Heir to the martial arts world, starting with not crying at the Grim Reaper

"Miss Hua probably doesn't come here often. This place isn't far from Wuyang City, and this young man seems to be new to the martial world, so he must be from there too. There's a river in Wuyang City called 'Floating Fragrance River,' which is also known as 'Stinky Feet River,' both because..."

Faced with Hua Yao's questions, the peddler recounted the athlete's foot poisoning incident from "Fu Xiang He".

Hua Yao said with a frustrated expression, "This river is so annoying! It's ruined my reputation and the reputation of my sect. I'll go smash it up another day!"

Gu Jiuzhen had heard of people smashing pots and pans and breaking into places, but this was the first time she had heard of someone going to smash a river.

He was still pondering this when he noticed the woman staring intently at him again.

If you're going to smash the river, why are you looking at me?

"My feet don't smell," Hua Yao said earnestly.

"I understand," Gu Jiu quickly replied.

"It doesn't smell bad at all, it actually smells good. You can smell it if you don't believe me."

As she spoke, she lifted her foot and stretched it towards Gu Jiu.

Gu Jiu quickly took two steps back.

"You still think my feet smell bad, you have to smell them!"

As she spoke, she moved closer again.

Holy crap, what's wrong with this woman?

Having encountered that shady female knight in Shili Town, and now facing so many strange and unusual people tonight, Gu Jiu knew the dangers of the martial world. Fearing that this woman might attack him with her foot, he quickly got into a fighting stance, ready to unleash his "Cloak Under the Moon" technique to kill her at any moment.

Hua Yao's feet were suspended in the air when she suddenly revealed a strange expression and said, "You actually want to make a move here?"

She quickly realized what she meant and chuckled to herself, "Truly a newbie just starting out in the world."

"Babies are the most fun."

From inside the box came the peddler's cold, mocking laughter.

Gu Jiu also realized that the couple with the Flying Swallow Twin Swords had seemed so powerful, yet they hadn't dared to make a move here, probably out of respect for the peddler.

Does this box have that much prestige?

By this time, the pot had boiled thoroughly.

The woman stopped insisting that her feet smelled good and went off to eat hot pot.

The small iron pot contained a rich variety of dishes, mainly beef coated in chili oil. Just watching it being fed into the woman's mouth was incredibly satisfying.

Gu Jiu had already eaten before setting off, and quite a lot at that, but she was still hungry now.

The main reason is that he's been practicing martial arts lately, which makes him more prone to hunger.

The woman looked up and said, "You eat too."

"This hot pot tastes better when eaten alone than when eaten with someone else."

By this time, her mouth was swollen and numbed by the spiciness, resembling a small sausage.

"Thank you very much, young lady."

Gu Jiu didn't stand on ceremony, took out the chopsticks she carried with her, and picked up a piece of beef.

When the beef was put in her mouth and the fat burst in her mouth, Gu Jiu felt like she was in heaven.

In his past life, he always thought that the way food glowed in "Cooking Master Boy" was too exaggerated, but now he just felt that he wanted to become light along with this beef.

It's been so long since I've had anything good to eat!

The two devoured the entire iron pot of hot pot in no time.

Finally, Hua Yao drank two large spoonfuls of oil before finishing her late-night snack.

Gu Jiu felt her mouth was extremely numb, and she could hardly feel its existence, but she also felt a strong sense of pleasure.

That was so much fun!

When will I be able to eat a meal that tastes just as good again?

What if I can't get any?

Anyway, a pot costs forty-eight taels of silver, which he can't afford right now.

At this moment, Hua Yao, with her mouth numb and swollen, said, "Little brother, you've eaten my spicy hot pot. Now tell me, are my feet fragrant or smelly?"

"Sister?" Gu Jiu asked, puzzled.

Hua Yao's expression changed immediately, and she said, "I can't be an aunt, can I? I'm only seventeen."

Gu Jiu blinked, her eyes clear, and asked, "Seventeen?"

Hua Yao grew angrier as she spoke, saying, "Just because I've been beautiful since I was little doesn't mean I can't be seventeen, does it?"

The fact that the other party said seventeen was indeed a bit unexpected for Gu Jiu, because Hua Yao's legs and face were too mature, so she looked older than her age, just like the female classmates in her previous life who were very well-developed in junior high school and looked older than the male classmates of the same age.

Gu Jiu nodded and said, "You're seventeen."

Hua Yao waved her hand and said nonchalantly, "It doesn't matter if you say one thing and mean another. A newbie like you in the martial world is not worth mentioning."

"They don't even call him 'Young Hero' anymore," Gu Jiu couldn't help but mutter to himself.

At that moment, the box also moved closer.

It trembled, like someone warming themselves by a fire.

Even after all this time, Gu Jiu still felt that the peddler was very strange.

The peddler spoke first: "Kid, now you know I wasn't lying to you, right?"

Gu Jiu nodded.

"You're lucky to have bumped into me tonight. Since we're destined to meet, how about buying something? I'm not bragging, but I have all sorts of good stuff from all over the country. I'll take one of everything from martial arts holy sites and celestial palaces. Even the ones they have will have to acknowledge the ones I have as their ancestors."

The peddler started showing off again.

After such a strange night, Gu Jiu had begun to believe it to some extent.

The fact that so many different kinds of transactions could be completed in one night, totaling more than a hundred taels of gold, was indeed beyond his understanding of peddlers.

This box could easily be called Du Shiniang's treasure chest.

So he asked, "Do you sell the 'Cloud-Dispelling Palm' technique?"

"Cloud-Dispelling Palm? For God's sake, what do you take this place for?!"

With a loud bang, the peddler's box, which had been slightly open, slammed shut, and the peddler's continued cursing could be heard from inside.

"You son of a bitch! I'll fuck your mother!"

"Fuck you, you little devil!"

"What a load of rubbish!"

No wonder you fell down!

He cursed and angrily shook the box as he left.

It must be said that when he was angry, the flames of the campfire danced wildly, even turning faintly green, casting a gloomy and terrifying light all around.

The terrifying phenomenon only completely dissipated when the box and lantern disappeared into the night.

Gu Jiu, still shaken, complained, "Why does this salesperson have to swear at people for no reason?"

At this moment, Hua Yao, who had been keeping a serious expression, finally couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha... This is the first time I've ever seen someone make a peddler so angry."

"As expected, it has to be a newbie like you."

Newcomers to the martial world die quickly, but it is precisely their innocence and naivety that makes them so laughable.

The "Dispelling Clouds Palm" manual is widely recognized as a fake. If you were to ask about it in a large study, you would likely be scolded, let alone ask a peddler.

The peddler left, leaving only Gu Jiu and Hua Yao by the campfire.

"You're so lucky to have met a peddler so soon after you started your journey," Hua Yao exclaimed.

Gu Jiu had to admit that everything that happened tonight was indeed bizarre.

It was quite different from the martial arts world he had imagined, and seemed somewhat absurd.

He couldn't help but ask, "Are peddlers very skilled?"

"Of course it's impressive. Only a newbie like you would ask such a question."

"What kind of person is he that he's been hiding in the box all this time?" Gu Jiu asked.

He was genuinely curious.

"No one has ever seen what the peddler really looks like, or rather, everyone who has seen him is dead."

"The peddler is one of the most mysterious figures in the world."

Hua Yao recounted.

"That powerful?"

Gu Jiu raised an eyebrow.

"The peddler likes to make money peacefully, and if anyone disturbs his peaceful business dealings, his boxes will devour them."

"In the past, some demons and grandmasters didn't believe in evil, but they were all eaten. Not many people can escape the opening of the peddler's treasure chest. I only know of one person."

That person was thus called "The Soul of the Box," and later became the third most powerful demonic sword in the world.

"Only a fledgling like you would dare to talk to him like that."

Gu Jiu recalled the reaction of the couple who used swords and felt that what they said was probably true.

For a while, Hua Yao sat by the fire, chatting away.

"It's because of the peddler that you survived tonight."

"Um?"

Gu Jiu frowned, somewhat puzzled.

Hua Yao stretched out her long legs and explained, "That short woman carrying the box is called 'Bowl Mountain Child Granny.' She falls in love with a new senior brother every year. If you dared to look at her like that, you would have been dead eight hundred times over. As for that hypocritical couple, if anyone outside heard that they bought that kind of secret manual, they wouldn't be spared..."

For a moment, Gu Jiu felt that these people in the underworld were really sick, falling in love at the drop of a hat and killing people at the drop of a hat.

The woman in front of me just wanted to prove that her feet didn't smell, which was already quite good.

Yes, I even treated him to hot pot.

"However, if you hadn't met the peddler, you probably wouldn't have met us either."

At this moment, Hua Yao stood up and said, "Alright, I'm leaving now."

Gu Jiu, mimicking the mannerisms in martial arts dramas, stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Miss Hua, may we meet again someday."

Hua Yao shook her head and sighed, "We probably won't see each other again."

Gu Jiu: "???"

"It's your luck that you're able to see me today and talk to me for so long. Although you're good-looking, the difference between you and me is too great. I wouldn't even give a second glance to a greenhorn like you on the street, let alone see you again."

"Pheasant and phoenix, you know?"

"You've been through so much with me today, enough for you to cherish for a lifetime. But don't get carried away with wishful thinking; it's no use."

As Hua Yao spoke, she strode away with her long legs.

In Gu Jiu's eyes, her entire demeanor had changed, becoming aloof and noble, completely different from before.

Just like some female teachers, you wouldn't recognize them once they put on clothes.

In Hua Yao's eyes, there are countless fledglings like Gu Jiu in the martial arts world every year, but how many of them can actually make it big in the end?

The vast majority of them either live a tragic or mediocre life, or one day they are kicked to death like a stray dog ​​on the street. After all, the number of people who are accidentally killed by the true energy of masters every year could probably circle a large city dozens of times.

After tonight, how can he be worthy of knowing himself?

This once lively wilderness was left with only Gu Jiu guarding the campfire after Hua Yao left, making it seem rather lonely and desolate.

Gu Jiu rubbed his hair and couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, what kind of 'lower-class woman' is she? I would have said she was the most normal one."

"What do you mean the gap is too big? You're a pheasant and a phoenix! Once I've mastered my divine skills and become famous throughout the world, let's see if you, a mere woman, dare to speak to me like that!"

So, Gu Jiu had another reason to practice martial arts: he wanted to make sure that no one would dare to talk to him like that in the future!

To say something like that!

With a loud bang, Gu Jiu's confidence was not dampened; instead, he was filled with fighting spirit, kicked out the campfire, and turned to leave...