Chapter 110 - 108: Da Bao Likes Arithmetic
"Could you teach me?" Huo Jun asked, his voice full of anticipation. He had unconsciously used a polite form of address.
Huo Jun was blind and unable to fly. Life was difficult for him, and he needed He Xian to look after him constantly.
But because of this, he had a very rich inner world.
He loved to imagine and learn.
What he enjoyed most was chatting with the tribe’s witch doctors, Priests, and Wise Men.
Among them, he loved talking about everything under the sun with the Wise Men most of all. It made his otherwise dull life interesting.
"Of course," Nan Zishi said.
Han Feng and He Xian saw that the two were genuinely hitting it off, so they left them the branch to themselves.
Chi Xiao hadn’t returned yet, and Han Feng had tribal matters to attend to, so he left first. This left only He Xian, who rested his head on his hand on a nearby branch, watching the older and younger one chat.
At first, he was just watching casually, but the longer he looked, the more he felt that the pair—the older and the younger—were both quite good-looking.
As he continued to watch, a strange thought struck him. If Huo Jun, with his slightly reddish skin, were fair-skinned, he might be just as good-looking as this female named Nan Zishi.
At this thought, He Xian’s head snapped up.
’How strange. I actually think our young master and this new Fire Red Eagle female look a bit alike?!’
"This is called a pulley," Nan Zishi said patiently, handing a wooden pulley to Huo Jun. He reached out to touch it with his hands.
Nan Zishi guided Da Bao’s hand to the pulley, patiently explaining the concepts of fixed and movable pulleys.
"Is it too difficult?" Nan Zishi asked.
’This is middle school knowledge, after all. Isn’t teaching middle school physics a bit much in an era where people can barely even do basic arithmetic?’
Huo Jun nodded, his lips curling into a smile. "It is a bit difficult. But very interesting."
"Can you do math?" Nan Zishi asked.
"A little," Huo Jun answered modestly. In reality, his arithmetic skills were impressive enough to earn a second look from even the Wise Men.
"So you like math?"
Huo Jun nodded with a smile. "I do."
"How advanced are you?"
Huo Jun replied, "I can do addition and subtraction with numbers up to twenty."
"And I do it in my head," Huo Jun added.
The Wise Men of this world used knotted ropes or tally marks to do their calculations; they all needed physical aids to get the job done.
But because Huo Jun was blind, he had always practiced his math using only mental arithmetic.
In the Beast World, this was already considered the ability of a powerful Wise Man.
After a moment of thought, Nan Zishi said, "Let me give you a problem to try. It’s a bit difficult, but very interesting."
Huo Jun’s expression brightened. "Okay!" he said, his interest piqued.
"It’s a little tricky, so listen carefully, okay?"
"Okay." The corners of Huo Jun’s lips lifted into a smile.
Nan Zishi slowly stated the problem: "Two fish swim from a large pond into a small pond. Afterward, the small pond has four fewer fish than the large pond. The question is, how many more fish did the large pond have than the small pond to begin with?"
Huo Jun: "..."
’This was really the first time he’d ever heard a question like this.’
Huo Jun lowered his head slightly, his young mind working hard to think through the calculation.
"The problem is a bit hard, so don’t rush," Nan Zishi said. ’Maybe the question I gave Da Bao is too difficult,’ she thought.
"It is really hard," Huo Jun said, lifting his little face.
Nan Zishi had the urge to pat his head, but she was afraid of being too forward with the little one. Restraining herself, she smiled and said, "Yes. It is indeed hard."
Huo Jun looked up with a smile. "Is the answer eight?"
"That’s right!" Nan Zishi was genuinely astonished. "Wow, you’re so smart! I’m not just saying that to be nice, you’re truly intelligent!"
The young boy’s smile grew even brighter.
He Xian, watching from the side, took in the expressions on the faces of the older and younger one. ’They really can talk for ages,’ he couldn’t help but think.
’Do they have so much in common that they can just keep talking forever?’
’And Young Master Huo Jun seems to hold this female in very high regard.’
Watching this scene unfold made He Xian’s curiosity grow even more intense.
When Han Feng flew back, he was momentarily taken aback to see the female and Huo Jun getting along so splendidly.
After all, plenty of females in the Bird Beastman Tribe had tried to get close to him or the Lord by deliberately approaching Huo Jun first. But the boy was completely impervious to their advances, ignoring every last one of them.
He had always detested adult females.
This was the first adult female Huo Jun had ever accepted.
"Nan Zishi." Han Feng flew over to them.
Huo Jun’s brow furrowed slightly, as if he were none too pleased by his uncle’s arrival.
Han Feng was speechless.
’To think that I, the dear uncle Huo Jun has always been so fond of, would one day be upstaged.’
Han Feng said to Nan Zishi, "You should find a tree hollow to stay in. There are plenty nearby. Do you want to go pick one out?"
The flightless Nan Zishi was speechless.
’I can’t fly. If I live in a tree hollow, how am I supposed to get in and out?’
Nan Zishi asked tentatively, "Could I stay with Huo Jun?"
’Stay with Huo Jun? Given his aversion to the entire species of adult females, he’ll definitely refuse.’
"Okay!" Huo Jun said with a smile.
Han Feng was stunned!
But Han Feng shook his head. "Nan Zishi, Huo Jun has a father. His father is a male with a female master. So it wouldn’t be appropriate for you to stay in Huo Jun’s cave."
Huo Jun’s face fell.
Nan Zishi was speechless. ’I *am* Chi Xiao’s female master. But...’
’Not to mention that when they’d mated, that terrifying Red Eagle Beastman had threatened to kill her. If she actually revealed her relationship with Chi Xiao, her life would probably be in danger.’
’Besides, in a little over twenty days, I might have to return to Earth.’
’Hu Bai, Fox Qi, Lanxing, Fufu, Xuan Jin, She Yang, Huo Jun... and Little Lao Liu.’
’I’m getting more and more attached.’
’Since he doesn’t recognize me, why should I reveal our connection? It would only add unnecessary emotional baggage when it’s time to part.’
’It’s better to just act as a passerby, to be a friend to my little cub. At least that way, when we part in the future, my Da Bao won’t have to grieve.’
Lost in thought, Nan Zishi said, "Then I’ll just take the cave closest to Huo Jun."
"There is one, actually," Han Feng said.
...
Nan Zishi’s tree hollow was indeed close to Huo Jun’s—it was in the very next tree.
He Xian carried Huo Jun on his back, and Han Feng carried Nan Zishi, bringing them to her temporary new home.
"Huo Jun, we’re neighbors now!" Nan Zishi said excitedly.
Huo Jun was also visibly delighted. "Yes, I live in the tree right next door. Sister Nan, if you ever want to find me, just call out. I have excellent hearing, so I’ll be able to hear you."
"Okay. And you can come find me anytime you want to hang out."
Han Feng teased, "Look at you two, becoming fast friends."
Nan Zishi patted Huo Jun’s shoulder and laughed. "Little Huo Jun is smart and good-looking. Who wouldn’t like him?"
Hearing the praise, the young boy couldn’t stop the corners of his thin lips from curving into a wide smile.
"Alright," Han Feng said with a smile. "I’ll leave you two to it, then. I’m heading off."
Han Feng left, but Huo Jun and He Xian remained.
Nan Zishi said to He Xian, "He Xian, I need some help. Could you do me a favor?"
He Xian glanced at Huo Jun before replying happily, "Of course!"
Nan Zishi smiled. "I need some sturdy vines, and some small branches about this long and this thick."