Sleeping until noon, with the sunlight streaming through the window onto her face, Yan Xiaoyi finally opened her eyes.
"Ah~ That feels so good!" She stretched lazily and slowly sat up.
Staring blankly out the window, she murmured, "Actually, if things could just stay like this forever, that wouldn't be so bad."
Glancing down at the White Fox in her arms, she chuckled, "Little guy, you must be starving, right? Come on, I'll take you to catch some fish! Follow me, and I guarantee I'll fatten you up nice and plump!"
The White Fox rolled its eyes, seeming to understand her, and leaped onto her shoulder in a single bound.
Human and fox walked on foot along the woodland path.
Completely unaware that a sharp gaze had been watching her from above the whole time.
Before long, the rushing sound of water reached her ears.
Rounding the patch of woods ahead, a small river came into view. The water was crystal clear, and fish could be seen swimming about within.
"Well then, I suppose I'll make a fool of myself!"
Full of confidence, Yan Xiaoyi hitched up her skirt and waded into the river.
Holding her breath and steadying her mind, she waited for the right moment, transforming into a ruthless fish-spearing machine as she thrust her spear down with precision.
"Oh mother dear—" With a piercing scream, Yan Xiaoyi clutched her bleeding foot and hopped up.
Damn it! She had actually speared her own foot!
So painful!
Scrambling back to the bank in a panic, she tore a strip of fabric from her skirt and bound the wound as fast as she could.
Her venture had gotten off to a bad start, and she was about to call it quits when she noticed the White Fox squatting on a boulder, its chin tilted up as it looked at her with utter contempt.
It seemed to be saying: *Sister, you really aren't any good at this!*
Stung by the provocation, Yan Xiaoyi snapped to life as if injected with adrenaline, springing up with an expression of utmost seriousness. "I suspect that having you stand right there was what ruined my technique!"
The White Fox tilted its head: "??"
Determined to prove herself, she limped back into the river.
"Take that! And that! And that, that, that..."
All her furious flailing produced a total score of zero.
From noon until sunset, she worked herself to exhaustion without managing to spear even a single scale.
Turning her head, she saw that two lively, wriggling big fish had somehow appeared right in front of the White Fox.
She twitched her cheek. Needless to say, the creature was definitely showing off!
"Look, I knew you were up to something! Confiscated!"
Being human wasn't easy, after all.
One had to learn to look for reasons in others when things went wrong, rather than making things difficult for oneself over every little thing.
She built a bonfire on the spot, skewered the cleaned fish, and turned them over and over as they roasted, the mouth-watering aroma wafting out almost immediately.
Just as she was about to dig in, an ominous premonition washed over her. She whipped her head around, but saw absolutely nothing.
When she turned back, the roasted fish in her hand had vanished, and a bedraggled, filthy Old Man had somehow appeared beside her, happily devouring the fruits of her labor.
Looking at that wrinkled old face, Yan Xiaoyi instantly flew into a rage, hands slamming onto her hips. "What the hell! Why is it you again?"
The Old Man paused, looking up at her. "Have we met?"
Seeing his expression made Yan Xiaoyi even angrier. "Stop playing dumb with me! You stole my food during the last assessment, and I let that slide. Now you're at it again? Do you take me for a free meal ticket?"
The Old Man furrowed his brows deeply. "I must say, young lady, how can someone so young go around hurling baseless accusations?"
"Baseless?" Yan Xiaoyi gave a cold laugh, pointing at the half-eaten fish in his hands. "Never mind what happened before, then explain this to me!"
"Oh my~ Young people shouldn't be so petty! Me eating your food is doing you an honor! *Nom nom*..."
"I don't give a damn about your honor! Hand that fish over!" Too lazy to waste any more breath on him, Yan Xiaoyi reached out to snatch it back.
The Old Man sidestepped neatly. "It's got my saliva on it, and you still want it?"
"I'd rather throw it to the dogs than give it to you!"
"Well, you little brat, are you calling me a dog?"
"I'm calling you exactly that! You shameless old wretch!"
The two of them tugged and pulled, spinning around in circles. Unfortunately, the Old Man possessed unfathomable cultivation and played with her like she was a monkey.
Ultimately, the pain in her foot forced Yan Xiaoyi to concede defeat. "Dammit! Xiaobai, let's go! Don't catch his madness!"
The Old Man shouted from behind, "Hey, stay and play a bit longer~"
"Go play with your own toes!"
Watching that limping figure recede into the distance, the Old Man's eyes narrowed into slits. "An interesting little girl, after all!"
Then, with a *swish* like a whirlwind, he flashed past Yan Xiaoyi. "Tomorrow at the hour of Chen, come back to this spot!"
"Only an idiot would come!"
Yan Xiaoyi yelled back angrily and quickened her pace.
After walking a short distance, she was startled to discover that her foot no longer seemed to hurt! Even the wound had completely healed.
She muttered to herself: *Could it be that old bastard did this just now?*
Whatever, forget it. Even if it was him, she'd never forgive him!
For an old man to bully the young like this—he'd get what was coming to him sooner or later!
*
Returning to her quarters, Yan Xiaoyi immediately crossed her legs and began meditating to cultivate.
When she opened her eyes the next morning, her face was full of distress. "Sigh! This spirit-gathering speed is simply too slow!"
Suddenly remembering what the Old Man had said yesterday, she pondered for a moment before turning her gaze to the White Fox beside her.
She muttered to herself, "Fine, you're the one who insists on going! Don't blame me."
Catching the creature in her arms, she dashed back to the riverside.
The Old Man seemed to have been waiting for some time. Seeing her arrive, he looked displeased and said, "What took you so long?"
Naturally, Yan Xiaoyi didn't give him a pleasant expression either, rolling her eyes. "None of your business! Out with it, what do you want?"
"Before that, go make me breakfast first!" the Old Man commanded in a tone that brooked no argument.
"Fine by me!" Yan Xiaoyi agreed decisively, though the moment she turned her back, a sinister smile crept across the corners of her mouth.
Her predecessor was no angel, and among her inheritance were plenty of laxatives and rat poison.
The Old Man had gone too far; today, she would definitely make him pay the price!
She casually foraged for some of the most brightly colored mushrooms in the woods behind her, strung them up, lit a fire, and roasted them haphazardly. Taking advantage of the moment the Old Man wasn't looking, she stealthily sprinkled them with laxative before handing them over.
The Old Man took the mushrooms and gave her a meaningful look. "Aren't you going to eat?"
"Oh, I've already eaten," Yan Xiaoyi fobbed him off casually.
"Hehe, then I won't stand on ceremony." With that, the Old Man popped a mushroom into his mouth, chewing and reviewing it at the same time. "Mmm~ Not bad, not bad! Delicious!"
Yan Xiaoyi sneered inwardly: *Eat up! Eat your fill! Let's see you shit yourself to death later, you shameless old wretch!*
...Half an hour passed, and the scene she had anticipated did not occur. The Old Man remained as steady as Mount Tai, looking at her with a smile. "What are you waiting for?"
"N—nothing." Yan Xiaoyi shook her head, thinking to herself: *What's going on? Did the laxative expire?*
"Are you wondering why I ate the laxative and yet nothing happened to me at all?"
Seeing her remain silent, the Old Man said with considerable smugness, "First of all, this little bit of medicinal strength has no effect on me whatsoever. Secondly..."
The Old Man slowly opened his right hand to reveal a delicate little vial. "The stuff in your hands was swapped out for powdered sugar long ago!"
"What?" Yan Xiaoyi was greatly startled, hurriedly pulling out the matching vial from her own pocket to check—and sure enough, it was filled with powdered sugar!
"Not only that! All those miscellaneous items in your Storage Bag are right here with me!" As he spoke, the Old Man flicked his sleeve, and a massive pile of objects clattered out.
"When did you pull that trick?"
"The exact moment you opened your Storage Bag!" The Old Man clasped his hands behind his back. "Well? Do you want to learn this supreme technique?"
Yan Xiaoyi curled her lip. "Learn it for what? To be a thief?"
"Don't put it so crudely. My Shadowless Hand has all sorts of uses; it just depends on how you apply it." He paused, grinning. "Of course, if you have a special fondness for thievery, that's not out of the question either."
"I'm not as shameless as you!"
Growing impatient, the Old Man snapped, "Give me a straight answer: are you going to learn or not?"
"I'll learn!"
"Good!" The Old Man hoisted her up by the collar in a single motion.
"What are you do—"
"Off you go!" Without waiting for her to react, the Old Man exerted a sudden burst of strength.
With a *splash*, he tossed her straight into the river.