Chapter 4, Sister Ruan

Xie Danzhu dropped the reins, hurried over, and picked up the girl, smiling broadly as he said: "Lan'er is out to play today as well?"

A girl on the other side of the arched stone gate responded sharply, "Really!"

A little girl with two buns in her hair ran over quickly, her round face and large eyes, with delicate eyelashes fluttering, made her look very adorable. She immediately spotted Xie Danzhu, and her big eyes instantly squinted into two slits as she called out repeatedly: "Brother, brother"

Those children looked at Xie Qinglan, who was seated on a tall horse, with envious eyes, following the horse while making smacking sounds with their mouths

Tang Xing jumped off his horse from a distance and shouted at the group of children who were playing wildly: "Little ones, I, Fat Brother, have returned"

Upon reconsideration, it became clear that Fei Tian is an inner sect disciple. The status of an inner sect disciple is significant; even if one has just joined, they are not someone these individuals can provoke.

The crooked-mouthed man smiled and said, "No, no, the junior brothers no longer engage in such activities. These two little junior brothers are ones we have known for a long time. We ran into each other on the road and chatted for a bit, right, Xiao Fang?" The crooked-mouthed man did not even know Xie Danzhu's name, casually inventing a name, Xiao Fang, while winking at Xie Danzhu and making a fierce expression to imply a threat

The crooked-mouthed eight did not dare to resist in the slightest, nor did they dare to argue. They honestly and firmly slapped themselves ten times, leaving their faces flushed. Afterward, they still had to pay their respects to Sister Ruan in mid-air before they fled, quickly disappearing from sight

Tang Xing laughed and said, "Aren't I just afraid?" As he spoke, he shrank his round belly back a bit and continued, "Damn it, our fate is unfortunate. We are bullied by the big kids in the stone field, and when we get to Zixia Mountain, we still have to be bullied. What kind of world is this!"

Xie Danzhu did not dare to delay, urging the spirit horse to move quickly. The chubby Tang Xing behind him gasped, saying: "My goodness, you scared me to death. Fortunately, we encountered Senior Sister Ruan; otherwise, it would have been disastrous. However, we have to return in ten days. What should we do? Another difficult challenge awaits us"

Xie Danzhu said: "Yes, yes, these senior brothers are playing with us using the horse-tripping ropes and the sky-catching nets."

Xie Danzhu said: "Certainly"

Tang Xing speaks nothing but the truth; it is indeed very difficult for outer disciples to stand out. Those with poor aptitude are truly at a disadvantage. However, Xie Danzhu, unwilling to accept this, said: "Do not lose heart; there will always be a way. They may deceive me for a moment, but they cannot deceive me for a lifetime. No matter what, we must not lose our ambition. When we become powerful, we will see what those people are really like!"

According to Xie Danzhu's temperament in childhood, he would have fought these people to the bitter end despite knowing he could not win. However, he has now learned to be more tactful. Suppressing his anger, he said, "Several senior brothers, the two of us partnered to buy this Iron Pear Wood Spirit Horse, and we have spent nearly all our crystal stones. If you insist on us paying the annual fee, then let us use this spirit horse as payment." He thought to himself, "If I hand over the crystal stones, even if the senior brother helps me find these people, they will still deny it, while the spirit horse is something they cannot easily part with for the time being."

The little fox tilted its head, allowing her to pet it, its round, purple eyes fixed intently on the little girl, filled with great focus and curiosity

The eight individuals in front and behind have gradually closed in, trapping Xie Danzhu and another person in the middle. The one with the crooked mouth shouted: "Quickly hand over the crystal stone, and we will let you go!"

At that moment, a cry of a crane echoed through the air. Xie Danzhu looked up and saw a large white crane gracefully descending. Countless small whirlwinds gathered beneath the crane, which hovered steadily three zhang above the ground. On the back of the crane knelt a lady in a purple dress, with five colorful clouds embroidered on the left side of her blouse.

The chubby Tang Xing began to tremble, whispering in Xie Danzhu's ear: "Danzhu, these people are not to be trifled with. We have no backing, so it would be better to part with some money to avoid disaster. It would be terrible to get beaten and lose money at the same time"

Xie Danzhu said: "In this world, there is conflict everywhere. Tang Xing, we must put in more effort to strive to become inner disciples; that would be much better."

The little girl gently touched the tip of the little fox's ear with one finger. Seeing that the little fox remained still, she grew bolder and touched it more, enjoying it more and more.

Xie Danzhu and Tang Xing were just about to express their gratitude to Sister Ruan when a sudden strong wind arose. The wind caused the spirit crane to ascend rapidly, disappearing in the blink of an eye into the azure sky

Then a talkative child eagerly answered: "Xiao Lan has been waiting here every day for Brother Dan Zhu to return, and she has finally waited for him."

Tang Xingdao: "If they don't get the crystal stones, they will definitely beat us up"

Xie Danzhu fell silent, feeling an unprecedented urgency to enhance his strength rapidly. He was merely a fifteen-year-old boy, having lived in the small town of Shitian. Although there were unfair incidents in the town, they were still neighbors and kin, and Xie Danzhu had not felt any personal threat. However, the scene he had just witnessed had a profound impact on him. The group led by the crooked-mouthed one, relying on their cultivation to the first level of the Yingpo realm, dared to bully them at will. Yet, when Senior Sister Ruan arrived on her crane, a single word from her made the crooked-mouthed group slap themselves. Why was that? Just because Senior Sister Ruan had cultivated to the fifth level of the Qipo realm, possessing strength and speed exceeding thirty-two times that of her original body? Even if Senior Sister Ruan had initially been weak, an increase to thirty-two times was far beyond what a disciple at the first level of the Yingpo realm could contend with; ten of them would not be able to match one.

The child delivering the message exclaimed, "Come and see, Brother Dan Zhu is riding a big black horse."

Xie Danzhu had previously encountered such rascals in Shitian Town, who preyed on the weak and feared the strong, specifically targeting the belongings of young children. It was unexpected to find such individuals on Zixia Mountain as well, who specifically bullied newly admitted disciples. By the way, Fei Tianyue just rode past on a Wind-Soaring Spirit Kite; how come he wasn't stopped by these people? The Wind-Soaring Spirit Kite can only fly two zhang high, and these individuals had prepared a net to intercept flying spiritual tools.

Sitting upright on the back of the crane, Sister Ruan did not even glance at the crooked-mouthed person and coldly said: "Are you all here again to extort the newly admitted disciples?"

The iron pear wood spirit horse is indeed magnificent; it does not need to drink water or eat grass. As long as the spiritual stone embedded in its forehead has not exhausted its spiritual power, it can run energetically without end. In the evening, the spirit horse carried Xie Danzhu and Tang Xing back to the small town of Shitian. They saw a group of barefoot children playing by the Fengxi River outside the west gate of the town, chasing each other and shouting loudly. The wealthy families of Shizhen generally reside at the eastern end, while the western side is considered a poor area. In the past, Xie Danzhu and Tang Xing often played here as well. As they watched the sun set, the rooftops of the town were lined up like scales, with smoke rising from the chimneys. Both boys returning home felt an overwhelming sense of warmth.

Sister Ruan, perched high on the back of the crane, let out a cold snort and said, "You eight, each slap yourselves ten times, then get lost."

A child shouted at the top of his lungs to announce: "Xiao Lan, Xiao Lan, your brother is back! Brother Dan Zhu is back!"

This little girl is Xie Dan Zhu's younger sister, named Xie Qing Lan. She is seven years old, naturally quiet, and does not particularly enjoy playing in groups

As the two young companions conversed, the snow-white little fox curled up in Xie Danzhu's arms, its round, glistening purple eyes wide open, and its fluffy pointed ears perked up energetically, occasionally twitching slightly as it listened attentively to their conversation

The crooked-mouthed man scrutinized the iron pear wood spirit horse, which was worth 150 low-grade bronze crystals, and said: "Forget it, since you seem to be more sensible, let’s use this horse to offset the annual fee—dismount, dismount!"

The group of crooked mouths also dared not linger too long on the main road leading in and out of the mountain. It would be quite good to seize an iron pear wood spirit horse, so they urged Xie Danzhu and Tang Xing to dismount quickly

Xie Qinglan was extremely happy, softly calling out: "Drive—drive—" Suddenly, she saw a small head poking out from a little cloth pouch in front of the saddle, with a sharp little mouth and eyes like purple gemstones

Xie Danzhu always possesses an indomitable spirit. Tang Xing, influenced by this, also became cheerful and laughed, saying: "He must have slapped himself in the face, haha." He continued: "Danzhu, you will definitely succeed. Mr. An De, who teaches at the private school in town, praises you, saying you are not an ordinary talent. Fei Tianyue cannot compare to you, yet he has become an inner disciple. It must be that his father, the town mayor, interceded on his behalf"

The group of children swarmed over, chattering excitedly: "Brother Dan Zhu—Brother Fatty—"

Xie Danzhu noticed and whispered in her sister's ear: "This is the purple-eyed snow fox. Brother calls her Little Fox. From now on, let Little Fox accompany you to play, alright?" hetushucomcom

Xie Danzhu surveyed the terrain; steep slopes flanked the road, and both the way forward and the way back were blocked by these eight individuals. Among them, three had reached the first level of the Yingpo realm, their strength and speed doubled, and all were robust middle-aged men. He and Tang Xing certainly could not contend with these individuals. What to do?

The little girl, Xie Qinglan, was stunned, while the little fox also stared at her without blinking.

Xie Danzhu reassured Tang Xingdao: "Do not be so frightened; when we return, we will have no crystal stones left, so what is there to fear!"

Xie Danzhu has always been stubborn; it is absolutely impossible for him to hand over six months' hard-earned money so easily. However, what countermeasures can be taken?

... ...

"Fatty, don't stick so close." Xie Danzhu lightly nudged with her right elbow.

Xie Danzhu's previous gloom was swept away as she lifted her younger sister above her head, spun around a few times, and then placed her on the iron pear wood saddle bridge. She exclaimed, "Lan'er, we are going home." Turning to Tang Xing, she said, "Fatty, see you tomorrow." She led the horse home.

"Great! Great!" The little girl was overjoyed and asked, "Brother, may I touch it?"

Upon seeing the crane maiden, the crooked-mouthed man did not dare to urge Xie Danzhu to dismount. He bowed and nodded towards the maiden in mid-air, saying: "Sister Ruan, where are you headed? Is there anything my junior brothers can assist you with?"

Tang Xing said with a bitter expression: "What effort should we put in? We spend all day farming in Linggu Field, exposed to the wind and sun, it's even harder than at home. As for cultivation, we won't be taught the first level of the technique for another two years. By the time those two years are up, we will have been bullied to the point of being foolish, how can we still cultivate then?"

Just now, that crooked-mouthed person standing next to the iron pear wood spirit horse slapped himself while lowering his voice and viciously said, "You all wait, unless you don't come back!"