Getting up from the ground, brushing the dust off his clothes, Ye Qiu smiled wryly at the complaints and curses coming from inside.
After all, he was just a rabbit who hadn't seen much of the world; he didn't know how to curse properly, only how to hit and bite.
He packed the fragrant rabbit meat from the pot into a jar, extinguished the embers in the stove, lit some incense under the peach tree, and offered a prayer.
Then he called inside, "Xiao Wu, I'm going out for a bit. Clean up the table properly!"
"I hate you! Sister Xiao Wu doesn't want to listen to you!"
"Alright then~"
Hearing her reply, Ye Qiu was a little disappointed. He understood her feelings and didn't insist.
'Looks like I'll have to wait until I get back to do it.'
Shaking his head, he carried the rabbit meat and some money to Old Zhang's house.
Xiao Wu, still pounding her pillow, heard the silence outside and immediately ran to the door and peeked out.
Looking around, she could no longer see him.
"Ye Qiu~!"
"I'm so angry! Humph!" Xiao Wu, her eyes red-rimmed, angrily pounded on the door, making a loud banging sound.
"You don't even know how to comfort me." Pouting her rabbit lips, she was extremely annoyed by Ye Qiu's irresponsible behavior.
She glanced coldly at the table, flicked her scorpion braid, and kicked her rabbit legs back onto the bed.
'Hmph! Sister Xiao Wu is unhappy, whoever wants to do it can do it!'
Her eyes, which had just closed, fluttered slightly. She opened them several times, looking at the table again and again, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, Ye Qiu was almost at his destination.
The rabbit hadn't been killed for nothing; there was only one quilt at home, and the silly rabbit was still using its own clothes to change into.
Tomorrow he was to leave for the Soul Master Academy, so it was necessary to buy some things.
Listening to the chirping of birds along the way, he looked up at the sky, wanting to say something sarcastic, but he was powerless to do so. He could only sigh in his heart: "
You only realize how little you know when you need it; so many branches, so many birds!"
He bent down to put down what he was holding, picked up a few pebbles, and his eyes gleamed crimson.
"Let's test the results of my recent training!"
He held three pebbles between each finger, adjusted his breathing slightly, and threw them with focused concentration.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!" He threw them one after the other.
"Clatter, clatter." The pebbles collided . "Plop
, plop." Four birds fell to the ground.
His movements were fluid and graceful, but Ye Qiu wasn't quite satisfied with the result.
"I missed two."
He frowned, then relaxed.
"There's still a lot of room for improvement in my Sharingan. Besides... I'll be meeting Tang San soon, right? Tang Sect's ultimate techniques? My Sharingan is itching for them."
He casually picked up two handfuls of Blue Silver Grass from the roadside and simply tied up his spoils. "
...
Aunt Zhang! Is the village chief home?"
"Oh, Xiao Qiu, your village chief grandpa went to borrow an ox, but everything is already prepared, you can take it back."
Aunt Zhang, who was still washing clothes, wiped her hands on her apron and beckoned Ye Qiu into the house. She then took out the prepared items and placed them on the table.
"Borrow an ox?" Ye Qiu stood there, somewhat puzzled.
Aunt Zhang answered at the right moment, "Sigh, renting a horse-drawn carriage is expensive, so to save some money, I have to trouble you two kids to ride in an oxcart."
"That's really troubling Grandpa Zhang." Ye Qiu nodded. He was quite familiar with these situations; the lives of the lower-class villagers on the mainland were indeed difficult.
"What trouble? You two future Soul Masters shouldn't feel wronged!"
Although he knew this was Aunt Zhang teasing him, Ye Qiu didn't dare to say anything, and waved his hands repeatedly in acknowledgment.
"Auntie, what are you saying? Everyone has been so kind to me. Don't talk about feeling wronged. When Xiao Qiu becomes successful, he won't forget everyone!"
He placed the jar and several small birds he was carrying on the table. "Oh, right, Auntie! This is rabbit meat I cooked. When Grandpa Zhang comes back, I'll tell him it's Xiao Qiu's way of showing respect to him."
"You silly child, no wonder your Grandpa Zhang always says you're so discerning," Aunt Zhang scolded, giving him a reproachful glare.
Ye Qiu didn't mind. Compared to the kindness they'd shown him over the years, this jar of meat was nothing.
He didn't want to owe them too much.
After chatting with Aunt Zhang for a while, Ye Qiu left. Staying too long would only make the copper coins falling out of the jar lid more troublesome.
Not daring to linger, he made an appointment with the village chief at the village entrance the next morning, shouldered his quilt, and ran home in a flash.
Approaching the stone house,
he thought Xiao Wu would have calmed down by the time he got back, but before he even entered the house, he heard her cursing again.
"!"
Just as he was about to enter, Ye Qiu was particularly surprised to see the clothes drying outside.
He tiptoed in.
Inside, the dishes on the table had all been cleared away.
He saw Xiao Wu riding on the wooden horse that Ye Qiu had made for her in his spare time, patting the horse's head and chattering incessantly.
As Old Ye's grandson, Ye Qiu had also inherited a lot of carpentry skills to ensure that she could have enough to eat even without a martial spirit.
He had also made quite a few little gadgets for this silly rabbit during this time.
Perhaps she was in the middle of scolding, because she didn't notice Ye Qiu getting quite close. Her childish and clear voice reached her ears,
"You stinky Ye Qiu, you dead Ye Qiu! Why aren't you back yet!"
"I've already cleaned everything up, and even washed the clothes. If you don't come back soon, Sister Xiao Wu will..."
Before she could finish speaking, she was startled by the sudden voice.
"Will what? Will you ignore me?"
Ye Qiu looked at her with a smile.
"Ah! Ye Qiu, you're back!" A look of joy flashed across her face as she stepped over the rocking horse and ran towards him.
Halfway there, she seemed to remember something, her expression stiffening, her body pausing, her scorpion braid swinging as she turned her face away.
"Hmph!" She snorted coldly, her mouth still quite stubborn, "I don't want to talk to you!"
'I didn't expect this rabbit to be a bit arrogant,'
Ye Qiu thought, his eyes crinkling with laughter at her behavior. "Haha."
"What are you laughing at?" Xiao Wu glared at Ye Qiu with her flushed eyes, "Xiao Bai's matter isn't over yet!"
"Ahem." Ye Qiu coughed twice, avoiding the rabbit's issue, and stepped forward, placing his hand on Xiao Wu's head.
"I'm not laughing at anything, just a little happy. Thank you for washing my clothes." He
then gave her a quick rub, finding it quite nice.
"How many times have I told you! Don't touch my head!" Xiao Wu's face flushed, her voice losing its sharp edge, she mumbled a simple complaint, and didn't resist too much.
It was clear that her two pink rabbit ears swaying in the wind proved the head pat was quite effective.
Strangely enough, whenever there was a conflict, it seemed that all the tension would be resolved during some close contact. This docile rabbit made Ye Qiu feel somewhat unreal.
'Is the effect of the Sharingan long-term? Or is it just a side effect?'
Ye Qiu pondered.
(End of Chapter)