Xin Mei took a pad of paper together with a writing brush and went to find Eldest Senior Brother.

Eldest Senior Brother was brushing the fur of a spirit horse in the stable. Hearing her question, he blushed and pondered for a long time. Then, Eldest Senior Brother whose name was Fang Xiao Sheng answered, “Beautiful, generous, everything is centred on me. In her eyes, I will always be the most handsome man in the world-I like such a woman.”

Xin Mei seriously wrote it down on the paper, turned around and was thinking of leaving. However, after thinking about it for a bit, she could not help but kindly advice him, “Eldest Senior Brother, only women with bad eyes will regard you as the world most handsome man. Do you want to change the standard?” (T/N : OMG Xin Mei! XD How could you?)

As Eldest Senior Brother drove into distraction (Chinese idiom : traumatised), the iron brush in his hand dropped onto his feet.

Then, Xin Mei went to see Second Senior Brother, who was practicing sword in the backyard. His snow-white and pretty face was covered with sweat.

When Xin Mei asked him what kind of woman he liked, he rarely frowned as he thought for a long time, then he answered, “Obedient, docile, and ignorant of the world. I only need to say yes or no. When I say no, it will be no for her too.”

Xin Mei was astounded, “You... Do you like idiots?

Later, Second Senior Brother fainted because of heatstroke. (T/N : Overheated XD) 

The answers of her two senior brothers confused her. Considering that the young men in the House of Xin either had not marry a wife or lived among thousands of flowers, their answers certainly could not serve as a reference. This kind of thing, indeed as expected, required her to find an experienced old man to be asked.

After dinner, she piously knocked on Xin Xiong’s door and had the following conversation.

“Dad, as a man of experience, what kind of woman do you find most pleasing?”

“Oh, my G.o.d! Bless your ancestors! G.o.d bless you! Mother of this daughter, can you seen it from heaven?! Little Mei, she actually asked me about men! She’s finally enlightened!”

“Your ability to wander out of the topic while talking is getting stronger, Dad.”

“Come, come, Little Mae. Let daddy tell you. The most perfect woman in the world was your mother. She... (1,839 words of praises have been omitted). She was the heavenly maiden who had fallen into the earth!“

“No, actually I just want to ask ...”

“Alas, it’s late, you go back to your room and rest early. I want to go to your mother’s memorial tablet to talk with her... “

Xin Xiong closed the door with tears in his eyes, while Xin Mei had to go back to her room feeling dejected.

The next day, she packed up a small bundle and rode Qiu Yue across the dense forest as they flew towards the Imperial Mausoleum, which took a journey of several days. She remembered that the next best person to ask about this experience was Lord Zhao. He wrote so many sentimental plays which meant that he must have seen the feelings between men and women thoroughly. It was right to ask him.

This noob translation was translated by a noob translator きつね at xin-shou.blogspot.com. 
 

In the Imperial Mausoleum, Liu Qianqiao’s injury had not yet healed, so the monsters had no mood to frolic. The sun in the fifth lunar month was already a bit hot, and the little devils were all taking a nap in the shade of the trees. The atmosphere was really quiet.

Xin Mei did not disturb anyone as she lightly walked all the way to Lord Zhao’s residence which was a small cave.

Lord Zhao was a spirit rat. After becoming a spirit, he still did not forget the habit of digging holes. He always loved to nest inside caves because he was not used to houses with carved windows and beams.

Xin Mei pushed aside the big leaves that covered the hole, crept in with her bent back, and softly cried out, “Lord Zhao, Lord Zhao ... are you there?”

No one answered, only a faint cry came from inside the cave. Xin Mei had to walk all the way to the end. There, she saw Lord Zhao with a white cloth tied to his head. He was bending over the case, writing and reading the half-written words in the play book, “My heart is broken to pieces! Follow the wind! Follow the fallen flowers! Follow the pa.s.sing water! “

When he read the emotional part, he threw down his pen and burst into tears, blowing his nose with the white cloth on his head.

Xin Mei felt a little embarra.s.sed to disturb him while he was devoted in writing the play book. She turned and was about to leave when Lord Zhao noticed her and hastily waved at her, “Miss Xin, I have just written a new play. Please help me to see how it is.”

She had something on her mind and didn’t have the mood to read the play folded booklet. She just looked at a few and then put it down. She cleared her throat and solemnly asked, “Lord Zhao, what kind of woman do men usually like?”

Lord Zhao stroked his fine beard as he weighed up Xin Mei’s words and observed her facial expression(Chinese idiom : to discern what sb thinks from his body language). In his heart, he already understood the numerous reason for the question and could not help himself from grinning. “Miss Xin, you are a bit foolish to ask this question. How many men are there in the world? Do all men like the same woman?“

Xin Mei thought for a moment and then changed the question to, “Then-what kind of woman would make Lu Qianqiao swoon and want to marry her immediately?”

Lord Zhao shook his head repeatedly, “No, no, there won’t be such a woman. Miss Xin, come, let me tell you something. First of all, men and women should try to understand each other, starting from their temperaments, hobbies... “

He talked for the whole afternoon and Xin Mei also listened carefully for the whole afternoon. From time to time, he would immerse himself in preparing a crib sheet by writing them in a very thick stack of papers. Seeing the sky darkening, Lord Zhao who had a mouth parched and tongue scorched (extremely thirsty) finally wind up his talk, “In short, get him step by step. Originally, you and the General are a good couple that have been reflected in the bonded-soul looking gla.s.s. It’s only a matter of time before you get married. The most important thing now is to make the General’s unclear mind becomes clear.“

Oh, oh! Xin Mei’s eyes brighten. She had made the right decision to ask Lord Zhao!

She borrowed the bonded-soul looking gla.s.s from Lord Zhao, wrapped it in a cloth and tied it behind her back. She took a covered path all the way to Lu Qianqiao’s house. The moon-shaped window of his room was not properly closed, as there was a crack to peep in. Xin Mei sneaked down on the window sill and looked inside. Lu Qianqiao was eating at the head of the bed in his clothes. His face was much better than that of the previous days. The wounds under the bandage were no longer bleeding. Indeed, the recovery of a war demon was really amazing. It seemed that he would be fully recover in just a few more days.

Just as she was watching intently, she suddenly saw Lu Qianqiao put down his chopsticks and turned his head. His eyes were looking straight at her eyes through the gap.

“Who is it? Come out.“

His voice was piercing cold and full of murderous aura.

Xin Mei thought for a moment, then got up and pulled open the window. She then stepped on the moon-shaped window, leaned against the window lattice and waved at him who was looking stunned, “Lu Qianqiao, I’ve come to see you.”

He paused for a long time, then nodded lightly and said, “Come in and don’t hide behind the window next time.”

Huh? How come he was not excited seeing her just like what Lord Zhao had said. He was not even sighed deeply at the moon, sighing emotionally against the wind or so touched that he would spill a few drops of tears.

Xin Mei slipped and jumped in from the window sill. She then closed the window with her backhands, lingered for a moment, then walked over and sat down on the bed.

“Lu Qianqiao, aren’t you happy to see me?” She was rather worried.

Rather than answering her question, he picked up his chopsticks and continued eating. After a while, he asked, “Why are you here when it’s already dark outside?”

She became more worried and leaned over to look at his face, “You’re really not happy to see me?”

His face finally turned red, and he reluctantly put down his chopsticks again, “Stop being noisy and eat.”

She smiled and rose to her feet, “It’s clear that you’re happy. Your facial paralysis is really going to be cured.”

Lu Qianqiao forced down his surging mood. He drew out another pair of clean chopsticks and handed them to her, “Be obedient. Come and eat.”

When did she come here to eat? She took off the bonded-soul looking gla.s.s from her back and put her face in front of him. The mirror flashed through a stream of light, and the scene of her embracing him affectionately surfaced in the mirror

“Ah, there it is again.” Xin Mei herself was surprised. “Look, Lu Qianqao, we are being reflected in the bonded-soul looking gla.s.s.”

He had already been distracted from eating and had to put down his bowl. His ears were hot and he pretended not to be affected, “... what is the matter with you?”

Xin Mei reluctantly put away the bonded-soul looking gla.s.s and thought for a moment. Lord Zhao said that she needed to know what kind of person she was in the eyes of the General first. So, she cleared her throat and asked, “Lu Qianqiao, what do you think ... M-hm, what do you think of me?”

Lu Qianqiao leaned on the head of the bed with his chin propped up and looked at her. There were helplessness and forbearance in his face. The eyes hidden under the thick eyelashes were dark and bright, but she could not understand whether there were any so-called feelings in them. No one had ever looked at her with such eyes.

“About what?” His voice became low.

“That is, what sort of person do you think I am?”

He tilted his head, pondering. “... like someone living in a book.”

Every move she made seemed to be in a different world from other people’s, with a powerful, unconstrained style and a wandering mind. She seemed to live in another world where she made the rules, happy and wanton.

Shū Zhōng Zì Yǒu Yánrúyù (Within books, one can find ladies as fair as jade), a poem from a book t.i.tled Lì Xué Piān (Book of Enlightenment), written by the third Emperor of Northern Song, Song Zhenzong.
Source 容膝室主 via Sina.com

He said she seemed to live in a book? Was it the same as the character in ‘Shū Zhōng Zì Yǒu Yánrúyù (Within books, one can find ladies as fair as jade)’ book? Or was it the kind of a peerless beauty that only appeared in books?

Xin Mei was so happy as she shook his hand and said, “You, you really have vision!” (T/N : She and her own world. XD) 

Where, when did, it didn’t seem like he was praising her just now...

Lu Qianqiao looked at her with astonishment as she put the bonded-soul looking gla.s.s back on her back. Then she opened the window and jumped out, leaving only one sentence behind, “I’ll see you again tomorrow!”

She ... For what reason did she actually came here tonight?

A confused Liu Qianqiao sat for a moment and then, he had to pick up his chopsticks to continue eating.

The author has something to say: Xin Mei has acted. . . Well, she has a positive behaviour~ ~

The noob translator has something to say: She"s too positive... Though I love her because of this. =)