Chapter Nine, The Vast Indigenous Peoples

Yun Duan and Xia Luo saw Kua Qiu being dragged back by Kua Yi while crying through the gaps in the grass blades, and they finally let out a long sigh, exchanging a glance with each other

Ah-choo— The jasmine petals brushed past her nose, and Charlotte couldn't help but sneeze. She had shrunk in size, and although the sound she made was quite faint, it still rang out sharply in the tranquility of the night.

Kua Xiu

He became even more resolute in his determination to head towards the village. Turning to Charlotte, he said: "I will go ahead to scout the way; you find a concealed spot to wait for me"

The two individuals emerged from the flower bushes and circled around the wooden cabin.

Living in a chicken coop? Charlotte peeked into the chicken coop and was immediately hit by a faint odor unique to birds, mixed with the musty smell of straw. She quickly withdrew her head, grimacing as she said, "I don't have a cleanliness obsession, but I am sensitive to smells, and I really can't stand this odor..."

"If you weren't hiding any gold, silver, or jewels, would you go rummaging through your chicken coop for no reason?" The voice from the clouds mingled with the rustling sound of arranging straw coming from the chicken coop.

Shall we stay here?" Yunduan contentedly walked out of the chicken coop, announcing his decision

"Where are you going?" Charlotte asked.

"It's worse than being a thief!" said Charlotte with a pained expression, "I can't stand it whenever I hear a dog barking."

Charlotte let out a slight sigh of relief, but before her heartbeat could calm down, the light in the "stone house" suddenly intensified. Instinctively, she looked up and saw that the "roof" had been lifted into the air by a gigantic hand, revealing a vast expanse of sky that was almost transparent blue.

I finally saw the entire face of this gigantic creature

"No, I want to go with you." The thought of being left alone in this perilous wilderness made Charlotte feel extremely uneasy. It was safer to follow Yunduan; even if death awaited, at least there would be a companion on the road to the underworld.

Is this a mistake! Do we really have to live in a chicken coop? Charlotte murmured unwillingly, "Do you really think it's safe here? Living right under the noses of these giants..."

On such a beautiful night, Yun Duan and Xia Luo chose a house without dogs, which was quite a blemish on the scenery, with its wooden fence. They squeezed through the gap in the middle of the fence and jumped into the small courtyard, landing in the jasmine bushes at the corner of the yard

"Well, this is for you to choose yourself," Yun said with a smile. "Living in the countryside means you must be prepared for hardships, facing the elements and potential dangers at any moment. Moreover, there isn't much edible food available. If you move to the nearby villages, at least you can find some food and useful tools."

Yun Duan and Xia Luo stood in the blind spot of the enormous creature's line of sight, only to see those eyes roll around for a moment before suddenly retracting.

"For the time being, let's make do with this place. We can move to a better one later." Yunduan took off the grass basket from her back and brought the firefly lantern into the chicken coop: "Come over and help tidy up a bit, so we can clear out a space to sleep."

Charlotte was taken aback by the words from the cloud: "What?! After all the effort to escape, you still want to throw yourself into the net?"

How fortunate! Charlotte clutched her chest, still feeling a lingering fear: "If that child had caught me, I don't know what my fate would have been..."

It looks no different from a human, and judging by its size and appearance, it seems to be in its juvenile stage, with a plump body that appears quite adorable. However, this child has clearly noticed Yunduan and Xia Luo, widening its already large eyes even further, and slowly bending down to gaze directly at them

"Stop being naughty and hurry back to have breakfast," Kuai Yi called out as he caught up with Kuai Xiu, trying to pull him away.

Yun Duan smiled and glanced at her: "I will go nearby to see if there is any clean straw, so we can replace the dirty and smelly ones inside. That way, it won't smell so bad."

Charlotte walked cautiously on the cobblestone street, holding a firefly lantern to light her way. Occasionally, the sound of a crowing rooster or barking dog would startle her, causing her to shiver and look around for a place to hide

She has developed a psychological trauma regarding dogs. If it weren't for the gummy candies, how could she have been driven out of her home to take a flight to Wuhan? It is unthinkable that she would have fallen to such a state

If the cloud and Charlotte could understand his words, I wonder if they would faint. Little bug! They move up and down, back and forth, where is there even a hint of a bug?

At that moment, a loud sound came from a distance

Charlotte nodded in agreement: "It is best to find that kind of flexible dried grass that has been sun-dried, as it is not easy to rot when making things out of it."

Ultimately, she was spoiled by her family since childhood and had not experienced much hardship. After sleeping on a hard stone bed all night last night, her bones ached, and she thought to herself that she must first weave some thick straw mats to place underneath her to sleep more comfortably

Yun Duan lifted the grass basket on her back and looked at her with a smile, saying, "Relax, we are not here to steal. Besides, it's so dark now that no one will notice us."

"I won't..." Charlotte lowered her head, rubbing her feet in the muddy ground: "But perhaps the children will come to dig... hiding some toys in the chicken coop or something..."

In the stillness of the deep night, two small black figures appeared in front of Meixiang Town. The moonlight shone down, casting their elongated shadows on the ground

How about we move to the place where they live?

When a child's size is dozens of times their own, no matter how cute they may appear, they can become terrifying! Charlotte felt her legs go weak, as if she had been paralyzed by that curious gaze. She wanted to run, but could not lift her feet.

The yard is not large, with a stone path paved with pebbles leading directly to the door of the wooden house, dividing the small courtyard into two sides. On one side is a small patch of jasmine flowers, next to which is a stone well covered in moss. On the other side, beside the fence, there is a stone table and three stone stools. Near the wooden house, there is a chicken coop, which Yun Duan cautiously inspected. The coop is lined with thick straw and scattered with some broken eggshells, but there are no chickens; it is empty. On the other side, beside the fence, there is a stone table and three stone stools, and near the wooden house, there is a chicken coop, which Yun Duan cautiously inspected. The coop is lined with thick straw and scattered with some broken eggshells, but there are no chickens; it is empty.

Kuaixiu is a child only three or four years old. This morning, he sneaked out of his home to play in the countryside. He saw that the small stone house he built yesterday had a grass curtain hung on it, and inside the stone house were even a stone table and a stone bed. Out of curiosity, he lifted the stone roof to take a look, only to discover two tiny creatures. Before he could see them clearly, he heard his sister calling him from a distance, and he immediately turned around and replied, "Kuaiyi, come and see! There are two strange little bugs here!"

This place is so treacherous that even a rabbit could accidentally trample us to death. Let's fill our stomachs first before considering how we might die!" Yun Duan said, glancing at the dewdrops glistening on the tips of the grass around him. He scooped a few drops in his hand and drank them, murmuring to himself, "I need to find a way to get a container for water..."

Black hair, round eyes, a slightly flat nose, a tender, slightly pouting red mouth, and a chubby face

With one hand, the thumb and index finger pinched his chin, recalling how he used to enjoy pulling off dragonfly wings and tearing ants into pieces during his childhood. He couldn't help but feel a bit darkened by these memories. However, after encountering Kua Xiu and Kua Yi, an idea gradually took shape in his mind, albeit one that was somewhat dangerous

Charlotte felt a bit moved, but still could not make up her mind: "If I get caught, it would be terrible!"

Kwai helplessly let go of him and, with a dismissive glance, looked into the stone house: "Where are the little bugs? You are lying again! Hurry back with me!"

Little Bug! Little Bug has run away! Kua Xiu struggled hard to chase after it, but could not break free, watching helplessly as Yun Duan and Xia Luo disappeared into the tall grass, and then sat down on the ground, crying loudly.

"No, I was also in close contact with flowers yesterday." Charlotte scratched her itchy nose with her finger and said, "It might be because I was standing nearby and the floral scent was too overwhelming. This place is truly strange; every household plants jasmine..."

The cloud did not refuse, and after a moment of contemplation said: "How about this, I will go gather some grass, and you can continue to weave some things under that tree that will be useful later. When it gets dark and everyone in the village is asleep, we will go then"

Yun Duan hurriedly pulled her down to hide in the jasmine bushes. After observing for a while and finding that there was no unusual movement around, he let out a sigh and quietly asked, "Are you allergic to pollen?"

As the two individuals conversed, they walked along and discovered that the small shops and residences on either side of the street were built identically. Aside from the small courtyards enclosed by wooden fences in front of the residences, the houses were constructed of wood, standing one story high, with a small attic featuring a slanted roof. Some of the attic windows emitted a flickering, hazy yellow light, complementing the distant mountains and the moon perched atop the treetops, along with the faint scent of jasmine wafting through the night breeze, creating an unparalleled sense of tranquility and serenity. The small attic featured a slanted roof, and some of the attic windows emitted a flickering, hazy yellow light, complementing the distant mountains and the moon perched atop the treetops, along with the faint scent of jasmine wafting through the night breeze, creating an unparalleled sense of tranquility and serenity

The child loves to dig for eggs! But there are no chickens raised here... Without further ado, Yun Duan leaned out and handed her a simple broom made from a bundle of cut straw, saying: "I have already piled the straw to one side; you can sweep that half of the empty space."

Run! Seizing the opportunity in the cloud, he grabbed Charlotte and rushed out of the stone house