Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger?

Qian Xunji imagined the scene and felt a headache coming on.

After pondering for a moment, he said seriously to Bibi Xi, "Xiao Xi, I need your help with something."

"Go ahead, Brother Qian."

"Once we reach the village, don't tell your parents my real identity for now."

"Just tell them I'm Dong'er's boyfriend from Spirit City, the son of an ordinary family with fairly decent means. My surname is Lin."

"There's no need to say anything else."

"Huh? Why?"

"Brother Qian, are you planning to... play the pig to eat the tiger?"

"It's not playing the pig to eat the tiger." Qian Xunji shook his head with a laugh. "I simply hope that when they first meet me, they'll see me as an ordinary young man their daughter brought home, rather than facing the Pope of Spirit Hall with awe and fear."

"That way, we can get along more naturally."

"Once I've gotten to know them better, I can find a suitable time to explain my identity."

"Besides, I'm not lying when I say I come from an ordinary family in Spirit City."

"I'm only a tiny bit stronger than 'ordinary,' that's all."

Bibi Xi looked at the man before him, the leader of one of the continent's foremost powers, solemnly claiming that he was only a tiny bit stronger than ordinary. The corner of his mouth could not help twitching.

That tiny little difference was probably greater than the distance between Anping Village and Spirit City.

But on second thought, this arrangement seemed... rather interesting?

Imagining his parents sizing up the Pope as an ordinary prospective son-in-law, perhaps even finding faults with him, Bibi Xi actually began to look forward to it.

"Fine. I'll keep it from them."

Anping Village lay on the edge of the northeastern province of the Heaven Dou Empire, bordering the vast Sunset Forest.

Far from the empire's center of power and not along any major route, it was merely a small, self-sufficient village nestled among mountains and waters.

It was summer. Through the carriage window, rolling summer mountains stretched into the distance.

Nearby, neat plots of rice paddies bowed under the weight of heavy grain.

Most of the village homes were built from yellow earth and timber, their roofs covered in thick thatch or green tiles. They stood scattered across the hillsides and beside the stream.

Wisps of cooking smoke curled from chimneys, lending the village a tranquil, peaceful air.

Several towering old locust trees stood at the village entrance, with what appeared to be stone benches beneath them. It was likely where villagers gathered to chat during their leisure time.

A crystal-clear brook babbled past the village, while several ancient waterwheels turned slowly beside it.

To avoid causing an unnecessary commotion, the carriage descended from the air at a fork in the road several miles from Anping Village's entrance. The Cloud-Flying Colt folded its wings and landed on the ground.

"Dong'er, wake up. We're here."

"Mmm..."

Bibi Dong opened her eyes groggily and realized that, at some point, she had leaned against her teacher's shoulder.

What jolted her fully awake was the apparent trace of moisture at the corner of her mouth.

She had drooled, and even dampened her teacher's shoulder.

"T-Teacher, I'm sorry."

Flustered, she hurriedly looked for something to wipe it with, her face burning red. She wanted nothing more than to leap from the carriage and flee.

Heavens, she had fallen asleep on her teacher's shoulder and even drooled! Her image was completely ruined!

Seeing her embarrassed and anxious expression, Qian Xunji found her utterly adorable.

He waved a hand. "It's fine. You were tired from the journey, so falling asleep is perfectly normal. Get ready to disembark."

By then, Bibi Xi had already jumped out of the carriage and was stretching his limbs. He leaned against the window and poked his head inside, wearing a broad, teasing grin.

"Sis, you slept so soundly. You were even snoring softly."

"Huh? Really?"

Bibi Dong covered her face in disbelief.

For the past two days, the prospect of seeing her parents had left her too stirred up to sleep. She had barely closed her eyes, using meditation in place of rest. Yet after completely relaxing in the carriage, she had slept so deeply that she even snored.

And both her little brother and teacher had heard it!

Suppressing a laugh, Qian Xunji reached out and rubbed her head.

"Snoring is normal. It means you slept soundly."

"All right, get out and get some fresh air first. I need to change clothes."

"Change clothes?"

Bibi Dong froze for a moment, then looked toward the small damp patch on his shoulder, feeling even guiltier. "Is it because I dirtied them? I..."

"It's not because of that."

"It's because this outfit is too conspicuous for a village."

"Since I'm supposed to be the son of an ordinary family, naturally I should dress more ordinarily."

As he spoke, he took a bundle from the luggage beside him. Inside was a set of blue cloth clothes he had prepared in advance.

Only then did Bibi Dong understand that her teacher intended to carry through with his plan of pretending to be ordinary, and her embarrassment eased somewhat.

She obediently nodded and got out of the carriage with Bibi Xi first.

Bibi Xi then sidled up beside her and teased, "Sis, your face was really red just now."

"None of your business!"

Bibi Dong flew into a rage from embarrassment and reached out to twist her brother's arm. "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

"Ow, easy!"

Bibi Xi bared his teeth dramatically. "You were sleeping so soundly, I couldn't bear to wake you."

"Besides, Brother Qian's shoulder seemed perfectly steady for you to lean on, and he didn't say anything either."

"Bibi Xi!" Bibi Dong was both embarrassed and angry, and she raised a hand as if to hit him.

Bibi Xi hurriedly jumped away and raised his hands in surrender. "All right, all right, I won't say another word. Sis, your face is red because of the sun. Definitely because of the sun."

Bibi Dong looked up at the sky, obscured by clouds. Where was there any blazing sun?

That rotten little brother!

She stamped her foot and ignored him, turning instead toward the carriage.

What would her teacher look like in rough cloth garments?

The thought actually made her feel a little... expectant.

Inside the carriage, Qian Xunji removed his luxurious brocade robes and changed into plain blue cloth clothing.

The fabric was coarse, utterly unlike the clothes he usually wore, and its design was simple to the point of having no decoration at all.

Yet he stood tall and carried himself with extraordinary poise. Even the simplest cloth garments could not conceal the bearing he had cultivated over time. They merely subdued his sharpness and lent him a few more traces of gentleness.

He looked himself over in a small bronze mirror inside the carriage and felt fairly satisfied.

"Mm, I should... look ordinary enough now, right?"

He muttered to himself, a smile curling at his lips.

Then he adjusted his collar, lifted the carriage curtain, and bent down to step outside.

"Well?"

Bibi Dong stared at him wide-eyed. "I almost don't recognize Teacher anymore."

"You don't recognize me just because I changed clothes?"

"Mm. You look rather different, and I'm not used to seeing you like this."

"You'll get used to it."

Qian Xunji then went to the coachman and instructed, "You've worked hard. Return here at this time three days from now and wait for us."

The coachman respectfully accepted the order and drove away with the empty carriage.

Now, only the three of them remained on the dirt road, along with... a small mountain of packages on the ground.

"Teacher, did we really buy this much?"

"Yes. Most of it was bought by you."

"And since this is our first visit, we can't exactly arrive empty-handed."

With that, he bent down and effortlessly lifted the two largest bundles with one hand.

They contained new clothes and fine tea for Bibi Dong's parents. With his other hand, he picked up several gift boxes of pastries.

Bibi Xi hurriedly stepped forward as well, hanging the remaining packages all over himself.

Before long, he looked like a walking Christmas tree.

"Pfft—"

Bibi Dong could not help laughing at the sight of the two of them.

She reached out to take some of the burden, but Qian Xunji stopped her.

"You only need to carry this." Qian Xunji handed her an embroidered box.

Inside were the purple crystal earrings he had personally chosen, intended as a meeting gift for Bibi Dong's mother.