"Mao Mao, who is it?"
The white-clad woman inquired.
"It's just a young man, a mortal." Mao Mao peeked through the door, then turned to respond.
"A mortal?"
The woman frowned, her delicate eyebrows creasing. She addressed Mao Mao again, "Ask him what he wants."
"He said he's looking for a place to stay. Miss, what do you think?"
Mao Mao looked at the white-clad woman for guidance.
"Let him in, arrange a courtyard for him, and caution him not to wander at night," the woman instructed, her attention returning to the captivating book.
"Hey, you can come in!"
Mao Mao opened the door, inviting in a slightly weary young man with a bamboo basket.
It was Yi Feng, who had ventured into the mountains to gather herbs. Despite having a tent, the drizzle and cold forced him to seek refuge elsewhere.
"Thank you."
Yi Feng expressed his gratitude and entered the gate.
As he stepped inside, Yi Feng found himself captivated by the enchanting scene. The ethereal woman beneath the waterfall, immersed in the late autumn evening, playing the zither, created a picturesque setting.
"After the light rain in the empty mountains, returning home in the late autumn evening, in the quiet courtyard, a silver screen stretches three thousand feet, a beauty sits by the stone, caressing the zither..."
Yi Feng couldn't resist borrowing lines from an ancient poem, making subtle adjustments to fit the occasion. However, as he completed the poetic lines, the woman, who hadn't raised her head until then, cast a surprised gaze. She hadn't expected such eloquence from a mortal dwelling in the mountains.
"After the light rain in the empty mountains, returning home in the late autumn evening, in the quiet courtyard, a silver screen stretches three thousand feet, a beauty sits by the stone, caressing the zither..."
Inadvertently, she also began to softly recite.
After finishing, she couldn't help but nod appreciatively. For the first time, she raised her serious gaze towards Yi Feng.
Indeed.
There was no trace of cultivation on him.
A true mortal.
In the light rain, his green shirt was slightly moist, but it didn't seem disheveled. On the contrary, it gave people a very clean feeling. It had to be said that this mortal gave her a comfortable feeling.
For the first time, she found her traditional views on mortals changing slightly.
"A mortal, not necessarily ordinary..." she thought to herself, and at the same time, she put away the book with a crystal-clear hand. Red lips moved and said, "Good poetry, sir, thank you."
"Miss is too polite."
Yi Feng bowed slightly to her, then followed Mao Mao to his lodgings, finally able to take a break.
"Is everything settled?"
The white-clad woman asked softly.
"Everything is settled, miss." Mao Mao replied and then looked surprised, opening her small mouth and exclaiming, "Hey miss, the poetry you wrote just now, isn't it the one he just composed?"
"Yeah."
The white-clad woman nodded lightly, using her jade hand to write down the poem that Yi Feng had just composed.
"Hey hey miss, you're not interested in this mortal, right? You even wrote down his poem." Mao Mao covered her mouth, amazed, and said.
"Nonsense."
The woman cast a glance at Mao Mao, and her jade hand put down the pen. "I just feel that his poem is very suitable for our place. Before, I always felt that there was something missing here. With this poem, it's perfect."
"So after the ink dries, I will decorate it and hang it up."
"Hehe, miss, you're still saying you're not interested in that mortal. You even want to hang up his poem." Mao Mao teased, covering her mouth.
"You little girl, if you talk nonsense again, I will really hit you!"
The white-clad woman threatened playfully, at the same time saying, "A mortal, no matter how good, is just a mortal. The difference between us is like heaven and earth. Besides, how could I be interested in a person just based on a poem?"
"Besides..."
She hesitated for a moment and didn't say more. She just tightened her grip on the Dream of the Red Chamber and the Journey to the West.