint, pleasant fragrance.
Gently opening it, she saw a beautiful jade lying inside. Even with her limited knowledge of jade, she found it captivating.
“It’s so beautiful,” the woman said dryly.
As a working adult years after her college entrance exams, she felt at a loss for words for the first time, struggling to find suitable compliments. If it were her before the exams, she would have been fluent and eloquent, never embarrassing herself in front of ancient figures.
After incense and freshening up, Dou Xi played a tune. The woman couldn’t tell how good it was but found the melody lovely.
Sitting casually beside the guqin table with her chin resting on her hand, she suddenly felt drowsy, her head bobbing.
【Countdown… Three, two, one!】
【“Dreaming Back a Thousand Years” event has ended, thank you for your participation and cooperation!】
“Ugh—what a comfortable sleep!” The Empress of the Mountain Spirit, still half-asleep, pulled the covers off, only to feel something hard poking her. Rubbing it, she found a cold box, abruptly waking up. Grabbing it, she took a closer look, “Whoa!”
She sat up startled, hair standing on end, her muddled brain completely awakened, memories from before sleep flooding back.
“This, this isn’t…”
Staring blankly at the item in her hand, she carefully opened the box and discovered the beautiful jade inside.
【Hmm, it’s for you!】
Dou Xi’s voice echoed in her mind, and she slapped her cheeks, suddenly feeling as if her disguise had been completely stripped away.
She slid off her memory foam bed, rushing to her computer desk in a flurry. The computer screen was still displaying the Empress’s live streaming forum page.
Glancing at the backend, the replies to her post had soared to several million.
With so many messages, there was no time to read them all. So, she sat on her computer chair, opened her phone’s front camera, smiled, and took a selfie holding the box, using an editing app to cover her face and room decor before uploading the image to the post.
Original Poster: Baby here is the lucky Empress of the Mountain Spirit you’re all envious of! Although I didn’t get to touch the host’s little hand, I still gained a precious gift. Look, isn’t that box and jade in my hands super familiar? La la la, jealous, aren’t you?
Fearing that others might miss the point, she circled the box in red for emphasis.
Regarding the “Dreaming Back a Thousand Years” event, many slackers were eager to join, but some were worried.
What were they worried about?
They feared that the so-called time travel was a scam, that perhaps if they traveled back, they might never return, which was no different from murder!
The original post hadn’t been updated for a long time, raising a lot of concern among the spectators.
Twelve hours passed, and they surprisingly got a response from the original poster.
First reaction, great, the original poster is still alive; the time travel event must be real.
Second reaction, what the heck! Jealous! They wished they could light a torch and roast this tender Empress of the Mountain Spirit!
News of the Empress’s smooth return surged to the top of trending topics, overshadowing all kinds of celebrities.
The spectators, besides being in awe of the Empress’s fortune, were also gearing up their jealous torches, burning, burning, burning!
Meanwhile, Dou Xi’s wife also slowly awakened, revealing a familiar expression Dou Xi knew.
“Zong Guang?”
Dou Xi’s wife rubbed her heavy brow, finally feeling a bit better.
“Lady, how do you feel?”
Dou Xi’s face lit up with joy, excitedly grasping her hand, only to realize that the gift he had given the little lucky star had vanished without a trace.
He didn’t think much of it and quickly called for the young doctor to come and check her pulse.
The young doctor was astonished as well; just a short while ago, he had predicted she wouldn’t live past half a month, yet now her pulse was strong and vigorous, showing no signs of being a dying patient.
Dou Xi’s wife privately told Dou Xi, “I had a dream not long ago.”
“What dream?”
Dou Xi asked.
“I dreamt I followed the Black and White Impermanence to the underworld. Just when I was about to cross a bridge, someone whispered in my ear, ‘This mortal has pretty good luck.’ As soon as that person finished speaking, a strong wind blew me up into the sky, and then I woke up.”
