Chapter 56: Master, Please Spare Me

After hearing Nongli’s question, Qingmu froze for two seconds, knowing full well it was because of the group of kids outside that Nongli was asking.

“No way.”

“Why not?”

“None of your business.”

Without a second thought, Qingmu flatly refused Nongli.

Nongli stared into Qingmu’s eyes, her tiny brows furrowed, deep sadness and disappointment swimming in her gaze, then she turned and left the cave.

Qingmu stood still for quite a while before getting back to cooking.

There was still a small portion of wild rabbit left from yesterday, so he planned to make a meat broth.

After lighting the fire, Nongli returned, bringing many things Qingmu hadn’t expected.

Silver coins, clothes, steamed corn buns, vegetables—all clearly taken from the villagers.

“Where did you get these?”

“None of your business.”

Nongli hadn’t spoken to Qingmu like this in a long time. She turned her head away, adopting an aloof, untouchable attitude.

“I’m asking you!”

“They offered them to me.”

“Offered?”

Before Qingmu could finish, shouting and scolding sounded from outside. Sensing trouble, he stepped out to find several villagers, each holding crying children, blocking the cave entrance.

After some inquiry, it turned out Nongli had been playing happily with those kids, but somehow suddenly fell ill, beat them all up, and then threatened them to bring gifts from home as offerings.

Hearing this, Qingmu’s anger surged uncontrollably. He dragged Nongli out to apologize to the villagers and handed over the meat he’d cooked that morning along with the things Nongli had taken.

The villagers kept insisting Nongli was his child, that they were father and daughter, but Qingmu never acknowledged a word.

In front of the villagers, he gave Nongli a few spankings on her rear. Back in the cave, Nongli sulked and ignored him.

But Qingmu knew this sulking wasn’t just because of what had happened.

“Why did you do this?”

Qingmu stepped over and grabbed Nongli’s cheek. Nongli immediately dodged and mumbled, “We’re not related.”

The moment those words left her mouth, Qingmu understood Nongli’s real intention behind snatching those children—it was probably to please him.

But judging by Nongli’s sharp mind, she must have known that taking those kids would cause trouble.

Therefore, Nongli must have had a backup plan: to force Qingmu into acknowledging they were related under the pressure of those villagers.

Such a cunning ploy.

But setting all that aside, wasn’t the essence of this whole thing… that this fox was starting to depend on him?

Realizing he was somehow internally debating with himself, Qingmu shook his head, leaned close to Nongli, and gently pinched the scruff of her neck, kneading it softly.

Nongli at first tried to resist, but soon closed her eyes comfortably.

“How can we not be related? We’re clearly master and disciple, right?”

“Hm?”

Nongli opened her eyes, looking at him curiously.

“Look, you learned to speak, dress, refine pills, brew tea from me…” Qingmu listed off a whole bunch of things Nongli had learned from him.

He placed his hand on Nongli’s head and rubbed it. “We’re inseparable, and you’re so obedient and well-behaved. If that’s not master and disciple, then what is it?”

“Master and disciple? Then why can’t it be father and daughter?”

Nongli didn’t buy it, glaring at him and retorting.

“Because—”

“Nope.”

Refusing to talk to Qingmu, Nongli covered her ears and ran to a corner facing the wall. Her fox ears popped out, confused between covering her fox ears and human ears.

Qingmu rolled his eyes in annoyance.

“I’m going out. You stay here quietly, can you do that?”

He went to the cave entrance, turned back to ask, but Nongli didn’t answer.

“I’m asking you!”

Qingmu shouted.

“Got it!!!”

Nongli’s voice was even louder than his.

“Tch.”

Qingmu exhaled, then left the cave.

A long while later, Nongli turned around and saw Qingmu really had gone. She sat disappointedly on the stone bed, waiting.

She really wanted to go out and cause trouble as revenge against Qingmu, but recalling the chain of consequences from last time she stole pills, she dared not go out again.

But thinking carefully, last time’s mistake wasn’t entirely hers—Qingmu was partly responsible too, right?

She went out to steal pills without delivering them anywhere, and Qingmu never asked where she was stealing from—it was purely Qin Feng’s blind luck.

“No, I’m mad!”

Nongli was furious when she heard those kids all had parents and wanted Qingmu to be their father. Denied what she wanted, she felt an itch in her teeth.

In the end, she decided to pee on the bed. Just as she was about to pull down her pants, Big Sister Zhang’s voice came from outside the cave.

She stuck her head out. Big Sister Zhang was smiling warmly and asked, “Where’s your dad?”

Nongli became wary and didn’t answer.

“Why did you fight with those kids?”

Nongli still stayed silent.

“And your mom?”

Big Sister Zhang was puzzled; this pretty girl was different.

“Mom? What’s that?”

Nongli blinked. The kids had mentioned “dad” and also “mom,” but she didn’t understand the relationship between mom and dad.

“That’s your dad’s wife.”

“Wife?”

“Uh, the spouse. They’re together and had you, and in the future, you’ll be with another man and have your own children.”

Big Sister Zhang patiently explained to Nongli. Nongli’s expression suddenly turned fierce as she shouted, “Fight!”

Just as she raised her fist, she thought of Qingmu and instead grabbed a stone from the ground to throw at Big Sister Zhang.

“Ouch, ouch, what’s wrong with this kid?”

Big Sister Zhang covered her head and cried out while running away.

“You’re still wearing the clothes I gave you!”

Despite Big Sister Zhang’s words, Nongli was ruthless and only stopped after chasing her far away.

“Hmm… spouse… another man?”

Nongli wasn’t stupid. After the explanation, she understood the relationship between dad, mom, and children.

Suddenly, she realized that if Qingmu was her dad, then in the future she’d have to leave Qingmu and be with someone else.

That was not allowed!

…

……

In the afternoon, Qingmu dragged a young deer, carrying several mountain chickens on his back, struggling back to the cave entrance.

The villagers were surely reporting to the chief, trying to drive him and Nongli out, so Qingmu had strengthened himself using qi techniques to catch some game, planning to apologize with gifts.

“Master!”

Just as he set down the prey, Nongli suddenly dashed out of the cave and jumped onto him, rubbing her head hard against his chest.

“Master, master, master, master, master, master—”

Huh? Wasn’t she just calling him dad?

Qingmu was momentarily baffled by Nongli’s ecstatic excitement.

He rubbed her big forehead, wondering if she had a fever.

“Master, Nongli misses you.”

Nongli pressed Qingmu’s hand against her face, rubbing continuously.

“Hm?”

Qingmu looked confused. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw several villagers approaching with hoes and pickaxes.

He quickly turned to Nongli, his expression darkening.

“Master, please spare me.”

Nongli looked at him pitifully.