Chapter 393: Uneventful

“Uncle, who is the lady in this painting?”

“My… wife.”

Fang Rui shook his head, said no more, and rolled up the scroll. “You should sleep. We have to travel tomorrow.”

As he spoke,

he took out blankets and a silk quilt from his Spirit Ring.

“Oh, okay!”

Xin Xue’Er took them and first laid out a bed for Fang Rui before making one for herself. She obediently crawled inside, but a good while later, her big eyes were still wide open.

“Can’t sleep?”

“Mm, this blanket is so soft and warm, just like being in Mom’s arms… Back when it rained, Mom always said her legs hurt. If only she’d had one of these…”

The tiny girl spoke, her little face peeking out from the blanket, making her seem even smaller. “Uncle, I’ll be good. I’ll fall asleep soon.”

She was always like this—cautious and timid, afraid of displeasing Fang Rui in the slightest.

“You don’t have to force yourself.”

Fang Rui said softly, “How about I tell you a story?”

“What’s a story?”

“A story is… well…”

A short while later,

Xin Xue’Er was asleep. She was curled up, clutching tightly to the corner of Fang Rui’s sleeve, as if afraid that when she woke up, he would be gone and this wonderful dream would be over.

Fang Rui shook his head with a small smile. He sat down on the blanket next to her, feeling a long-lost sense of peace deep in his heart under the starry night sky.

‘No wonder people need partners and children. Even someone alone will raise a pet or two, like a cat or a dog.’

‘It’s always better to have company.’

He shook his gourd, took a sip of wine, and thought about what had happened that evening.

‘My Soul Searching of the Black Flood Dragon Army’s Camp Commander, Xiahou Xian, revealed the truth. Ostensibly, his army was there to suppress bandits and wipe out the Qilian Six Strongholds. In reality, they were taking advantage of the chaos in the Three States of the Southwest to murder people and collect blood food. This was to supply the people backing them in cultivating a Divine Medicine.’

And these ‘people backing them’ were none other than the Half-Immortal Families. Besides the Liao Family, the Half-Immortal Family of Liangzhou, there were others from different states…

‘Slaughtering villages and destroying strongholds… During this great calamity, they aren’t even trying to hide their voraciousness!’

Fang Rui’s expression turned cold and grim. ‘This goes against my original goal of reducing the world’s negative aura. Since I’m making my moves in Liangzhou, I should do something about this.’

‘Armies like Xiahou Xian’s are numerous and scattered, making them difficult to eliminate one by one. Besides, now isn’t the time to confront those Half-Immortal Families head-on… Perhaps I can make use of… ‘

‘The information from the Soul Searching included the locations of the Qilian Six Strongholds. Tomorrow… when I’m setting my plans in motion, I’ll take care of this matter on the side.’

…

「The next day.」

Xin Xue’Er woke up early and went to gather firewood to start a fire and cook.

“La la la!”

She sang softly. She was the kind of little girl who only needed a tiny bit of warmth to be full of life. Her attitude was so infectious that Fang Rui’s mood inexplicably improved as well.

Breakfast was just a simple flour paste. While gathering firewood, Xin Xue’Er had also recognized a type of bitter green and added it to the mix.

In the end, the small pot of gruel became a gray-black, disastrous concoction.

Even Fang Rui, who wasn’t a picky eater, found the gruel hard to swallow after a taste. Xin Xue’Er, however, ate every last bite, leaving her bowl sparkling clean.

Afterward, Xin Xue’Er washed the bowl as well.

Fang Rui didn’t stop her, letting her do as she pleased. He also deliberately didn’t give the little girl anything too rich to eat for the time being. For one, it was to let her stomach recover; eating rich food after having had no oil in her diet for so long could easily cause an upset stomach.

And for another reason…

‘Oftentimes, life’s pleasures should be discovered bit by bit, with expectations raised little by little. Giving too much all at once can easily make a person lose their way.’

After the meal,

Fang Rui flew with Xin Xue’Er on the Purple Feathered Crane. The wind rushed past them, mountains and rivers lay below, and looking down, they could see the boundless, yellowish-brown earth, parched from drought.

“We’re so high up, Uncle! We’re flying!”

“Xue’Er, you sit here. I have some business to take care of. I’ll be right back.”

“Uncle, what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to train a pack of wolves into dogs and use them to corner a tiger.”

“Oh!”

Xin Xue’Er nodded. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s better that you don’t.”

Fang Rui shook his head with a smile. A black light swirled around him, and he leaped down.

…

「Qilian Mountain Range.」

Heifeng Stronghold, Ju Yitang Hall.

The Six Village Chiefs were all gathered here, discussing how to deal with the elite bandit-suppression troops of Great Yu.

Some advocated for surrender; some proposed relocation; some wanted to put up a fight first and then relocate…

As for fighting to the death?

Out of the question!

“In that case, since you’re all a bunch of pragmatists, this will be easy.”

Fang Rui appeared and strode inside.

“Who are you? How dare you barge in here? Such insolence! Is a meeting of us chiefs something you can just interrupt?” one of them berated him, his face cold.

“Brother Song, you really should discipline your men,” another chief added with a frown.

“If he were one of my men, I would have had him dragged out and executed by now,” someone sneered.

“Still wearing a mask? Putting on airs!”

“Nice build. I quite like him. Brother Song, how about we make a deal? Why don’t you give this man to me?”

…

The chiefs chattered amongst themselves, sizing up Fang Rui from head to toe.

“This…”

The chief named Song muttered, “I don’t have anyone like this among my men!”

He was a sociable man and had a knack for remembering faces; he knew for a fact that there was no such Hero among his men.

The moment he said that, the entire Ju Yitang Hall fell deathly silent.

This was the territory of the chief named Song. Since he said this man wasn’t one of his, and he hadn’t been brought by any of the others…

Then where in the world did this person come from? And how did he get in here?

After all, with the Six Village Chiefs meeting today, the defenses had naturally been reinforced. The outside was heavily guarded, with multiple layers of security.

—Even they themselves couldn’t have snuck in here without a sound!

The matter… the more they thought about it, the more terrifying it became!

After a moment of silence, the faces of the Six Village Chiefs changed dramatically. The hall was thrown into chaos. Some shouted for their men, while others turned into blurs as they tried to flee…