Chapter 5749: At Ease
Qiao Sen subtly shook his head, responding to his sister's affectionate touch, appearing quite obedient. He was currently very interested in how to improve his cultivation. Though young, his talent was remarkable. Aside from cultivation, he genuinely had little interest in anything else. As for the woman just now, he had even less interest. In short, he certainly wouldn't like anyone who could upset his sister.
Li Si Niu fidgeted, looking at Qiao Mu, then stammered, hesitant to speak, "But, but is there... any reward?"
Fu San and his wife looked at her as if she were an idiot. Even if Li Si Niu were truly foolish, she could discern the disdain and contempt in their eyes. Qiao Mu nearly laughed out of exasperation at this idiotic woman. A reward? She actually dared to ask her for one!
"Shouldn't a life-saving grace be repaid generously?" Qiao Mu retorted, annoyed. "I see you have nothing of value, save for a passable face."
"How about this: you leave your face here, and I'll make a beautiful drum out of it?"
Qiao Mu's tone was chilling, and she took a light step forward. This scared Li Si Niu so much that she plopped onto the ground, her eyes wide with terror, staring at Qiao Mu as if she were a monster. Could there truly be someone in this world who would use a good deed to demand something in return? This Madam Mo was terrifying, casually demanding her face as repayment. This, this is impossible?!
Li Si Niu trembled all over, scrambling to her feet, turning and running away with remarkable agility. Li Si Niu knew Qiao Mu's formidable nature and dared not utter another word, scurrying away. She had initially thought that Madam Mo and her group looked so wealthy, that even a tiny bit of leftover wealth would greatly improve her future life. For high-ranking cultivators like them, who were honored and revered, what good things had they not seen? If they just left her some mundane gold, silver, or valuables, Li Si Niu would be set for life, free from worries about food and drink. Who would have thought this Madam Mo was so cruel and terrifying, always threatening to skin people's faces? Not only did she drive her away, but she didn't even give her any benefits! She had served them so diligently on the ship these past two days; they were truly a bunch of ungrateful wretches.
Li Si Niu, startled and frightened, ran away on all fours, her soft grumbling and curses along the way reaching Qiao Mu and the others' ears.
"Outrageous," Mo Lian said with displeasure.
"There really are oddballs everywhere," An Wushuang couldn't help but shake her head. She had thought the ordinary people in the small villages of the lower star region might be quite simple and honest. Who would have thought they'd encounter such an eccentric woman?
"There are just inexplicably annoying people everywhere you look," Wushuang said, exasperated. If she had known, she should have listened to Peach Blossom Divine Venerable and the others and let her die; then there wouldn't have been so many troubles. It seemed there was no good reward at all for saving her; they just saved an ungrateful wretch who kept pestering them with questions about their affairs. Everyone could see her greedy, hesitant look before she left, still wanting some benefits before she went? That's just laughable! They were the ones who saved her, yet the one who was saved wanted to ask them for favors. What kind of ridiculous situation was this?
Princess Wushuang pouted. Now that the incomprehensible woman was gone, the air finally felt a little fresher.
"Forget it," Qiao Mu waved her small hand. "We'll just visit Qiaotou Village and then leave. She's from Li Family Village, so she should be able to go back on her own. Anyway, we won't see her again, so there's no need to dwell on it."
"Qiao Qiao, this is where my elder brother found you back then."
"What?" Qiao Mu pouted unhappily. "He didn't find me! I was in the middle of killing someone, and he just stared at me across that ditch. He made me too nervous to finish the kill."
"Pfft..."
"Ditch? It was just a tiny mud puddle." Mo Lian's words earned him a fist from Adult Qiao Qiao.
"Don't mind him," Qiao Qiao snorted, pulling An Wushuang and running a few steps forward. "I'll take you back to my village to see it."
"If any zombie puppets pop out, we'll just deal with them on the spot."
A Familiar Place
Mo Lian and the others couldn't help but chuckle, their eyes softening as they watched her happily run off with Wushuang. She truly was different now. The moment Qiao Qiao returned to this small, rundown village, she completely relaxed. It was truly wonderful...
A long-awaited dividing line
"Giddy up!" Qiao Lin spurred her horse on. As Xijiu City came into view, her small face visibly relaxed. Hehe, she wanted to get back to their old home in Xijiu City before her sister and the others did. Their family had lived in Lihua Alley in Xijiu City for several years. Just thinking about it made her happy. She remembered digging a pit in the courtyard when she was little and burying many of her beloved toys. Cough, cough, she had to dig them out first, and she had to do it secretly, away from her sister and the others. Anyway, her sister and the others would probably stay in Qiaotou Village for a few days, so she had plenty of time.
Just as she was thinking this, the horse neighed, its front hooves suddenly rising.
"Whoosh!"
An arrow landed beside her horse's hoof. Qiao Lin, being an excellent rider, simply tugged the reins gently, patted the horse, and calmed it down to the side. She turned her head and frowned slightly. It turned out the arrow that had shot out was just a stray. The arrow's target was not her or her horse.
From a grove of sweet osmanthus trees behind a nearby dirt mound, sounds of fighting could be heard. The arrow had come from that grove. The archer must have been careless, and the arrow had gone astray.
Qiao Lin dismounted with nimble movements and picked up the iron arrow stuck in the dirt. She sniffed gently with her small nose. Oh, this vile thing, the arrowhead was even smeared with poison. Over the years, she had learned a lot about identifying medicines by training with her sister. Although she couldn't claim to be a master, she had a superficial understanding. She could identify such common poisons just by smelling them.
With a roll of her big eyes, Qiao Lin held the arrow and scampered towards the sweet osmanthus grove. How could she not watch the excitement? Along their journey, she didn't know if it was because her sister and the others had such a powerful aura that they were universally disliked, but not even a small beast dared to show its face in front of them. It was truly too boring! It was a rare chance to see a fight; it would be a waste not to watch.
With the thought of just seeing what was happening and running if the situation looked bad, little Qiao Lin stealthily slipped to the edge of the woods and swiftly climbed the nearest tree. She secretly did everything, hiding in the tree to watch the show.
Below, two groups of people were fighting fiercely. Swords clashed, and roars echoed continuously. The front wheel of a carriage nearby had come off, and the entire carriage lay overturned on its side. A woman in a red bridal gown laboriously crawled out, her face filled with panic as she stared at the fighting crowd around her.
Little Qiao Lin blinked her large eyes, instinctively pulling a banana from her inner world. She ate it while watching, and when she reached a thrilling part, she quickly covered her mouth to stifle her cries.
The gates of Xijiu City suddenly opened...