Happy Times

Li Qingyang, Lu Qianqian, and the other disciples accepted Sect Missions and came to Qingyang Village, where they began searching for targets to complete their tasks.

"Iron Bone Unyielding Sect disciples?"

"When did that brat Gousheng... no, Jun Changxiao, take in so many disciples?"

"Under the Big Banyan Tree, that young man who looks like a big girl said he was acting on the sect leader's orders to write letters for us in Scholar Zhao's stead."

The villagers of Qingyang Village gathered at the entrance, discussing among themselves.

Sitting beneath the tree, Li Qingyang felt deeply wounded when he heard everyone describe him as a big girl.

He actually looked quite sunny and manly. The only reason people mistook him for a girl was because of the bright sect uniform.

Before long, a white-haired old woman leaning on a cane slowly approached.

"Grandma, are you here to write a letter?" Li Qingyang asked.

The white-haired old woman cupped a hand to her ear. "Child, what did you just say?"

"I said, are you here to write a letter?" Li Qingyang raised his voice considerably.

The white-haired old woman still could not hear him clearly. She shook her withered hand and pointed at her ear. "I'm old and hard of hearing. I can't make it out."

With no other option, Li Qingyang picked up his brush and wrote the six words: "Are you here to write a letter?"

By coincidence, Xiao Ziji came down the path carrying two buckets of manure. When he saw Second Senior Brother showing the old woman a sheet of paper, he nearly stumbled and fell flat on the ground.

Hearing the commotion, Li Qingyang looked over. "Junior Brother, what's wrong?"

Xiao Ziji forcibly steadied himself to keep the two buckets from falling, then said in despair, "Senior Brother, do you think she can read?"

Li Qingyang smacked his forehead. "I forgot. Most of Qingyang Village's villagers can't read, so even if I wrote it, she wouldn't understand."

He gathered his breath in his Dantian and shouted, "ARE YOU HERE TO WRITE A LETTER?"

The white-haired old woman heard him this time, but she tapped her cane against the ground. "Child, can't you speak a little softer? You nearly deafened me."

"Thud."

Li Qingyang collapsed straight onto the table.

In a courtyard carpeted with fallen leaves.

Dressed in neat white martial attire, Lu Qianqian stood as graceful as a lotus rising from the water, faint Spirit Power swirling around her delicate hands.

Swish!

She lightly flicked her wrist.

However, the bamboo broom in her hand could not withstand the force and instantly shattered.

Lu Qianqian frowned slightly. "Why did it break again?"

Looking around, three shattered bamboo brooms already lay at her feet, each one having died a truly miserable death.

"M-Miss..." Aunt Wang hid in the distance, holding a dustpan before her like a shield. Trembling with fear, she asked, "A-Are you here to sweep the floor, or to kill someone?!"

"Hmph."

Lu Qianqian threw the broken broom to the ground and said angrily, "I already said I didn't know how. Yet the sect leader still sent me here."

The sect leader?

Aunt Wang immediately thought of Jun Changxiao.

You bastard, what exactly are you trying to do?

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Suddenly, waves of air rushed over.

Aunt Wang hurriedly raised her dustpan, but she still peeked over it. She saw the beautiful girl, like an immortal descended to earth, waving both hands in the air as all the leaves on the ground were stirred up and gathered together.

"This works much better than a broom."

Lu Qianqian cast her an icy look. "Hey, where should I dump this trash?"

"O-Outside..." Auntie Wang hurriedly pointed beyond the courtyard.

Swish!

Lu Qianqian shifted her steps as though she were dancing gracefully. Her fair jade-like palms moved through the air, and the gathered leaves flew over the wall.

"Thud."

Su Xiaomo, who had been searching the whole village for Little Yellow, happened to pass by outside. He was directly struck on the head by a huge mass of leaves and branches, leaving him in a dreadful mess.

"Pfft, hahaha!"

The disciples carrying out their tasks separately saw their senior brother covered head to toe in leaves and immediately burst into laughter.

"Move! Move aside!"

Just then, Xiao Ziji came charging down the slope with his manure buckets. Unable to control the shoulder pole, he sent the two buckets swaying wildly from side to side, splashing manure everywhere—including onto their faces.

"Haha!"

Seeing two junior brothers with chicken manure smeared across their faces, Su Xiaomo threw back his head and laughed loudly.

Upon reaching Flat Slope, Xiao Ziji finally steadied the two buckets. Turning back awkwardly, he said, "Senior Brothers, sorry..."

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The two disciples with manure on their faces approached him, red light flickering in their eyes.

Seeing this, Xiao Ziji hurriedly ran off with the shoulder pole.

"Don't let him get away!"

The two disciples rushed after him. Ignoring the filth of the chicken manure, they thrust their hands straight into the buckets, smeared it across his face with a splash, and grinned. "Now we're even."

"Hahaha."

Su Xiaomo laughed so hard tears nearly came out.

Bang!

Another pile of leaves flew over the wall and struck him on the head, making him roll his eyes and collapse.

Qingyang Village did not have many people, only a few hundred households. Most of the able-bodied men worked elsewhere, leaving behind the old, the weak, women, and children, so life was usually somewhat dull.

After the Iron Bone Unyielding Sect disciples arrived and went door to door completing missions, the village became much livelier.

Gradually, the villagers came to understand that Gousheng's sect disciples had come to do volunteer work for everyone, and they gladly accepted it.

"Mr. Li, I'd like to write a letter."

Under the banyan tree, a seventy-year-old man smiled and said, "It's for Erwa in town. Tell him to put more thought into studying and stop caring only about playing all day."

Li Qingyang began writing with his brush.

Over the past few hours, he had already written letters for five villagers.

Some were written to sons, others to relatives living elsewhere. Most of the contents were ordinary family chatter. Though simple, they were precious in their sincerity.

After finishing one letter, Li Qingyang fell into thought. "I understand now. The sect leader wanted me to listen to their hearts, so I could comprehend something from it."

Clap, clap!

In the courtyard, Lu Qianqian clapped her hands. "That should be about enough."

Not a single fallen leaf or speck of dust remained on the ground. It was far cleaner than if it had been swept with a bamboo broom.

Aunt Wang slumped by the entrance to the main room, looking as though she wanted to cry but had no tears.

The courtyard had indeed been swept spotless, but the several large trees she had planted had been lush with branches and leaves. Now they stood completely bare, their branches torn away until only trunks remained.

That was not even the main point. The main point was... every kind of vegetable planted in the courtyard garden had been uprooted and thrown outside.

"The rooms need cleaning too, right?"

Swish!

Aunt Wang sprang up and guarded the doorway. "Miss, I can clean the rooms myself. There's no need to trouble you."

"No."

Lu Qianqian said, "The sect leader said I had to help you with housework."

With a wave of her hand, she pulled Aunt Wang aside and stepped into the main room. Immediately afterward came the sounds of teacups and iron basins crashing together—"clank, clank."

"Ahhh!"

Aunt Wang clutched her head and cursed at the sky, "You bastard, did you deliberately send someone to torment me?!"

Dusk arrived.

The Main Hall reeked of chicken manure. Pinching his nose, Jun Changxiao said, "All of you, go take a bath!"

Swish! Swish!

Xiao Ziji and the others vanished in an instant.

"Sect Leader, the junior brothers completed their tasks excellently today," Li Qingyang said.

Jun Changxiao paused. "Why is your voice hoarse?"

At those words, Li Qingyang's tears nearly fell. "The clients were all elderly uncles and aunties. Not a single one of them wasn't hard of hearing."

"Sigh."

Jun Changxiao patted his shoulder. "You've worked hard."

"Hm?"

He swept his gaze over the disciples. "Where's Qianqian? Why didn't she return with you?"

Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, the ground began to shake.

Jun Changxiao raised his head and watched dust fall from the beams. "An earthquake?"

"Brat, get out here!"

A furious roar suddenly came from outside the Main Hall.

"Aunt Wang?"

Jun Changxiao hurried outside, only to abruptly stagger backward in fright, one hand clutching the doorframe.

On the Training Ground, Aunt Wang came charging over with a kitchen knife in one hand and a rolling pin in the other, murderous intent billowing from her. Every step she took made the earth tremble and the mountains shake.

"Sect Leader."

Standing on the corner of the gatehouse roof, Lu Qianqian said calmly, "She insisted on coming to thank you. This disciple couldn't stop her."

Gulp.

Jun Changxiao swallowed and hurriedly said, "Aunt Wang, if there's something to say... Ahhh! Aunt Wang is trying to kill someone!"