Tsundere

Ye Qiu climbed to his feet, dusted himself off, and smiled faintly as he listened to the complaints and curses coming from inside.

After all, she was a rabbit who had never seen much of the world. She did not even know how to curse properly—if she was not hitting, she was biting.

He packed the fragrant rabbit meat from the pot into a jar, extinguished the embers in the stove, then placed a few sticks of incense beneath the peach tree and offered a brief prayer.

Then he called inside, "Xiao Wu, I'm heading out. Clean up the dining table properly!"

"I hate you. Sister Xiao Wu won't listen to you!"

"Alright, then~"

Hearing her reply, Ye Qiu felt a little awkward. He understood how she felt and did not force the matter.

Looks like I'll have to do it when I get back.

Shaking his head, he carried the rabbit meat and tucked away some money before heading to Old Man Zhang's house.

Xiao Wu, who was still pounding her pillow, immediately ran to the door and poked her head out when she heard that things had gone quiet outside.

But when she looked around, he was already nowhere to be seen.

"Ye Qiu~!"

"Damn it! Hmph!" With reddened eyes, Xiao Wu angrily slapped the door, making it bang and thud.

"You didn't even know to come comfort me." Pouting her rabbit lips, she was extremely displeased with Ye Qiu's irresponsible behavior.

She turned back and shot the table a cold glance, flicked her Scorpion Braid, kicked off with her rabbit legs, and returned to bed.

Hmph! Sister Xiao Wu is unhappy. Whoever wants to do it can do it!

Her eyes had just closed when her eyelashes trembled. She opened them several times, looking again and again at the table, though no one knew what she was thinking.

Meanwhile, Ye Qiu was already nearing his destination.

He had not killed that rabbit for nothing. There was only one quilt at home, and that silly rabbit was still using his clothes as replacements.

They would be setting off for Soul Master Academy tomorrow, so it was necessary to buy a few things.

Listening to the chirping birds along the road, he looked up at the sky. He wanted to say something poetic, but he was powerless to do so and could only sigh inwardly:

A book is hated for lacking words when needed; so many branches, so many birds!

He bent down and set down what he was carrying, casually picked up a few pebbles, and his eyes lit up crimson.

"Let's test the results of my recent training!"

He held three pebbles between the fingers of each hand, adjusted his breathing slightly, and focused before making his move.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! His two hands threw in succession.

Clack! Clack! The pebbles collided.

Thud! Thud! Four birds fell.

His movements had been smooth and flowing, but Ye Qiu was not very satisfied with the result.

"Two missed."

He frowned, then relaxed.

"The Sharingan still has plenty of room to improve. Besides, I'll be meeting Tang San soon, right? The Tang Sect's secret techniques? My Sharingan is already starving for them."

He casually pulled up two handfuls of Blue Silver Grass from the roadside and roughly tied up his spoils.

"Aunt Zhang! Is the Village Chief home?"

"Oh, Xiao Qiu. Your Village Chief grandpa went to borrow an ox, but everything has already been prepared. You can just carry it back."

Aunt Zhang was still washing clothes as she spoke. She wiped her hands twice on her apron, ushered Ye Qiu inside, then brought out the things she had prepared and placed them on the table.

"Borrow an ox?" Ye Qiu stood there, confused.

Aunt Zhang promptly explained, "Ah, renting a carriage is expensive. To save some money, you two kids will just have to make do with an ox cart."

"Then I'll have to trouble Grandpa Zhang." Ye Qiu nodded. He understood the situation well enough. Life was indeed not easy for villagers at the bottom of the continent.

"What trouble? As long as you two future Spirit Masters don't feel wronged, that's all that matters!"

Even though Ye Qiu knew Aunt Zhang was teasing him, he did not dare spout nonsense. He hurriedly waved his hands.

"What are you saying, Auntie? Everyone has already taken such good care of me. How could I feel wronged? When Xiao Qiu makes something of himself in the future, I won't forget any of you!"

He placed the jar in his arms and the few little birds on the table. "Oh, right, Auntie! This is rabbit meat I cooked. When Grandpa Zhang comes back, tell him it's Xiao Qiu's filial gift to him."

"You child, no wonder your Grandpa Zhang always says you know how to keep things separate." Aunt Zhang glared at him reproachfully.

Ye Qiu did not mind. Compared to the care they had shown him over the years, this jar of meat was nothing.

He also did not want to owe them too much.

After chatting with Aunt Zhang for a while longer, Ye Qiu left. If he stayed too long, the copper coins in the jar lid might fall out, and she would nag him even more.

Not daring to linger, he agreed to set off with the Village Chief at the village entrance tomorrow morning, shouldered the cotton quilt, and ran home in a flash.

As he neared the stone house,

he had thought Xiao Wu would have calmed down by the time he returned, but before he even entered, he heard her cursing again.

"!"

Just as he was about to enter, Ye Qiu was especially surprised by the clothes hanging outside to dry.

He lightened his footsteps and quietly crept toward the doorway.

Inside, all the bowls and chopsticks on the table had been cleaned away.

Xiao Wu was riding the wooden horse Ye Qiu had made for her in his spare time, patting its head while muttering nonstop.

As Old Ye's grandson, Ye Qiu had inherited quite a few carpentry skills as well, ensuring that even without a Martial Soul, he could still earn enough for three meals a day.

Over this period, he had also made quite a few little toys for that silly rabbit.

Perhaps she had gotten too caught up in cursing, because Ye Qiu had approached quite closely without her noticing. Her childish yet crisp voice reached his ears.

"Stinky Ye Qiu, dead Ye Qiu! Why hasn't he come back after so long?!"

"I've already cleaned everything up and even washed all the clothes. If you still don't come back, Sister Xiao Wu will—ah!"

Before she could finish, a sudden voice gave her a fright.

"Will what? You won't talk to me anymore?"

With the corners of his lips curled up, Ye Qiu looked at her in amusement.

"Ah! Ye Qiu, you're back!" Joy flashed across her face as she climbed over the wooden horse and prepared to run toward him.

But halfway there, she seemed to remember something. Her expression stiffened, her body paused, and she flicked her Scorpion Braid as she turned her face away.

"Hmph!" She gave a cold snort, still talking tough. "I don't want to talk to you!"

I never thought this rabbit had a bit of tsundere in her.

Seeing her act like this, Ye Qiu smiled until his eyes curved. "Haha."

"What are you laughing at?" Xiao Wu glared at Ye Qiu with her crimson eyes. "The matter with Xiao Bai isn't over yet!"

"Cough, cough." Ye Qiu coughed dryly twice, avoiding the matter of that rabbit. He stepped forward and placed a hand on Xiao Wu's head.

"I'm not laughing at anything. I'm just a little happy. Thanks for washing my clothes."

As he spoke, he also gave her head a rub. It felt pretty nice.

"How many times have I told you? You're not allowed to touch my head!" Xiao Wu's little face grew hot, and the gunpowder vanished from her voice. She merely muttered a complaint and did not resist too much.

The two pink rabbit ears swaying in the breeze made it clear that the head pat had worked rather well.

Strangely enough, whenever there was a conflict between them, some intimate contact seemed to resolve it all with ease. Such an obedient rabbit instead made Ye Qiu feel that it was somewhat unreal.

Could the Sharingan's influence be long-term? Or is it just an aftereffect?

Ye Qiu pondered inwardly.