"No." Qin Zhao glanced at the bright red fish tail that flashed by the reef and lied without changing his expression, "I was scared and didn't see anything."

Chen Yanan looked at him as if he had seen a ghost.

Does this person look frightened at all???

But he couldn't care less about that now. Chen Yan'an was shaking wetly. "No, it can't be a water ghost. I heard that there are some water ghosts that can transform into beautiful women and lure people into the water, where they can never get out. Could it be that I'm being targeted by a water ghost?"

Qin Zhao: "..."

Chen Yanan didn't notice his expression suddenly becoming indescribable, and collapsed: "You have copied Buddhist scriptures before, please teach me, what should I do now!"

"..." Qin Zhao forcibly pulled away Chen Yan'an's hand that was holding his arm and said calmly, "Go home and fast for seven days, and recite scriptures for an hour every morning. Go."

"Will...will this work?" Chen Yan'an was skeptical. Seeing the other party's determined expression, he said, "I'll trust you this once, but please don't try to bluff me. If I get captured by a water ghost, you'll be the first one to be caught!"

He finished speaking tremblingly and ran away in a hurry.

Qin Zhao stood by the water in silence for a moment before he said, "Everyone's gone, why aren't you coming out yet?"

The little koi swam out from behind the reef.

He floated on the water, his tail raised high, looking up at Qin Zhao.

A smile appeared on Qin Zhao's lips: "Why, are you still waiting for me to praise you?"

Jing Li wagged his tail proudly.

He originally didn't want to do this, but who made that person speak so nasty words? Qin Zhao was just too good-tempered and didn't get angry, so he was bullied by these people.

Qin Zhao could endure it, but he was unwilling to.

Qin Zhao bent down and put his hand into the water. The little koi rubbed his fingers obediently.

"He may be small, but he has a big temper." Qin Zhao touched his head and whispered, "Thank you."

You're welcome.

Jing Li shook his fin at him.

"It's just..." Qin Zhao paused, as if hesitating for a moment, before saying, "Just scare him, but don't tease him again next time."

Jing Li stopped moving, feeling somewhat unhappy.

If I don't fight back, am I going to let that guy bully me?

Qin Zhao didn't explain any further. He put the wooden barrel into the water and let the little koi swim in.

He walked back holding the little koi.

"Yan'an is not a bad person. There are just some misunderstandings between him and me." Qin Zhao said slowly on the way back.

Jing Li snorted in his heart, sank to the bottom of the water with his back to Qin Zhao, and his tail swayed unhappily.

"Listen to me," Qin Zhao said. "Three years ago, I was stranded here, and it was Chen Yan'an who rescued me from the river. That young man saved my life."

Jing Li was stunned.

Qin Zhao: "At that time, I was seriously ill and bedridden. I was fortunate to have the Chen family take me in and take care of me. They later rented their old house to me, allowing me to stay in the village."

So that's how it is.

But why now...

"They're doing a great deed by taking in a stranger of unknown origin," Qin Zhao said. "Good deeds can last only a short time, but not forever. Ultimately, I was wrong in this matter."

The Chen family was considered well-off in Linxi Village, but they couldn't compare to the wealthy families in town. They rented their old house to Qin Zhao at a price far below the market price, which was a help to Qin Zhao but also an invisible loss to their own interests.

But in this world, life is not easy for ordinary people, and everyone has their own difficulties. Who would be willing to endlessly help an unidentified stranger?

Jing Li understood the implication of Qin Zhao's words and calmed down under the water.

Qin Zhao noticed the little koi's gaze and smiled softly. "Life can't always go smoothly, so I don't think there's anything shameful about asking for help. If someone is willing to treat me with kindness, I'm grateful and will definitely repay them in the future. But if they're unwilling, that's perfectly understandable, and I won't force it."

"How can I take the other party's kindness for granted?"

He spoke in a steady tone. Jing Li looked at him through the water. His handsome face was pale in the sunlight without a trace of blood.