In such a family, with parents who shared a bed but harbored different dreams, Gu Shi Yi already had a hard life, and her mother's actions only made her days even more unbearable. Otherwise, why would she have been swayed by the Old Taoist Priest with a single phrase,
"Follow this Daoist master and you can learn Taoist magic, and enjoy the carefree freedom of clouds and wild cranes, unrestrained by others. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
It was because of that promise of "freedom and ease" that Gu Shi Yi left with the Old Taoist Priest, and didn't return for twenty-five years, wandering the itinerant world at such a young age.
Wandering the itinerant world wasn't the worst of it—apparently, the Old Taoist Priest had some powerful enemies. Over the years, he was constantly evading them, so every time they settled somewhere, they had to leave within three years. She followed the Old Taoist Priest to many places, far and wide, until finally they arrived at Nameless Mountain and borrowed this dilapidated observatory to live in, managing to stay for five or six years. She was nearly thirty, an age when, in the mundane world below the mountain, she would have long been married with children. Now, her prime years were spent in vain, and night after night she slept in a cold, lonely bed, without a man to warm it!
She wanted to get married!
Thinking about it brought Gu Shi Yi to tears!
So, when occasionally bedding down under the sky and using the earth as her bed with the Old Taoist Priest, Gu Shi Yi would think of the luxurious life at home,
"It's just enduring some scorn from siblings and seeing my father's cold face, or being bullied by servants, but at least I wouldn't miss out on good food and drinks like now... with uncertain meals..."
Such thoughts of regret sometimes flitted through Gu Shi Yi's mind, but only for a moment. She knew she had an innate, carefree and unrestrained character, and couldn't stand being bullied. When she was at home, at the age of five, she had the courage to fight with her older cousin who had snatched her Small treasure sword, and when she couldn't beat him, she bit him fiercely until he cried out in pain, and the adults had to intervene to stop the fight!
Her temperament was probably inherited from her mother, who had run off with a wild man, loved to play the beauty, and refused to be restrained. In that kind of family, she either had to rebel and become an outcast or suppress her true nature and become a bird in a cage. There was no third path!
So, that fleeting thought passed from her mind. Following the Old Taoist Priest and enjoying freedom was still best, and besides, the Old Taoist Priest had opened a door to a new world for her!
Indeed! It was exactly what it sounded like... a door to a new world!
Gu Shi Yi looked at the Old Taoist Priest who lay sprawled on the table, chuckling foolishly at his wine bowl, and weighed her options,
"The old fellow can hold his liquor. Usually, this amount would barely get him tipsy... But today..."
Because today, she had spiked the wine. Five miles behind the observatory, on a hilltop, there was an ancient pine tree that had been struck by Heavenly Tribulation two years ago and had become a Pine Tree Spirit. She would visit it sometimes, and although the Pine Tree Spirit had only recently awakened its Spiritual Wisdom, it had been in the mountains long enough to know quite a bit!
The Pine Tree Spirit told her about a Drunken Immortal Grass at the bottom of the valley, and if the Red Berries that grew on it were used to brew wine, even an Immortal would be knocked out. She didn't dare to take much, only three berries, which she crushed and mixed into the wine. After the Old Taoist Priest drank it, he wouldn't be sober tonight!
Gu Shi Yi thought about how the Old Taoist Priest's Mana had gradually declined over the years, but he still had his foundation. She feared he might be pretending to be drunk, so she pushed him and said,
"Hey! Old Taoist Priest, Widow Zhang's son has come up the mountain to kill you!"
Widow Zhang was an old widow from the town below the mountain, sixty years old. But people lived longer these days, and sixty was considered prime age. She had grown children, and perhaps her heart, long idle with loneliness, had affected her mind, and blinded her eyes, as she fancied the shifty and ragged Old Taoist Priest.
In the few years they spent on the mountain, the Old Taoist Priest would sneak down each month to meet secretly with Widow Zhang, their illicit love burning hot!
Gu Shi Yi remembered this with a smack of her lips...
Tsk, tsk...
Because the Old Taoist Priest often slipped away from the mountain for the entire night, once out of curiosity, she secretly followed him down the mountain. She followed him all the way to Widow Zhang's courtyard, and the noise the two made! She listened from beneath the window to their intimate whispers in the bed, which left her as sour as if she had fallen into a vat of vinegar, and even now, thinking of it made her grit her teeth and shudder!
The couple, however, didn't know how to be discreet and were so loud that Widow Zhang's four strapping sons overheard them. They immediately grabbed weapons and kicked down the door, ready to beat up the Old Taoist Priest.