“What do you mean by ‘forcefully abduct’?” Jiu Hui thought she had misheard.
“You’re abducting civilian men!” The beautiful man accused angrily, “How could you do such a thing?!”
“Nonsense!” Jiu Hui rolled up her sleeves. “I’ve only been back for less than half an hour. Who’s slandering me and spreading rumors?”
“The person is already standing behind you, and you still won’t admit it?!” The handsome man in the green jade crown seemed even angrier than Jiu Hui. He pointed at Zhi You behind Jiu Hui and said, “You dare to do it but don’t dare to admit it.”
Jiu Hui turned her head to look at Zhi You. Where did this rumor come from? It was so ridiculous!
Zhi You walked up to Jiu Hui and said to the people from Kong Village, “I came here of my own free will.”
The handsome man with the green hat changed his expression several times, and finally snorted coldly, “So he’s just a pretty boy.”
“You’re either saying I’m abducting civilian man, or cursing people a pretty boy.” Jiu Hui raised an eyebrow. “Kong Cangnan, I think you’re asking for a beating!”
“Am I afraid of you?!” Kong Cangnan took out an emerald feather fan. “Today, I will settle the score with you.”
“This is the kid from the Kong family village. How many times has he said this to our little garlic chive?” At the entrance of the village, Auntie Jiao sat at a stone table cracking melon seeds, waiting for the younger generation to start fighting.
“It must have been at least ten times.” Aunt Liu replied with a chuckle. “The Kong family is stubborn. They don’t learn their lesson even after being beaten so many times.”
“They’re fighting, they’re fighting!” Aunt Jiao saw Zhi You standing at the bridgehead in a daze, and got up and shouted at him: “Zhi You, come over here quickly!”
Zhi You watched Jiu Hui, who was fighting with Kong Cangnan, and walked to the stone table, looking back every three steps.
“Come, sit down and watch slowly.” Auntie Jiao pulled him down to sit, and seeing that he was staring at Jiu Hui without blinking, she comforted him with a smile, “Don’t worry, in less than half an hour, the boy from Kong family village will be beaten to the ground by Xiao Jiu.”
“Do you know why the Kong family village always arranges for someone to follow him whenever he comes to visit Little Jiu?” Aunt Liu stuffed melon seeds and fruits into Zhi You’s hands. “Come, it’s more interesting to eat and watch.”
“Why?” Zhi You asked, chasing after her with a handful of snacks.
“It’s easier to carry him back.” Aunt Liu said proudly, “Within a thousand miles, no junior is a match for our little Jiu Hui.”
As they spoke, Zhi You saw Kong Cangnan being pulled into the river by the silk scarf on Jiu Hui’s arm. His emerald-green robe billowed in the water, resembling a pile of beautiful moss.
“It’s different after studying outside for a few months. It’s not even a stick of incense yet.” Aunt Jiao looked like a peach blossom, and her laughter was even more moving: “Our little Jiu Hui is indeed the hope of the whole village.”
Zhi You vaguely felt that something was not quite right. Was this how parents would react when they saw their children fighting?
“Are you going to keep fighting?” Jiu Hui asked, lying on the bridge and watching Kong Cangnan floundering in the water. She threw out her silk scarf and pulled him ashore.
Kong Cangnan wiped the water off his face and glared at Jiu Hui with his wet eyes, ignoring the dripping brocade robe.
“What’s wrong?” Jiu Hui asked when he didn’t speak. “Are you still not convinced?”
“Young Master, forget it, forget it.” The Kong family member who had accompanied Kong Cangnan stepped forward to persuade him. “You haven’t been in a good state these past few days. Let’s rest for a while and then come back to settle the score with her.”
“Right, right, right. Let’s let her go this time. We’ll come back next time.”
Kong Cangnan pushed away the person supporting him and pointed at Jiu Hui. “Jiu Hui, you actually brought an outsider back. Very good, very good!”
After speaking, he glared at Zhi You under the ancient tree and turned to leave. However, he was walking too fast and the ground was slippery, so he tripped and fell hard.
Jiu Hui silently turned her back, pretending she hadn’t seen anything. Kong Cangnan, this peacock, had a bad temper and was very proud. If he found out that she had seen him fall, he would start rolling around on the ground and throwing a tantrum.
Kong Cangnan scrambled to his feet as fast as he could and glanced back at Jiu Hui. Seeing that she hadn’t noticed his fall, he snorted and disappeared into the woods, his wet sleeves swishing behind him.
“Hahahahahahahaha.“carpreads.pages.dev
Jiu Hui walked to the stone table and couldn’t help but laugh as she leaned on it.
“You’ve been fighting with that Kong kid for a decade. When will you ever stop?” Aunt Jiao gently patted Jiu Hui’s back. When she had laughed enough, she handed her a plate of shelled melon seeds. “But well done. Have some melon seeds!”
“Thank you, Auntie Jiao.” Jiu Hui hugged Auntie Jiao’s arm and rubbed against it. While eating melon seeds, she said to Zhi You, “Kong Cangnan and I have had a grudge for over a decade. I’ve always loved iron-eating beast cubs since I was little, so I often went to play with the cubs. One day, I saw Kong Cangnan pulling out a cub’s fur, so I went up to stop him. Who would have thought that this village chief’s idiot son would dare to scold me and kick the cub into the ditch?”
“Am I someone who can suffer this kind of grievance?” Jiu Hui slapped the table. “Of course not!”
“So I immediately started fighting with Kong Cangnan on the spot. He was no match for me, and in no time, I had beaten him to the point of crying. To avenge the iron-eating beast cub, I also pulled out a few strands of his… hair.”
“There were only a few of them, who would have thought he would hold a grudge for so long.” After finishing the melon seeds, her mouth was a little dry, so Aunt Liu poured her a cup of tea.
Jiu Hui took it with a smile, raised her head, and took a big gulp. “He comes to bother me every year, and I don’t put up with him, so it’s become like this.”
After she finished her drink, Zhi You refilled her cup for her. “My arrival… will it cause you trouble?”
Jiu Hui looked at Zhi You in surprise: “Are you talking about the rumor about forcibly abducting civilian men?”
“Yes.” Zhi You nodded, his face showing some guilt, as if he regretted causing trouble for Jiu Hui.
“How could you think that?” Jiu Hui put down her teacup. “What impact could those words have on me?”
“Yes, the people in our village don’t care about these things.” Aunt Jiao said with a smile, “Jiu Hui has done a lot of things since she was a child, and abducting a civilian man is not a big deal for her.”
“The title of ‘Little Overlord of Shanghuang Village’ didn’t come out of thin air.” Aunt Liu laughed even more unrestrainedly, and she consoled Zhi You, “Zhi You, you mustn’t overthink it. She doesn’t have a very good reputation here with us.”
“Aunties, my dear aunties, please save me some face.” Jiu Hui turned her head to look at Zhi You. “I’m very popular outside, aren’t I, Zhi You?”
“Mm.” Zhi You nodded seriously. “Everyone in the sect likes Jiu Hui very much. I also… like her.”
The last word, “like,” was so soft that even Zhi You himself could barely hear it.
“If you don’t believe me, can’t you believe Zhi You?” Jiu Hui put her hands on her hips. “They call me the Little Overlord because they can’t beat me, so they slander me.”
She reached out and tugged on Zhi You’s sleeve. “No matter what they say, don’t pay any attention to them.”
“I only believe you.” Zhi You looked at her, his eyes filled with sincerity.
Jiu Hui was slightly taken aback. “You believe everything I say?”
“Mm.” Zhi You nodded.
“Don’t be so gullible.” Jiu Hui gently poked at the embroidery on Zhi You’s sleeve. “I tell little white lies sometimes, too.”
“That doesn’t matter.” Zhi You looked at their hands, which were almost touching. “I know you don’t mean to deceive me.”
Aunt Jiao and Aunt Liu stood up silently and walked side by side toward the village, knowing when to leave.
A sensible adult should know when not to disturb the children.
“What on earth did that child Zhi You do? I’ve never seen anyone with such blindingly bright golden light of merit.” Auntie Liu rubbed her eyes. “I just opened my third eye to take a peek, and the dazzling golden light nearly blinded me.”
“Serves you right, who told you to look around recklessly?” Aunt Jiao gave her a sidelong glance, then let out a long sigh. “Where in the world can you find merit without paying a price? That’s not merit at all, it’s clearly endless hardship and suffering.”
People often used the term “meritorious good person” to praise the kind-hearted, but how many people truly care about how much these meritorious good people had given and what they had sacrificed?
A compliment could be uttered casually, but true kindness required countless blood and sweat.
“He’s still a child.” Aunt Liu turned her head to look at the two people under the tree, her eyes gentle.
“Yes,” Aunt Jiao said with pity, “He’s still a child.”
“Zhi You.” Jiu Hui looked at Zhi You with a smile. After a long while, she sighed with a smile, “Let’s go. I’ll take you to see the courtyard where I live.”
The courtyard where Jiu Hui lived was very exquisite and beautiful, with pavilions, towers, small bridges, and flowing water. Everywhere one looked, one could see the care that the elders had taken when building this courtyard.
Beneath the flowering tree, the swing swayed gently in the wind. Jiu Hui pulled Zhi You to sit on the swing and said, “Come, sit down, and I’ll push you.”
The swing swayed gently, and when it reached its highest point, one could see the scenery outside the courtyard and the sun gradually moving westward.
Zhi You thought, Jiu Hui, who was sitting on the swing, must be very happy.
“The swing was personally made for me by Grandpa Village Chief, and the patterns on the swing frame were carved by Grandpa Long.” Jiu Hui laughed. “Grandpa Long’s craftsmanship isn’t very good, he ruined a lot of wooden planks.”
Zhi You got off the swing and only then did he notice that the swing frame was carved with a group of adults holding hands in a long line, leading a little girl with two buns in her hair.
The figures were carved extremely crudely, and their genders could only be roughly distinguished by their hairstyles.
“This is Grandpa Village Chief, this is Grandma Zhu, this is Grandpa Long, this is Aunt Jiao, this is Aunt Liu…” Jiu Hui earnestly introduced each figure to Zhi You, and finally she pointed to the little girl with double buns: “This is me at three years old.”
Among the long line of people, the little girl was carved the most delicately. The carver even clumsily added a few little flowers to her skirt.
“Come and look over here.” Jiu Hui pulled Zhi You to a rockery. Only then did Zhi You discover that there was a large cave behind the beautiful rockery in front. The cave was covered with thick blankets, hung with beautiful lanterns, and inlaid with large night-luminescent pearls in the corners.
The entrance to the cave was inlaid with defensive and weather-proof formations, making it look very warm and comfortable.
“When I was a child, I saw other animals had their own nests, so I insisted on having one too. My elders couldn’t resist me, so they hollowed out a cave in the artificial mountain and made a small cave for me.” Jiu Hui took off her shoes and pulled Zhi You into the cave.
After entering the cave in the artificial mountain, he found that the space inside was very large, even larger than the original size of the artificial mountain. Zhi You discovered several space-expanding formations inside. This type of space formation that could accommodate living people was very complex, and few people in the cultivation world could create it.
“It’s so comfortable to roll around and read books up here.” Jiu Hui rolled around on the fluffy carpet and found a row of wooden stick figures from the corner.
After the little people played a song for Jiu Hui and Zhi You, they crawled back to the corner and lined up in a neat row.
The entire wall behind the wooden stick figures was covered with all sorts of toys. Some were made of priceless materials, while others were made of ordinary stones.
The toys at the bottom were missing arms and legs, but the ones higher up were better preserved, each one clean and tidy.
Jiu Hui lovingly caressed the broken toys. “My elders made these for me with their own hands. I was naughty when I was little, and I hid them when I broke them. Later, when they found out, they made me more toys. They told me that it’s okay for children to make mistakes, but they can’t hide them.”
Zhi You then saw that there were several intact toys on the toy shelf, which were identical to the toys with missing arms and legs.
“If you can’t solve a problem yourself, tell the adults in time, so as not to make a bigger mistake.” Gently rubbing these toys a few times, Jiu Hui pulled Zhi You to lie down: “Look up.”
The small nest was inlaid with many different gemstones. Only when one lay down could one discover their dazzling beauty.
“Although I couldn’t meet you when I was young, I still want to share all my childhood toys with you.” Jiu Hui looked up, and Zhi You turned his head to look at her.
Jiu Hui turned her head, and their gazes met. Jiu Hui chuckled softly, “Zhi You, your eyes are so bright.”
Zhi You blinked.
Jiu Hui drew closer to him, and Zhi You’s whole body stiffened as he watched her face draw nearer.
“Your eyelashes are also very long.” Jiu Hui took a closer look, then got up and took a thumb-sized wooden figure from a small drawer on the shelf. “Zhi You, I’ll show you a little man who can climb mountains.”
Zhi You sat up silently, watching the little person struggling to crawl over the small creases on the blanket with its short hands and feet, looking very cute.
“Here, take this.” Jiu Hui stuffed the little figurine into his hand. “I’ve never seen you as a child, but I just feel like it looks a bit like you.”
Zhi You looked at the little person who was crawling forward with its butt up and its arms moving back and forth, and he really couldn’t say that it looked like him.
“Why do you think… it resembles me?” Zhi You asked after a long silence.
“I don’t know.” Jiu Hui recalled the origin of this little figure while sitting cross-legged. “When I was very young, I had a dream. I dreamt of a little kid crawling in front of me. He crawled for a long time but still couldn’t get over the slope. He even stepped on my foot. I was so angry when I woke up that I asked Aunt Liu to make a little figure and let it crawl in front of me every day.”
The title of the little overlord of Shanghuang Village was not for nothing. Even the child in the dream would be made into a wooden figure with a protruding butt by her after waking up from the dream.
“I won’t step on you.” Zhi You pursed his lips. “I’m not like it.”
“That’s true.” Jiu Hui put the little man back in the box. “I’ll take you to play somewhere else.”
After leaving the artificial cave, Zhi You, led by Jiu Hui, saw all sorts of things to amuse children.
Stepping through the Moon Gate into the inner courtyard, he found a huge spirit gathering formation inside. Lush trees and flowers grew around the houses. If someone accidentally wandered into this place, they would probably think they had come to the abode of immortals.
Something was coming from the corner, and Zhi You looked into the flower bushes.
“Welcome home, little master.” A fluffy pink sheep puppet emerged from the bushes and knelt down on all fours in front of Jiu Hui.
“Welcome home, young master.”
Soon, more puppets emerged from the bushes, including a little white rabbit, a little calf, and a little deer.
“When I was little, I was a bit scared of these grass-eating animals. To help me overcome my fear, my elders made them into cute puppets,” Jiu Hui said. “Uncle Wu said that when the things I feared knelt down and bowed to me, I would understand that all fear is just groundless cowardice in my heart.”
“Then… were you still afraid later?”
Jiu Hui shook her head and bent down to touch the little calf puppet kneeling in front of her. “I haven’t been afraid since I was three years old.”
She stood up and led Zhi You across the Nine-Bend Bridge. Colorful fish wagged their tails leisurely in the pond under the bridge. “Grandpa Bu said that water and wood are good for me, so I had this big pond built in my yard.”
The spiritual energy in the water was rich, and it was unknown which spiritual spring the water had been drawn from.
Jiu Hui turned her head and saw a rare smile on Zhi You’s face. She couldn’t help but smile along with him. “Do you like it here too?”
Zhi You nodded.
He was very happy that she had grown up so happily.
“Then you can stay in the guest room in my courtyard,” Jiu Hui said. “The courtyard next to mine hasn’t been occupied for a long time, and it’s definitely not as comfortable as it is here.”
“It’s fine.” Zhi You shook his head. “It’s convenient to come over from the next yard.”
When he arrived, he heard from his elders that in order to welcome his arrival, they had specially cleaned up the courtyard next door.
“Alright.” Jiu Hui saw that Zhi You really wanted to live in the neighboring courtyard, so she changed her words and said, “When you want to come over, just let me know.”
In the kitchen on the east side of the village, Grandpa Long was wielding a knife to gut a deep-sea fish that was dozens of feet long. When he saw Auntie Jiao and Auntie Liu coming over, he casually asked, “Did the Kong family kid get beaten up and cry today?”
“With Zhi You here, our little Jiu Hui held back.” Aunt Liu stood outside the kitchen courtyard without going in. She noticed other fish still on the chopping board: “This is Zhi You’s first time in our village, why did you bring out this awful stuff?”
“Just now, I saw that Zhi You was a little curious about this Ranyi* fish, so I’ll make one for him.” Grandpa Long quickly cut the fish that was dozens of feet long into small pieces. “It’s not a big deal, and it’s more important to satisfy the child’s curiosity.”
TN: Ranyi
“That’s true.” Aunt Liu took out a bottle of seasoning from her sleeve and threw it to Grandpa Long. “Use this to remove the fishy smell.”
“Oh, ten-thousand-year willow frost dew.” Grandpa Long sprinkled the seasoning on the deep-sea fish and Ranyi fish. “How generous.”
“Such good stuff, of course, can’t be wasted on you guys on a normal day.” Aunt Liu raised an eyebrow. “Good stuff should, of course, be saved for when the child comes back to eat together.”
“Shhh,” Grandpa Long lowered his voice. “Don’t let old Hei hear you, or he’ll scold us again for spoiling the child.”
“He’s just talking nonsense.” Aunt Jiao spat out the melon seed shells. She was a beautiful woman, and even the act of spitting out melon seed shells was incredibly charming. “I think Little Jiu Hui has gained a few hundred years of cultivation this time she came back. No one else has seen her except him during this time.”
“Cough.” Grandpa Long averted his gaze, feeling guilty. “When a child is out and about, it’s good to have a little more cultivation to protect themselves.”
“Judging from your tone, did you secretly pass on your cultivation to Little Jiu Hui?” Aunt Jiao asked Grandpa Long.
“Also?” Aunt Liu looked at Aunt Jiao.
The three of them looked at each other and coughed twice in unison, avoiding the topic.
-—–
The night had fallen, and Shanghuang village was exceptionally beautiful.
The murmuring river, the twinkling Milky Way, the hazy night fog, and the lanterns hanging in the village.
In the open-air dam, many tables were set up. Zhi You followed behind Jiu Hui, helping the elders move tables and chairs, but he wondered if there were so many people in Shanghuang Village.
Just then, the ethereal sound of bells rang out at the village entrance.
“Xiahe Village has come to pay a visit with gifts.”
The village chief of Xiahe Village was a thin and middle-aged man. He brought two villagers with him, carrying large and small packages of gifts, and smiled ingratiatingly at the people of Shanghuang Village.
“Come on in, why did you bring gifts?” The people of Shanghuang Village took the congratulatory gifts from their hands. “Come on in, sit anywhere.”
“Many thanks, many thanks.” The village chief of Xiahe Village bowed repeatedly, then walked over to Jiu Hui and Zhi You and bowed, saying, “I have met Miss Jiu, and…”
“This is also a junior from our village. You can call him Young Master Zhi.” The village chief walked to Zhi You’s side. “The child is still young. If you meet him outside in the future, please take care of him, Village Chief He.”
“You’re too kind. It’s my duty to do this.” Village Head He bowed repeatedly. “I’ve met Young Master Zhi.”
Zhi You returned the salute with cupped hands, but Village Head He quickly avoided it.
When Village Chief He led the two villagers to a corner to sit down, Zhi You whispered in Jiu Hui’s ear, “Here, if you lose a battle over farmland, the consequences are so severe?”
Jiu Hui nodded without blushing.
Zhi You thought for a moment, “Next time you’re going to seize farmland, you can call me.”
“Ahem.” The village chief glanced at Jiu Hui, then turned his head and beckoned to Zhi You with a smile. “Zhi You, come, stand next to me.”
Zhi You obediently stood beside the village chief. Soon, village chiefs from other villages brought their villagers and gifts. In less than half an hour, the tables in the open space were almost full.
The villagers were all very polite, especially when they heard the village chief say that Zhi You was a descendant of Shanghuang Village, so they all respectfully called him “Young Master Zhi.”
Zhi You vaguely understood why the village chief had called him over.
The last to arrive were the village chief of Kong Family Village and Kong Cangnan. When the village chief saw Zhi You beside the village chief, he turned his head to glance at his own son and said with a smile, “The new nephew of the village chief of Shanghuang Village has clear and upright features and a dignified appearance. Congratulations on the new addition to your village.”
“Thank you, thank you. Zhi You is still young and doesn’t deserve such praise.” The village chief gestured for them to sit down. “Please, take a seat.”
Kong Cangnan glanced at Zhi You, bowed to the village chief, and then sat down behind his father.
“Don’t provoke that Zhi You in the future,” Village Chief Kong said to his son. “Otherwise, I’ll pluck every hair off your body.”
“Why?” Kong Cangnan looked at his father in disbelief. He couldn’t believe that his father would be so heartless to him for a human of unknown origin. Was he really his biological father?
Village Chief Kong sighed. Yaos with insufficient cultivation naturally couldn’t see the merit on this person that rivaled the blazing sun. Even he only dared to glance at it.
Who would dare to offend such a person unless they thought their luck was too good?
With this person’s merit, even if he killed half of the living beings in the world, I’m afraid that the Heavenly Dao would think that it must be the fault of those living beings.
What was their Peacock Clan? How dare they offend him?
“Because we can’t afford to offend him.” Village Chief Kong whispered in his son’s ear. “You offended him today, and tomorrow you might start losing your hair, becoming the only bald sparrow in Kong Village.”
“Really?” Kong Cangnan was a little skeptical.
“Why don’t you give it a shot?” Village Chief Kong mercilessly mocked his own son. “You’ve been losing to a garlic chive year after year anyway, and you’ve already embarrassed yourself throughout the entire yao world. It doesn’t matter if you become a bald bird, it’s no big deal to lose face again.”
Kong Cangnan: “…”
You really were a good father!
After the monsters were seated, the village chief led Zhi You into the crowd and said in a loud voice, “Thank you all for coming to the banquet. Our Shanghuang Village hasn’t had a new member in eighteen years. Today, we accept Zhi You as our junior. From now on, he is a member of our Shanghuang Village. Please get to know him so that you can look out for each other when you’re out and about.”
The yaos were shocked as they looked at the village chief. They had not expected him to take the matter so seriously and agree to it.
They all looked up at the pitch-black sky. Heaven above, Shanghuang Village had gone mad.
Even if this person has profound merit, it’s fine to just be polite to him. Why acknowledge him as part of your village? Isn’t that just asking for trouble?
“Zhi You, from now on, Shanghuang Village will be your home.” The village chief handed a token to Zhi You. “If you are willing, you will be a child of our Shanghuang Village from now on.”
One’s own child should have the key to return home.
Zhi You looked at the gleaming token, slowly reached out his hand, and tightly gripped the token in his hand.
He looked down in a daze and saw the smiling faces of the people of Shanghuang Village. Jiu Hui leaned on Aunt Jiao’s arm and waved at him with a smile.
It was only then that he understood…
This lively banquet was held in his honor.
Jiu Hui brought him to a home he had never had before.
Was this dream real or not?