Chapter 541: Fireflies in the Dark Night

Inside the dim cavern, Xu Qingzang floated in mid-air, turning his head to look at Xu Qing.

His voice echoed, turning into lingering sounds in the surroundings.

Xu Qing stood up, bowed to Xu Qingzang, and nodded.

"Thank you."

Previously, Xu Qingzang thanked him because he had beautified the outside world, giving the people here a hope.

He thanked Xu Qingzang because of the other party's trust.

Xu Qingzang waved his hand, and a vortex appeared before him; he stepped inside and waited for Xu Qing within the vortex.

Xu Qing took a step forward and entered the vortex.

This was his first time leaving this first-level tomb chamber in a month; as he entered the vortex, a mundane world reflected into Xu Qing's eyes.

It was still underground, but the area was far larger than where he had been before; it was an underground city.

"So, you say that outside is your homeland."

"It's nothing." Senior Duanmu's small face flushed red; she ran to Ling'er's side, grabbed his arm, and said softly.

Gazing at the human race within the city, Xu Qing was silent for a long time and could only sigh softly.

For the strong, many times, this is a bond.

Smiles were beaming on the faces of every human Ling'er saw; he saw middle-aged people, he saw youths, and he saw children.

When Shi Shi Pangui answered Ling'er's inquiry at that time, that was how he spoke.

Amidst the laughter and cheers, everyone's gaze also fell upon Ling'er; there was some nervousness, but more was goodwill, as if as long as it was someone brought by Xu Qingzang, to them, they were kin.

Calculating by the days, there should be at most ten more days before the sea of fire returns to its original position; the next time the heavenly fire passes through the sky will be decades later.

Seeing Senior Duanmu looking at him like this, Ling'er was surprised.

A gentleness appeared on Ling'er's face; he had previously asked Shi Shi Pangui why he went out that day, and the other party had truthfully informed him that he was going to buy medicine for his wife.

"Senior, great virtue!"

"Must not forget."

Ling'er murmured, looking at the houses, his spiritual sense spreading out to cover the four directions; he found Senior Duanmu, who was learning embroidery with some aunties, and also found the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor, who was talking incessantly in a long pavilion.

Time passed day by day, another half a month.

"History must be inherited, and civilization must also continue; even if the human race is miserable and difficult in this Jiyue Great Domain, I think we still need to let more humans understand our past glory."

Xu Qing followed silently, walking in the city with Xu Qingzang; he saw many such situations along the way, and also saw that there was a school in this city.

This city was entirely human, with a population of over one hundred thousand.

Three months of heavenly fire passing through the sky; Xu Qing was in the first-level tomb chamber for one month, and in this city for one month as well.

Looking at the pitch-black vegetable leaves, Ling'er looked up at Senior Duanmu's eyes, which were filled with anticipation and nervousness, and took a bite.

"Your wine is not bad."

"My Brother Ling'er is the most upright person; he won't hold onto his status just because the other party's cultivation is low; he has warmth."

She prepared to make all of Brother Ling'er's clothes herself in the future.

Senior Duanmu also chose to temporarily take human form, her small face carrying seriousness, arranging the small house, seemingly trying to tell Ling'er through her actions that she could indeed do housework.

In the following days, seemingly feeling that this method was effective, the little girl came almost every day, holding various medicinal herbs to deliberately ask questions.

In this way, it was even more vivid, and the sounds of praise were constant.

After chewing slowly for a long while, he sent it into his stomach.

Ling'er informed her gently.

Xu Qingzang's voice echoed in Ling'er's ear, and his figure also appeared silently in the house, looking at Ling'er.

After all, not all the strong are willing to protect the mundane; for many strong experts, living well oneself is often more important than anything else.

Light spilled down, and a sense of prosperity permeated the cavern along with the sound of children reading aloud.

"Hey, finish telling that part."

"It's Grandpa Country Lord, hello Grandpa."

The people here, they were grateful to and respected Xu Qingzang, so they didn't want him to be distracted by anything; they could take good care of themselves.

Caught a cold, barely finished writing last night before running a fever and falling asleep, didn't manage to update; apologizing to everyone, Ling'er smiled as he looked at Senior Duanmu's innocent and lively appearance.

"I will lend you a secret treasure; this treasure can avoid fire to a certain extent, allowing you to sink deeper into the magma; this way you won't be exposed outside, and you can save a lot."

Inside it, there was an eyeball filled with brown blood streaks, revealing some eeriness, staring right at Ling'er.

They walked and walked, passed the street corner, passed the long street, until they reached the school.

"The old Country Lord protects over one hundred thousand humans; we cannot go find the Country Lord every time someone has an issue."

So those sisters and aunties began to teach her some methods; someone told her that she must learn to cook, to keep a man's heart, one must first keep his stomach.

Xu Qingzang's words, as well as the scene before his eyes, brought a great shock to Ling'er; he understood even more that in this Jiyue Great Domain, such a place of human protection was undoubtedly surviving in the cracks.

"Very delicious."

There were also some families who took out their own food; Senior Duanmu walked along the way, happily greeting everyone, and ate with great relish.

Someone else told her that as a woman, sewing and mending could not be lacking; her own man could not wear clothes mended by others, so Senior Duanmu was even more moved.

For example, at this moment, he was sitting in a long pavilion, surrounded by hundreds of people.

Many things were not right; they had been beautified.

For the people of the Jiyue Great Domain, the storybooks told by the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor were extremely fresh, especially since the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor also mixed in some stories that happened to Ling'er.

"The last chapter said that the Blood Pupil had tens of thousands of dharma boats launch all at once, surrounding the Mermaid Island tightly."

Ling'er's footsteps paused; he knew the weight of those words, because for Xu Qingzang, this was equivalent to letting him live in his home.

The goodwill from everyone could melt all barriers, and also made Ling'er's state of mind increasingly stable.

The school was open, and children in the city could come to listen to lectures; the one explaining herbs was a middle-aged woman who had lost her lower body and sat in a wheelchair, explaining with a serious expression.

The sky alternated between white and blue, the heavenly fire flickered back and forth, and half a month passed.

So Ling'er was incomparably clear that being able to construct such a human city here and protect so many of his own kind required a boldness and breadth of mind that had to be incomparably vast.

Along the way, Senior Duanmu was jubilant, hopping and skipping beside Ling'er like a child, and her cute appearance also made the residents in the city show smiles when they saw her.

"What you see before your eyes are mostly miserable people suffering and in pain within the two-race alliance."

Although he wasn't too worried about Senior Duanmu having any problems, Ling'er still arranged for the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor to follow.

"How is it, Brother Ling'er, is it delicious?"

Looking at those children, Ling'er thought of himself in the scavenger camp; at that time, he was also, after receiving the guidance of Master Bai, carrying the longing in his heart, incomparably serious.

Looking at the crowd, the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor coughed and spoke indifferently.

Xu Qingzang also heard this sound and spoke softly.

"I won't take your wine for nothing; I saw you running about in the Heavenly Fire Sea before; you must be using the fire there to cultivate some technique, right?"

Just like that, Ling'er stayed.

The latter is the foundation for learning herbs.

"No, come again, how can you stop here!"

There were even more children there.

"Greetings, Country Lord!"

Ling'er smiled, took more than half of the wine prepared in his storage bag, put it in a storage bag, and handed it to Xu Qingzang.

So he looked at this little girl, his eyes revealing deep meaning, and informed her of the method to distinguish Gold-Button Grass and similar herbs.

Ling'er was silent, and after a long while, he revealed a smile.

Below it were also drawn some white clouds, full of beauty.

The children around were as young as seven or eight, and as old as seventeen or eighteen; they were all listening very seriously, especially a little girl among them, who had her eyes wide open, recording while listening, completely forgetting herself.

"Are you leaving?"

"If you want to know what happens next, please listen to the next installment; tomorrow at this time, I will continue here."

Ling'er looked up at the sky; at this moment, the outside sky was at midday, so he nodded, walked out of the house with Xu Qingzang, and strolled around the city.

"One-Leaf Grass, also known as Alien-Repelling Grass, is the whole plant of the Single-Spike Wood Rice of the Xiang Linger Grass family; it is a perennial herb, growing in shaded places and dry wilderness; it does not grow in places where residual spirits face directly."

That screen was very, very large, spread out in the sky, resembling a blue sky.

Then looking at Ling'er, she was a bit nervous, not knowing how to speak, and in the end, she still didn't say it.

Today's lesson in the school was also about explaining herbs; as the sound came out, Ling'er stopped and looked over.

"How is my homeland?"

The surrounding crowd surged over; the middle-aged people's expressions were all respectful, the youths' expressions were full of excitement, and as for the children, they ran over quickly as if they had seen a relative, circling around Xu Qingzang to play.

Besides, what was popular in this city was not just Senior Duanmu; the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor was also slowly accepted by everyone after taking human form, and later even surpassed Senior Duanmu in popularity.

His perception of Xu Qingzang changed with the passage of time, especially at this moment; what his eyes saw and what his heart felt caused his perception to have a earth-shaking change.

Watching Senior Duanmu's busy figure, a smile appeared on Ling'er's face, and he himself slowly relaxed, trying to integrate into this city.

Ling'er's expression was strange; that was a normal little herb.

Xu Qingzang was all smiles, picked up a little boy, and spoke with a laugh.

Ling'er felt respect rise in his heart and bowed again.

Xu Qingzang took it and looked at it, a smile appearing on his face; looking at Ling'er, he suddenly spoke.

The simple architecture, in his perception, revealed all the warmth that the Jiyue Great Domain possessed.

Even though he was mentally prepared, at this moment, Xu Qing's heart still rippled; he even saw the mud dome here covered by a huge blue screen.

"Your Dao companion's condition is due to the accumulation of the Yin poison of the earth cave and the Yang evil of the heavenly fire, forming a situation where water and fire are incompatible; these elixirs can neutralize them; taking them continuously, although it cannot be completely resolved, can also suppress it to a certain extent."

Like an old man looking at his descendants.

Every time this moment arrived, Bu Yun would blush with shyness.

At this moment, amidst the surging emotions in her heart, Linger followed behind Bu Yun Cang, and together they walked into the city.

Linger fell silent for a few more breaths, then nodded.

"Teacher, you know the One-Leaf Grass he mentioned, but afterwards you looked in quite a few places and there wasn't any, and there's also that Tengniu Wood, there wasn't any of that either!"

"Senior, this is my wife and my younger sister."

Amidst the crowd's fascination, the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor spoke eloquently, his voice rising and falling with emotion, easily drawing people into his tale; even Xu Qing, hidden in mid-air, was also hiding there, nodding as he listened.

Looking at this nervous family, Linger was just about to speak, but noticing a trace of stubbornness in the little girl's expression, he thought for a moment and said nothing more, simply nodding.

When the blue curtain of the sky gradually turned white as the heavenly fire dimmed, and many things twinkling like starlight appeared, Linger had finished walking through the entire city.

Very soon, their family left; they were going to send the little girl to class.

"That is not worthy of the two words 'great virtue'." Bu Yun Cang shook his head.

She remembered the day Linger gave her sister-in-law the elixir.

Under the night veil, Bu Yun Cang stood in an empty residential house, turned his head to look into Linger's eyes, watched for a good while, and spoke hoarsely.

Linger patiently provided careful explanations, while the little girl's questions were non-stop, one after another; while explaining, Linger also saw the other's persistence regarding plants and trees, as well as her excellent memory.

Upon noticing Senior Duanmu, Shi Shi Pangui paused for a moment, and when he arrived again later, he was no longer alone, but brought with him a woman of similar age and a little girl.

"What is it, Senior Duanmu?"

As he walked over, Linger heard the voice of a little girl coming from inside.

Linger said solemnly.

Time passed slowly.

When Bu Yun Cang said this, his expression carried a trace of sorrow, but very quickly this sorrow was hidden beneath the excited voices of everyone around.

His wife was in poor health and often fell ill; two months ago her condition worsened, and Shi Shi Pangui was anxious at heart, so even though he knew the heavenly fire was coming, he still risked going out to other clan cities to purchase medicine.

"My ability is limited, I cannot save everyone, I can only try my best to help; I save as many as I can, and gradually, it became this many."

"Big brother, you... you know how to refine elixirs?"

And this session of questions and answers only ended after lasting for two hours.

The Jin Gang Sect and Senior Duanmu each had their own excitement; the Shadow was very envious, it also wanted to go out and play, but it didn't dare, and every day it could only lie on the ground, watching Linger, who sat in meditation like a piece of wood, with longing eyes.

The reason for all this was that when he was protecting Senior Duanmu, he passed by a place where stories were told, and listening to the storyteller inside rambling on, he felt disdain in his heart and simply took human form to tell a storybook tale he had once read.

Until dusk fell, the little girl let out a long sigh of relief and left happily, but that night, her brother brought her to Linger, scolding her for disturbing a senior.

And on the ground, although there was only this one underground city, there were actually green plants inside, and even more surprisingly, open spaces where crops were growing.

Without waiting many days, the little girl came again; this time she brought more sweet potatoes, placed them respectfully to the side, and began to inquire.

Furthermore, there were also places within this city that taught cultivation and knowledge of plants and trees, allowing mortals the opportunity to master extraordinary powers.

However, at the very beginning, Bu Yun did not appear in human form in front of others, but later he got used to it, and so he appeared in Shi Shi Pangui's sight.

Linger nodded.

So he looked solemn and bowed with cupped hands.

Until after several times, she finally couldn't hold back and asked a question.

"Then, Linger brother, you should eat more."

The two left and walked the whole city; Linger also saw many low-level cultivators like Shi Shi Pangui; they were all guards within the city, responsible for going out to trade for necessities the city needed when there was no heavenly fire.

This little girl was precisely Shi Shi Pangui's younger sister.

Bu Yun Cang spoke softly, walking toward the distance, and just as Linger was about to follow, Bu Yun Cang's voice echoed.

Linger looked at the sweet potatoes, smiled, and explained carefully.

Time passed like this again, and very soon the heavenly fire outside passed through the sky, reaching its end.

"This old man has read ten thousand storybooks; this passage seems plain, but in reality, it hides mysteries. You lot cannot swallow it whole; you must savor it carefully to feel the flavor within."

This behavior was very dangerous, but he had no other choice.

Linger nodded upon hearing this.

Those starlights were transformed by the mirrors of the Mirror Shadow Clan.

A few days later, she arrived again.

"Country Lord!"

Walking along this path, the human race Linger saw were either numb or worried about food, their status incomparably humble.

"The clouds in the sky will of course move, it's just that it's sleeping right now; once it wakes up, it will move, it will definitely move."

"This place is my homeland." Bu Yun Cang spoke softly.

Every time this eleven or twelve-year-old little girl came, she would bring Linger some food like sweet potatoes and place them obediently to the side.

In this half-month, Shi Shi Pangui came seven or eight times, each time bringing exquisite food; his wife's cooking was very good, and Senior Duanmu especially liked the snacks she sent.

"Time to leave."

As he spoke, Bu Yun Cang raised his left hand and opened his palm.

The buildings in the city were mostly simple, people's clothes were mostly plain, there was no luxury, and there were no shops around.

The crowd was just listening to the critical moment, and upon hearing this, they immediately became anxious and started heckling.

Between heaven and earth, there was still a huge ball of light, and what was contained inside was actually the heavenly fire, sealed in a bottle by a special method, making it act as a sun.

His personality did not like liveliness, so most of the time he sat silently in the house practicing cultivation, but Senior Duanmu could not stay idle; at first, she begged Linger to go with her, but later, after she became familiar with the city's residents, she would run out in a flurry every day.

Linger looked up toward the school, where the sound of reading came from, speaking of the human race's past history.

What remained was only silence.

This time she changed her method, carefully taking an ordinary medicinal herb from her bosom, and spoke timidly.

"Having eaten so many of your snacks, these elixirs are only proper; there is no need for this."

Only there were no old people.

Shi Shi Pangui was moved, and his wife was also grateful; the couple was about to kneel down to thank Linger, but were helped up by a wave of Linger's hand.

"The heavenly fire will pass through for another two months; you should just stay here for now."

"And that Mermaid Island Ancestor is definitely not a kind soul, this cultivator..."

Bu Yun Cang looked at the city, his expression gentle, his eyes carrying a light refracted from the heavenly fire in mid-air, a smile appearing on his face.

Bu Yun Cang looked at the school and spoke with emotion.

Bu Yun Cang spoke softly; at this moment, he was like a different person compared to when he was fighting against alien races on the Heavenly Fire Sea.

He watched for a good while, then walked away with light steps.

The hustle and bustle, the laughter and joy, drifted out from the city in that instant, floating to Xu Qing's ears; Linger also poked his head out, looking toward the direction of the city.

"The cultivation techniques and knowledge of plants and trees here, some I know myself, some I snatched from outside or traded for; most are ancient texts and no longer have much meaning, for example, the plants, most of them do not exist in the current Sacrifice Moon Great Domain."

At first, there were not many listeners, but later there were more every day, and the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor, who had been terrified by Linger's side for years, had not been so sought after in a long time.

After they left, Senior Duanmu happily took a bite, then looked at Linger, her eyes turning into the shape of crescent moons, feeling proud in her heart.

Every time, Bu Yun explained very meticulously.

Just like that, on the second day after Bu Yun learned to cook, Linger ate Senior Duanmu's cooking for the first time in his life; she had been busy for over an hour and finally made a few dishes for Linger.

Linger nodded silently upon hearing this.

Until dusk, when the blue cloth of the sky dimmed, the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor's words paused, and he coughed lightly.

There was no trading here, only mutual help.

"Linger brother, let's go out for a walk, shall we?"

The Jin Gang Sect Ancestor smiled upon hearing this.

Linger wanted to see if that little girl would continue to come and inquire.

Senior Duanmu was moved and studied earnestly.

The process of integration was not difficult.

After speaking, amidst the heckling and laughter of those around, the Jin Gang Bu Yun Ji hummed a little tune and walked away with his hands behind his back, continuing to secretly protect Senior Duanmu.

Kindness like this was not something Linger had encountered much in his life, so after his gaze swept over Shi Shi Pangui's wife, he pondered slightly, took some elixirs from his storage bag, and gave them to Shi Shi Pangui.

Upon hearing this, the little girl immediately recorded it down and quickly asked a second question, all about the plants she had learned, many of which she had asked her teacher about but received no answers.

And Senior Duanmu's popularity in this city far exceeded Linger's, especially with the introduction of Shi Shi Pangui's wife; she got to know many older sisters and aunts.

So, with his heart itching, while Senior Duanmu was learning to cook and sew, he secretly went to tell stories many times.

"Teacher, is this the Gold-Twist Grass you mentioned?"

Bu Yun Cang was silent, and after a long while, he sat down.

It was as if upon returning here, all his cunning, all his venom, and all his ruthlessness instinctively vanished.

Bu Yun Cang walked away; he also lived in this city. Until his figure disappeared from sight, Linger turned his head to look at the residential house behind him.

However, Bu Yun also had visitors here; besides Shi Shi Pangui, of course, his younger sister, which was that little girl, would also run over.

"What was said all afternoon? Why didn't I remember a single thing!"

"The old people all willingly chose death; they didn't want to waste food."

"The human race in the Sacrifice Moon Great Domain, due to some historical reasons, lives in extreme hardship, their lives full of suffering; I was the same in my childhood."

Senior Duanmu was nervous.

"What you see is me protecting them, but in reality... they are also keeping me company."

Senior Duanmu was immediately happy.

The little girl was immediately encouraged, took out a small notebook, and asked a question about plants.

"Country Lord Grandpa, I've been watching the clouds in the sky for a long time, why aren't they moving at all?"

The seven people, including Shi Shi Pangui and his wife, were increasingly moved, while the big boy beside them secretly watched the storage bag from which Linger took out the elixir bottle, lost in thought.

"But in the end, it is still knowledge; who knows... it might be useful in the future."

These people all liked her very much and were also curious about the relationship between her and Linger.

"Short, short, short, incomparably short!"

Linger hesitated, but eventually ate them all, and just as he was about to meditate, Chen Chen Erniu excitedly transmitted his words.

Shi Shi Pangui spoke respectfully, while the woman and the big boy beside him were clearly very nervous, bowing to Linger.

This was the first time Xu Qing had seen a human city after arriving in the Jiyue Great Domain, and it was also the first time he had seen so many of his own kind.

"Brother Linger, I will continue tomorrow."