Chapter 149: Zhen Xiaoxiao

Chapter 149: Zhen Xiaoxiao

Su Mo subconsciously glanced at Yang Xiaoyun, and Yang Xiaoyun glanced back at him.

After a moment of awkward silence, they both shifted their gazes to the chubby girl...

The chubby girl smiled even more brightly.

Su Mo had no choice but to say, "Did you get on the wrong boat?"

The plump girl quickly shook her head:

"I'm following you."

Her voice was soft and filled with the gentleness of a young girl.

Su Mo couldn't bring himself to speak harshly to her and instead looked towards the chief of Xuanlong Water Village, standing before the Jiaolong Association water stronghold:

"Uh... your leader is over there."

"He doesn't give me food. You give me food, so I'm following you."

The chubby girl was completely serious.

The chief of Xuanlong Water Village was instantly embarrassed:

"I... nonsense, when did I not give you food?"

The chubby girl looked back at him and then went: "Ptooey!"

The chief of Xuanlong Water Village: "..."

The girl then ignored him completely and looked eagerly at Su Mo:

"I'm very useful... I have great strength and I'm very obedient. If you tell me to fight, I'll fight.

"As long as you give me food, anything goes!"

"This..."

Su Mo was momentarily conflicted.

To be honest, the chubby girl's immense strength did appeal to him.

In a crowd, barging through, although her lightness skills were lacking, with this kind of ability, if she could join the escort agency, she would indeed be a great asset.

However, the problem was that the girl's background was unclear. If he rashly took her under his wing, what if she had ulterior motives?

Although her innocent expression was written all over her round face... people's hearts are unknowable.

Su Mo stroked his chin, feeling quite conflicted.

His eyes shifted again to the chief of Xuanlong Water Village.

This chief was straightforward: "If Head Su of the escort agency can't take her, then please give her food. This girl does have great strength, and she's excellent at carrying things and moving sacks."

"Girl?"

Zhuge Changtian widened his eyes: "Where?"

"Shut up," the chief of Xuanlong Water Village glared at Zhuge Changtian.

"How about we keep her on a trial basis?" Yang Xiaoyun was also conflicted: "She did block a deadly strike from the Green Leaf Leader for you in that state."

"Alright then," Su Mo nodded and said to the girl: "But if you're going to follow us, you have to be obedient in everything."

"Yes, yes," the chubby girl nodded immediately: "I guarantee I'll be obedient. If you tell me to fight, I'll fight, and if you tell me to take a hit, I'll take a hit. As long as there's food, anything goes."

"...I won't make you take hits," Su Mo waved his hand: "Alright, follow us for now..."

Although it felt a bit hasty, Su Mo had to acknowledge that the girl had risked her life to block a deadly strike for him earlier. He had to appreciate her intentions.

For now, he would take her in and observe her actions moving forward.

As they bid farewell with clasped fists to the various leaders present, the large boat gradually set sail towards Three Rivers Bay.

Chu Qiuyu and a few others were utterly exhausted.

They had been imprisoned, narrowly escaped harm, and then endured a chaotic battle... and were even poisoned...

After all the turmoil, they couldn't hold on any longer and went inside the cabin to rest.

Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun were doing okay, especially Su Mo, whose deep internal energy made him feel no issue.

Yang Xiaoyun was a bit tired but didn't go inside the cabin to rest. Instead, she sat on the deck.

She rested her head on Su Mo's shoulder, her eyes looking at the chubby girl sitting at the bow of the ship, holding a one-legged bronze figure.

No matter how she looked at it, it was amusing.

"Tell me, what's this girl's background?"

Yang Xiaoyun glanced at Su Mo.

"You dare to keep her without knowing her background?"

Su Mo smiled faintly.

"...With you around, even if she has ulterior motives, she won't be able to cause much trouble."

"I don't know where your confidence comes from, but if you want to know her background... why not just ask her?"

"That girl."

Su Mo suddenly called out.

But the girl seemed to ignore him, as if she hadn't heard at all.

Su Mo was taken aback, hesitated for a moment, and then tentatively said, "That fatty?"

The girl immediately turned her head sharply, her small eyes full of curiosity.

Su Mo gestured to her with his hand.

Without a second thought, the big fatty stood up and ran over.

The whole ship rocked back and forth from her running.

The pirates of the Jiaolong Association were startled, thinking it was a storm, and quickly shouted orders to prepare for any potential danger.

But just as they got ready, everything calmed down again.

For a moment, they looked at each other in confusion, unsure what had happened.

The girl, however, was already standing in front of Su Mo, obediently:

"Boss, you called me?"

"...I'm not the boss, you should call me Chief Escort."

"Got it, Boss!"

The girl nodded vigorously, her face full of determination.

"..."

Su Mo felt she probably didn't really understand, but he didn't want to argue. He simply asked:

"Let me ask you, what's your name?"

The big fatty thought for a moment and said, "Boss, which name do you want to know?"

"…Do you have more than one name?"

The big fatty counted on her fingers and held up two stubby fingers:

"Two!"

"…What are they?"

"My nickname is Dali! My real name is Zhen Xiaoxiao!!"

The big fatty's voice thundered.

Su Mo: "..."

Yang Xiaoyun: "..."

Following your logic, shouldn't your nickname be Dali and your real name be Zhen Dali?

Xiaoxiao is bad enough!?

Xiaoxiao is already enough to make fun of, why add a 'Zhen'?

Of course, it was better to keep these thoughts to himself. It wouldn't be appropriate to say them to the girl directly.

He pointed to the deck and said, "Sit down and talk."

"Okay."

Zhen Xiaoxiao plopped down on the deck, causing the ship to rock again, drawing curious glances from the pirates of the Jiaolong Association.

"Xiaoxiao..."

Su Mo felt a bit guilty starting the conversation like this: "Where did you learn your martial arts?"

"From my master."

Zhen Xiaoxiao answered immediately.

"Who is your master?"

Su Mo asked right away.

"My master is my master!"

Zhen Xiaoxiao's small eyes showed a hint of confusion: "Who else could my master be?"

The tiny confusion in her gaze seemed to wonder why Su Mo didn't know such a simple fact.

For a moment, Su Mo was at a loss for words.

After a moment's thought, he asked, "Do you know what your master looks like?"

"Hmm... He's thin and short, with very little beard. He says I pulled it all out when I was a child, but I don't believe him.

"His hair is very white, and he's quite bald. He also blames me for that.

"But even though he's bad and always accuses me, he makes sure I have enough to eat.

"He also taught me skills, like numerology... but I couldn't learn them.

"Then he taught me the Tadpole Technique."

"The Tadpole Technique?"

Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun exchanged a glance. "What is the Tadpole Technique?"

"It's the martial art I practice," Zhen Xiaoxiao said. "Master said that if I learn this technique, tadpoles will grow inside my body. These tadpoles get strong after eating, and then I become strong too. If I don't eat, the tadpoles lose their strength, and so do I.

"When I practice, the tadpoles move around inside my body. Master said that's the tadpoles exercising.

"They need to walk through the meridians to make me strong and healthy.

"The stronger they are, the more powerful I become!"

She became excited as she spoke, raising the one-legged bronze figure in her hand and swinging it in the air, creating a whistling sound.

"I see."

Su Mo nodded and asked, "Where is your master now?"

"..."

Zhen Xiaoxiao suddenly fell silent, her chubby face drooping slightly, large tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Master died..."

She spoke softly, "One winter, he was touched by a Winter Monkey on his chest, and they both perished together."

"???"

Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun were taken aback.

While some wild histories and miscellaneous books mention strange creatures, most of them are fabricated.

They had never heard of a Winter Monkey.

"What is it?"

Su Mo demonstrated his good quality of asking questions when he didn't understand.

"A Winter Monkey is a monster that appears in winter," Zhen Xiaoxiao said seriously. "Every winter, it suddenly shows up and touches people on their chests. If you're touched, you'll be frozen for ten to fifteen days, unable to get out of bed, with a face as blue as if you're about to freeze to death.

"Later, Master really did freeze to death."

"Have you ever seen this Winter Monkey?"

Su Mo asked thoughtfully.

"…I haven't."

Zhen Xiaoxiao shook her head. "But Master would encounter it every winter, and each time it would touch him on the chest.

"And it always appeared on the coldest days of winter."

She sniffed and looked around, as if the Winter Monkey might appear at any moment.

But soon she sighed in relief and smiled. "But now it's fine. Master said he and the Winter Monkey perished together. The Winter Monkey can't harm anyone anymore... Master was actually a great hero."

Hearing this, Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun understood.

There was no such thing as a Winter Monkey.

It was just a story her master made up for her.

He must have been injured by an enemy using cold internal energy, which affected his heart. This injury would flare up every winter, causing him to be bedridden for ten to fifteen days each time.

In the end, he couldn't withstand it and died from the injury.

He didn't want Zhen Xiaoxiao to know the truth, so he told her this story.

This girl was simple and naive, believing even such a far-fetched tale.

Su Mo looked at her with a complex expression.

When her master was alive, she probably didn't need to rely on her strength to make a living.

Yang Xiaoyun whispered, "Yes, your master was a great hero."

"Right, right!"

Zhen Xiaoxiao nodded immediately. "However, my master has some less heroic traits. He tends to nag a lot...

"Even when he was about to pass away after his battle with Winter Monkey, he still had to tell me many things...

"Like how you must wear more clothes in winter.

"If it rains, you need to find shelter under a roof.

"When the weather is good, you should air out your quilts.

"People can call me fat, but if they call me a fat idiot, I have to fight them...

"He said so much...

"He said I was too stupid, but fortunately, I have great strength and can do hard labor.

"But what he said wasn't entirely right. There were times when I did hard labor, but they still didn't give me food.

"Pah... they are all bad people.

"It's the leader who is good. He said that after dealing with those people, we could eat, and sure enough, there was food."

As she said this, she looked at Su Mo and gave a big smile.

Her eyes, though a bit small against her chubby face, were pure and bright like gemstones.

...

...

During casual conversations, Three Rivers Bay came into view.

By now, the east was nearly dawn, yet there were still people at the dock.

For them, if the Jiaolong Association couldn't open the river, it would be a disaster.

But last night, first, someone rode the waves along the river. Afterward, a boat of monks also headed towards the Jiaolong Association.

The identity of the person who rode the waves wasn't clear, but the origin of the monks was known to them.

They had heard plenty about the Red Cloud Evil Monk along the river.

Initially, they treated it as a joke, but now they desperately hoped that Zhuge Changtian would be thoroughly shaved bald by the Red Cloud Evil Monk, wishing they could see his scalp peeled off.

Thus, they were all waiting there for confirmation.

But when they looked up, they saw the Jiaolong Association's boat arrive at Three Rivers Bay.

For a moment, everyone was astonished.

It was then that someone unlucky shouted:

"The Jiaolong Association is ashore to rob us!!!"

This caused a huge commotion, and in no time, people at the dock started to panic and move.

Unfortunately, it was the dead of winter, and the cold along the river was biting. After freezing all night, many were a bit stiff and couldn't move properly. Before they could run, several fell to the ground with a thud.

In their anxiety, they cried out in frustration.

But then a voice from the boat rang out:

"Do not panic, we are not here to rob!"

The speaker was a minor leader of the Jiaolong Association with decent internal skills. His voice carried and indeed quieted the chaos.

The crowd turned back to see him standing at the bow of the boat, declaring loudly:

"Everyone, please be patient. We are here first to deliver someone.

"Secondly, on the orders of our leader, regarding the recent incidents of the Jiaolong Association blocking the river, we need to give you an explanation.

"There was internal turmoil within the Jiaolong Association, and the invasion of the Magic Sect caused some disorder.

"Our leader has been trapped during this time.

"If not for..."

He paused and looked back, expecting to see Su Mo, Yang Xiaoyun, and the others. However, Su Mo, Yang Xiaoyun, and the big fat girl were nowhere to be seen.

After a brief moment of pondering, he continued, "If not for a high-level individual rescuing us, the Magic Sect might have succeeded.

"Now that the internal disorder has been resolved, our leader deeply regrets the situation. Therefore, it has been decided to open the waters under the jurisdiction of the Jiaolong Association for a month.

"All ships may pass freely without charge!"

After these words, there was a long silence.

After a while, someone asked, "Is this true?"

"Are you not deceiving us again?"

"Yeah, you tricked the Yunyang Merchant Company, and they ended up dead..."

"How can you prove what you're saying is true?"

Once the first person spoke, a second quickly followed, and soon there was a buzz of discussion.

The water pirate from the Jiaolong Association standing at the bow of the ship narrowed his eyes.

He first let out an "Huh?" and then sneered, saying:

"Believe it or not, leave if you want!

"Those who just spoke, watch your heads."

After finishing, he waved his hand: "Turn back!"

The large ship immediately turned around, leaving the merchants on the scene dumbfounded.

Only now did they realize that the one who had spoken to them was not someone who would reason with them...

It was already generous for the river bandits to give them a warning, let alone provide proof?

Did they really think these bandits were doing their business for free?

Especially those who had spoken up just now, they felt uneasy, as if their heads were no longer safe.

By the dock, beside the riverbank.

Su Mo casually placed Zhen Xiaoxiao's massive form on the ground, while his other hand held Yang Xiaoyun.

Looking at the distant crowd, restless and anxious, he couldn't help but shake his head.

"Is this what you call hoisting oneself by one's own petard?"

Yang Xiaoyun laughed bitterly, "It's already quite rare for Zhuge Changtian to explain things to them..."

On the opposite side, Chu Qiuyu and her companions also sighed:

"Human nature is inherently hard to satisfy. It's just that they forgot who they were dealing with.

"When do you three plan to leave Three Rivers Bay?"

"Whenever there's a ship brave enough to sail."

Su Mo smiled and said, "What about you, Miss Chu and the others?"

"The same."

Though their relationship wasn't deep, Su Mo had saved Chu Qiuyu and her fellow disciples several times, so their bond was naturally different.

Chu Qiuyu then proposed traveling together along this stretch of the river, and Su Mo readily agreed.

In fact, these merchants were far braver than imagined, or perhaps they were forced into it. After all, staying in Three Rivers Bay any longer would likely lead to the destruction of their families.

So, the first merchant ship brave enough to leave Three Rivers Bay appeared soon after.

This ship sailed for half a day, and the news quickly returned to Three Rivers Bay: the waters controlled by the Jiaolong Association were indeed clear.

Moreover, from a distance, it seemed as if the Jiaolong Association had even suffered a fire.

This made the words of the small leader earlier more credible.

Ships began to leave Three Rivers Bay one after another. Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun, along with Zhen Xiaoxiao and the female heroes of the Cold Moon Palace, found a merchant ship to board.

With the wind at their backs, they soon left Three Rivers Bay, officially entering the river and heading toward East City.

On the deck, Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun leaned against the railing, enjoying the riverside scenery.

Chu Qiuyu then approached them.

"Miss Chu."

Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun clasped their fists in greeting.

"Head of Security Su, Head of Security Yang."

Chu Qiuyu returned the gesture, sighing before speaking:

"The reason we left hastily that night was truly... well, it's a long story, and I didn't want to burden Head of Security Su with it. However, after being saved several times, it feels like a thorn in my throat not to speak.

"It's not that we sisters are ungrateful and forget our savior, but rather, there has been... an issue between the Cold Moon Palace and the Purple Sun Sect."