Liu Ji followed behind Li Fan sullenly, her gaze at him tinged with a bit of resentment.
Up ahead, the clang of metal sounds could be heard coming from a blacksmith's shop, its courtyard gate wide open, with sparks flying inside. The blacksmith, shirtless like the others, was one from the village.
"Uncle Yang," Li Fan called out.
"Xiao Fan, how come you've been gone for a few days and brought back a woman? Aren't you afraid your senior sister will beat you up?" The blacksmith said, looking at Liu Ji.
"My senior sister knows." Li Fan replied.
"As long as she knows. Go see her quickly." The blacksmith continued hammering.
Li Fan kept moving forward, and this time, Liu Ji didn't retort, having learned her lesson.
Ahead, there was a giant ancient tree, lush and full of leaves, its trunk so thick it would take ten people to encircle it, with a huge hole opening into a room in the tree trunk.
Outside the room, two people were cooling off under the tree.
