Underworld entries, starting with ghost stories.

Dan Ailian secretly watched the interaction between Dou Xianniang and Qing Ge'er on the training ground.

It was as if in that strange dream, she and her sister were hiding in the forest, secretly watching the boy who was growing up.

At this moment, it seemed as if the older sister and the boy were growing up together.

He was all alone, hiding in a corner, watching from the shadows.

She pursed her lips, as if she had eaten a sour grape.

She also wanted to get closer to him.

But how do we do it?

Her eyes blinked slightly, lively and bright.

**

Dou Xianniang has an extremely high level of comprehension in martial arts, but this move "ear picking" is very strange and not something that ordinary people can easily understand.

Wu Qing also spent a lot of effort to teach those one hundred martial artists.

When they performed this "ear cleaning" technique, the inscription on the halberd was not gold, but a blue one, such as "ear cleaning (extraordinary)".

After learning this move, they are able to perform exceptionally well in that instant and unleash their personal potential.

But ultimately, he could not reach the extraordinary level like Cheng Yaojin.

Wu Qing couldn't be sure whether Dou Xianniang would get a golden "extraordinary" rating after learning this move, or whether it would just be an "extraordinary" performance like everyone else's.

Perhaps, a young lady who already possesses considerable strength could unleash this move to an extraordinary level, like Cheng Yaojin.

Dou Xianniang not only diligently studied martial arts, but also practiced it every day.

She had already reached the seventh realm of perfection, and was only one step away from the middle realm.

However, the gap between the lower and middle grades requires considerable effort and comprehension to overcome, and these days she is stuck here, unable to make any further progress.

As Wu Qing explained the "ear cleaning" procedure, she vaguely sensed that she had grasped some kind of breakthrough opportunity.

Last night's rain shower cleared away the dark clouds, and as dawn broke, the world was washed clean and crystal clear.

"Sister Dou, Brother Qing!"

Shan Ailian wore a high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and a wide-sleeved ruyi (another type of traditional Chinese dress), with a light blue half-sleeved jacket over it.

She walked over lightly and said, "The porridge is ready. Shall we go eat?"

Dou Xianniang gripped her halberd, stepped forward, and swung it sharply: "Qing-ge'er, go eat, I'll continue practicing here."

Wu Qing said, "I'd better go back to where I am..."

Besides the two of them, the rest of the people in their courtyard were female soldiers and maids, so it wasn't appropriate to go in.

As he turned to leave, his sleeve tightened.

Looking back, he saw Shan Ailian holding his sleeve, looking at him with her bright, watery eyes that seemed to reflect his image.

Dou Xianniang didn't turn her head and laughed heartily: "Why are there so many rules? I grabbed you and brought you here to teach me as soon as it was light, and now you're going to go back and eat?"

"Let's eat in the courtyard, we're not strangers anyway."

Shan Ailian quietly bit her lip.

I haven't even started yet, and they're already considered outsiders?

After hearing what Dou Xianniang said, Wu Qing did not go back.

He followed Shan Ailian into the courtyard.

He felt Shan Ailian's gaze and turned to look at her.

Dan Ailian looked away; her face was flushed with the pink glow of the rising sun, making her look incredibly alluring.

Wu Qing thought to himself, "She must be the Green Snake, right?"

In last night's past life encounter, neither the White Snake nor the Green Snake had yet transformed into human form, so he wasn't 100% certain.

But the green snake's bright, watery eyes were so similar to those of this beautiful young woman.

They are all the kind of clear, watery things that seem to reflect people into them.

In contrast, Miss Dou has beautiful almond-shaped eyes, but her gaze is more masculine and resolute, revealing a strength and determination that rivals any man's.

That said, who exactly is the White Snake?

The White Snake's eyes are quite beautiful, but they possess a kind of elegant beauty that exudes a ladylike charm.

It does look a bit like the eyes of the White Snake in the animated film "White Snake" that I saw in another world.

Shan Ailian led him to a table in the courtyard: "Qing-ge'er, have a cup of tea first, I'll have them bring you some porridge and vegetables."

Dan Ailian poured a cup of tea and handed it to him, but with a flick of her wrist, the entire cup of tea spilled onto his sleeve.

Before Wu Qing could react, she quickly put down her teacup: "Oh dear, I'm so sorry, I was so careless."

"Nothing... huh?"

Shan Ailian grabbed his wrist: "I accidentally got your sleeve wet, come here and wipe it."

"It's okay, it's okay if it gets wet."

"It's better to wipe it clean."

Wu Qing was pulled into a room by her.

Before he could even get a good look at the room, Shan Ailian grabbed a pair of scissors from the table and, with a swift snip, cut a slit in his sleeve.

Wu Qing looked down at the cut sleeve... Why did you cut my sleeve?

Looking again, Shan Ailian was holding the scissors. She looked up at him with a pitiful expression and said, "Ah, I made a mistake. I meant to use a handkerchief to wipe it, but I accidentally grabbed the scissors."

No... do you think I'd believe that?

Look at this room.

Beautiful floral paper was pasted on the window, and brocade embroidered with small flowers was laid on the couch. There was a dressing table next to it, with a bronze mirror, floral yellow paper, and a few jeweled flowers on it.

Isn't this her boudoir?

It's not a particularly beautiful building, but that's the current condition in the village. Even Dou Xianniang, who is the eldest daughter, can only live in a house like this.

Even so, the brocade on the couch, the sandalwood dressing table, and the smooth and flat lace-edged bronze mirror all proved that this was not the room of other female soldiers and maids.

Of course, it wouldn't be Miss Dou's private quarters, since there were no weapons like swords or knives there.

"Young Master Wu, why don't you take it off first, and I'll sew it up for you?" Shan Ailian looked up at him with her bright, watery eyes.

"No need, I'll just go back and get it done myself."

"Let me do it. Qing-ge, you're a man after all, you can't do needlework." Shan Ailian turned around and took a needle and thread from the cabinet next to her. "Don't look at me like this, I've always been very good at needlework."

She kept calling him "Young Master Wu" one minute and "Brother Qing" the next, which confused Wu Qing.

What exactly does this pretty girl want to do?

Wu Qing decided to listen to her, so he took off his outer garment in her boudoir and handed it to her.

The young woman laid her cuffs on the table, went to the door to get an iron filled with charcoal, and ironed the wet areas dry.

Why did you prepare an iron for ironing so early in the morning?

The young woman was very thoughtful. After repeatedly ironing it dry and smooth, she sat down and carefully sewed up the cut crack with needle and thread.

Wu Qing wasn't wearing an outer garment, so he didn't want to leave her room so early in the morning. Instead, he chatted with her idly.

"Speaking of which," Shan Ailian said softly, her head bowed as she carefully sewed the sleeve, "I don't know why, but I always feel like I've known you, Qing-ge'er, for a very, very long time."

Wu Qing's mind stirred slightly.

He stood behind Shan Ailian and smiled, "Actually, I have the same feeling, but when I really try to think about it, I can't remember when I saw it a long time ago."

Shan Ailian asked softly, "Does Qing-ge'er believe in past lives?"

"I don't know!" Wu Qing said. "If there's a past life, does that mean there will be an afterlife? This life is already so bitter; what will we do if there's an afterlife?"

"Perhaps this life is bitter, but the next life will bring happiness?"

"Then I'd rather make the rest of my life better first," Wu Qing said with a smile.

"Oh, I see!" Shan Ailian sewed up the cuff, cut the thread, and then sat down on the stool, turning her exquisite body towards him. "Look, it's done."

Wu Qing looked and saw that the cuffs were sewn from the inside, so tightly that they looked as if they had never been torn.

He couldn't help but praise, "Miss Shan, your needlework is truly superb; it's practically divine."

Dan Ailian pouted smugly: "I didn't lie to you, did I? It's a good thing I'm here. If it were anyone else, they wouldn't be able to sew it this well. Qing-ge, you should be glad I'm here."

Yes, yes, thank goodness you were here.

As for how my sleeve got torn, you're not going to care, are you?