Case 11: “Weizhi Mountain.”

After leaving Yangjiang's village, Liu Meifeng and Duan Gen continued their journey and headed towards a small island separated from the mainland. Originally, Liu Meifeng thought there would be no one occupying the island and was about to think of countermeasures for her future boredom and lack of human interaction. Fortunately, it seems like this island isn't as secluded as she thought.

"Shifu, where are we?"

"We're at Weizhi village. This village is preoccupied with the White Wolf clan but frets not. I'm good friends with their King, so they will allow us to practice in the mountain."

"Okay."

The two of them entered the village to greet the King. Duan Gen suddenly stopped and Liu Meifeng who was fascinated by the village's primitive-style bumped her nose on Duan Gen's back.

"Ouch. Why are you stopping?"

Duan Gen turned around and he tied Liu Meifeng's long hair into a men's ponytail.

"It is inconvenient for a woman to travel. You have to hide your real identity and gender. Have you thought of a different name?"

Liu Meifeng propped her chin, what Duan Gen said made sense. Especially, the two of them will be living on this island for who knows how long. It will be a big headache if someone's asked for her hand in marriage later. Luckily, she's not keen to wear female clothing either. Hence, her clothes were always a plain one. It could hardly distinguish whether it's for men or women.

"Yes."

"Good. Let's greet the clan's King."

The two of them walked to the center of the village and two muscular men approached them while holding a sharp spear, "State your business."

"I'm the Grandmaster of cultivation, Duan Gen. This is my adopted grandson.." Duan Gen turned his gaze towards Liu Meifeng.

Liu Meifeng smiled politely, "I'm Xu Haoran, pleased to meet you."

The two guards observed Liu Meifeng carefully and later sneered at her secretly. Of course, this sight won't escape from Liu Meifeng's eyes. She knew the two guards in front of her mocking her secretly for having feminine features. Duan Gen noticed these as well and glared at the two guards. The two of them immediately turned silent and led Duan Gen and Liu Meifeng to their King's house.

"Please greet our King." One of the guards said as they beckoned to Duan Gen.

Duan Gen stepped inside the bamboo house segregated from the other housing. Liu Meifeng followed him while still in awe looking at the traditional house. It reminded her of her past life when she took a vacation to a tropical island. Liu Meifeng moved her gaze from the ceiling to the furniture. There's only a small extinguished bonfire in the middle with a small cauldron on top of it. Then, she moved her gaze on a thin mat laid on the soil ground; most likely their bed. A tall muscular man with brown skin and various scars on his face sat on the throne, there were two girls standing next to him; one tall and one small. Unlike the man on the throne, the two girls' skin was as clear as a snow Jade.

"If it isn't the Grandmaster!" The muscular man stood up and hugged Duan Gen. Duan Gen's body twitched in surprise but soon settled down and patted the man's shoulder.

"How fare you, my lord?"

"Thanks to your green salve, I'm as healthy as before!" the man released Duan Gen and turned to Liu Meifeng, "Who is this kid?"

Duan Gen placed his hand on Liu Meifeng's back and pushed her to the front, "This is my adopted grandson, Xu Haoran. Haoran, this is the King of the White Wolf clan, Gu Jinxin."

Liu Meifeng placed her hand on her chest and bowed to the rough man in front of her.

"It is an honor to meet Your Majesty."

Gu Jinxin strode to Liu Meifeng and straightened her body. She was a bit taken aback but still remained calm. The two girls on the throne seem to be worried about her. But seeing Liu Meifeng still calmly looking at Gu Jinxin's scary face. They sighed in relief…

Gu Jinxin smiled brilliantly and patted Liu Meifeng's shoulder roughly, "Hahaha! I like this kid! How old are you?"

"Answering Your Majesty, this grandson is six years old this year."

"Good-good! Here meet my two beloved daughters." Gu Jinxin pushed Liu Meifeng by the shoulder to approach the two girls on the throne. Liu Meifeng had no idea what's going on, but since it's the King who pushed her. She had no choice but to follow along…

Gu Jinxin placed his hand on the taller girl's head, "This is my eldest daughter, Gu Zhuxuan." Then, he placed his other hand on the shorter girl's head, "and this is my youngest daughter, Gu Yinxi. Xuan'er turned ten this year while Yinxi is the same age as yours. How about it?"

After saying this, the two girls turned their gaze towards Gu Jinxin with a little panic in their eyes. Liu Meifeng knew what Gu Jinxin's meant but she wasn't sure if it's exactly like what she understood and didn't dare to make a presumption.

"Forgive this grandson, but… what does Your Majesty mean?"

"Hm? I'm asking you if one of my daughters caught your attention. Don't tell me.. you want both?!" Gu Jinxin pretended to be furious. The two princesses next to him looked even more panicked.

Hearing this Liu Meifeng quickly denied it, "No-no-no! This grandson didn't dare to! This grandson is just a humble disciple of the referred Grandmaster and is not worthy to be matched with the two princesses." Liu Meifeng threw a glance at Duan Gen next to him asking for his help.

Duan Gen sighed and stepped in, "My lord, although Haoran is my adoptive grandson. But you shouldn't force your daughters to marry him. Let them choose their loved ones by themselves. Besides… this lad already had someone in his heart."

Thus, the greetings session ended with Duan Gen's last sentence about Liu Meifeng. The reason why Gu Jinxin wants Liu Meifeng is that he wants Duan Gen to be his family. He thinks very highly of Duan Gen and wished his grandson to marry one of his daughters. Furthermore, Liu Meifeng's physical appearance is very unique. She emitted the aura of a handsome scholar, calm and smart. But more importantly, her Aquamarine eyes attracted him the most. But in the end, Gu Jinxin didn't force Liu Meifeng to get engaged with one of his daughters. After all, she already had Zhao Yu in her heart.

Gu Jinxin commanded the two guards from earlier to take Duan Gen and Zhao Yu to the Weizhi mountain. Last time, Duan Gen stayed in this mountain to cultivate for hundred years and since he's good friends with Gu Jinxin. Gu Jinxin built a decent cottage in the mountain to show his gratitude for healing his injuries. Even after Duan Gen had left, he always asked someone to clean the house in the mountain. Hence, when the two arrived in the same cottage it was still in a good condition.

The White Wolf people sleep with a mat on the floor, but Gu Jinxin installed two wooden beds in the cottage. Liu Meifeng was relieved because she's not used to sleeping on the solid ground and afraid of bugs went inside her ears.

"For today, just rest or feel free to stroll around. I'm going to strengthen my Qi outside. Your training will begin tomorrow, I advised you not to exhaust yourself today." Duan Gen said rhetorically and left the cottage.

Liu Meifeng put her bag on the table and began to unpack her belongings. She placed a few books she brought on the wooden shelf. Thirty minutes later, her stomach began to rumble. She hasn't eaten anything since the afternoon and now it's almost dusk. She didn't prepare rations or other snacks to fill her stomach either. Ever since she and Duan Gen left Yangjiang village, the two of them were often short of money and had to be careful when using money. So, they have been staying in the wilds more often than before. Fortunately, Liu Meifeng rarely used her silvers when Zhao Yan took her in.

"I blame this world for not inventing instant noodles yet."

Liu Meifeng heaved a sigh and retreated from the cottage. When she stepped out the spacious green scenery greeted her. Even though life is rough, at least the environment is still pleasing in the eye. Moreover, there's even a beautiful young girl wearing a brown primitive cloth and fur coat who came to visit her.

Liu Meifeng was taken aback by the appearance of princess Gu Zhuxuan. She immediately came over to greet her, "Greetings to your highness."

Seeing Liu Meifeng still respecting her so much, Gu Zhuxuan smiles in satisfaction. Then, she gave Liu Meifeng a sack of fruit, "This is for you, you haven't eaten anything since afternoon, right?"

Liu Meifeng's eyes sparkled and she took the fruit sack happily, "Thank you very much, your highness!" Now she doesn't need to spend the remaining silvers to buy food.

Gu Zhuxuan was stunned. She never saw anyone be this happy just by receiving a sack of fruit. She wanted to laugh but Gu Zhuxuan was known for her benevolence and virtue. Hence, she pretended to be calm and smiled warmly to Liu Meifeng.

"It's nothing big. By the way, what should I call you?"

"You can just call me Haoran."

"Very well, Haoran. Tonight, we will hold a banquet in the central village as a welcome feast for you and the referred Grandmaster. I hope you and he can attend it."

Once Gu Zhuxuan said this, Liu Meifeng was stunned not knowing what to say. She knew that her Shifu is great friends with King Gu, but she didn't expect the whole village to personally make a welcome feast for the two of them. She can't help but respect Duan Gen even more.

"Yes, I will relay the invitation and make sure to attend the feast with him."

Gu Zhuxuan smiled politely and turned around, "Then, we will wait for you and the referred Grandmaster." Gu Zhuxuan left and jumped down from the mountain skillfully.

Once again, Liu Meifeng was surprised by Gu Zhuxuan's agility. Even though the road is pretty steep she could climb down easily without breaking a sweat. Liu Meifeng thought it must be because she's the earth people which gave her more vigor, and her primitive blood to give her more agility. DNA sure is a scary thing…

Later, Duan Gen and Liu Meifeng came to attend the banquet held in the center village. The whole villagers were surprised to see Duan Gen actually came. In the past, Duan Gen refused to interact with the crowds and ignored many invitations. But this time, he came with Liu Meifeng and sat down with the King and his two daughters.

Liu Meifeng realized the abnormality from the villagers and decided to ask Duan Gen directly.

"Shifu, is it just me or the whole village was startled by our arrival?" she whispered.

Duan Gen took a cup of wine and drank it slowly before replying, "It's because I rarely attend such a feast in the past. Honestly, I don't even want to attend it. But I'm afraid the kids here will bully you for being a weak man. So, I'm here to watch over you." Duan Gen really did worry about the kids here bullying Liu Meifeng. But when he savors the delicious wine in his mouth, he can't help but enjoy the feast as well.

Liu Meifeng knew about this as well and stared at him indifferently, "Why does it look like you're here just to enjoy the wine?" Duan Gen slapped Liu Meifeng's head lightly, "Foolish child, can't your Shifu enjoy the feast while watching you?"

Liu Meifeng pretends to be furious as well, "If you're drunk the role will be reversed!" the two of them continue to exchange their comedic quarrel as usual. Until they heard laughter coming from beside them. Both Liu Meifeng and Duan Gen tilted their heads on the other side and saw King Gu and his two daughters got amused by watching them.

"Hahaha! I can see this kid is really to your liking! I've never seen you behave like this before! Hahaha!!!" King Gu laughed in relish and swayed his hand as a sign to begin the banquet.

In the banquet, there are various kinds of dishes, such as; roasted boar, honeyed deer meat, vegetable soup, fruits, grilled fish, and many more. Some people were dancing while circling the huge bonfire in the middle. Liu Meifeng saw princess Gu Yinxi dancing with a boy around her age happily, while Gu Zhuxuan talked with the other boy around her age as well. Although, Liu Meifeng is known as Duan Gen's adopted grandson, but no one wanted to approach her. Probably because she appears to be weak for a boy and this reality made Liu Meifeng a bit pissed off. Even so, she still remained calm and gracefully enjoyed the feast. Friends come later, food comes first!

While eating the food, Liu Meifeng accidentally overheard the conversation between Duan Gen and King Gu.

"The problem is the lake was quite far from here. Some of our men encountered wild beasts while fetching the water. It's pretty risky to obtain clear water these days…"

Duan Gen nodded in distress he can't really come up with anything for this problem. Seeing the two distressed men, Liu Meifeng drank the cup of tea in one go and participated in the discussion.

"If that's the case, why not build a watermill on the lake and create a pipe under the ground to avoid getting destroyed by wild beasts?"

Both King Gu and Duan Gen turned their gaze on Liu Meifeng. The two of them didn't really understand what Liu Meifeng was talking about. It seems like either this world hadn't invented a watermill. Unable to explain with words, Liu Meifeng decided to explain it with a picture. She took a piece of paper and brush from her bag and began to draw the watermill construct along with the pipe.

"Here, this is called a watermill. We can pump up the water and let it flow to the village. The villagers could get the water through the pipe and to prevent the water to keep flowing we need to create a faucet. Also, this grandson has seen some villagers here planting various vegetables and fruits. We might want to attach another pipe to the field and build a few sprinkles on it."

King Gu pondered for a moment and asked "What do we need to prepare all this?"

"The main resource for all these is Iron and Wood. After that, I will talk to the woodcutter and the blacksmith to create this based on the blueprint. To prevent us from getting attacked by wild beasts during the process, we will prepare everything in this village and then bring everything to the lake. Your Majesty might need to command a few warriors to guard the way for safety. Also, we might want to build a few water tanks just in case if the dry season came. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

King Gu listened to Liu Meifeng's plan and he can't help praising her loudly, "Hahaha! This is good! This is good! I shall prepare some men to prepare the necessary materials. Since you proposed this idea, I will let you lead my men. Are you competent?"

Duan Gen frowned and stepped in, "That can't do my lord. Haoran is my disciple and he will begin his training tomorrow. Besides, I'm not sure if your men will obey my grandson since he has a weak body."

King Gu grabbed a huge tooth from his fur coat and handed it over to Liu Meifeng. The whole villagers who were dancing and feasting turned silent immediately. Even Duan Gen who was frowning looked dumbfounded by this action. Liu Meifeng doesn't know what's the importance of this giant tooth. But she knew that this tooth is a symbol of King Gu's leadership. If he handed the tooth over to Liu Meifeng it's the same as making Liu Meifeng as the next King.

King Gu smiled, "With this, no one dared to disobey you. Are you still refusing?" The pressure behind his words was unmeasurable. Even so, Liu Meifeng still remained calm and observed her surroundings. Duan Gen tugged Liu Meifeng's sleeve and talked to her through the voice of his heart, 'Meifeng, no matter what you do.. don't take the tusk.'

Liu Meifeng glanced at Duan Gen who was worrying about her. She could read and hear what Duan Gen said inside his heart and give a reassuring smile. Then, she turned to King Gu who's still handing the tusk beside Duan Gen.

"Your Majesty, this grandson knows that you're doing this for the sake of your people. But to hand such precious things easily to a stranger is no good. Just like what my Shifu said, this grandson is his disciple and we came here to cultivate. But this evening, Her Highness the first princess came to visit this grandson and gave a sack of fruit. This grandson is very grateful to Her Highness's kindness and wanted to repay her somehow. How about this… this grandson will help to settle this matter and guide through the process. But just as Shifu said this grandson's body is weak and cannot lift any heavyweight yet. Hence, this grandson can only guide theoretically. Is this okay with Your Majesty?"

After her name got mentioned, Gu Zhuxuan came over and participated in the conversation. "Pardon the intrusion, but what's this all about?"

Liu Meifeng smiled and explained from the beginning of the water problem. After hearing the explanation, the whole village was surprised. How could such a brilliant invention be exchanged by a sack of fruit?

Due to Liu Meifeng's humbleness somehow the villagers' impression towards her turned better. Though this grandson is weak, but his heart is as rich as gold!

Of course, the Gu family refused to agree with Liu Meifeng's arrangement and insisted on giving a reward to her. Hence, King Gu planned to make Gu Zhuxuan as her fiancée. Liu Meifeng's face turned pale instantly, while Duan Gen tried his best not to laugh.

"Y-Your Majesty, I think this matter has already been mentioned before. This grandson already had a woman in his heart and the princess should choose her loved one by herself."

King Gu snorted and casually said, "Fine. Xuan'er, what do you think?"

Liu Meifeng turned her gaze towards Gu Zhuxuan, she hoped that the princess could say something to deny it. But instead of refusing, Gu Zhuxuan lowered her head and said "If… that's what father wants…" When she said this, she really didn't mind marrying Liu Meifeng. She can see that Duan Gen's grandson is a kid with a good heart and also smart. Besides, though he's weak but, he's the most good-looking man in this village…

Hearing the first princess didn't reject the arrangement, Duan Gen couldn't hold it anymore and laughed heartily. Liu Meifeng's body became numb as if she was being acupunctured. She can't really accept anyone other than Zhao Yu in her heart. Even though she didn't understand why she's so loyal to Zhao Yu, she wanted to stay firm with this decision and decided to change the reward.

"Your Majesty, forgive this grandson. But this grandson can't really keep another woman in his heart and this grandson didn't want to hurt the first princess' feelings. So, this grandson wishes to change the reward."

King Gu frowned and thought what kind of woman seduced this kid until he refused his beautiful daughter? But he knew that he can't force Duan Gen's grandson, hence he's willing to hear it.

"Speak."

"During the first princess' visit, this grandson witnessed the first princess skillfully climb down the steep mountain. This grandson was curious and wished to learn the technique, would that be alright?"