The ground beneath me swayed gently, the quacking of wild ducks could be heard from not far away, and the reeds swayed in the wind.
Xihe slowly opened her eyes, and was instantly struck by pain, which made her tremble all over. She laughed out loud, she was not dead... She looked around. It was a simple black-sailed boat. The door was covered with a piece of cloth, and light leaked in from the gap.
"Come out when you wake up." A rough voice suddenly sounded, inexplicably familiar.
Xihe frowned slightly, supported himself with his hands, covered his chest, bent down and pulled open the curtain, his sight lit up.
The sky is blue, and the lake is shimmering in the sunshine. Flocks of wild ducks are swimming in the lake, and golden reeds are swaying in the wind. An old man in a straw raincoat is fishing at the bow of the boat, with two fish jumping in the fish cage at his feet.
The old man suddenly turned around and grinned at her: "My dear grandson, long time no see."
The old woman looked the same, with her gray hair casually gathered on top of her head, and a smile still lingering in her half-closed eyes, as if she was watching something amusing.
"Tsk tsk tsk, look at you now. I told you to take me with you. If I were here, maybe Shao Heng, the good grandson, wouldn't abandon you for my sake. Now you're so miserable~"
Xihe slowly moved over and sat down in front of her, gazing at the vast sky in the distance: "I didn't expect that it was you who saved me."
The old woman nodded repeatedly: "Yes, who else but me! My dear grandson, are you very touched? Then kowtow and acknowledge me as your grandmother. After I die, all my belongings will be yours."
Xihe chuckled and closed his eyes facing the breeze: "I'm afraid that if I call out, you won't dare to answer."
The breeze brought the aroma of rice, and smoke was rising from the distant villages. She had a faint smile on her lips and her face was peaceful, as if she was in a very safe place.
The old woman narrowed her eyes, and suddenly the fishing rod sank. She perked up and pulled it up hard, and a lively crucian carp jumped out of the water.
"Hey, we can have a fish feast tonight!"
-
At night, only a small oil lamp is left on the black-sailed boat, the stars in the sky are reflected on the lake, and the wind is blowing.
Xihe leaned against the boat, pain and cold invaded her, her body trembled unconsciously, and her face turned pale.
The old woman, wrapped in a thick cloak, said insincerely, "My dear grandson, bear with it. Tomorrow I'll go to the city and buy you a quilt. I guarantee you'll sleep warmly."
After saying that, he closed his eyes and began to snore without caring about his image, his snoring sounding like thunder.
Gouzi: "How about I go steal one?"
Xihe: “…No need.”
She closed her eyes, tried her best to ignore the discomfort, and slowly practiced the magic formula... The spiritual power circulated in her body, gathered in her dantian, and quickly dissipated.
Xihe sighed imperceptibly. Without Shaoheng's heart, she could practice, but this body was too weak. Once the spiritual power entered her tendons, veins and dantian, it was like it was leaking out and could not be retained at all. She could only barely repair the damage left by her use of strength that day.
'Falling leaves gather and scatter, jackdaws perch and are startled',
It is rare to have superb qualifications (spiritual roots) coupled with the worst physique (leaky body of a jackdaw).
Few people recognize this physique these days, and it's equally difficult to detect without practice. Everyone simply assumes this person is incredibly talented. In a previous life, the original owner accidentally dug out Shao Heng's dantian and forcibly replaced his tendons, possessing unparalleled talent and embarking on a path of cultivation.
But she doesn't plan to follow the original owner's old path. The path of cultivation will naturally be more difficult, but she will not give up easily.
Xihe calmed down and continued to gather her spiritual energy bit by bit, slowly repairing her damaged body - although the old woman saved her life, she did not completely cure her.
-
The next day, as the sun rose, the old woman stretched lazily and stood up: "Come on, I'll take you to the city!"
After getting off the boat and passing the nearest village, the old woman went in to exchange some white flour cakes and steamed corn bread. She gnawed on the white flour cake and said, "Old people are old and can only eat soft things like this. You are young and have good teeth, so you can eat this."
Xihe took it without any expression, as if she was biting into a hard rock. She simply put it down and stopped eating.
"Ah, what's wrong with you? This is not good. You're too spoiled. My darling grandson might be scared away by you. You have to learn to endure hardships. No, this is not hardship, this is experience."
He kept muttering to herself, and when he saw she was walking slowly, he kept urging her to go.
"Hurry up! At this rate, we won't be able to get into the city before dark, and you'll have to endure the cold tonight."
"My sweet grandson used to carry you everywhere, but now there's no one to carry you."
"Do you regret it..."
They entered the county town at noon. The old woman looked around happily and wanted to touch everything she saw.
Her hands were dark and dirty. Just as she was about to touch the prices, the vendor chased her away like a beggar: "Go away! Can you afford to pay for the damage?"
"Bah, I don't even want your rubbish!" The vendor was so angry that he wanted to hit her. The old woman took a sprint and ran away. "My dear grandson, come on, grandma will take you to eat something delicious!"
He happily took Xihe into a brothel?
Xihe stood still at the door. When the old woman noticed that no one was following her, she turned around and hurriedly pulled her over: "Hurry up, the food here is delicious, and there are also singing and dancing. I guarantee you will like it!"
He called the bartender at the door and helped her into the building.
Xihe: “…”
They had their meal on the second floor. Plate after plate of chicken, duck, fish and meat were served. The old woman ate while greeting Xihe.
Xihe moved her chopsticks casually a few times and looked downstairs. She didn't know where the old woman took her to, but in the small county town, practitioners could be seen everywhere on the streets, and the singing girls dancing downstairs all had cultivation skills.
She lowered her eyes, picked up the wine glass and took a sip, her eyes unclear.
Halfway through the meal, the old woman called for more wine, but no one answered. She slammed the table in anger and said, "These people really don't take me seriously! My dear grandson, keep eating. I'll go and urge them to eat."
The old woman rolled up her sleeves and pushed the door aggressively, but was suddenly stopped by Xihe.
"You will come back, right?" She raised her eyes, her dark eyes were bottomless.
The old woman was stunned for a moment, then waved her hand: "Of course! I'll be back as soon as I find the wine, my dear grandson, just wait patiently!"
"Then go ahead." Xihe retracted his gaze, "Don't take too long."
"Okay!"
Xihe ate slowly, for a stick of incense, half an hour... The door opened, and the madam came in with two pimps. They looked her up and down, very satisfied: "She is indeed a top-notch product!"
With a light laugh, the cup in Xihe's hand instantly burst. "I'll be sorry when we meet next time, Qingle."
The madam had seen many people like her before, so she waved her hand and ordered, "Take her away and teach her a lesson, don't get her dirty."
The joy on Turtle Gong's face disappeared, and he said with a little enthusiasm: "Yes."
(End of this chapter)
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