Chapter 206: Did My Sister Run Into an Evil Cultivator?

Early in the morning, Juanjuan arrived at Mu Zhaoyao’s courtyard. She handed in the assignments from the day before and recited a summary of what she had learned.

Just as she was about to receive Mu Zhaoyao’s feedback, Mu Zhaoyuan came rushing over and called out, “Come on, come on! While it’s still cool out, come learn to ride with me. When it gets hot this afternoon, you can come back for reading and etiquette lessons.”

Juanjuan looked up at Mu Zhaoyao, waiting for her instruction.

Mu Zhaoyao was quite pleased that the child didn’t immediately run off but instead waited for her permission, showing respect for her authority.

She smiled faintly and waved her hand. “Go ahead.”

Then she turned to Mu Zhaoyuan. “Cousin, don’t wear her out so much that she has no energy left for studying this afternoon.”

“I’ll try.”

Juanjuan, who was now being carried in one arm by Mu Zhaoyuan: ???

Why did she suddenly have a bad feeling?

What did she mean by “wear her out”?

And what did “try” even mean?

Juanjuan soon found out.

On the way to Jingcheng, she had ridden a horse too, but that was with Mu Zhaoyuan. All she had to do was sit there.

But now, she was riding on her own.

She couldn’t even mount the horse by herself and had to be lifted up. Looking down from the saddle…

Juanjuan was just grateful she wasn’t afraid of heights.

When she was finally lifted down from the horse and her feet touched the ground, she felt like her legs no longer belonged to her.

Everything was spinning. It didn’t feel real, like she was walking on clouds.

Mu Zhaoyuan covered her mouth and chuckled. She wasn’t laughing at the child, really—it was just that the way Juanjuan stumbled around was too amusing.

Like a sleepwalking granny. But cuter, of course. No granny could compare.

Luckily, Juanjuan had no idea what Mu Zhaoyuan was thinking.

The child was still trying to get used to walking on solid ground again. Once she did, the pain hit—her legs ached, her backside throbbed.

Mu Zhaoyuan cleared her throat. “It’s fine. Everyone goes through this when they first learn to ride.”

Juanjuan nodded. She didn’t cry or complain, which made Mu Zhaoyuan a little curious.

She still remembered how the Mu Family kids had reacted when they first learned to ride. Only a rare few didn’t cry or whine.

She herself definitely wasn’t one of them. Back then, she’d always been looking for ways to sneak off and play.

“Juanjuan, you’re not tired? You never thought about giving up on riding?”

Juanjuan rubbed her short little legs and looked up at Mu Zhaoyuan. “Of course I’m tired. But if I learn to ride, it’ll be really useful. Just like learning to read.”

“Everything’s tiring to learn. Nothing’s easy. But people should keep learning their whole lives! Face challenges head-on!”

Mu Zhaoyuan, suddenly feeling like she’d just been lectured by a child: ???

Wait, kids these days are this driven?

Juanjuan, still waving her little fists with passion, noticed Mu Zhaoyuan staring blankly at her. She slowly lowered her fists, pressed her lips together, and looked a little unsure.

Did she… get a bit too fired up just now?

Did she scare Sister Mu?

But that’s what Mama always said!

“Good!”

A hearty voice rang out from behind, full of praise, followed by a slightly regretful tone. “It’s just a shame she’s a girl.”

Juanjuan turned toward the voice and saw a handsome, striking man.

She didn’t recognize him. He looked like a stranger.

So she stayed quiet and looked to Mu Zhaoyuan.

Sister Mu probably knew who he was.

“What are you doing here?”

Mu Zhaoyuan frowned and casually pulled the little one behind her.

“Why shouldn’t I be here? If you ask me, you’re the one who shouldn’t be in a place like this. A young lady riding more fiercely than a man—if this happened in our family…”

“Yes, yes, Young Master Wen is absolutely right.” Mu Zhaoyuan nodded on the surface, but her expression was full of mockery. She shrugged and smiled. “Whatever you say, Young Master Wen. Come on, Juanjuan, let’s go.”

Juanjuan had already picked up on it—Sister Mu and this man didn’t seem to get along.

She obediently kept quiet, didn’t mention her aching legs, and quickly followed Mu Zhaoyuan.

“Mu Zhaoyuan, you’re already so unruly yourself. Don’t go corrupting this child too. A kid this young should be at home learning embroidery, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting^[2][1]. And you bring her to a horse farm?”

“With your behavior, no one will want to marry you. Are you trying to make this girl unfit for marriage too?”

“She should learn from the Seventh Miss of the noble house. A graceful lady attracts a worthy gentleman^[3]. That’s how a girl should be.”

Juanjuan was just listening, but she could already tell something was off.

Why did this man care about so many things?

She was just about to quietly ask Mu Zhaoyuan when she felt Sister Mu, who was holding her hand, suddenly stop walking.

“What kind of man would even want someone like you? You’ll never get married, and your parents will—”

Before Young Master Wen could finish, a stone whizzed past, missing his face by just half an arm’s length.

Mu Zhaoyuan, who had thrown the stone to shut him up, sneered. “Shut up!”

Seriously, it was fine if their values didn’t align. But they weren’t even close, and he just kept preaching. It was really annoying.

People like that—man or woman—Mu Zhaoyuan couldn’t stand them.

She simply hated people who couldn’t stop lecturing.

She quickly led Juanjuan out of the horse farm, mounted her horse, Treading Snow, and met the little one’s sparkling eyes.

“Sister was amazing just now. That guy shut up right away!”

Mu Zhaoyuan’s bad mood vanished instantly. She reached out and pinched Juanjuan’s cheek. “If you keep practicing, you’ll be able to do that too. It’s just that maybe…”

Juanjuan blinked, unsure what she meant.

“It’s just that maybe you won’t be as dainty as most girls. Your arms might get a bit tough.”

That man’s words had gotten to Mu Zhaoyuan a little.

She didn’t care about what outsiders thought. The Mu Family had her back, and the way she’d been raised was different from most.

She’d even thought about never marrying or having children, since she might die on the battlefield someday.

But Juanjuan was different. She worried she might end up leading the child astray.

“Tough arms make punches hurt more!”

Juanjuan grinned. “Back in the village, all the aunties and grannies had tough arms too.”

Mu Zhaoyuan paused, then remembered—Juanjuan wasn’t some pampered little miss from Jingcheng. She was a farm girl who had fought her way out of the countryside.

Village women worked the fields, cooked, did laundry—all with their own hands. They weren’t delicate like the noble girls of Jingcheng.

“Looks like I was overthinking it. Can’t believe I forgot that.”

In high spirits, Mu Zhaoyuan took Juanjuan back to the estate.

Since Jiang Dai and Bai Tian were both out at noon and not at home, Juanjuan had lunch in Mu Zhaoyao’s courtyard.

But lunch wasn’t just about eating.

Mu Zhaoyao was thorough and hands-on, teaching Juanjuan in every detail.

Even table manners had to be learned.

At home, she might not need to follow them strictly, but once the occasion called for it, she had to know how.

By the time Juanjuan finished horseback riding in the morning, etiquette at lunch, and literacy lessons in the afternoon, and finally returned to her little courtyard…

She felt like her brain had stopped working.

Her body was sore, and her mind was blank.

Bai Yunqi was sitting at the doorway, enjoying the breeze, when he saw his sister float past like a ghost, her steps unsteady, her face expressionless. She didn’t even greet him.

Bai Yunqi: ???

【Wait a minute, did my energetic little sister run into an Evil Cultivator^[4] or something???】