Chapter 187 Heavenly lightning struck down the divine tree
Even a young man could see it, so could Palon; he could see that his young apprentice was just saying that to amuse him.
The two of them bickered and teased each other until they reached Palon's house before stopping.
Qin Suisui waved her hand, panting heavily, "I can't run anymore, Master. I was wrong. You're not old. Look at your running speed, it's even better than mine, a young man."
Paron snorted coldly, threw away the withered wooden stick in his hand, pushed open the wooden door and entered the courtyard: "Get in here, your master is going to test you, see if your medical skills have improved recently!"
Qin Suisui's face immediately fell: "No way, Master, it's been so long since we last saw each other. Instead of showing concern for me, you immediately start testing me?"
Palon glared: "Then did you care about me? The first thing you did when we met was to say that your teacher is old!"
Qin Suisui stepped forward and massaged his shoulders: "Hehe, isn't this also a way of showing concern?"
Of course, she still had to undergo the necessary tests. Before Qin Suisui could even sit down properly, Palon took her into the inner room and tested her on everything he had taught her before, going over things that Palon hadn't taught her before, two or three times. He even went beyond the syllabus and tested her on things that Palon hadn't taught her before.
Fortunately, Qin Suisui was quick to understand and would actively ponder these things when she was idle at home, which is why she was not stumped by the test.
Palon was truly delighted, and the gloom on his face vanished completely.
He knew it! This brat is a rare chosen one, her talent in this area is even greater than his!
Alas! It's a pity she's not from their clan. Otherwise, I would have forced her to learn divination and snake exorcism as well, so she could become my successor!
But this is good too. He is content. At least the centuries-old Li medicine technique will not be lost, and it may even be improved to a higher level in her hands! Thinking of this, Palon became happy again.
When the master and apprentice came out of the inner room, Paron was overjoyed, as if he had found money, while Qin Suisui was dejected, as if she had been beaten up.
Pei Jiuyan came out of the kitchen to greet her and asked with concern, "What's wrong, wife? Did you fail your master's test?"
Qin Suisui shook her head, then looked up at him with grief and indignation: "No! It's because Master gave me so much homework!!"
Pei Jiuyan was taken aback, then couldn't help but laugh out loud. This little girl compared the task her master assigned to her to homework, but thinking about it... it really does seem a bit like that.
He knew how much Qin Suisui hated doing homework; she had complained to him about it more than once in letters when they were little.
Later, when he secretly went to see her, he discovered that the little girl was actually bribing her classmates with candy and pastries to have them do her homework for her.
That's not all. She even came up with a "writing contest with prizes." Anyone who wanted to help her with her homework had to pass her test. Despite this, quite a few students were still attracted by her candy and pastries and rushed to help her with her homework.
Pei Jiuyan suddenly thought of a saying: "The homework you didn't finish when you were a child, you have to make up for when you grow up."
But now, no one will help her with her "homework"!
He smiled and patted Qin Suisui's head: "It's okay, no rush, we'll take it slow."
Qin Suisui shook his head; he had no idea about the amount of homework his master had assigned!
Parman also came out of the kitchen carrying two plates of dishes. Qin Suisui was surprised: "Senior brother, you can cook? I remember you had a cook in your courtyard."
Parman nodded: "Ayan and I made this together. Master is used to living alone and doesn't like being served by outsiders. When I come over for a meal, I usually do the cooking."
Qin Suisui nodded thoughtfully.
Dinner was mountain rice, with reddish-brown grains and a coarser texture than white rice, but Qin Suisui found it to have a unique rice aroma.
Besides the mountain orchid rice, there was also a large bowl of smoked wild rabbit stewed with wild mushrooms, fish cooked with pickled bamboo shoots, and a cold salad of centella asiatica. I also peeled a small plate of crisp and tender banana hearts for her.
There weren't many kinds of dishes, but each dish was very large in portion. Qin Suisui's eyes widened: "How can you make so many? Aren't you going to eat them all?"
She knew that food was very precious in the tribe. For example, mountain rice was usually not steamed as plain rice, but steamed with sweet potatoes, cassava, etc., and mostly with more sweet potatoes and less rice.
Paron took a small sip of the mountain orchid wine: "You should have heard from your senior brother that we are considering relocation. There have been too many torrential rains in the wilderness forest recently. In the last flash flood, we lost more than twenty people from our tribe. Our tribe is not large to begin with, and we cannot withstand such natural disasters."
Qin Suisui paused in her chopsticks, glancing at her master's expression before cautiously speaking, "Master, would you consider taking our people to live on the edge of the wild forest? If you don't want to have contact with people, you can go a little further in from the edge, but at least not in these deep mountains. It's not only inconvenient to live there, but also extremely dangerous."
Palona glared at her: "What do you know? This is a custom that has been passed down in our tribe for hundreds of years. How can it be broken because of this little setback!"
Qin Suisui sighed. She knew it would be difficult to persuade them to leave, but she hadn't expected her master to be so resistant.
Indeed, the Snake Witch Tribe has lived in seclusion in the deep mountains for hundreds of years. Seclusion has become an ingrained belief in their bones. It is indeed difficult for people to accept that they should suddenly come out of the deep mountains.
She can understand.
Seeing that the atmosphere had become slightly tense, Pei Jiuyan quickly raised the bottle of Shanlan wine in his hand and nudged Qin Suisui: "Wife, didn't you say you were going to give Master a belated apprenticeship gift this time?"
"Oh right! I almost forgot about that!" Qin Suisui quickly put down her chopsticks, stood up, ran to the basket they had brought, and took out the six gifts for the apprenticeship ceremony that she had prepared in advance. Then she poured a cup of wine from the pot of sweet rice wine she had brought with her.
"Master, I don't have any Shanlan wine, so I'll use my own homemade sweet rice wine instead. Shanlan wine has an alcohol content, so I dare not drink it. I'll use sweet rice wine in place of Shanlan wine to toast you again!"
After she finished speaking, she drank the sweet rice wine in her cup in one gulp, then knelt down and kowtowed three times firmly to Palon.
"A teacher for a day is a father for life. I will be as filial to you as my senior brother, support you, take care of you in your old age, share your burdens, and treat the affairs of the tribe as my own!"
Palon's eyes reddened, and he quickly stood up to help her up: "You silly girl, didn't you kowtow last time? Our ceremony was complete last time, and Master said we didn't need to make up for these things. Why are you so sincere? Your head is all red from kowtowing!"
Qin Suisui shook her head: "That won't do! My master must have everything that other masters have!"
Pei Jiuyan, standing to the side, raised an eyebrow. Why did those words sound so familiar?
Unaware of Pei Jiuyan's inner thoughts, Qin Suisui poured herself another cup of sweet rice wine, walked to Paman's side, and bowed slightly to him:
"Senior brother, let me also raise a toast to you! Thank you for your care and protection. From now on, we are like brother and sister. I will definitely study hard, inherit Master's mantle, and share your burdens!"
When Paman heard the words "brother and sister," his eyes darkened, but remembering what his master had said earlier, he smiled at Qin Suisui and downed his drink in one gulp.
Master once said that according to the rules of their tribe, Qin Suisui was to marry him. She was loyal to him, and he would protect her, just like all couples in the tribe. Only through loyalty and protection could the tribe have a bright future.
However, Qin Suisui is not one of their clansmen, so they cannot follow this rule. Moreover, she is already married, so they cannot break up someone else's marriage.
But his master reminded him that he must not forget his identity and his duty. Even though she was not his wife, he still had to fulfill his responsibilities and protect her with his life, no matter when or where, until the day they both died. This was a vow that his people had made before the serpent spirit since birth, a vow that could not be broken, nor could it be broken.
This is why Palon was not shocked or disappointed when he heard Qin Suisui relay his brother Huang Weimin's words, because he already had the answer in his heart.
The people of the Snake Witch Tribe either never have a thought, or once they do, it's for life, especially the men, who will dedicate their entire lives to protecting their loved ones.
This is also why Huang Weimin was willing to leave his tribe to stay with Zhang Hongmei, a Han Chinese.
Qin Suisui was unaware of this; she was still showing Paman and Palon the things she had brought with her.
She brought mostly daily necessities, as well as some commonly used medicines she had taken from her spatial storage. Palon looked at these things, becoming more and more satisfied and amazed. She hadn't realized the Han people had so many good things! They were truly convenient!
That night, they went back to Parman's house to sleep, because Parman's small courtyard didn't have any extra rooms. He had been used to living alone for many years and never expected to take in Qin Suisui, such a good disciple, in his old age.
The room they slept in was the same one they had shared with Jia Zhenzhen last time. Perhaps because she had become Palon's apprentice, she had the mark of the tribe on her body. This time, no random snakes slithered over to watch them sleep.
Moreover, with Pei Jiuyan by her side this time, Qin Suisui felt exceptionally safe and slept very soundly.
In the middle of the night, Qin Suisui vaguely heard it sounding like it was raining outside. She mumbled something, turned over, and went back to sleep.
She didn't know how long she had been asleep when a loud "boom" suddenly came from outside, startling Qin Suisui so much that she sat up abruptly.
Pei Jiuyan quickly got up and pulled her into his arms, patting her gently: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, it's just thunder. It must have knocked down the trees outside. Don't be scared, I'll go out and take a look."
Qin Suisui felt a little uneasy, so she quickly got up and followed him out of bed: "I'll go with you."
Before the two had even stepped out of the room, they heard the cries of a woman and the shouts of men outside. Paman rushed in from outside, and as soon as he saw them, before Qin Suisui could even ask, he blurted out, "The heavenly lightning struck down the sacred tree!"
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