Chapter 69

Mudou felt very uneasy inside.

He was a simple and honest man, so he believed that Lin Bei entrusting him with the house was a sign of trust. Now, the 'little adult' had crawled away, which he saw as a failure on his part. Moreover, the adults who went out didn't bring the 'little adult' back, and they seemed very angry. Mudou thought it was all his fault.

Lin Bei didn't notice Mudou's self-blame. Mudou was usually quiet and expressionless, so Lin Bei overlooked it. It was An Zhongzhi who noticed.

Lin Bei was reading the wooden slips inside the room.

This was the first time Lin Bei had seen the actual object. The wooden slips were made of either bamboo or wood, long and narrow, strung together, and made a rustling sound when opened, giving a very weighty feeling. This stack of wooden slips weighed at least several dozen pounds and had been categorized by Master Bian. There were quite a few types, and Lin Bei recognized the Book of Songs, the Rites of Zhou, the Book of Rites, the Analects of Confucius, and the Book of Changes. He flipped through them frequently, and many of the characters were somewhat blurred. There was also one that seemed to be written by Master Bian himself, called "Bian Ji's Miscellaneous Notes."

Lin Bei roughly skimmed through them, feeling a bit frustrated. Many characters he recognized, but he didn't recognize them, and he didn't understand much of the content because there were no punctuation marks. If he didn't know that ancient books were read from top to bottom, Lin Bei wouldn't have understood even the parts he just read. To put it bluntly, Lin Bei was not far from being illiterate. Of course, if Master Bian read the characters out loud, Lin Bei would understand at least seventy to eighty percent.

"I guess I'll have to go back to school again in the future," Lin Bei thought, blushing a bit. "Or I could just have Master Bian teach me simplified characters. After all, many people don't have a foundation, so learning ancient texts and simplified texts are the same for them. In that case, Master Bian would have to learn first. I feel like an illiterate when I read ancient texts, and Master Bian would probably feel the same way when reading modern texts."

Actually, learning simplified characters has many benefits. At the very least, with simplified characters, traditional Chinese medicine wouldn't have declined in modern society. Why did the Cultural Revolution view traditional Chinese medicine as superstition? Because most people didn't understand it. It sounded mysterious, and even a simple illness was described in a way that might confuse even some modern Ph.D. and master's degree holders, let alone ordinary people who couldn't even read. Who else would they target if not these people?

"Sir?" An Zhongzhi called from the door.

Lin Bei wanted to say "come in," but he couldn't make a sound. He could only close the wooden slips, crawl out, and look at An Zhongzhi, asking what was the matter.

"Sir, are you angry with Mudou?"

Lin Bei was puzzled. Angry with Mudou? Where did he get so much anger from?

An Zhongzhi immediately relaxed. "Then, sir, please talk to Mudou. He thinks you're angry with him."

Lin Bei asked, "Why would I be angry?"

"Didn't you ask Mudou to watch the house? Now that the 'little adult' has left, Mudou thinks it's his fault and that he has betrayed your trust. Even though I told him you wouldn't mind, he doesn't believe me."

An Zhongzhi was also helpless. As the head of the village, he used to have the most prestige in Xishan Village. If there was a problem, he could often resolve it through mediation. But now, the prestige of the demon dragon clearly exceeded his own, and his words didn't carry much weight because Mudou didn't believe him.

Lin Bei laughed. "I thought it was something serious. They're not 'little adults' at all. They have nothing to do with me; they're just some small snakes. You can kill or catch them as you see fit in the future."

"Then, sir, please tell Mudou. He's a very honest person and might have a knot in his heart."

Lin Bei was speechless. He had to be a psychologist, but he still had to call Mudou over and have An Zhongzhi repeat what he just said. He emphasized that he really wasn't angry, and Mudou's face finally showed relief, indicating that he really cared about Lin Bei's feelings.

After Mudou left, An Zhongzhi said softly, "Sir, the hunters all respect you very much."

Lin Bei didn't say anything. An Zhongzhi thought for a moment and said hesitantly, "Sir, the hunters are naturally kind. They will remember your kindness. I dare to say this, but if you have any ulterior motives, I hope you won't let these hunters know, to avoid hurting their feelings."

Lin Bei was extremely frustrated. "I really don't have any ulterior motives. An Zhongzhi, don't think so poorly of demons. Apart from my current snake form, you can treat me as a normal person. Have you heard the saying, 'If you treat me as a noble, I will repay you as a noble'? The hunters are kind, and I will treat them with a kind heart. So please put your mind at ease. I'll say this for the last time: don't judge a gentleman by a small man's standards."

An Zhongzhi wasn't unhappy; instead, his demeanor became more relaxed. "Sir, you truly have a good character."

Are you testing me? Lin Bei was speechless. Indeed, gaining human trust as a demon was not an easy task. Even if he did good things, some people would still think the worst.

Lin Bei wasn't angry just now, but he was a bit annoyed now. He couldn't do anything to An Zhongzhi, so he could only hum and turn to go back into the room.

An Zhongzhi smiled, his face beaming. Today's events and his probing had confirmed that the demon dragon was not a bad demon. For Xishan Village, this was a good start, and as the head of the village, he was happy to see this.

"Sir, if there's nothing else, can I take the hunters back to the village?" An Zhongzhi asked.

Lin Bei had to crawl out again and nodded.

"Then, sir, do you need the bone-healing grass anymore? Can I take it back? I can exchange it for some gold at the city's medical hall," An Zhongzhi said with a smile, a smile that made Lin Bei want to punch him in the face.

Lin Bei had collected five plants of bone-healing grass, and Ping San had used three, leaving two. Lin Bei threw the bone-healing grass to An Zhongzhi and wrote heavily on the ground, "Get lost quickly."

An Zhongzhi carefully put away the bone-healing grass and said, "Sir, the journey is long and there are many wild beasts. I hope you can escort us for a bit."

This guy's name must have been chosen by himself with a thick skin. Lin Bei was absolutely sure of it.

Page AD starts

Page AD ends