Listening to her daughter, Deng Shi patted her hand and explained, "Your father said Eagle's Beak Cliff is safer than the city."
"Mother, how is that possible? You're not lying to me, are you?"
"Why would your mother lie to you? Look, every city has four gates. When enemies invade, if just one gate is breached, the city is in danger."
"Now look at Eagle's Beak Cliff. It's a strategic pass, a single guard can hold off ten thousand attackers. As long as we hold the mountain pass, not even a mosquito can fly in."
"Mother, how can you speak so highly of them? Didn't those pirates from the coast get in?"
"So what if they got in? Weren't they all rounded up by the elder Miss Fu's five senior brothers?"
Thinking about it, Deng Shi felt a surge of pride.
"Ever since the Meng family moved here, neither the Tatars nor the pirates have succeeded. Elder Miss Fu and her senior brothers are all incredibly capable."
Upon seeing her mother give a thumbs-up and praise Elder Miss Fu and her five senior brothers, Jiang Yuzan immediately became interested.
"Mother, can you take me to visit them across the river tomorrow?"
Hearing her daughter proactively mention wanting to socialize with the new bride of the Qi family, Deng Shi's brow furrowed.
No one knows a daughter better than her mother, and she could guess what her daughter was thinking.
With a sigh, she revealed what she had learned.
"Daughter, Elder Miss Fu's senior brothers are all married. You shouldn't..."
The word "coveting" was too difficult for Deng Shi to utter, so she stopped there.
Jiang Yuzan showed no strong reaction upon hearing that they were all married. Instead, she continued to plead with her mother to take her to visit the Qi family tomorrow.
When something is out of the ordinary, there's a reason. When a person acts unusually, there's usually a motive.
Deng Shi firmly remembered her husband's words: they must not offend Elder Miss Fu.
If for no other reason than her ability to defeat the Tatars and pirates, she had to respect her.
Seeing her daughter's stubborn insistence on visiting the Qi family, Deng Shi felt uneasy. She wanted to dissuade her daughter from offending them.
Little did she know, her daughter's next words completely bewildered her.
"Mother, if I get along well with Elder Miss Fu, could her master possibly take me as a disciple?"
Deng Shi was speechless for a moment. She had never expected her daughter to have such lofty ambitions.
But the ideals were grand, would a celestial master really accept disciples so casually?
"Mother?"
Hearing her daughter's impatient prompt, Deng Shi could only appease her for now.
"Your idea is excellent, my child. However, this matter is of great importance. Mother will discuss it with your father first, and then we will proceed accordingly."
Jiang Yuzan thought of the fireworks that night. Though she was anxious, her mother's words made sense. She reluctantly agreed, temporarily suppressing her burning eagerness.
Fu Xinci, with Xiaobai, roamed freely through the mountains and forests, unaware that someone was already setting their sights on her, wanting to become her fellow disciple.
Oh dear, she hadn't been to the mountain in a few days. The greenery was even thicker now, and the distant undulating peaks resembled natural green barriers.
Fu Xinci was like a playful sprite, darting through the vibrant new green.
Perhaps it was the good weather, perhaps the beautiful scenery, or perhaps her good mood.
So many "perhaps" converged, causing her to unknowingly wander further afield.
She didn't seem to have been here before.
Especially on the sunny slopes, she discovered some shrubs and flowers she hadn't seen before, and immediately collected them into her spatial dimension.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak." Xiaobai, who had been perched on her shoulder, suddenly issued a stern warning.
"Are you saying there's a tiger ahead?"
"What are you talking about? In official language, it's called a 'diao jing bai e da chong' (a tiger with glaring eyes and white eyebrows)."
"Tch, when I was in kindergarten, my teacher taught me that. It's a tiger."
"Squeak, squeak, squeak." A 'pì lǎohǔ' (farting tiger). This white one doesn't care about your kindergarten teacher, or any teacher for that matter. Here, it's called a 'diao jing bai e da chong'."
Could a kindergarten teacher explain it like that?
"Xiaobai is amazing."
"Squeak, squeak, squeak." This white one is indeed amazing.
After basking in its glory, Xiaobai did not forget to remind its human, "Squeak, squeak, squeak." You mustn't go any further. If you get eaten by the great beast, who will cook delicious food for this white one in the future?"
"So, in your heart, I'm just a feeder?"
"Squeak, squeak, squeak." What is a feeder?
"A cook."
"Squeak." Xiaobai agreed. It liked having a human as its cook.
The human and the beast were so engrossed in discussing food that they forgot about the approaching 'diao jing bai e da chong'.
"Roar~"
A long, drawn-out beastly roar echoed, sounding less than a hundred meters away.
Under the pressure of its bloodline, Xiaobai dared not boast anymore. It huddled on the human's shoulder, trembling.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak." Hurry, I need to pee.
"..." Fu Xinci, fearing the creature would wet her shoulder, quickly waved her hand and sent Xiaobai into her spatial dimension.
The alarm had ceased. Xiaobai lay in the space, panting with its little tongue sticking out.
Looking back, "Squeak, squeak, squeak." Where is the human? Has she gone foolishly to test her courage against the great beast?
Considering the possibility, Xiaobai couldn't lie still any longer. It scrambled up and stomped its feet on the ground, muttering, This fool wants to fight the great beast. Is she tired of living?
When Wu Song fought the tiger, he drank three bowls of wine. She hasn't even had a drop. How can she win?
Oh my heavens, isn't this just delivering food to the doorstep?
The leisurely strolling great beast also did not expect that, as it roamed its territory as usual, a bipedal human would suddenly appear before it.
Heh heh, how interesting. Upon seeing it, the king of this mountain, not only did she not turn pale with fear, but she didn't run away.
Interesting.
Fu Xinci looked at the approaching tiger. It was about three meters long, with glossy fur, clearly well-fed.
It made sense. This creature was the king of beasts, at the top of the food chain. With no natural predators in these mountains, how could it not be well-fed?
The great beast grew increasingly perplexed. Why was this human different from others? It was so close, why wasn't she running?
Was she testing its patience?
Facing the tiger's death stare, Fu Xinci calmly said, "I'm from around here."
The great beast: ...
"I'm from around here."
Fu Xinci's smile grew brighter, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Roar~"
The great beast seemed to understand. It turned and left, its large tail flicking behind it.
"Roar~"
Fu Xinci stood in place. After the tiger's roar gradually faded, she thoughtfully recalled her recent suicidal act.
It was just a joke, yet she had said it as if it were true. And the king of beasts, whether intelligent or not, actually turned back. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Fu Xinci sat on a fallen dead tree, resting her chin in her hand. She had just been contemplating whether to take this tiger back to show her younger brothers.
Now, it seemed that was a futile thought.
Alas, she should probably change direction for her stroll. Otherwise, if she continued in the same direction and encountered that tiger again, she might do something out of line.