I became a saint in the world of Liao Zhai, and flirted with monster girls

After confirming that the water temperature was appropriate, he held the steaming wooden basin in both hands and placed it steadily in front of the proprietress.

"Hey, kid, why are you washing my feet? That's not right."

The proprietress frowned, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.

Before she could finish her words, the boy had already gently pressed her feet into the basin.

"Isn't it what I should do?" The young man smiled, his hands moving gently and seriously.

He carefully rubbed every toe of the boss lady, leaving no corner untouched.

"This is the last thing I can do for my mother." The boy thought silently in his heart.

"Son, are you hiding something from me?"

The proprietress hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking. Her eyes were filled with worry, as if she had a premonition of something.

Chapter 25: Ambition? Not Yet

"Hide it from you? How could I, mother? You've seen me use sharp eyes since I was a child. How could my thoughts escape your eyes?"

The boy squatted in front of the wooden basin, and gently rubbed the calluses on the soles of his mother's feet with his fingertips.

He forced a relaxed smile, but didn't dare look up at his mother's eyes. He just folded the warm towel again and again until his mother's feet were rubbed red.

When he picked up the foot washing water, the steam from the edge of the wooden basin blurred his eyes. He quickly walked out the door and poured the water on the roots of the camphor tree in the corner of the yard.

"Son, you sleep next to me tonight."

The proprietress looked at the boy's back, her voice as soft as a feather.

The boy paused while pouring water, and water droplets from the edge of the basin dripped onto the bluestone slabs, creating tiny ripples.

When he turned around, the smile was back on his face: "Yeah, okay."

The night is like water, and the moonlight shines through the holes in the window paper, weaving silvery-white grids on the earthen kang.

The proprietress lay on her side, leaning against her umbrella and unable to fall asleep for a long time.

His eyes fell on the boy's face - his eyelashes cast fine shadows, the corners of his lips were slightly raised, and he looked exceptionally calm.

The proprietress listened to the boy's snoring from time to time, and felt an inexplicable sense of security in her heart.

At some point, the boy's snoring stopped.

The proprietress's heart suddenly tightened. She sat up tremblingly, and her fingertips touched the boy's slightly cold hand.

Under the moonlight, the boy's smile was as clear as water, as if he was dreaming of a summer without monsters many years ago: his sister was chasing butterflies, he was squatting by the lake catching fish, and his mother was shouting "It's time to eat" in front of the stove.

The proprietress's tears fell on the corner of the boy's clothes. She gently tucked the quilt in for him, stroked his back with her palm, and hummed a ballad as if coaxing a baby who refused to sleep:

"The moon is bright, the wind is clear, and the leaves are covering the window lattice!"

The proprietress's voice was soft and melodious, as if taking the boy back to his childhood.

The singing was broken in the night wind, mixed with the sobbing of the distant lake.

The moon is full of mist and the moon is bright.

She finally couldn't suppress her emotions anymore and hugged the boy in her arms. Her crying was like a bursting dam, washing away all her unspoken worries.

The camphor tree outside the yard rustled.

The next morning, low mournful music was heard by the lake.

The boy was buried quietly beside the pond.

The tomb was filled with white chrysanthemums and glutinous rice cakes, which were his favorite snacks when he was alive.

Zhou Kao held the tiger-patterned sword in his hand and watched the proprietress weeping bitterly in front of the grave, her white hair disheveled like frost in the wind.

Zhou Kao stood quietly by the lake, gazing at the calm surface of the lake.

Suddenly, a young man appeared on the surface of the water.

The boy was wearing clean clothes and had a familiar smile on his face.

He walked towards the little girl who was still holding the small bamboo pole.

The young man was wearing a blue shirt that had been washed so much that it looked bleached. His sister was holding a worn-out bamboo pole. Water was dripping from the corners of their clothes, but it could not wet their shoes.

He waved to the little girl

"Sister, stop playing in the water. It's time to go home."

The boy reached out to straighten his sister's crooked bun, his fingertips brushing over the ends of her hair that were stained with waterweed.

"Brother, I'm fighting monsters!"

The little girl raised the bamboo pole, puffed up her face, and said seriously.

The red tassels on the pole swayed gently in the morning breeze.

The boy squatted down and looked at his sister at eye level. "Okay, okay, you beat the monster! Good job! But you have to go home and sleep now. Mom and Dad are waiting for you at home. Can you go home with your brother first?"

The boy smiled and said, "Come with me."

"No, I'm going to fight the monster here. I won't go home to sleep until I kill the monster. Besides, I'm not sleepy!"

The little girl pouted her lips, and the bamboo pole made a "pa-pa" sound on the water.

Seeing this, the young man stepped forward, gently took his sister's hand, and said softly, "How about I take you to fight monsters? This time, I will lead you and won't let you go alone, okay?"

"Yeah."

The little girl clapped her hands happily with a bright smile on her face.

The boy pulled her towards the center of the lake. He pointed in the distance and said, "Look over there. There might be a monster there. Let's go there and fight it. I'm sure we can kill it."

The two men walked towards the deeper parts of the lake, stepping on the waves, and their trouser legs were gradually soaked by the lake water.

The little girl nodded, and like a happy little bird, followed the boy to the center of the lake.

"The monster seems to have gone there. Let's go look for it there again."

The two men's knees gradually sank into the lake, but they never sank.

They walked towards the rising sun, stepping on the surface of the lake, getting farther and farther away, and their figures gradually became dim.

In the end, only a young man was seen holding a little girl's hand, disappearing over the lake and never appearing again.

Only the boy's voice echoed in Zhou Kao's ears, mixed with the ripples of the lake: "Brother Zhou, thank you, thank you for helping the village."

The proprietress stared blankly at the bowl of wontons in front of the boy's grave.

Now the wontons are still in the bowl, but I can no longer wait for the person who calls out "Mom, it smells so good".

The lake breeze blew up a flock of white chrysanthemums and dropped them on the boy's tombstone.

Zhou Kao remained silent and did not answer.

He only saw a piece of water grass floating on the lake in the distance, causing slight ripples.

After today, the sounds of the two fighting monsters will never echo over this lake again.

Zhou Kao watched them leave, and only sighed slightly after they had disappeared for a long time.

A myriad of emotions turned into a single sentence, which he murmured out: "Only after witnessing tragedy can one understand the suffering of the world. While I am still alive, I hope that such tragedies will never happen again in the world."

However, before he could finish his words, suddenly, thunder rumbled in the sky, as if something immeasurable and magnificent was touched in the darkness above the nine heavens.

"My dear, you..." Yu Niang was about to say something, but in the end she didn't say it.

No matter how hard life is, there must always be someone who can withstand the storm.

On the way out, the local villagers followed behind to see us off.

"My benefactor, rest in peace."

"My benefactor, please come often when you have time."

"Thank you for getting rid of the monster in our village and avenging my son's death."

Some shouted with gratitude, some were reluctant to leave, and some knelt down and kowtowed to see them off.

Zhou Kao wanted to say a few words of farewell, but when the words came to his lips, he shook his head and didn't say them.

He just waved from a distance, signaling the villagers to go back.

After leaving Wuyu Fort, Zhou Kao followed the fleet and passed a place called "Black Water Beach".

This place was originally a shallow beach, but a while ago a powerful water monster came and turned the shallow beach into a deep pool.

Now that the sailing is peaceful, it seems that the water monster is the big blackfish killed by Zhou Kao.

Zhou Kao leaned against the bow of the merchant ship, letting the moist mountain breeze lift the hem of his blue shirt.

Mr. Qian, the caravan's owner, approached with a bulging belly, the jade abacus pendant on his waist dazzling. "Mr. Zhou, Taohua Village is just ahead. Let's stop ashore and rest. We'll be in Bishui County tomorrow."

Boss Qian is the best at dealing with people. Ever since he knew Zhou Kao's ability to slay demons, he has been taking extra care of him - not only did he tie his small boat to the stern of the fleet to save effort, he also often brought him hot soup and hot dishes.

After all, being able to establish a friendship with someone who is "capable of passing the imperial examination and slaying monsters in martial arts" will provide more security for future business ventures.

"Follow Boss Qian's arrangements."

Zhou Kao raised his hand and took a sip of the remaining wine in the gourd. A few drops of wine spilled out from his Adam's apple, sliding down his chin into his collar. "Spill... ahem... I have no objection."

"Hahaha, don't worry, Mr. Zhou. There are a lot of delicious foods in Taohua Village, all of which are top-grade. We often go there to rest."

Boss Qian smiled with his eyes narrowed.

Hearing Boss Qian say this, Zhou Kao's eyes lit up.

"~Is there any good wine?"

"The Peach Blossom Village of Wulu has plenty of delicious food and wine, especially the wine brewed with the first crop of peach blossoms during the Spring Breeze. It tastes like nectar from the gods! It's incredibly sweet."

When Zhou Kao heard this, his half-closed eyes suddenly brightened.

"That's fine, that's fine..."

"Are there any good dishes to go with the wine?" He sat up straight.

"Of course there are!" Boss Qian counted on his fat, short fingers,

"Drunken Chicken with Peach Blossoms, Sea Bass Sashimi with Flower Petals, Steamed Curd with Sugar... The sea bass sashimi is sliced ​​thinner than paper and paired with peach blossom vinegar, wow!"

Yu Niang, who was secretly paying attention to Zhou Kao's movements, felt distressed when she heard that her husband was craving for wine.

He wished he could show up right away and give Zhou Kao two jars of Dragon Palace specialty wine.

But thinking of her husband's instructions, Yu Niang held back and decided to wait until they were alone in private to satisfy her husband.

This is the weekly exam.

I heard from Boss Qian that there are fine wines and delicious food there. Isn’t that wonderful?

He simply lay down in the cabin, crossed his legs, and let the boat rock - the caravan was there to take care of him anyway, so he might as well get enough rest and have a good meal in Taohua Village!

In the distance, the outline of Taohua Village was already looming in the twilight, and a faint aroma of wine wafted over, making people salivate.

Let’s take a nap first.

The tiger-patterned sword in his arms suddenly became warm, like a small flame dancing in his arm.

An inexplicable force was transmitted from the knife to Zhou Kao.

Zhou Kao was dozing off with his pillow on the bundle. In his hazy state, he felt his hearing was infinitely stretched in some dimension. The sound of the night wind brushing against the side of the boat turned into the delicate panting of a woman: "Oh, my dear, come and play."

He suddenly opened his eyes, only to see a strange overlap between his dream and reality:

The withered corpse in the grave circle on the shore was twisting its body to flirt with the passing scholar, rotting flesh falling from between its finger bones, but it still managed a seductive smile with the corners of its mouth oozing with black blood.

The unfortunate fellow walked towards the grave with a dull look in his eyes.

The man then

But it made the innocent weekly test disgusting.

Who knew I could imagine that scene just by listening to the weekly audio test?

I just dozed off for a moment and had a strange dream.

"Ugh—" Zhou Kao's stomach churned and cold sweat soaked the back of his neck.

That ugly-looking mummy must also be a monster, and it must be around here.

Thinking of this, Zhou Kao went out of the cabin to find the owner of the fleet to inquire about the matter.