Pang Juan died beneath the tree.
The Qi army's arrows had riddled him with ten thousand shafts. The Wei army had been shattered by the Qi charge, and in the chaos, no one had the heart or the presence of mind to collect his remains.
Sun Boling would not go, and naturally, neither would Tian Ji.
Upon the battlefield strewn with corpses, only a woman in green and a bird remained, dragging Pang Juan's body forward.
"Mister Sun..."
Tian Ji watched Shaodian Qingnu depart with Pang Juan's corpse, his brow furrowing slightly.
He looked toward Sun Boling and asked, "Should we stop them?"
"The Master is not to be crossed!"
Sun Boling spoke to Tian Ji with a solemn expression. This was the first time Tian Ji had seen him so serious; even when discussing Pang Juan, he had not been this stern.
Tian Ji took a deep breath and nodded. "Tian Ji understands!"
...
Shaodian Qingnu buried Pang Juan at the foot of an unnamed mountain.
She was alone, so Pang Juan couldn't expect any luxurious mound or precious funerary objects for his grave. At most, she threw in a bit of food as a send-off for his journey to the afterlife.
"Sigh... what a waste of good food."
Shaodian Qingnu sealed the grave with earth, her face contorting with physical pain at the loss.
Hongluan flapped its wings nearby and asked, 'Do you need me to find some offerings to bring over?'
Hearing this, Shaodian Qingnu immediately shook her head and said, "Find me something to eat instead. I threw every bit of meat I had on me into that hole."
Hearing this, Hongluan stomped its foot on her head and said, 'I told you not to give it all away, you stupid snake!'
"I couldn't just let him become a starving ghost, could I?"
Shaodian Qingnu muttered while clutching her head.
Though Hongluan scolded her, it understood that this was simply her nature. In fact, it quite liked this trait of hers, so it dutifully flew off to find a cluster of wild fruit. 'Here, I found these for you. Eat up.'
Shaodian Qingnu looked at the cluster of fruit and asked, "Could you not have brought back a wild boar?"
She raised her hand and tapped her temple. "Brain! Use your brain!"
"Do snakes look like herbivores to you?"
Hongluan: "..."
'Stupid snake, are you asking for death?! With my size, how am I supposed to carry a wild boar back for you? You should be grateful you have fruit to eat!'
It lunged forward, instantly mussing Shaodian Qingnu's hair into a mess.
The snake girl and the bird sister laughed and played as they made their way back from the State of Wei toward Ghost Valley. However, this time, before they could reach their destination, they were intercepted halfway.
Shaodian Qingnu panicked and grabbed Hongluan, thrusting it toward the person blocking the road. "I'm lazy and useless, I have no money, and I'm not very strong! If you're a bandit, take this bird instead!"
"I'm telling you, this bird is a divine bird! You won't lose out if you take it!"
"Come, come, I'll give it to you..."
As she spoke, Shaodian Qingnu tried to hand Hongluan directly to the man in front of her.
Hongluan struggled in her hands, shrieking in fury, 'Stupid snake! You jerk, how can you give me away? I'm your best friend! Won't you be lonely without me...'
The moment those words were shouted, Shaodian Qingnu stopped immediately. She nodded and said, "You're right. I won't give you away then."
Saying so, she took a step back and looked at the man. "Who are you? If this is a highway robbery, can I join in? We can split the loot thirty-seventy. I don't need much; just give me seventy percent and cook me two dishes."
'Will he agree?' Hongluan muttered.
Shaodian Qingnu whispered back, "Let's try. What if he does?"
'But he's stopped talking altogether,' Hongluan said, glancing at the man before them.
Shaodian Qingnu blinked and looked up. The man stood there, staring at her and Hongluan in stunned silence, unable to utter a word.
"Hey, are you going to rob us or not?"
Shaodian Qingnu asked. The man suddenly snapped back to his senses, staring at her with an expression of utter shock.
Seeing his reaction, Shaodian Qingnu clicked her tongue and whispered, "He's way too rattled. With nerves like that, he's coming out to be a bandit?"
However, while Shaodian Qingnu was muttering, the man took a step back and bowed deeply with his hands clasped. "This junior, Zhang Yi, greets Master Guiguzi!"
"Uh..."
When the man announced his name, Shaodian Qingnu froze in place.
In the next instant, she turned and sprinted in the opposite direction at top speed. However, she hadn't gone far before Zhang Yi intercepted her again. "Master Guiguzi, why are you leaving so quickly? Did I do something wrong?"
"Everything! Your very appearance before me is wrong!"
Shaodian Qingnu glanced at him and waved her hand dismissively. "Go, go. I'm not Guiguzi. You've got the wrong snake."
"But..."
Zhang Yi blinked and said, "Master Guiguzi looks exactly like you. I've been asking around all the way here; there's no mistake! Besides, there is also this bird that can speak the human tongue."
"Its name is Hongluan,"
Shaodian Qingnu said, holding Hongluan up to introduce it to Zhang Yi.
Hongluan slapped Shaodian Qingnu's face with a wing. 'Is this the time for introductions?! You stupid snake.'
"Oh! Right, right!"
Shaodian Qingnu finally snapped back and pointed at Zhang Yi. "I'm not taking any more disciples! You should seek a better master elsewhere!"
Hearing this, Zhang Yi's expression turned regretful. "In that case, I have arrived too late! What a pity. I had prepared a vast multitude of generous gifts for the Master, but now, it seems they cannot be presented! Sigh... it is this junior's fault."
"Wait!"
Shaodian Qingnu's eyes widened. She shuffled over to Zhang Yi, her eyes practically sparkling.
"Did you just say... you prepared generous gifts?"
Zhang Yi nodded. "Indeed, generous gifts! But since the Master..."
"Stop right there! Let me see these generous gifts."
Shaodian Qingnu wasn't about to be fooled by a single sentence. She immediately demanded to see the presents first. Zhang Yi nodded and led her to his carriage. Indeed, the wagon was piled high with a mountain of gifts!
"These... are all for me?"
Shaodian Qingnu's eyes glowed.
Zhang Yi bowed his head. "Yes. However, since the Master said..."
"Ahem!"
Shaodian Qingnu cut him off with a cough. She turned back to him with a slight smile and said, "I've decided to take you as my disciple!"
"Take me?" Zhang Yi blinked, looking at her in shock. "But didn't the Master just say?"
"Did I say something just now?"
Shaodian Qingnu was the type to turn her back on her own words in an instant. She had to shed her skin every few decades anyway; as far as 'face' was concerned, snakes didn't really have any to begin with!
Without a face to worry about, life was much happier.
Shaodian Qingnu cheerfully snatched the reins from Zhang Yi's hand and sat upon the carriage. She waved him over and said, "Let's go. I'm taking you back to Ghost Valley!"
Zhang Yi looked delighted and hurried to follow her.
However, as Shaodian Qingnu drove the carriage further and further, the direction they were heading didn't seem to be toward Ghost Valley at all!
Zhang Yi asked in a low voice, "Master, where are we going?"
"To kill you and bury you so this whole carriage of stuff belongs to me."
Shaodian Qingnu spoke calmly. Her words terrified Zhang Yi so much that his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He stared at her, seemingly unable to believe she would do such a thing!
Shaodian Qingnu glanced at him and said, "Just scaring you."
Rate on N.U.
