Yang Ershun sniffled and scratched his head as he looked at Xie Xun. "If you want me to continue keeping your secret, I want a scallion pancake."
Xie Xun coldly said, "No."
"Hey!" Yang Ershun got anxious. "Come on, we're like brothers! It's just a scallion pancake, you're too stingy!"
"Aren't you afraid I'll go tell my dad that the person who saved the dean back then was you?"
'Like brothers' - this phrase from him was hard to swallow.
Xie Xun remained calm on the surface. "Do as you wish."
Yang Ershun pulled a long face.
He had always known that Xie Xun made delicious food, and today he finally had a chance to score a scallion pancake.
But Xie Xun didn't even bat an eye at him.
Yang Ershun wasn't disheartened.
He pattered over to the well.
He squatted down and looked at Jiang Xiaoxiao, who was intently sharpening a knife.
"Hey, you want a scallion pancake? We'll split one later."
As he spoke, he slurped up some drool.
Xie Xun was about to drag Yang Ershun away when he heard Jiang Xiaoxiao slurp up some drool as well.
Xie Xun: "......"
......
Xie Xun went to knead the dough in the kitchen.
Yang Ershun dragged a stool over and sat next to Jiang Xiaoxiao.
He was quite familiar, saying that out of all the people in the village, he and Xie Xun were the closest.
He also said that his dad was the village chief, and after eating the scallion pancake, Xie Xun would be under his protection. No one would dare bully Xie Xun, or they'd have to answer to him.
Jiang Xiaoxiao asked, "What if you don't get to eat the scallion pancake?"
Yang Ershun said, "Impossible, absolutely impossible! I can already smell the aroma."
......
Xie Xun fried two pancakes, giving one to Jiang Xiaoxiao and keeping the other for himself.
Seeing no portion for himself, Yang Ershun burst into tears.
Hearing Jiang Xiaoxiao chew the scallion pancake and smelling the aroma, Yang Ershun couldn't help but drool again.
With tears in one eye and drool in the other, he looked pitiful enough to leave Jiang Xiaoxiao dazed.
"I'm not that hungry," Yang Ershun said, patting his growling stomach. "I just want a taste."
There was no hope from Xie Xun, so he could only gaze longingly at Jiang Xiaoxiao.
Jiang Xiaoxiao "ooph"-ed and swallowed the rest whole.
Yang Ershun: "!!!"
He looked like he was about to cry again.
Xie Xun handed his pancake over, ordering, "Take the pancake, but never come again."
Yang Ershun took a bite of the long-awaited pancake. It was crispy, fragrant, and more delicious than he had imagined.
With one bite, he was satisfied from head to toe.
"Why?" he sniffled, the pancake in his mouth making his words muffled. "Aren't we like brothers?"
Xie Xun said, "My family eats children."
Yang Ershun: "!!!"
Before Xie Xun could finish, the little kid had already made a run for it.
After Yang Ershun left, Jiang Xiaoxiao looked at Xie Xun.
She remembered that Yang Ershun had said Xie Xun was the one who saved the dean.
Xie Xun seemed to know what she wanted to ask, and calmly said, "It was last year. I had just returned from the county and unintentionally came across an old man being harassed by a ghost."
"As soon as I approached, the ghost retreated for some reason."
At this point, Xie Xun looked at Jiang Xiaoxiao. "I did not mean to rescue him, it was just a coincidence."
"Then how did Yang Ershun find out?" Jiang Xiaoxiao was puzzled.
"He happened to see it," Xie Xun explained. "I told him that when the old man woke up, he could say anyone rescued him, just not me."
Jiang Xiaoxiao understood.
"So when the old man woke up, Yang Ershun conveniently pinned it on Yang Wei?"
"Yes."
Jiang Xiaoxiao roughly understood why Yang Wei was admitted to the Luming Academy.
It turned out he had pulled some strings.
But Jiang Xiaoxiao's focus wasn't on Yang Wei.
She was wondering what Xie Xun did to scare the ghost away.
He had been sealed with malicious energy, and such a constitution was most likely to attract impurities.
Logically, a ghost would only be more excited upon seeing him.
"Were you injured that day?" Jiang Xiaoxiao asked.
Xie Xun didn't expect her to figure that out too, and nodded. "Yes, I was slightly injured."
Before Jiang Xiaoxiao came, he was truly the "ill-fated" person the villagers described.
Often, even without provoking anyone, he would get injured for no apparent reason.
It was only during these days with Jiang Xiaoxiao that he could go to town or the county without incident and return unscathed.
"Did you bleed?" Jiang Xiaoxiao asked again.
Xie Xun nodded.
"That explains it," Jiang Xiaoxiao said. "You have a pure Yang constitution. Those things fear your blood."
Xie Xun had never known his blood could have such an amazing effect.
"It's a pity it's being suppressed too much now," Jiang Xiaoxiao glanced at the seal on his head. "Once the seal is removed and your dragon energy revives, no impurities will dare approach you again."
At the mention of the seal, a thought crossed Xie Xun's mind. "In your current state, can you help remove it for me?"
"Yes."
Xie Xun was unsure. "Will suddenly removing it have any drawbacks?"
Jiang Xiaoxiao said, "The person who used evil arts on you will know."
Upon hearing this, Xie Xun's eyes darkened with turbulent thoughts.
Sure enough, although the Capital City never sent anyone to monitor him, they kept him firmly in their grasp.
Because of the seal, he was destined to never leave Shi Mo Village, so there was no need for surveillance.
But as soon as his seal was removed, the Capital City would know immediately.
In other words, if he recklessly removed the seal without any preparation or backing, he would soon invite grave danger.
"Do you want to remove it now?" Jiang Xiaoxiao asked.
"Let's wait a bit longer," Xie Xun rubbed his brow.
It seemed he needed to find a way to go to the Capital City as soon as possible.
With no connections, Xie Xun would need to gather information about the Capital City beforehand if he wanted to go there.
Shi Mo Village was an impoverished and isolated place with limited news.
To learn about the Capital City, he would have to go to the teahouses in the county town.
Teahouses were crowded and diverse - spending a day there would allow him to overhear gossip from many places.
So after breakfast that day, Xie Xun set out with Jiang Xiaoxiao.
Just like before, they walked to town first, then hired transportation to the county.
But as soon as they reached the town entrance, they ran into Chen Sixi.
Spotting the two of them, Chen Sixi grinned widely and shouted to Xie Xun from afar, "Xie Xun, it's me, Chen Sixi!"
Xie Xun glanced at him indifferently.
Chen Sixi waved his whip and drove his mule cart over.
"Where are you two headed?"
"The county."
"Perfect timing then, I can give you a ride."
Xie Xun didn't get in right away, asking, "Not selling coffins today?"
The implication being that Chen Sixi used to only give rides if the passengers bought his family's coffins.
Chen Sixi scratched his nose. "Oh yeah, my bad, you're an honorable guest destined for longevity. Who would dare sell you a coffin? Stop dallying and hop in!"
Today's mule cart had a carriage with cushioned seats.
After getting in, Jiang Xiaoxiao comfortably leaned against the back wall and dozed off.
Chen Sixi adjusted his direction and asked inside, "The county has been recruiting ghost masters recently. Xie Xun, you're not taking your bride-to-be to sign up, are you?"
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