Chapter 290 - 139: Don’t Look, Don’t Look

Chapter 290: Chapter 139: Don’t Look, Don’t Look

"Grandma, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not her husband. We’re... we’re friends."

"Oh, I get it, I get it!"

The old woman wore an all-knowing expression as she chuckled and sat back down. Her eyes darted between the two of them as she said mischievously,

"You young people are just so bashful and reserved. I’m an old woman, I’ve lived a long time. What haven’t I seen?

The moment you walked in that door, young man, your eyes were glued to this girl’s behind. Your stare was hot enough to set a person on fire.

And you still say you’re not a couple? Hehe, I’d wager you’ve been crazy about her for a long, long time, haven’t you?"

"..."

Jiang Mu’s smile froze on his face.

’Seriously? This old lady is asking for a beating.’

’Believe it or not, I could send you flying with a single kick.’

Shui Miaozheng was taken aback as well and instinctively turned to look at Jiang Mu.

Facing Shui Miaozheng’s searching, suspicious gaze, Jiang Mu gave a dry laugh and forced himself to explain,

"Ahem... Grandma, you really know how to joke. I... I was looking at the stool. I just thought it looked a little small, and I was afraid... afraid she might be uncomfortable, or that she might fall."

It would have been better not to explain. His explanation only confirmed the old woman’s words.

Shui Miaozheng turned her head away, her face blushing. She pretended to smooth out her skirt and said nothing more. But the tips of her ears, peeking out from her temples, had quietly turned a faint crimson. It was as if she’d secretly sipped a light wine, the blush trickling down the side of her neck and disappearing beneath her collar.

Shattered sunlight filtered through the cracks between the roof tiles, landing right on that touch of crimson and dazzling the eye.

"Dearie, are you here again to ask about Grandpa Wolf?"

The old woman picked up her hemp rope again, asking as she skillfully twisted it.

Shui Miaozheng snapped out of her subtle embarrassment, nodding gently. Her voice returned to its usual gentle cadence,

"Yes, there are still some details I’m not clear on. Ma’am, I remember the village elders saying the Wolf Demon appeared sixty years ago. When it arrived, was it the only demon?"

The old woman’s hands slowed. Her cloudy eyes gazed toward the dark, brooding mountains in the distance, as if trying to recall a distant memory.

After a long moment, she sighed.

"It’s been so long. This old bag of bones can’t remember much clearly anymore. I think... I think it wasn’t just him. Back then, it seems there was a woman-like figure with him.

But later, the woman disappeared. She never appeared again, leaving him to guard this mountain alone."

"A woman?"

’A female wolf who took human form?’ Jiang Mu thought to himself.

Shui Miaozheng clearly considered this information important as well. She pressed on,

"I’ve heard others mention that. I also heard that although the Wolf Demon lived on the mountain, it would occasionally spend time in the village. Did it ever do anything unusual? Or was it close to anyone?"

The old woman shook her head.

"It wasn’t that he lived in the village, exactly. Just that every once in a while, he would come down the mountain for a stroll through the village, but he never entered anyone’s home.

If a family had a new baby, he would sometimes squat outside their courtyard wall for the entire night.

At first, it scared everyone half to death. We thought the Wolf Demon was going to snatch the babies, so every family bolted their doors and windows, standing guard with hoes and clubs. But later, we found he never did anything. He just squatted there and would be gone before dawn.

After it happened a few times, people weren’t scared anymore. Instead, it felt... like he was protecting something."

"In all these years, has anyone from the outside ever come looking for him?"

Shui Miaozheng asked.

The old woman shook her head.

"No one’s ever come looking for him. We don’t know where Grandpa Wolf came from, and we don’t know why he insists on guarding this mountain and refuses to leave.

All we know is that he’s never harmed us. Sometimes, when the village children wander into the mountains and get lost, he even brings them back and leaves them at the entrance to the village.

In the past, we’ve had Daoist priests, Monks, and even government officials who wanted to go into the mountains to ’exterminate the demon’ and kill Grandpa Wolf.

We all told them that Grandpa Wolf is good and doesn’t hurt anyone. But they wouldn’t believe us. They’d say, ’A demon is a demon, how could one not be harmful?’ and insist on going into the mountains to capture him. Luckily, Grandpa Wolf is clever and they’ve never managed to catch him."

At this, the old woman paused her work. She looked out the door at the gloomy sky, shaking her head with a sigh.

"This world is a chaotic mess. People... sometimes, their hearts are worse than a demon’s."

Jiang Mu cut in, "Did he ever tell you his name?"

The old woman tilted her head, thinking carefully for a good long while. A nostalgic smile finally broke through the wrinkles on her face.

"My son was still just a little tyke back then, and the most mischievous troublemaker you’d ever meet—afraid of nothing. One time, he snuck into the mountains and ran into Grandpa Wolf. Not only did he not run away, but he ended up playing with him for half the day.

He mentioned it once when he came back. Said Grandpa Wolf told him his surname was Mu. As for his given name, I really couldn’t tell you."

"His surname is Mu?" Jiang Mu rubbed his chin.

Just then, the old woman reached for her sewing basket, apparently looking for scissors to cut the hemp rope.

Seeing this, Shui Miaozheng leaned forward to help get them for her.

The movement further constricted her already cramped posture.

As her waist bent forward, a deep, alluring dimple formed on her lower back.

And as a result, her full, round bottom inevitably spread out behind her.

CREAK—

The small stool beneath her let out a faint groan.

It was as if the weight of her fragrant form was making it beg for mercy.

Jiang Mu, who was sitting to the side, found his gaze drawn to her as if by a magnet, unable to pull away.

This time, however, Shui Miaozheng seemed to sense it.

She paused in the middle of reaching for the scissors and instinctively turned around.

Jiang Mu’s reaction was lightning-fast. In that split second, his gaze shot away.

He looked up at the ceiling, then down at the floor, tapping his fingers lightly on his knee. He put on a serious ’I’m just admiring the scenery’ expression, all but whistling to complete the charade.

Shui Miaozheng pressed her rosy lips together tightly, her large, limpid eyes fixed squarely on him.

Jiang Mu felt his scalp tingle under her stare. He was at a loss for words.

’Can you really blame me for this?’

’You’re the one who insisted on sitting on such a low stool, and you’re the one who’s so... so unreasonably built. It’s not like I want to look.’

’But it’s just so eye-catching, practically drilling its way into my vision.’