Chapter 90: Liu Jianjian’s Proposal
Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Liu Jianjian’s Proposal
The Martial Dao!
But Zhu Ge’s Martial Dao wasn’t the Five Animals Qigong itself!
Rather, through the Five Animals Qigong, he had faintly touched upon some kind of shackle, one that felt exhilarating to him.
This was a membrane that had to be pierced!
Find his Dao, condense it into a Martial Arts Heart, and step into the Mountain Shattering Realm!
And so, Zhu Ge began to practice once more.
Meanwhile, the Hedgehog Girl, Liu Jianjian, was busy working nearby.
She cleaned up the spot where they had just barbecued, then went to chop down trees, dig holes, and lay a foundation. It was obvious she was preparing to build a small wooden cabin in the valley.
Hua Liusha had probably ordered her to do it. After all, neither Zhu Ge nor Liu Jianjian had a place to shelter them from the wind and rain.
As Zhu Ge practiced the "Five Animals Qigong," both Hua Liusha in his mind and Liu Jianjian found themselves involuntarily captivated by him.
At times, Zhu Ge’s form resembled a great roc spreading its wings or a golden rooster standing on one leg. At others, he was like a fierce tiger descending a mountain, glaring menacingly, or even a clumsy bear rubbing its back.
In short, he didn’t look human at all!
The two girls vaguely sensed that Zhu Ge must have found his direction, so they were both smart enough not to disturb him.
The Hedgehog Girl tactfully went outside the valley to chop down trees and carry them back. Under Hua Liusha’s guidance, she used mortise and tenon joinery to construct the cabin.
By afternoon, the wooden cabin was finished, and a sweat-drenched Zhu Ge had also stopped his practice.
"The Five Animals Qigong... So refreshing!" Zhu Ge exhaled a turbid breath, then went straight to the pond, stripped off his clothes, and jumped in.
The pond glowed with a blue light. It wasn’t shallow and looked quite beautiful, like a sapphire.
But Zhu Ge didn’t care whether it was beautiful or not. He went in, washed off the filth, and got out.
"This feeling..."
Zhu Ge clenched his fist. He felt as if his physical body had been strengthened.
’Is the "Five Animals Qigong" not just a martial art, but also a Body Refining Technique?’
Zhu Ge recalled the saying that the "Five Animals Qigong" could nourish one’s health and strengthen the body, and he became more certain.
The "Five Animals Qigong" really did have a Body Refinement effect!
And just as he’d heard, its Body Refinement didn’t strengthen the outer physical body, but the internal organs!
’A treasure! This is an absolute treasure!’
Zhu Ge was certain in an instant.
The "Five Animals Qigong" was definitely a powerful Body Refining Technique, in no way inferior to the "Great Sun Glaze Body"!
Moreover, this Body Refinement process wasn’t painful.
Cultivating the "Great Sun Glaze Body," for example, was excruciating every single time.
But practicing the "Five Animals Qigong" only made one’s whole body feel hot. It refined the internal organs gently and slowly.
However, the energy consumption was also immense.
After practicing the Five Animals Qigong for a while, Zhu Ge felt like all the meat he had just eaten was completely used up.
This also made him feel his internal organs growing even stronger.
’This is a great thing!’
"Master, please have some water!" Seeing Zhu Ge get out of the water and put his clothes on, Liu Jianjian scampered over eagerly, holding up a cup of water.
’What has Hua Liusha trained this hedgehog into...’ Zhu Ge was astonished by Hua Liusha’s training abilities.
’How come I never realized Hua Liusha was so good at this...’ Zhu Ge took the water and nodded in praise. "You did a great job."
Hearing Zhu Ge’s praise, a brilliant smile spread across Liu Jianjian’s face.
Zhu Ge then looked at the small wooden cabin not far away. "I’ll live here from now on. But when I’m out hunting, you can plant some rice and vegetables. You should be an omnivore too; you can’t just eat meat."
"As you command, Master!" Liu Jianjian replied immediately. "Then, before the vegetables and grains are grown, can I go outside the valley to gather fruit?"
’Leave the valley?’
Zhu Ge narrowed his eyes. "You may."
But then he added in a heavy voice, "However, you must have Hua Liusha accompany you within your soul. If you try to run, Hua Liusha will snuff you out directly!"
"Yes!" Liu Jianjian’s expression tightened, and she quickly said, "Don’t worry, Master, I won’t! There’s so much good food and drink here with you, Master. I don’t want to leave!"
Only after hearing this did a smile appear on Zhu Ge’s face.
In reality, he had lucked out.
Liu Jianjian was timid and afraid of trouble by nature, so she rarely got into conflicts with others.
If she encountered a Second Realm being, she would run immediately. If she met a First Realm being, she would only shoot at them from a distance with surprise attacks.
And she never pursued those who were fast or had tough hides that weren’t afraid of her surprise attacks.
She had only pursued Zhu Ge earlier because she saw that he was strong but only in the First Realm.
If Zhu Ge hadn’t learned martial arts like "Lighting Incense" overnight, he probably wouldn’t have been able to do anything about Liu Jianjian.
But there were no "if"s.
Zhu Ge’s speed had increased tremendously overnight, and he directly captured the combat-averse Liu Jianjian.
He’d hit the jackpot!
"Liusha, you need to watch her closely," Zhu Ge also warned Hua Liusha in his mind. "Many Demon Beasts are cunning by nature. Before we can completely trust Liu Jianjian, we can’t casually treat her as one of our own."
A being like Liu Jianjian, who possessed the Cultivation of a transformed Second Realm but lacked the corresponding strength, yet happened to know a lot of insider information, was incredibly rare.
For them to have run into one was like finding a real treasure.
They couldn’t let this treasure run away on its own.
"You’re right, Brother. Don’t worry!" Hua Liusha also understood the importance of the matter.
"I’m training her right now. Some of her simplicity and kindness don’t seem to be an act. I believe that in a year or so, Liu Jianjian will start to see you as her real husband, Brother."
"It won’t come to that." Zhu Ge rubbed his nose. "You know me, Liusha. I have no interest in such things. Cultivation is more important."
"That’s not necessarily true. Not everyone has the scent of mating, Master~" Hua Liusha said with a giggle, mimicking Liu Jianjian’s tone.
"If my master and husband desires it, you can just have a few little hedgehogs. As the main wife, I can even help take care of the children!"
"Stop messing around." Zhu Ge didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He turned his head to look at one side of the valley.
The valley received plenty of sunlight, and it was actually suitable for planting both inside and out.
But having eaten so much mundane food recently, a term couldn’t help but pop into Zhu Ge’s mind.
Spirit Rice!
’In the three villages of Mengla Slope, that so-called Spirit Rice seemed to have appeared? Even the Raincoat Fisherman coveted it.’
Zhu Ge could guess that the Spirit-level Red Rice must be something very good.
"Liu Jianjian, since we’re making this our home, do you have any ideas?" Zhu Ge decided to just ask Liu Jianjian, thinking he might get some useful information out of her.
"Huh?" Suddenly being asked, Liu Jianjian tilted her head and looked around.
"What ideas? I think this place is great! I really like it here. It’s pretty, and with Master and Sister Xigui to protect me, it’s safe."
"Then don’t you think we should plant some things to eat here?" Zhu Ge guided her.
After witnessing the stalemate between Yuan Yang City and the Plague God Sparrow, he became more and more certain that the standoff would last a long time.
And the war that would follow once the stalemate was broken would also be protracted.
After all, the Yuan Yang City Lord had recalled Human Race Cultivators like the Raincoat Fisherman, and the Plague God Sparrow had also gathered a host of Demons, Ghosts, Spirits, and Monsters.
In such a turbulent and war-torn era, it was essential to plan for the long term.
"Oh, oh, planting?" Liu Jianjian nodded vigorously. "I know, I know! Master, do you mean we can plant some Spirit Fruits, Spirit Grass, Spirit Flowers, and Spirit Trees here?"
"For example, I know of a Mulberry Field a few hundred miles away with lots and lots of mulberry trees. We could also catch some First Realm Spiritual Silkworms to raise, so we can weave Soul Clothing for Sister Xigui to protect her soul."
"After all, Master, you have the ’Gusu Silk Records’ Cultivation Technique. Sister Xigui could become a Sewing Master. That way, we could eat the Mulberry Fruit from the Spiritual Mulberries and also raise silkworms to produce silk. Master, is that what you mean?"
After speaking, Liu Jianjian looked at Zhu Ge with an excited expression, awaiting his praise.
Looking at Liu Jianjian’s face, both Zhu Ge and Hua Liusha fell silent.
After a long moment, under Liu Jianjian’s expectant gaze, Zhu Ge slowly nodded.
"Yes. Yes, Jianjian is very smart."
"Mm, that’s what I was thinking too. Mm, right, yes."