First Encounter

Just after the Hour of the Rooster, Duàn Yì closed up his room, tucked away his money pouch, and left the inn to find something to eat.

Why not eat at the inn? Wasn't the answer obvious?

It was expensive and a rip-off. Duàn Yì was no rich tycoon, so naturally he had chosen to forage for food outside.

And as a purebred foodie, Duàn Yì not only wanted to fill his stomach, but eat well. Going out to inquire about the local famous snacks was only natural.

The sky was still bright, though it was much cooler than the midday heat. The streets remained crowded with all sorts of people. Duàn Yì even saw several fierce-looking men striding past with sabers and swords in hand, and for some reason, it excited him.

Different. Truly different from his previous life. This was a world that was dreamlike, yet extraordinarily real.

Duàn Yì wandered the streets alone in high spirits, looking left and right like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden.

Yet in his eyes, although Daming County was prosperous, it was only so-so. It could not even compare to a third-rate county town from his previous life. There was no helping it—their economies and paths of social development were simply not on the same level.

"Mm, this smell is pretty good."

As he walked down a somewhat narrow lane, Duàn Yì's nose twitched. He suddenly caught a fragrant scent that set his saliva flowing, accompanied by the sizzling sound of stir-frying, especially pleasing to the ear.

His heart stirring, Duàn Yì followed the sound and aroma at a brisk pace. At the corner, he saw a somewhat shabby little stall.

A cooking range had been set against the wall, white smoke curling upward and steam billowing out. A middle-aged man was busy behind it, while a cloth canopy overhead shielded the stall from sunlight and dust.

At the front stood a banner reading "Old Wang's Small Noodles." Five of the six tables on the other side were already occupied, noisy and lively. The last table would probably soon have someone claiming it too.

Oh, and a somewhat stout woman was calling out to serve customers nearby. It was probably their family business.

Duàn Yì's eyes lit up. Though it was merely a roadside stall and not very large, what he cared about was color, fragrance, and flavor. Everything else was secondary.

Duàn Yì decided to sample this family's cooking. He held his head high and strode forward, his target clear: the final empty table, where he was just about to plant himself.

Unexpectedly, just as he was about to sit down, a powerful force surged at him from behind. Duàn Yì lost his balance and staggered, nearly taking a face-first tumble. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and braced himself against the table, avoiding embarrassment.

His anger flared at once. Which shameless bastard was fighting him for a seat? Did they think he was easy to bully?

Duàn Yì whirled around furiously, rolling up his sleeves and preparing to let the other party taste the power of Minor Capturing Hand. Then he froze, took several deep breaths, and forced down his anger.

Because this person was rather special.

She looked thirteen or fourteen, with bright eyes and white teeth, slender lovely brows, and skin as white as milk, gleaming with a golden luster beneath the setting sun like a jade maiden.

Her hair was tied into a Flying Immortal Hairpin: gathered atop her head, divided into sections and bound with silk cords, curved into loops, then raised on either side.

Her clothes were even more striking: a pale gauze dress edged in silver thread, with a pink shawl lending her a playful, adorable air. A string of large, round pearls hung at her neck, making the little girl look not only exquisite but also noble.

What an exquisite, beautiful girl.

Duàn Yì could not help marveling inwardly. When she grows up, she'll definitely become a calamity that topples kingdoms and ruins cities.

"Little friend, do you know what you just did?

"If a polite person accidentally pushes an older brother, they should apologize. Say sorry to me, and I'll forgive you."

Seeing that the pretty girl had already taken the seat he had intended to claim, Duàn Yì thought he should not stoop to a child's level. Still, he could not simply let it slide. She was already so overbearing and arrogant at such a young age—what would become of her when she grew up? She needed some teaching.

So he walked around to the other side of the table and sat facing her, speaking with nothing but goodwill and a smile.

The girl's delicate brows and eyes were pleasing to behold. She first glanced at Duàn Yì without seeming to, her eyes shifting slightly as she was somewhat surprised by his extraordinary looks.

But she quickly turned disdainful and let out a snort. It was as fine and crisp as a wind chime, wonderfully pleasant to hear.

"Stinky brat, stay away from me. You're barely older than I am, so why are you pretending to be an adult? You want to lecture this young lady?"

Her face was lovely and her voice beautiful, but that did not change the fact that her personality was awful. The anger Duàn Yì had just suppressed began surging up again.

In his previous life, he had been known as a straight man of steel. Pretty or not, woman or not—if you pushed someone and refused to apologize, you still thought you were in the right? What sort of family had indulged such a bad habit?

Just as he was about to let loose a stream of flowery language and teach her the art of cursing—

The woman who had been greeting customers by the stall came over with a smile, asking what the two of them wanted to eat. She first introduced several of the dishes her family was best at, then pointed to the prices written in charcoal on the wall behind her.

The woman looked ordinary, and her upturned eyes made her seem somewhat shrewd and worldly. Yet she kept glancing at Duàn Yì, openly or otherwise, as if she were looking at an exquisite piece of jewelry or a beautiful porcelain vessel, unable to take her eyes away.

Before Duàn Yì had decided what to eat, the girl's eyes were already blinking brightly, shining with eager anticipation. She ordered one of everything the woman had introduced, especially two large bowls of Wang Family's Small Noodles as the staple food.

Eat, eat, eat. Are you a rice bucket? Ordering so much—aren't you afraid everyone will know you're rich? I curse you to eat yourself up to two hundred pounds and see whether that beauty that could topple kingdoms and ruin cities can hold up that tonnage.

Duàn Yì appeared unmoved, but inwardly he grumbled.

Partly because he was still upset by the girl's rude words earlier, but also because his pockets were empty and he could not afford to order that much. He could only look on with sour envy.

After placing the order, however, the girl glanced at Duàn Yì and snorted again.

"Hey, stinky brat. Seeing how shabbily you're dressed, I'll treat you to a meal. Consider it charity. Eat up and leave quickly."

Yet her cheeks were faintly flushed, and she turned her little head aside rather than look at Duàn Yì across from her, making his heart stir.

No wonder she had ordered two bowls of staple food. So she knew she had been in the wrong, but did not want to apologize, and had chosen this roundabout way to express it.

She was not someone who could not distinguish right from wrong. She was simply a classic tsundere, cold-faced but warm-hearted.

But why does this still feel so irritating? If you're treating me, just treat me. Do you have to expose the fact that my pockets are empty? What an annoying person.

Duàn Yì chuckled without replying. He merely spread his hands, indicating that everything was up to her.

It was only a little teasing. He had not lost a single hair, and he got a free meal out of it. How could he refuse such a good deal?

Come to think of it, Duàn Yì had the strange feeling that he was a boy toy. Earlier, he had depended on big sister Yuè Jiāo Nú for meals; now, he was depending on a pretty girl he had only just met. Mm, it had to be an illusion.

Seeing how generous the girl was, the woman finally tore her attention away from Duàn Yì. Swaying her bucket-like waist, she happily went to inform her old man.

Only Duàn Yì and the girl remained at the table. Compared to the neighboring tables, where people were chatting animatedly, theirs seemed much quieter.

"Hey, you stinky brat who loves pretending to be an adult. What's your name?"

The dishes would not arrive for a while, and the girl seemed bored. After looking around, she finally turned her attention to Duàn Yì.

There was no helping it. This place was narrow and crowded, and the people around her were all crude, ugly old men. If the aroma had not drawn her in, she would not have come here to eat even if beaten to death.

Only Duàn Yì had handsome, refined features and was close to her in age, making him at least bearable to look at.

Fine, the main reason was that Duàn Yì was good-looking.

"Me? My surname is Lao, and my given name is Gong. You can call me Husband."

Duàn Yì smiled faintly, perfectly composed. Inwardly, however, he thought, This world probably doesn't have the word 'husband.' I'll take advantage of you while you're still clueless. That counts as revenge for calling me a stinky brat.

He was being fairly kind about it. At least he had not made the girl call him Dad.

"Husband, Husband... Is Lao really a surname? Hm? Husband—how dare you take advantage of me? Bastard!"

The girl muttered "Husband" several times under her breath. Then she seemed to realize something, and her expression changed abruptly. Her exquisite, flawless little face flushed red, and her slender white finger trembled as she pointed at Duàn Yì. With a swish, she slapped at him.

But though she changed expressions quickly, Duàn Yì's reaction was no slower. The moment he saw her face change, he sensed trouble. Clearly, the word "husband" was not unique to his previous life, and he had angered her.

He leaned his head back and used his right hand, which rested on the table, to seize the hand she had swung at him. At the same time, he curled his fingers around the Daling acupoint on the inside of her wrist, leaving her unable to exert any strength. It was precisely the wrist-seizing, acupoint-locking technique of Minor Capturing Hand.

"Ahem, what's wrong? Even if my name is strange and my surname rare, you don't have to hit me, do you?"

As the saying went, getting hit was a small matter; going hungry was a grave one. He could not let the duck already at his mouth fly away, so he had to keep up this act.

Seeing Duàn Yì looking utterly innocent, without the slightest guilty conscience, as though he truly knew nothing, the girl blinked her sparkling eyes in confusion as well.

Could this person really just be named Lao Gong?

Could there really be such a coincidence?