Lin Jiuge

After Shi Hao and the others left, a major incident took place in the village.

The Stone Kingdom's Second Ancestral Land had been burned down. Three of the Stone Kingdom's lords arrived and, following the trail of clues, killed Yu Meng.

The Imperial Capital was shaken, setting off a huge commotion. In the end, the Human Emperor stepped in, reprimanded some of those involved, and had many heads taken. Only then did the turmoil gradually subside.

But none of this had anything to do with Little One anymore.

Chongyun Town.

Shi Lin had spent several days wandering around and had gotten a general understanding of the place.

News that the Second Ancestral Land had been destroyed had reached the town. Shi Lin had known this would happen all along.

That day was the one when Little One was supposed to leave the Second Ancestral Land and meet up with Shi Lin. Shi Lin ambled down the street toward the town's outskirts.

People in the marketplace were discussing the major events of the past few days.

"Have you heard? The Rain Clan may have been behind this arson, and they even dared to collude with servants in the ancestral land. That's downright treasonous!"

"Exactly! That day, heads rolled everywhere. Any servants in the village who had colluded with outsiders were questioned and then beheaded. Blood was everywhere, and bodies lay strewn across the ground!"

"That's nothing. A lord of the Rain Clan in the Western Frontier was killed by the lords who came from the Imperial Capital!"

"Hiss!"

Everyone was stunned.

Shi Lin listened as he walked along, smiling. Clearly, all of this had been within his expectations.

Just then, a gust of wind swept past, and a carriage came rushing toward him.

He took a look. The carriage was pulled by Gale Horses, ferocious beasts of the finest breed. They were armored from head to hoof and used exclusively as mounts for people.

Just from the carriage, it was obvious that its passenger had a noble status.

Shi Lin instinctively turned to look back, only to be met with a scolding.

"Hey, you brat up ahead! Get out of the way!" the coachman shouted.

Shi Lin turned around, his eyes flashing with cold light.

"Brat, didn't you hear me? Move!" The coachman raised his voice.

Shi Lin ignored him and watched as the carriage drew near.

The coachman hurriedly reined in the horses.

"Whoa!"

A melodious woman's voice came from inside the carriage.

"What's wrong? Why did we stop?"

"Your Highness, Ninth Princess, there's a little brat blocking the road," the coachman whispered toward the carriage.

"I'll come out and take a look."

"Your Highness, Ninth Princess, but your status..."

"It's fine. We're leaving soon anyway."

"Yes!" The coachman lifted the curtain, and a beautiful girl stepped out.

Shi Lin stood his ground like a thug, unafraid of making a scene.

I've got time anyway, Shi Lin thought.

Shi Lin looked at the beauty in the carriage and was instantly captivated.

The girl had a lovely face, skin as white as freshly peeled water chestnuts, and long, shapely brows. A scholarly elegance seemed to linger between her eyes. Her features were exquisitely beautiful. She wore a plain green dress beneath a thin white veil, which revealed her graceful figure to perfection. Her long hair, reaching to her waist, streamed in the wind. A few strands playfully blew across her face. She wore no ornaments on her head, only a pale blue ribbon lightly tying back a lock of hair.

A purple crystal pendant hung at her neck, glowing faintly and setting off her snow-white skin, as though she were a celestial maiden descended to the mortal world. Her hands were soft as young shoots, her skin smooth as jade, her neck slender as a grub, her teeth white as melon seeds. Her forehead was broad, her brows delicate; when she smiled, her dimples charmed Yangcheng and bewitched Xiacai, her bright eyes sparkled. Her brows were like kingfisher feathers, her teeth like shining shells, and her waist as slender as a sash. A sky-blue bracelet rested casually on her wrist, making her skin seem all the more soft and radiant. Her gaze was pure as water, sometimes touched with melancholy, giving her an air of distant, unattainable beauty.

Her little red lips were pursed slightly, lending her a delicate air. Though she was young, she was already a peerless beauty.

At that moment, Shi Lin's heart raced, his cheeks flushed, and heat swept through his body. He had never felt this way, not even when soaking in a medicinal bath inside the cauldron.

Love at first sight wasn't about seeing someone once and falling for them. It was about seeing them and never being able to forget them.

The girl hopped lightly down from the carriage and walked gracefully over to Shi Lin. Her red lips parted.

"Excuse me, could you move aside?" The girl's big, sparkling eyes blinked at him.

Shi Lin was momentarily dumbstruck and didn't answer. Looking at her face from so close, he felt his heart beat even faster.

"Hm?" The girl looked puzzled and waved a delicate hand in front of Shi Lin.

"Why aren't you answering?"

"Oh!" Shi Lin jolted and stepped back, then slapped his own face hard.

Shi Lin, what's wrong with you? You've been brilliant all your life. How can you go speechless just because you saw a pretty girl? Shi Lin thought.

But she's so pretty... Shi Lin was lovestruck.

Ah, no, I'm Shi Lin, a reincarnated person. In the future, I can find any beauty or celestial maiden I want. There are plenty who are prettier than her. What's gotten into me? Shi Lin, get a grip. Shi Lin tried to talk himself around.

I'm a fine young man from the twenty-first century, and I'm handsome, too. I need to be confident. He just insulted me. I should teach them a lesson.

Shi Lin worked up his confidence, then summoned his courage and walked forward.

The girl waited patiently to one side. When she saw him approach, she smiled and said,

"You're feeling better now. Um, could you move aside?"

Shi Lin looked at her face. His cheeks immediately reddened and his heart raced. He quickly lowered his head, swallowing the words he'd been about to say.

"Hmm? Why aren't you talking again?" The girl furrowed her brows.

Shi Lin stammered for a while before managing to squeeze out a single word.

"Okay..." Shi Lin murmured, head bowed.

"Great, thank you. Let's get acquainted. My name is Lin Jiuge. What's yours?" The lively girl held out a hand.

"I, I'm... I'm called Shi Lin." Only then did Shi Lin raise his head, though his face was still red.

Seeing that Shi Lin didn't reach out, the girl simply took his hand and shook it.

The moment their hands met, Shi Lin felt a softness in his palm. Her hand was a little smaller than his, but her grip was strong.

The wind lifted the girl's hair, carrying its rich fragrance to Shi Lin's nose. It smelled wonderfully fresh.

Shi Lin's heart settled at once.

"I'm off! Oh, right, I'm from the Wood Kingdom Imperial Capital. Remember to come visit me! Here, this is for you!" The girl left behind a string of purple beads and a voice like chiming bells, then climbed into the carriage and hurried away in a cloud of dust, leaving Shi Lin standing off to one side, stunned.

"I... have I fallen for her?"...

Outside Chongyun Town.

In a small pavilion, two children under ten were playing with a little monkey.

Suddenly, the golden little monkey looked up and began to squeak.

"It's Brother Lin!" Little One looked up and glanced to the side. A child about five feet tall was standing there.

"Little One, Furball, I'm here!" Shi Lin said with a smile.

"Who's this?" Shi Lin looked at Qingfeng.

Shi Lin pretended not to know.

"Oh, Brother Lin, this is Qingfeng. He suffered a lot for my sake, so I'm planning to take him back to the village!"

"Mm! It's getting late. We should get going!"

"Okay!"

And so, the three of them began their journey back.