Even if they were roughhousing, the two wouldn't stray far. Who knew if someone might come back for a surprise attack at a time like this?
Having gained the upper hand, Zhu Changle declared a truce and plopped down, leaning back.
Dingding lay down beside her, crossing his legs in the same manner. "Did you meet him in the capital?"
"Just once. On the day I was returning home, my luggage went missing somehow, and he found it."
Dingding turned his head to look at her. "That's it?"
"What else? You think I could have some illicit affair with him?"
"Zhu Changle, if you keep this up, won't you forget you're a woman?"
"I remember when I bathe."
"..." Dingding decided not to continue this conversation with the shameless girl. Returning to the previous topic, he asked, "You met him just once and you're comfortable letting him stay?"
"You think Aunt Feng is a pushover?" Zhu Changle reached out, plucked a blade of grass, and put it in her mouth. She chewed it a bit, not knowing what she had picked. After a few bites, her mouth was filled with a bitter taste, and she quickly spat it out. "My master says I was a monkey in my past life, so I inherited their keen animal instincts in this one."
"Your master actually said you're as mischievous as a monkey."
"My master is thrilled that I'm tough. Someone less resilient wouldn't be able to handle her training." Zhu Changle shook her leg proudly. "I don't sense any danger from Qiuli, but he does have an agenda."
"What do you mean?"
"He was planning to leave, but after hearing what I said, he suddenly decided to stay. It can't be that my words provoked him – though that was my intention. After interacting with him, I don't think he's the type to fall for such provocation."
"Is your father his target too?"
"Possibly." Zhu Changle stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Why is my father suddenly so popular? He couldn't have some romantic entanglement out there, could he? Dingding, do you think he looks like me? Could he be my half-brother?"
Dingding looked at her, exasperated. "How does your brain work?"
"You'd have to ask my mother about that. She's the one who gave birth to me." Zhu Changle chuckled. "Whatever this person's purpose is, it probably isn't to kill us. If my intuition is wrong, Dingding, you might end up joining me in the afterlife."
Dingding frowned and sat up. "Is he that strong?"
"Very strong. I can't beat him. I know the strength of those men in black, and he dealt with them much more easily than I did. Plus, he only used a fan. I observed it – there's nothing special about that fan."
Dingding rarely heard Zhu Changle admit she couldn't beat someone, let alone concede so readily. The opponent must truly be formidable. "Is it possible to befriend him?"
"Of course! Don't you trust my ability to make friends?"
He absolutely did! Dingding gave her a thumbs up. In this aspect, he had complete faith in Zhu Changle. If she wanted, she could even befriend a mouse in its hole.
However, "You should still be a bit cautious. There aren't many in our generation who are more skilled than you, but have you ever heard of this guy?"
"No, the surname Qiu is uncommon. By all rights, I should have heard of someone of his caliber."
"I think I vaguely remember the old man mentioning something when I was little. I'll try to find out more. Until then, don't let your guard down."
Zhu Changle rolled her eyes. "Are you looking down on me? Want to bet that by tomorrow morning, we'll be friends?"
"I believe you, I believe you. The old man almost became sworn brothers with you – how could I not believe?"
"Hahahahaha!"
Not far away, in the treetops, Qiuli lay with his hands behind his head, eyes closed, swaying with the leaves.
The next morning, Zhu Maonian led his family to formally thank Qiuli. Changle and Dingding were among them, bowing respectfully like well-behaved children.
However, Qiuli avoided accepting their bow and made a few hand gestures instead.
"An elder has a connection with the Zhu family?"
Everyone turned to look at Zhu Changning, who had spoken. Feeling their gazes, he quickly explained, "A childhood classmate of mine had a vocal condition. To communicate, a few of us friends learned some sign language. I'm not very proficient, but I can understand the basics."
Zhu Changle slapped her second brother on the shoulder. "Not bad, Second Brother. I'll never say 'useless scholars' again."
"What did you say?" Zhu Changwang raised his head, smiling at his little sister.
"I was wrong, Big Brother. I'm the useless one, just me!" Zhu Changle pretended to zip her mouth shut and hid behind her grandmother. The old lady made as if to walk away, but her granddaughter held her tightly. She had been away in the wild for too long – how could she forget that at home, she could tease anyone but her big brother?
"Ahem." Zhu Maonian cleared his throat lightly, reminding the siblings that they had a guest. Returning to the previous topic, he continued, "May I ask which old friend it is?"
Qiuli shook his head, clearly unwilling to reveal more.
Zhu Maonian thought for a moment and decided not to pursue the matter. He clasped his hands and said, "Regardless, we are grateful for your assistance, sir."
Qiuli's fan-holding hand pointed at Zhu Changle, without any additional gesture or sign language.
Zhu Changle pointed at herself, connecting the dots in her mind. Suddenly, she clapped her hands and said, "Are we settling this in the way of the Martial Arts World?"
Qiuli was taken aback for a moment. Those were exactly the words in his mind.
"I'm not wrong, am I?" Zhu Changle put her hands behind her back and leaned in close to him, looking smug. The first ray of sunlight broke through the clouds and fell on her, making the fine hairs on her face quiver slightly. Her curved eyebrows and eyes made her look even more mischievous. Qiuli thought he understood why Zhong Ningmei had chosen to retire. With such a disciple by one's side every day, even the greatest resentment would dissipate.
Composing himself, Qiuli nodded and made a slight hand movement. Zhu Changning didn't catch it, so he couldn't interpret for the others.
Zhu Changle cupped her chin and thought for a moment. She wasn't sure if she had understood correctly, so she tentatively asked, "Do you want to come with us?"
Qiuli nodded again, his eyes showing a hint of amusement. She clearly hadn't learned sign language, yet she managed to understand what he meant purely by intuition.
"That's great!" Zhu Changle was so happy she jumped on the spot. She had been thinking all morning about how to make him stay, and now he was volunteering to come along without her having to do anything! This was perfect! She had to hold onto this strong ally tightly!
"Let's get going, we're not staying here anymore. We should try to cover as much ground as possible today. Mother, quickly tell everyone to pack up."
Lady Zhang gave her impertinent youngest daughter a glare for ordering her around, but she didn't hesitate to act. She turned and called Lady Li over to assign tasks.
Zhu Changle stuck out her tongue, then grabbed Dingding and stood next to Qiuli. "Father, we're going to discuss the route we should take."
Before Zhu Maonian could say anything, Zhu Changle had already dragged the two away, running as if someone was chasing her.
Zhu Maonian watched the three figures disappear and opened his mouth several times before managing to speak. "I can understand Ziming, but how..."
"As long as Changle is happy," Zhu Changwang smiled. "Seeing her bouncing around like that makes me want to stand up and walk with her."
Zhu Maonian looked down at his son's legs and patted his shoulder with a sigh.
"Father, I'm expressing joy, not regret," Zhu Changwang said with a wry smile. "I'll go back to my room and pack as well."
