104.4 - Little Peasant Wife

Qin Yishu, after leaving the Liu residence, didn't immediately return to the village. She gazed at Jing Liu'er who was in the carriage, paused, then softly asked, “Liu'er, what are your plans now?” Jing Aoxue had previously aided her, and she reciprocated to repay the favor. Although revealing her identity was extremely risky, the outcome was favorable nevertheless. After all, this body she was using wouldn't last much longer, right? Regrettably, too many incidents occurred that day, and Jing Aoxue along with Shen Lvman were... She had witnessed Jing Aoxue being pierced through the heart by a sharp sword. Such a wound was surely fatal unless one's heart was misplaced. Even if that formidable female cultivator claimed Jing Aoxue wasn't dead, she was skeptical, and her rational mind trusted her eyes. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for the child before her. Jing Liu'er sat up, her expression tinged with an adult-like bitterness. Gu Baiwei, seeing this, quickly said, “Liu'er, don't worry. I'm a friend of your mother, and I can take care of you.” Jing Liu'er nodded, expressed her gratitude with a slight smile, and said, “Thank you, General Qin and Aunt Gu. I wish to return to the village.” Gu Baiwei was taken aback by this, and Qin Yishu, with a complex look, asked, “Are you sure?” Liu'er nodded and smiled, “Yes, I believe my mother would want to return home as well. I know they'll be fine; just a few days of rest and they'll recover. I hope General Qin might lend me this carriage, and I'll come to express my gratitude in a few days.” This... Gu Baiwei looked at Qin Yishu, bewildered: Liu'er wasn't a little stutterer, was she? How come she speaks so fluently now? Moreover, her speech was logical and mature, completely unlike a child. She couldn't help but recall the first time she saw Liu'er, sitting obediently beside Shen Lvman, with innocent, childlike black eyes. But now, there was a trace of blood in her eyes, filled with bitterness, suffering, and guilt. It must have been due to today's events, but could the change be this drastic? Qin Yishu pressed her lips together and said, “In that case, I will arrange for Wu Zhiyong to accompany you back to the village.” Wu Zhiyong, who was in the following carriage, had just managed to calm his restless nephew. Hearing Qin Yishu's order, he hastily prepared to get off the carriage. Wu Mengqiu held onto his arm, saying, “Daddy, over at Liu'er…” Wu Zhiyong sighed, patted his daughter's little head, and comforted, “Don't worry. Daddy is a friend of Jing Aoxue and will help take care of Liu'er.” Wu Mengqiu sighed, mirroring an elderly manner, and nodded worriedly. Seeing his daughter like this made Wu Zhiyong feel uneasy; today was too overwhelming. He approached Qin Yishu with a heavy heart and said, “General, thank you for your assistance today. I dare not imagine…” Qin Yishu, with an indifferent tone, replied, “It's nothing. Liu'er wants to return to the village. If it's convenient for you, please accompany her on this journey. I have matters to attend to in the town for a few days, but perhaps I'll return later.” Wu Zhiyong glanced at Liu'er and promptly agreed. The group then parted ways, and Qin Yishu assigned several subordinates to accompany them. Inside the carriage, Liu'er turned to Xiao Hui and said, “Thank you.” Xiao Hui emerged from Shen Lvman's body, saying, “No rush, I haven't done anything yet. Today was a spectacular show, one after another.” Liu'er clenched her teeth and said stiffly, “You promised to save my mother.” Xiao Hui bounced in front of her and said, “I never said I wouldn't. I was just busy watching the show earlier, but don't worry, your mother is half-demon, essentially a vine. Even if she dies, she can linger for a while before perishing completely.” Liu'er clutched her fists tightly, saying, “Please.” Xiao Hui scrutinized her, saying, “How did you change so quickly? Did you sneak a peek at my memory?” Liu'er was taken aback. She merely felt everything made sense suddenly, things she couldn't understand before now seemed clear. She had gained a lot of new knowledge since witnessing her mother being stabbed. Her mind absorbed it all, and she began feeling more mature. Xiao Hui, noticing she couldn't answer, hopped onto her forehead, muttering, “What lucky fortune you have. With only a quarter of demon blood, yet you inherited the Ancient Vine Demon legacy.” Liu'er tilted her head, “Legacy?” Xiao Hui nodded, “Yes, demons are born with this in their bloodline. I have it too, but having just been reborn, my body is too fragile to withstand it, so it's currently stored in my dantian.” She locked eyes with Liu'er's dark pupils and said, “Oh well, I guess misfortune turned into blessing for you. Your mother should have inherited more of the legacy. It seems you've just received part of the memory and knowledge, but your mother's bloodline has awakened. With my help, she could soon become a full-fledged demon.” Liu'er nodded in a daze; she leaned against her mother's body, listening to the gradually strengthening heartbeat while absorbing the supposed legacy. She hadn't seen any specific memories or knowledge, but somehow, she just understood. Just like with the books "Zhongyong" and "Daxue", which her mother had mentioned teaching her. She had seen those books but couldn't comprehend them. Yet now, she could articulate their meanings, with related events surfacing in her mind. It must be a good thing. She had grown up; her mother would be pleased. Moreover, she wouldn't worry her biological mother anymore. She would become stronger, and then... avenge Zhang Qiao'er. She clenched her teeth; initially, she didn't even comprehend hatred and revenge, but now she understood. Because of Zhang Qiao'er, she nearly lost both of her mothers—this was an irreconcilable feud! Even if her mothers survived, she would still kill her! And that steward Liu! Most importantly, that still-living National Master! She would not forgive these individuals. She rubbed her cheek against her mother's soft chest, gradually closing her eyes. Xiao Hui, poised to speak, could find no words. Until Liu'er softly uttered, “Thank you, Xiao Hui. As long as you don't hurt me, I'll repay you well.” Xiao Hui scoffed, but seeing her fall silent afterward, quickly grew bored. She gazed out at the high-hanging moon, musing: I must regain my power swiftly. With my current abilities, I can't breach the barrier between the human realm and the cultivation world, let alone cross the vast demon beast forest. I need to regain part of my cultivation before the next demon beast forest uprising to return to the demon world. Upon returning to the village, Wu Zhiyong suggested to Liu'er, “Perhaps you could stay at my place for a while.” Currently, he wasn't sure of Jing Aoxue and Shen Lvman's exact conditions. Logically, they should be deceased, but Liu'er insisted they weren't. He feared Liu'er might be mentally affected by this, Liu'er thanked him and said, “Thank you, Uncle Wu. I wish to bring my mothers home. I'll stay there until they recover, and then I'll visit with them to express our gratitude.” Wu Zhiyong felt uneasy about her words, waved his hand, and scratched his head, “You child... oh well, since you're so insistent, go home. But I will bring food tomorrow and check on your mother.” He thought he had seen Jing Aoxue's chest moving, but couldn't be sure enough to investigate in the carriage. Jing Aoxue's fierce display tonight had left him intimidated, a fear of the unknown and powerful, an instinctive fear he couldn't control despite his years on the battlefield. Liu'er nodded, instructed Qin General's driver, and they returned to the courtyard. The subordinates departed, leaving behind the carriage. Liu'er approached the door, stood on tiptoe to lock it. She walked to the carriage and said, “Xiao Hui, can you help now?” Xiao Hui emerged from her chest and leaped onto Shen Lvman's body, saying, “Then I'm going in. It'll cause a great commotion, ideally, we'd be somewhere secluded in the mountains, but for now, just...” Liu'er lowered her eyes, “In the house then. If anything happens, I'll handle it. Go ahead.” Xiao Hui gave her one last look before diving into Shen Lvman’s dantian. Liu'er looked at the empty courtyard, removing the storage pouch from her waist. This was left to her by the female cultivator. She wasn't sure whether to trust her; she seemed nice on the surface, but after the incident with Zhang Qiao'er, Liu'er trusted no one but her mothers. She tried to open the storage pouch, but it required spiritual sense, something she didn't possess yet as she hadn't begun cultivating. She pursed her lips, closed her eyes for a moment, and thought: She is half-human, and half-humans are naturally endowed with a stronger spiritual sense than ordinary people. This is partly why there aren’t many half-humans in the cultivation world, yet a significant number of high-level cultivators are of half-human descent. In theory, she should have spiritual sense; the key is knowing how to use it. She glanced at her mothers, trying hard to think about opening it. Not knowing if it was right, she resolved to keep trying if it wasn’t. To her surprise, her first rough attempt worked. She was thrilled as she opened the storage pouch to find it filled with an abundance of both unfamiliar and yet oddly familiar things. Though she had never seen these items before, she could suddenly name each one and describe its use upon sight. She intended to isolate the courtyard from the outside world, preventing others from seeing the commotion within. With Shen Lvman's body beginning to glow with a phosphorescent green light, she knew time was pressing and instinctively began to act. From the storage pouch, she retrieved several crystalline, drop-shaped stones. These stones appeared like jade, but far more beautiful, and they were extremely comforting to hold. She knew these were spirit stones, specifically lower-grade ones, which served as currency in the cultivation world, akin to silver, and also as tools for cultivation. The pouch contained a substantial amount of spirit stones, roughly estimating over ten thousand pieces, along with some of higher quality exhibiting a faint five-colored glow. She recognized these as mid-grade spirit stones, numbering around a hundred. In the cultivation world, one mid-grade spirit stone equaled a hundred lower-grade ones. Above these were high-grade and supreme-grade spirit stones, but none of those were in the pouch. She took out several spirit stones and decided to include a mid-grade stone as well. Following the patterns that appeared in her mind, she set up a rudimentary defensive array. It was only after she finished that she realized she had constructed a defensive array. Sitting on the ground, she felt a comforting aura emanating from her mother. Looking up, she saw that her mother was now covered in green vines. Previously, she had heard from Xiao Hui and the National Master that her mother was half-demon, but since her mother, mother-in-law, and herself exhibited no visible differences, she hadn't given it much thought. Seeing the vines, which were part of her mother’s body, with her own eyes made her finally believe. She stood and hesitantly reached out to touch the newly grown delicate vines. The vines initially recoiled in fear. Liu'er's gaze darkened, and she was about to withdraw her hand. However, the vines seemed to realize who she was and immediately approached, curling around her fingers affectionately, like a small puppy nuzzling her hand. Liu'er’s nose tingled, and she burst into tears. Through her grit teeth, she wiped her tears and softly said, “Mother, please get well soon.” The vines seemed to comprehend, gently swaying. Jing Aoxue lay beside Shen Lvman, also enveloped in green vines. Liu'er worried that Jing Aoxue might get hurt, but the vines merely enclosed her gently without causing harm. She smirked at herself, thinking: Since vines are a part of Mother, and Mother and Mom share such a deep bond, naturally, they wouldn’t harm her. Reflecting on the previous day’s events felt like recalling memories from a previous life. At that moment, she had been so slow-witted, unable to detect any discord between her mother and mother-in-law. Her only hope was that once they awakened, they’d talk it over and not quarrel further. The vines, having spread throughout the courtyard, halted briefly at the defensive barrier before crawling further onward. Concerned that the defensive barrier wouldn’t suffice, Liu'er rummaged through the pouch, pulling out a wooden sword, two jade slips etched with cultivation techniques, another detailing the cultivation world’s introduction, several porcelain bottles containing elixirs, and a few simple magical artifacts. One artifact happened to possess defensive capabilities. She hurriedly took it out and tried to open it using her spiritual sense. Lacking the support of spiritual energy and having an untrained spiritual sense made it quite strenuous. Nonetheless, she pressed on, managing to activate the defensive artifact and swallowed a fasting pill to endure several days and nights. By dusk, Liu'er licked her lips but dared not relax, fearing the unusual vines throughout the courtyard might alarm the villagers. Wu Zhiyong had visited a few times, but she had managed to convince him to leave with a few simple words. The courtyard appeared unchanged at a glance, but it was simply an illusion. Having stayed up for several nights straight, though her mind managed, her body was beginning to betray her. She had pushed herself this far purely on adrenaline and determination. Feeling dizzy, she blinked wearily, something struck her mind, prompting her to turn and see Xiao Hui, looking increasingly listless and worn out after a few days' absence. Xiao Hui said, “It's about done. I've done everything needed; now it'll depend on her fortunes.” With that, not waiting for Liu'er’s gratitude, she jumped back into Liu'er's heart. Liu'er dumbly got up, staring at the vines inside the carriage. Her head throbbed as she tried to part them to check on her mother's condition. Her mother had awoken once before, but seemed partially senseless, having only glanced at her with unfamiliar eyes before falling back asleep. Previously... her mother had fought against the National Master and must have sustained serious injuries. Cautiously, Liu'er leaned in, but her mother remained unconscious. She had previously administered fasting pills and healing elixirs, practically feeding her mother every usable pill from the porcelain bottles. She touched Jing Aoxue’s cheek and sighed. Suddenly, the surrounding vines emitted an intense phosphorescent green light, suffocating the atmosphere with an overwhelming aura. Liu'er sluggishly realized: It was demon energy, pure demon energy, signaling that Mother was transforming. She leaped off the carriage, trying to maintain the defensive array and artifact, ensuring that the outside wouldn't witness what was transpiring inside the courtyard. Yet the scene the vines created was excessively dramatic, smashing the courtyard and house in disarray. What were once cute and even adorable vines now morphed ten times in size, their surfaces covered in various veins, appearing intimidatingly sinister. Liu'er bit her lips, staring at the vine-covered carriage. That area remained unscathed; perhaps her mother still retained some consciousness, thereby avoiding any harm to her. She hurried close to the carriage, avoiding being whipped to death by the vines. Where Shen Lvman lay, waves of green light pulsed, gradually deepening into light red, then bright blood red, finally settling into an ominous dark red. Beginning from the carriage’s center, the vines shifted colors, morphing from green to vivid red. Countless vines withered and decayed, devoured by the red vines, leaving only hundreds of thick red vines blanketing the courtyard, spiraling in the air. Liu'er felt a blessing under the setting sun; as the last ray of sunlight vanished, the crimson vines entwined amongst themselves, commencing a fierce struggle. Swallowing, Liu'er reasoned that since they were parts of her mother, why were they... Hesitantly she surmised: Could it be devouring and rebirth? Speaking of which, her grandfather, Mother's father, was a major demon in the plant world; what exactly was his true form? The demon realm is home to many vine-like demons, but for her grandfather, her mother's father, to secure a notable place in the demon realm only attests to his exceptional bloodline. Like the cultivation world respects power, the demon realm respects bloodlines. The stronger and more ancient the bloodline, the higher the stature in the demon realm. This is why, despite Xiao Hui appearing as a mere chick, she could command the world’s demons. However... demons tend to harbor ulterior motives, appearing deferential on the surface, but should Xiao Hui lack strength, she might soon be consumed by malicious demons. Frowning, Liu'er dismissed those thoughts for now; getting to the cultivation world was no easy feat. She focused intently on the outcome of the vine's internal devouring. By the time the moon hung high in the sky, nine thick vines remained sprawled across the courtyard, resembling blood-red giant serpents from afar. Gazing at where Shen Lvman lay, there was nothing left but a torn dress, her body having vanished without a trace. Her mother, looking toward the vines in the courtyard, Liu'er licked her dry lips, thinking: these... They're the vines. She felt slightly taken aback, struggling to accept it. Suddenly recalling that in their nascent state, when demons possess low power or haven’t reached the Nascent Soul transformation, they remain in their original form until reaching the Nascent Soul stage to truly become demon cultivators. Of course, one could also consume special Transformation Fruits, abundant in the demon world. But here, in the human realm, where her mother’s cultivation only reached the third level of Qi Refining, would she be stuck in this form until reaching Nascent Soul? She managed a dry laugh, but at that moment, a cough interrupted her thoughts. She rushed over, seeing Jing Aoxue, and exclaimed joyfully, “Mother!” Jing Aoxue blinked in confusion, feeling pain, but noticing nothing different about her body. Touching her chest where her heart beat, she recalled the final image of being slain by the sword. But it mattered not; Shen Lvman was gone, and it was all her incompetence. If only she hadn’t left Shen Lvman alone at the Liu residence, or if she had arrived sooner, or even not sought out those herbs and simply fled with Shen Lvman and Liu’er... All those events could have been avoided. Her eyes dimmed, feeling as though all vitality was leaving her. She vaguely heard someone anxiously calling her name, but she had no desire to respond, she… She couldn't bear it. Shen Lvman was the love of her life, and they had been in a cold war over the issue of soul possession the last time they were together. Even if she had to kneel and beg, she should have asked Shen Lvman to forgive her back then. Shen Lvman, with her gentle heart, truly cared for her and would surely have compromised. Jing Aoxue gritted her teeth, eyes burning with unshed tears. She felt... so much pain! This feeling was more excruciating than when she perished alongside the tenth-level demon vine! Seeing Jing Aoxue oblivious to her words, Liu'er noticed the anguish and despair etched on her face. Panicking, Liu'er clenched her fist and smacked Jing Aoxue's face hard. With a sharp "smack," Jing Aoxue felt a sting on her cheek. She blinked, tears streaming down her face. Finally, she saw Liu'er’s worried, anxious face. She wanted to smile and comfort her dear daughter, but she couldn’t manage to. Embracing Liu'er, she said, “Liu'er, from now on, it's just the two of us!” Liu'er held her and said, “Mother, don't cry. Mom is still alive. She's right in the courtyard. If you don't believe me, look.” Jing Aoxue was skeptical but looked up only to see the nine thick blood-red vines, currently clinging to the side of the carriage, gazing at her with deep affection. Jing Aoxue: "..." --- (Note: The last line mentioning site-specific content was omitted as it doesn't pertain to the story itself.)