Morning.
As soon as Chen Ning opened his eyes, he saw Qing Yan by his pillow.
She was lying on her side next to him, her sleeping face exceptionally delicate and serene.
Perhaps she was dreaming of something, for the corners of her mouth were slightly curled, revealing a pair of lovely dimples on her cheeks.
Except...
In addition to that, Chen Ning saw a pair of furry fox ears on top of Qing Yan’s head, and a snowy white fox tail wrapped two or three times around his calf.
This girl had never dared to sleep with him before because she was worried she would accidentally reveal her original half-fox form once she fell asleep.
She might have taken a risk yesterday, thinking she wouldn’t be caught as long as she woke up early. Unfortunately, he had woken up first.
Chen Ning quietly reached out and gently stroked the fox ears on her head; the soft, furry texture was simply exquisite.
Just as Chen Ning was planning to give them a few more pinches, Qing Yan suddenly let out a soft murmur in her sleep and slowly opened her eyes.
He immediately withdrew his hand and closed his eyes, pretending he hadn’t woken up yet.
“Mmm... Young Master?”
Seeing Chen Ning beside her, Qing Yan’s gaze was initially a bit dazed before she suddenly snapped awake.
“Oh no, I accidentally revealed my ears and tail!”
Noticing her fox ears and tail, Qing Yan’s heart skipped a beat.
Only when she realized Chen Ning seemed to still be deep in sleep did she let out a long sigh of relief.
“Fortunately, the Young Master hasn't woken up yet. That was close, that was close... I absolutely cannot take such a risk next time...”
Qing Yan hurriedly tucked away her fox ears and tail, murmuring with lingering fear.
...
He spent another morning reading.
As noon approached.
Chen Ning led the children from the private school up the East Mountain of Ning’an Village.
Today was the day for the private school’s spring field trip. The biannual outings in spring and autumn had always been a tradition of the village school.
Now that Mu Jing was dead, this burden naturally fell onto Chen Ning’s shoulders.
Although he had originally intended to use a Substitute Puppet to lead the children on the outing in his place, the weather happened to be nice today, and there were no demons or monsters causing trouble nearby. Thus, Chen Ning decided to take a rare break and relax.
“Thank you, Teacher Chen!”
The students of the private school were all overjoyed. Due to the fear of encountering demons, even though there were many mountains and forests near the village, they rarely had the chance to play on the mountains.
Such an opportunity was extremely rare.
“Young Master, look! This butterfly’s wings are iridescent!”
“Wow, what a huge ant nest!”
Looking at the scenery where flowers and grass were beginning to bloom and spring was in full swing, even Qing Yan joined the children’s ranks.
At times she chased passing butterflies, and at others, she stopped to watch ants moving their home.
Chen Ning couldn't help but smile helplessly.
Even though this girl was several times taller than the children in the school, she was even more childlike than they were.
Half a shichen later, the group finally reached the mountaintop.
Next was the free time the children cared about most.
After all, compared to following behind a teacher, playing freely with their peers was clearly much more interesting for young children.
“Alright, you may now begin your free activities. However, you are limited to the vicinity of the mountaintop; you are not allowed to run any further.”
“Yes, Teacher!”
As Chen Ning’s voice fell, the children immediately cheered and leaped for joy, running into the woods in groups of three or five to play.
“Young Master, are you sure there won't be any danger?”
Qing Yan looked at Chen Ning with some concern.
Even though it was daytime, there was still the possibility of ghosts or monsters targeting the children.
Chen Ning nodded. “I’ve already scanned the area. There is no aura of ghosts near the entire mountaintop; there shouldn't be any problems.”
Only then did Qing Yan feel at ease, finding a clean rock to sit on.
A breeze blew past, carrying a refreshing floral fragrance that made Qing Yan tilt her head back, sniffing the light scent of the forest.
“It smells so good. I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve come out to play with the Young Master.”
“The environment around here is indeed quite good. If we have time in the future, we can come here more often,” Chen Ning remarked.
This peaceful and natural forest truly made one feel very comfortable.
More importantly, over the past two years, Chen Ning had studied the materials for the capital's imperial examinations in great detail.
He had easily passed the provincial examination last autumn. Now, he only needed to wait for the metropolitan and palace examinations.
Before that, taking a proper break was a good way to relax his mind.
Just as Chen Ning and Qing Yan were enjoying the tranquility of the mountains...
“Teacher Chen!”
Suddenly, a commotion came from the distance.
Following that were the frightened cries of children.
“Teacher Chen, help!”
'Are there ghosts in the mountain? No, I sensed it just now; there shouldn't be any ghosts present.'
Without time to think further, Chen Ning immediately rushed toward the source of the cries.
The other students had already successfully fled, leaving only one unlucky child targeted by two giant pythons.
The child was so frightened that his face was pale, and he had already stepped onto the edge of a slope.
“Sss.”
The two pythons flicked their red tongues, their vertical pupils staring coldly and greedily at the child, as if they had already deemed him their prey.
At that moment, Chen Ning’s figure flashed past, shielding the child.
The child was clearly terrified; his face was white, and his voice trembled:
“Tea... Teacher Chen, run! Snakes this big must have become monsters. If we’re slow, we’ll all be eaten.”
“Don't be afraid. Hide behind me and leave it to me,” Chen Ning comforted him in a flat voice.
“But Teacher, are you a Demon Hunter? If you aren't a Demon Hunter, you definitely won't be able to beat monsters like these!”
“Me? I’m just an ordinary scholar.”
Chen Ning smiled slightly, but gold and purple qi faintly flickered on his fists.
Merit Protection served as his shield, and Purple Qi as his spear.
This pair of fists was likely sharper than any weapon!
“Sss!”
Having their prey snatched away, the two giant pythons were clearly enraged.
The leading python was the first to open its bloody maw.
In its eyes, the small human body was like a lamb that could be slaughtered at any time.
Since the human before it didn't know what was good for him, it would take his body as an appetizer!
However, completely different from what it imagined, the human before it didn't flee in a panic. Instead, he boldly took the initiative to counterattack.
“Who gave you the courage to target my student?”
Chen Ning stepped forward and threw a punch without mercy.
This punch directly shattered the air in front of him, carrying a piercing wind as it slammed into the python’s body.
Compared to that terrifying power, the python’s seemingly tough skin was like nothing.
“Boom!”
The giant python’s massive body was sent flying, the snake bones inside completely shattered.
The child behind Chen Ning instantly gaped in shock.
“So powerful! Teacher Chen, you’re actually a practitioner!”
“Didn't I just say that I’m only an ordinary scholar?
There are no practitioners in our village. Make sure you don't talk nonsense when you go back, or else...”
As Chen Ning was speaking, the other python suddenly attacked.
It swung its tail angrily, seemingly wanting to avenge the first python.
However...
In the next second, its fangs were directly caught in Chen Ning’s hand.
The giant python had already undergone demonic transformation; not only were its two fangs far sharper than those of an ordinary python, but they were also covered in lethal venom.
But under the dual protection of Purple Qi and Merit Protection, these things couldn't harm Chen Ning in the slightest.
“Is he even human?!”
The giant python had seen practitioners before, but this level was beyond the scope of humans!
It wanted to retreat in terror, only to find that its entire head was being held down firmly by Chen Ning, unable to move an inch.
“Goodbye.”
Chen Ning raised his other fist. Golden light spread across his arm, and his entire blood essence was boiling and surging like a tide.
“Boom!”
A single punch slammed down, like a roar of heavenly thunder, causing even the ground to tremble.
Amidst the dust and scattered soil, the giant python’s entire skull was shattered, and its two eyeballs burst out. It was as dead as could be.
“You call this a scholar?”
The poor child had finally gone on a spring outing, and instead of being frightened by the pythons, he was left with a strong psychological shadow because of this punch.
He could even imagine that if that punch landed on a human, it would be a terrifying scene where even their brains would explode.
“How is it? You’re not hurt, are he?” Chen Ning patted the child’s shoulder and asked softly.
“No, no.”
The child’s body trembled, and he hurriedly shook his head.
“Then about what just happened...”
“I didn't see anything, I didn't see anything at all! Teacher Chen, you are just an ordinary scholar who is solely focused on your studies!”
“Haha, a child worth teaching.”
Chen Ning was not stingy with his praise. This child was quite clever!
【Killed two pythons, obtained Noble Righteous Qi * 4】
He hadn't expected that accompanying his students on an outing would actually lead to an unexpected harvest.
Looking at the two giant python corpses on the ground, Chen Ning fell into a brief moment of contemplation.
Unlike those bloodthirsty ghosts, demonic creatures with a certain level of spiritual intelligence generally wouldn't take the initiative to attack humans to avoid karma and pursuit.
But on this small mountain, two giant pythons with at least several decades of cultivation had appeared for no reason.
This proved...
“There must be something good on this mountain!”
Chen Ning’s eyes lit up, and he immediately scanned the mountaintop carefully.
Sure enough, he sensed an extremely dense spiritual energy in a certain cave!
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