SWDnovel Chapter 90 Lin Mo's Reincarnation: Zhao Yeqing
Chapter 90 Lin Mo's Reincarnation: Zhao Yeqing
On this night of heading to the Great Wilderness.
Zhao Yeqing recalled many past events.
That was the most precious memory of his life, something more important than his life.
once.
Many strange and eccentric people live on Dragon Prison Island.
There was a beggar dressed in a tattered Taoist robe who chanted Buddhist scriptures every day, but held a Confucian book in his hand. He walked around blankly every day, chanting scriptures in a dull manner.
He was clearly like an emotionless idiot, but if someone asked him:
"Beggar, why are you dressed in Taoist robes, yet chanting Buddhist scriptures? And why are you chanting Buddhist scriptures while holding a book?" His cloudy eyes revealed terror, and he stopped chanting Buddhist scriptures. His tone changed from wooden to confused, then to terrified, as he chased after the questioner, asking, "Why...why? Why! Can you tell me why?!"
If you can't answer, or answer incorrectly, the beggar will follow you all day, asking you questions. He's like a leech, impossible to shake off, and incredibly annoying.
Later, apart from Zhao Yeqing, no one else was willing to ask the beggar such a pointless question.
There was once a poor locksmith who made iron locks for wealthy families in a prosperous city.
His locks are comparable to the barriers set up by a grandmaster. It is said that no one in the world can solve any lock that has been made by him.
Without the help of the owner who bought these locks, even he himself couldn't unlock them.
At first, no one believed it, but later everyone believed it, simply because those who made this locksmith famous were notorious thieves.
This locksmith had an unwritten rule: once he had earned enough money, he would put down his locks and never work as a locksmith again.
The notorious thieves only hoped that this person would become more famous, more wealthy, and retire from the world of crime.
Later, the locksmith finally became famous, made a fortune, and finally retired from the world of locksmithing.
Many people were unhappy when he retired from public life.
It wasn't just the wealthy who were unhappy; even the notorious bandits were.
It's understandable that wealthy people are unhappy, but why would a notorious thief be unhappy?
There's only one thing in this world that can make a notorious thief unhappy: when what they wanted to steal disappears.
Yes, it's gone.
On the night the locksmith left, all the money in the wealthy homes of all sizes in Fugui City disappeared.
There was a pale-faced actor who always played several roles, performing one stage play after another day and night.
By day he is a frail scholar, by night a resentful female ghost.
At noon, she is a fierce overlord; in the evening, she is a valiant female general.
……
There are at least thirty such people on this small island, no more and no less.
There is no distinction between good and bad among them here, because they are all people of strong character.
However, being emotional is only one of the commonalities among these thirty-odd people.
Compared to their other common trait, it's utterly insignificant.
What else could such a group of unique individuals have in common?
Are they all vicious and wicked people?
No, there are good people and bad people among them, heartless people and loving people.
Are they all highly skilled in martial arts?
—No, some of them have killed countless people, while others can't even kill a chicken.
What could be common to this group of people, or what else could it be?
This brings us to Zhao Yeqing.
…………
…………
Zhao Yeqing was discovered among the Starry Night Flower Garden when he was still an infant.
It was a clear, moonlit night when the most wicked people on Prison Dragon Island were admiring the blooming Star Delight Flowers. They were all startled when they discovered a baby lying quietly on one of the flowers.
The bearded man, who loved killing, frowned. "How strange, how come there's a bearded doll here?"
The bearded man had a peculiar habit: he only killed men, and they had to be bearded men.
Whenever he killed his prey, he would pluck a hair from the prey's beard and stick it into his own beard as a unique souvenir.
The bearded man's most prized possession was his beard, which he often compared to a tiger's whiskers. Anyone who touched his whiskers would be met with a beating.
Therefore, he is not interested in anything without a beard.
The physician, exuding an aura of death, said in a sinister tone, "Heaven has eyes; it knows I'm just short of an infant as a medicinal ingredient, which will complete the Poison Sect's prescription!"
A fat man with a belly so big he could fit a person inside stammered, "I...I've never eaten the flesh of a baby before..."
With such a big belly, it could really hold ten babies.
A seductive woman chuckled, "I've never been a mother before. This little one is so cute, it would be a shame if he wasn't my child."
Her gaze was both beautiful and cunning, her eyelashes long and soft. Her small face was full of a foxy smile, which was even more captivating in the moonlight.
The bearded man sneered, "I'm afraid that if any of your sweetheart's children displease you, the men will become slaves and the women will become maids."
Sweetie laughed and said, "Being my child is much better than being used as medicine by Doctor Hu or ending up in Fatty's belly."
Suddenly, Dr. Hu exclaimed, "After all this talk, we still don't know if this baby is a boy or a girl! I need a male!"
The bearded man laughed and said, "That's right, let's see if this child has any birds first." With that, he picked up the baby as if he were a chick.
But then, with a "snap,"
The big beard broke off.
As a baby, Zhao Yeqing held a tuft of her little beard in her chubby little hand and waved it triumphantly at the big beard, completely ignoring the big beard's eyes that were glaring like copper bells.
Sweetie burst into laughter, quickly taking the baby in her arms. "This is my child, don't get angry and hurt him..." she said, then looked at the spirited infant with doting eyes and chuckled, "Let your mother see what kind of little devil you are." With that, she lifted the baby high in her arms...
"Splash!"
A refreshing stream irrigated Sweetie's face, instantly making her charming features appear much more delicate.
The bearded man laughed until he was breathless.
Doctor Hu laughed loudly, "Wonderful, wonderful! It's a boy!" He quickly snatched Zhao Yeqing away.
When he held Zhao Yeqing in his arms, he was surprised to find that the deathly aura on his body had been diluted all at once.
The fat man looked at the smiling baby and swallowed his saliva. He felt that his seemingly insatiable stomach suddenly stopped being hungry.
……
The four people stared at the baby in silence, each with a different expression.
Sweetie was the first to speak, "Don't you find it strange?"
The bearded man asked, "What's so strange?"
Sweetie said leisurely, "A baby suddenly appeared on Dragon Prison Island for no reason. Do you think that man wouldn't know?"
The other three were shocked, knowing who Sweetie was referring to as "that man".
He was a blind swordsman. Alone, with only his sword, he protected Dragon Prison Island from the invasion of demons, and he also forbade anyone on Dragon Prison Island to leave the island without permission.
If he were serious, no one on the island could withstand a single sword strike from him.
Nobody knows his name or where he lives.
But everyone knows that nothing on this island can escape his "eyes".
Even though he was blind, he seemed to know everything.
When you think he's unlikely to appear, he'll often be standing behind you without you even noticing.
Dr. Hu interjected, "But since he knew, he didn't do anything. Doesn't he care whether the child lives or dies?"
The fat man stammered, "There's definitely something fishy about this...."
The bearded man said, "That's right. The cloth in his swaddling clothes is sometimes soft and sometimes hard. I just tried to poke it with my inner energy, but it wouldn't go in even a little bit. Maybe this little guy really has some secrets."
Doctor Hu asked in disbelief, "Even with your internal energy, you couldn't pierce it even a fraction?"
The bearded man said coldly, "You can try your Thousand Poison Hand technique, and then you won't have any more doubts."
Doctor Hu frowned, gathered the corpse energy in his palm, and the moment he touched the swaddling clothes, the corpse energy dissipated on its own.
Sweetie interjected, "Look what I've discovered!"
Everyone looked over and saw that Sweetie's tiny hands were holding a small wooden sword.
The bearded man frowned and said, "It's just an ear pick, what's the big deal?"
Sweetie giggled, "What if there were words engraved on the ear pick?"
Dr. Hu couldn't help but ask, "What character?"
"I found this little wooden sword in the baby's swaddling clothes."
"So what...so what?" The fat man voiced the question that Dr. Hu wanted to ask.
The bearded man roared, "Eat, eat, all you know is eating! You've eaten so many scholars, yet you haven't grown a single brain of your own. Don't you even realize that if a swaddling clothes has such a distinguished history, how could this wooden sword be an ordinary object?"
Sweetie giggled and said, "You've misunderstood him. This sword really is just an ordinary wooden sword."
The bearded man roared again, "Why are you calling it an ordinary wooden sword?!"
Sweetie said calmly, "The sword is an ordinary sword, but the words on it are no ordinary words."
Dr. Hu asked, "What character?"
"See for yourself." With that, he tossed the small wooden sword over.
Doctor Hu took the sword, examined it closely, and felt as if his eyes had been burned, and he couldn't help but shed two lines of tears.
Doctor Hu was shocked and quickly circulated his inner energy to his eyes, only then could he see the words carved on the wooden sword:
"Please raise Zhao Yeqing."
Dr. Hu was deeply shocked, and only then did he realize what Sweetie meant by "not ordinary words".
The words that burned him were actually carved by sword energy!
Let's look at the other side of the wooden sword:
"Please let Chu Yuntian teach him swordsmanship."
……
The four of them looked at each other, exchanging bewildered glances.
The bearded man said, "So, this child is named Zhao Yeqing, and that man is named Chu Yuntian?"
The fat man said, "It seems...to be."
Dr. Hu said, "So, we're supposed to obediently raise this baby?"
Sweetie raised an eyebrow: "You dare not raise it?"
The bearded man suddenly exclaimed with delight, "If we raise this child, perhaps that person will repay us in the future and take us out of Prison Dragon Island."
No one responded.
The atmosphere fell silent.
The moonlight gently spilled onto Dragon Prison Island and onto the Star Delight Flowers.
Sweetie sighed softly, "Little one, will it be your misfortune or our good fortune to be raised by us in the future?"
She blinked her long eyelashes and looked down at Zhao Yeqing.
A gentle breeze blew by, bringing with it the unique fragrance of the Star Delight Flower.
The little one had already quietly fallen asleep long ago.
…………
Time flies, the years are like a shuttle.
Besides the thirty-odd residents who grew up alongside Prison Dragon Island and Starry Flower, there was now another person, Zhao Yeqing.
That year, Zhao Yeqing was already four years old.
One day, Zhao Yeqing overheard several aunts chatting and saying:
"It's truly unbelievable that Zhao Yeqing has survived until now."
Zhao Yeqing was puzzled. If living to the age of four was already unbelievable, then if I lived to be a hundred, wouldn't that be something my aunts couldn't even imagine?
With this question in mind, Zhao Yeqing went to find her bearded uncle, only to find that after listening to what her aunts had said, her uncle burst into laughter:
"Yes, yes, those women are absolutely right!"
He then lifted Zhao Yeqing up and laughed loudly:
"Zhao Yeqing, Zhao Yeqing, in my opinion, the fact that you've lived to the age of four without missing any limbs is already something that makes your uncle very happy!"
When Zhao Yeqing, who had been lifted up, looked at Uncle Big Beard's beard, which was no longer worthy of the word "thick," she couldn't help but laugh.
He laughed at his uncle, who, despite being called "Big Beard," actually didn't have much of a beard.
Although Uncle Big Beard doesn't have much of a beard, he's certainly had plenty of empty barrels of liquor.
The bearded man once boasted, "Being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk is nothing; I can drink a thousand barrels without getting drunk!"
I used to really think that Uncle Big Beard couldn't get drunk.
Now he believes that Uncle Big Beard is bound to get drunk.
One night, Zhao Yeqing was going to spend the night at Big Beard's house.
Zhao Yeqing still remembers the exclamations that Aunt Tian and Uncle Pang deliberately made before they left:
"Oh no, if Big Beard gets drunk, he'll kill you!"
After drinking thirty-two barrels of wine, the bearded man was truly drunk.
When he gets drunk, he'll talk nonsense while grabbing a big knife and chopping things in the house.
Four-year-old Zhao Yeqing was helpless in this situation and could only climb onto the roof to sleep, keeping the stars company.
He tried many methods to sober up his uncle, but none of them worked.
Later, he came up with a solution.
When Big Beard got drunk and started acting crazy again, Zhao Yeqing climbed onto his shoulders and shouted, "Good boy, good boy! I'll tell you to go east and you'll go east, I'll tell you to go west and you'll go west. If you dare disobey, I'll spank you!"
Why would a drunk bearded man listen to him?
So Zhao Yeqing patted the big beard's head and shouted, "You stinky horse, if you don't behave, I'll pluck all your hair out!"
As he said this, he had already plucked out several hairs from his beard.
The bearded man woke up instantly. Looking at the mess in the house, then at the smiling Zhao Yeqing, he asked anxiously, "Zhao Yeqing, did Uncle hurt you?!"
Zhao Yeqing chuckled and said, "Since I'm riding on Uncle's shoulders, and Uncle won't cut his own neck with his knife, Zhao Yeqing will naturally be fine."
The bearded man laughed heartily, "You clever Zhao Yeqing, you're really something! I was worried that drinking might hurt you, but it seems I was overthinking it. Let me tell you, you rode really well this time! From now on, whenever I get drunk, you'll ride on my shoulders, understand?"
Zhao Ye said in a clear voice, "I heard you!"
The bearded man laughed as he left, unaware that Zhao Yeqing's small hands, behind her back, were playing with the beard she had just plucked.
However, after staying at Uncle Big Beard's house for a few days, Zhao Yeqing would get bored, and even plucking his beard couldn't arouse his interest.
He's not afraid of anything except boredom.
At this point, he would choose to stay at his second aunt's house.
My aunt's house always has a lot of strange and unusual things.
Those things were strangely shaped, and Zhao Yeqing had never seen them before.
Whenever Zhao Yeqing pointed at those things and asked his second aunt, Tianmei would giggle and reply, "You're still young. When you become a real man, you'll know how precious these things are."
What is a real man? Zhao Yeqing didn't understand, so he asked, "What is a real man?"
At this moment, Sweetie would giggle and say, "A real man is..." She would then flick her slender fingers towards Zhao Yeqing as if flicking something.
Zhao Yeqing screamed "Ah!" and covered her crotch before running away as fast as she could.
"A real man... should know how to eat!" That's how Uncle San answered.
My third uncle not only stutters, but he is also very fat. He needs help to walk and has to feed himself.
Zhao Yeqing couldn't help but secretly rejoice, thinking how fortunate she was that she didn't have to follow him when he needed to defecate.
But how could such a fat third uncle easily jump into the air and stuff the bird into his mouth?
Strange noises would always come from Uncle's stomach, preventing Zhao Yeqing from getting a good night's sleep.
Zhao Yeqing once lay on the fat man's belly and listened carefully, and discovered that there were birds chirping, dogs barking, wolves howling, bear roaring, and even human voices!
The fat man patiently explained, "Third Uncle's... belly... is very warm, so... they all like... to sleep inside Third Uncle's... belly."
Zhao Yeqing naturally didn't believe it at all.
Zhao Yeqing least wanted to go to Uncle Hu's house, because Uncle Hu always prepared dishes made with flowers and plants.
Whenever Zhao Yeqing couldn't finish her food, Uncle Hu would say with a stern face, "Not a single blade of grass can be left."
Not only food, Uncle Hu also always prepared bathwater of various colors.
Once, Zhao Yeqing saw a large vat of water as black as ink in front of him and asked, "Is this also bathwater?"
Dr. Hu said coldly, "Good, hurry up and wash yourself clean."
After Zhaoye cleans herself, strange things always happen to her.
For example, sometimes I feel an unbearable itch on my back, and other times I feel an unbearable swelling in my stomach.
Suddenly, tiny flowers and grasses started growing on her body! Zhao Yeqing was terrified.
Only at this moment could Zhao Yeqing see any change in her stoic fourth uncle's expression:
Sometimes surprised, sometimes delighted, sometimes annoyed, sometimes regretful...
Zhao Yeqing scratched his head, as if in Uncle Hu's eyes, he was not as interesting as these flowers and plants.
When Zhao Yeqing walks on the road, she often encounters Uncle Beggar, who is her sixth uncle.
Uncle Beggar always wore that tattered Taoist robe and mumbled something incomprehensible, which made Zhao Yeqing very curious.
Uncle Liu's eyes were very cloudy, with two white, misty patches in his pupils, leading Zhao Yeqing to suspect that he was blind. So Zhao Yeqing would often dig a few holes and create some traps on Uncle Liu's way home to test whether he was truly blind.
Surprisingly, despite his poor eyesight and slow walking, Uncle Liu had never fallen into a pit or been caught in a trap. Zhao Yeqing was very puzzled.
One day, the locksmith on the island squatted down next to Zhao Yeqing, pointed at the beggar, and said to Zhao Yeqing, "Zhao Yeqing, do you know what he's reciting?"
Zhao Yeqing shook her head vigorously, like a rattle drum.
The locksmith was his fifth uncle, and he was the worst. He was always pestering him to teach him how to pick locks and make locks.
These are all things that Zhao Yeqing is not interested in, so he is unwilling to learn them.
The locksmith whispered in Zhao Yeqing's ear, "He's reciting Buddhist scriptures, but he's clearly holding a Confucian book. Don't you find that strange?"
Zhao Yeqing naturally found this strange, but he couldn't show it, because his fifth uncle was far too cunning.
The locksmith then asked, "Don't you want to know why?"
Zhao Yeqing was about to shake his head vigorously again when the locksmith quickly stopped him with his hand, afraid that he would shake his head so hard that it would become unresponsive.
The locksmith said earnestly, "Alright, I'll be kind this once and tell you why. Zhao Yeqing, come closer."
Before Zhao Yeqing could even put his ear close, the locksmith had already come up to him.
"That's because...yes...um...good, good, that's it. Go ask him quickly, that way your sixth uncle will wake up."
Zhao Yeqing was overjoyed and hurriedly ran over to stop Uncle Beggar, asking loudly, "Sixth Uncle, why are you wearing Taoist clothes but chanting Buddhist prayers? And why are you chanting Buddhist prayers while holding a book?"
After asking the question, Zhao Yeqing put his hands on his hips and looked at the locksmith with a grin. The locksmith gave him a thumbs up, indicating that he had done a great job.
But to Zhao Yeqing's surprise, although the beggar uncle's eyes were no longer cloudy, they became filled with fear. His face was filled with terror! He suddenly squatted down, grabbed his shoulders, and asked, "Why, why, Zhao Yeqing, can you tell me why I did this?"
"Because...because...I don't know." Zhao Yeqing looked at the locksmith, tears welling up in her eyes. This was different from what he had said.
But the locksmith had already run away.
The beggar uncle kept repeating, "Why, why, Zhao Yeqing, can you tell me why I did this?"
Zhao Yeqing was being swayed left and right by the beggar, and he felt like his head was spinning. Suddenly, he pushed off with his legs and ran backward.
"Don't ask me, Uncle Liu, I really don't know!"
But the beggar wouldn't listen. He started running too, chasing after the beggar and asking, "Why, why...?"
Zhao Yeqing was chased for a whole day, crying as she ran: "You stinky locksmith, it's all your fault, it's all your fault..."
That evening, Zhao Yeqing went to settle accounts with the locksmith.
But he had been running around all day and was completely exhausted, hungry, tired, and sleepy. After entering the locksmith's house...
He grabbed food and stuffed it into his mouth, then lay down on the bed and fell fast asleep. The thought of settling accounts was long forgotten, completely banished by his drowsiness.
Even in my dreams, I see Uncle Beggar chasing after me, asking questions. Sigh, why is even sleeping so tiring!
Zhao Yeqing felt like she was running and running in her dream, with the beggar chasing after her, and she couldn't shake him off no matter what she did.
Perhaps driven to desperation by the pursuit, Zhao Yeqing jumped into a river in her dream without a second thought, hoping that the river would finally catch up with her!
Seriously, even dreaming is so tiring!
Just as Zhao Yeqing was feeling smug, he felt the river was a little warm... um... a little smelly... Oh no! It's the urge to pee!
Oh no, I'm going to pee!
Wake up! Wake up!!
Zhao Yeqing suddenly opened her eyes and found the locksmith looking at her with a smile.
Zhao Yeqing felt a sense of foreboding and looked ahead, nearly fainting.
My lower body was actually confined by a chastity belt!
There was even a lock on top!
Zhao Yeqing cried out, "Fifth Uncle, you...you..."
The locksmith chuckled and said, "It seems I accidentally smuggled something good into your meal. Are you feeling the urge to pee right now?"
Zhao Yeqing stammered, "I...I..."
The locksmith chuckled, "I know, I know. You don't want to learn my craft? I understand, and I won't force you. It's just a pity that this bed has such a strange trap, and this lock is incredibly difficult to open. Alas, I just happen to need to pee, what am I going to do?"
As he was talking, he unzipped his pants and started urinating, making "shhhhh" noises from time to time.
"My urge to urinate is like this surging river, endless and continuous."
Zhao Yeqing shouted, "I'll learn! I'll learn!"
The locksmith laughed loudly, "I didn't force you!" He pulled up his pants, leaned forward, and prepared to unlock the lock, but he could already smell a foul odor.
"Hahaha, Zhao Yeqing actually wet her pants! And I can't control my mouth, what am I going to do!"
Zhao Yeqing burst into tears: "I'll learn, I really will learn, I swear, please untie me, I need to pee..."
At this moment, Zhao Yeqing's tears and urine flowed like a surging river, never ceasing.
Therefore, Uncle Wu (the locksmith) ranked last in Zhao Yeqing's heart.
Seventh Uncle is the one Zhao Yeqing feels most sorry for.
No, you can't call him Seventh Uncle, because Zhao Yeqing isn't sure if he's male or female.
He was an actor; when he played a man, he was dignified and imposing, and when he played a woman, he was charming and delicate.
However, he usually appears as a weak scholar, so Zhao Yeqing assumes he is male for now.
Uncle Seven is an actor, and his voice changes depending on the role he plays. If he plays a general, his voice is rough and violent. If he plays a young girl, his voice is shy and ethereal. If he plays a female ghost… Zhao Yeqing doesn't know, because he would cover his ears.
Uncle Qi would always be dancing alone on stage, completely absorbed in his own performances, playing all sorts of different roles. He would perform for an entire day at a time.
Sometimes his voice would become hoarse, yet his singing would continue. Sometimes he was so tired he could barely stand, but he insisted on finishing the dance. Zhao Yeqing offered him a glass of water, but he wouldn't drink it. He didn't need Zhao Yeqing's support. He was that stubborn person, singing with all his heart and soul, dancing with unbridled passion.
Zhao Yeqing didn't say anything, but simply sat down and watched silently.
He couldn't understand the dance or the song. But he did understand the feelings of longing, resentment, pain, and loneliness conveyed by the sounds and movements.
Uncle Qi's hoarse voice echoed on the empty stage; apart from Zhao Yeqing, there was not a single audience member.
Zhao Yeqing felt this was not right, so he went to pull other people over.
He went to find the bearded man, but the bearded man said, "What's so interesting about this kind of dance? I'm not going."
He went to find Sweetie, who simply laughed and said, "Can the women he plays be prettier than me?"
He went to find Uncle Fatty, who asked, "Is there anything to eat?"
He went to find Dr. Hu, but Dr. Hu's door was locked.
……
Zhao Yeqing had no choice but to become the first and only audience member himself.
One day it rained. It doesn't rain often on Prison Dragon Island, but this rain was a torrential downpour.
The stage couldn't keep out the rain at all; the downpour soaked the actors and Zhao Yeqing completely.
But the actor was still singing, and Zhao Yeqing shouted, "Seventh Uncle, let's not stay here any longer! Let's go!"
But the actor continued dancing, and his dance made people feel sad.
Zhao Yeqing climbed onto the stage, trying to pull the actor uncle away, but he was too weak and couldn't move him at all.
The rain grew heavier and heavier, and it was bone-chillingly cold.
Zhao Yeqing paced anxiously in circles, and suddenly he ran towards the locksmith's house.
He didn't know why he wanted to find a locksmith. Perhaps he thought that if a locksmith could make locks, then his skills must be very good, and he could definitely make something to keep out the rain.
He was panting heavily, and shouted with all his might, "Fifth Uncle, Fifth Uncle, I have a favor to ask of you!"
No one responded.
Zhao Yeqing was very sad; the door was locked. The locksmith wasn't home.
Zhao Yeqing immediately rushed over to the actors, only to be surprised to find the locksmith sitting in the audience.
Rain shelters have been set up both on and off the stage.
The actor coughed, coughing up scarlet blood.
Zhao Yeqing hugged the actor and cried out, "Uncle, please stop dancing!"
The actor seemed to only then come to his senses and asked anxiously, "Zhao Yeqing, why are you still here? It's raining here, a heavy rain, you should leave quickly."
He seemed to have been stunned by the rain. The awning had already been installed; no rain was going to fall on him.
Zhao Yeqing cried loudly, "I won't go, I won't go! If I leave, you'll be all alone, Uncle. I'm afraid you'll be all lonely!"
The actor looked dazed; his makeup had been washed away by the rain, revealing his clean face and crystal-clear eyes.
He held the weeping Zhao Yeqing in his arms, whispering repeatedly, "Thank you, Zhao Yeqing. Thank you..."
Later, the rain stopped and the sky cleared.
Zhao Yeqing asked the locksmith uncle, "Why does the actor uncle keep singing and dancing?"
The locksmith didn't answer Zhao Yeqing immediately. Instead, he looked up at the sky after the rain and then said softly:
Perhaps his lover enjoyed listening to him sing and watching him dance. Maybe your actor uncle thought that as long as he kept singing and dancing, one day his lover would come back. Isn't that foolish?
After hearing this, Zhao Yeqing also looked up at the sky, just like him.
The weather was great, and the sky was a beautiful blue.
The locksmith continued, "I naively believed that if I could create a masterpiece lock, I could save her life. So I worked tirelessly, day and night, risking my life to create locks, just to keep her alive. Even though I knew it was impossible."
Maybe I'm just like your actor uncle, silly and naive.
Zhao Yeqing looked at the locksmith's face, which was devoid of its usual cynicism.
His face was full of dejection.
…………
There were also many uncles and aunts' houses. Whenever Zhao Yeqing got bored staying at one house, she would go to stay at the next one.
Some of his uncles and aunts possessed extraordinary skills and always praised his exceptional talent, insisting on passing on their unique skills.
At this point, Zhao Yeqing would always run away in a panic, covering her head, to stay at the next house.
Because if Zhao Yeqing doesn't like something, he won't learn it even if you beg him.
Of course, just as there are things children don't like, there are also things they do like.
Zhao Yeqing's favorite thing to do was learn swordsmanship from the blind uncle.
The phrase "the moon is bright and the stars are few" means that when the moon is bright, the stars appear sparse.
Zhao Yeqing felt that this word perfectly described Uncle Chu, because whenever Uncle Chu stood on the beach with a stern face, all the aunts and uncles who accompanied her to watch the waves would flee in terror. She guessed that in their minds, spending even a second with Chu Yuntian was as terrifying as spending a year with that foul-mouthed aunt next door.
Zhao Yeqing also wanted to escape, but every time his legs were just about to give way, he would feel Chu Yuntian's eyes, covered by a black cloth, staring intently at him. This strange feeling was like when you were taking a dump in a field and suddenly realized you didn't have any toilet paper, and then you happened to encounter a venomous snake staring intently at you from a distance.
My mind went blank, my legs trembled, and only a deep sense of fear roamed freely through my body—it was indescribable.
Even though Uncle Chu was blind, Zhao Yeqing felt that he could see more clearly than anyone else.
So whenever Zhao Yeqing mentioned Chu Yuntian, he would always add, "My uncle's surname is Chu, the Chu of clear and distinct."
Tonight is another night with a bright moon and few stars.
Chu Yuntian stood with his hands behind his back on a rock, facing the sea. Waves crashed against the rocks, creating white foam, and the broken spray soaked his trouser legs. Chu Yuntian looked up at the moon, and the moonlight politely cast its soft light on his face, his black cloth, his long hair, and his thin clothes.
This should have been a tender scene, but a sword was stuck next to Chu Yuntian, adding a cold and murderous atmosphere to the scene.
The man's face remained calm, but who knew that his heart was as turbulent as the waves crashing within.
"Uncle Chu, I'm here!" A childish voice, belonging to a seven-year-old boy, echoed across the coast.
Chu Yuntian was still "admiring the moon" and didn't look at Zhao Yeqing. He simply said softly, "You're late."
"I'm sorry, Uncle Chu, I didn't mean to. I..." Zhao Yeqing gasped for breath, cursing the locksmith eighteen times in her mind. That damned locksmith had actually locked his house inside and out with eighteen meticulously crafted locks while she was taking a shower at noon. All because she refused to learn his unique lock-making skills.
In Zhao Yeqing's words, "Pick locks but don't learn how to unlock them, that's not cool at all. A real man never does anything uncool!" He simply wouldn't listen to the locksmith's heartfelt words, "If you can make locks, you'll know how to unlock them."
That's why we have this unexpected disaster today. By the time Zhao Yeqing finally emerged after a great deal of effort, it was already evening.
Zhao Yeqing, without even eating, rushed to Chu Yuntian's place, cursing the locksmith as he ran. Previously, Zhao Yeqing had refrained from using overly harsh language because Chu Yuntian was his thirteenth uncle, after all, he was the junior. But one day, Zhao Yeqing had an upset stomach and, after using the toilet early in the morning, tragically found himself locked in the latrine. Despite racking his brains for a whole day and night, he couldn't unlock the damned Seven-Flower Six-Leaf Lock. Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer and unleashed a torrent of abuse on the locksmith, not caring whether his words inadvertently offended him.
Zhao Yeqing sighed, "I am willing to accept the punishment." As she spoke, she drew the wooden sword from her waist, preparing to wield it.
The number of times Chu Yuntian wields his sword each day, and how he wields it, is entirely up to him.
Uncle Big Beard told me that he had been practicing swordsmanship since he was a child.
How small is it, Zhao Yeqing?
Sweetie said with a smile, "You started practicing swordsmanship the day we met you."
Later, Zhao Yeqing realized what Tianmeier meant.
It turned out that shortly after he was discovered on Dragon Prison Island, Chu Yuntian had brought him a wooden sword, the kind that a baby could just hold. After tossing the wooden sword to his bearded uncle, he said to the others:
"Help Zhao Yeqing wield her sword 100,000 times daily."
Zhao Yeqing could even picture those days, the days and nights when her uncles, aunts, and other relatives would hold her little hand, sighing and brandishing their swords in a pitiful state. She guessed that back then, all they wanted was for the child in their arms to grow up quickly.
Later, I heard the fat uncle jokingly say that luckily he was able to jump around again in just a few months and grew taller quickly, which relieved the thirty-odd residents on the island who wanted to strangle him every minute.
Now, three-year-old Zhao Yeqing is already like a five or six-year-old child, which is truly amazing.
On the beach, two people, one tall and one short, faced each other. A gust of wind blew from the other side of the sea, making Chu Yuntian's black hair flutter and making Zhao Yeqing unable to open her eyes.
Chu Yuntian suddenly said, "You are three years old today."
"Huh? Oh...yes!" Zhao Yeqing didn't understand what was so interesting about that.
Chu Yuntian turned to face him, pulled out the iron sword stuck in the ground and threw it to Zhao Yeqing, "Pull it out." His tone left no room for argument.
"Oh..." Zhao Yeqing carefully placed the wooden sword in her hand on the ground. Every year, Chu Yuntian would make a wooden sword for her, and Zhao Yeqing would carefully keep them safe. It wasn't that the wooden swords were particularly valuable, but rather that they had all witnessed her growth.
Good weight!
Zhao Yeqing exclaimed inwardly, not expecting that this sword, as thin as a cicada's wing, would be so heavy. When he pulled it out with all his might, he almost fell backward.
"Attack me." Chu Yuntian's tone, like his expression, was always stiff and unchanging.
Zhao Yeqing's hand gripping the iron sword trembled slightly, but he still said in a deep voice, "Alright!"
No matter what, we can't lose our momentum.
Rush! Rush! Rush!
Zhao Yeqing tried to cheer himself up with a roar, but after running a dozen steps, he tripped and fell flat on his face, his sword plunging halfway into the ground.
Snapped--
A loud thud echoed, and Zhao Yeqing sadly felt her buttocks swell and turn red. Needless to say, it was Chu Yuntian who had hit her.
Zhao Yeqing hurriedly stood up and drew his sword, but the sword was like an ancient tree deeply rooted in the ground, and he couldn't pull it out no matter how hard he tried.
Zhao Yeqing looked up and found that Chu Yuntian was already in front of her. She could only smile awkwardly and say, "Uncle Chu, I..."
Chu Yuntian placed his hand on Zhao Yeqing's little head and rubbed it vigorously: "It's okay..."
Zhao Yeqing smiled; the weight that had been pressing on her heart could finally be lifted...
"Tonight, you will use this sword to swing it ten thousand times, no matter what method you use." After uttering these emotionless words, Chu Yuntian left without looking back, so dashing, leaving Zhao Yeqing dumbfounded, on the verge of tears.
The rose-shaped Star Delight flowers bloomed, displaying their beautiful forms to the world. Gentle moonlight kissed the purple petals of the Star Delight flowers, and a breeze made them sway like schoolchildren in a classroom, their alluring fragrance filling the beach.
On the beach, a shirtless child struggled to swing a sword. His posture was anything but elegant: he nearly fell backward one moment, then struggled to pull the sword out the next, swaying from side to side while muttering to himself.
"My waist, so small yet so tough from countless blows, sigh, if my second aunt knew, she would be overjoyed."
"Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen... Sigh, if I swing my sword ten thousand times, at this rate, it'll probably take forever."
"My little starflowers, the surging sea cannot hear my heart's voice, and the bright, lonely moon is too far away from me. Only you are by my side with all your heart. Come, come, tell me, how can I finish swinging this ten thousand times? Alas."
Zhao Yeqing lay naked on the Starry Night Flower. He couldn't lift his hands, not even a little bit. Even so, he had only swung his sword a little over a thousand times. He was almost out of breath, so he simply closed his eyes, calmed down, and lay down to smell the refreshing fragrance of the flower. He gently kissed the petals and carefully felt the coolness.
After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly opened his eyes, and in them he saw the crescent moon, and his eyes crinkled with laughter.
"How could I be so stupid? Haha, didn't Uncle Chu say that 'no matter what method you use,' as long as you swing the sword 100,000 times, that's enough, right? So swinging the sword in my mind is also swinging the sword, isn't it?"
No one answered, because Zhao Yeqing had originally asked the flowers.
Zhao Yeqing gave the starflower next to her cheek a big kiss and laughed loudly, "My dear flowers, it's all thanks to you!"
After saying that, he quickly closed his eyes and imagined himself wielding a sword.
"One thousand seven hundred and sixty-one, one thousand seven hundred and sixty-two... That stinky locksmith was right, I, Zhao Yeqing, am indeed a damn clever little darling..."
"Two thousand three hundred and twenty-seven, two thousand three hundred and twenty-eight, two thousand three hundred and twenty..."
The sound grew fainter and fainter, perhaps because the fragrance of the flowers was too enchanting, or perhaps because people were simply too tired today. The beach finally quieted down, with only the sound of the sea echoing in the air.
The seven-year-old boy still had a smile on his lips. Perhaps he was dreaming that he was practicing all sorts of sword moves, and maybe he could even exchange a few blows with Chu Yuntian. Everything seemed so carefree and dashing...
"Five thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, five thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight..."
Zhao Yeqing murmured happily, telling his trivial dreams to the Starry Night Flowers, to the vast sea, and to the bright moon. With so many beautiful sights to accompany him, how could young Zhao Yeqing feel lonely?
In the darkness, Chu Yuntian returned and gently covered Zhao Yeqing with a blanket.
The evening breeze was gentle.
Some people practice swordsmanship in their dreams.
…………
For the residents of Prison Dragon Island, Zhao Yeqing's three years of age were a daily source of joy.
The island's thirty-odd residents all doted on this delicate and beautiful child from the bottom of their hearts. Even the third aunt, who was a master of cursing, couldn't help but squeeze out a few words of praise for the quirky and clever Zhao Yeqing, though she herself didn't know why.
In fact, a large part of the reason why everyone loves Zhao Yeqing lies in the word "control." People tend to have a tolerant attitude towards things they are very confident they can control. This attitude is always unconscious, but it is crucial. In addition, Zhao Yeqing has been full of strange and magical spirit since childhood, so the people on the island have become more and more indulgent towards this tolerant attitude. Gradually, this tolerance has evolved into pity, sympathy, and even kinship.
When Zhao Yeqing was three years old, Big Beard called him into the courtyard and threw him a knife.
"What kind of knife is this?" Zhao Yeqing asked.
The bearded man stroked his thick beard and laughed, "A butcher's knife."
"What do I need a pig-slaughtering knife for?" Zhao Yeqing asked.
The bearded man said seriously, "I'm giving you a pig-slaughtering knife so you can slaughter pigs."
"I don't want to kill a pig!" Zhao Yeqing shouted.
Why?
"Killing too many pigs will only make you a pig butcher. I don't want to be a pig butcher, I want to be a hero!"
The bearded man laughed. "Who says that killing too many pigs only makes you a pig butcher? A pig butcher can become a great hero. Your uncle started out as a pig butcher, so what? Aren't I a respectable hero too?!"
Zhao Yeqing asked with a hint of doubt, "Really?"
The bearded man patiently and gently said, "Really. So, it doesn't matter whether you're a pig butcher or a sheep butcher, because your background can never determine what you will do in the future."
Little Zhao Yeqing nodded vigorously and picked up the large pig-slaughtering knife.
The bearded man continued, "In fact, a pig butcher can become a hero, but a hero can't necessarily become a pig butcher."
Zhao Yeqing's eyes widened. "A person who can be a great hero must naturally have superb martial arts skills. How could someone not even be able to kill a pig?"
The bearded man laughed and said, "Killing a pig is naturally very simple, but killing it skillfully is very difficult."
"Difficult? Does slaughtering a pig really require skill?"
"Indeed. Now let me ask you, why does a butcher kill a pig?"
"Naturally, it's for selling pork."
"That's right, but it's not just about selling pork; it's about selling good pork."
Zhao Yeqing was full of questions and said angrily, "What does selling good pork have to do with the skill of slaughtering pigs?" After saying that, she felt more and more uneasy and felt that she had been deceived. In a fit of anger, she threw the heavy pig-slaughtering knife on the ground.
The bearded man wasn't angry; he still chuckled and said, "Of course, it has a huge impact. Think about it, if you don't put in enough force when you slaughter a pig, if you don't cut hard enough, then the pig might not die on the first cut. If the pig is on the verge of death, the intense pain will rush into its brain, and the pig will feel resentment. Once the pig feels resentment, its meat will no longer be top-quality pork. So, do you still think that good pork has little to do with the butcher's skill?"
Zhao Yeqing exclaimed "Oh!" as if suddenly realizing something, "I see!"
The bearded man said seriously, "That's right. So a pig butcher must have a steady hand, a fast knife, and most importantly, a brave heart that absolutely cannot panic!"
Zhao Yeqing picked up the butcher knife from the ground again and shouted, "Keep your hand steady, keep the knife sharp, brave Zhao Yeqing, don't panic!"
The bearded man smiled with satisfaction.
"Are your hands steady?!"
"stable!"
Zhao Yeqing tried hard to keep her hand holding the knife from trembling.
"Is your knife sharp?!"
"quick!"
Zhao Yeqing swung his sword, almost throwing himself out of the way.
"Okay, now that you've got a steady hand on the knife, are you feeling nervous?!"
Zhao Yeqing straightened her back and shouted, "Don't panic!"
"Excellent!" the bearded man laughed happily, then opened the pigpen. "Then try killing it!"
Zhao Yeqing was fine until she looked at it, then her legs started trembling. Damn it, this pig was ten times her size!
"Brother Pig, to be honest, this is a misunderstanding..."
A fierce glint appeared in the wild boar's eyes.
"Brother Pig, listen to me, the weather is nice today..."
At this moment, the wild boar was like a valiant steed, bravely charging towards the enemy wielding a large knife!
Three-year-old Zhao Yeqing no longer cared about being quick and steady with her knife. With a cry of "Ah!", she dropped the heavy pig-slaughtering knife and ran away.
On this day, the squeals of pigs and the screams of people could not be heard incessantly.
Sweetie loves to hug Zhao Yeqing when he was three years old, because at that time Zhao Yeqing's body had just grown up and his vigorous boyishness made Sweetie love him the most.
One day, Zhao Yeqing couldn't understand why Tianmei always had a smiling face, as if she had never seen her sad since she was a child.
He asked why, and Sweetie smiled and said to him, "Because a smile has always been a weapon, especially for women."
"A smile can be used as a weapon?" Zhao Yeqing asked.
"That's right," Tian'er hugged Zhao Yeqing tightly, the sweet fragrance making it hard for him to breathe. "Because when someone's face is full of genuine smiles, another person will lose some of their vigilance and become more suspicious. This makes it easier for the smiling person to strike, while the person who isn't fully on guard will be unable to resist. So, if someone, especially a woman, seems to be genuinely smiling at you, be very careful. She might be waiting for that moment when you lower your guard to harm you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Zhao Yeqing shook his head, shaking it like a rattle-drum; he really didn't understand.
Sweetie giggled and said, "It's okay if you don't understand, I'll teach you. Pinch your own butt and see if you feel a tingling sensation."
Zhao Yeqing was shocked and quickly pinched it hard with his hand, only to find that it wasn't numb at all, but it really hurt. So he laughed and said, "Second Aunt, you lied to me. It's not numb at all."
Sweetie giggled and said, "Take another look at your own palm."
Zhao Yeqing was startled again. Looking at her palm, she saw that the spot where she had pinched her buttocks was as black as ink. "Second Aunt, this…"
Sweetie laughed, "When I hugged you just now, I smeared some spider fluid on your bottom. This spider fluid has absolutely no effect unless it comes into direct contact with the human body. You were fine as long as you didn't touch the fabric on your bottom, but now that you have, hehehe, I'm afraid this arm will be so numb you won't be able to move it in a little while..."
Zhao Yeqing jumped down from Tianmei's arms and screamed, "I'm doomed!" before running quickly towards Doctor Hu's house.
Dr. Hu has a large vat in his home, which is always filled with water of various colors.
"Uncle Hu, Uncle Hu, I've been poisoned by my aunt's spider venom! What should I do? What should I do?!"
Zhao Yeqing kept running around Doctor Hu, who was fiddling with the medicinal herbs, but Doctor Hu seemed not to hear her and continued to study his herbs at a leisurely pace.
Zhao Yeqing was frantic with worry. Now, her own life was less important than some worthless medicinal herbs. Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she shouted, "Uncle Hu, if you don't care whether I live or die, I'll eat all those plants on your table!"
Only then did Dr. Hu turn to look at Zhao Yeqing, who was pacing back and forth around him. Her face still wore that pale, gloomy expression. Dr. Hu pointed to the large vat filled with black liquid, and Zhao Yeqing hurriedly asked, "Uncle Hu, do you mean I can just take a bath with the water in the vat?"
Dr. Hu nodded stiffly.
Zhao Yeqing was overjoyed; there was hope! There was hope! She took off her clothes and plunged into the large vat. She didn't even see that Doctor Hu scratched his head and then shook his head.
"Aaaaaahhhhh!!" Zhao Yeqing suddenly stood up, naked, facing Doctor Hu, motionless.
"Is the water very hot?" Dr. Hu asked.
Zhao Yeqing shook her head cautiously.
"Since the water isn't hot, why did you stand up?" Dr. Hu asked coldly, though his tone carried a hint of schadenfreude.
"Because there's... there's..." Zhao Yeqing suddenly shut his mouth, because the black snake in the water had already crawled up his body to his neck. If he dared to open his mouth again now, who knows what terrifying things might happen in a moment.
The black snake flicked its tongue, its sticky body coiling around Zhao Yeqing again and again. Zhao Yeqing couldn't bear such a terrifying sight, but she couldn't scream, couldn't cry, and dared not move, fearing that a single movement would not only prevent the spider venom from being neutralized but also add snake venom. She could only look at Doctor Hu with teary eyes.
Dr. Hu really wanted to laugh at that moment, but he was afraid that his smile would look terrifying and scare Zhao Yeqing, so he had to keep a straight face and ask, "Zhao Yeqing, are you three years old this year?"
Zhao Yeqing blinked in response. But as she blinked, tears welled up in her eyes and fell in a steady stream. The black snake with its forked tongue flicking out from its neck slowly wiped away the tears.
Zhao Yeqing really wanted to cry and tell the black snake, "Thank you so much for wiping my tears."
Dr. Hu nodded and said, "He's already three years old, not bad. A good boy should be cultivating his character at this age."
Zhao Ye Qingxin said, "This isn't about cultivating one's character; it's about destroying one's humanity!"
Dr. Hu said, "This black snake is actually very docile and won't bite or hurt anyone, so you can rest assured. You can speak or cry as you please..."
Zhao Yeqing calmed herself down and pulled the black snake off its body. Sure enough, the snake didn't move, only flicking its tongue. Then she heard Doctor Hu say, "But this black snake has a kind of poison. This poison itself is very weak, but once it comes into contact with other poisons, it becomes extremely deadly. You're right, you've already been poisoned by two kinds of poison. But don't worry, although your fourth uncle doesn't know martial arts, he's quite skilled at administering and detoxifying. Stay in the vat and don't move while I go get you the antidote."
When Dr. Hu returned, Zhao Yeqing's face had turned as pale as Dr. Hu's.
Because what Dr. Hu brought wasn't the antidote at all, but a box of scorpions and centipedes...
Zhao Yeqing's lips twitched, and before she could speak, Doctor Hu calmly said, "Don't be afraid. These things have been carefully fed with the finest medicinal herbs. I'll put them in a water tank, and their medicinal properties will dissolve into the water. They'll detoxify you in less than an hour, and they'll even help strengthen your body... Feng'er, why is your mouth twitching like that? Is there something you want to say?"
Zhao Yeqing nodded and calmly asked, "Can I cry for a while before you pour them in?"
Dr. Hu finally managed a smile that looked more like a grimace, and exclaimed, "Yes!"
What adults love most about children is their obedience, because adults are wise while children are ignorant. So children listen to whatever adults say. However, once children develop their own ideas, they begin to think. Once people start thinking, they inevitably begin to doubt things that do not conform to their own understanding, and doubt is precisely the ancestor of rationality.
The people of Prison Dragon Island dislike the rational Zhao Yeqing, because once Zhao Yeqing becomes rational, he is no longer a child. Although he is only seven years old, everyone senses that Zhao Yeqing is "out of control".
Not only that, seven-year-old Zhao Yeqing finally used his rationality to fight back.
…………
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