Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 786 Clouds Return to Distant Mountains
Xia Lin didn't give them any linguistic guidance. Some things can't be taught; ultimately, they have to figure them out themselves to achieve real results.

So when she sees them discussing things on their own, Xia Lin usually doesn't interrupt. She lets them figure out for themselves whether it's right or wrong, unless they really have a question to ask, in which case Xia Lin will give an answer.

"Uncle, why not relocate the people from this kind of place? Whether it's building a road here or something else, it seems more expensive than moving them to the city."

Tuoba Shang advocated for the relocation of all these people, but Li Chengqian held the opposite opinion. At this point, Xia Lin was needed to uphold justice.

"That's right, it's definitely cheaper, easier, and less troublesome to relocate them than to develop this place."

Upon hearing Xia Lin's answer, Tuoba Shang glanced at Li Chengqian, looking smug like a child eagerly seeking his father's approval.

"But here's the problem. You have to understand that this isn't just one or two places. Countless people are divided into small worlds by these mountains and valleys. Some people may never leave their homes in their entire lives. If you ask them to go out, then think about it from their perspective. Imagine putting yourself in a place you can't adapt to at all, with no land to cultivate, no work to do, and you can't even understand the language. How would you feel?"

"Let's grab it, we can't starve to death."

After answering Xia Lin's question, Tuoba Shang fell silent. Although he wasn't very smart, he had at least overseen the country before. Even the most worthless person should understand what this meant—wasn't it the origin of chaos?

"So, some things are contradictory but there's nothing you can do about them. You should just enjoy the experience. There's still plenty of time, so there's no rush."

In the days that followed, although they made many improvements in their diet, they were still like participants in a reality show. Every night when they came back, they were too lazy to even move, let alone study. The heavy farm work made their bodies feel like they were falling apart, and this was only during the most leisurely winter days.

Xia Lin surveyed the terrain here every day and then used the things he brought in to design a wind-powered water pump. After all, it was not easy to pull water up the mountain, but it was not too difficult for him with his cheat device.

During the days they were away, his little courtyard was still quite lively. Xiao Wu would come over every day to clean and feed the cats, and then lean against the door waiting for Xia Lin and the others to return.

Kasyapa usually lived here, since it was close to the academy and convenient for going to and from school every day. Occasionally, Bean Sprout would come over to keep her daughter company for a few days. People came and went like this until one afternoon when Xiao Wu discovered that tender buds were sprouting on the branches of the tree.

She was overjoyed because the sprouting of new shoots meant that her husband and the others would be coming back soon. She missed her husband very much because she only felt a strong sense of security when she was with them.

This is a strange thing. In the past, she rarely took the initiative to get close to men. Since her father passed away, even her cousin had shown extreme greed towards her. But she didn't feel that way in this courtyard. She liked being with her fellow disciples, especially.

The only drawback was that Kasyapa was full of hostility towards her, and she didn't know why, but she never had the chance to get rid of this hostility.

Now that spring buds are sprouting, Xiao Wu felt she should buy a new outfit to welcome them home. So she put all the pocket money she had saved from working and studying here into her little purse and went to stroll down the most bustling street.

The weather was lovely today. Although it was already evening, the street was already brightly lit. She probably didn't realize that her presence was even more radiant than the streetlights.

Although no one dares to bully men or women in Fuliang these days, flirting is still a common occurrence. Some frivolous young men often wander the streets and will harass any young women or wives who are somewhat attractive.

The key issue is that even government agencies struggle to manage this kind of harassment. Those people are very clever; they neither physically harm nor force anyone, but they're like a persistent leech, following you wherever you go.

And so, Xiao Wu, who was picking out clothes, was targeted.

"Young lady, are you out alone? Have you eaten yet? If not, would you do me the honor of joining me for dinner?"

Xiao Wu was used to this kind of harassment. She just smiled and said no, and then left on her own. But the other party had anticipated this outcome, so he followed her all the way, taking the spirit of a good woman who fears a persistent man to the extreme.

Xiao Wu fled in a panic, even losing a shoe in the process. The man, however, followed her with the shoe in hand and a lewd expression on his face. Xiao Wu was so panicked she almost cried. Without thinking, she rushed into Xia Lin's courtyard.

At this moment, only Jiaye was in the courtyard. She had upset her mother but was worried about her mother nagging her, so she ran here to find some peace and quiet. When she saw Xiaowu rushing in with a terrified and pitiful look, closing the door and peeking out, she asked curiously, "Did you encounter an evil spirit?"

Xiao Wu didn't care about her harsh words at the moment, and just pointed outside and said, "There's a scary man, he's been following me the whole way."

Kasyapa sneered, "What's so special about this? I'll go and meet him."

"Don't go..."

Xiao Wu wanted to stop Jia Ye, but she couldn't stop this kind of young lady. Jia Ye opened the door and sure enough, she saw a man standing not far away, holding a girl's little shoe and sniffing it.

"Hey! What are you doing? Get out of here!"

Kasyapa stood with his hands on his hips, exuding a bean sprout-like air. The man turned his head and was taken aback when he saw Kasyapa. Then he chuckled and said, "There's a little beauty here too."

"Little beauty?" Kasyapa's eyes darted around, his anger subsiding as he took two steps back. "Come on in, why not come inside and have a cup of tea?"

Upon hearing this, the man got excited, chuckled, and walked into the courtyard. Kasyapa smiled at him and then closed the courtyard gate.

Just as the lewd man was about to speak, he looked up and saw a man in black sitting on the roof, and another person sitting casually on the wall next to him.

"He's trying to humiliate me!"

Kasyapa pointed, and the lewd man was clearly stunned for a moment, but at that moment the man on the roof had already jumped down.

"Miss, please take Miss Wu inside. Don't let her offend your eyes."

The sleazy man was taken aback: "I didn't do anything. Are you going to attack me?"

The man in black licked his lips, drew a long sword from his waist, turned the scabbard to lock the mechanism, transforming the sword into a staff, and then swung it down.

These bodyguards, kept by the Dugu family to protect the young lady of the household, were undoubtedly highly skilled. The sleazy man was quickly beaten until he was barely breathing, lying on the ground like a dead fish.

"Senior brother, let me handle the rest." The person on the wall spoke up, and it turned out to be a woman: "It would be too good for someone like him to die."

The man in black laughed and sat down next to him: "Don't be too bloody. If you make a mess of this place, don't blame me for not warning you when you get punished."

The woman thought about it and agreed that it made sense, so she grabbed the man and dragged him outside. A short while later, an extremely painful scream was heard. Xiao Wu, who was feeling uneasy inside the house, trembled at the sound, while Jia Ye, while fiddling with her favorite bottles and jars, said expressionlessly, "It's just that he was castrated. Sister Wu, you can't do this. Do you know who you are? How could you let such a lowlife force you to this extent?"

Looking at Kasyapa in front of him, Xiao Wu felt a chill run down his spine. Kasyapa, who usually only acted coquettishly in front of his teacher, now looked like a cold-blooded and ruthless king.

“If it weren’t for the worry of causing trouble for Father, this man would probably be torn to pieces today.” Jia Ye listened to the commotion outside, even enjoying it a little. “My mother said that if someone might harm you, the only way is to eliminate the threat completely. Sister Wu, you are still too naive. Learn more from me next time, and I will teach you properly.”

(End of this chapter)