The journey was silent, with all the demons on high alert, watching their surroundings in case a sudden killing intent leaped out from the shadows.
Xubeasts were masters of ambush, and the higher their rank, the more cunning they became. As the Xu Tide approached, these xubeasts grew even more disciplined and organized than before.
Except for the yihigh daredevil Qiao Xiaoxian, all the others—Changsun Qingyue and the rest—were so cautious they didn’t even dare breathe loudly.
“Lend me that jade token for a second,” Qiao Xiaoxian suddenly said to Jiang Ke’er, as if remembering something, her brow furrowing.
Jiang Ke’er casually tossed the jade token to her.
Qiao Xiaoxian examined the token for a while, then swiftly pulled out the Underworld Province Cauldron for a quick glance before stowing it away.
Although Qiao Xiaoxian moved quickly, Jiang Ke’er saw it clearly—the patterns on the jade token were exactly the same as those on one side of the Underworld Province Cauldron!
How strange. This jade token was clearly the key for opening the Three Paths Village Refuge, given to her by the Guard Captain of Erdao Village. There was no way it should be connected to a lofty super artifact like the Underworld Province Cauldron.
“Interesting,” Qiao Xiaoxian’s lips curled into a smile as she handed the jade token back to Jiang Ke’er.
Jiang Ke’er used the Appraisal Technique on the jade token, but the result was nothing more than the usual item description: “Three Paths Village Refuge Key.”
Qiao Xiaoxian noticed her confusion but didn’t intend to explain.
Jiang Ke’er had no choice but to turn to the others, asking, “Has anyone heard of ‘Mingzhou’ before?”
Mu Guoguo and Jie Shui both shook their heads, but only Changsun Qingyue’s face showed surprise. “Mingzhou? That’s an ancient legend. Why are you asking?”
“Just curious,” Jiang Ke’er replied. “Qingyue-jie, you’ve heard of Mingzhou? Could you tell me more?”
“I don’t know much, only saw it in an old book on ancient geography,” Changsun Qingyue recalled for a moment, then said, “Legend has it that ancient beings divided the world into the Nine Provinces, each guarded by a giant cauldron to maintain the world’s order and ensure the cycle of reincarnation ran smoothly. Shenzhou, where we live, is only one of them, and Mingzhou is also one of the Nine Provinces.”
“Mingzhou represents the world of the dead, the Underworld—a place where souls reside,” Changsun Qingyue continued. “But after the Collapse of Reincarnation, the Nine Provinces fell into chaos and broke apart, and Mingzhou vanished without a trace. Whether it ever truly existed or was just a legend, it’s hard to say now.”
Qiao Xiaoxian, rare for her, looked up and seriously observed Changsun Qingyue. “You know quite a bit.”
“I just loved reading since I was young,” Changsun Qingyue replied with a modest smile. “My family had a lot of books, and my brother was obsessed with his little sister—never let me out to play with the other kids… so I could only stay home and read.”
Looks like the Changsun family had a real collection—even secret histories like this.
Changsun Qingyue didn’t know if Mingzhou truly existed, but Jiang Ke’er knew, because the Underworld Province Cauldron really existed, and it was right in Qiao Xiaoxian’s hands. Back then, it even attracted a Big Sun Golden Crow that almost got her pregnant.
Good heavens…
Jiang Ke’er had known the Nine Cauldrons were a big deal, but not this big—a matter tied to Reincarnation itself.
Just what was Qiao Xiaoxian planning?
Hmph, whatever she’s up to, today ends here!
Once she finished the mission tonight and returned, she’d get started on her Drowsy Black Tea Plan.
If Qiao Xiaoxian didn’t swear to stop dual cultivation, she’d make sure her plan and Qiao Xiaoxian both went soul shatter together!
Mehahahahaha—
Jiang Ke’er let out a villain’s laugh in her mind.
Qiao Xiaoxian shot her a glance. Although she didn’t know exactly what Jiang Ke’er was thinking, judging by the weird grin on Jiang Ke’er’s face, she was probably lost in some unrealistic fantasy again.
Three Paths Village wasn’t far, but the road was rugged and hard to walk, the dense foliage making the path look gloomy and eerie.
The rest of the journey was unexpectedly peaceful; the whole forest remained quiet.
Not running into danger was a blessing.
Hearing the crowing of roosters and barking of dogs from Three Paths Village, Jie Shui let out a visible sigh of relief, then jogged toward the village.
But he was stopped by the Village Guard Team of Three Paths Village.
The guard team was noticeably shabby, probably not expecting any trouble.
There was only one Three Talents Stage cultivator and seven or eight at the Dual Polarity Stage.
With that level of strength, Jiang Ke’er and Qiao Xiaoxian could wipe them out with their eyes closed. If xubeasts attacked, they could only hold off one or two third-rank xubeasts at best.
They stopped Jie Shui, frowning. “Don’t enter the village like that. There are a lot of old folks and kids inside—you’ll scare them… There’s a latrine over there. Go change back to your normal form first.”
Jie Shui was still in his three-meter-tall werewolf form, with a scar over his eye, making him look pretty fierce.
He hadn’t changed back because his original clothes had already torn apart, leaving only fur to cover himself.
If he changed back, he’d definitely end up embarrassing the girls like Jiang Ke’er.
“Alright,” Jie Shui grinned, lowered his body, and squeezed into the latrine to change.
Seizing the chance, Jiang Ke’er pulled out the jade token.
“This is…” The Village Guard Captain of Three Paths Village took the token in shock. “The Refuge Key! Where did you get this?”
Jiang Ke’er recounted the events in detail.
The Village Guard Captain’s face grew paler with every word.
“Gather everyone door to door, assemble in the village square for a headcount! Have all the able-bodied men bring every grain of food we have!” the Guard Captain immediately ordered. “Thank goodness you arrived in time—there’s still time to take refuge…”
Thank goodness.
“By the way,” at this moment, Jie Shui came out of the latrine in fresh clothes, looking puzzled. “Why haven’t I seen Granny Zhong? Didn’t she come to the village entrance today to wait for her son?”
The Guard Captain paused, then sighed. “Chong Nainai… she’s not doing well…”
“Huh?” Jie Shui had just found the letter in the carriage, and was stunned by the news.
“She’s old and never cultivated—Chong Nainai just couldn’t hold on,” the Guard Captain shook his head. “She kept mumbling her son’s name while unconscious, asking Xiao Chu to read her the letter… Xiao Chu said this month’s letter didn’t arrive, but she wouldn’t believe it.”
Jie Shui’s eyes instantly reddened. “Chong Nainai… she’s already gone?”
“The last time I saw her, she was barely hanging on. Now, I’m afraid…” The Guard Captain shook his head again with regret. “It’s a shame—she never got her son’s reply before she died. She must have died with regrets.”
Without another word, Jie Shui grabbed the letter and dashed into the village.
Jiang Ke’er, Changsun Qingyue, and the others hurried after him.
Pushing open the door, Jie Shui entered the shabby hut and froze in the doorway.
Granny Zhong lay on the bed, her face blackened. A young girl in a water-green dress knelt at the bedside, holding the old woman’s hand and sobbing quietly.
“Chong Nainai, she…” Jie Shui’s throat was dry.
“She just passed,” the girl choked out.
Jiang Ke’er darted forward and pressed two fingers to Granny Zhong’s neck.
There was still some warmth.
How she wished she knew even a little medicine to bring someone back from the brink! But medical skills… she didn’t know any at all!
A hand reached out, pressing beside Jiang Ke’er’s.
Jiang Ke’er looked blankly at the person beside her.
“She can still be saved for a moment,” Qiao Xiaoxian said solemnly. “Did you bring any soul reviving medicine?”
“I did,” Jiang Ke’er answered quickly.
“How long will it take to make a tonic?” Qiao Xiaoxian asked.
“Making a tonic is a pain—even at top speed, at least a minute!” Jiang Ke’er frowned. “Will a minute be enough?”
“Not enough. She’ll cool off by then,” Qiao Xiaoxian replied.
“So what do we do?”
“Ah! I have something!” Mu Guoguo suddenly exclaimed, as if recalling something.
She scrambled through her storage pouch and quickly pulled out a bamboo tube. “I only ate half of this morning’s Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. I was saving the rest for Jiang Ke’er. It’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted—I really wanted her to try it too… Here, there’s soup left.”
Jiang Ke’er was stunned, a wave of warmth rising in her heart.
What a friend!
Qiao Xiaoxian took the bamboo tube, giving Mu Guoguo an extra look, and for once, even smiled. “Don’t worry, Jiang Ke’er will get to taste it. I’ll thank you on her behalf.”
With that, Qiao Xiaoxian guided Spiritual Energy, sending the soup into the old woman’s stomach, then helped activate the rich medicinal essence in the soup, letting it circulate through her body.
After a bout of coughing, the old woman’s face flushed red, her heart began beating again, and she slowly opened her eyes in confusion.
Her eyes were blind and clouded, seeing nothing, but she still tried hard to open them, searching for something in the darkness.
“Chong Nainai, it’s me!” Jie Shui choked up with joy, hurriedly pulling out the letter. “Your son, he—”
“Mother, I’m back.”
Jie Shui was about to say your son wrote back, but was interrupted by a sudden voice.
Everyone looked at Qiao Xiaoxian in shock.
Qiao Xiaoxian had placed her hand on her throat, using Spiritual Energy to create a fake male voice: “Mother, I’m back. I came home to see you.”
Two streams of murky tears rolled down the old woman’s cheeks.
She wanted to cry out, but in the end, decades of longing only became a weak, trembling sentence: “Son, mother misses you…”
“I miss you too, mother,” Qiao Xiaoxian said.
“Son, all these years, where have you been? Are you alright now, are you…”
“I’m doing well, recently I met some benefactors, made something of myself,” Qiao Xiaoxian answered.
The old woman smiled, her wrinkled face lighting up with joy.
She kept repeating, “That’s good, that’s good, heaven has blessed us…”
Catching her breath, she continued, “You… you can’t just focus on your career. When you left, you hadn’t even found a girl you liked. So many years have passed, I was afraid you’d be all alone, just like your mother…”
“Don’t worry, mother. I already have someone I love,” Qiao Xiaoxian smiled, suddenly grabbing Jiang Ke’er’s hand.
“I brought her home to meet you. I’ve decided to spend my life with her and start a family.”
“Come, let mother have a look.” The old woman struggled to sit up, reaching out to touch Jiang Ke’er’s face, feeling her features.
“This girl is beautiful—much prettier than I ever was. With your clumsy ways, you’re lucky to find such a girl. Don’t you dare treat her badly… cough, cough…”
The old woman coughed, then said to Jiang Ke’er, “My son’s always been reckless and rough, girl, don’t hold it against him. He means well, he just doesn’t know how to show it. If anything upsets you, be patient with him… but if he mistreats you, don’t put up with it. Hit him if you must, leave him if you must—don’t make yourself suffer…”
Jiang Ke’er bit her lower lip, hesitated, then finally nodded and whispered, “Alright.”
“You two, get married soon,” the old woman said, as if her greatest wish had been fulfilled.
She breathed a long sigh, smiling.
“I may never get to hold a grandchild, but you mustn’t slack off… Mother’s leaving now. You two must be good to each other, don’t fight.”
“Mm!” Jiang Ke’er and Qiao Xiaoxian nodded together.
With their promise, the old woman smiled again, exhaled her last breath, her hand falling limp.
This time, she left with a smile, her aged face full of happiness.
Jiang Ke’er walked out of the hut. She needed to calm down.
Even though she knew the act with Qiao Xiaoxian was just for show, she couldn’t help being moved.
Moreover, Qiao Xiaoxian’s decisive performance in this scene changed her opinion a lot—maybe this damned dragon wasn’t as heartless as she seemed.
Maybe, just maybe, there was a tiny bit—just a tiny bit—of kindness and gentleness in her heart.
No, she couldn’t go soft on Qiao Xiaoxian. That was a matter of principle.
There was no future in being a Furnace.
Nothing alive could be trusted.
Jiang Ke’er would never hand over her fate and freedom to someone else… Who knew what Qiao Xiaoxian might become in the future?
If one day, even the last bit of distance and respect between them was gone, Jiang Ke’er couldn’t be sure what crazy things Qiao Xiaoxian might do.
When you completely control and own something, you don’t respect it. Demons are no different.
She didn’t trust Qiao Xiaoxian, or any living thing. That was why she was determined to kill Qiao Xiaoxian.
So even though, as a man’s soul in her past life, she was deeply attracted to Qiao Xiaoxian, she still had to restrain herself.
…What if Qiao Xiaoxian really was worth trusting?
That thought only lasted a moment before she kicked it away.
Impossible.
A Furnace never comes to a good end.
I, Jiang Ke’er, don’t believe in love.
To Qiao Xiaoxian, she was just a cultivation tool.
All that talk of last wishes was just a lie to keep her obedient and useful as a Furnace.
Obvious enough.
“Hoo…”
Breathing in the fresh air outside, Jiang Ke’er finally calmed down and firmed her resolve once more.
She stroked the Drowsy Black Tea at her chest, deciding to stick to her plan tonight.
“Qiao Xiaoxian, huh… mmph! Don’t touch my head!”
Jiang Ke’er shook off Qiao Xiaoxian’s hand, but Qiao Xiaoxian’s hand seemed to have a tracking function, pressing down again in no time.
Jiang Ke’er looked up, right into Qiao Xiaoxian’s smiling eyes.
“Jiang Ke’er, I like you.” Qiao Xiaoxian suddenly bent down, saying solemnly.
“Get lost.”
Jiang Ke’er was blunt.