darknovel #140 - She is just a child!
#140 - She is just a child!
Chapter 139 She's Just a Child!
Zhang Chen pondered the fox spirit's words, realizing that everything boiled down to destiny, that destiny determined everything.
But what exactly is destiny?
This wasn't just Zhang Chen's question, but the question of all cultivators, especially since humanity's exploration of the spiritual world had only begun a mere sixty years ago.
Zhang Chen recounted the lingering obsession of the remnant soul he had seen earlier. The fox spirit responded with sorrowful lamentations: "A sin! That Wei Yingwu is truly deserving of death! Such a cruel and ruthless person is rarely seen even among the demon race."
Zhang Chen remained silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the fox spirit's words. He collected the fox spirit's soul and sat silently before the sand table.
"My thoughts are not clear!" Zhang Chen sighed softly, "Time for sleep!"
Zhang Chen fell into a deep sleep, unaware of the chaos that had erupted in the outside county town. As time passed, more and more nobles discovered they had been robbed, and they flocked to the government, putting pressure on the officials.
Consequently, countless ghosts and spirits in the city were implicated, including the preachers of the Yellow Heaven Dao.
The next morning,
Zhang Chen completed his morning exercises as usual and performed his labor duties alongside Cheng Yu.
Cheng Yu arrived at the statue he was responsible for cleaning, holding a rag in his hand. While wiping the offering table, he suddenly threw the rag down and cursed: "The more I think about it, the angrier I get! If I don't vent this anger, my heart won't be at peace."
After speaking, he stomped off.
"What are you doing?" Zhang Chen, seeing the little bean's actions, quickly called out.
"Venting!" The little bean said, disappearing.
Zhang Chen watched the little bean's back, hesitated briefly, and then followed, fearing that the little bean would suffer a loss.
The little bean went straight to the mourning hall built by Wei Yingwu. Seeing Wei Yingwu kneeling before the hall, burning paper money, a fierce glint flashed in the little bean's eyes. He then pretended to approach Wei Yingwu naturally. Wei Yingwu glanced at the little bean but turned back to burning paper money, not paying any attention to him.
The little bean came behind Wei Yingwu, his eyes scanning the surroundings. Seeing that there was no third person present, a wicked smile curled at the corner of his mouth. His gaze fell on Wei Yingwu's leg. The next moment, he took a step, seemingly tripping, and lunged towards Wei Yingwu's leg.
The little bean's pounce was unexpected. Wei Yingwu had no time to react, and then a scream came.
Don't misunderstand, the leg wasn't broken. It was purely the pain of power entering the bones.
She was, after all, just a child. Where would she get the strength to break someone's leg? Even if she had mastered clever force, it was impossible.
"What are you doing?" Wei Yingwu, reacting, looked at Cheng Yu, immediately pinned him to the ground, and punched the little bean in the eye socket, making him dizzy and unable to resist.
"Don't hit! Don't hit! It's just a misunderstanding!" The little bean, pinned under Wei Yingwu, cried out in panic, begging for mercy: "Senior brother, it's all a misunderstanding! I just accidentally bumped into senior brother! I'll be careful in the future!"
While begging for mercy, the little bean reached for the sand on the ground!
Zhang Chen, who had followed secretly, hid behind a tree and was speechless at this scene: "Martial arts? Is this it? Practicing martial arts has no future, you have to cultivate immortality!"
"This Wei Yingwu is so lacking in character, even hitting a child! She's just a child!" The next moment, Zhang Chen quietly approached from behind. Before Wei Yingwu could react, Zhang Chen's palm struck his shoulder directly. The Body-Fixing Talisman within his body transformed into golden light, entering Wei Yingwu's body. Wei Yingwu's raised fist froze instantly, and he collapsed to the ground, as if he had fainted.
Seeing this, a sneer curled at the corner of Zhang Chen's mouth, and he quickly left the scene, lest he be discovered by the little bean when he came to his senses.
After a few breaths, the little bean regained his senses. The sand in his hand flew out, covering Wei Yingwu's face. Then, he crawled out from under Wei Yingwu, his gaze falling on his thigh. Then, his little fist slammed down—it didn't break!
Then, Cheng Yu, like chopping large bones, finally heard a 'crack' of bone breaking at a certain moment. Wei Yingwu's entire thigh bent irregularly, and he got up from the ground and began to run away like a madman.
Seeing this, Zhang Chen, hiding in the dark, retracted the Body-Fixing Talisman, and his figure disappeared as well.
Zhang Chen transformed into a bat, returning before the little bean. Zhang Chen was wiping the statue when he saw Cheng Yu running in from outside, but at this time, Cheng Yu had a black eye socket and disheveled hair, looking very disheveled.
"What's wrong with you?" Zhang Chen, looking at Cheng Yu's disheveled appearance, pretended not to know the reason and couldn't help but step forward to check.
"I thought about it all night, and in the end, I couldn't swallow this bad breath. I just took action and broke that kid's leg, which finally made me vent my anger," Cheng Yu's voice was full of joy.
"You…" Zhang Chen, looking at Cheng Yu's black eye, was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say.
"What's with the blackness around your eyes?" Zhang Chen asked, "Who hit you?"
As he spoke, he reached out and gently rubbed it.
"That kid is no match for me. This grandma beat him into a rout, begging for mercy on his knees. I saw he was pitiful and wanted to spare him, but who knew that dog thing was ungrateful and actually launched a sneak attack. This grandma was caught off guard and took a punch," Cheng Yu was a little unnatural, his tone a little weak: "That kid is taller than me after all, and his physique is stronger than mine. I didn't even react. But after I reacted, that kid was beaten by me until he cried for his parents, crying so miserably! His legs were broken! It's a pity you weren't there at the time, you didn't see my mighty appearance!"
Zhang Chen was speechless, looking at the little bean in front of him bragging, his mouth twitched, but he didn't expose it.
"Aren't you a master of Transforming Force? That guy is just an Internal Force practitioner, how could he hit you?" Zhang Chen was stunned.
"Are you stupid? The so-called force is just a skill to master. Of course I will be hurt if he punches me. What's more, his height and weight are very different from mine. I can sneak attack and break his leg because my force control is exquisite, otherwise I'm afraid I'll be planted today," Cheng Yu said, handing Zhang Chen the candied fruit, small package, and other items on his body:
"Later, those Law Enforcement Elders will have to trouble me. You keep my things, and don't let those old guys confiscate them. I broke Wei Yingwu's leg for you. Without Wei Yingwu, the remaining senior brothers, although they have practiced Internal Force, their skills are not deep. As long as you practice martial arts with peace of mind, and cooperate with the Turtle Fist, you may not have a chance to win."
Zhang Chen looked at the little bean, and the water vapor in his hand condensed into ice, applying it to the little bean's eye socket.
"Hey, where did you get the ice?" The little bean looked at the ice in Zhang Chen's hand, a look of surprise in his eyes.
Zhang Chen touched the little bean's head: "You have violated the precepts this time. Because of a woman who has nothing to do with you, you have implicated yourself. Is it worth it?"
"There are many things in this world where there is no worth or not worth, only to do or not to do," the little bean said in a clear voice.
Hearing this, Zhang Chen didn't know what to say, but just said: "You were too reckless this time!"
"What are you afraid of! I am a proud disciple in the Taoist temple. How can Wei Yingwu compare with me? At most, I will suffer some physical pain!" The little bean's voice was full of indifference.
Without waiting for the two to wait long, the Law Enforcement Hall Elder walked in with a gloomy face, glaring at Cheng Yu: "Cheng Yu, you are so bold, you dare to hurt your fellow disciples, you are really lawless!"
Behind him was Wei Yingwu, who was being carried on a stretcher, and the elders, who were all following in.
"Elder, please be clear, it was clearly that Wei Yingwu deliberately teased me, and I scolded him angrily. He wanted to attack me in anger, so I broke his thigh. Where is it my fault?" Cheng Yu was immediately unhappy when he heard this, and immediately turned the tables, pointing to the blackness on his eye socket and said: "Elders, you only saw that Wei Yingwu's leg was broken, but you don't know that if I hadn't mastered Transforming Force, I'm afraid this eye would have been blinded."
The little bean complained, his voice full of grievance.
Wei Yingwu, who was lying on the stretcher, was immediately anxious when he heard this. This was just telling lies with his eyes open. He was so angry that he sat up from the stretcher, glaring at the little bean: "You little brat is talking nonsense, you are simply telling lies with your eyes open, I will skin you! It was clearly you who launched a sneak attack and broke my leg for no reason. How did I provoke you first?"
"You also said, I broke your leg for no reason. Since it was for no reason, you and I have no grudges in the past and no enmity recently, why would I break your leg?" Cheng Yu blinked, pointing to the black eye socket and said: "Am I sick in the head?"
"Who the hell knows which nerve you have wrong! Elders, don't listen to this little thing talking nonsense and talking nonsense. This is clearly a false accusation!" Wei Yingwu was immediately anxious at this time, pointing at the little bean with both hands, his body trembling with anger.
The two of them were arguing back and forth, and for a while, the elders couldn't tell the truth from the false, and they didn't know who was the one who took the initiative to cause trouble.
"Enough! Stop arguing!" At this time, the elder in charge of martial arts stood up and interrupted the conversation in a angry voice, and then looked at the little bean: "You are lying! If you didn't take the initiative to cause trouble, what did you go to other people's mourning hall for?"
Without waiting for the little bean to answer, the martial arts elder looked at the Law Enforcement Elder with anger in his eyes: "I suggest severely punishing Cheng Yu as a warning to others, punishing him with two hundred lashes, and then three years of labor."
The Enforcement Elder frowned upon hearing this: "Since there were no other witnesses present at the time, it's impossible to determine who was right or wrong. However, Wei Yingwu, as a grown man, you're actually complaining about being unable to defeat a five-year-old child? If I were you, I'd just find a block of tofu and bash my head against it."
"I..." Wei Yingwu, lying on the stretcher, was flushed with anger, his chest heaving, his eyes red with rage.
What could he do?
He was also very helpless!
Clearly, he was the victim, wasn't he? So why did things turn out this way?
"Senior Brother, it was Cheng Yu who provoked the incident in the first place. Even if you don't reprimand Cheng Yu, how can you be so biased towards her?" The Martial Arts Elder's voice was filled with dissatisfaction.
"She's just a child!" The Enforcement Elder looked at Cheng Yu, and after a moment of hesitation, suddenly said.
These words caused Zhang Chen's lips to twitch, and Wei Yingwu on the stretcher felt his leg throb even more.
"The punishment will be waived. The child was frightened and didn't know her own strength. You are sentenced to one year of service in the main hall as a minor punishment!" The Punishment Elder said slowly.
Hearing this, the Martial Arts Elder was about to speak again, but was interrupted by the Enforcement Elder: "I know what I'm doing, and I have my own sense of justice. You don't need to persuade me anymore."
"Elder, this disciple is not convinced!" Wei Yingwu's voice was full of grievance. He was the one who suffered an undeserved disaster, having his leg broken for no reason. How was he supposed to face the Grand Competition then?
"She's just a child. You're an adult, don't you have any magnanimity at all? Are you still going to argue with a child?" The Enforcement Elder's voice was filled with mockery: "You can't even beat a child, yet you have the nerve to complain. You truly have no shame. Her eyes were almost blinded, while you only broke a leg. It's not like it can't be reattached!"
"I..."
Wei Yingwu's body trembled with anger, his eyes blazing with fire, but he was helpless.
The Enforcement Elder held all the power of law enforcement within the Daoist temple. All matters of criminal law were decided by the Enforcement Elder. Once the Enforcement Elder spoke, there was naturally no room for reversal.
Even if everyone else felt dissatisfied, they could only swallow it down.
Then, the crowd dispersed, leaving only Zhang Chen and the little bean sprout. At this moment, the little bean sprout was squatting on the ground, covering her bruised eye socket, wincing in pain: "Damn Wei Yingwu, I'm just a child, yet he actually launched a deadly attack on such an obedient and cute child. That bastard deserves to die! He's simply guilty of ten thousand deaths! I was too lenient at the time. If I hadn't been afraid of him waking up, I should have broken both of his legs!"
"You've already broken his leg, what else do you want from him?" Zhang Chen asked speechlessly.
"I broke his leg because I'm more skilled. He hit me because he has no respect for the elderly and love for the young. That bastard deserves to die! If he's not skilled enough, who can he blame!" The little bean sprout cursed angrily, her voice filled with annoyance.
Zhang Chen looked at the little bean sprout and thought to himself: "As expected of a woman, she's already learned to double standard at such a young age."
"Kid, you have to help me do more work. The main hall is so big, I can't finish it all by myself." The little bean sprout said pitifully to Zhang Chen: "Zhang Chen, Senior Sister usually dotes on you a lot, right? She taught you martial arts, taking care of you like raising a baby… no, she taught you every move step by step. It's time for you to repay Senior Sister, right?"
Zhang Chen was speechless upon hearing this, but he didn't say much. The little bean sprout's work was naturally his work.
"Let's go, let's go to work." The little bean sprout took the mop and led Zhang Chen to the main hall to start cleaning.
The main hall was very large, and it was not easy to wipe everything clean.
The two of them worked all day, their hands and feet aching. Cheng Yu lay on the bed and started cursing again: "It's all that damn Wei Yingwu's fault. A grown man, being beaten by a child, actually has the nerve to complain. I really don't know if he has any shame. I don't know what that guy is thinking."
Cheng Yu's voice was full of disdain.
Zhang Chen smiled shyly upon hearing this and didn't respond to Cheng Yu's words. After all, the saying 'She's just a child' is a universal truth!
"I want to eat meat." Cheng Yu lay on the bed, her eyes looking at Zhang Chen.
"If you go to sleep now, maybe you'll have meat to eat in the second half of the night." Zhang Chen looked at the little bean sprout.
The little bean sprout scratched her head upon hearing this, and then said unhappily: "Forget it, never mind! The Daoist temple is cracking down now, let's be quiet for a while."
The little bean sprout quieted down, touched her rumbling stomach, and went upstairs to sleep.
At this time, Zhang Chen sat in the room, summoned the fox spirit, and directly asked the fox spirit to steal meat from the kitchen: "You should still use illusions to cover it up, don't use violence."
Zhang Chen instructed the fox spirit, and the fox spirit left casually. Before long, it brought half a side of ribs to Zhang Chen's room. Zhang Chen directly extracted water vapor to wash the ribs clean and started stewing the ribs in a large pot, while using water vapor to block the aroma of the meat to prevent it from being detected by the hunting dog's nose.
"Did you see anything strange about that girl?" Zhang Chen asked.
He was asking about Cheng Yu being able to see the fox spirit.
You must know that the fox spirit is a monster, how can a mortal body see it?
"I don't know, I can't see clearly. Could it be that her heart is like a child's, her soul is too pure?" Fox Spirit Nuannuan was also puzzled.
Zhang Chen pondered upon hearing this, of course, he did not rule out the possibility that the fox spirit said.
The ribs were stewing in the stove. Zhang Chen took the stick and sketched symbols on the sand table, thinking about how to draw the second rune.
However, after thinking for a long time, he still couldn't figure it out. Then he stopped the stick, took out the cinnabar that he had prepared, and began to draw the talisman by injecting mana.
As Zhang Chen waved his pen, a talisman was directly drawn, and then the talisman on the yellow paper flashed for a while and disappeared directly from the yellow paper.
"Third-order Body Immobilization Talisman! After I practiced the third-order golden talisman, the talisman I drew casually is also a third-order existence." Zhang Chen drew more than a dozen of them one after another before stopping, and put the drawn talismans together. He didn't use these talismans himself, but used them for the little bean sprout to protect herself.
When the aroma of the stewed meat was extremely strong, Zhang Chen put down the stick and came to the stove to check. He saw that the ribs had been stewed until they were soft and boneless. Then he put away the fox spirit and picked up the stick to poke the pavilion.
The next moment, footsteps sounded, and the little bean sprout ran down happily: "Is there meat to eat again?"
"Of course!" Zhang Chen said with a smile.
"Zhang Chen," the little bean sprout came to Zhang Chen's side holding a rice bowl: "If something goes wrong, just push it on me. I don't care about having more debts now, and I don't care about having more lice."
The little bean sprout began to give up, picking up the ribs and eating heartily.
Zhang Chen looked at the little bean sprout, then took out the talisman paper and stuffed it into the little bean sprout's arms: "This is a talisman that I drew myself. You need to keep it close to your body. If you encounter an enemy that you can't deal with in the future, stick it directly on the other person's body, and you may have a chance to turn defeat into victory."
"It's just these two pieces of yellow paper, look at how mysterious you're making it sound." The little bean sprout showed a disapproving expression when she heard Zhang Chen's words.
"I told you, I've already started cultivating immortality. This talisman has incredible power!" Zhang Chen persuaded earnestly from the side.
"Cultivating immortality? Are you out of your mind?" The little bean sprout looked at Zhang Chen with her big eyes, but seeing Zhang Chen's sincere expression, and thinking that she was eating the meat that he stewed, she could only agree against her will: "Okay, okay, I'll keep it with me!"
Zhang Chen nodded in satisfaction when he saw this: "A promising child!"
But after the two of them finished eating, the little bean sprout left. Zhang Chen looked at the talisman placed on the table and couldn't help shaking his head helplessly: "This girl still hasn't taken my words to heart."
Zhang Chen didn't touch the talisman. He felt that after he finished his morning class tomorrow, he would have a good talk with the little bean sprout. By then, the little bean sprout would definitely understand his good intentions, and then the little bean sprout would definitely carry the talisman with her.
This is a treasure that can save your life at a critical moment!
One night passed. The next day, Zhang Chen and the little bean sprout finished their morning class and were cleaning the main hall when they suddenly heard a burst of noise from a distance. The noise subsided before long, and the sound of armor colliding was heard the next moment. Hundreds of warriors, all covered in armor and carrying long knives at their waists, rushed into the Daoist temple and began to drive out the Taoists in the temple.
Zhang Chen stood in the main hall and was stunned when he saw this scene. A thought flashed through his mind: "What's going on? I'm done for! Could it be that the Yellow Heaven Dao incident has happened?"
"I knew that the Yellow Heaven Dao would have a major event sooner or later. Could it be that Wei Yingwu suffered injustice and ran to report it? Should I run away now?" Zhang Chen's heart was trembling, and he turned around to pack his luggage.