They walked back together toward the stone arch bridge. Climbing its steps, Chen Ping'an reached the middle of the bridge, suddenly stopped, sat down, and dangled his legs over the side.
The white-haired boy followed suit and sat beside him.
Chen Ping'an turned to look toward Luopo Mountain. Little Millet seemed to have just finished patrolling as far as Jise Peak Patriarch Hall, moving at an unhurried pace.
Luopo Mountain Right Guardian's diligence in patrolling the mountain was famously unwavering: twice a day, morning and evening, without fail. She had never once slept in or slacked off.
Just like how the Vermilion Robe Boy reported for duty punctually every month, she believed herself far inferior to Vice Helmsman Zhou's daily mountain patrols. Whenever no one was around during her patrol, Little Millet would begin practicing a peerless martial art: the Madness Swordplay Pei Qian had taught her. Pei Qian wielded a sword one-handed, but she was different—Hiking Staff in one hand, Golden Flat Shoulder Pole in the other, wielding swords in both hands, doubling the power!
Don't be envious. You couldn't learn it even if you were, because this was called becoming talented through self-study.
Then she would head into the streams, turn over rocks to find crabs and play rock-paper-scissors with them. What was the point? She always won and never lost, without the slightest suspense. Such behavior really was a bit childish. It simply wouldn't do.
Next time, she would stop bullying those defeated underlings. She would catch a fish instead. This mountain patrol envoy would throw paper first, then lightly press its belly. The moment the fish opened its mouth, it would be a fist. Sigh, another victory firmly in hand.
Whenever the good person Mountain Lord was away from home, Little Millet's patrols went quickly. She