Chapter 1102 - 1008: Leaving the Village Together
Small mountain village.
The first day of the new year, lazy sunlight sweeps over the village, carrying the chilly breath of spring.
Li Fan wakes up and pats Xiao Bai in his arms; the cat, having been bathed the day before, is fragrant, and he can’t help but take a deep sniff.
Then he gets up, pushes the door open, and Bai Qian and Nan Feng bring hot water for Li Fan to wash his face.
“Senior Brother, I think I had a dream last night. In the dream, there seemed to be another me, dressed in tattered clothes, flesh nearly rotting, walking out of the darkness as if to seize my soul…”
Wu Dade speaks to Jiang Li:
“Could I have encountered some evil?”
Jiang Li, hearing this, is also somewhat perplexed and says:
“…I also vaguely had a dream, but in the dream, there was an exceptionally elegant and graceful man, seemingly a celestial, but he appeared to have ill intentions, attempting to step onto my Daoist path…”
A group of disciples feels somewhat bewildered but can’t grasp it.
After all, these things happened at a time of ignorance.
“It must be real, since beginning our ascendant journey, we’ve attracted some unclean forces, and mostly they’re related to ourselves…”
Lin Jiu Zheng then speaks, whispering:
“So, some unknowable events occurred in the dream, but it must have been Master who suppressed everything. In our Path-Scenic Land, a copper coin has appeared…”
Hearing this, the other disciples all introspect their Path-Scenic Land, and indeed, they all sense the existence of the copper coin.
“Master saved us.”
“I knew it, as long as we have Master, any danger can be resolved!”
“This copper coin is so mysterious; residing in the Path-Scenic Land, it’s like an invisible moon, but whenever those dirty things approach, it might illuminate our Path-Scenic Land…”
They all are full of wonder.
“Master, what are we eating this morning?”
At this time, Gong Ya asks.
Li Fan says:
“Hmm… on New Year’s day, let’s cook some dumplings and sweet rice balls.”
In the north, people eat dumplings, in the south, sweet rice balls, and some places even eat rice cakes. Let’s prepare some of each.
Gong Ya nods her head, and soon, breakfast is ready.
“Right, Gong Ya, go call Fire Spirit, Mu Qianning, Yang Chu, and also Yang Tian and Yu Linglong.”
Li Fan speaks.
They had all spent the New Year in the village, staying overnight.
Soon, everyone arrives and enters the courtyard, Fire Spirit and Mu Qianning both are struck with a sense of nostalgia, years had passed, and yet the courtyard remained unchanged.
Yang Chu is both shocked and moved; mythical beings like Phoenix and True Dragon… are actually still alive.
Dumplings, sweet rice balls, etc., have all been served, and everyone eats breakfast together.
Suddenly, outside, Wu Xiaokun’s voice is heard.
“Wu Xiaokun has come to pay respects to Senior Li!”
Li Fan is somewhat surprised, is this… too early for a New Year’s visit?
“Please come in!”
Li Fan speaks.
Gong Ya goes to open the door, and Wu Xiaokun walks in.
“Greetings, Senior!”
Wu Xiaokun speaks.
Li Fan nods his head, thinking to himself that this kid, so poor, coming to someone’s house for New Year’s greetings without even a gift…
“New Year’s here, is everything going well?”
He asks.
Wu Xiaokun reports:
“Reporting to Senior… we are all well, now in the valley, we’ve grown, currently about forty thousand people!”
In his heart, he feels a little apprehensive; he knows very well that despite Oath Keeping Valley straining every nerve, working tirelessly, they are probably still very far from meeting Senior Li’s expectations.
Oath Keeping Valley’s strength, in the eyes of Senior Li, doesn’t even qualify as a pawn.
Li Fan is startled upon hearing this.
He had heard from Wu Xiaokun before, Wu Xiaokun’s clan had only a few thousand people…
Now there are tens of thousands?
…Tens of thousands, can they sustain all these?
He knows very well, Wu Xiaokun and his people already lead a tough life.
“Tens of thousands… with so many more people, what will you do next?”
Li Fan is quite concerned.
Tens of thousands is not easy to sustain. Without a proper strategy, in the Great Wilderness, they are most likely to starve!
Wu Xiaokun reports:
“Reporting to Senior, from the Grey Mist Sea, creatures have come over again, this time it’s very dangerous, our people from the valley, have already gone…”
“So, I especially came to report!”
Grey Mist Sea… more animals have come out?
This Grey Mist Sea, sure is productive…
But, Li Fan feels, Wu Xiaokun and their tribe, seem a bit constrained.
A small tribe, surviving on hunting might work, but now with tens of thousands, following the old hunting paths, can they sustain it?
This won’t work, surviving one meal but not the next.
That’s unreliable, absolutely unreliable.
Their mode of production has issues!
Thinking this, he suddenly looks towards Fire Spirit and Mu Qianning!
These two, had once done big business, having seen much.
Perhaps, they could help Oath Keeping Valley, find an industry or something, to develop.
He ponders for a moment, then immediately says:
“Ling’er, Qianning, how about you go to Oath Keeping Valley, to help them?”
Upon hearing this, Fire Spirit and Mu Qianning both nodded immediately.
“Senior, rest assured, we will do our utmost!”
Mu Qianning was very excited.
Fire Spirit also took a deep breath, she knew very well that Oath Keeping Valley is now the force of Senior Li in the Ancestral Mist Realm, and Senior Li wanted them to go there…
She remembered the once Desolate Heaven Alliance!
Yes, Senior Li’s intention was mostly to have them rebuild the Desolate Heaven Alliance.
After all, the two of them had perhaps more experience.
Li Fan nodded and said:
“Nan Feng, Zi Ling, you guys also go take a look, see if there’s anything you can help with, lend more hands.”
In the past, Fire Spirit and Mu Qianning had started their enterprise with the help of their skills in painting and calligraphy.
If Fire Spirit and her group were to restart the painting and calligraphy business, then Zi Ling and Dugu Yuqing could be of help, since they had achieved some small success now.
And the other disciples also had their strengths, for example, Long Zixuan could teach them fish farming, Lu Rang could teach them farming, Wu Dade could teach them to raise dogs and pigs, and Xinning could even teach them to read…
Li Fan thought so, and suddenly realized that this Dog System was not utterly useless, it had some uses in everyday life… it could help farmers achieve a decent life!
Upon hearing this, many disciples shivered.
“Master has called us all out this time, it must be for something major!”
Nan Feng whispered.
“We are witnessing history, a casual move by Master could change the eternal ages!”
Jiang Li was very expectant.
Immediately, they all agreed in unison, their faces filled with excitement.
Even Yun Xi said:
“Li Fan, I want to go too!”
She wanted to find the thirteenth jade piece.
Li Fan thought for a while, letting her go out to play was fine.
“Alright,”
Li Fan agreed.
Yun Xi was immediately very happy.
Soon, they all prepared to leave.
“By the way,”
Li Fan spoke again, towards Wu Xiaokun:
“Take some of the village’s new year goods back.”
Especially those meats, there was quite a lot left.
Wu Xiaokun heard this, immensely grateful, Senior Li… really cared too much about the development of Oath Keeping Valley!
Every visit, he would bestow many treasures.
…
Soon, they left the small village.
On the road, Wu Xiaokun told Nan Feng and the others about the happenings in the outside world.
“The Grey Mist Sea is quite hostile…wanting to disrupt the development of Nine Laws.”
Zi Ling spoke.
Yun Xi said:
“Nine Laws…they won’t be able to disrupt it.”
Her eyes, like autumn waters, carried an unparalleled confidence.
…
Not long after, they had left the Deadman Wilderness.
“To go to the True Ancestor World, we still need a Teleportation Array, Dead Dog, you don’t get on, let Little Turtle do it!”
Wu Dade directly spoke, he honestly had trauma from Big Black Dog’s teleportation array.
Big Black Dog suddenly got angry and said:
“Human Pet, what do you mean? Is my array less capable than his?!”
It pointed its dog’s paw at Little Turtle, quite displeased.
Once Little Turtle heard this, it immediately said:
“Isn’t what your Human Pet said the truth?”
Big Black Dog got angry and said:
“You’re getting arrogant, woof, I’m going to fight you now!”
Seeing Big Black Dog and Little Turtle almost starting to fight, everyone around was speechless.
At this time, Yun Xi was somewhat curious and said:
“A teleportation array?”
“I…should be able to, let me try!”
She lifted her hand, and below her hand, the laws of space circled, a Void Gate directly appeared.
“Sister Yunxi, you don’t need an Array Plate?”
Zi Ling’s eyes filled with surprise, Little Turtle and Big Black Dog’s arrays… seemed to all need an Array Plate.
Yun Xi puzzledly said: “Array Plate…what is that?”
Dugu Yuqing said: “It’s…something used to store the laws…”
An Array Plate could engrave laws within it, and when needed, they could be directly used, very convenient.
“Oh, I understand…but laws…can be used anytime, why would you need an Array Plate? So strange.”
Yun Xi blinked her eyes.
Upon hearing this, Dugu Yuqing suddenly felt somewhat melancholic, this… was impossible to communicate!!
And the competitive Big Black Dog and Little Turtle…
also…
fell silent.
…
Good night.