Old Master Xu shivered all over, looking around tremblingly. "I merely cut down a patch of forest and drew some lake water, and now I'm to be retaliated against by mountain spirits? This is truly unjust!"
Yan Jiaojiao was speechless, regretting saving him. In the eyes of such a selfish person, everything in the world was probably meant for his use, and he wouldn't care about harming others.
"You must remember, if there's a next time, you will surely die," Yan Jiaojiao said fiercely.
Old Master Xu's face turned ashen. He immediately nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, thank you, immortal, for your guidance. I will definitely pay attention in the future."
Yan Jiaojiao didn't want to talk to him anymore. She turned and flew into the mountain valley, disappearing from sight.
From afar, blurred voices of thanks could still be heard behind her.
Years later, when Yan Jiaojiao returned to the village at the foot of the mountain, the tale of the female immortal saving Old Master Xu was still being told.
Even more ridiculously, Old Master Xu actually built a small shrine near his residence, enshrining a golden statue of Yan Jiaojiao...
This is a story for another time.
Meanwhile, Yan Jiaojiao had been busy for over an hour. After she left, she immediately returned to the carriage.
Rong'er and Dongfang Xu had already grown impatient and were waiting by the carriage. Seeing Yan Jiaojiao return, their anxious faces broke into smiles.
"Miss, you're back! The rain stopped a while ago, and you still weren't back. We were so worried, but we didn't dare leave for fear you wouldn't find us when you returned." Rong'er, as usual, chattered on, then looked at Yan Jiaojiao's wet clothes. "Your clothes are soaked. Hurry into the carriage, and I'll help you change."
Dongfang Xu couldn't interject. He only stepped forward and tightly held the hem of Yan Jiaojiao's clothes, as if afraid she would disappear again.
"It's alright," Yan Jiaojiao said, feeling a warmth in her heart. While replying to Rong'er, she reached out and took Dongfang Xu's small hand, using her spiritual power to dry her clothes.
Since arriving in this world, she had gradually formed bonds with the people here. These bonds were different from her past life; they were the kind that often made her feel warm.
Rustling sounds gradually echoed from the forest. Yan Jiaojiao and the others turned to look, seeing a group of people emerging sporadically from the trees.
Yan Jiaojiao looked closely and realized they were the people who had been frozen by the water spirit. Now that the water spirit's control was gone, the ice on them had melted, and they had regained their freedom. They had returned with the missing guards!
"Miss, who are they?" Rong'er couldn't help but ask. "Didn't they say that no one who entered this mountain could survive? Did that innkeeper lie to us?"
"They have been saved," Yan Jiaojiao replied, a smile unconsciously curling up at the corner of her lips.
Dongfang Xu clapped his hands. "I know! Sister must have saved them, just like she saved me!"
Rong'er also realized and smiled. "That's right. Miss is always kind-hearted. If she can save them, she will definitely do her best to save them."
Yan Jiaojiao paused in her heart. In truth, this was something she had never done before.
In her past life, Yan Jiaojiao was a proud daughter of heaven. From birth until she lived for thousands of years, she had always existed from a position of superiority, living a life of ease and freedom. Everyone flattered her. Even if someone dared to harm her, they were no match for her power and were easily dealt with.
In the past, if Yan Jiaojiao encountered people in distress, she would help them based on her mood, or more often, she would let nature take its course without interference.
Even when she sacrificed herself to save the world in her past life, it was more because she had the ability to do so and was tired of living in that era of decline, feeling lonely and isolated. Yan Jiaojiao had had enough.
Since arriving in this era, she had endured scorn and faced various hardships, yet she was weak and had to fight with all her might to escape danger. This allowed her to gradually experience the suffering and hardship of being at the bottom.
Therefore, whether it was the benevolent disposition within her, the lingering will of the original owner, or if she had truly developed compassion, when Yan Jiaojiao saw the artisans struggling in the water, she couldn't help but feel the urge to save them. This was why she exerted all her effort to prevent the water spirit from losing its mind and harming them.
Now, seeing them all safe and sound, Yan Jiaojiao truly felt a sense of fulfillment.
Was this the reason the Dao of Heaven had caused her to be reborn here?
Yan Jiaojiao's mind was filled with thoughts, yet she found that she did not dislike this transformation.
At this moment, the guard had walked to the carriage and cupped his fist towards Yan Jiaojiao. "Miss, I have returned. Thank you for saving me."
The common people had fallen into a deep sleep after being frozen, but the guard, having some cultivation, had retained consciousness. He naturally knew that it was Yan Jiaojiao who had intervened to free him, and he felt grateful to her.
"You braved danger for us, and what I did was only right," Yan Jiaojiao said with a slight smile. She patted Dongfang Xu's little head and said to those around her, "Let's go, it's getting late."
Those people were still heading down the mountain, filled with relief, while Yan Jiaojiao and her companions passed through this scene of celebration and slowly headed towards the foot of another mountain.
In a wine shop by the official road, a handyman suddenly exclaimed, "Look quickly, the rain has stopped on that mountain!"
Hearing this, the beautiful proprietress looked up and gazed at the mountain. Indeed, the rain had stopped, and the green of the mountain became clearer and more verdant. She could vaguely see figures emerging from the mountain one after another.
The proprietress put down her sunflower seeds and frowned in surprise, recalling Yan Jiaojiao's slender and frail figure. At that time, she had smiled gently, but her eyes were very firm, saying she would go and try.
"Did that young girl really succeed?" the proprietress murmured. "If so, this woman will surely achieve great things in the future."
The handyman, who had been leaning on the windowsill to peer out, vaguely heard the proprietress speaking and turned to ask, "Proprietress, what did you say?"
"Nothing," the proprietress glared at him, as if she hadn't said anything. "Isn't it good that the rain has stopped? It will be much more convenient for you to buy things from the Xu family village in the future. Hurry back to your work!"
The handyman scratched his head and ran off with a smile.
Just then, another group of people entered the doorway. They were dressed formally and acted with discipline. The middle-aged man at the head, with a stern face, asked as soon as he entered, "Boss, have you seen a girl about fourteen or fifteen years old?"
As he spoke, he shook his hand and unfolded a portrait, which clearly showed Yan Jiaojiao's likeness.
The proprietress looked at the portrait, then at them, and said, "Yes, I have."
"Where did she go?" the man asked eagerly.
The proprietress nonchalantly pointed to another road by the entrance and said, "She ate a meal and went that way."
"Thank you," the man said, then turned and led his men down that road.
The proprietress glanced again at the mountain in the distance and resumed cracking sunflower seeds.