Chapter 12 012: Finding a Place to Stay
Wisps of smoke could be faintly seen rising from the end of the path.
The weary figures from the busy fields began to pack up their farm tools and head home one after another.
Two handsome brothers arrived in Qianjia Village.
One person walked ahead, while the other rode a snow-white mule that was nearly as tall as a person.
That mule was truly beautiful, without a single stray hair on its body, and a valuable red-gold bell hung around its neck, its clear tinkling sound audible with every step it took.
The two attracted the attention of the farmers as soon as they appeared.
The older one, dressed in a dark blue robe, with a headscarf and wooden clogs, was slender and wore a scholar's signature pendant at his waist; he was likely a young scholar traveling for his studies. The younger one looked to be eleven or twelve years old; his appearance was different from the older one, but he was still a handsome young man with red lips, white teeth, and deep-set features.
He probably had some foreign ancestry, as his features were more defined than most people's. At first glance, you might mistake him for a beautiful young woman, but upon hearing the address "young man," you realize he is actually a young gentleman.
"My humble abode is simple and unassuming; please make do with it for the night, gentlemen."
Muramasa led the two into a side room.
Qianjia Village is a small village with fewer than 100 households. The most respectable and clean house in the village belongs to the village head.
When he heard that the two young men wanted to stay at his home, he warmly invited them to stay there and even had his wife clean up the side room.
Qi Shan took out a piece of silver and handed it to the village head, asking them to prepare a few days' worth of dry rations for him, and to boil a pot of hot water for his bath, with the rest as a token of his gratitude. The village head smiled and weighed the silver in his hand, then quickly said it was no trouble at all. Before leaving, he asked if he wanted some fresh grass for the mule.
Upon hearing Muramasa mention the mule, Qishan's expression became slightly unnatural for a moment: "No need, that mule is not a living creature, it is a creation of my younger brother's spirit."
Muramasa understood immediately, and his expression became even more respectful.
Ding-a-ling—
The familiar sound of bells drew near.
Qi Shan opened the window to let the stale air out of the room, and when she looked up, she saw Shen Tang leading a mule with one hand and teasing it with a handful of grass in the other.
They could vaguely hear Young Master Shen whispering to the mule.
"Motorcycle, why aren't you eating? Just have a bite, I picked it especially for you..."
Qi Shan: "..."
Speaking of this mule named "Motor", he had a strange feeling of being unable to catch his breath.
No one expected that a strange incantation—"Swift as the wind, Da Yun Motorcycle"—could actually conjure a snow-white mule!
Young Master Shen happily rode on.
"Mr. Qi, would you like to get one too?"
Qi Shan resolutely refused.
Even if he didn't know how to use that incantation, and even if he could and succeeded, the effect might not be the same as that of Young Master Shen.
Most importantly—
No matter how handsome a mule is, it's still just a mule; he won't ride it!
"Want to ride together?" Shen Tang raised her hand to shield her eyes from the glaring sun, offering another suggestion.
Qi Shan refused again.
He would rather walk until his legs break than ride that stupid-looking mule.
Shen Tang shrugged, not forcing the issue.
With a low-spec sports car (a mule) for transportation, her feet were finally freed. Passing by an unnamed tree that looked like a banana tree, she bent over on the mule's back and reached out to break off two leaves.
He carried a piece of cloth on his shoulder to shield himself from the sun.
A piece of paper was handed out and placed over Qi Shan's head.
"Mr. Qi!"
With the sunlight overhead blocked, Qi Shan turned her head upon hearing this.
Shen Tang tossed the leaf to him.
"then!"
Seeing Shen Tang's posture of shielding herself from the sun, he smiled helplessly.
"What hardship should a true man fear?"
“I’m not afraid, but as the old saying goes, fair skin covers a hundred flaws.” Shen Tang adjusted the angle of the large leaf, carried it, and laughed, “A tan will make your skin tone uneven and detract from your beauty.”
Qi Shan: "..."
The two traveled for several hours before they saw signs of human habitation.
Years of drought and war had reduced Qianjia Village to a few households. The entire village was devoid of young faces, only elderly people and naive young children. The sudden arrival of two unfamiliar faces sent word that the news flew from one end of the village to the other, and mischievous children were frequently seen peering into the village head's house.
Qi Shan went to see the village head for something, and when she returned, she heard Shen Tang laughing and playing with several mischievous children.
The two sides are "fighting".
A young boy, dressed in clothes washed until they were almost white, rode on the back of a snow-white mule, holding a withered tree branch as a spear, looking quite menacing. Young Master Shen, on the other hand, stood on foot, holding a stick to meet the enemy.
The two exchanged blows, locked in a fierce and continuous battle. The other children, acting as "soldiers," watched the fight intently from the sidelines, occasionally clapping and shouting, "General, you're awesome!"
Qi Shan: "..."
At first, I thought Shen Tang was just being playful—after all, young master Shen was only eleven or twelve years old, and even though he had suffered the hardship of being exiled, he was still mischievous and restless at heart—but after watching for a while, I realized that the strange little boy was also quite interesting.
He asked the village head, "What's this child's name? Which family in the village does he belong to?"
Muramasa replied, "He's not a child from the village."
"no?"
Muramasa sighed, "I heard he's from a wealthy family, but he's had a terrible illness since he was little and lives in a nearby estate to recuperate. But 'recuperate' is a euphemism; he's been abandoned. The servants don't take good care of him, so he's quite pitiful. He often sneaks out to play with the village children..."
He would usually play around until dark before the servants of the estate would come to take him back.
Qi Shan's curiosity was piqued.
"A serious illness? Where is the illness located?"
Muramasa glanced at the child's beaming face, then carefully pointed to his own head and said, "I heard it's a brain disease."
To put it bluntly, he's just an idiot.
Qi Shan was slightly surprised and was about to speak when she heard several children burst into loud cheers.
It turned out that the child had feinted with a gun, "tricking" Shen Tang into actually stabbing the "lord" she was protecting.
Without arguing or being biased, he hit the "lord" right on the forehead.
He won according to the rules of the game.
Seeing his "lord who has died," Shen Tang could only "helplessly" shrug and "surrender" by dropping his weapon.
"Sigh, I lost."
The winner gets the loot.
The so-called spoils were maltose candies the size of a thumb.
She opened the pouch at her waist, took out a handful of malt candies she had made out of boredom, and distributed one to each person as a "reward for the army." The "commander-in-chief" who had made great contributions—the child who rode a mule steadily and wielded a spear with great flair—received three candies.
The other children eagerly put the candy into their mouths, but that child didn't; he just held the candy blankly, not knowing how to eat it.
This dazed and foolish appearance is completely different from his spirited demeanor when he was riding on the back of a mule "fighting".
Aren't you going to eat?
Shen Tang squatted down and asked the child.
The child shook his head. He hesitated for a moment, looking at the candy in his hand, then picked up one and handed it to Shen Tang.
He stared intently at her, as if expecting something.
"You'll feed me?"
"Yes, eat," the child said.
Shen Tang didn't mind that the child's hands were dirty. She opened her mouth and ate the candy he offered, her eyes crinkling with a smile.
"Wow, it's so sweet! Want to try some?"
Seeing this, the child bent down, picked up another one, and put it in his mouth.
The last one was placed back into the faded pouch at the waist.
The pouch was heavy.
Taking advantage of her vantage point, Shen Tang could vaguely see that inside was an exquisite jade disc with a tiger's head, and the disc was engraved with small seal characters.
The other children went home satisfied, but the child whose clothes had faded from washing stayed behind and was led by the village head to wait in the main house.
Summer weather is extremely unpredictable; not long after it got dark, a torrential downpour poured down from the dark sky.
Lightning flashed and thunder roared, and the wind howled.
Shen Tang was studying late into the night, frantically memorizing the power of words.
Just then, someone banged on the door.
_(:з」∠)_ I'm sorry, I'm having writer's block again.
This chapter is from the 25th.
Because my new book was featured on the splash screen, there will be two updates during the day on the 26th.
In addition to the regular updates, there's also an extra chapter from the previous update featuring the adorable girl.
(End of this chapter)
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