In these remote backwaters, the folk are often fierce and rugged, and the residents’ moral caliber tends to swing between two sharply opposing extremes.
Fortunately, the villagers of the Novice Village had chosen the kindly extreme.
Even if their lack of experience made them seem foolish and naive, Gongsun Xiaotao was still deeply moved by them.
If only she could live here forever.
But she knew that disaster would soon befall this place.
Though she couldn’t understand why the pursuers hadn’t arrived yet, she would keep persuading the villagers to leave until they were safe.
Closing her eyes in thought for a moment, Gongsun Xiaotao came up with an idea.
It seemed this village looked to the Elder Village Chief and the beautiful woman before her as its pillars, and the villagers obeyed them readily.
Of the two, the Elder Village Chief was advanced in years and stubborn in his thinking. Persuading him would surely be no easy task.
As for that beautiful and seemingly sensible woman of the Canine Demon Race, she was clearly more reasonable and easier to convince.
So, she decided to start with this Canine woman, thinking that if she could convince her, she could surely convince these villagers to evacuate.
Jiang Ke’er, sensing that Gongsun Xiaotao’s questions were mostly settled, stood up to leave.
As she rose, the warm-hearted villagers instinctively cleared a path for her…
The villagers respected those with knowledge. In their eyes, Jiang Ke’er, who sat by the door all day reading newspapers while also knowing how to forge iron and mend fishing rods, was the greatest sage, and thus deserving of respect.
But at the edge of the crowd, a simple-minded youth stood on his tiptoes, curiously trying to peek inside the house. The moment the crowd dispersed, he tumbled face first onto the ground.
Jiang Ke’er found it amusing and deliberately put on a stern face, asking, “What are you looking at?”
She thought to herself, Pei must be reaching that age of youthful longing, and Gongsun Xiaotao was indeed cute and charming—perhaps he’d fallen in love at first sight?
Pei, however, didn’t spare Gongsun Xiaotao a single glance. Instead, he looked at Jiang Ke’er with excitement and mimicked her tone, saying, “This is the territory of the Great Tang… Shifu, what you just said was so cool! Not like you at all!”
But then—
Slap.
Jiang Ke’er clamped her hand over Pei’s mouth.
“Hurry back and rest. We have many lessons tomorrow.”
Gongsun Xiaotao seized the opportunity and quickly spoke up, “Sister, are you a Teacher? Are you still taking students?”
“Enough, stop flattering me.” Jiang Ke’er said helplessly, “Lessons?”
Gongsun Xiaotao’s intentions were plain to see, but not to Pei. Jiang Ke’er saw through Gongsun Xiaotao’s attempt to get close to her at a glance.
Before Jiang Ke’er could speak, Pei Zheng eagerly answered, “Though my Shifu is far inferior to Jiang Ke’er in every way, she’s definitely the best teacher in the world besides Jiang Ke’er!”
“Can you stop going on and on about Jiang Ke’er? Did Jiang Ke’er teach you swordsmanship? Have you even met Jiang Ke’er? And you’re already singing her praises all day?” Jiang Ke’er was exasperated.
“She, I’m going to learn swordsmanship from her! Don’t worry, Shifu, you’ll be honored too someday!” Pei insisted stubbornly, lifting his chin. “And I will meet her one day. Maybe she can even give you some pointers!”
“Even though I’ve never met her, Jiang Ke’er is a hero to our entire Demon Race.”
“How did I end up with such a white-eyed wolf for a disciple!”
“Then I wonder if I might be accepted under your tutelage, Teacher.” Gongsun Xiaotao covered her mouth with a light laugh, interjecting.
“If you have something to say to me, just come straight to the East of the Village Blacksmith Shop to find me. No need for all this beating around the bush.” Jiang Ke’er said bluntly. “Sorry, but I don’t like taking disciples.”
Gongsun Xiaotao’s little face stiffened. Being seen through made her a bit embarrassed, but she was also deeply shocked by the other woman’s ability to read minds.
It’s just… how could such a clever woman not understand the severity of the problem? Why would she still put herself in danger?
Gongsun Xiaotao grew even more curious, and her urgency to get close to Jiang Ke’er intensified.
Sensing Gongsun Xiaotao’s complicated gaze, Jiang Ke’er glanced at her calmly and said, “Cut it out. This is a dragon aotian single female lead pure love story, not a harem.”
“And even if it were a harem, I’d chop any budding romantic thread into minced meat at the first sign and make this book die a quick death. So, girl, your curiosity is pointless.”
“What nonsense is going through that little head of yours all day?”
Qiao Xiaoxian walked over helplessly, taking Jiang Ke’er’s hand, then looked at Gongsun Xiaotao and said, “If you need anything, just come find us at the [The Ordinary Blacksmith Shop of Interest] east of the Novice Village. We can talk about taking disciples some other time.”
“Take her in, Shifu…” Pei muttered under his breath with a pout. “I want a little junior sister…”
“Want a little junior sister my iron hammer! You look more like a junior sister to me! Why don’t you wear a little skirt to class tomorrow!” Jiang Ke’er glared at him in anger.
“Never mind…” Pei Zheng lowered his head in fright.
Qiao Xiaoxian couldn’t help but burst out laughing. She leaned close to Pei’s ear and whispered, “Don’t worry. One day, your Shifu will give you a little junior sister.”
Jiang Ke’er heard that.
In an instant, she felt her entire fox self was off again, and the Internal Bomb that had been hanging over her heart seemed to suddenly bounce left and right, threatening to snap its restraints and come crashing down at any moment.
“So, about that. Report to me tomorrow morning at the Chen hour.” Jiang Ke’er looked at Gongsun Xiaotao seriously. “You must come.”
Gongsun Xiaotao: “?”
Pei had arrived at the door of the Medical Hall early in the morning, his face flushed red, pacing nervously back and forth as if waiting for something.
Gongsun Xiaotao had already seen him through the window.
The sight of a young man in the throes of first love made her quite embarrassed.
It wasn’t that she was vain, but even the most thick-skinned person could tell something was off with Pei Zheng’s current state. Add to that their similar ages, and her mind easily drifted in that direction.
After washing up, Gongsun Xiaotao walked out of the Medical Hall.
The people around her all wore knowing, warm smiles.
But the moment Pei saw her, he rushed over. Such enthusiasm caught Gongsun Xiaotao slightly off guard.
“Um, Junior Sister, can I stand behind you?”
In Dongsheng Shenzhou, when you don’t understand, you ask. So she asked, “Why?”
Gongsun Xiaotao was slightly taken aback, wondering if this was the latest flirting technique from Zhongzhou.
Pei’s face instantly turned as red as a ripe tomato.
Just as Gongsun Xiaotao thought Pei was about to confess his true feelings, Pei Zheng gathered his courage and indeed spoke his mind. He pointed ahead: “There’s a snail at the intersection.”
“It’s blocking my way. I can’t get past it. Walk with me.”
Pei’s expression was serious, not at all like he was joking.
“Huh? Huh? Okay… okay…” Gongsun Xiaotao didn’t understand what strange reason this was, but she decided to follow Pei’s words for now.
The two walked side by side to the intersection, where Gongsun Xiaotao curiously bent down and gently pinched the snail’s shell.
“No!” Pei cried out in anguish, his eyes glaring as if they would split at the seams at Gongsun Xiaotao’s hand. He yanked her back violently and roared, “Stop! You damn snail! If you want to pick a fight, come at me!”
But nothing happened.
Gongsun Xiaotao effortlessly picked up the snail, smiled, and placed it in the grass by the roadside. She looked at Pei Zheng: “Why are you reacting so dramatically?”
Pei Zheng stared at her blankly. Suddenly, he spoke solemnly: “From today on, you’re the person I admire the second most, after Jiang Ke’er.”
“What about your Shifu?”
Pei pondered and held up a finger.
After a while, he started counting his toes.
After another while, he started counting the leaves of the roadside grass.
In the end, he resorted to counting his hairs.
About half an hour later, he clutched his head in agony: “Right…”