Jiu Baiyun looked at the oil-paper package in Su Zhiyun’s hand, still steaming with heat.
The surprise in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by a slight curve at the corner of his mouth.
This girl, awkward as she was, had a good heart and an astonishingly strong sense of action.
“Alright, let’s go.”
He nodded, not saying anything more, and pushed open the creaking courtyard gate first.
The morning air carried the crisp, slightly cold freshness unique to mountain forests, chasing away the last traces of sleepiness.
Su Zhiyun tightened her collar, carrying the oil-paper package, and silently followed half a step behind Jiu Baiyun, neither too close nor too far.
The path to the ancestral shrine was much clearer than at night, with dew condensing on the grass and trees.
Occasionally, they encountered early-rising villagers along the way.
Those gazes, filled with rejection and scrutiny, still stung.
Jiu Baiyun ignored them as a matter of habit, but Su Zhiyun frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled.
“Hey,” Su Zhiyun couldn’t help but quicken her pace, almost walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Jiu Baiyun, lowering her voice, “What exactly did you do to make those villagers dislike you so much?”
Jiu Baiyun’s steps didn’t falter, and a careless smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Oh, that. It’s nothing. I just told them that the Immortals view human life as worthless grass, that they wouldn’t save them, much less teach them how to cultivate immortality.”
“Is it really that simple?”
Su Zhiyun was skeptical.
And Jiu Baiyun didn’t care whether Su Zhiyun believed him or not, shrugging indifferently.
“That’s all it was.”
Su Zhiyun fell silent, looking at Jiu Baiyun’s back, and roughly understood.
She had experienced such things too.
Almost no one would believe that the Immortals were strange or sinister.
After realizing that, she had never spoken of such matters in public again.
She hadn’t expected Jiu Baiyun, who had clearly experienced far more than she had, to still choose to do this.
Wasn’t this just looking for trouble, inviting hardship upon himself?
Su Zhiyun remained silent, watching Jiu Baiyun’s seemingly indifferent back, and ultimately said nothing.
She just pursed her lips, gripped the oil-paper package a little tighter, and obediently followed one step behind Jiu Baiyun.
The slightly cold morning mountain breeze brushed past, and the dew on the grass and trees dampened their shoes and trouser cuffs.
Jiu Baiyun walked with steady, quick strides.
Before long, the Fox Immortal Ancestral Shrine, located at the back of the mountain and surrounded by a fence, came into view once more.
Still some distance away, Jiu Baiyun naturally slowed his pace, his gaze directed toward the shrine.
Sure enough, just like yesterday morning, a slender figure was already busy there.
A Ran was holding that somewhat worn-out broom, head bowed, diligently sweeping away the dead leaves and small branches that had been blown onto the open ground in front of the shrine by the night wind.
Her movements were light and focused, looking beautiful under the early morning sun.
Jiu Baiyun watched quietly, the corner of his mouth curling up almost imperceptibly.
Su Zhiyun also stopped, standing slightly behind and to the side of Jiu Baiyun, her gaze falling on the girl who was bent over sweeping.
Just one glance made Su Zhiyun’s eyes light up.
Wow, it’s a cute little loli!
Looking at the figure who was half a head shorter than her, Su Zhiyun subconsciously hefted the oil-paper package in her hand, its warmth transmitting through the paper bag to her palm.
A Ran seemed to sense the gaze, stopping her sweeping and looking up.
Those clear eyes immediately curved upon seeing Jiu Baiyun, revealing a familiar, bright smile.
“Brother Jiu! You’re here!”
Her voice was crisp and pleasant to hear.
But when her line of sight landed on Su Zhiyun beside Jiu Baiyun—who was holding the oil-paper package and looking at her with an excited, even somewhat perverted smile—her smile faltered slightly.
She stood still, her eyes darting between Jiu Baiyun and Su Zhiyun, finally asking Jiu Baiyun with some confusion.
“This… is?”
She had a vague impression of most people who had visited the shrine.
She was certain this young lady brought by Jiu Baiyun had never been here before.
Moreover, A Ran remembered people with unique temperaments quite clearly.
The young master from Qingyu City was noble yet tinged with hypocrisy; the young lady from yesterday was delicate and evoked pity.
The young lady beside Jiu Baiyun also had a unique temperament… a bit lively and unrestrained?
Feeling the heat of Su Zhiyun’s gaze, A Ran felt momentarily uncertain.
Thinking this, A Ran offered Su Zhiyun a strained smile.
Before Jiu Baiyun could even speak, Su Zhiyun directly bypassed him, taking a swift step forward to stand right in front of A Ran, her face blooming with an extremely brilliant smile.
Then, with deft movements, she stuffed the oil-paper package—still emitting an enticing aroma of meat and warmth—into A Ran’s arms.
“Here! For you!”
Su Zhiyun’s voice was clear and carried a touch of familiar, easygoing intimacy.
“I’m Su Zhiyun! I’m… uh, Brother Jiu’s fellow villager!”
She paused, seeming to think “fellow villager” was the best term to quickly explain their relationship, and added hastily.
“This is grilled meat skewers I made. They’re really fragrant! Want to try one?”
A Ran was a bit stunned by this sudden enthusiasm and the package thrust into her arms.
The warm touch and rich aroma coming through the oiled paper made her instinctively hug the package.
She looked down at the bundle in her arms, then up at the unfamiliar girl half a head taller than her, finally casting a pleading look at Jiu Baiyun, her small face clearly asking, “What’s going on?”
Seeing A Ran’s pleading little expression, Jiu Baiyun helplessly raised a hand to rub his temple.
“Mhm, her name is Su Zhiyun. She’s my… a distant relative. She only just found her way to the village late last night.”
Jiu Baiyun chose the simplest explanation, skipping over the complicated background of being Transmigrators.
“She heard I was helping guard the shrine here and followed me over.”
“These meat skewers…”
He pointed at the oil-paper package in A Ran’s arms.
“She made them herself. The taste is really good. She said she brought them especially for you.”
Hearing “brought especially for you,” A Ran was taken aback for a moment, then her face flushed slightly pink.
A Ran looked at Su Zhiyun and said very softly.
“Th… thank you!”
“You’re welcome!”
Seeing A Ran’s adorable appearance, the smile on Su Zhiyun’s face grew even brighter.
“Try it quickly!”
Facing Su Zhiyun’s expectant gaze, A Ran hesitated for a moment, looking at the meat skewers in her arms, then at Jiu Baiyun.
Only after Jiu Baiyun nodded did A Ran take out a skewer, bringing it to her mouth and taking a gentle bite.
The crispy, fragrant outer layer broke with a soft sound, and the juicy, tender flavor of the meat instantly spread in her mouth.
Mixed with just the right amount of spices, this never-before-tasted flavor made her eyes instantly light up.
She wanted to take another big bite, but seeing Su Zhiyun and Jiu Baiyun watching her, she felt a bit shy due to propriety.
Seeing this, Jiu Baiyun smiled, directly pulling Su Zhiyun aside and saying to A Ran.
“A Ran, you eat first. Su Zhiyun and I will help you clean up a bit.”
As he spoke, ignoring Su Zhiyun’s protesting look, he dragged her to the side.
“Alright, if you keep staring at her like that, she’ll be too embarrassed to eat.”
Su Zhiyun discontentedly shook off his hand, pursing her lips.
“What’s wrong with looking! A Ran is so cute! Besides, I brought her food, can’t I look a little longer?”
As she spoke, she couldn’t help but crane her neck to look towards A Ran again.
Sure enough, A Ran was eating the meat skewer in small bites, her cheeks slightly puffed out.
Clearly, the taste suited her well.
At the same time, various thoughts popped up in Su Zhiyun’s mind.
The system said there would be a cute older sister, and it wasn’t wrong!
Even if A Ran looks younger than me, maybe her actual strength is really powerful?
In the end, it must be A Ran who teaches me!
It can’t be this fellow villager of mine, right?
Thinking this, Su Zhiyun couldn’t help but glance at Jiu Baiyun.
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