Chapter 162 – Birthday Presen (2/2)

Instead, Hua Chenglu grinned and yelled at the eaves, “How’s that, old woman? You can’t find him now, can you?”

Yu Zijian let out a sigh of relief. She shot a glance at Hua Chenglu. “How can you just hit me like that?”

The West Gate Granny glared at Hua Chenglu viciously before flying away again. She expanded her search range, but in the dark rain, the streets were as complicated as a maze. Li Qingshan was like a fish that had been released back into the water. He had swum away, vanishing completely.

Hua Chenglu rolled her eyes at Yu Zijian. “Slow-witted!” She took out a small, delicate carriage from her hundred treasures pouch and tossed it on the ground. Just like the ship earlier, the carriage rapidly expanded, but it was drawn by two wooden horses.

The wheels rolled, and the carriage took off into the rainy night.

In the carriage, Yu Zijian managed to last until midnight, but without the support of true qi, she was just mentally weaker. As such, she laid down on the soft, golden, silken pillows and fell asleep.

Hua Chengzu leaned on the window sill and thought about everything that had happened tonight. From blasting the Island of Cherishing Flowers to hosting the celebratory banquet, no one has been bold enough to call me useless! I’ve done two significant things as well! Afterwards, she smiled complacently. She seemed just like a child.

Then she thought of what Li Qingshan had said to her earlier in the restaurant.

“Can you sell me one of your humanoid puppets?”

“I don’t have a lot of things that I can offer. I only have a few spiritual stones and a few dozen talismans. Would that be enough?”

When this utterly reckless and foolish young man who would remain almost insanely stubborn before the pressure of a ninth layer Qi Practitioner said this, he was extremely stern. He even seemed like he was begging her.

He made her think of someone. He would also lower his proud head for the sake of a girl, doing all that he could to make her happy. Melancholy unbefitting of her age appeared on her face. She no longer tried to act mature anymore either. She only sighed. “Big brother Chengzan.”

At this moment, her eyes lit up. Outside the window, Li Qingshan stood in a dark alleyway in a straw rain cloak with Xiao An beside him. She was also wearing a small rain cloak. He clasped his hands at her with a smile, and Hua Chenglu straightened herself and returned the greeting. The carriage had already passed him now. All that was left before her were rain-soaked walls, but the sight still lingered in her mind.

The young man stood in the dark wind and rain, but he seemed to give off a powerful and positive light. He was like a hard piece of rock, unable to be affected by anything. He was still very weak, but he possessed a certain sense of strength that was no less than her elder brother’s or even surpassed his in certain aspects.

She was infected by him. She made up her mind. I’ll definitely help you, big brother.

Li Qingshan lowered his large, bamboo hat and held Xiao An’s hand. “Let’s go. Do you want me to carry you on my back?”

Xiao An shook her head.

Holding hands, they vanished into the pitch-black curtain of rain.

Five kilometers from Lakeside city, two rain cloaks, one large and one small, hung in front of a ruined temple.

Fire blazed in the temple, purging the moisture and darkness. Two shadows, also one large and one small, were projected onto the earthen walls.

Li Qingshan said with a mysterious smile, “Close your eyes.”

Xiao An just closed her eyes obediently.

“You can open them now. Tada! Look what this is!”

Xiao An opened her eyes and saw Li Qingshan holding a small, wooden person in his arms. It was the same humanoid puppet she had seen on the ship. Her eyes shone with surprise and joy.

Li Qingshan placed the puppet onto the ground, and it immediately expanded to the size of an adult. Under his command, it clinked and clanked as it moved around.

“This is a birthday gift for you! Yep, today is the birth of your new life. The eighth of the eighth. That’s a good number. I got this from miss Hua. Although miss Hua is a little childish, she’s not a bad person. I’ll definitely return this favour to her in the future. So what do you think about it?”

Xiao An blinked her eyes as her long eyelashes moved rapidly. Her eyes were rather moist. She opened her mouth in an attempt to say something, but she halted. She was still unable to speak.

“You still can’t speak?” Li Qingshan found this to be quite the pity. He hated the witch even more now.

Xiao An shook her head sadly.

Li Qingshan rubbed her head and encouraged her with a smile. “There’s no need to force yourself. You can go slowly. I know what you’re trying to say even when you can’t talk.”

Xiao An stood up and began fiddling around with the puppet. She controlled the puppet and made it move around, and before long, she became happy again. She forgot about all of her worries, even though she would always forget to move her face and smile.