CHAPTER 43: 43

Lan Tian’s heart sank, and she ran into the hall to look in the mirror. The girl in the mirror had her hair cut only as long as a segment of her finger, but what’s worse, the haircut resembled a ladder, with rings of varying lengths, some places long, some short, and some even exposing the scalp, looking even worse than if a dog had chewed it.

Lan Tian stared at Mo Yuanle with a mournful expression, while Mo Yuanle looked at her emotionlessly, continuing to eat his noodles.

Grandma Sun commented from the side, "It’s fine, it will look ok after it grows out for a while."

Lan Tian was about to go crazy, this ladder-like haircut was so bad she might as well shave her head bald.

"Starting from tomorrow, I’m going into seclusion for cultivation," Lan Tian suddenly announced at the table after her bath, causing the three adults to look up at her, "These past few days, Grandpa has been scolding me in my dreams! Scolding me for not cultivating properly, for not achieving energy introduction after months of training, calling me useless, for getting caught by traffickers so easily. Grandpa wants me to start my seclusion tomorrow, and I won’t come out until I’ve achieved energy introduction."

Lan Tian hated the feeling of being helpless and powerless, and in the moment she was captured, she had resolved to cultivate earnestly. If she had reached the Qi Cultivation Stage, would she let any mere mortal get close, let alone be knocked out by some low-grade sedatives?

Whatever Grandpa Mo decided was for Lan Tian’s own good, and Grandma Sun did not object, she only asked, "Are you no longer going to school?"

"I’ll go back to school after I come out of seclusion."

"Where will you seclude yourself?" Mo Yuanle had witnessed Lan Tian disappear and suddenly reappear before, so now he completely believed her words. If Lan Tian could cultivate and gain some ability to protect herself, they would feel much more at ease.

"In my room," she said, obviously her family wouldn’t let her go off to the mountains alone, "Grandma, lock the door to my room, bring my meals there, and take the dishes away when it’s time for the next meal. Don’t let anyone go into my room to disturb me, it’s easy to deviate from the path and fall into madness."

"Alright, grandma will lock it and won’t open it for anyone, rest assured, and cultivate well!" Grandma Sun assured her, "Tomorrow, you need to go to Mo Junhua’s family and properly thank them. If it wasn’t for him bustling about this time, we wouldn’t have found you so quickly."

During Lan Tian’s bath, Grandma Sun burned incense to tell the old man that the girl had been found and prayed for her to stay safe and healthy from now on. She also inquired Mo Yuanle about what happened, and he gave her an overview, omitting the details of how Mo Junhua found the villager who saw the traffickers and how the village chief of Gaoshiling Village helped send reinforcements.

"Alright!"

As Lan Tian prepared to enter seclusion for cultivation, Mo Yuanle went to the school early to ask for leave, saying the child had been frightened, didn’t want to see strangers, and needed to rest at home for a while. The schoolteachers had heard about Lan Tian’s ordeal and quickly approved the leave, even saying they would come to visit after school.

Mo Yuanle sternly refused, claiming Lan Tian was so energetically jumping around that she had to take time off to practice, not to rest. If the teacher came, the act would be exposed.

After eating breakfast, Grandma Sun prepared a basket of oranges and a pack of candy for Lan Tian and Zhao Li to take to Mo Junhua’s family. Mo Erlai and Wang Guiyu were having breakfast when they saw Lan Tian and the others arrive, and they hurriedly invited them into the house.

"Sister-in-law, what are you doing?" Wang Guiyu pushed the basket of candy Zhao Li offered away, declining to accept it, while Mo Erlai also urged Zhao Li to take it back. They were all from the same village, and such gestures would make things awkward among the villagers.

"It’s homegrown, not for sale, just kept for our own consumption. Lan Tian can’t finish them all by herself anyway, so I brought some over for you to try the freshness, it’s not as if it’s something precious. Push it away again, and I’ll really get angry. Our Hua Zi did us such a big favor, what’s wrong with eating a few oranges?"

"Okay, then I’ll accept it." Wang Guiyu knew Zhao Li’s straightforward temperament; if she didn’t accept it, Zhao Li would really get upset. "Have you had breakfast yet? Stay here and eat some. Darling, they serve sweet potato rice here, have some, Auntie will serve you."

"No need, Auntie, I’ve already eaten," Lan Tian shook her head and refused, and Zhao Li quickly pulled her back, "Don’t bother, we already ate, you go ahead and don’t let it get cold. Where’s Hua Zi? I haven’t seen him; did he go to work in the fields?" Zhao Li asked, not seeing Mo Junhua.

"He went to the village chief’s house early in the morning and hasn’t returned. Since last night he’s been muttering something, I don’t know what’s about; I’ll go call him back."

"Don’t bother, he might actually be busy. Alright, you go ahead and eat, we’re heading back."

"Let me walk you out," Wang Guiyu got up to follow.

"Don’t bother walking us out; it’s just a short walk, go eat your meal!" Zhao Li persuaded her not to accompany them, and she left with Lan Tian. Outside the courtyard, they ran into Mo Junhua, who was returning from the village chief’s house. Lan Tian looked at him sweetly and called out, "Big brother."

"Uncle, why didn’t you stay a bit longer and come in for a sit?" Mo Junhua asked Zhao Li, who had just left the house, while casting a glance at Lan Tian, his eyes twitching at the sight of her ladder-like haircut. He finally realized, the girl was so lighthearted, useful at times, calling him ’Brother Junhua’, ’Brother Junhua’, but dismissively ’big brother’ when he’s not needed.

Mo Junhua seemed unfazed by Lan Tian’s aloofness, naturally reaching out to touch the top of her head. Lan Tian rolled her eyes and glared at him fiercely, tilting her head to dodge his hand. Don’t think she didn’t notice that he wanted to laugh the moment he saw her haircut earlier.

Zhao Li saw the interaction between the two, her smile deepening, "I just came over for a quick visit, go back and eat."

Mo Junhua replied, reluctantly retracting his hand. Lan Tian waved goodbye cheerfully, feeling refreshed without having to see anyone. She still remembered that day’s humiliation, tears and snot streaming down her face as she clung to him and wailed loudly, it was indeed a huge black mark in her life.

Thinking of that incident, Lan Tian wanted to slap herself several times; how could she have hugged him and cried, she must have been out of her mind!

If possible, she wished it was all an act, a retake, deleting that segment.

Mo Junhua’s eyes twitched; she was so dismissive of him despite him being her lifesaver. In ancient times, such a debt would typically be repaid with a marriage promise (Mo Junhua, you’re thinking too much; there’s no such thing as marrying someone off at six years old). Given her attitude, not giving her a cold look was already showing restraint, considering she had glared at him just a moment ago.

Thinking he would be leaving in a few days, not knowing when he would return, he tried to hold back but ultimately couldn’t, suddenly scooping up Lan Tian and shouted towards the house, "Mom, I’m going out for a while. Auntie, I’ll take Lan Tian back later." Carrying Lan Tian in his arms, he ran towards the outskirts of the village, all the while tossing her into the air and catching her, terrifying Lan Tian into screaming, "Mo Junhua, I’m not finished with you."