CHAPTER 788: CHAPTER 787: ENTERED A VILLAGE

Yan Er felt somewhat bored and listless, still pondering over the great bird that Wufu spoke of, capable of carrying people through the skies. The more he thought about it, the more impossible it seemed.

But if it really were impossible, where could she have heard about it?

Glancing at Wufu, Yan Er saw the young girl looking at something, her eyes curved into crescent moons, making her seem completely enigmatic.

It’s said that this girl’s background isn’t very respectable, and now she’s just reached the age of marriage. Where could she have gotten such knowledge?

"Let’s go into the village!" Wufu suddenly stood up, full of excitement.

"Ah? Into the village?" Yan Er was somewhat puzzled by her sudden whimsy.

Wufu nodded, "Let’s walk around the village." Saying this, she had Jadeite pay for the tea and then started to lead the horse slowly toward the village.

Yan Er had no choice but to follow.

Passing through vast farmlands and a large bamboo forest, a village came into view.

The village was built against a mountain, and behind it lay dense forests. The houses were scattered among the fields, some even built as wooden huts against the mountainside.

Peasants in the fields halted their work to look up at the sight of Wufu and her companions, resting their hands on the handles of their hoes, silently observing.

Children ran over with giggles, followed by dogs sprinting behind them with tongues lolling, and upon seeing Wufu and the others, they stayed back, merely biting their fingers curiously as they watched.

"Yan Er, is this pastoral scenery enough for you to paint?" Wufu had seen Yan Er’s paintings, which were incredibly lifelike. He made a habit of sketching and mapping out the places he visited.

Yan Er snorted through his nose, "What is there to paint here? I’ve painted bucolic scenes to death!"

Wufu rolled her eyes at him, as if to say, Look at Mr. Talented, why don’t you just ascend to heaven then!

As they walked further in, someone carrying a load on a pole passed by, glancing warily at Wufu and her party before moving on.

Wufu’s step faltered slightly, she turned her head to look, thought for a moment, but then said nothing.

At that moment in the village, as it neared noon, some households already had cooking smoke rising.

"Who are you folks? Who are you looking for?" Someone called out to stop Wufu and her companions.

Wufu looked over to see an elderly man with slightly white hair, drawing puffs from a shiny, well-oiled tobacco pipe, sizing them up.

"Uncle, we are just traveling around, passing by your village. We were attracted by the pastoral beauty and, out of curiosity, decided to come in," Wufu said with a light smile.

The old man, seeing their fine silks and satins, remarked, "All you young masters and misses are after some sort of elegance and poetry. What scenic beauty could this broken village have? The mountains above the City God Temple are better!"

Wufu laughed, "After one has had enough of delicacies from both land and sea, sometimes even salted fish and greens can have their own unique flavor."

"City folk sure have a way with words," the elder said. "Go on your way, but don’t venture into the mountains. With all things in nature reviving, be wary of wild beasts."

"Alright, got it!"

The elder turned and walked back into his house.

Wufu’s smile faded slightly as she continued forward, passing by households where people were chopping wood in their yards, all casting curious glances.

"Jadeite, go ahead to that aunt’s house and ask if they might make us a meal. We’ll have our noon meal here, a country-style lunch today," Wufu instructed.

Jadeite paused, this not being part of their original plan.

"Miss?"

"Go ahead. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, as long as it’s got some local flavor," Wufu said with a smile.

Only then did Jadeite go and speak to a woman washing clothes at the entrance. The woman nodded excitedly and looked towards Wufu and her group.