Chapter 350: Stone City, Eating Fruit

Jianye City, the capital of the Wu Kingdom.

The city lies beside the Yin Spring River, its walls built from gray stone, giving it the nickname "Stone City."

That day, a large vessel led the way ahead while a small boat followed; the two ships entered Jianye City's harbor slowly, one after the other.

When the ships docked, Zhou Yu took Zhuge Buliang's hand, and the two stepped off together onto a lavishly decorated carriage waiting at the shore.

Zhang Xingyu, cradling Demon King Harry, also boarded a carriage. Zhao Yun, carrying his silver spear, walked behind the carriage.

After traveling about a quarter hour, they saw a towering city gate in the distance, its lintel bearing four blood‑red characters: "Great Wu King City."

The shadow soldiers defending the city had already opened the gate. A massive procession of carriages and horses streamed through the gate straight into the city.

The carriage followed a main avenue for another quarter hour before stopping before a three‑story pavilion.

The pavilion was called Jinling Hall, the place where the Wu Kingdom received foreign envoys.

Zhou Yu and Zhuge Buliang stepped down from the carriage hand in hand.

"Brother, I already know your purpose. Rest here for now; after I report to the king, I will discuss the alliance with you."

"Then I shall trouble you, elder brother, with my concerns."

Having spoken, the two again clasped hands and reluctantly bid farewell.

After Zhou Yu left, the group was led by a embassy attendant into Jinling Hall, arriving at a spacious courtyard.

This courtyard would be where they would stay for the time being.

When the attendant left, Zhuge Buliang went to the main house of the courtyard, Zhao Yun fetched ceremonial items, and Zhang Xingyu, still holding Harry, entered an annex.

He carefully placed Harry on the bed, then covered her with a soft quilt before sitting at the bedside.

He took a water flask and a jade cup from his storage ring, and carefully poured a small cup of water.

The water was not from the Yin Spring River, but water condensed by his magical power.

It was crystal clear, sweet in taste, without any impurity or off‑flavor.

He gently placed the cup at Harry's lips, intending to feed her a sip.

Harry remained motionless.

Harry's high fever had subsided, yet she remained unconscious.

Her lips were cracked and split, a sign of severe dehydration.

Water is the source of life.

To make her recover, he must find a way to replenish her fluids.

How to do it?

Harry cannot drink on her own, so he must feed her himself.

With that thought, Zhang Xingyu made up his mind.

He opened his mouth, took a big gulp of water, and then leaned his head toward Harry.

"Harry, brother, I'm sorry."

"To save you, I'll sacrifice a little. I hope you won't blame me."

Sweet droplets of water slipped from his lips, little by little, into Harry's mouth.

After feeding her a cup of water, Zhang Xingyu stood up and realized his collar was soaked with sweat.

Feeding Harry water—a woman—was truly harder than any cultivation.

Of course, after this intimate time, he could accurately determine that Demon King Harry was indeed a woman—a truly curvaceous, slender‑waisted woman.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

For three days, Zhou Yu came daily to chat with Zhuge Buliang, yet never mentioned the Wu King's summons.

Zhuge Buliang grew a bit anxious but showed no sign. Only after Zhou Yu left did he shut the door and mutter a few curses.

Zhao Yun, a Taurus, is silent and taciturn; aside from training, he rarely speaks a word.

Below is the dialogue record between Zhang Xingyu, a fan of Zhao, and his idol General Zhao Yun.

Zhang Xingyu: "General Zhao, your armor is truly stylish."

Zhao Yun: "Hmm."

Zhang Xingyu: "General Zhao, is that silver spear the Dragon‑Gall spear?"

Zhao Yun: "Hmm."

Zhang Xingyu: "General Zhao, were you just practicing the Storm‑Pear Blossom spear?"

Zhao Yun: "Hmm."

Zhang Xingyu: "General Zhao, could you teach me your martial arts? I truly admire you."

Zhao Yun: "Hmm."

After several days of interaction, Zhang Xingyu finally understood why Zhao Yun is so handsome and skilled yet still remains a lone bachelor.

In the eyes of such a martial fanatic, beyond his lord and his skills, there is likely no room left for anyone or anything else.

The Wu King's Palace, also called the Splendid Palace, was built on a place in the city known as Jiming Mountain. The mountain was covered with abundant shade‑flowers and dense woods, with pavilions and towers hidden among them.

That day, accompanied by Zhou Yu, Zhuge Buliang led Zhang Xingyu and Zhao Yun to the front of the Splendid Palace.

King Sun Quan of Wu issued a decree, summoning the Shu envoy Zhuge Buliang for an audience.

Zhuge Buliang followed Zhou Yu up the steps, and soon disappeared at the grand, imposing hall's doorway.

Zhang Xingyu stood with Zhao Yun, bored, waiting outside.

Zhao Yun stood upright, his silver Dragon‑Gall spear held straight before him.

"General Zhao, we're just waiting for someone, not on guard duty, so no need to stand so straight."

"Not allowed."

"What do you mean 'not allowed'?"

It must be straightforward.

"Uh. Fine. Just stand there. I'll nap under the tree beside me. Call me if you need anything."

Zhang Xingyu sat under the tree for a nap. These past days he had been caring for the Demon King Ha Li, and his nerves had been constantly taut.

At this moment, with some relaxation time, he actually leaned against the tree and fell asleep.

In his dream, he vaguely saw a group of fairy maidens with flowing ribbons dancing right before him.

A robed immortal wearing an elaborate crown bowed and stood before him. The immortal held a fruit tray, and on the tray lay a golden‑glowing celestial fruit.

The immortal whispered to Zhang Xingyu, "The Supreme Deity graces my humble abode; the Lesser Deity is deeply honored. This realm has no fine treasures, only the Yin Shen Fruit borne by this Heaven‑Earth Spiritual Root is somewhat precious. Please, Great Deity, taste a piece."

The immortal's demeanor was very respectful, and Zhang Xingyu was quite pleased.

He reached out, took the Yin Shen Fruit, and gently took a bite.

It was sour with a hint of sweetness, and sweet with a hint of astringency.

"This fruit isn't ripe; the taste is really bad!"

Zhang Xingyu set the fruit down, complaining in dissatisfaction.

Seeing his displeasure, the immortal quickly began to explain.

"Supreme Deity, calm your anger. Supreme Deity, calm your anger. This fruit is still decades away from ripening, indeed not fully mature. Yet, Great Deity's presence here, only the fruit borne by the Yin Shen Tree of the Heaven‑Earth Spiritual Root can match your stature. In this world there is only this one root. This root bears merely three fruits every ten thousand years. It blooms once every three thousand years, bears fruit every three thousand years, and only matures after another three thousand years. A mortal who merely smells it can ascend to immortality; a wandering soul that eats one will condense into a deity—truly exceedingly rare."

"Oh. In that case, I was wrong to blame you."

Zhang Xingyu, after hearing the explanation, picked up the fruit and took another bite.

It was a little sour, a little astringent.

But this fruit does indeed come from the Heaven‑Earth Spiritual Root.

A treasure that appears once every ten thousand years. He couldn't just abandon it because of the taste.

After swallowing a fruit, Zhang Xingyu felt an indescribable comfort spread through his whole body.

"Ding‑dong, congratulations, host, you have gained 10,000,000 points of God Yuan Value."

In his dream, the system's notification sound rang again.

A rapid series of footsteps sounded, and Zhang Xingyu jolted awake from his dream.

He saw an official rush up the steps, shouting into the palace, "It's bad! A major incident!"