The boy, who was continuing to walk forward, felt something wet on his shoulder.

Qin Jing turned around and saw the girl who was snoring softly and drooling.

"Hey! Wake up! You're drooling!"

Just then, the grass in front of her shook violently, making a rustling sound, and Qin Jing stopped in her tracks.

A large wild boar, its entire body emanating a black, demonic aura, emerged from the bushes and blocked their path.

Qin Jing felt a deep sense of foreboding upon seeing the black aura; it resembled hatred or hysterical rage. No matter how she looked at it, it was not someone she could communicate with. This wild boar was different from the monsters on the mountain; its gaze towards her was devoid of reason, like a mindless monster somewhere between a demon and a ferocious beast.

Qin Jing stared at the wild boar, not daring to make a move. Although he wanted to run away, he couldn't move with Xing Nai on his back. No, even alone, he couldn't escape the attack of such a ferocious beast.

The wild boar, its bloodshot eyes blazing and its sharp tusks bared, charged straight at Qin Jing.

"Using minimal force to deflect a great weight, turning around to parry and block!"

Just then, a fat man in black and white training clothes suddenly flashed by, and the wild boar was sent flying into the dense forest.

Qin Jing blinked. Did he just see a panda?

Having been rescued, Qin Jing dared not linger.

"Thank you for saving me! Goodbye, unknown being." After saying that, Qin Jing carried Xing Nai and quickly walked outside.

In the dense forest was a panda dressed in Chinese martial arts uniform. Its fluffy fist pressed against the neck of the unconscious wild boar, causing the black aura on the boar's body to dissipate and it to fall into a deep sleep.

After settling the wild boar on the ground, the panda muttered, "I originally just came to see the newborn cubs here, just for a casual trip, but I never expected to see this child here. And that evil aura... it's the work of a high-ranking demon."

"But let's leave these troublesome things to those guys in Penglai. As a peace ambassador, the panda can just lie there comfortably and be cute. Haa..." The panda yawned, lay down in the bamboo forest, and prepared to take another nap.

Qin Jing carried Xing Nai out of the dense forest, returned to the path, and headed towards the inn.

Section 56. Reading when there's nothing else to do.

In the deep bamboo forest, the long, thick leaves swayed in the wind, and the slender bamboo at the very top swayed. The light outside the path could now be seen, and the atmosphere was no longer gloomy. The tension in the boy's heart eased, while the girl remained fast asleep on his back.

Exhausted and covered in sweat, Qin Jing finally returned to the quaint inn surrounded by bamboo groves.

The children playing at the door spotted them and ran up to them.

"Ah, Xiaojing, you're finally back! Your teacher was about to come looking for you."

"What's wrong with Hoshina?"

"You've sprained your ankle, go and call the teacher quickly," Qin Jing said.

"Okay, I'll go now." The child ran into the hotel.

"Hey, wake up, or you'll be exposed to the whole class for your embarrassing moment." Qin Jing shivered as Xing Nai woke her up from behind.

"Ah...we've arrived already!" Hoshina exclaimed in shock as she looked at the surrounding scenery after waking up.

"Yes, we've arrived. You slept so well, you can get down now."

“I wasn’t asleep!” Sena retorted.

"Wipe your drool before you say that," Qin Jing complained.

"I really only closed my eyes for a second... It just tasted really good, and it was warm, so I didn't say anything like that." Hoshina blushed and quickly wiped her drool, explaining in a low voice.

"Huh? What did you say? You spoke too softly, I didn't hear you," Qin Jing asked.

"It's nothing! You can carry me on your back! I'm the future Hoshina-sama who will step on Rin to win the highest honor, the Huameng International Film Award! You should be grateful and smug." Hoshina hopped down on one foot and pointed at Qin Jing.

"Where did you get that excessive competitive spirit?" Qin Jing asked.

At this moment, the people who were discussing whether they should go find their teachers came running over.

The school nurse brought over a small chair and had Hoshina sit on it before starting to examine her injuries.

"Fortunately, the foot injury isn't serious." After checking it over, the school nurse borrowed a first-aid kit from the hotel and applied the medicine.

"Should we ask your family to come and borrow you to go back?" the homeroom teacher asked.

"No need, I want to go back with everyone," Hoshina said.

"This kind of injury will heal in a day or two, so you don't have to go back, but you have to stay here and rest today," the school nurse instructed.

“Yes…” Hoshina replied dejectedly.

After lunch, the children were taken by their teachers to the scenic spots on the mountain.

Hoshina, who had sprained her ankle, could only stay in her room and watch TV, while Qin Jing stayed to the side and quietly read a book.

"Why don't you go out and play too?" Hoshina said awkwardly.

"No, even if I go there, it won't make much difference to stay here. I just need a place to sit and read a book," Qin Jing said calmly.

"Is...is that so?" Hoshina turned back to look at the TV, but didn't pay any attention to it, glancing back at Qin Jing who was reading a book every now and then.

"what happened?"

"No, nothing... You really like reading, why?" Hoshina said, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers.

"Yes, because it's interesting, especially when you see feelings and situations similar to your own. Sometimes the author helps you express the repression in your heart, the emotions you don't know how to express, your dreams and aspirations. Sometimes it also helps you understand some very important truths."

"Hey... let me have a copy too," Hoshina said.

“Sure, yes, I just happened to bring a book by Hans Christian Andersen.” Qin Jing pulled out a copy of “The Moon Saw It” from her backpack and handed it over. It was a collection of fairy tales written from the perspective of the moon, in the style of Hans Christian Andersen, about thirty-three nights that took place.

Hoshina's foot swelling subsided by the afternoon, and she could walk slowly without any problems. However, her eyes were swollen.

"You showed me this book on purpose, didn't you!" Hoshina said, wiping her eyes.

"No, I didn't expect you to cry either," Qin Jing said.

“Because Mr. Clown is so pitiful, nobody understands him. Even if he cries at the grave of the person he loves, people will still think he’s ridiculous.” As Hoshina spoke, tears welled up in her eyes.

"Oh dear, don't cry. If it will make you sad, then don't watch it."

"I want to read!" Hoshina said stubbornly. Although she was very sad, she still wanted to read on. She was completely captivated by the book's charm.

"You've completely fallen in love with books," Qin Jing said with a smile. This was the first time he had successfully preached to someone.

"Damn it, I'm not going to be an actress anymore! I'm definitely going to write a novel that will make you cry your eyes out!" Hoshina said fiercely while wiping away her tears.

"Hehe, you've evolved so fast! You've already reached the point where you want to write? I'm looking forward to it!" Qin Jing said with a mischievous smile.

When the teacher returned with the children, they all turned to look at Qin Jing when they saw Xingna's swollen eyes.

The teachers all had expressions that said, "I never expected you to be this kind of child."

"Xiaojing, you mustn't bully girls," the children said.

"No, it's the book's fault! I cried because I was reading the book!" Qin Jing retorted.

Unfortunately, few people believed that Qin Jing was falsely accused of bullying girls when they were alone, while Xing Nai received everyone's sympathy.

"Hoshina, is your leg injury alright?" Rin asked with concern as she walked over.

"Ah... um, it's nothing." Hoshina paused for a moment, somewhat surprised, before replying.

"That's good, then goodbye," Xiaolin said.

“Wait, there’s more…” Hoshina said.

"Hmm?" Xiao Lin stopped in her tracks.

"I'm sorry. I was wrong to laugh at you when you were carsick." Hoshina said loudly, turning her head away. Perhaps it was because the moon in the book had told her the right thing to do, but her attitude was still so awkward.

"Oh my, that's really rare." Xiaolin blinked and said with a look of great curiosity.

"What? Just say what you want to say," Hoshina said, embarrassed and annoyed.

"No, I was wrong too, so let's just wipe the slate clean of everything before today, Hoshina," Rin said with a smile.

"Hmm... Hmph. Let's do it this way." Hoshina said tsundere.

"And... Xiao Jing, thank you... thank you." Xing Nai glanced shyly at Qin Jing, feeling that it wouldn't be a bad idea to make him her personal servant.

"Yes, you're welcome," Qin Jing replied casually. He was enjoying the hotel's food, especially the bamboo shoots, which were fresh and tasted wonderful.

"What! You should be more grateful to Zero for accepting my thanks!" Hoshina said angrily.

"Hey, don't get cocky just because Shizuka was nicer to you before. You deliberately sprained your ankle so Shizuka would carry you back, right? You're really something." Hanako appeared in front of Hoshina and said jealously.

"No way! Who would do that! Wait! Xiaojing! Tell her to stay away from me! This child is scary."

"That's about right, don't cause trouble for others, Hanako," Qin Jing said, continuing to savor her food.

"Understood, Shizuka." Hanako obediently replied, then turned to look at Hoshina. "Then... punishment!"

Several girls nearby gathered around.

"What! What are you going to do? Bully me?" Hoshina was so frightened that she backed away.

"No, it's a friendly women's meeting, and we'll tickle you until you can speak properly," Xiaolin said with a smile.

"Isn't this revenge? Didn't we agree to wipe the slate clean?" Hoshina exclaimed.

"I was talking about before today, you know. Now I'm going to talk about what happened today," Rin said, pinching Hoshina's cheek.

"Tell me! What exactly happened between you and Xiaojing in the bamboo forest?" Hanako asked, stepping closer.

"No...it's nothing. I just sprained my leg, and he rubbed it for me, then gave me a princess carry, and then carried me back home," Hoshina said, blushing.

"Wow! A princess carry! Is it really a princess carry?" The girls around them exclaimed excitedly about the topic of romance.

"Well, it's his good fortune to be able to hug me," Hoshina said proudly.

"It seems we really need to have a proper talk. Otherwise, it's not being frank at all," Rin said with a smile.

Hanako and Sakura went up and supported Hoshina from both sides.

"We've all finished eating, let's go back to our rooms first," the girl reported to the teacher, then helped Hoshina up and pulled her back to her room.

"Wait, I'm not full yet, Shizuka! Stop them for me!" Hoshina shouted. With one leg injured, she was no match for the girls.

"You've spent a day with Xiaojing and you seem to have gotten quite familiar with her already? Be sure to tell us the details." The girls' strength increased.

Qin Jing waved and watched them leave.

Qin Jing didn't know what happened after that, but in any case, the awkward Hoshina was able to get along with her friends to some extent after that.

At night, Qin Jing soaked in the hot spring pool, sloshing around like a lazy bum. Although it was supposed to be a trip, it felt like he hadn't gone anywhere or done anything. He was going back tomorrow.

Looking back, he encountered a wild boar today, and it seems he also saw a panda. In addition, he gained a fellow book lover. Considering all this, today was still quite meaningful.

Looking at the moon in the sky, I wonder what stories he will witness tonight.

Qin Jing climbed out of the hot spring pool, her whole body steaming with heat, and went back to her room feeling refreshed.

In the dead of night, when all the hotel guests were resting, a figure in black and white scaled the wall and jumped in, instantly removing his training clothes and landing in the hot spring.

"Ah, that's great! I'll head back to my hometown tomorrow, but I have to enjoy myself tonight," the panda exclaimed, sounding like an old man. Although the panda couldn't enjoy the hot springs, the clever panda was quite content.

"Since we're destined to meet, I'll protect you one more time. I'll come see you again next time, you interesting human child."

The panda grabbed the clothes, leaped up, shook itself to remove the water, put on its training clothes, and punched the shadowy figure that was spying on it from outside, shattering it into dust.

"That way, that guy hiding behind the scenes won't be up to any more bad ideas for now," the panda said, leaping up.

It flew into the sky and disappeared into the clouds.

Section 57: Elementary School Life After Section 57

The cherry blossom trees in the park adorn the spring earth with vibrant colors, their pink petals falling in droves, dancing in the air, all in an attempt to touch that one person. The cherry blossoms will soon lose their beautiful color, then bloom again the following year, only to wither once more.

Time flies. After that trip, Qin Jing returned to school and resumed her daily routine of studying and taking care of the mischievous child. After all, he was the older one, and if something really happened, he couldn't just leave the child unattended.

If it's just a minor argument or conflict, then of course we shouldn't interfere; it's part of growing up.

But when it comes to things like children fighting in groups, he naturally has to step in to mediate. If the mediation fails, there's always Sunohara who can be sent forward to act as a punching bag to buy time.

It's not that Qin Jing is disloyal; after all, he's just a literature enthusiast. His physical abilities are only average among the boys in his class. He's neither like Yuan Lin, who's learning Bajiquan, nor like Yuan Ying, who's good at binding, nor does he have Hanako's silent agility, nor Chun Yuan's cockroach-like vitality.

In this situation, of course we should send the capable Sunohara. If we just hold on for a while, someone will go and call Miyazawa to come and uphold justice, and the problem will be solved.

For example, if a child gets injured, such as Hanako's nosebleed, and the teacher isn't at the scene, Qin Jing has to step in to help, comfort the child, and take them to the infirmary.

For example, when dealing with a child's sudden outburst, such as suddenly hitting someone while playing, or running away from home, he can't just ignore it.

Like last time, when Hoshina Pegasus Tenma argued with Rin, she angered everyone, ran out crying, and twisted her leg. If Qin Jing hadn't found her and carried her back to the hotel, who knows what dangers she might have encountered there.

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