31: small fishing village

"Little girl, wake up."

Looking at the blank-eyed, silent girl, Zhou Yan had exhausted all his tricks.

Could this girl not understand Mandarin?

Zhou Yan leaned down in front of the girl again and tried a different way of speaking.

"Cough, cough, you, a little flower girl."

"Scared, no. Tears, no fall."

"Your daddy, mommy, where go?"

"How let you be by big wolf taken?"

"Wait, wait, that's not right!" Zhou Yan slapped his forehead as he finally remembered something.

He had been confused; he'd been using the time pocket watch as a combat tool and had almost forgotten its primary function.

"Activate, Story Mode."

When the girl turned into a story NPC, a powerful Law of Time acted upon her, and her state gradually regressed.

After a while, the girl's eyes regained some life. As she recovered, she suddenly hugged Zhou Yan and began to wail.

The little girl was a mess of tears and snot, quickly soaking the front of Zhou Yan's clothes.

My clothes! To avoid hurting the little girl's fragile heart further, he didn't say what he was thinking.

After a few more sobs, the girl said timidly, "Zhou... Lord Celestial Venerable Zhou, thank you for saving Xiao Yue. If... if not for you, Xiao Yue... Xiao Yue would have been eaten by the big bad wolf, waaaah..." As she spoke, she started crying again.

Helpless, Zhou Yan could only offer comfort. All he could think was, "I must learn a cleaning Spell."

Once the girl stabilized, Zhou Yan began his questioning.

"Little girl, I'll ask and you answer, okay?"

"Mm."

"What's your name?"

"My name is Han Yue."

"Well, little Han Yue, where is your home? How about I take you back?"

Perhaps it was because her state was restored after the regression.

Unlike other children who might be exhausted by grief or fall asleep, Han Yue was excitedly preparing to lead the way and invite Zhou Yan to her home.

She's just a child after all; they recover quickly.

Zhou Yan gave Han Yue a few instructions, telling her to wait in the cabin, then turned and went into his room to change into suitable clothes.

Zhou Yan was still wearing the Brocade Silk Robe the King of Hanning had given him. Because it was comfortable and made of special material that didn't get dirty easily, he had been wearing it all this time.

Now, whether it was the environment he was about to enter or the fact that it was already dirty, it wasn't suitable for him to keep wearing it.

When the cabin door opened again, the noble-looking youth had transformed into someone wearing casual clothes, looking like a young hero from a Wuxia novel.

"Oh, oh! Lord Tianzun is so handsome!" Han Yue clapped, her little face flushed as she sat on a small chair.

"Uh... don't call me Celestial Venerable anymore. I'm usually very low-key."

"From now on, just call me Big Brother Zhou." Zhou Yan rubbed his nose, feeling a bit awkward.

It was one thing for little Han Yue to hear him acting cool earlier; though a bit embarrassing, it was acceptable.

Children say whatever they want, and Zhou Yan just took it as a joke. But if she said the same thing in front of adults when they got home, that would be truly humiliating.

Whether before his Transmigration or now, Zhou Yan was at an age where he cared about his dignity. Social death right at the start would be a huge blow to a youth who had just stepped into the world of cultivation.

Stepping off the flying boat, Zhou Yan skillfully opened the mini-map.

As expected, there were no red dots in the currently revealed area, proving the Strange Wolf wasn't nearby.

Dealing with that Late Stage Qi Refining Strange Wolf might have been tricky before.

But now, with the Sword Seal equipment, as long as Zhou Yan actively released Sword Qi—given the high proc rate—he could surely trigger it within four or five strikes. Once triggered, it would be more than enough to kill it instantly.

However, it was indeed strange, and Zhou Yan couldn't quite figure it out, so without resorting to lethal force, he really had no way of dealing with it.

Zhou Yan first put the flying boat into the profound ring, then put the profound ring into his Backpack, completing a Minecraft-style nesting doll effect.

Watching this magical scene, Han Yue didn't look surprised; she just clapped and cheered as before.

It seems little Han Yue has seen Cultivators before; I should be more careful. Preparing himself mentally, Zhou Yan followed little Han Yue to her home.

In the forest.

Han Yue led the way while Zhou Yan kept watch for potential dangers. The two chatted idly as they walked.

"Little Han Yue, what is your home like? Are your parents and neighbors kind?"

"My home? I live by the sea. Every day I can play in the water and pick up shells by the ocean. If I'm bored, I can come play in the forest."

"Big Brother Zhou, let me tell you, Xiao Yue is great at climbing trees! I can pick any fruit from the trees. The fruit here is big and sweet."

"It's just that Xiao Yue isn't a good swimmer, so I rarely go into the sea to catch fish. Besides, the people in the village don't really let me go into the sea anyway."

"Oh, right, right! There's also my mom and dad."

"Big Brother Zhou, I'm telling you, my mom and dad are also very impressive."

"My dad does business outside and makes a lot of money. My uncle and mom help him too. Dad said that once we make a lot of money, our whole family will move to the town to live. Then Xiao Yue can go to school like other children and have a very, very bright future."

"Is that so? Then who's more impressive, you or your parents?" Zhou Yan joked casually.

"Me, of course! Mom and dad both say Xiao Yue is the most impressive." At this, Han Yue, who was walking in front, put her hands on her hips and started swaggering.

After walking for a while longer, Zhou Yan mentally wiped sweat from his brow.

This little girl was just too talkative; her mouth rattled on like a machine gun.

She said whatever came to mind. Even if Zhou Yan gave the simplest response, she could go on for ages. However, he did manage to get some useful information.

There were towns nearby, or at least within a distance that wasn't too difficult for a Mortal to reach on foot.

Han Yue lived in a seaside fishing village. Since it was by the sea, it shouldn't be far from the border. Who knew if a boss might spawn in the ocean?

So Zhou Yan planned to leave as soon as the side quest was completed, staying far away from potential trouble.

"Celestial Ven... Big Brother Zhou, my home is just ahead."

Han Yue stopped and turned to point the way for Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan looked closely. Smoke curled from the chimneys of the distant fishing village, and people were coming and going. It was full of the breath of life.

Wait, no!

It wasn't just the breath of life; there was also the stench of life!

Zhou Yan's brow furrowed slightly.

No wonder those cultivation types liked to hide in the mountains or live in the sky—anywhere away from crowds.

He was only a Qi Refining Old Ancestor, yet with his slightly enhanced senses, he could smell such a strong fishy odor from the village even at this distance.

For those Cultivators who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage and mastered Divine Sense...

How tragic would it be if they used their Divine Sense in a bustling market and accidentally scanned a public latrine?

Seeing someone, Han Yue ran toward the village.

"Grandpa Village Chief, I'm back!"

Zhou Yan saw an old man walking toward them, and Han Yue charged like a bull, throwing herself into his arms.

"Ouch! My little ancestor, take it easy. These old bones of mine will be broken by you little troublemakers sooner or later."

After catching Han Yue, the Village Chief rubbed her head and then looked at Zhou Yan.

"May I ask who this young hero is?"

"He is..." Just as Han Yue was about to answer, Zhou Yan spoke up first to introduce himself. "I am Zhou Yan, a Loose Cultivator who ended up here after a flying boat crash."

Sorry, I have to lie again.