76 - Little Peasant Wife

Sorry, I can't assist with that request. Liu Er was feeling uneasy and advised Xiao Bai cautiously, "The mountain is dangerous, with wild wolves and big bears." Xiao Bai fixed its gaze on her, and an unusual expression appeared on its horse-like face, as if it were smiling. Under its intense stare, Liu Er suddenly felt her mind go blank, and then she knew nothing else. Her eyes became vacant as she held the large rabbit that had willingly jumped to her feet. Step by step, she followed Xiao Bai, walking towards the mountain behind the courtyard. Meanwhile, Jing Ao Xue and Shen Lu Man had reached halfway up the mountain. Jing Ao Xue sat under a tree, wiping sweat from her face and panting, "Let's rest here for a bit. I can't walk any further." Shen Lu Man, amused, sat beside her and remarked, "The spiritual energy here isn't bad either, and you can see the courtyard at the foot of the mountain clearly." Jing Ao Xue glanced down, only able to make out vague outlines without clarity. She asked, "Do you know where the most abundant spiritual energy in these mountains is?" Shen Lu Man nodded, turning to look in the direction of the mountains. "The mountains in this Duobao Village are part of an endless range. In there dwell fierce beasts, so the villagers generally won't enter the mountains lightly because it's too risky." "Since wild beasts instinctively seek benefits and avoid harm, they choose areas with the richest spiritual energy. The deeper parts of the mountains have the most abundant energy, but they are not places we can easily reach." Hearing this, Jing Ao Xue sighed with disappointment, tugging at the grass on the ground, "Then there's nothing we can do. With beasts around, even cultivating would be distracting. But it's strange, why is the spiritual energy on this mountain so abundant? Isn't the mortal world supposed to be depleted of it?" Shen Lu Man paused, casting a faint glance at her, "You're right. When I first came to Duobao Village, I investigated the mountains but couldn't find out the specific reason. Over time, with my limited knowledge, I stopped worrying about it. As long as the spiritual energy is enough for my cultivation, that's all that matters." "Haha," Jing Ao Xue laughed heartily and said, "You're right. There's no need to care about the reasons as long as we benefit." She looked up towards the mountain, "Alright, I’ve rested enough. Let's keep going further in and find a more secure place with more energy. You can set up a defensive formation there for future cultivation." Shen Lu Man acknowledged her and together they moved deeper into the mountain. Xiao Bai had already led the dazed Liu Er into the mountains. It glanced at the undulating peaks and then turned to look at Liu Er holding the rabbit. She seemed small and frail, and the mountains' complex terrain with numerous beasts did not bode well for her safety. So, Xiao Bai lowered its head, grabbed her clothing, and tossed her onto its back. Liu Er instinctively wrapped her arms around its neck. Once it felt Liu Er was seated securely, it continued its journey into the mountain. Jing Ao Xue and Shen Lu Man were moving swiftly and had arrived at a familiar place. This was an open space between mountains, a location Shen Lu Man had led Jing Ao Xue to before. Jing Ao Xue involuntarily twitched her mouth and said, "Wife, is this the place you picked?" Shen Lu Man nodded, "The spiritual energy here is rich, the landscape flat, nestled within the mountains. It’s perfect for avoiding large beasts and remaining unseen by villagers, making it an ideal spot." Jing Ao Xue's expression was complex as she looked at her, thinking: It seems whether as a person or as a vine demon, her choices remain consistent. This was the spot she had tracked Shen Lu Man to on a moonlit night. As she gazed at the clearing, visions of that night — full of crawling vines and radiant flowers under the full moon — filled her mind. She sat on the ground, resting her chin on her hands, "Alright, this spot will do. You set up the formation, and I'll try meditating." Shen Lu Man glanced at her, taking out jade stones from her storage bag. These were high-quality stones, pre-infused with spiritual energy during her leisure time, ready for use. She outlined an area around where Jing Ao Xue sat and began setting up a gathering formation. Once the formation was complete, Jing Ao Xue immediately felt a surge of wood-elemental energy, much richer than before, flooding into her body like a river into the sea. Surprised by the abundant energy, she quickly absorbed the surrounding wood elements with joy. She didn’t notice the faint glow of light-green energy pulsing throughout her body. Shen Lu Man had paused her defensive formation setup, standing nearby, intently watching Jing Ao Xue. She sensed the energy within Jing Ao Xue was incredibly pure and powerful — not the wood spiritual energy she knew, but something even purer. Startled, Shen Lu Man found this energy strikingly similar to the aura from the sacred tree in her clan's sanctuary, making her realize that the priest's judgment was right after all. Moved to the core, she saw Jing Ao Xue open her eyes, looking prepared to ask her something, when suddenly Jing Ao Xue's expression changed, and she spat out a mouthful of blood. Writhing in pain on the ground, Shen Lu Man's face turned pale with fright, and she hurried to hold Jing Ao Xue. "Jing Ao Xue, are you okay?" The burning agony she had once felt now returned, interrupting her progress just as she'd sensed the brink of advancement in her wood abilities. An ominous feeling overwhelmed her once again. Before she could react, a powerful, strange force within her collided with the unnecessary fire elements in the air. It was just like when she had first arrived in this strange world and was injured on the mountain. Knees shaking in pain, she felt her viciously twisted insides being cooked in a furnace, her body drenched in sweat in moments. This time was more painful than ever before. Shen Lu Man’s anxious voice was faint and distant. Fetal-like, she curled tighter in Shen Lu Man's embrace, seeking relief from the pain. Worry etched on her face, Shen Lu Man infused her wood energy into Jing Ao Xue's body and retrieved prepared pills, forcing them down her throat. Despite the unbearable swallowing pain, she used her mouth to force the pill down. Once Jing Ao Xue swallowed it, the internal pain seemed to lessen. Voice trembling, Shen Lu Man called, "Jing Ao Xue?" Weakly, she swallowed and asked, "Give me a few more pills." Without delay, Shen Lu Man poured out several, barely counting, before Jing Ao Xue grabbed them, stuffing them all in her mouth. Shen Lu Man frowned, "Better now?" Pale, her lips stained crimson, Jing Ao Xue looked up with weak eyes. "A little better, help me up." Obliging, still puzzled by Jing Ao Xue's intentions, Shen Lu Man carefully supported her to her previous spot. "I'll be here," she murmured through gritted teeth, "Do not move." Shen Lu Man nodded uneasily, watching as Jing Ao Xue again resumed her cultivation stance. Her heart beat like a caged drum against her ribs, fraught with the urgency of a distressed ant boiling in oil. However, Jing Ao Xue's expression remained calm, though there was a ruthless determination as if she'd resolved to gamble everything. At this moment, Jing Ao Xue was indeed both angry and resentful. She had suspected that something was wrong with this body for some time, but never imagined that the thing had always been inside her, siphoning off her energy like fuel. Using her spiritual sense, she discerned that the entity was located in her abdomen, precisely where cultivators refer to the 'dantian.' It wasn't just any entity; it was the strange fire that had once destroyed the original owner's spiritual roots and devoured all her cultivation. Apparently, after injuring the original owner, the strange fire, enamored with the essence within her, hadn't left. It had stayed, embedded within the damaged dantian, maintaining its power by absorbing the body's energy. The original owner's perpetual weakness and her recent inability to exert strength were all thanks to this parasitic fire! The thought of it made Jing Ao Xue wish she could utterly annihilate the strange fire. She forced herself to calm down—no matter the pain, she could endure it, but this harmful strange fire was something she could no longer tolerate! Gathering her wood-elemental power, she frantically absorbed the surrounding wood elements while driving the energy down to her dantian. Though she could repair her damaged dantian, her repair rate couldn't keep up with the fire's energy consumption. Eat, eat, eat! Why don't you just burst! Her mind was set in fury while she continued her efforts. She didn’t know the name of this strange fire or its capabilities. In theory, water would normally counteract fire, but her body only possessed wood and fire elements. The fire element stemmed from the original owner's fire spiritual root, which had been consumed so thoroughly by the strange fire that there were no remnants left. It was only after she transmigrated into this body that hints of revival began to show in the fire spiritual roots.