Shen Chuyun blinked her innocent, wide eyes.
“Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!”
On the journey to Qingfeng Valley, that brainless master-and-disciple pair had been absolutely hopeless at caring for a baby. They made sure she had milk to drink but paid no attention to whether she was too hot or too cold. Whenever she got dirty, they would wash her, but they simply tossed her into cold water and swished her around like ingredients in a hot pot.
Her body never got properly clean, yet she felt as though she had endured eighty-one tribulations along the way.
By the time they reached Qingfeng Valley, she smelled absolutely sour and foul. Old Xiao had even said, “You little girl, you bathe every day and still stink this badly. Looks like you were born a smelly baby. From now on, I’ll call you Stinky Treasure!”
She had been so furious that she pulled out several of Old Xiao’s whiskers. If she weren’t still so little, she would have fought him to the bitter end.
She had assumed life would get better once she arrived at Qingfeng Valley. Who could have guessed that there wasn’t a single normal person in the entire place?
The tiny baby Shen Chuyun felt utterly exhausted. Before she could stop herself, she wet her diaper.
Shen Chuyun: “…”
Waaah, waaah, waaah! Even though she had been a baby for a whole month, the feeling of losing control of her bodily functions still made her feel terribly embarrassed.
The moment her senior brothers and sisters smelled the urine, they began screaming.
“She peed! She peed!”
“What do we do? What do we do?”
“Change her diaper!”
“I don’t know how! Does anyone else?”
“I do! I do! Let me take care of Little Junior Sister!”
In the middle of the chaos, Qin Laoliu squeezed his way over and took Shen Chuyun into his arms. He thoughtfully wiped her little bottom and gave her a bath while the senior brothers and sisters gathered around to watch and offer instructions.
“Laoliu, you missed a spot!”
“Wipe under her arms, too! Oh, goodness! Don’t use the cloth you used to wipe her urine! Get a clean one!”
“Here, use this cloth!”
“Second Senior Sister, that’s my face towel!”
“Pfft!”
“What was that sound?”
“Little Junior Sister pooped!”
“…”
Shen Chuyun closed her eyes in despair.
Heavens above, either temporarily erase my memories and let me become a real baby, or just let me die on the spot!
This is so humiliating!
Unfortunately, Heaven did not hear Shen Chuyun’s heartfelt plea. Her memories remained perfectly intact.
Shen Chuyun angrily opened her bright, sparkling eyes, black as pearls.
Fine, then. I have no choice but to use my ultimate weapon.
So what if I’m a baby? Hmph! If I’m going to be a baby, then I’ll be the best baby there is! I’m going to unleash my true baby nature!
“WAAAAAAH!”
Shen Chuyun burst into loud, heart-wrenching sobs. She cried so bitterly that even the corners of her eyes glistened with tiny tears.
She released every ounce of grievance she had accumulated over the past month.
This is so unfair! So terribly unfair!
Her senior brothers and sisters were all startled.
“Why is she suddenly crying so miserably? Her little face is all scrunched up and wrinkled. She looks like a tiny old man!”
“Maybe we hurt her while handling her. Laoliu, be gentler when wiping her bottom!”
Even after her bottom was cleaned and she had been dressed in little pants, Shen Chuyun still refused to stop crying. She continued wailing as though she intended to cry herself to death.
Old Xiao was frantic.
“This child has never cried like this before! What on earth is wrong with her? Eldest Disciple, examine her!”
“I’ve already examined her. There’s nothing wrong with her. She’s perfectly healthy.”
“Wow! Little Junior Sister is so strong! She cried so hard that she tore my sleeve!”
Old Xiao and his disciples tried to comfort her for a long time, but Shen Chuyun continued bawling her eyes out. In the end, she only quieted down after crying herself into exhaustion and passing out.
Old Xiao and his six disciples were thoroughly worn out by the ordeal.
After sleeping enough, Shen Chuyun finally woke up and opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was a beautiful face that was alluring without being seductive.
She was immediately amazed. After that huge crying fit, her eyesight had improved considerably. The face she hadn’t been able to see clearly yesterday was now crystal clear.
Second Senior Sister curled her lips into a smile.
“The little girl is finally awake! I stayed up watching over you all night. I thought you might never wake up again!”
As she spoke, Qin Laoliu and the others heard the commotion and hurried over. They immediately began talking over one another.
“Little Junior Sister, I’m sorry! I hurt you yesterday and made you cry until you passed out. You scared me half to death!”
“Little Junior Sister, Master and Laoliu have already told us about your situation. From now on, you can live freely and happily in Qingfeng Valley. No one will bully you anymore.”
“When you’re a little older, your senior brothers and sisters will teach you all sorts of skills. You can learn whatever you want!”
“…”
Seeing how gentle and considerate her senior brothers and sisters had suddenly become, Shen Chuyun decided to put aside her little grudges.
She gave them an innocent, adorable smile, showing off her toothless gums.
The hearts of her senior brothers and sisters melted instantly.
“Wow! Little Junior Sister is so adorable!”
…
Time flew by, and before anyone knew it, nine years had passed.
Rustle, rustle!
A wild boar was racing through the forest.
“Stop right there!”
A nine-year-old girl came sprinting after it, holding a woodcutting knife. Her hair was tied into a neat bun, and she wore a gray coarse-cloth outfit consisting of a short jacket and trousers. Her practical attire made her look exceptionally capable. Her little face was flushed from running at full speed.
The girl was slender and tall for her age, and she ran incredibly fast. The wild boar fled wildly in front of her, crashing through the undergrowth and snorting repeatedly.
“Doudou, stop it!”
At the girl’s shout, a white figure darted out of the forest like a flash of lightning, quickly reaching the area ahead of the wild boar.
When the boar saw the white wolf suddenly appear in front of it, it slammed on the brakes in fright, spun around, and fled to the right.
But before long, a massive boulder blocked its path. Just as the boar tried to change direction again, the girl let out a fierce shout. She pushed off the ground with tremendous force, leaped high into the air, and brought her woodcutting knife crashing down toward the animal.
“Prepare to die!”
A moment later, the knife struck the wild boar’s neck, while the wolf tore a gaping wound in its belly. Blood spread across the ground, and the boar collapsed, lifeless.
Shen Chuyun planted one foot on its head.
“Who told you to trample the chickens I worked so hard to raise? I’m stewing you for dinner tonight!”
She tucked the woodcutting knife into her waistband, wrapped both arms around the boar, and exerted a little force. To everyone’s surprise, she lifted the animal, which appeared to weigh more than a hundred pounds, and hoisted it onto her shoulder.
With that, she strode out of the forest as casually as if she were carrying a sack of rice.
The white wolf, Doudou, wagged its tail happily and trotted behind her. It behaved so much like a dog that anyone who failed to notice its unmistakable wolf eyes and much larger body might have mistaken it for an actual dog.
Other wild beasts were drawn toward the scent of blood.
Shen Chuyun swept her sharp gaze over them and sprinkled some medicinal powder on herself. The moment the animals caught its scent, fear flashed in their eyes.
Oh, no! It’s that vicious two-legged creature again! Run! Run for your lives!
The wild beasts scattered in every direction.
Shen Chuyun hummed a cheerful little tune as she continued on her way.
“What a wonderful day! I get to eat wild boar tonight! Tomorrow will be wonderful, too. Maybe I’ll catch myself a bear and have some bear meat instead! La-la-la~~~”
The black bear that had not yet gone far: “…”
After leaving the mountains, Shen Chuyun followed a narrow path and walked around a hillside. Soon, she spotted a mountain manor.
It was the only human settlement in the surrounding mountains.
Three large characters were written on the plaque above the gate: Qingfeng Valley.
“Master, I’m back!”
Shen Chuyun pushed open the main gate and shouted as she walked inside.
An old, short man with white hair but a youthful face was reclining on a lounge chair, reading a letter. Hearing her voice, he hurriedly put the paper away.
“Master, what are you hiding?”
Shen Chuyun had sharp eyes and immediately caught his little movement. She dropped the wild boar and dashed toward him.
“Is it a letter from one of my senior brothers or sisters? I want to read it, too!”
Doudou was curious as well. The wolf trotted over and stared at Old Xiao with its eyes wide open, looking so innocent and clueless that it resembled a husky.
Old Xiao waved his hand dismissively.
“It’s not a letter from your senior brothers or sisters. I was just casually writing out a medicinal prescription. Good grief, don’t snatch it! You little rascal, why are you getting physical? You have absolutely no respect for your elders! Doudou, stop sticking your nose into everything. Wait a minute! Why are both of you covered in blood? Don’t you dare get any of it on me!”
“A wild boar wandered into my territory and trampled one of my chickens to death. Doudou and I teamed up and killed it. I’ll cook you a feast tonight!”
Seeing how guilty Old Xiao looked, Shen Chuyun immediately sensed that something was suspicious.
Without a second thought, she began feeling around his body, practically climbing onto him in her determination to find whatever he was hiding.
“I want to see it! I want to see it! Master, please, just let me have a look!”