Chapter 268 World Eleven (Nine)
The villagers only needed to take a look at the hem of Baoshan's dress to compare the colors of this palm-sized piece of cloth.
Seeing the treasured fan, draped in You Dongjun's daoist robes, as if to conceal it, clearly revealed that You Dongjun's claim that it was his was a lie. If it were the treasured fan that lied, the villagers could have relied on their elder status to investigate. But it was You Dongjun who intervened, perhaps still stained with the warm blood of the demon Qianfeng, before it turned to ash. The villagers, knowing the truth was not what You Dongjun claimed, did not dare to pursue the matter.
The monster that had been harming the village has been eliminated, and peace and tranquility have returned to the village.
They no longer had to rack their brains, thinking about what good things to offer to the mountain god, or what kind of woman to choose to please him. Freed from the constraints of the mountain god, the villagers should have been happy and their lives would have become more prosperous.
But the villagers looked depressed. They hesitated for a long time and still did not take the statue of the mountain god down from the tribute platform.
Gu Xiaoxiao was puzzled, and the villagers simply explained, "We're worshipping the mountain god, not the monster. The monster has been eliminated, but there may still be mountain gods in the mountains. We'll worship this statue as the real mountain god, so that everyone in the village can have enough food and clothing."
Gu Xiaoxiao didn't understand. She was born into a wealthy family and had never experienced hunger, cold, or poverty. Even when she ran away from home secretly, she had already prepared a large sum of money in advance. During this journey, she had not suffered any injustice.
The only thing that made her feel uncomfortable was the village backed by the mountains.
Not only is the place poor, but even with money you can't buy edible food.
What made Gu Xiaoxiao feel even more uncomfortable was the relationship between You Dongjun and Baoshan.
Gu Xiaoxiao wasn't sure how she felt about the little Taoist priest.
But she didn't feel depressed when she saw You Dongjun interacting with other girls in the village.
Only the treasure fan made Gu Xiaoxiao feel like a thorn in her throat, even though the treasure fan and You Dongjun kept a distance from each other.
Gu Xiaoxiao thought that perhaps it was because Baoshan was beautiful, unlike an ordinary village girl, which made her suspicious that the young Taoist priest would not be able to resist such beauty and would be moved by her.
Gu Xiaoxiao thought, You Dongjun still has a great path to pursue, how could he indulge in the pleasures of men and women.
But Gu Xiaoxiao thought that she and the little Taoist priest would soon leave the village.
No matter what happened to the precious fan, it had nothing to do with them from now on.
You Dongjun probably won't come back to such a secluded and backward village where the villagers are extremely ignorant.
On the day of leaving the village, Gu Xiaoxiao's eyes and brows were filled with unconcealable joy.
Gu Xiaoxiao woke up at daybreak. After a short rest, she came to You Dongjun's yard to find him and leave the village together.
But in the empty yard, Gu Xiaoxiao saw the treasure fan.
Bao Shan frowned slightly. She saw Gu Xiaoxiao and called out softly, "Miss Gu."
Gu Xiaoxiao said loudly: "Are you here to look for the little Taoist priest?"
Baoshan shook his head and nodded slightly.
Gu Xiaoxiao was confused and was about to ask more when she saw You Dongjun open the door. You Dongjun's hair was half tied up, half loose. He wore a wooden crown, though not as precious and exquisite as a jade crown. However, his handsome features made the crown seem more than ordinary.
The half of her hair that was not gathered up was gently draped over her shoulders.
You Dongjun nodded towards Gu Xiaoxiao, who hurried forward to meet him.
But You Dongjun withdrew his gaze and turned to look at the treasure fan.
His voice was cold, like the thin snow that fluttered down on the branches in early winter, bringing with it a chill, yet also retaining the lingering warmth of autumn.
"Is it ready?"
Baoshan responded softly.
She lowered her head slightly, then raised it timidly, her beautiful eyes trembling as she looked at You Dongjun: "Master, are you really willing to take me away from here?"
You Dongjun frowned: "Why would I tell a lie?"
Gu Xiaoxiao's eyes widened in disbelief. She subconsciously raised her voice and asked You Dongjun, "She—is going to leave with us?"
You Dongjun nodded in acknowledgment.
Gu Xiaoxiao frowned, her tone full of questioning: "When did this happen? How come I don't know about it? Since she wants to go with you and me, she should naturally let me know.
Now that I am about to leave, you suddenly bring up this matter, it is a bit…"
It's too sudden.
Gu Xiaoxiao's good mood, which was about to leave the village, disappeared in an instant.
Facing Gu Xiaoxiao's repeated questioning, You Dongjun remained calm. He simply said, "You are traveling with me, so there is no need for me to discuss this with you."
You Dongjun's way of thinking about problems seems particularly simple and direct.
In his opinion, the treasure fan was walking side by side with him, so only his consent was needed, so why should he seek the opinions of others.
As for Gu Xiaoxiao, You Dongjun only escorted her home on behalf of others.
The relationship between the two is just about protection and being protected, not about walking together.
You Dongjun decided to take the treasure fan away because the treasure fan returned to the village from the monster's cave wearing a Taoist robe.
The rumors did not stop as You Dongjun had guessed.
The villagers were talking about it, some saying that the treasure fan was ruined by the monster, while others saying that the monster did not have time to touch the treasure fan before it was rescued by You Dongjun who came in a hurry.
Although You Dongjun saved Baoshan, he saw that Baoshan's clothes were in disarray, and the two became close.
Therefore, the young Taoist priest who was indifferent to everyone was willing to give his Taoist robe to Bao Shan. Many people believed in the latter.
Zhou's parents took this opportunity to take the precious fan and leave the thatched cottage.
They said Baoshan had lost her innocence, and only her family was willing to take her in. But Baoshan was ungrateful and refused to leave. Zhou's parents ordered their family to move the few belongings from the thatched cottage.
When You Dongjun appeared, Brother Zhou's shoes were stepping on the small flower patch in the yard.
The petals were trampled mercilessly, crushing them to death. Brother Zhou stretched out his arm to pull the precious fan.
"Sister, be obedient. Although that young Taoist priest has some skills, what can you get in return if you give him your body?
Not to mention gold, silver, or jewelry, he hasn't even said a single kind word to you. The villagers are laughing at your situation. But you and I are siblings, so naturally I won't be like them.
As long as you come home obediently, I will definitely find you a good family. When you marry into that family, you won’t have to worry about food and drink, and you can also help our family.”
Baoshan's voice trembled, but she still wanted to clarify her and You Dongjun's innocence.
"Brother, be careful with your words. My reputation has been ruined since the day I married the mountain god. But the Taoist priest... he is upright and has put so much effort into exorcising demons. How could you slander him like this, brother?"
Brother Zhou spat lightly, obviously having been resentful of You Dongjun's behavior for a long time.
Brother Zhou has high expectations but lacks the skills, yet he has set his sights on the most hardworking and capable girl in the village.
The woman had always looked down on Brother Zhou, and after You Dongjun came, she felt that Brother Zhou was even more unbearable.
But when Brother Zhou's marriage proposal was rejected, he took out his anger on You Dongjun, a young Taoist priest who was younger than him but more famous than him.
"What hard work and great merit? I see that the young Taoist priest used most of his strength on you.
The whole village has heard that when you came down the mountain, you were wearing his Taoist robe. I'm afraid that the little Taoist priest loved you all over, so you used the wide robe to cover it up."
As soon as Brother Zhou finished speaking, a bright yellow talisman wrapped around his body.
The talisman seemed to move, drifting left and right, and wherever it landed, it caused an unbearable itching.
Brother Zhou scratched himself all over, with three or five bloody marks on his face, but he still couldn't find the talisman that caused the chaos.
You Dongjun walked over to Baoshan. Brother Zhou had pulled Baoshan's sleeve up, leaving a horrifying red mark on her pale arm.
Baoshan's long eyelashes trembled slightly, and she hurriedly covered her arms, pretending nothing had happened.
But the blush under those beautiful eyes revealed everything.
You Dongjun and Baoshan looked at each other, and suddenly he remembered what Ma Banxian had said in the village.
Baoshan was a good girl. It was a pity that she had a short life. If it was innate, it would be fine, but it must have been forced upon her from childhood.
You Dongjun thought again that her reputation had just been tarnished, but Baoshan did not defend herself, but instead proved his innocence.
You Dongjun is a man who practices Taoism, so it doesn't matter whether he has a good or bad reputation.
Because You Dongjun never took other people's eyes into consideration.
But Baoshan is different. She is a woman, and she is so weak and vulnerable.
If there were no other opportunities, Baoshan would have stayed in this village for the rest of his life.
Because of the Taoist robe given by You Dongjun, Yu Sheng's treasure fan was criticized by others.
What’s worse, there will be people with bad intentions who will deliberately taint the precious fan under the pretext that its purity has been ruined.
This matter was caused by a Taoist robe, so how can it not be related to You Dongjun?
You Dongjun practiced Taoism, but he had only heard a lot about the cause and effect mentioned in Buddhism.
You Dongjun said, "Do you want to go with me, or stay here?"
Bao Shan raised her head timidly, her watery eyes filled with caution: "With... the Taoist priest?"
You Dongjun nodded.
Baoshan said softly, "I've never left here. I heard it's extremely dangerous outside the mountains. I'm afraid..."
A trace of loss flashed across You Dongjun's dark eyes.
Although it was You Dongjun who asked, Bao Shan was given two choices: leave or stay.
But before You Dongjun asked, he had already made up his mind.
In his opinion, his parents were unkind and his brothers were disrespectful, so there was no point in him staying here.
But You Dongjun is not a reckless person. As long as Baoshan chooses to stay, he will not persuade her anymore and will just turn around and leave.
But Baoshan stared into You Dongjun's eyes and said word by word: "...But as long as the Taoist priest is here, I am not afraid. The Taoist priest can even eliminate monsters, so what else is there to be afraid of? I would rather travel with the Taoist priest..."
You Dongjun heard his own silent heartbeat beating steadily.
He looked at Baoshan, who was looking up at him, saying "I'm not afraid" but trembling all over, and he suddenly felt an urge to reach out and touch Baoshan's head.
But You Dongjun didn't extend his hand. He just said coldly, "Leave tomorrow."
When You Dongjun left, he also took away the talisman from Brother Zhou.
But Brother Zhou was already covered in wounds and no longer had the energy to bother looking for the treasure fan, so he staggered back home.
Seeing that You Dongjun had no intention of explaining, Gu Xiaoxiao was extremely angry.
But when You Dongjun and Bao Shan left, Gu Xiaoxiao still followed closely behind them.
The villagers watched them leave. Zhou's parents were filled with resentment. They had never imagined that Bao Shan could not marry the mountain god, but could still cling to the young Taoist priest and leave the mountain.
From now on, the Zhou family and Bao Shan would probably never see each other again, let alone arrange Bao Shan's marriage.
As for stopping the precious fan from leaving, the Zhou family never thought about it.
This is because when Baoshan left, the household registration had to go through the hands of the village chief.
Even the village chief didn't refuse, let alone the Zhou family.
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