Chapter 9 Lesson: "Don't forget, you're now on barbarian land..."

After that, Xiao Jiang went to the mountains every day without fail to pick the freshest wild fruits for Xiao Hai. Although Xiao Hai never showed such a strong liking for wild fruits again after that day, it was, after all, the only food Xiao Hai was willing to eat, so naturally, he had to give it the best.

Every day when she went out, Xiao Hai was put into Jiang Liuyun's glass bottle, tied with a rope and hung around her waist, half-hidden by her loose clothes, looking at first glance like an accessory pinned to her waist.

However, when Xiao Jiang went out that day, he encountered a group of uninvited guests.

"They said your name is Jiang Yuhuo."

At the entrance to the mountain, Xiao Jiang encountered the young man in brocade clothes again. He and a group of people were by the roadside, holding all sorts of tools, busy with something.

Qin Yuqi had spotted her from afar last time, but she disappeared before he could even call out to her from behind the trees. He still remembered the grudge from last time.

Although Jia Qianyang had advised him to calm down and not cause any more trouble, they had just run into each other by chance, and he couldn't just let her go like that.

Seeing that Xiao Jiang completely ignored him, Qin Yuqi followed impatiently. But she walked faster and faster, showing no sign of stopping, so Qin Yuqi had to jog up, circle around to her, and force her to stop and face him.

"Can't you hear me? Didn't you want me to apologize?"

"My guards said you want me to catch fish for you?" Qin Yuqi raised his chin. He was tall and standing on the high part of the slope, so his gaze naturally looked down. "Catching fish is impossible. I haven't settled the score with you for throwing fish at me yet."

"But making an apology is no problem. Tell me, how do you want me to compensate you? Do you want delicacies from land and sea, or fine silks and satins? Even jewels and jade, I can reward you with, oh no, compensate you with."

Xiao Jiang looked up and met his gaze, only saying two words: "Get out of the way."

It was early morning, and the sunlight slanted through the trees, making her eyes more luminous and beautiful than any jewel he had ever seen. Qin Yuqi recalled the day he arrived; it was precisely because of those eyes that he had inexplicably asked her for directions. Suddenly, much of the resentment in Qin Yuqi's heart dissipated. He thought that if she hadn't ignored him that day, they probably wouldn't have formed a grudge, and perhaps they could have gotten along well.

Seeing that she was finally looking at him properly, Qin Yuqi's lips unconsciously curled up, and his handsome eyebrows twitched slightly. "What, you don't believe me?"

He gestured with his chin in another direction, "Look, they all really like my gift."

Xiao Jiang looked in the direction he pointed, and there was Wu Hu and his gang not far away. Several dark heads were huddled together, the children holding out their palms, comparing whose possession was bigger and more unique. She had excellent eyesight, and even from a distance, she could see the little trinkets in their hands. They were all different in style, but what they had in common was that they were all exquisitely crafted, things that Li Yue Village didn't have.

Normally, she would definitely have gone over to see what was going on out of curiosity, but because it was this annoying thing, she couldn't muster any interest at all.

She didn't listen to what Jiang Liuyun said and just put it out of her mind. She knew he was right, that people shouldn't close themselves off and reject outsiders and the outside world. But every time she faced these people, Xiao Jiang would instinctively become vigilant and even defensive. It was an inexplicable intuition that she always felt they had ill intentions.

For example, right now, he's letting her choose the apology she wants, which seems generous, but Xiao Jiang can only sense his arrogance and ostentation.

"I want this, will you give it to me?" Xiao Jiang narrowed his eyes and deliberately pointed to a jade pendant worn by the boy at his waist. The lustrous jade was carved into the shape of a coiled dragon. Although it was not part of a set, it was still quite valuable.

Qin Yuqi thought she really liked the jade pendant, and frowned, saying, "You have a good eye, but I can't give this to you."

This is the jade pendant for the crown prince, a symbol of his status in the Dayong Dynasty. Two young dragons playfully intertwine, one half belonging to him and the other half to the future crown princess.

Xiao Jiang had anticipated her refusal, so she deliberately chose something that looked very precious. Seeing that Qin Yuqi indeed changed his mind, she looked at him even more confidently, "But didn't you just say you could do anything?"

"This one won't do. Please choose another one."

Unexpectedly, he was still persistent and insisted on giving her something. Xiao Jiang didn't want to get entangled with him any longer. She heard a soft tapping sound at her waist; it was Xiao Hai urging her on.

"No fun. If you don't want to apologize, fine. I have things to do, don't block my way." With that, she pushed Qin Yuqi aside and headed into the mountains. The force was so great that Qin Yuqi, who was half a head taller than her, stumbled to the side.

What the heck?

After regaining her footing, Qin Yuqi checked her shoes for a while to make sure there was nothing wrong with them. The soles were the perfect thickness, and the maid had even thoughtfully added anti-slip material. Every step she took felt steady and solid, so why did they feel so light and airy when the maid pushed her?

Before he could figure it out, Xiao Jiang's figure was getting further and further away.

"Wait, why are you running! I haven't settled accounts with you yet!" Qin Yuqi jogged all the way and finally caught up with her. Running up the mountain made his heart beat faster. He didn't block her way anymore, but walked side by side with her.

After walking for a while, Xiao Jiang still ignored him, so Qin Yuqi couldn't help but speak first, "Actually, I don't need to apologize to you, since you also mistreated my servant."

Xiao Jiang suddenly stopped and turned to look at him. "Abuse?"

She? Abuse? Servant? Every word felt foreign to her.

Xiao Jiang searched his mind for a moment before realizing what he meant. "You mean, going down to the river to catch fish?"

Being stared directly into her eyes made Qin Yuqi feel a little guilty, but since the words were already out, he could only continue to be stubborn, "That's right."

Xiao Jiang couldn't believe it. How could catching a fish turn into abuse? She remembered that the person was utterly useless.

"I only asked him to compensate me with ten fish. I waited for him on the shore for two whole hours, and he didn't catch a single one!" Xiao Jiang said angrily, "People in the village who fish with empty bait catch more than that!"

Qin Yuqi remained expressionless and said, "You made him soak in the water for most of the day. When he came back, he was so weak that he couldn't even stand up."

He wasn't lying; his servant knelt down as soon as he returned.

Xiao Jiang was greatly shocked, but he wasn't buying it and continued walking forward, saying, "It's your own fault that you outsiders are in poor health, what does that have to do with me?"

Qin Yuqi was enraged by these words and retorted indignantly, "What do you mean 'we'? It's him, not me! I'm perfectly healthy. Jiang Yuhuo, you can't compare me to a servant!"

Watching her turn and walk away, Qin Yuqi felt even more irritated. "You barbarians are truly uneducated and don't understand the concept of hierarchy."

He realized his mistake immediately after speaking; his upbringing wouldn't allow him to say such rude things in front of others. Yet, every time he encountered her, she inexplicably irritated him, followed by a vague sense of loss. Just as he was pondering how to make amends, he saw the barbarian he had mentioned return to him, her eyes glaring at him.

"If your so-called education is to make people bow down and willingly become your slaves, then you are dreaming."

"Even if we die, the people here will never become your slaves."

"Don't forget, you are now on barbarian land."

A cool breeze blew in from somewhere, making Qin Yuqi's neck feel a little cold. He glanced around out of the corner of his eye and realized that he had followed the barbarian girl far too far. They were in a small clearing in the mountains, with dense trees completely blocking out the surroundings. He had been so focused on catching up with her that he had lost all sense of the way he came.

In the woods, it was just the two of them; if she wanted to do something to him, his guards would never be able to catch up.

The girl opposite him approached him step by step until he had nowhere left to retreat and his back was pressed against a tree.

Qin Yuqi felt a sense of unease; his heart pounded as it had when he was running. He didn't understand. She was just a slender girl, while he was skilled in martial arts and was no match for her. He shouldn't be afraid. But her gaze, so intense it seemed to envelop him, made him unable to move. He could only frown as she approached. "What do you want?"

"I'm warning you, I am a distinguished guest of your clan. Don't act recklessly, or you won't be able to bear the consequences." He reached for his waist but found nothing. Last time he lost his temper, he smashed his favorite knife, and he no longer carried any other swords because he thought they were ugly.

"You're the one who followed me here. You're asking me what I want to do? Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"

Xiao Jiang stood on tiptoe and pinned him firmly to the tree with his arm, while twirling a small bone knife in his other hand. Although he was a head shorter than him, his imposing presence completely overwhelmed him.

"Why did you come to Liyue Village? You all clearly dislike this place."

Qin Yuqi struggled for a moment, but found that he could not break free. The girl's bone knife was swinging back and forth, and it could "accidentally" hit him at any time.

"Father said you've come to find mineral veins. You'll bring tools and technology to mine them, making the village richer. I don't believe there's such a good thing in the world?"

Indeed, there is no such good thing. As long as the mineral vein is found, they will not only take over the mineral vein, but the land will also be taken over by Dayong and become a new part of Dayong's territory. But the premise is that the barrier is eliminated.

Looking into those unusual eyes, Qin Yuqi recalled what Jia Qianyang had told him that night: "Everything in the universe has its counterpart, and even the most solid place has its weakness. The key to breaking this deadlock lies in these people protected by the dome. I see something unusual about that girl. Your Highness is about the same age as her, so you might as well spend more time with her; perhaps you can gain something from it."

It must be said that Jia Qianyang's words make a lot of sense. Not only does she have an unusual appearance, but she also has a very keen intuition.

“You don’t understand.” Qin Yuqi turned her face to the side to avoid her piercing gaze, and then brought up someone who seemed to be able to suppress her, “It is not up to a child like you to question what Chief Li Yue has readily agreed to.”

"Let me go!"

“We won’t let you go. You think you’re so noble, yet you’re arrogant and love to bully people. You’re a bunch of hypocrites. You can fool the clan leader and my father, but you can’t fool me.”

Qin Yuqi struggled, but her hands pressed tighter and tighter, and her body drew closer and closer to him, close enough that he could feel her warmth and breath. His heart, which had finally calmed down, began to beat wildly again. He felt it must be because he was too angry.

How dare she treat him like this, he is the crown prince of a nation!

"Is this how you treat your guests?!"

"They say you have no mother, but didn't your father teach you anything?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the air suddenly fell silent. He felt a release in his chest as the shackles binding him came off.

But the next moment, the girl suddenly grabbed his collar, and there seemed to be flames burning in her golden eyes as she stared at him.

Qin Yuqi realized that he might have said something wrong.

But before he could figure it out, he was suddenly punched in the face. The force of the punch was so great that he staggered back a few steps before regaining his balance.

Xiao Jiang had been holding back for a long time; it was he who insisted on coming forward and asking for a beating.

She could even imagine what he was going to say next; he would definitely start berating her and her father as uncultured barbarians.

"You...you dare to hit me! Do you even know who I am?" Qin Yuqi clutched his throbbing face, staring at her in disbelief.

"I don't care who you are, all I know is that I'm a barbarian."

"Barbarians can attack whomever they want!"

A note from the author:

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