Beware Of Chicken Chapter Volume 1 4: Nothing But a Hound Dog

Meiling had pictured numerous paths her day could take. Supervising the kids, gathering medicinal plants, brewing remedies, and caring for those who were injured.

This was far from what she had anticipated.

Engrossed in a medical treatise, she caught the aroma drifting on the wind. It was the young man. His qi aura reeked strongly around him, denser and more intoxicating than anything she'd sensed prior. His power had surged since the last time she'd seen him, back when he'd eaten with her father in high spirits, curious about their rice farming techniques.

Her pulse raced into her throat as the kids' ball hit the tall, sturdy youth hauling a heavy cart with ox-like effortlessness. Now dirt smeared his garments. Everyone knew cultivators avoided such messes. She recalled vividly from years past, during a trip to the city with her father, how a cultivator had effortlessly killed a beggar kid just for daring to block his path in disdain.

When young Xian dashed to grab his ball, she hurried after, frantic to plead for her sibling's safety.

But the youth burst into laughter instead.

He returned their ball... and leaped into the muddy puddle alongside the village children.

Now this cultivator—that's undoubtedly what the youth was—chuckled wildly while splashing through the sludge, evading the village kids who lunged at him trying to topple him into the mire with elegant precision. He softly redirected them into the slop with soggy thuds, or hoisted them up and paraded them around the puddle, tickling nonstop.

A crowd had gathered steadily, including more youngsters. Initially, the grown-ups were cautious, but soon they dispersed or lounged nearby, grinning at the foolish youth and the little ones.

“Haha! You’re a thousand years too early to defeat me!” He laughed at them, hands on his hips. “My chicken is mightier than all of you!”

The kids shrieked in fury, and her sweet little brother spun toward her.

“Meimei! Meimei! Help us Big sister Meimei!” he begged.

And doomed her fate.

Not in the usual way a girl falls victim to a cultivator, since she wasn't a stunning beauty, being slender and speckled as she was.

Rather, a huge, joyful smirk lit up the cultivator's features, and he strode toward her.

“Oho?” he queried, peering down at her with a mock leer, “Another challenger?”

“So what if I am?” She challenged him, unable to retreat beneath the kids' imploring stares.

He lifted her effortlessly, one arm beneath her knees, the other supporting her back. His motion required no strain, as though she were weightless.

Her cheeks burned as she nestled into those solid, steady arms... and then the youth plunged straight into the mud puddle, clutching her firmly.

In her freshly laundered attire. Right after bathing the day before.

She didn't understand what “Ca Wa Bun Ga” signified, but as the ooze seeped into her garments, fury blinded her.

“You wretched, pig-headed shitmonkey!” she bellowed, heedless of the surrounding children, and hurled herself at the youth who was doubled over in hysterics. Her lunge flipped him onto his back and fully into the filth. The adults, her father included, roared with laughter at the spectacle.

The children whooped for their hero, and the youth scampered around the mud puddle, with her charging in pursuit.

/////

“Meiling the hellion!” her father ribbed her while she readied the evening meal. She lifted her chin haughtily and ignored the teasing.

They were set to dine with that scoundrel, and she was thoroughly irritated. True, the whole village planned to share a meal with him, but as leaders of this humble hamlet, they had to host the rascal in their dwelling.

At least the rogue had supplied two deer and a bunch of rabbits for the feast.

By the gods, she loathed that cultivator with his powerful arms and sculpted features….

Ugh! No! She shook her head vigorously to banish the disloyal visions her thoughts conjured.

Moreover, no one trusted her judgment on his strength. “Sure your nose isn’t off, Meimei?” They questioned, since no cultivator would frolic in mud with kids or befriend common folk.

Even she began questioning her instincts, yet her qi-sensing talent had always proven reliable.

His villainous side would reveal itself shortly.

The remaining setup proceeded smoothly. Tables were arranged in the village center, laden with plentiful dishes for all to savor. They were also gearing up for their bimonthly journey to Verdant Hill.

Meiling watched him sharply, but the cultivator mostly played go against the men, suffering crushing defeats.

Unease gripped her when her closest companion, Meihua, brought them tea. Meihua embodied perfection in ways she didn't— the epitome of beauty with immaculate fair skin and plump crimson lips. On their rare visits to Verdant Hill, men froze in awe of her allure. She'd fielded over fifty proposals yet remained set on wedding the clerk Tingfeng.

Certainly, the cultivator would harass her. In every tale, they preyed on lovely women like savages!

“Oh? You’re getting married soon? Congratulations! Wait-- here. I don’t know If I can make the wedding, but thats no excuse not to give a gift!”

Yet he presented Meihua the richest fox fur she'd ever laid eyes on, wished her joy in her impending union—

And resumed the go game, chuckling through another loss.

…..perhaps her senses were deceiving her.

/////////

Dang, that Meimei girl was shooting me some fierce glares, like a peeved feline. It was kinda adorable how her spotted nose wrinkled.

Her expression was priceless when I tossed her into the muck, though.

Worth every bit.

////////

The night was pitch black when she jolted awake, soaked in icy perspiration.

Something lurked outside. It reeked of slaughter and demise. Of rage and venom. The horror nearly overpowered her, quaking her spine as the malevolent qi seeped into the village.

Suddenly, it was quelled. The cultivator's qi thrust back the savage aura, driving away the gore and decay with aromas of turned earth and ripe grain. The panic and gloom retreated.

The cultivator emerged from his quarters and advanced to face the creature.

Meiling, knees trembling, trailed after him.

She needed to witness it.

/////////

I roused with a prickling sensation slithering along my back. A predator's presence prickled nearby, but lacking Big D's warning, I hadn't stirred. Sleepily, I tumbled from the futon and stretched out.

Eh, better handle it now. I snatched my shovel from my belongings and strolled from the home. The fires still glowed faintly, drawing a smile from me. The day had been a blast. Immature as could be, but enjoyable. And those dumplings from Meimei hit the spot.

Though she wrinkled her nose when I complimented them. Teasing that girl was too entertaining.

I wandered into the woods, guided by instinct, until spotting the wolf.

Whoa, that's one massive brute, huh? His claws look overdue for a trim too.

It growled and leaped.

///////////////

She shadowed the cultivator through the twisting woods, where the tang of blood clashed with earthy scents. Her heartbeat thundered so loudly she could scarcely hear, yet the cultivator remained oblivious to her steps.

Finally, they reached the origin of the dreadful qi, and chill seized her veins.

A Reaper Wolf. The Reaper Wolf, known as The Wicked Blade. It had prowled these lands for almost three centuries and even felled a cultivator!

Why was it here?! Would death claim them all this night?

She huddled behind the trunk, beseeching mercy for Jin's spirit against such a horror.

The Reaper Wolf blurred in motion, beyond her sight, slashing at him with razor talons in a frenzy.

The shovel clashed against it. Klang! It rang out, smiting the infernal creature squarely on the skull and ending it.

She stared in stunned silence at the sight. The cultivator yawned. “Bad Dog.” he murmured, scratching his eye.

He claimed no blood, no fangs, no core from the Wicked Blade. Rather, his shovel dug swiftly, carving a grave sufficient for the monster and interring it in seconds.

“No hard feelings, buddy?” he whispered to the ground, infusing a bit of his qi. For an instant, she swore a lament echoed in her mind, then the bloody odor faded away.

Still rooted in astonishment as he headed back to the village, she froze when the cultivator peered at her hiding spot.

“Need a ride back?” he offered, and words escaped her lips unbidden.

“The last time you gave me a ride you threw me into a mud pit.” She replied, more irked in tone than she truly was.

Jin chuckled lightly, then motioned ahead.

“Well come on, dangerous wildlife out here.” he noted. “You can make me some dumplings again, as thanks for escorting you home.”

She huffed as though repulsed by the notion, amusing Jin greatly, and rose on unsteady feet as they departed.

One final glance back at the disturbed soil.

Grass sprouts were emerging from it.

Her father awaited their return at her home, anxious for her well-being and honor. “What happened?” he inquired. “All of the animals kicked up such a fuss!”

“Eh, just a wolf.” Jin replied casually.

“Yeah,” Meiling concurred, “Just a wolf, father.”

Just a wolf indeed.