Chapter 26

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

The sky had turned pitch black; Shaowei left the Inn and walked through this County of unknown name and location, her thoughts churning.

This was the clearest-headed day Shaowei had experienced on this journey so far, and also the first time she had such a clear and straightforward conversation with Jiang Fu.

Upon suddenly hearing that her blood would be taken again, Shaowei was undoubtedly furious, yet she also could not help but carefully consider everything related to Jiang Fu.

The first doubt that surfaced in Shaowei's mind was: that night when she was on the verge of death, the other party appeared on the River Surface — was it truly a coincidence?

Judging from the other party's words and actions, it looked more like a case of waiting by a tree stump for a rabbit.

But how did the other party calculate that she would appear in that river? They were clearly complete strangers.

Thinking up to here, as she walked, Shaowei subconsciously raised her arm —

She had been badly injured that day, with bone injuries as well, yet under the other party's treatment she had now recovered almost completely…… although this had to do with her being forced into deep sleep the whole time and getting excessively sufficient rest, it could not be denied that the other party's medical skill was indeed outstanding and rare.

Furthermore, the other party actually saw through that the toxic residue on her body was caused by accumulated Elixir poison, and even more inconceivably, declared outright that if she did not detoxify she would not live past eighteen years old —

If Jiang Fu had said she would not live past twenty, Shaowei would not have been so astonished, but it was precisely eighteen, so precise……

The last time Shaowei died she was exactly seventeen; even without Feng Xian coming to seek death and provoking her to act, causing her Qi and blood to accelerate in reverse flow, she originally could have endured at most a few more months.

The more Shaowei thought, the more she felt this person Jiang Fu was truly suspicious in a hundred ways, mysterious in ten thousand ways.

Yet precisely these suspicious and mysterious traits made Shaowei feel more and more that this person was unfathomable, possessing quite some true ability.

Shaowei had entered the world; although the scope of her entering the world was basically limited to the Feng Family, this experience was enough to let Shaowei understand that in this world below the Mountain, not everyone has such ability — her maternal uncle Feng Xu had raised many children who were useless despite their appearance.

Shaowei right now wanted to live.

She could also leave this place and seek other methods to detoxify, yet she also had to consider: if it was truly as Jiang Fu said, that she alone under heaven could resolve this poison, then where would this life of hers go?

Shaowei could not help but give rise to a stifling sensation of having her lifeline seized by someone — this was a real, tangible lifeline.

Heart heavy with frustration, Shaowei found a dilapidated Taoist Temple to spend the night.

People of this era commonly cultivate the Dao; for some unknown reason this Taoist Temple had fallen into ruin, the clay Ancestor statue covered in dust.

Shaowei sat beneath the statue's clay Platform, hugging her knees in a daze.

In the Twelfth Month, heaven cold and earth frozen, ownerless places always become shelters for those with no home to return to.

Deep into the night, a hunchbacked old woman led a sickly, emaciated boy inside, going to a pile of straw spread in a corner.

When Shaowei entered she had seen that pile of straw pressed down somewhat solidly, knew it was occupied, so she did not approach, only leaned sitting beneath the Divine Platform.

The boy shrank into the straw pile, still trembling violently, calling out in a low, quavering voice that he was cold.

The old woman covered the boy with some straw, coaxing him to sleep: "Heaven will warm up soon……"

Shaowei had never cared about others' affairs, and never once turned her head to look.

Until half a crumbled steamed bun was held out before her.

Shaowei raised her head, meeting the old woman's dark, thin, slack face.

That old woman did not have a benevolent appearance; on the contrary, her features held a few parts ferocity, her voice numb and cold: "Eat."

The destitute who bitterly prop themselves up seem soaked in bitter water from head to toe; even when willing to release a sliver of kindness within their meager capacity, they cannot produce much sweet, bright color to adorn it.

The old woman's face was cold, the bun was also cold.

Shaowei looked at that bun for a while, reached out and took it, sat there without a word, and soon gnawed the bun clean.

"Don't you dare touch the remaining half, otherwise I'll smash your hand to pieces."

The old woman's stern warning came from the side above her head; Shaowei was quite disdainful, thinking: at such an age she still wants to smash my hand, does she think I'm some easily frightened kitten or puppy.

Shaowei tilted her head up to look, only to see the old woman tiptoeing, placing that half steamed bun in the middle of the offering Platform, and even using a broken Bowl to hold it, shabby yet inexplicably dignified and devout.

After placing it, the old woman knelt down, mouth chanting prayers, roughly begging the immortals to bless her grandson Stone so his sickness would heal, and let this freezing-to-death cold sky pass soon.

When the sky was dimly bright, Shaowei rose from before the Divine Platform.

She unfastened the Wolfskin Coat on her body and casually tossed it onto that boy.

The old woman who wandered begging to care for the sick child was still sound asleep, but the sick child slept very lightly from the cold; the Wolfskin Coat had some weight, he was smashed awake, looking blankly at Shaowei.

Shaowei did not speak.

That old woman split the steamed bun in two, half to worship the gods, half also counted as worshipping her.

She was more efficacious than the gods, more particular than the gods.

Shaowei lifted her foot across the broken Door Threshold, finally turned her head back, gaze landing on that half steamed bun placed on the Divine Platform, her eyes fixing.

Begging this illusory clay god, and still having to offer up crumbled steamed bun.

She wanted to beg for a chance to survive; no matter whose presence she begged before in the future, how could she not pay any price or cost?

Perhaps she should be glad that at this moment the other party happened to also want something from her, and she happened to be able to give the other party the price they wanted.

Shaowei pressed her lips tight, for the time being restraining and suppressing the inner demons and rebelliousness in her heart, lifted her foot and ran into the thin dawn light.

Five years, then five years!

But……

How does the road back to the Inn go?!

After Shaowei ran a stretch of road, she stood at a three-way Crossroads looking around blankly.

Last night when she ran out the sky was already dark, plus she had been distracted and thinking wildly the whole time, so she didn't pay attention to the road she walked; moreover these low, short houses all grew so similar!

Shaowei, wearing only thin coarse Cloth clothes, hugged her arms tight in the cold wind, and could not help pondering: if she truly could not find the road back to the Inn, would it be necessary to return to that dilapidated Taoist Temple and seize back the Wolfskin Coat — after all, this road she still remembered.

She was more particular than the gods, and also more afraid of the cold than the gods.

On the stone bridge in the early morning, a crisp sound of footsteps suddenly rang out.

Shaowei turned her head as if sensing something, and saw at the far end of the level bridge deck, in the thin morning mist, a figure in ink-colored clothes — a youth — walk out first, and then a green ox appear behind him, led by him; the green ox took two more steps forward, and the person in green clothes carried on its back also revealed a clear, complete, carefree bearing. The green-clothed person raised a jade-white hand like a willow branch, and with a light wave, dispersed the wet and cold morning mist.

Shaowei immediately lowered the arms she had been hugging, wiping away her lousy appearance of trembling from the cold.

The green ox halted. Jiang Fu, wearing a smile, opened his mouth to ask first: "Little brat, where's your coat?"

Shaowei no longer showed any hostility, merely letting her attitude appear composed: "Traded it for food."

Jiang Fu: "A wolfskin coat could trade for quite a lot of food, what an impressive appetite."

Shaowei said seriously: "It's not just that my appetite is big, I also have to eat meat every day."

A person naturally wouldn't suddenly tell an enemy 'I have to eat meat every day,' nor would they possibly pull a passerby and tell them 'I have to eat meat every day'; this sentence should only be said to the person who provides the meals.

Jiang Fu, suddenly demanded to provide meals, revealed a delighted smile of the clouds parting to reveal the bright moon; she patted the green ox's neck: "Rest assured, I'll provide enough."

The green ox raised its head and "Moo—"ed once, swinging its tail and kicking its front hooves twice.

Jiang Fu threw a fur coat to Shaowei; Shaowei reached out and caught it, clutching it to her chest.

On the ox's back, Jiang Fu turned her head to smile at her, voice cheerful and relaxed: "Let's go, little brat, we're hitting the road."