Chapter 9: First Meeting or Reunion?

When Ling Xi goes to the city, it’s normal for her to support her parents, but there’s no rule saying she has to support her brothers.

Besides, that young man is the third son; if she really had to support brothers, there are two older ones above him to take the lead!

Furthermore...

She only heard that the conditions were good and wanted to ask around after she finished her chores. As for setting anything in stone, there wasn't even a shadow of a plan yet!

Pei Jin, Pei Xuan, and Second Uncle Pei: "..."

They really didn't want to go!

But, no matter how unwilling they were, this was a serious matter.

They all understood that this was truly for Ling Xi’s own good. Only a family that dotes on their daughter would start planning for her so early.

They didn't refuse outright this time.

Pei Xuan felt reluctant in his heart, wishing he could catch the bastard who wanted to marry his sister and beat him up right now. But when he turned his head, he saw Ling Xi leaning out of the window.

Their sweet, well-behaved sister was watching them with great interest.

Pei Xuan: "..."

"You little heartless thing!"

He huffed, walked over in two or three steps, and with his damp, freshly washed hands, he pressed down on her fluffy, soft hair and gave it a good rub.

Ling Xi: "..."

!!!

So annoying!

She puffed out her cheeks and shook her head, humming, trying to shake his hand off.

Pei Xuan found her expression amusing and smoothed her hair back for her, only to immediately mess it up again.

Ling Xi: "..."

!!!

Truly rendered speechless by his antics, Ling Xi slapped his hand away, glaring at him indignantly.

Pei Xuan didn't get angry; instead, he grinned and leaned his head toward her. "Here, you can rub my hair."

Ling Xi, faced with a buzz-cut head shoved in her face: "..."

Ahhh, even more annoying!

The others, who had looked over at the commotion: "..."

They felt both amused and exasperated.

However, because of this little scene, seeing Ling Xi’s lively and vivid reaction, they all felt relieved.

The next day, mid-afternoon.

Ling Xi walked through the woods by the creek. Because of the terrain, she could vaguely see the rooftops nestled in the mountains. Pei Village was surrounded by mountains on all sides, with about twenty households built according to the slope of the land.

The gentle breeze in the woods blew away the heat, making people feel a bit more refreshed.

Originally, at noon, when Pei Fuzhu urged her repeatedly, she had to dawdle her way toward the kitchen in the west wing...

Who would have thought that as soon as she stepped out of her east wing door, she would be called back by the old lady.

And so, it was naturally impossible for her, a patient who had fainted just the day before, to be the one delivering the food.

Pei Fuzhu’s expression at that moment was truly spectacular.

Ling Xi barely managed to keep from laughing out loud.

However, by mid-afternoon, she couldn't sit still at home. After coaxing and promising her grandmother, she was finally allowed to go out, though she was restricted to the nearby woods and couldn't go deep into the mountains.

Even so, Ling Xi was very satisfied.

The woods were lush and the water was beautiful. Occasionally, she would encounter a few clusters of berries, find a few wild duck eggs by the creek, or see a gray rabbit flash through the grass.

Ling Xi paused, and as she came to her senses, she pulled out the slingshot she was used to in her memories.

However, before she could make a move, a brightly colored pheasant flapped its wings and passed by her feet. She instinctively kicked out, and the pheasant, seemingly sensing something, swerved sharply.

*Bang—*

The pheasant collided with a large tree with a dull thud.

Then, it slumped down at the roots of the tree and stopped moving.

Ling Xi: "..."

!!!

That... was quite a coincidence, huh!

She silently picked up the dead pheasant, tossed it into her storage pendant, and continued strolling through the woods.

The creek wound down from the mountain, the water clear. Occasionally, she could see a few palm-sized fish swimming in the water. Ling Xi glanced at them several times, but turned away and chose a spot with plenty of wild vegetables to start digging.

There was still a pile of wild vegetables at home, and the garden was producing crop after crop, so Ling Xi didn't really need to dig for them.

But, she was trying to hoard food!

It was hot, and it hadn't rained for several days, so mushrooms were hard to find. In the woods, wild vegetables were the only edible things to be found in patches.

Ling Xi worked for half the afternoon. Her storage pendant now held a new pile of about seven or eight pounds of wild vegetables, seven wild duck eggs, a basket of berries, one pheasant, and four sparrows.

The sparrows had been hit with the slingshot.

Pei Ling Xi’s aim was excellent. Ling Xi had been a bit rusty at first, but after getting familiar with it, she could hit her target nine times out of ten.

She looked at the sky, estimated that it was about time, and dug up a few of the freshest wild vegetables she had saved, tossing them into her small basket. The vegetables in the basket only formed a layer about a finger’s length deep—enough to stir-fry one plate.

Ling Xi pushed the vegetables aside to cover the sparrows securely before picking up the basket. With a satisfied look in her clear, watery eyes, she headed back.

In these few hours, she had added enough food to her storage pendant to last her three days.

She could also bring back a few sparrows for her grandmother and little Minghui to eat. Very good, very good.

Gu Si was leaning against a rock, sunbathing to recharge. At this moment, he felt something and opened his eyes; the calm and stillness in his gaze remained undisturbed.

Gu Si had sharp eyes.

Across a turbulent river more than ten meters wide, he could still clearly see the delicate and beautiful side profile of the young girl passing by.

Her plain, floral-patterned short-sleeved dress fluttered, and her slender wrists were as white as jade, dazzlingly bright. The sunset glow surrounding her seemed to coat her in an ethereal, fairy-like aura.

Gu Si stared at her for a long while, his hand silently covering his chest.

On his refined and handsome face, his striking peach-blossom eyes shifted. The calm in his gaze was covered by layer upon layer of rippling light, and a sense of bewilderment washed over him.

Just watching the girl’s back as she walked further and further away, his gaze grew increasingly scorching without him even realizing it.

Ling Xi’s body stiffened. She felt a sense of hair-raising dread, as if she were being watched by a beast and could be devoured at any moment. The instinct to avoid harm, inherent to the Spirit Clan, made her take to her heels and run.

Ling Xi didn't stop until she reached the village road and saw the villagers working in the fields on both sides.

Only then did she let out a sigh of relief.

Although Ling Xi had a seemingly powerful background, the Spirit Clan—a race born of nature and inclined toward healing—was essentially a "combat level five" weakling.

She had carefully calculated that with her current combat strength, she couldn't beat anyone in her family except little Minghui.

Now that she had so many people to bolster her courage, she stood still and turned to look back.

At this look, Ling Xi blushed.

Across the river, more than a hundred meters away, a tall human figure stood there, looking over from afar. The distance was too great to see his face clearly.

There was a whole river between them!

And it was just a person; what exactly was she afraid of just now?

Just as Ling Xi was lost in thought, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

The person was none other than Pei Fuzhu.

Ling Xi had already been startled earlier and hadn't fully recovered yet. Now, with this sudden tap, she was so shocked that she nearly jumped when she saw who it was.

(End of chapter)