XIAO SHUXIANG'S

26 - Village Rest [Revised]

"I'm so full...!" Jing Mi smiled in satisfaction as she rubbed her slightly enlarged stomach.

Right now he, Xiao Shuxiang, Qi Xuan, Xiao Lu and Yang Shu were inside a sizable room. There were two beds inside this room, where Xiao Shuxiang was seen sleeping on one of them.

"It's not usually Brother Xiao goes to bed quickly. Usually she did the evening exercises," Jing Mi saw Xiao Shuxiang fall asleep very soundly.

Yang Shu, "Leave it. Xiao'Er seemed to be very exhausted. You guys should go to bed, tomorrow morning we still have to continue the journey,"

"Grandfather, so we just stayed here last night...?" Xiao Lu felt that he still wanted to stay over.

"Our journey is still long, Lu'Er. And our money won't be enough if we stay in this village.."

Xiao Lu heard Yang Shu's words and became a little sullen. Jing Mi who also heard the words of her teacher suddenly realized something.

"Teacher don't worry about money" Jing Mi said. "I can sound my stomach again later. They must've given me a piece of silver."

Xiao Lu became excited, "That's right! The sound from Jing Mi's stomach could make money. We'll do it again today."

Qi Xuan nodded in agreement.

Yang Shu sighed, "You guys are good kids. Listen teacher, what you're doing is begging."

??

"Begging? What'sthat?" Xiao Lu, Qi Xuan and Jing Mi frowned. Obviously, they are still very plain. They looked so serious listening to Yang Shu.

The three bowed down miserably as Yang Shu gave an explanation.

"... There are many people who have no other choice. They can only hope in the hands of others. You're young, so don't even think about doing that again."

Xiao Lu, "So begging is not good?"

Yang Shu, "Mn and better not to be done by kids like you."

Qi Xuan, "But Master... Why did you praise our actions at that time?"

"You did it the first time and you didn't know anything. That's why Grandpa didn't give a rebuke. Now you go to sleep, early in the morning we will continue our journey back."

"Good,"

Yang Shu slept together with Xiao Lu, while Jing Mi and Qi Xuan slept together with Xiao Shuxiang. The five of them looked very slumbering once.

The next morning, Yang Shu was startled by Xiao Lu's scream. Not only his grandson, but also Qi Xuan and Jing Mi woke up suddenly while shouting.

Xiao Lu, Qi Xuan and Jing Mi had nightmares, they dreamed about the corpses they had encountered inside the forest.

The three tried to calm themselves, looking cold sweat drenching their forehead and cheeks.

Yang Shu pacified his three students, he placed Qi Xuan, Jing Mi and Xiao Lu onto a bed. Yang Shu gave them a drink one by one.

"Grandfather.. I... was very afraid.." Xiao Lu's breathing was irregular, he could feel that his hands were trembling. The memory was terrifying, even Xiao Lu almost vomited when he imagined it.

Yang Shu, "It's okay. Now everything's fine. Don'tdon't worry... Grandpa's here,"

Xiao Shuxiang slowly opened his eyes, he did not hear the screams from Jing Mi, Qi Xuan and Xiao Lu earlier, he said, so when he woke up - he looked confused because the look on the faces of the three fellows looked pale.

"You guys... Why...?" Xiao Shuxiang rubbed his face as he got off the bed and walked over to Jing Mi, Qi Xuan and Xiao Lu who were sitting on the bed drinking a glass of water.

"We.. had a bad dream," Qi Xuan replied to Xiao Shuxiang's remark in a slightly trembling voice.

Xiao Shuxiang nodded, "Mm. it is not easy to forget such a terrible thing let alone the first time you see it. No need to think too much. Whatever happened yesterday, don't let it affect you today."

Yang Shu noticed Xiao Shuxiang who seemed to yawn, the boy was still very sleepy. It felt like the words the child said were words of wisdom that were not even thought of at all.

After Xiao Lu, Qi Xuan and Jing Mi had already improved.. Yang Shu then invited his four disciples to get ready.

*

*

"We're going to the old merchant's place to buy a sword. Grandfather's sword and Mi'Er were gone," Yang Shu walked up followed his four disciples.

Xiao Shuxiang himself did not complain about this even though deep in his heart he was anxious to curse at Yang Shu. Buying a sword at a thrift dealer?! Oh my goodness! There was no way that any cultivator would think about that. But this Old Bangka...?! Hi, Xiao Shuxiang. You're out of words.

Yang Shu stroked Xiao Lu's head slowly, "For the time being Grandfather's money can only buy two swords. If Grandpa buys you a new sword, we won't have the provisions to buy food."

Xiao Shuxiang's chest, Jing Mi and Qi Xuan were in pain hearing that. Xiao Lu himself seemed to be pouting, but he understood that it was better to save money for their trip. "Alright, Cake.."

Yang Shu and his four students met one of the thrift dealers. Along the way was so very crowded, it was even more crowded than the market in their village.

The sword Yang Shu had bought was just an ordinary old sword, there was nothing special about this sword and it didn't take him long to choose a sword either. This was because the moment Yang Shu called the store owner, the man immediately gave the sword as he ordered it.

This man even gave a rebate to Yang Shu, as if Yang Shu was a person so familiar with him.

"Then I and my students say goodbye..." Yang Shu said goodbye to the shop owner.

"Be careful on the road!" The old man waved his hand towards Yang Shu and his four disciples.

Xiao Shuxiang asked about Yang Shu's relationship with the second-hand shop owner. Sure enough, the shopkeeper was arguably quite familiar with Yang Shu.

Yang Shu and his four disciples were strolling along the village. According to Jing Mi, this village is even more crowded than last night.

Many sell sweets and toys. Xiao Lu and Jing Mi were seen running around looking at each other's wares along the way.

Xiao Shuxiang along with Qi Xuan walked slowly near Yang Shu, the two of them observing the behavior of the two friends.

"Elder, after passing through this village. Have we reached our destination?" Qi Xuan looked up as he asked Yang Shu.

"After passing through the village, we must go back through the forest and then enter the city."

Qi Xuan slightly flinched, he actually already did not want to pass through the forest anymore as he did not want to meet a monstrous corpse. Although Qi Xuan had already steadied his heart not to be afraid, yet he was not sure it would be easy to get used to seeing it that way again.

Yang Shu realized it, he then gently rubbed Qi Xuan's head, "Don't be afraid. This time we will not enter the forest only five. There will be traders coming along as well. Together we'll go to the big city."

Qi Xuan felt relieved upon hearing Yang Shu's explanation. He then caught up with Jing Mi and Xiao Lu who were busy looking at the toys.

"Xiao'Er...? You're not coming with them...?" yang Shu asked as she gently rubbed Xiao Shuxiang's head.

"No, my lady, I'd better be here."

Yang Shu then invited his four students to eat at one of the taverns.

The five of them sat on a bench outside the shop.

Jing Mi, Xiao Lu and Qi Xuan looked exclaimed in conversation. They talked about the difference between this place and where they lived. Yang Shu and Xiao Shuxiang only listened to the three.

"I saw someone wearing the same clothes as us, and he also carried a sword followed by some children. Are they like us, too, Master?" Jing Mi was so enthusiastic as she asked Yang Shu.

"In addition to you, there are many warriors who participated in the Young Cultivator Tournament and some of those cultivators stopped by this village."

Yang Shu and his four disciples while waiting for the food to arrive, they noticed some people who had also stopped by and were sitting on a bench near them. Some of them wear uniforms of the same color and are seen carrying swords.

Xiao Lu and Qi Xuan were somewhat nervous when they saw the strange gazes of some swordsmen near them. "Grandfather, why are they staring at us like that...? Are there any leaves on my clothes...?" Xiao Lu felt that the swordsmen's gaze was caused by the leaves stuck on his clothes.

Jing Mi and Qi Xuan watched Xiao Lu's clothes from the front to the back of his back. "There are no leaves on your clothes Beautiful Brother Lu, nothing." Said Jing Mi who was affirmed by Qi Xuan.

"But why are they staring at us like that?"

Jing Mi and Qi Xuan also noticed the gazes of the warriors sitting not far away from them. And at once Jing Mi realized that their gazes turned towards Yang Shu's clothes.

Seen some patches on Yang Shu's clothes, this was due to their Master fighting the Silver Horned Wolf inside the forest.

Yang Shu realized the same thing, he then stroked his mustache and beard slowly. "It seems like Grandma Tian can't sew clothes well," his mumamm was quite heard by Xiao Shuxiang.

Qi Xuan, Xiao Lu and Jing Mi shook their heads while massaging their eyebrows. They only realized that in Yang Shu's clothes there were some patches.

Xiao Shuxiang himself tried to hold back his laughter when he realized that the cultivators who were looking at them shook their heads with a faint smile.

Vaguely Xiao Shuxiang heard the voices of some children like they were talking about him.

The voice rang out behind him, Xiao Shuxiang then turned his head and looked at the three boys. One of them was 14, while the other two were seven. The three children were wearing white-colored clothes with red cloud motifs, they were cultivators just like Xiao Shuxiang.

Xiao Shuxiang's eyes met the eyes of the 14-year-old. A second later, a smile adorned Xiao Shuxiang's face. His smile made the 14-year-old flinch.

***