Chapter 28: Borrowing a Residence in Pingquan Village

  "Wait a minute, brother, please stay!" A hurried voice sounded behind Xiao Chen.

  "Hey brother, are you calling me? Right, what do you want with me?" Xiao Chen asked doubtfully as he looked at the unusually sturdy man.

  "My name is Ling Yun. This brother, this...this..." Ling Yun's face turned red as he pointed at the corpse of the fierce tiger, unable to say a word for half a day.

  "Lingyun, you idiot. Let me do the talking instead. My name is Lan Yun..." Lan Yun gave Lingyun a white eye and scolded him. After Lan Yun's explanation, Xiao Chen suddenly realized. It turned out that these people were under the villagers' high expectations to eliminate this fierce tiger. And now, since the fierce tiger was already dead, they naturally hoped to bring the tiger's body back to the village to settle the account. But the tiger was killed by the young man in front of them, so...

  "This brother, as long as you let us have the tiger's corpse, we can give you suitable compensation, and it will definitely make you satisfied." Lingyun said with a red face.

  "Yes, we won't let you suffer a loss." Lan Yunru said with a slightly red face. This fierce tiger was killed by the other party, and they still wanted the other party to give them the tiger's corpse to take back and report their merits, this approach was indeed a bit unscrupulous.

  Looking at Lingyun and Lanyin's faces which had turned bright red, Xiao Chen revealed a relieved smile. These two were truly kind-hearted and innocent people. "No problem, you can take it away, anyway I won't have any use for it if I keep it. As for compensation, that's really not necessary."

  "Really?" Lingyun and Lanyin were overjoyed, thinking that the other party would make a big fuss, but they never expected the matter to be resolved so easily.

  "Hmm." Xiao Chen nodded heavily and turned his head again.

  "Wait a minute." Lingyun shouted again.

  "Are you done yet?" This time it was Liu Lan who was unhappy. The tiger's corpse had already been given to them, why were they still nagging?

  "Brother, may I ask your surname and given name?" Lingyun asked, gritting his teeth.

  "Xiao Chen." Xiao Chen smiled magnanimously. Since he hadn't done anything shameful, why not tell the other person his name?

  "Go to one side." Lan Yun said for half a day and still couldn't get to the point, Lingyun rolled her eyes and pushed him away. "Xiao Chen brothers, actually, it's like this. You've eliminated the ferocious tiger that threatened our village, you're our great benefactor. If you don't mind, I hope you can return to Pingquan Village with us, let us thank you properly, as a host should."

  "This... I think it's not necessary." Xiao Chen thought for a moment and finally shook his head. After all, he was meeting these people for the first time, and accepting an invitation from strangers without any reason made him feel somewhat uncomfortable with his personality.

  "Xiao Chen, your injury... is so severe, it's best if..." Liu Lan gently looked at the wound on Xiao Chen's back, without saying another word. Although she didn't say anything else, her expression had already said everything.

  "Yes, Xiao Chen, you're injured so badly. Look at this girl, she's worried sick about you and is already exhausted. You should consider yourself, but also think about this girl! Moreover, it's getting late and not suitable for traveling, why don't we rest in our village for a night? We can continue on the road tomorrow morning!" Lan Yun also came to her senses.

  "Yes, yes!" At this time, not only Lingyun, but also those hunters nodded one after another. The young man in front of them not only eliminated the fierce tiger for them, but also gave them the tiger's corpse free of charge. If they let him leave like this, their own conscience would be uneasy.

  "Alright..." Facing everyone's eager gaze, Xiao Chen simply nodded.

  At the foot of Jihua Mountain, there is a very small village. The fields are crisscrossed, and everywhere is a lush green color. On top of those scattered thatched cottages, wisps of smoke are rising gently. At this time, the village is filled with the sounds of chickens clucking and dogs barking. As the sun sets, the adults who have been working all day and the children who have been playing all day are all hurrying back to their homes. Of course, there are still a couple of mischievous kids who refuse to go home. But then, their mothers rush over, angrily grab their ears, and drag them back home. What a warm and lovely rural scene.

  "Look, everyone look! Our heroes from Pingquan Village have returned!" a sharp-eyed child suddenly cried out.

  "And what are they carrying? It's a tiger! Yes, it's a tiger. The brave warriors really killed that vicious tiger!" The young mother who was tightly holding her child's ears also shouted with joy. At this time, the small mountain village was completely boiling over. Countless people rushed over to welcome back their tiger-fighting heroes. Yes, those who were walking proudly and smiling, carrying the tiger back, were indeed the tiger-hunting warriors of Pingquan Village. And at the very front, laughing and chatting, were Pingquan Village's bravest hunter, Lingyun, and Pingquan Village's most beautiful girl, Lanyun.

  That's great! The scoundrel who brought me to Pingquan Village has finally been killed by our brave warriors. What a joyous occasion, what a joyous occasion indeed!

  "Hurry up and inform the village chief!" a middle-aged robust man shouted, his words unable to conceal his wild joy.

  "Have they returned?" A hoary voice rang out. The village chief of Pingquan Village finally appeared. He was an old man with white hair, but his spirit was more vigorous than ever. As he looked at the people approaching, a relieved smile spread across his face.

  "Lingyun is indeed the bravest hunter in our Pingquan Village, and I can rest assured by entrusting my precious granddaughter Lanyun to him!" The old man smiled and stroked his beard. The old man was named Lan Zhifaru, the village chief of Pingquan Village, and also Lanyun's grandfather. When he sent Lingyun and Lanyun to lead the best hunters in the village to eliminate the ferocious tiger this time, Lan Zhifaru had secretly made a decision: as long as they eliminated the tiger, he would agree to the marriage between Lingyun and Lanyun.

  To celebrate the extinction of the fierce tiger, Pingquan Village held a banquet for these brave warriors, an outdoor bonfire party in the village square. And Xiao Chen and Liu Lan, as guests, also received warm hospitality from these simple villagers. The mood of the singing and dancing people was as hot as flames. As the atmosphere gradually ignited, the men began to drink and the women started whispering to each other. Many young boys and girls who had just fallen in love also took this opportunity to muster up the courage to confess their feelings to their loved ones. Everyone in Pingquan Village was immersed in a joyful atmosphere.

  Emboldened by the wine, Lingyun reached out to Lanyu. The beautiful girl blushed instantly, but she finally placed her slender white hand in her lover's palm. Overjoyed, Lingyun and his girlfriend came to the bonfire, dancing amidst the cheers of the crowd. Lanyu's lovely figure and Lingyun's robust physique seemed perfectly matched in everyone's eyes. The roaring bonfire cast a reddish glow on the excited and kind faces.

  At this time, infected with the atmosphere, as the most prestigious and respected village chief of Pingquan Village, he was also a bit drunk. Lan Zhixuan stumbled forward, pushing open his chair, and came to the center of the venue, "Everyone, quiet down, I have an important announcement to make!"

  It cannot be denied that Lan Zhiyuan still has a high prestige in Pingquan Village, and with just a light wave of his hand, the excited crowd suddenly fell silent.

  Lan Zhiyuan looked at all this with satisfaction, nodded, "Everyone, the great harm that the fierce tiger has brought to Pingquan Village, I don't need to say it. And this time, under the leadership of Lingyun and Lan Yun, our brave warriors in Pingquan Village did not disappoint everyone's expectations, and finally successfully killed the fierce tiger, protecting everyone's safety. What do you think, is Lingyun the number one hero of Pingquan Village? Is my granddaughter Lan Yun the number one beauty of Pingquan Village?"

  "Yes, yes!" All the villagers were excited. But those who knew the truth, including Lingyun and Lanyin, lowered their heads in shame.

  "As the old saying goes, a beauty is a perfect match for a hero. Everyone says, what kind of reward should be given to Lingyun and Lanyin?" Blue Zhīyuǎn said with a smile. His words were so straightforward that anyone who didn't understand would be an idiot.

  "Lingyun and Lanyu Lang are a perfect match, they should have been together long ago. Village chief, I think we should pick a good day to get this done!" a loud-mouthed guy shouted.

  "Alright!" At this time, Lan Zhiiyan was laughing so hard that his mouth couldn't close.

  "Thank you, Grandpa (Village Chief)!" The two lovers who had found their place in each other's hearts were also overjoyed.

  "Congratulations!" Xiao Chen and Liu Lan also sincerely thanked the two.

  "I, Lan Zhiyuan, will never misjudge anyone!" Lan Zhiyuan looked at the two with a pleased expression. "Lingyun, Lanyun, you tell everyone how you eliminated that fierce tiger, I think there must be countless dangers in this story!" Lan Zhiyuan was clearly drunk, and his actions were mostly showing off.

  "Yes, yes, you guys go ahead and talk!" But among these people, who else got drunk besides Lan Zhiyuan?

  Looking at the eager eyes of the crowd, and then at Xiao Chen's innocent and sincere smile. Lan Yun hesitated, telling the truth would make her own grandfather lose face completely. But if she lied, even if Xiao Chen brothers didn't expose her, she would be trapped in self-blame for the rest of her life.

  Lan Yun secretly looked towards Lingyun, and found that the other was also secretly glancing at himself. The two silently stared at each other for a while, until their conscience overcame their vanity. Their originally uneasy eyes gradually became clear. Lingyun nodded heavily at Lan Yun, who then cast encouraging glances at him.

  Encouraged by the crowd, Lingyun took a deep breath and walked into the arena. "Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, please quiet down for a moment and listen to me."

  "Everyone, quiet down and listen to our village's first brave warrior talk about their experience of hunting the fierce tiger. Let's also understand how difficult it was for them to accomplish this feat!" Lan Zhìyuǎn smiled warmly at his ideal grandson-in-law.

  "Gentlemen, please be quiet!" Looking at the eager eyes of the crowd, Lingyun steeled himself and said, "Actually... actually... it wasn't us who hunted down the fierce tiger, but this Brother Xiao Chen!" With a burst of courage, Lingyun pointed his finger at Xiao Chen in the crowd.

  "What?" Everyone was stunned.