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QT Cannon Fodder's Record: Dekachapter 246
🕑 Added 2023-07-17 01:09:34 +0000 UTCChp 2451: The Snake Finally Left
The night after the snake had rested enough, she took her eggs in her mouth and dragged her huge body away while taking advantage of the dark.
Ning Shu breathed a sigh of relief. The snake finally left.
Ning Shu had been worrying about being discovered. She hoped that the snake could survive the heavenly tribulation and evolve into a flood dragon.
Then she would become stronger and live better.
Ning Shu didn’t want this kind of supernatural being to come by again. She really couldn't take it.
Ning Shu thought that the large snake had successfully run away, but it had been caught by the people of White Cloud Temple not two days later.
Moreover, its stomach had been ripped open.
Villagers flocked to White Cloud Temple to see the large snake. The snake was hanging from a tree. Her body was extremely thick and solid.
The bulge in her abdomen had been cut open to reveal her soft and tender white claws.
White Cloud Temple’s Taoist priest pointed at the body of the snake and told everyone that the snake was going to turn into an evil flood dragon.
If it succeeded, it would swallow the clouds and blow out fog, delivering floods.
Ning Shu sneered. Flood dragons didn't have such an impressive ability. This was just a pretense to hide their ambition.
The things that human beings considered to be formidable were either revered as respected gods or destroyed.
Ning Shu sighed. She looked at the old Taoist priest standing at the doorway to the Three Pure One’s Hall and rolled her eyes.
This old Taoist priest was the most merciless, pitiless person Ning Shu had ever seen, yet he maintained a sage-like expression.
He seemed more like a cultivator. As long as it was beneficial to them, they would plunder it.
There were some eggshells on the ground and the damaged yolks and whites had spilled out.
The world was very dangerous, and not just because of natural disasters.
This snake had also suffered a lot just because people wanted her snake pearl.
Ning Shu saw that one egg was only slightly cracked and a bit of egg white had dripped out.
Ning Shu picked it up.
"Doctor Liu, what are you doing?" The aunt from next door asked Ning Shu.
Ning Shu smiled. "I haven't had a snake egg before. I’m taking this back to eat."
"It’s better not to eat it. This snake monster is terrifying. If you eat its baby, something bad might happen."
Ning Shu held the egg and transferred some spiritual energy into it.
Away from White Cloud Temple, Ning Shu covered the egg with soft soil as well as some leaves and dry grass to hide it.
Perhaps it would hatch, perhaps it wouldn't.
Ning Shu took Zhenzhen back home.
Zhenzhen could now turn herself over and would often smile at Ning Shu, revealing her pink gums.
Ning Shu would carry her to the mountain to collect herbs when she had nothing to do. When she picked a herb, she would tell Zhenzhen its name.
Zhenzhen didn't understand anything and just giggled.
Ning Shu thought that such days were simple but adequate. Not everyone wanted to experience a life of strong wind and heavy rain, a life that would shake them to the core.
Zhenzhen was also able to eat some complementary food. Ning Shu caught a pheasant and went home to mince it and boil it in porridge.
Zhenzhen was very healthy. Ning Shu would transfer some spiritual energy into her body from time to time and she would eat and sleep well.
This lifestyle strengthened Zhenzhen's body and bones.
Ning Shu, carrying a basket, had just arrived at her doorway when she met the village head who appeared to be in a hurry.
"Doctor Liu, quickly come and have a look. Someone at my house is injured," the village head said anxiously.
Ning Shu put down the basket and carried Zhenzhen with her to the village head's house.
Even without entering the room, Ning Shu could already smell blood.
"Doctor Liu, quickly go in and look," the village head said to Ning Shu.
Ning Shu’s brows wrinkled. She pushed aside the curtain and walked in. A woman dressed in armor was in the room and a man, also wearing armor, was on the bed.
"You’re a doctor?" the woman deliberately kept her voice lowered and said in a gruff voice.
Ning Shu couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from twitching. She could get away with pretending to be a man with just this?
Translator: Kiara
MTL Editor: Wheat
#Kiara’s Comments: I need a revenge arc for the snake, the snake was cute.
TLC: Kaho
Chp 2452: Examine the General
The woman had a shorter height and smaller bone structure, no prominent Adam’s apple, as well as soft skin and tender flesh.
People who couldn’t tell she was a woman must be blind.
"Examine the general," said the woman.
Ning Shu walked over and sat beside the bed. She felt the pulse of the man on the bed.
"He’s starving. Get him something to eat," said Ning Shu.
"I’ll be troubling you, Village Head," the woman said to the village head.
The village head nodded.
Ning Shu felt the man’s pulse for a while. The woman’s worry could be heard in her voice as she asked, "How is the general?"
"The symptoms are a bit strange, but we can just put some medicine on the wound," Ning Shu said.
"Why hasn’t the general woken up yet?" The woman’s worried face reddened with anxiety.
"Well..."
"Aren't you a doctor? Why don't you know?" The woman said angrily and anxiously. Tears formed in her eyes.
Ning Shu: …
"He passed out from hunger."
The woman’s tears finally fell. "The general shouldn't have given me all the food."
Ning Shu was rather curious about how a woman infiltrated the army.
Don’t tell her she was Hua Mulan serving in the army?
First of all, why did a general come here?
Was this place close to a border station?
Liu Xiaoya’s existence was like a drop in the ocean in this world. She was completely ignorant of the outside world.
Ning Shu didn't expect to meet such a situation.
"Why are you here?" Ning Shu asked.
The woman wiped the tears from her face. "The general was ambushed by the enemy."
"Did they follow you?" Ning Shu asked.
The woman nodded. "Maybe we should leave again soon."
"The general is Li country’s god of war. He must not die."
"How did the god of war become like this?" Ning Shu suddenly realized that if the enemy was tracking them, this village might suffer.
She didn't believe that the enemy pursuing them wouldn’t kill people from the enemy country.
If someone was caught, they would most likely be tortured and interrogated about the whereabouts of the escaped people.
Ning Shu couldn’t help sighing mentally. She’d just found such a peaceful place after great difficulties.
"Your general has been poisoned. Not only that but there is also a demonic poison insect inside him," Ning Shu said.
The woman was stunned. "How could this happen?"
Ning Shu said, "You'd better go to White Cloud Temple. The priests there have just caught a snake that was about to turn into a flood dragon. Consuming its gallbladder may detoxify him. As for the insect, the head of White Cloud Temple has a way..."
The village head came in and, continuing the subject, said, "The head of White Cloud Temple is a very capable person. The snake he caught was humongous and had even sprouted claws."
The woman's eyes lit up with a burning light. "Really?"
"Of course, everyone in this village knows," the village head said, and went out to see if his wife had finished preparing the food.
Ning Shu tightly knit her brows. The snake’s gallbladder could detoxify him; moreover, it had just died.
Ning Shu stared at the man on the bed whose lips had turned purple. This kind of coincidence was extremely beneficial for him.
"That's great." The woman's eyes sparkled. She asked Ning Shu, "Where is White Cloud Temple?"
"Let the village head take you there later." Ning Shu stood up. Zhenzhen had grabbed her hair and it hurt a bit.
"In any case, thank you," the woman said. She took out a pearl to give to Ning Shu. "This is your reward."
The pearl was bigger than her thumb. It was pink, smooth, and round, and looked very precious even at a glance.
This was too valuable. Ning Shu had only taken the man’s pulse.
Translator: Kiara
MTL Editor: Wheat
#Kiara’s Comments: Hua Mulan was a goddess who didn’t need no man and won a war without revealing her gender for 12 years. This girl is no Hua Mulan.
#Wheat’s Comments: I’m curious how THIS woman infiltrated the army.
TLC: Kaho
Chp 2453: Think of It as a Gift for Your Child
"This is a pearl of great value. I’m giving this to you. Consider it as your reward." The woman’s eyes fixed on the pearl before finally moving away.
The woman appeared to like the pearl very much, so why give it to Ning Shu?
Ning Shu looked at the pearl in her hand and returned it to the woman. "No need, I haven't done anything. You don't need to reward me."
"Accept it, think of it as..." The woman saw Zhenzhen on Ning Shu's back. "Think of it as a gift for your child."
She was giving such a precious gift to a complete stranger? The pearl was of excellent quality. Even tributes probably couldn’t match up to its quality.
How many pearl divers would dive into the water again and again for such a perfect pearl?
They would have to dive over and over just for a pearl of good quality.
Ning Shu would never believe that the world would just drop a meaty pie for her. “I don’t take rewards that I haven’t earned. I don’t want it.”
Ning Shu returned the pearl to the woman and left.
The woman was astonished.
The village head carried in a bowl of porridge with some wild vegetables mixed in. The woman didn’t hesitate to take the bowl. She gave the pearl to the village head, saying it was a reward.
The village head had never seen such a round and large pearl before. He wiped his hands on his clothes, thanked her repeatedly, and put the pearl away.
One would be rich if they had such a pearl.
Ning Shu left the village head's house and said to Zhenzhen, who was on her back, "There is no such thing as a truly peaceful and auspicious place in this world."
A man known as the god of war had appeared in such a remote place.
For the god of war to end up like that, wasn’t his title really an undeserved reputation?
What a pity for the large snake.
Maybe she wouldn’t have died if Ning Shu hadn’t told her to leave. At that time, Ning Shu had since the snake could transform into a flood dragon, there was no way she would die so easily.
The result immediately slapped Ning Shu in the face.
Ning Shu contemplated finding another place to live.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that the snake’s gallbladder was meant for the man.
Ning Shu: …
Back home, Ning Shu placed Zhenzhen on the bed and stroked her face. "It would be better for us to go traveling."
Come, let’s wander around. Anyway, there were many paths to travel.
Ning Shu suspected that the man and woman were the main characters of this world.
They would share trials and tribulations before finally seeing the truth.
Come on, be in love. There was plenty of stupidity to go around anyway.
The woman planned to carry the general to White Cloud Temple.
The village head had just received such a valuable pearl, so he hurriedly asked the strong men in the village to carry the general to the White Cloud Temple.
The woman and the general hadn’t left for long before a group arrived in the village.
Their faces were carved with incomprehensible designs and it made them look somewhat fierce.
When they entered the village, they spoke in rough Mandarin, "Two people came here. Where did they go?"
"They went to White Cloud Temple," the villagers said.
Don't count on these villagers to sacrifice their lives to hide people they didn't know.
The leader’s cheek twitched, causing the designs on his face to twist.
"High Priest, let’s capture a villager to take us to White Cloud Temple," a man said.
The man addressed as high priest closed his eyes, then opened them. He went to the village head's house.
Ning Shu held her child and watched these gaudy people. Who were they anyway?
When they went to the village head's house, Ning Shu followed them. Many villagers also went and people crowded around.
When the high priest saw the village head, he immediately grabbed his neck.
The village head was stupefied. The high priest said coldly, "Hand over the mermaid pearl."
The village head didn’t know what the mermaid pearl was. He was strangled by the other person and his face had turned incredibly red.
"High Priest, he can't speak like this," the person beside him warned.
The high priest released his grip and the village head fell to the ground, coughing violently.
The man next to the high priest said to the village head, "The mermaid pearl is a pearl. Hand it over, or you will die."
Under the threat of death, the village head immediately thought of the pearl that the soldier had given him before and frantically clambered to his feet to take it out.
"This is it. I only have this pearl," the village head said with fear and trepidation.
Translator: Kiara
MTL Editor: Wheat
TLC: Kaho
Chp 2454: Mermaid Pearl
"High Priest?"
The high priest nodded.
The man immediately took the pearl. "We finally found the mermaid pearl."
Ning Shu narrowed her eyes. Mermaid pearl?
Wasn't this the pearl that the woman had tried to give her?
The woman was probably trying to divert trouble.
Did the mermaid pearl come from mermaids?
Ning Shu: →_ →
There were even mermaids in this world?
No way...
"High Priest, the spirit stone is the only thing left to find. Li country’s people are so abominable for robbing us."
"That man was poisoned by the high priest’s demonic poison insect, so the high priest was able to track him. The high priest has his means."
Before the man had finished speaking, the high priest’s expression changed.
Of course, his complexion could not be seen beneath the gaudy markings, but his cheeks trembled and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"High priest?" The people beside him nervously supported him.
The high priest said, "The mother insect no longer feels the child insect’s existence. The child insect is dead."
"This..."
"Where is White Cloud Temple? Take us there," the man said to the village head.
The village head was frightened by these people, so he quickly nodded. "Follow...follow me."
The group quickly headed towards White Cloud Temple.
Ning Shu thought for a while and followed them because she heard them talking about a spirit stone.
Could this spirit stone be a barrier stone?
Unexpectedly, those two had such good things.
Of course, the group had gone in vain. When they arrived at White Cloud Temple, the duo had already left.
"High Priest, if we go further, we’ll be in Li country’s interior. That would be very unfavorable for us."
The high priest snorted coldly, "Those thieves stole our clan’s treasure."
"Without the protection of the spirit stone, our clan’s people will suffer great damage." The high priest was so angry that his face trembled.
"To deliberately leave behind the mermaid pearl and take away the more precious spirit stone, they’re too cunning."
As Ning Shu listened to them talk, she felt that she had missed something.
What was this spirit stone again?
Was it a barrier stone?
Looking at them, they must really care about the spirit stone.
Was it possible for her to obtain it?
Ning Shu’s mind was restless.
"High Priest, should we continue to pursue them?"
The high priest looked up to the sky with melancholy, "I can't track their position now. The child insect has already died."
Ning Shu: …
That woman had wanted to divert trouble and Ning Shu had also wanted to pass the calamity onto the White Cloud Temple.
Unexpectedly, that old man really resolved the issue.
What could she say?
If she’d known earlier, she would’ve kept those two in the village.
Now that they had left, they would keep moving. They knew they were being tracked, so they wouldn’t stay in one place for long.
Ning Shu watched helplessly as a treasure slipped away in front of her.
It really hurt.
She didn’t know what the spirit stone actually was, but wouldn’t 2333 know?
Why was 2333 inactive?
Ning Shu calmed herself and waited for the group to make a decision. If they managed to catch the trail again, Ning Shu planned to continue observing them.
"High Priest, there’s still time to catch up," the man beside him advised.
"Xuan Yuanhao has unparalleled martial arts. If the poison has been cured, we may not be able to defeat him," a man said.
Translator: Kiara
MTL Editor: Wheat
TLC: Kaho
Chp 2455: Please Don’t Cry!!
These people couldn’t make up their minds. If they kept chasing, they might not be able to catch up. Should they find Xuan Yuanhao, they might not be able to fight him.
Once the two arrived in a town, Xuan Yuanhao could mobilize the strength of the local authority.
But if they didn't chase after them, they would lose the spirit stone and their whole clan would go extinct.
The high priest's face distorted. "Chase after them."
The group quickly ran off.
Ning Shu immediately followed them.
They seemed to be very proficient in tracking as they were pursuing the duo based on some traces left on the trees and leaves.
Ning Shu felt that these people must have lived in the mountains and forests. They had a way of tracking their prey.
Zhenzhen, please don’t cry!!
Ning Shu sank some energy into her dantian so that when she walked, it would feel as though she was walking on flat ground. This way, it wouldn’t be so bumpy for Zhenzhen.
In the face of extinction, the group moved very quickly and soon caught up to the two people.
The god of war and the woman were having a barbecue.
Ning Shu hid at the side and watched.
Xuan Yuanhao, scrubbed clean, had a jade-like handsomeness with great loftiness.
The longer Ning Shu looked, the more she believed him to be the protagonist.
The high priest looked at Xuan Yuanhao coldly. "Hand over the spirit stone."
Xuan Yuanhao stood up and said, "Good things belong to those who are capable. ‘There are merely a few hundred people in your Stone Clan. In my hands, the spirit stone can safeguard many more people of Li country’s people."
"Your people are human beings, but ours are not? You can survive without a spirit stone, but our people will die without one." The high priest's face twisted.
Ning Shu couldn't help scratching her head. Was this spirit stone that important?
"Your Stone Clan’s people simply can't tolerate the sun. They can just live underground and come out at night," said the woman.
Ning Shu blinked. What kind of disease made it so they couldn’t be in the sun?
The clan’s members might lack UV-resistant genes.
Hearing this, Ning Shu could basically confirm that the spirit stone was a barrier stone.
These people lived under a barrier.
"How about you live underground? How would you like that?" the man beside the high priest said viciously.
The woman placed her hands on her waist and said prettily, "It’s not like I can’t bask in the sun."
Ning Shu: …
Dat true.
The high priest stared at Xuan Yuanhao and said, "Return the spirit stone and I won’t bother you about the other things. If you choose to continue like this, it will only end in death."
Xuan Yuanhao ignored the high priest’s words. He extended his clenched fist, tidied up his sleeves, and said, "The spirit stone shouldn’t have been in your hands in the first place."
The designs on the high priest’s face wriggled, "So you’re not going to give it back to us?"
"I only took your things and didn't hurt your people. If it had been people from the imperial court, they definitely would have sent troops to annihilate your village," Xuan Yuanhao said.
"I only took something and didn’t hurt you. Instead, you were the ones who poisoned me and planted a demonic poison insect inside me."
"Don't feel wronged. An ignorant, ordinary man would get in trouble for having such an item."
Ning Shu: …
Ning Shu nodded. The conversation made it seem like Xuan Yuanhao was being kind-hearted and generous.
What the hell?
He robbed something yet still tried to sincerely convince people it was for their own good.
Ning Shu squatted at the side and slapped the mosquitoes on her feet.
The discord between the two sides naturally led to a fight.
To Ning Shu's surprise, the woman knew martial arts, but she was far from advanced. She could only deal with one or two people.
Ning Shu felt very conflicted. Which side should she help right now? Should she join in and fight as a third party?
Xuan Yuanhao’s martial arts were truly advanced. Basically, everyone attacked Xuan Yuanhao from all sides.
Translator: Kiara
MTL Editor: Wheat
#Kiara’s Comments: The urge to slap the girl is strong.
TLC: Kaho
Chp 2456: This Has Nothing to Do With You
However, Xuan Yuanhao was calm and composed. He didn't appear to be straining himself at all. Sure enough, his martial arts were really outstanding.
Ning Shu picked up a stone by her feet, wrapped it in energy, and threw it at Xuan Yuanhao.
Xuan Yuanhao turned around, extended his palm, and immediately turned the stone into powder.
Ning Shu: …
Why did she always have to meet people with badass cheats?
Frick.
"Who’s there?" Xuan Yuanhao shouted coldly.
Ning Shu directly picked up a big stone and threw it at Xuan Yuanhao.
Like before, Xuan Yuanhao cleaved the stone with his palm and stared at Ning Shu. "Who are you?"
"Ah, it's you." Seeing Ning Shu, the woman said, "This has nothing to do with you. It would be best for you to stay out of this."
"These things are beyond an ordinary person’s control."
"Xiao Ke, who is this?" Xuan Yuanhao asked the woman.
"She’s a villager from the village below White Cloud Temple. She took your pulse at that time," Xiao Ke said.
"Her skill doesn’t seem like that of an ordinary village woman."
The high priest's group also looked warily at Ning Shu.
Ning Shu said, "I’m just passing by."
"You should return the stone to them, it’s a matter of hundreds of lives. Since you’re the god of war, you could lead the military with your extraordinary skill, do you really need the stone?" Ning Shu wasn’t afraid to speak her mind.
"What about the millions of people in Li country?" Xiao Ke said.
"So other people should just be sacrifices?" Ning Shu asked. "You might be sacrificing a few and save many, but you should ask whether they are willing to be sacrificed."
Xiao Ke said, "You don't know how the general suffered to defend the country for the sake of its people."
"Little girl, are you a fangirl of this general?" Ning Shu said with a crafty smile.
"What do you mean little girl? Who are you calling a little girl? I’m a bit short, but I’m still a man."
Ning Shu: …
Was she blind, or was everyone else blind?
Indeed, for the sake of the plot, they would all be selectively blind.
Ning Shu couldn't help asking Xuan Yuanhao, "Do you think she’s a woman or a man?"
"I naturally believe in Xiao Ke. Although his bone structure is a bit frail, he is still a man."
Ning Shu nodded. "As long as you’re happy."
The high priest said to Ning Shu, "What you said is sensible. Our people are content to live without disturbing others. We never wanted to hurt others."
"Exactly, we already have such hard lives," said the man next to the high priest.
"This is none of your business. Think before you act. The general is not only the god of war but also a prince. You are just a village woman and you even have a child. You should think everything over carefully," Xiao Ke said.
Ning Shu was expressionless. "Are you threatening me?"
"No, it’s only a habit of mine. I'm a strategist and I like to consider every kind of problem." Xiao Ke said.
A female strategist?!
A love story between a general and a strategist?!
Xuan Yuanhao didn't say much, but his attitude was very resolute. It was obvious he didn't want to hand over the spirit stone.
The high priest said, "This is the last spirit stone. If there were others, we would’ve just quietly accepted this injustice."
"But without the spirit stone, our people will die."
Ning Shu sighed. It seemed that she wouldn’t be able to take the stone. If she did take it, she would have to carry the karma of hundreds of lives on her back.
Frick, Ning Shu couldn't carry such a heavy thing on her back.
However, spirit stones were extremely precious. Even 2333 coveted them, and Ning Shu even more.
To be able to stably build a world and to be able to avoid the inevitable damage and erosion to it, they were extremely good items.
Translator: Kiara
MTL Editor: Wheat
TLC: Kaho
Chp 2457: This Aunt, Thank You
"This aunt, thank you for speaking out for justice." The high priest cupped his hands at Ning Shu.
"I'm actually under fifteen," Ning Shu said speechlessly.
The high priest was silent for a moment. "You gave birth quite early."
"General..." Xiao Ke looked at Xuan Yuanhao, "What should we do now?"
"The simplest way is to kill everyone here," Xuan Yuanhao said.
Xiao Ke nodded.
Xuan Yuanhao showed his true ability this time and killed a person with one slap.
"Ah Si!"
"Xuan Yuanhao." The high priest stared at Xuan Yuanhao. "How dare you kill our people."
Both sides attacked and fought with their lives on the line. Ning Shu directly kidnapped Xiao Ke.
Xiao Ke had a bit of skill, but she wasn’t as good as Ning Shu.
"Hand over the spirit stone, or I'll strangle her to death." Ning Shu clutched Xiao Ke's neck.
"Release Xiao Ke." Xuan Yuanhao tensely shouted at Ning Shu.
"Give me the stone and I'll let her go," Ning Shu lifted her chin and said.
"Don't worry about me, General. You must never give her the spirit stone," Xiao Ke yelled sadly. "Don't worry about me, the spirit stone is the most important."
Ning Shu: …
This time she really ended up in the role of the malicious supporting female lead. This situation…
"Release Xiao Ke and I'll give it to you." Xuan Yuanhao took out a palm-sized stone.
It was very thick and completely black, but it was still not as big as Li Sanlang's tablet.
"General, don't do that. We suffered so much hardship to find that thing. Don't give it to her because of me," Xiao Ke said anxiously. At the same time, she was very moved that the general would hand over the spirit stone to save her.
"Give him the spirit stone." Ning Shu used her chin to point toward the high priest.
Xuan Yuanhao calmly threw the stone to the high priest, who quickly caught it.
"High Priest, is it real?"
"It's real, it's real." The high priest put the stone to his chest and breathed a long sigh of relief.
"Great! The spirit stone has been found."
Xuan Yuanhao’s face was ashen. He gnashed his teeth and said to Ning Shu, "Release Xiao Ke."
Ning Shu continued to clutch Xiao Ke's neck and retreated, saying to the high priest, "Go quickly."
"Thank you." The high priest ran away with his men.
Ning Shu: Wait for me too, aaah…
"You’re just a short-sighted village woman. Do you know how many people who fight on the frontlines every day will die because of you? So many soldiers will be buried at the border. How many mothers and wives wait hopefully for their sons and husbands to return? Do you know what you’re doing?"
"Li country depends on these soldiers for protection. How many lives could we have saved with the spirit stone?" Xiao Ke said in a sharp voice.
"Soldiers guard their homes and defend their country as their responsibility. War is the result of high-ranking men’s ambition. Don't act like it’s so noble and lofty," Ning Shu said dully.
To lead an army, one must fulfill their duty.
"You’re really cold-blooded," Xiao Ke said angrily.
"I am this cold-blooded," Ning Shu said shamelessly.
"Little girl, whose treasured daughter are you?" Ning Shu continued to hold her by the neck and chatted purposelessly, "Does your family know that you joined the army?"
Don’t tell her that the women in this world could join the army?
"What are you talking about? Are you blind? You keep insisting that I’m a woman," Xiao Ke said angrily. She looked at Xuan Yuanhao, "General, don't listen to her nonsense. I'm not a woman, I'm a man. I'm with you every day. You should know that."
Ning Shu rolled her eyes, then rolled them again.
Translator: Kiara
MTL Editor: Wheat
TLC: Kaho
Chp 2456: This Has Nothing to Do With You
However, Xuan Yuanhao was calm and composed. He didn't appear to be straining himself at all. Sure enough, his martial arts were really outstanding.
Ning Shu picked up a stone by her feet, wrapped it in energy, and threw it at Xuan Yuanhao.
Xuan Yuanhao turned around, extended his palm, and immediately turned the stone into powder.
Ning Shu: …
Why did she always have to meet people with badass cheats?
Frick.
"Who’s there?" Xuan Yuanhao shouted coldly.
Ning Shu directly picked up a big stone and threw it at Xuan Yuanhao.
Like before, Xuan Yuanhao cleaved the stone with his palm and stared at Ning Shu. "Who are you?"
"Ah, it's you." Seeing Ning Shu, the woman said, "This has nothing to do with you. It would be best for you to stay out of this."
"These things are beyond an ordinary person’s control."
"Xiao Ke, who is this?" Xuan Yuanhao asked the woman.
"She’s a villager from the village below White Cloud Temple. She took your pulse at that time," Xiao Ke said.
"Her skill doesn’t seem like that of an ordinary village woman."
The high priest's group also looked warily at Ning Shu.
Ning Shu said, "I’m just passing by."
"You should return the stone to them, it’s a matter of hundreds of lives. Since you’re the god of war, you could lead the military with your extraordinary skill, do you really need the stone?" Ning Shu wasn’t afraid to speak her mind.
"What about the millions of people in Li country?" Xiao Ke said.
"So other people should just be sacrifices?" Ning Shu asked. "You might be sacrificing a few and save many, but you should ask whether they are willing to be sacrificed."
Xiao Ke said, "You don't know how the general suffered to defend the country for the sake of its people."
"Little girl, are you a fangirl of this general?" Ning Shu said with a crafty smile.
"What do you mean little girl? Who are you calling a little girl? I’m a bit short, but I’m still a man."
Ning Shu: …
Was she blind, or was everyone else blind?
Indeed, for the sake of the plot, they would all be selectively blind.
Ning Shu couldn't help asking Xuan Yuanhao, "Do you think she’s a woman or a man?"
"I naturally believe in Xiao Ke. Although his bone structure is a bit frail, he is still a man."
Ning Shu nodded. "As long as you’re happy."
The high priest said to Ning Shu, "What you said is sensible. Our people are content to live without disturbing others. We never wanted to hurt others."
"Exactly, we already have such hard lives," said the man next to the high priest.
"This is none of your business. Think before you act. The general is not only the god of war but also a prince. You are just a village woman and you even have a child. You should think everything over carefully," Xiao Ke said.
Ning Shu was expressionless. "Are you threatening me?"
"No, it’s only a habit of mine. I'm a strategist and I like to consider every kind of problem." Xiao Ke said.
A female strategist?!
A love story between a general and a strategist?!
Xuan Yuanhao didn't say much, but his attitude was very resolute. It was obvious he didn't want to hand over the spirit stone.
The high priest said, "This is the last spirit stone. If there were others, we would’ve just quietly accepted this injustice."
"But without the spirit stone, our people will die."
Ning Shu sighed. It seemed that she wouldn’t be able to take the stone. If she did take it, she would have to carry the karma of hundreds of lives on her back.
Frick, Ning Shu couldn't carry such a heavy thing on her back.
However, spirit stones were extremely precious. Even 2333 coveted them, and Ning Shu even more.
To be able to stably build a world and to be able to avoid the inevitable damage and erosion to it, they were extremely good items.
Translator: Kiara
MTL Editor: Wheat
TLC: Kaho
Chp 2457: This Aunt, Thank You
"This aunt, thank you for speaking out for justice." The high priest cupped his hands at Ning Shu.
"I'm actually under fifteen," Ning Shu said speechlessly.
The high priest was silent for a moment. "You gave birth quite early."
"General..." Xiao Ke looked at Xuan Yuanhao, "What should we do now?"
"The simplest way is to kill everyone here," Xuan Yuanhao said.
Xiao Ke nodded.
Xuan Yuanhao showed his true ability this time and killed a person with one slap.
"Ah Si!"
"Xuan Yuanhao." The high priest stared at Xuan Yuanhao. "How dare you kill our people."
Both sides attacked and fought with their lives on the line. Ning Shu directly kidnapped Xiao Ke.
Xiao Ke had a bit of skill, but she wasn’t as good as Ning Shu.
"Hand over the spirit stone, or I'll strangle her to death." Ning Shu clutched Xiao Ke's neck.
"Release Xiao Ke." Xuan Yuanhao tensely shouted at Ning Shu.
"Give me the stone and I'll let her go," Ning Shu lifted her chin and said.
"Don't worry about me, General. You must never give her the spirit stone," Xiao Ke yelled sadly. "Don't worry about me, the spirit stone is the most important."
Ning Shu: …
This time she really ended up in the role of the malicious supporting female lead. This situation…
"Release Xiao Ke and I'll give it to you." Xuan Yuanhao took out a palm-sized stone.
It was very thick and completely black, but it was still not as big as Li Sanlang's tablet.
"General, don't do that. We suffered so much hardship to find that thing. Don't give it to her because of me," Xiao Ke said anxiously. At the same time, she was very moved that the general would hand over the spirit stone to save her.
"Give him the spirit stone." Ning Shu used her chin to point toward the high priest.
Xuan Yuanhao calmly threw the stone to the high priest, who quickly caught it.
"High Priest, is it real?"
"It's real, it's real." The high priest put the stone to his chest and breathed a long sigh of relief.
"Great! The spirit stone has been found."
Xuan Yuanhao’s face was ashen. He gnashed his teeth and said to Ning Shu, "Release Xiao Ke."
Ning Shu continued to clutch Xiao Ke's neck and retreated, saying to the high priest, "Go quickly."
"Thank you." The high priest ran away with his men.
Ning Shu: Wait for me too, aaah…
"You’re just a short-sighted village woman. Do you know how many people who fight on the frontlines every day will die because of you? So many soldiers will be buried at the border. How many mothers and wives wait hopefully for their sons and husbands to return? Do you know what you’re doing?"
"Li country depends on these soldiers for protection. How many lives could we have saved with the spirit stone?" Xiao Ke said in a sharp voice.
"Soldiers guard their homes and defend their country as their responsibility. War is the result of high-ranking men’s ambition. Don't act like it’s so noble and lofty," Ning Shu said dully.
To lead an army, one must fulfill their duty.
"You’re really cold-blooded," Xiao Ke said angrily.
"I am this cold-blooded," Ning Shu said shamelessly.
"Little girl, whose treasured daughter are you?" Ning Shu continued to hold her by the neck and chatted purposelessly, "Does your family know that you joined the army?"
Don’t tell her that the women in this world could join the army?
"What are you talking about? Are you blind? You keep insisting that I’m a woman," Xiao Ke said angrily. She looked at Xuan Yuanhao, "General, don't listen to her nonsense. I'm not a woman, I'm a man. I'm with you every day. You should know that."
Ning Shu rolled her eyes, then rolled them again.
Translator: Kiara
MTL Editor: Wheat
TLC: Kaho
Chp 2458: Why Are You Here?
Ning Shu felt that she had probably bought enough time and pushed Xiao Ke towards Xuan Yuanhao.
Xuan Yuanhao hurriedly caught Xiao Ke and struck Ning Shu with his palm. His palm went straight towards Zhenzhen on Ning Shu’s back.
Ning Shu turned around and released her energy in the form of a dragon. The dragon collided with Xuan Yuanhao’s palm and made a tremendous sound.
Ning Shu held Zhenzhen in her arms and ran to catch up with the high priest’s group.
The high priest turned his head only to see Ning Shu. "Why are you here?"
"I offended Xuan Yuanhao. What would I do if I didn’t run away?" Ning Shu said.
The high priest nodded. "That's true. Thank you for your help. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been able to take back the spirit stone."
"Aren't you afraid that I’ll rob you of the spirit stone?" Ning Shu asked with a crafty smile.
The high priest quickly covered his chest and looked at Ning Shu warily. “You also came for the spirit stone?”
The corner of Ning Shu’s mouth twitched. She felt that these people were really easy to trick.
"I have no place to go now, so let me go with you. It's not easy for me as a widow with a child." Ning Shu looked at the high priest. "Will you take me in?"
The high priest nodded without the slightest hesitation. "Of course. Thank you for helping us recover the spirit stone. Otherwise, the people in our village wouldn’t have survived for much longer."
Ning Shu returned to the village, went to her house to get the medical books she had written, and went to the cow pen to lead the cow out.
"We must move quickly or Xuan Yuanhao will catch up. Bringing a cow along might slow us down," the high priest looked at the approaching cow and said with some worry.
Ning Shu swatted the cow. "Run."
The cow let out a cry and then dashed away.
High Priest: …
Everyone quickly hurried on.
Along the way, Ning Shu got to know these people and found that this group was really quite simple. They seldom came in contact with the outside world and were especially guileless.
They were so simple that Ning Shu was embarrassed to crack a joke. They would take it seriously even when it was clearly a joke.
On the way, Ning Shu stopped occasionally to give Zhenzhen boiled cow’s milk.
The group hadn’t washed their faces for several days. The high priest explained that their markings were made from herbs that could help them resist sun damage, so they couldn’t wash them off.
When their people went into the sun, their bodies would be damaged.
Ning Shu had never heard of such an ailment. She extended a hand to feel the high priest’s pulse to see if she could detect any defects.
His body was healthy and normal.
Ning Shu wondered if this was caused by psychological conditioning.
They believed that they couldn’t be in the sun and so would feel like sunlight inflicted extreme pain.
Their bodies then formed a conditioned reflex.
"There are no defects," Ning Shu said as she withdrew her hand.
The high priest shook his head. "If a child goes into the sun, they will die within a few days."
Ning Shu: Aha??!!
"What is a mermaid pearl?" Ning Shu asked. Was it a mermaid’s core?
After all, there were ghosts and large snakes in this world. Ning Shu wouldn’t be surprised if mermaids existed, really, really...
"It's the core of a fish from the sea, a sea demon," said the high priest.
Ning Shu nodded. "How many spirit stones are there?"
"This stone was originally part of a larger whole, but someone broke it and stole it. Now there’s only this small piece left," the high priest said. "It was even someone from the village, oh dear..."
It appeared that Li Sanlang's tablet had come from their spirit stone.
Maybe someone had sold it to the Li family. Ning Shu had stayed with the Li family for a while, but she hadn’t sensed that there were any strong people in the Li family.
Ning Shu fed the cooled milk to Zhenzhen. After drinking her fill, Zhenzhen looked curiously at the group.
Ning Shu was curious about the high priest’s demonic poison insects. How was it created?
Ning Shu consulted the high priest. He didn’t hide anything and told Ning Shu how to make them.
Translator: Kiara
MTL Editor: Wheat
TLC: Kaho
Chp 2459: Demonic Poison Insects
Demonic poison insects was a term that spanned a vast constantly changing category. All sorts of demonic poison could be created.
The categories included insects, animals, and poisonous plants.
It was frightening to imagine those insects breaking out of someone’s body.
Ning Shu really wanted to learn how to create them.
Mastering this technique could be a useful skill. Maybe it will come into use sometime.
Even if she couldn't obtain the spirit stone, she should try to gain something.
The clan’s members lived deep in the mountains. There were many plants and animals, and all kinds of poisonous substances, which led to the birth of demonic poison insects.
The high priest sighed. "It seems that we’ll need to move as soon as we get home. We can't stay there anymore, even though we’ve lived there for generations."
"We won’t find a more suitable place again."
Ning Shu comforted, "There will always be a place to stay."
Ning Shu had been thinking that the people in this village were probably lacking something. Maybe they lacked trace elements in their bodies, so they were weak to sunshine.
There was no way they were zombies, right?
But these people didn’t look like walking corpses.
If they never had contact with sunshine, wouldn’t they lack vitamin D?
If she lived with these people, would she become like this?
Ning Shu thought about it but was simply speechless.
No one dared to stay any longer and they all rushed to the village without stopping.
They lived deep in the mountains and forests where they had cleared out an area for a village.
Despite being broad daylight, no one in the village was wandering outside.
The high priest explained, "Without the protection of the spirit stone, the villagers dare not come outside."
The high priest arrived at a place that looked like an ancestral shrine. There was a stone statue of a squatting figure in the shrine. The carving was very rough. Ning Shu couldn’t tell what it was but looked like a person.
There was a hollow in the body of the statue. The high priest placed the spirit stone in the hollow.
All of a sudden, Ning Shu felt the shrine cool down. The warmth of the sun was no longer there.
Ning Shu left the shrine and lifted her head to look up at the sky. The sunlight had become less dazzling as if an invisible layer had blocked it.
This was the barrier.
Ning Shu looked at the stone statue. How could the stone statue cause the barrier stone to release a barrier?
There were too many unsolved mysteries in this world and many things that couldn’t be explained.
"This stone statue is like a great sage that gave us an opportunity to live. It allows us to live under the sun without being hurt by it."
The high priest placed the mermaid pearl in a hollow on the wall, then knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the stone statue.
"The high priest is back, the high priest is back..."
The villagers who were hiding in their houses sensed that the sun had been blocked. One after the other, they came out of their houses and began to sing and dance.
The people who had gone with the high priest washed away the markings on their faces, revealing their incredibly pale faces, and their terrible sunburns. With the contrast of the red and white, they looked like they had serious illnesses.
Ning Shu couldn't help but question how severe this really was.
If it was albinism, their skin should have been very pale, but their skin color was normal.
The high priest gathered the villagers together and said, "We need to move locations now. Li country’s general, who had stolen the stone, will be leading troops to suppress us."
"How could this happen?"
"I don't want to leave..."
The high priest's expression was somewhat grieving. When they returned to the village, he had washed his face clean. The high priest was older than Ning Shu thought.
"In order for us to survive, we must move."
Translator: Kiara
MTL Editor: Wheat
TLC: Kaho
Chp 2460: Actually, There’s a Way Where You Don’t Need to Move
"Everyone get ready to leave. Don't take too many things since it will affect the speed of our journey." The high priest waved his hand. "Go back and pack up your things."
"High Priest, where will we go?"
"Let’s start moving first. We’ll settle down in an appropriate place. We’ll be leaving shortly and we’ll be avoiding cities and towns," said the high priest.
Some people couldn't help but shed tears.
Migration could really become a near-death situation for them. During the journey, they would be exposed to the sun. They might even die on the way.
When the high priest finished speaking, Ning Shu coughed and said, "Actually, there’s a way where you don’t need to move."
"How?" The high priest asked. He didn’t want to force the entire village to move unless he had to.
Ning Shu said, "Give me your mermaid pearl. It will serve as the heart of the formation. You can use it to arrange a concealment formation."
"Is that possible?" The high priest asked with uncertainty.
Ning Shu said calmly and collectedly, "If you don’t try, you can only move. You said that your children will die if they’re exposed to the sun. If they die, your clan may go extinct."
"Give me the mermaid pearl. If it fails, we can think of a new plan," said Ning Shu.
The high priest was conflicted for a while, but he eventually went to the ancestral shrine to take the pearl and give it to Ning Shu.
Ning Shu started forming hand signs while asking the villagers to help move some stones for the formation.
She arranged a very large spell formation to hide the entire village. This way, no one outside it could see them.
At the same time, she arranged an eight-trigram battle formation around the village that would cause people to lose their way and stop them from entering the village.
She took advantage of all the trees and stones surrounding the area.
Ning Shu spent a lot of effort on these formations and used all the knowledge she’d accumulated.
The high priest asked with some uncertainty, "Will this really work? We can't be seen?"
The high priest practically had the word ‘unreliable’ written on his face.
"The spell formation around us will cause anyone to lose their way."
"High Priest, I’ll show you." Ning Shu took the high priest out of the village and turned left and right, making his head spin.
"It's such a difficult path, what should we do when the villagers go hunting?" asked the high priest.
They stayed in the village most of the time, but they also went out.
Herbs could help them temporarily resist sun damage.
"At those times, you can open up a path just for the villagers," Ning Shu said.
The high priest nodded repeatedly. "This is good, this is really good."
"How can we repay you? Why do you want to help us?" asked the high priest.
Ning Shu said sadly, "I want to find somewhere where I can live well."
"You could go anywhere with your ability," the high priest said. "These methods are just like those of great experts."
Ning Shu smiled and said, "I don't have that ability. There are plenty of skilled people in this world."
"High Priest, can you give us mother and daughter a place to live?"
The high priest repeatedly agreed and told the villagers that there was no need to move away. There was no need to mention how happy the villagers were.
The high priest asked the villagers to help Ning Shu build a house.
A few days later, the thatched hut was completed. Since the village was located deep in the mountains, there were many snakes, insects, and poisonous ants, so the house was raised above the ground.
It was moisture-proof and wasn’t bad at all.
Ning Shu’s new home was soon filled with all kinds of things gifted by the villagers, such as dried meat and fresh vegetables.
The high priest also sent a little wild boar to Ning Shu for her to raise.
Ning Shu wanted to say that she already had a cow and didn’t want to raise any more things. Now she had a cow, a pig, and a child to care for. It was exhausting!
However, it was hard to back away from such great kindness, so Ning Shu could only accept it.
The people here were more cordial, simple, and honest than those in the village at the foot of White Cloud Temple.
Ning Shu cleared the area in front of her house for plowing and planting vegetables. Of course, many people helped her plow the land.
Translator: Kiara
MTL Editor: Wheat
TLC: Kaho
#Kaho’s comment: This is a nice arc :)
Comments
Michelle
Something needs to happen to White Cloud Temple
