Worry-Free Town.
A small town in the mortal world.
It's not exactly bustling, but it's lively and full of life.
"Selling candied hawthorns! Big, round candied hawthorns, not sweet, only three coins a skewer!"
"Tofu for sale! Pure white and tender tofu, feel it and see if you like it, you can have some!"
"Watermelons for sale! Watermelons for sale!"
"Chickens for sale! Cluck cluck cluck~, live, fresh hens!"
“..........”
Along a street more than 500 meters long, restaurants and shops line both sides, pedestrians come and go in an endless stream, and the shouts of vendors rise and fall.
After descending the mountain, Yi Cheng and her group arrived here as their first stop.
"Sister Yicheng, this is a place I've been before."
The Fiery Toad led the way, enthusiastically recounting his past experiences in the mortal realm to Yi Cheng.
"Sister Yicheng, I applied for a job at a restaurant on this street before, but I didn't get the job."
The moment the shopkeeper saw me, he burst into tears. He stuffed lots and lots of food into my arms and said that my appearance was astonishing, that I was born of a king or general, and that I should leave quickly and go to the capital to find my own opportunity.
Sister Yicheng, I'll take you to that restaurant for dinner later!
"Let me tell you, that restaurant's golden pastry and 'ants climbing a tree' (a spicy Sichuan dish) are absolutely delicious."
The Flaming Toad was explaining things from the front.
Yi Cheng followed behind, his small eyes darting absently at the dazzling array of food on both sides of the street, his mouth practically watering.
Slurp~
Yi Cheng turned around, grabbed Little Fatty's bib to wipe his drool, and then pushed Little Fatty's belly, saying:
"Little Fatty, go buy the goose two skewers of candied hawthorn!"
"OK. "
Little Fatty raised his head, immediately took out the wishing bead to make a wish, and soon had two strings of candied hawthorns in his hand.
"Hehehe, Yicheng, aren't I smart!"
Little Fatty shook the candied hawthorns in his hand and handed one to Yicheng.
"Hmm, smart."
Yi Cheng nodded, took the candied hawthorn, and happily licked it.
"Squeak, Fatty, I want one too!"
Black Rabbit hopped around, and Little Fatty made him another string of them.
Seeing this, Da Mei took out a silver coin and put it into the peddler's pocket.
"Little conch shell, blowing nonsense~, the seagulls hear it, and fly away nonsense~"
Just then, several children came skipping and hopping over, humming a lullaby. The older child in the lead held a small white conch shell in his hand and blew on it, making the little ones burst into joyful laughter.
"Brother, look! This little sister is so pretty!"
At this moment, a little boy, about the same height as Little Fatty, with a simple and honest look and a runny nose, was hopping and skipping behind a few slightly older children. But when he passed by Yi Cheng and the others, he suddenly stopped and stared blankly at Little Fatty in the group with his big, simple-minded eyes.
Looking at the chubby little face, the little guy couldn't help but hug him and want to kiss him.
Little Fatty was startled and stood there dumbfounded.
Seeing this, Da Mei quickly pushed the little boy aside, stood in front of her younger sister, and scolded her with a frown on her delicate face:
"What's wrong with you, little one? Why are you kissing everyone you see?"
"Little brother, little brother, what are you doing!"
At this moment, the little boy at the front of the line, who looked about the same height as Yi Cheng but slightly shorter than Da Mei, ran over, hugged his younger brother, and kept apologizing to Da Mei.
But when he saw Da Mei's appearance, he froze on the spot, his face turned red, and his heart pounded wildly.
This girl is so pretty!
He had never seen such a beautiful young lady in town.
The little boy's eyes were clear, filled with the enthusiasm of all teenagers.
"Sister... Sister, hello. I... I... My name is Shen Yi, and this is my younger brother. His... his name is Shen Lang."
The little boy stammered.
Then, getting more and more anxious, he bowed deeply to Da Mei.
"Sister, I'm sorry. My brother was reckless. I apologize on his behalf."
Seeing how sincere the man was, Da Mei waved her hand generously and said, "It's alright, it's alright. Just be careful next time; little boys shouldn't kiss little girls so casually."
"Yes, don't worry, sister, I'll definitely be careful."
The little boy hugged his younger brother and ran away immediately.
He had only run two steps when he tripped over his own feet and fell. He glanced back, then hurriedly got up and ran away.
"Brother Chenyi, wait for us!"
A group of little ones chased after them, babbling and singing the same lullaby they had just heard.
"Little conch shell, blowing nonsense~, the seagulls hear it, and fly away nonsense~"
——
"Hehehe, sister, look! That person is so silly, they actually tripped over themselves!"
The chubby boy pointed at the little boy in front of him and laughed loudly, "And that little snotty-nosed brat, he looks so silly."
Da Mei glanced at Xiao Pang and rolled her eyes.
Sister, save your breath. You're so stupid yourself, yet you have the nerve to laugh at others.
"Little sister, what happened to you just now? That little boy tried to kiss you, why didn't you dodge?"
Da Mei said solemnly with a stern face.
She felt she had to teach her sister about the differences between men and women.
"Huh? Sister, I was stunned."
Little Fatty scratched his head.
Da Mei crouched down and explained softly, "Little sister, you need to know that you're a girl, and you can't just let boys kiss you, understand?"
"Oh!" Little Fatty responded, then blinked his big eyes and asked, "Then, sister, why does Master always kiss me?"
"The master is different."
"Ah! Isn't Master a boy?"
“..............”
"Da Mei, Yi Cheng, look! We're almost there, the inn is just ahead!"
The fiery toad led the way, howling and gesturing with a sense of joy at seeing familiar surroundings. As soon as the others heard that it was time to eat, they immediately swarmed off.
——
At this moment, in an alley in the distance.
Under an old locust tree.
A slug and a slightly older boy were squatting under the tree.
"Brother, that little girl was so cute!"
The little slug said in a simple and honest way.
The older boy nodded.
"Mmm, that girl is so pretty!"
Just then, one of the boys ran over and squatted down next to the older boy, saying, "Brother Chenyi, I found out, those people call that pretty girl 'Da Mei' (Big Beauty)."
"Da Mei! What a beautiful name."
The older boy nodded.
"Brother Chenyi, you're the best student around here. If you say this name is beautiful, then she must be very beautiful."
"Tie Dan, this little conch shell will be delivered to you next week."
The older boy took a small seashell out of his pocket and handed it to his friend.
"Thank you, Brother Chenyi."
The little guy carefully cradled it like a precious treasure.
This is their gang's most prized possession.
"Brother, that older sister's name is Da Mei, so is that little sister's name Xiao Mei?"
At this moment, the snotty little boy looked at his older brother again, staring wide-eyed with his big, innocent eyes, and asked.
"Yes, that should be it."
The older boy nodded.
Then, somewhat like an adult, he sighed with a sorrowful expression.
"Sigh... I've never seen this young lady before. She must be from outside town, just passing through. And she's so beautiful, with over twenty strangely shaped, menacing-looking bodyguards by her side. She's obviously from a wealthy family, definitely not someone a poor, small-town person like me could even dream of."
"Brother Chenyi, don't be discouraged. I heard from Mother that after a while, immortals will come to the town to select those with a destiny to cultivate in the legendary immortal realm. Brother Chenyi, you're so smart, you'll definitely be chosen by the immortals. Then you'll be a disciple of the immortals, and maybe you'll even get to see that pretty young lady again."
"Yes, I'm going to cultivate immortality!"
The young boy gazed at the sky, his eyes suddenly burning with an unprecedented intensity.
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