Dimension Paradise, I am a summoning apostle

Chapter 441 Encounters on the Lake, Illusion Blinding the Eyes
"Brother, I understand why you won't let me in, since I have an umbrella. But what's your reason for not going in?" Chu Danqing held up the umbrella and shared it with the young man.

A gust of wind from the lake made the young man shiver, and he said, "Men and women should not touch each other."

Inside the cabin, Bai Zhenniang watched Chu Danqing talking to the young man, her teeth practically grinding to powder.

What are you doing following me here, kid? You've ruined all the good things that are going to happen.

He glanced back at Bai Zhenniang, whose eyes were practically overflowing with anger.

He understood what Chu Danqing meant: she had to compensate her, or else she shouldn't even think about the family reunion.

Chu Danqing rubbed his forehead, and then a gust of lake wind blew by, causing the oil-paper umbrella to fly out of his hand.

Not just his, but Da Bao's too.

The young man's eyes held surprise, which could be interpreted as, "If we're not friends, can you not be so obvious?"

“Brother Da Bai, Master Xu, the wind is getting strong and the rain is pouring in. Please come inside to take shelter,” Bai Zhenniang said immediately.

Since things had come to this point, we had no choice but to call Chu Danqing in as well.

The young man looked at Chu Danqing with surprise, as if to say, "You two actually know each other?"
However, the young man still refused.

Seeing this, Bai Zhenniang secretly used a wind spell, making the wind and rain even more intense outside.

Then he said, "If you don't want to come in and take shelter from the wind and rain, we're going ashore."

Hearing this, the young man, seeing the wind and rain, had no choice but to bite the bullet and go into the cabin.

Chu Danqing followed him inside.

He wasn't afraid of wind and rain, but he didn't like being caught in the wind and rain on a rainy day, especially on the lake.

After entering, the young man introduced himself.

His surname was Xu, his given name was Jingnian, and he lived in Hezhuangmen. He worked for Master Wang.

Today I'm not here to participate in the Spring Festival; I'm just going to Yulong Mountain to pay respects to my parents, and I'm passing by Yinzhu Lake on my way back.

"May I ask your honorable name, Miss, and where you live?" Xu Jingnian asked after introducing himself.

Bai Zhenniang, maintaining the airs of an official's family, did not answer; instead, Bi Qing'er spoke up.

"My wife's surname is Bai. She is not a local; she is originally from the Sichuan region."

"My late father held the position of General of Chuzhou. He died on the battlefield while on imperial orders to lead a campaign against foreign tribes. Upon hearing this tragic news, my mother also passed away."

"The young lady wishes to go to the funeral, but has no one to rely on, so she can only stay here temporarily and wait for a letter from home."

Hearing the other party's explanation, Chu Danqing's eyes widened in disbelief.

Even if you're just making this up, there has to be some logic to it. Where did you two monsters get parents and generals from?
Upon hearing the explanation, Xu Jingnian looked at Chu Danqing and asked, "Then this one must be yours."

"No," Chu Danqing immediately denied.

Bi Qing'er introduced herself as Madam, indicating that she was married. Since Chu Danqing knew her, she could easily be mistaken for her husband.

"I'm here with my dog, Da Bai, to find our relatives," Chu Danqing said frankly. "Madam Bai is my dog's aunt."

"To be honest, I only met Madam Bai a quarter of an hour earlier than you."

Upon hearing Chu Danqing's explanation, Xu Jingnian was secretly delighted.

But this joy quickly turned into melancholy.

Madam Bai came from an official family and was the daughter of a general.

He was just a country bumpkin with no official rank or title; how could he possibly be worthy of such a person?

"Looking for relatives? Then who is your Da Bai?" Xu Jingnian looked at Da Bao.

When you come out to search for your relatives, you definitely need to bring them along.

Besides Chu Danqing, there's only Da Bao left.

"He's not Da Bai, he's Da Bao," Chu Danqing explained. "I'll introduce you to him when I have the chance."

That got them off easy, and then the two started chatting.

Chu Danqing thought she would be the third wheel, but the reality was quite the opposite.

When Bai Zhenniang and Xu Jingnian chatted, they didn't care at all about how outsiders felt.

This made Chu Danqing feel inexplicably like singing a beautiful poem about West Lake in March.
It wasn't until the boatman shouted, "Make way, the passengers on the other boat want to disembark!"

The boatman's words reminded Bai Zhenniang that she couldn't let Xu Jingnian go back.

Therefore, he secretly cast another spell, which immediately stirred up another gust of wind.

The boat spun around aimlessly for about fifteen minutes before finally stopping.

The boatman opened his eyes and exclaimed, "Oh dear, how come we've arrived at Qingbo Village in such a short time?"

Xu Jingnian also peeked out and said, "Then shake it back for us."

But the boatman felt the gust of wind was strange and refused to comply no matter what.

“This makes things convenient for us, but it means my husband is a bit far away,” Bi Qing’er said with a light laugh.

Xu Jingnian, still puzzled by the word "mystery," asked somewhat blankly, "So your residence is here."

“Yes, it’s just a few steps from the shore.” Bi Qing’er said, and having received Bai Zhenniang’s order, she immediately invited, “Since the boatman refuses to row, please come to my house, have a cup of tea, borrow an umbrella, and then go back.”

"No, no, we mustn't disturb the Madam's residence. What should we do?" Xu Jingnian waved his hand in refusal.

At this moment, Bai Zhenniang spoke up: "I am honored that you have allowed me to share this boat with you today. It is a destiny ordained in this life. Why should you be so reserved, my husband?"

Then Bi Qing'er added, "Madam sees that you are honest and doesn't treat you as an outsider, but as one of our own. Husband, please don't stand on ceremony."

Having said all that, Xu Jingnian felt bad and could only say, "It's a stroke of luck for the boatman that I'm disembarking here." As he spoke, he took out one hundred coins. Since it was a string of coins and he couldn't easily break it, he said with a forced smile, "The extra twenty coins are for the lady's and young lady's drinks."

The boatman accepted it without hesitation.

Xu Jingnian got ashore first, and Bi Qing'er helped Bai Zhenniang ashore as well. Before leaving, Bi Qing'er instructed her to give the boatman a tip.

Then Biqing'er turned back, took out two silver ingots from her purse, and was about to hand them to the boatman.

Chu Danqing immediately stopped him upon seeing this.

"I'll do it." Chu Danqing was truly speechless.

Although Xu Jingnian was putting on a brave face, at least the money they gave him was real.

But the two silver ingots in Bi Qing'er's hand were actually conjured by a snail.

He could understand being poor, after all, Chu Danqing was poor too, but this was just too immoral.

Bi Qing'er looked at Chu Danqing with some doubt, and Chu Danqing simply said, "I have money."

After saying this, Chu Danqing took out two silver coins from his pocket and handed them to the boatman, who accepted them with great gratitude.

They then went ashore together.

Bi Qing'er led the way, while Xu Jingnian and Bai Zhenniang continued chatting in the middle.

Chu Danqing and Da Bao walked at the very back.

After passing Qingbo Village, and walking about a hundred steps, we came to see a tall city gate.

“This is it,” Bi Qing’er said.

Xu Jingnian looked up and saw that it was indeed very impressive, with a plaque that read "Third General of the Army".

He thought to himself, "No wonder they come from an official family."

This was in Xu Jingnian's eyes, but not in Chu Danqing's.

It is an ancestral hall that has long been abandoned. The plaque does not say "Third of the General Town", but "Public Ancestral Hall". The first two characters are no longer visible due to the passage of time.

The interior was even more dilapidated, making Chu Danqing feel her blood pressure soaring.

What on earth is Bai Zhenniang up to?

Then he saw Bi Qing'er pull on the door knocker and knock on the door.

A voice came from inside the door: "They've arrived. I suppose it's Madam who's back."

Bi Qing'er replied, "Yes," and the door creaked open.

After the door opened, several people filed in.

Xu Jingnian looked around but didn't see anyone open the door, which puzzled him.

He didn't know who opened the door, but Chu Danqing certainly did.

That was one of the five ghosts commanded by Bai Zhenniang, and she sent this little ghost into the ancestral hall first to open the door.

The reason we can't see it is because the little devil has concealed its form.

The reason they wouldn't let him see was simple: the kid's face was ugly, and they were afraid it would scare Xu Jingnian.

Once inside the fake mansion and the real ancestral hall, Chu Danqing, Da Bao, and Xu Jingnian were led to a study by Bi Qing'er.

As for Bai Zhenniang, she went elsewhere.

Although it was called a study, it was actually just a side room of the ancestral hall.

"Please wait a moment, gentlemen. I'll go and fetch some tea." After saying this, Bi Qing'er took her leave.

Chu Danqing wanted to know where these two monsters, who even disguised silver as snails, could get it from. Well, they actually could.

The Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth are masters of misappropriation.

However, the most urgent task now is to break this awkward situation.

After all, the two of them were not saying a word, and the atmosphere was indeed not good.
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“The person destined for you is right here in the room. What do you think we should do to get rid of him?” Bai Zhenniang asked, meaning she was thinking of having Biqing’er arrange the marriage.

Upon hearing this, Bi Qing'er felt uneasy. She thought that since they had succeeded and were indulging in their pleasures, she could only watch helplessly. Naturally, she was unwilling to accept this.

So he made up an excuse and said, "I am just a maid, how can I act as a matchmaker? Madam, you should go yourself."

Hearing this, Bai Zhenniang was also displeased. In their previous contest, Bi Qing'er had lost slightly, which was why she referred to herself as a servant.

If she hadn't met Chu Danqing before, she would have had to promise him that the couple would split the money 30/70 to repay his kindness.

She was the principal wife, and Biqing was the concubine.

But after discussing this with the other party, it is indeed unreasonable to have a maid act as a matchmaker.

“Very well, I’ll do as you say.” After Bai Zhenniang finished speaking, she said, “Qing’er, go and invite that Young Master Chu over.”

“This person has an extraordinary and refined demeanor, and his words suggest he is of exceptional status. Having him act as my matchmaker would be even better,” Bai Zhenniang said.

Hearing this, Bi Qing'er could only agree, feeling lost but helpless.

As he stepped outside, he thought to himself that he had previously escaped by fetching tea, but now that he was leaving empty-handed, Xu Jingnian might become suspicious.

'There's no fine tea or snacks available right now, and it's not appropriate to go in. Let me go and fetch some.' With that thought in mind, Biqing'er rode a cloud and strolled around the city.

Then he saw a young pageboy from a wealthy family carrying tea and snacks. He immediately concealed himself and then leaped down from the clouds.

While the young page was busy preparing, they took the plates with them.

The young page turned around and looked on with confusion and bewilderment. How could the plates and tea snacks have disappeared in the blink of an eye?

(End of this chapter)