C7 The Small Village

The journey was quite long, so the group wasn't too concerned about time. As Ji Yeying put it, arriving at the Demon Suppressing Association with a weak link would be embarrassing. So, they intensified Lee Jiaxiang's training along the way. Luckily, he had some martial arts background; otherwise, he might not have kept up.

Even so, the training had its ups and downs. Especially with Ji Jinfei, who took every chance to tease him. Lee Jiaxiang often relied on Ji Yeying to escape her antics, realizing for the first time how relentless she could be.

At that moment, Ji Jinfei was using their training as an excuse to get closer. They were practicing weapon coordination since their duo had become a trio, and adjustments were necessary, even if Lee was just assisting.

"Look, Junior Brother Lee, when we attack from the left, you should cover the right. Why are you so far away? Come closer," Ji Jinfei instructed impatiently.

Lee Jiaxiang grimaced, "Senior Sister, we're only about eight inches apart. Any closer and I'd be in your arms."

"That's exactly the point," Ji Jinfei declared, thumping her chest. "Come on, right into my arms."

Lee Jiaxiang pretended not to hear and glanced at Ji Yeying. But Ji Yeying was notoriously lazy when it came to teaching, leaving most of it to Ji Jinfei. Lee had asked her once, and she smiled, saying, "That's what you get for a thousand dollars. She'll teach you first, then I'll guide you. If you want my solo guidance, that'll be five thousand."

Lee was stunned, feeling his legs go weak. He had been saving up for a house and a future wife, but it seemed those plans would have to wait a bit longer.

"Come on," Jinfei suddenly lunged at Lee Jiaxiang with a playful bear hug. After a few days of training, Lee wasn't the inexperienced kid he used to be. Instead of backing away, he moved forward, diving and rolling under Jinfei's arms.

Jinfei hadn't expected Lee to dodge so skillfully, so she ended up hitting the ground hard, making Yeying burst into laughter nearby.

Sitting where she fell, Jinfei patted the ground and said with a wry smile, "Well, there goes my plan again. Junior Brother Lee is determined not to fall for me. Master, how many times is this now?"

Yeying quickly pulled out a notebook, glanced at it, and said, "This makes it the four hundred sixty-second time."

Lee was taken aback. "Four hundred sixty-two? What's that number?"

"That's how many times your senior sister has been rejected," Yeying said with a teasing tone. "Every time she gets turned down, I mark it down. Five marks make a tally, and each page holds a hundred. Look, we're on the fifth page now. At this rate, your senior sister might just break a record."

"I need to find someone!" Jinfei suddenly exclaimed, springing up from the ground and chasing after Lee. He quickly ran off, shouting, "Help! Senior Sister's gone crazy!" Yeying laughed heartily, not bothering to intervene in their antics.

"Hey, Senior Sister, it's already dark. Why aren't we there yet?" Lee asked helplessly from the car.

"Shut up, we'll be in the city soon. This is a shortcut," Jinfei replied confidently.

"Some shortcut," Yeying teased from the back. "I heard the main road only takes four hours, but you insisted on this route. Now it's been over five hours, and we haven't even seen a village, let alone the city."

"Why don't you drive, then? Last time, you got us lost, and we missed so much cool stuff," Jinfei said, clearly a bit anxious.

"Oh, so that's happened before?" Yeying feigned ignorance, then added, "Just take your time driving. We'll get there when we get there. I'm going to rest a bit. Lee, mind if I use your shoulder as a pillow?"

"If you keep teasing me, I'll drive us right into a ditch," Jinfei threatened, her hands firmly on the steering wheel, giving her the upper hand.

"Look over there," Lee suddenly pointed to the left. The three of them turned to see some lights in the distance. Though faint, they indicated there were people nearby.

Jinfei cheered, "See? We're almost there. Hold on tight!"

"You're doing it again, Jinfei," Lee said, gripping the car's handle. Sure enough, Jinfei floored the gas pedal, and the car shot forward like a rocket toward the lights.

Before long, they reached the outskirts of a small village. As soon as they got out, Lee staggered to the side, gasping for air. He dry-heaved for a while, clearly uncomfortable.

"Are you okay?" Jinfei asked with concern.

"Jinfei, could you not drive like a maniac? I swear, I felt like my insides were about to come out," Lee replied helplessly. After all, she was the one driving.

Jinfei chuckled, "You need to toughen up. Look at Yeying; she's perfectly fine. You should learn from her."

Indeed, Yeying stood nearby, still looking composed. She walked over slowly and suddenly punched Jinfei on the head, yelling, "Drive like that again, and you'll be paying for the repairs. Just look at my car!"

Lee Jiaxiang turned his head and noticed the car had indeed taken quite a beating, especially the front bumper, which was bent out of shape. No wonder Ji Yeying was upset; getting it fixed was going to cost a pretty penny.

Jinfei rubbed her head and said, "My bad, Master. I mean, it's my fault. I'll be more careful next time, I promise."

Ji Yeying pulled a small calculator from his pocket, punched in some numbers, and said, "This time, part of the repair cost will come out of your paycheck. Don't say I never look out for you; you'll cover thirty percent."

"No, Master," Jinfei protested, her face falling. "Our pay isn't that high to begin with, and if you deduct more, I won't be able to afford meat this month."

Ji Yeying wasn't swayed, calculating further. "Thirty percent is generous. You'll handle $4,000, and I'll cover the rest. Otherwise, you can pay the whole amount, and I'll deduct it from your salary in installments."

Jinfei looked defeated, not daring to ask for anything else. Lee Jiaxiang, realizing something, spoke up, "Wait a minute, Master. Why does she get a salary, and I have to pay? That's not fair. I'm a broke student too; how come I don't get paid?" He looked at Ji Yeying with big, hopeful eyes.

Ji Yeying snorted, "Your senior has already passed the Demon Suppressing Master exam and can take on tasks independently, though she's still in training. You're far from being a real Demon Suppressing Master. You're lucky I'm teaching you at all."

Lee Jiaxiang sighed, and Jinfei, with the air of someone who's been there, patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Hang in there, Junior Brother Lee. Back in my day..."

"If you say one more word, I'll enforce the school's rules on you today," Ji Yeying interrupted, and Jinfei immediately fell silent, looking as if she'd seen a ghost. She was terrified of those rules to her core.

"Who's over there?" A flashlight beam swept across the area.

Jinfei stepped forward quickly. The light was coming from a genuine farmer, who looked very down-to-earth. Behind him stood someone who seemed to be his daughter. Both of them were looking in their direction. Jinfei's sudden approach startled them.

The young woman let out a scream that could wake the dead. Jinfei frowned and said, "Am I really that scary? Besides, what are you so afraid of?"

As soon as she spoke, the woman stopped screaming, stared at her for a while, and said, "Oh my gosh, you scared me to death. I thought you were a ghost."

"Of course I'm not," Jinfei replied, a bit amused and exasperated. She asked, "Sir, we happened to drive here and got lost. That's how we ended up in your village. It's already dark. Could we stay the night?"

The farmer looked them over, seeing two women and a young man, and nodded. "I see. Normally, I'd let you stay, but it's not possible right now. If you follow this path for about an hour, you'll find another small village where you can spend the night."

"Why not here? Sir, we're so hungry we can barely move," Jinfei said, putting on a pleading face as her stomach growled loudly.

The farmer sighed and said, "Well, I do have some leftovers at home. You can have a bite to eat, but you'll need to leave afterward. It's still early." He sighed heavily again, as if something was weighing on his mind.

The three of them followed him to a house on the edge of the village. This was the farmer's home. After opening the door, he led them into the yard. Suddenly, Yeying stopped in her tracks.

"What's wrong, Master?" Lee Jiaxiang asked, following closely behind.

"I sense a demon's presence!"