Chapter 100, "Master"...
"Master," Pingyu grasped the hand the Taoist pointed to, his voice filled with genuine emotion, "Please don't kill me."
She only received the textbook today after practicing Qi cultivation yesterday. Isn't it a bit much to expect someone to solo a dungeon like this? This isn't how a practical approach works! Lu Ya Daoist withdrew his hand, smiling, and said, "No, it won't. Didn't Nezha forge flying knives for you? I'll teach you a set of incantations to control them, guaranteeing you a fighting chance against anyone with even a little bit of skill."
The master and disciple faced off in silence, ultimately losing because Pingyu was too proud to admit defeat. Having said all that, she couldn't argue further and could only grit her teeth and ask, "May I ask, Master, what is the incantation?"
The Taoist priest then took out a small, exquisite red gourd from his robes and whispered in the girl's ear, "Do this, do that, do that!"
Pingyu's complexion changed from green to red, then from red to yellow, a colorful and wonderful sight.
.
The campfire died down, and the animal bones and rabbit skins scattered on the ground were covered in ashes. Soon after, several young wolf cubs divided and carried them away. The animals that had been born and raised in this forest returned to the forest at the end of their lives.
The girl, carrying a bundle almost half her body size, stood disheveled in the wind in front of the village archway as the sun set.
The Taoist patted her head and said, "Grandma, it's hard to reattach a broken arm or leg. Try your best to come back as whole as possible!"
Pingyu: Can't you wish me something good?
The girl remained silent, while Lu Ya continued his rambling: "You must meditate for at least the time it takes for an incense stick to burn every day, and you must learn at least three talismans from the complete talisman manual that Master Taiyi gave you each day. There's not much to explain about those; just remember their effects and draw them accordingly. I'll check them when you get back! Also, I put a short sword martial arts manual in your bracelet; practice it yourself..."
He was like a teacher urging a child to finish their summer homework. His words contained no concern, only plans for his apprentice's future. Pingyu, who had been listening at first, gradually began to drift off. Her gaze shifted, noticing several figures slowly emerging from under a tree at the village entrance. Farmers toiled during the day and rested at night. It wouldn't be easy for her, as a child, to gather information; her first priority was to blend in. Pingyu's eyes lit up, and an idea immediately formed in her mind.
Suddenly, she lunged forward and hugged Lu Ya's leg.
Lu Ya nearly threw her off, instinctively shutting up. As he looked down, Ping Yu happened to be looking up, and the girl grinned at the Taoist priest.
"hey-hey."
The next second, she closed her eyes, pouted, and wailed, "Grandpa, please don't abandon me!!!"
It was a deafening roar, with thunder shaking the earth and mountains, but it was all thunder and no rain.
Lu Ya felt a chill run down his spine as footsteps approached. Wherever there was activity, there were always people; in the blink of an eye, the master and apprentice were surrounded by villagers. People living in the same area all knew each other, and upon seeing the two unfamiliar faces, they asked, "Uncle, what are you doing?"
Lu Ya instantly understood Ping Yu's meaning. He smiled ingratiatingly and said, "We're out of food at home, so I brought this out to exchange for some silver to help my pregnant granddaughter-in-law get some nourishment. Do you want some?"
It was unclear when the man had secretly hidden a handful of dirt in his hand, but after speaking, he wiped Pingyu's face with it. When he stepped aside, the once delicate and beautiful child was now covered in dirt. Pingyu's hair was disheveled, and she carried a bundle on her back. She was in poor health and was already smaller than other children her age; now, covered in mud and dirt, she looked pitiful. In this world, selling or even eating children was common, but it was rarely discussed openly. The villagers chattered amongst themselves, saying that with war and high taxes, every household had no surplus food; how could they raise a child so easily?
The advantage of being a child is that the more hysterical you scream, the more upset the adults feel. Pingyu's voice was almost hoarse; she covered her face and trembled as she peeked through her fingers. In the swarming crowd, most people were discussing and pointing fingers, while a few others had their eyes darting around, seemingly plotting something.
It seemed like an ordinary village, with nothing particularly remarkable about it.
Just as she was about to look away, she suddenly caught sight of a face that stood out from the crowd. The person's figure disappeared and reappeared in the crowd, embodying the meaning of "indecisiveness."
A short while later, the man stepped forward.
Pingyu observed her; the woman who stepped out from the crowd appeared to be in her forties. She had thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a few freckles on her sallow face. The woman's large face, large eyes, and large mouth gave her an air of generosity and kindness.
She was dressed more respectably than those around her, yet her movements seemed awkward. After wiping her hands back and forth on her apron a couple of times, the woman said, "Give me this child."
Instantly, the noisy crowd fell silent.
The villagers all turned their gazes toward her, their eyes shifting strangely between the woman and Pingyu.
Suddenly, an old woman with no teeth said, "You're getting a wife for your little Di? This must be a child bride."
"Ah, um..." The woman's eyes flickered, and she pulled a purse from her sleeve: "How much do you want?"
She seemed to want to avoid trouble, and spoke rapidly.
Ping Yu was naturally sensitive, her perception of kindness and malice as acute as her ability to smell the air. Yet, the woman's temperament lay somewhere in between, complex and contradictory. She hadn't yet studied physiognomy, and subconsciously glanced at her master. Lu Ya casually gave a number, secretly making a "flipping through a book" gesture towards Ping Yu.
He mouthed a few words, and Pingyu recognized them:
Learn by watching it yourself.
Cash on delivery. Lu Ya slipped away quickly, disappearing as soon as he got the money. Ping Yu, who had just been struggling to sell, was suddenly shoved in front of the woman. She looked at the woman, trying to appear bewildered, and cautiously called out, "Auntie..."
As soon as the Taoist priest left, the villagers around started gossiping again. They said to Pingyu, "Don't worry, Wang Xu's family is the richest farmers in our village. Her husband is a great worker, and her daughter is an excellent seamstress. They eat eggs every meal, so they'll definitely raise you to be a plump little chick. You're really living the good life now that you're married into their family!"
The adults offered words of congratulations, but their expressions betrayed a hint of schadenfreude. Contrary to the goodwill and praise in their words, almost everyone looked at Pingyu with pity.
Strangely enough, Pingyu remembered all those expressions. Wang Xushi stepped forward, blocking all those gazes from her.
She said hesitantly, "What nonsense are you spouting!"
Pingyu could tell that Wang Xushi didn't want to start a war of words either.
After saying that, she took the girl's hand:
"Let's go home."
Pingyu let her lead her, and she looked at Wang Xushi's face from the side: the woman looked tense, her face as taut as a stretched bamboo strip.
They say your appearance reflects your heart, and it's clear she not only looks down-to-earth but also seems rather dull-witted. Pingyu followed Wang Xushi for a while, and when the villagers returned to the banyan tree at the village entrance, she asked at the opportune moment, "Auntie, did you buy me to have a maid?"
“No,” Wang Xu said good-naturedly, “I want you to be the village’s daughter-in-law.”
As they spoke, the woman led the girl through a maze of turns, finally arriving at the front of a fairly imposing house. While it couldn't compare to the Lin family mansion or the Ba Lai residence, it was still a mansion, built of earth and wood, and compared to the thatched huts nearby, it was quite luxurious. Wang Xushi effortlessly pushed open the door, revealing a heavily pregnant young woman reclining in a rocking chair in the courtyard behind it. She moved languidly, casually grabbing a few ears of corn to feed the free-range hens.
The young woman looked up when she heard the noise at the door and saw her mother with the little "dirty potato." She made to stand up, but Wang Xu stopped her first: "Don't move!" The woman carefully helped the other woman up and beckoned Pingyu over.
She said, "This is your sister Tao Tao."
Pingyu obediently greeted her, "Hello, Sister Taotao."
"Good girl~", Wang Tao, who was pregnant, touched the girl's soft face and asked, "Why did you come to my house, little sister?"
Pingyu sniffled, then replied sadly, "My family didn't have enough food, so my grandfather sold me. It was my aunt who said I could be a 'village wife,' which is why she bought me!"
She was forthcoming with information, even fabricating stories based on inside information when she didn't know. Wang Tao's initially cheerful expression darkened as she listened. Finally, when she learned that her mother had specifically bought someone to be a daughter-in-law for the family, she jumped to her feet. Ping Yu noticed her sudden change in expression and her heart skipped a beat.
Wang Tao stroked her belly a few times, and at the same time, an unbelievable thought flashed through Ping Yu's mind: Could it be that I am going to be the wife of an unborn child?
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