When Mao Xiaoli entered the branch, there were only Ma Shanfeng and Zhang Qiudao. Ma Shanfeng was a nice person, smiling all the year round and looking very kind, but he was very smooth. Even though the branch had few people and was not strong enough, it was still able to snatch business from major sects and the headquarters to maintain the daily operation of the branch. Every time they snatched orders, they arranged them according to the skills of Mao Xiaoli and Zhang Qiudao. If the order was too difficult, they would give it to others or charge a brokerage fee.
In Ma Shanfeng's view, no matter how high the price of the order is, the most important thing is the lives of the branch members. Every time he issues an order, he will investigate the situation clearly to avoid confusion or concealment of the order's difficulty. Therefore, Mao Xiaoli stayed in the branch with peace of mind and went to college by the way, and only took orders when she had nothing to do.
She didn’t officially meet Zhang Qiudao until she had lived in the branch for a week. She had always heard Ma Shanfeng mention another colleague but had never met him. She heard that he was out taking orders. It was a sunny day with blue sky and white clouds. Mao Xiaoli pushed her bicycle into the branch yard. As soon as she locked the bicycle, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw a young man wearing a black hoodie with a red edge, trousers, military boots, a black shoulder bag and a seven-star sword.
He has handsome features but is young, with a stern face and aloof temperament, as if he is far away from the crowd. He is stylish and handsome. If he were in her school, he would definitely attract the admiring gazes of many girls. Mao Xiaoli's first reaction was that this was a customer. When she saw the Seven Star Sword, her second reaction was that this was a fellow traveler. She smiled and said hello: "Are you here to apply for a job or to find someone?"
Zhang Qiudao passed by Mao Xiaoli's smiling face and walked straight inside. Mao Xiaoli was stunned for a moment and then chased after him: "Who are you? I am Mao Xiaoli, a member of the branch. If you are here to apply for a job, you can sign up with me first. If you are looking for someone, you can ask me first."
Zhang Qiudao suddenly stopped. Mao Xiaoli didn't have time to stop and bumped into him. She covered her nose and rubbed it a few times with her teeth bared. "Why did you stop suddenly? Who are you? Tell me your purpose, otherwise don't blame me for being rude."
Zhang Qiudao's eyes slid from Mao Xiaoli's face to the sign hanging on her waist. The black tassels were all talismans, not even a sixth-grade Heavenly Master. "Mao Xiaoli?" Mao Xiaoli responded unhappily, and then heard a barely perceptible sneer: "Recruiting a loser?"
Mao Xiaoli was stunned, thinking about that sentence again and again, and finally determined that she was talking to Ma Shanfeng across the air, implying that Ma Shanfeng had recruited a useless little Taoist priest like her. Mao Xiaoli took out the Five Thunder Spirit Talisman and the Peach Wood Sword like a small firecracker that was set off, and immediately fought with Zhang Qiudao: "Then let me see how capable you are."
Without even turning his head, Zhang Qiudao used the Seven Star Sword to block the peach wood sword. The hilt of the sword hit the back of Mao Xiaoli's hand, and the latter dodged in pain. He then thrust the tip of his sword down against Mao Xiaoli's throat: "Are you still going to fight?"
After three moves, she was pinned down. Mao Xiaoli's teeth were grinding and she raised her chin and said, "I lose now. Let's fight again in two months."
Zhang Qiudao took back the Seven Star Sword and was too lazy to respond to her challenge. Ma Shanfeng heard the noise and came out to see the two of them. Especially the tense atmosphere from Mao Xiaoli, he asked, "Are you all back?"
Mao Xiaoli: "Uncle Ma, do you know him?"
"Of course I do—"
"The order has been completed and the money has been transferred. I will transfer the share to you later." Zhang Qiudao interrupted Ma Shanfeng, informed him of the completion of the order, and went upstairs to rest. Mao Xiaoli: "So arrogant." She thought this person looked down on her cultivation and was so arrogant, but she didn't expect that he treated Ma Shanfeng the same way. "Uncle Ma, is he Zhang Qiudao, another member of the branch?"
Ma Shanfeng smiled and nodded: "You two should get along well."
Mao Xiaoli curled her lips: "Difficult." She had heard of Zhang Qiudao. There was a post in the Tianshi Forum that specifically recorded the young and promising Tianshi in the Tianshi world. Among them, Zhang Qiudao was shortlisted in the top 20 at the youngest age. It was said that he was a cultivation madman. His family was not short of money, but he often took orders to practice. It was said that he had been promoted to the fourth-grade Mengwei Lu, and he might become the youngest Wulei Tianshi in two years.
Ma Shanfeng still smiled when he heard this, and did not comment on it. Mao Xiaoli turned to ask Ma Shanfeng: "Uncle Ma, I will not accept orders for the next two months."
"Oh? Why?" Ma Shanfeng took out a tea bag from the cabinet and asked curiously.
Mao Xiaoli: "I want to prepare for the promotion to the sixth rank of Du Gong Lu." I will fight with Zhang Qiudao again in two months to see if he still dares to say that he is useless.
Ma Shanfeng pondered and said, "I can stop taking orders for you for two months, but if you want to successfully upgrade to the sixth-grade Dugong Lu within two months, it may be difficult. With your talent, your Taoism can reach the sixth-grade Dugong, but I am afraid it will not be recognized by the Taoist Association." After all, the promotion to the Dugong Lu requires an assessment by the Taoist Association, which assesses not only Taoism, but also merits and the degree of mastery of the sutras. With Mao Xiaoli's laziness, it may be difficult for her to master all the sutras in a short period of time.
"It doesn't matter." Mao Xiaoli shrugged: "I just want to improve my Taoism, not like today when I was defeated in three moves."
Ma Shanfeng: "Okay. I wish you success. Also, get along well with Qiudao. Although he has an introverted personality, he is quite easy to get along with." Mao Xiaoli was skeptical about the fact that Zhang Qiudao was easy to get along with.
In the following time, Mao Xiaoli hardly saw Zhang Qiudao, because he usually took a week or two off after receiving an order. During this time, apart from going to school, he stayed in his room and relied on takeout for food and drink. According to Ma Shanfeng, Zhang Qiudao was an avid gamer, and his only way to relieve stress and entertain himself was through games.
The only time they met was when Mao Xiaoli couldn't sleep in the middle of the night and went downstairs to the living room to draw talismans. Then she heard rustling sounds coming from the kitchen. She thought it was a mouse, so she pinched a Five Thunder Spirit Talisman and tiptoed over. The kitchen refrigerator was opened and a faint light was revealed. Mao Xiaoli quickly slipped over and forcefully pasted the Five Thunder Spirit Talisman on it: "Yuqing Shizhen, the True Talisman announces the alliance—"
A pale, powerful hand with blue veins suddenly grabbed Mao Xiaoli's wrist and pulled the talisman from between her fingers. Zhang Qiudao's cold eyes pierced Mao Xiaoli: "You want to kill me?"
Mao Xiaoli chuckled: "I thought it was a rat."
Zhang Qiudao let go and said, "Can the rat in your house open the refrigerator by itself? Do you use the Five Thunder Talisman to kill the rat?" As he spoke, he tore off the talisman, crumpled it into a ball and threw it into the trash can. He picked up the bottle of pure milk and stood up, looking down at Mao Xiaoli coldly.
Mao Xiaoli shrugged and acted innocent: "Maybe our rat can open the refrigerator. Who else would open the refrigerator in the middle of the night? Oh, I forgot there were other people in the police station. I thought I was the only one." She rubbed her wrists and opened the refrigerator, and found that it was full of pure milk and a bunch of bananas. She pulled out a banana and closed the refrigerator. Leaning against the refrigerator door, she tore open the banana and took a big bite. While eating, she said: "Have you eaten all the junk food in your room?"
Zhang Qiudao inserted the straw and sucked hard, draining half of the pure milk from the box, causing the entire box to deflate. He stood in the shadows, staring at Mao Xiaoli fiercely and without emotion, and his ferocious look made Mao Xiaoli's heart skip a beat.
After Zhang Qiudao drank all the milk, he blew up the box and slapped it hard on his palm. After a loud bang, the box flattened. He crumpled the box into a ball and threw it into the trash can. When he turned around, he glanced at the frightened Mao Xiaoli, sneered and left.
Mao Xiaoli was stunned for a while, then swallowed the rest of the banana and ran back to the room in two steps. She made a training plan, which required her to pin Zhang Qiudao to the ground in two months!
Two months of hard training certainly didn't produce much results, but fortunately, the Mao family all had one thing in common: once they decided on something, they would complete it wholeheartedly. So she spent four months upgrading herself from a seventh-rank Heavenly Master to a sixth-rank Heavenly Master, and challenged Zhang Qiudao again, although she still lost.
After all, the sixth-grade celestial master is two levels lower than the fourth-grade celestial master, and it is a fact that he is not strong enough. But Zhang Qiudao was not able to get any good results from Mao Xiaoli. Mao Xiaoli was eccentric and used her talent in drawing talismans to trick Zhang Qiudao. Neither of them could get any good results from the other. Although he lost, Zhang Qiudao did not look down on Mao Xiaoli anymore.
It only took four months to upgrade himself from a seventh-grade Heavenly Master to a sixth-grade Heavenly Master, which shows that he has amazing talent. Especially during this period, Mao Xiaoli attended classes as usual and took two orders. If these were cut out and the time for cultivation was compressed, it would actually be less than two months. The terrifying talent of the Mao family is as rumored and should not be underestimated.
In any case, the atmosphere between Zhang Qiudao and Mao Xiaoli was no longer as tense as when they first met. When Mao Xiaoli asked him how she was, Zhang Qiudao no longer ignored her. This was considered a gradual improvement in their relationship, and Ma Shanfeng was happy to see this.
The two of them have been getting along for nearly a year, and Mao Xiaoli seems to have completely forgotten the previous confrontation with Zhang Qiudao, and also forgot that Zhang Qiudao treated her coldly. She is generous and does not bear grudges. Her attitude towards Zhang Qiudao is no different from that of other people. Sometimes the two of them take orders together, and Mao Xiaoli's chattering makes Zhang Qiudao want to sew her mouth shut. But when he takes orders alone, the silence on the road makes him feel disappointed, and he inexplicably misses the chattering Mao Xiaoli.
When Zhang Qiudao was working with other celestial masters to take orders, he tried to make a joke, but they thought he was possessed by a ghost and threw all kinds of spells at him. Zhang Qiudao took off all the talismans on his head and never learned from Mao Xiaoli again. He was simply mentally retarded for trying to make a joke with strangers.
On the other hand, Mao Xiaoli found Zhang Qiudao very reliable after getting to know him. At least when it comes to taking orders, he is a very reliable partner, with meticulous observation and extraordinary strength. After getting along for a long time, she realized that Zhang Qiudao was a little picky in terms of Taoism and was quite rough in life, but basically he was easy to get along with.
After Chen Yang joined the branch, the branch had a director, and the scale of the branch was gradually expanded. Mao Xiaoli liked the excitement and the crowds, and especially liked to pick up the fat guy. Every day after school, she could see the lively scene in the branch and smell the delicious food instead of having to eat the same old bento at the restaurant outside.
In the summer, everyone moved to the courtyard to eat dinner. Occasionally, if they tried to persuade Ma Shanfeng, he would give up two bottles of his favorite fruit wine. The fruit wine was chilled and refreshing. The cool breeze of the summer night blew on my face, the stars twinkled in the sky, and everyone in the branch gathered together to chat and laugh. This was Mao Xiaoli's favorite moment. Whenever this happened, she would grab half a bottle of fruit wine and drink it all. After getting a little tipsy, she would get excited and throw herself on Da Pang and roll her face around, or hug Zhang Qiudao and Kou Xuanling to show their good brotherhood.
Kou Xuanling would kick her away in disgust, and Mao Xiaoli would hold the bottle and yell at him: "You will be alone forever!" At that time, she didn't know that Kou Xuanling was a faster winner in life than anyone else. After yelling, she would become good friends with Zhang Qiudao. Although Zhang Qiudao looked disgusted, he never pushed her away. Instead, he would make tea for her to sober her up.
Zhang Qiudao was surprisingly good at making tea. When Mao Xiaoli woke up and was greedy, she secretly brought all of Ma Shanfeng's tea sets upstairs for him to make tea. Ma Shanfeng didn't know and shouted downstairs: "Where are my tea sets? Who stole my tea sets?"
Zhang Qiudao paused while making tea and looked up at Mao Xiaoli, who was feeling guilty. Mao Xiaoli then said confidently, "Go on. Ignore Uncle Ma. He drinks tea regularly, so it's okay if he drinks less."
Every time she acted so confidently, she would secretly buy tea bags online and stuff them into Ma Shanfeng's tea can afterwards, causing him to complain that he could never finish the tea bags because he wanted to switch to other teas. Zhang Qiudao laughed and pushed the brewed tea in front of Mao Xiaoli: "Drink it." He looked up and saw Mao Xiaoli staring at his face in a daze.
Mao Xiaoli murmured, "Zhang Qiudao, when you just got up, your smile was so gentle and doting, so handsome that my heart was pounding."
Zhang Qiudao's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, and his heartbeat became disordered because of Mao Xiaoli's words. "Drink it and get out of here quickly. I want to play games." The harsh words concealed the sudden excitement in his heart.
Mao Xiaoli shrugged: "Get lost immediately after drinking... Zhang Qiudao, have you ever thought about getting married and having children?"
Zhang Qiudao said nothing. Mao Xiaoli finished her tea and said, "I'm still young, and my family urged me to find a boyfriend while I'm in college. If I don't have a boyfriend after I'm 20, they'll force me to go on a blind date. Humph, aren't they worried that I'll be like my eldest aunt, second aunt, and youngest aunt and not get married? Why should I get married? I'm still young. If they force me to go on a blind date, I'll go to the mountains and forests to practice."
Zhang Qiudao laughed: "You? In the deep mountains and old forests, there is no internet and no gossip. Can you survive there?"
"I can't stay here." Mao Xiaoli answered honestly, "Then I'd better live in seclusion in the city." Her eyes rolled around, "Zhang Qiudao, if your parents force you to get married and have children, and you don't want to, we can hide together and keep each other company."
"Are you trying to make me your ally?" Zhang Qiudao's face suddenly turned cold after he finished laughing: "Move the tea set out after you finish drinking." He immediately ordered him to leave.
After Mao Xiaoli lifted up the tea set, she continued to persuade him: "You can really consider forming an alliance with me. You don't want to get married, and I don't want to get married either. Why don't we form an alliance to fight against the evil forces at home. Eh? Why are you doing this? Okay, I'll get out now."
As Zhang Qiudao closed the door, he suddenly said, "I didn't say I wouldn't get married."
Mao Xiaoli: "Huh?"
Zhang Qiu said: "I really didn't want to before."
Mao Xiaoli smelled gossip and was about to pounce on him when she was blocked outside by a slamming door.
The author has something to say: Lao Kou’s reaction in the previous chapter will be briefly mentioned in the extra chapter about Mao and Zhang.