Chapter 13

Only then did the person who brought Zhang Xiaohua and the others speak up, joking with the large man, "Now Butcher Liu has hurt a good person again. This little brother came from the Guozhuang House and brought news of your family's daughter.

This time, you must have scared him so much that he's forgotten. "

Butcher Liu, on the other hand, didn't mind the villagers' words. He patted Zhang Xiaohua's shoulder, causing Zhang Xiaohua to grin and say: "I can tell with one look that this little brother is a broad-minded person. Why would he mind such a small joke?"

Zhang Xiaohua looked at his large hand that was used to butcher pigs and thought, "I want to mind you, but you have to lend me some courage. Please don't be so intimate, my body has just recovered."

She said, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. This must be Sister Liu Yueyue's father. Looking at your manly posture, it's just as Sister said." Then she added in her heart, "It's Xiong Zi."

“

When Butcher Liu heard this, he was overjoyed and his eyes narrowed, "Yueyue is still talking about this with you? She … That's right, why did Yueyue and Qianqian go to your Guozhuang House? Are they alright?" Only now did he remember to ask about his daughter.

Mr Liu spoke up from the side, "Let's talk inside first. Seeing how this little brother is neither too fast nor too slow, the two daughters should be fine."

After he finished speaking, he led Zhang Xiaohua and his companions into the house. The villager who led the way said, "I won't go in, I'll go back first. I'll call Liu Kai back on the way."

Mr Liu nodded in thanks and watched the villager leave before inviting Zhang Xiaohua into the house for a chat.

Zhang Xiaohua entered the courtyard and saw that it was about the same size as her own house. The layout was simple and there weren't as many farm tools as her own house. The stove didn't seem to be out in the open. There were about two rooms in front of her, and there were also two rooms on the left and right. She didn't know why Sister Liu had so many rooms when there were only three people in her house.

When he walked into the front room, he realized the difference between them.

There was a painting in the central room of the Liu family. It was a painting of an old scholar. In front of the painting, there were a few plates with fruits, snacks, and other things on them. It seemed that they were offering something.

There was a painting on the left wall. It was snowing and there were a few people enjoying the snow in the pavilion. There were a few calligraphy pieces on the right wall. They looked like dragons flying and phoenixes flying. They should be written very well. It was a pity that Zhang Xiaohua didn't recognize them.

There was a square table in front of him. On the table, there was a teapot, a few cups, and a plate of food. There were two chairs on the left and right of the table. There was also a small square table and a few chairs on both sides of the wall. On the table, there was a pot with flowers and plants. Looking at the four corners of the room, there were also a few plants in the pots.

Zhang Xiaohua looked at the house that was completely different from her own house. She sighed in her heart, "Is this the difference between a scholar and a farmer?"

Under her mother's management, her house was also quite clean and tidy. There were also paintings on the walls, but they were just some pictures of immortals. Her mother didn't seem to know how to arrange the flowers and plants in the pots. Zhang Xiaohua's heart skipped a beat. She thought, "If Sister Liu manages our house, what will it be like?"

As Zhang Xiaohua thought about it, he stood there.

It wasn't that she was lost in her thoughts, but she didn't know where to sit.

There were only a few chairs in her house. Usually, she would stand. Teacher Liu's house had so many chairs. There must be something special about it. She didn't know how to sit.

When Teacher Liu saw this, he quickly let Zhang Xiaohua and the others sit. Then, Butcher Liu poured a cup of tea for them and brought it over.

Zhang Xiaohua took the teacup and gulped it down in one gulp. Then, he smacked his lips. The water tasted really good. Butcher Liu saw that Zhang Xiaohua had finished drinking, so he quickly poured another cup for him. Zhang Xiaohua and Butcher Liu had been walking for the whole morning, so they were already thirsty. Since the water was so good, the two of them drank four cups of water in a row before stopping.

Butcher Liu's eyes were the same as Teacher Liu's. They were filled with gratitude. Although Butcher Liu was a boorish person who slaughtered pigs, he also knew that they had rushed such a long distance and were so thirsty. It was all to tell his daughter that they were safe.

Zhang Xiaohua finished drinking the water. Just as she was about to speak, she heard hurried footsteps from outside the house. Not long after, she saw a scholar who was about the same age and height as her elder brother running in. He must be Liu Qian's brother, Liu Kai.

When Liu Kai entered the house, he first greeted Teacher Liu and Butcher Liu respectively. Then, Teacher Liu introduced Zhang Xiaohua and the others to Liu Kai. Liu Kai then greeted them with a bow. Zhang Xiaohua and Butcher Liu didn't know much about these things, so they followed suit and returned the greeting. Liu Kai then asked Teacher Liu, "How is my younger sister?"

Zhang Xiaohua looked at the scholar who was obviously much thinner than her elder brother. She thought to herself, "Ah, scholars really have a lot of etiquette. This Brother Liu is really patient. He only asked after seeing such a polite greeting. If it was Butcher Liu, he would have asked directly.

Oh right, he must be complaining that Brother Liu came at the wrong time. "She couldn't help but glance at Butcher Liu who was also anxiously waiting for Zhang Xiaohua to speak.

Sure enough, before Teacher Liu opened his mouth, Butcher Liu said, "You should drink some water first. This little brother hasn't said anything yet and you're already back."

Liu Kai sat on the chair opposite Zhang Xiaohua. He wasn't in a hurry to drink the water. He looked at Zhang Xiaohua eagerly, waiting for him to speak.

Zhang Xiaohua then introduced herself and told him everything that happened yesterday in detail. However, she was cautious and didn't say the specific amount of money that the two bullies lost.

Zhang Xiaohua's eloquence wasn't very good and she spoke haltingly. However, even so, the four people in the room listened with fear and trepidation. Teacher Liu, Butcher Liu, and Liu Kai's faces were ashen. Butcher Liu even jumped up from his chair a few times, but he was gently stopped by Teacher Liu.

When Zhang Xiaohua finished, Butcher Liu quickly poured two cups of water for Zhang Xiaohua. Everyone also drank a cup. It seemed that not only did the talking make the people's mouths dry, the listening people were also nervous.

After drinking the water, Teacher Liu walked in front of Zhang Xiaohua and bowed deeply, saying, "This old man would like to thank the virtuous father and son for saving my daughter."

Liu Kai and Butcher Liu also quickly followed suit and bowed. Zhang Xiaohua was so scared that she jumped down from her chair. Why did they have to bow again? She hurriedly bowed in a nondescript manner.

Zhang Xiaohua comforted them, saying, "Sister Liu and the others are staying in our house. It's quite good. You don't have to worry."

In fact, everyone knew that their loved ones were fine. However, they didn't see their loved ones get out of danger with their own eyes. After all, they felt uneasy.

When everyone sat down again, Teacher Liu said, "From the Guozhuang House to here, Xiaohua and the others walked the whole morning. I reckon that we won't be able to bring the children back today. How about this, Second Brother, you go back first and let Sister-in-law prepare lunch. Let Xiaohua and the others eat first. After lunch, let Liu Kai and Xiaohua go to the Guozhuang House. Tomorrow, we'll go together to bring the children back.

What do you think? "

Butcher Liu said, "No, let me go first. I'm worried. We'll probably have to walk at night to the Guozhuang House later. It'll be safer if I follow."

Teacher Liu thought about it and agreed.

Lunch was eaten at Butcher Liu's house. Liu Qian wasn't there, so there was no one in Teacher Liu's house to cook.

Liu Yueyue's mother knew that her daughter was fine and had to entertain her family's benefactor. This meal was exceptionally sumptuous.

Zhang Xiaohua, who was already hungry and hadn't eaten red braised pork for a long time, ate until her belly was full.

After lunch, Zhang Xiaohua, Liu Qian, and Butcher Liu hurried back to the Guozhuang House. Not to mention for the time being, Wu Zhua Peak, which was only a few hundred miles away from them, was another scene altogether.

In the morning, when the shadow passed between the two jujube trees, Yanming Jushi flashed between the trees. Fortunately, he was a martial artist and his eyes were especially sharp. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to see clearly.

The rest of the people still didn't understand what was going on. They could only stare blankly at Yanming Jushi's back.

Yanming Jushi wasn't angry. He raised his voice and said, "Why aren't you guys coming over?"

When everyone arrived between the two jujube trees, they looked carefully. It didn't seem to be any different from the other jujube trees.

Yanming Jushi smiled and said, "No need to look. It's definitely no different from the others. Otherwise, it wouldn't be so complicated.

Now that we're preparing to enter the forest, take out the leather in your hands. "

The few of them took out the leather as instructed. Yanming Jushi said, "Get some fresh blood and smear it on the top of the back of the leather." After he finished speaking, he took out a dagger, cut his finger, and smeared the blood on the leather.

Ma Xiangyang, Wen Wenhai, and Tan Wen all did the same. A line of words appeared on the leather.

It was: Go straight ten trees, back six trees, left six trees, right eight trees.

Then, Yanming Jushi put together the words according to the diagram. It was the incantation for entering the forest: "Go straight ten trees, right eight trees, back six trees, left six trees."

Yanming Jushi said, "Alright, everyone get ready. We're preparing to enter the forest. I'll lead the way. Shaoxia Ma and Shaoxia Wen will follow behind. Heroine Xue and Chief Situ will be in the middle. The Tan brothers will bring up the rear. Everyone, keep your spirits up. Don't fall behind."

The jujube forest in front of them was no longer as dark as it was at night. However, the bright sunlight still couldn't penetrate the dense forest. The dense fog in the forest made it difficult to see the end. The cold wind blew through the treetops, making a "hu hu" sound, but it didn't seem to be able to blow away the light fog.

Yanming Jushi took out his dagger and drew a mark on the two jujube trees. Then, he carefully walked through the two ordinary trees. The rest of the group followed the previously agreed upon order, entering in a single file.

The dense fog in the forest was very thick. One couldn't see more than ten feet in front of them. It was also very humid. Not long after, everyone's clothes and shoes were soaked. In order to deal with unexpected danger, everyone held weapons in their hands. At this time, they all felt the cold.

No one had entered the forest for many years. The ground was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves and rotting jujubes. Walking on it was very difficult. The jujube trees' branches and leaves were very dense, intertwining with each other. Sometimes they even blocked the path. However, no one dared to rashly cut down the branches for fear of causing an accident.

Just as everyone was moving forward in an orderly manner, they suddenly heard Situ Ping's exclamation, "Look over there!"