Chapter 398 - 394: Admonition

Chapter 398: Chapter 394: Admonition

"That’s right. But why do you think such a magical Array was lost to time?"

Gu Nuan Nuan smiled and shook her head. "That’s because Spirit Stones are as rare as a phoenix feather in this world—something you can only hope to stumble upon by chance. Besides, I didn’t actually set up this Array; I only set up the Array Plate. In other words, even if someone had Spirit Stones, I’m afraid no one left in this world has the ability to use them directly for Array Formation. As for the Array Plate, when we take down the Array later, you’ll see it for yourselves. The patterns engraved on it are far too complex. I’ve studied it carefully, but I can’t make heads or tails of it. The method for making them was probably lost to time long ago, like other ancient marvels."

Qi Guoqing’s and Jiang Wenhao’s faces fell with disappointment. But then they heard Gu Nuan Nuan wasn’t planning on keeping it to herself and would actually let them see the Array Plate, and their spirits instantly lifted.

Gu Nuan Nuan smiled at their reactions and pointed to the wild deer and pheasant by the stream. "We promised the others they’d have something to eat when they get back. We’ve already been delayed for a while, so why don’t we start cooking?"

Hearing this, both Jiang Wenhao and Qi Guoqing nodded. Jiang Wenhao glanced at the deer and pheasant, then walked over. "I’ll go prepare the game," he said.

Gu Nuan Nuan nodded, full of enthusiasm. "We can roast the deer with a honey glaze. I have honey, and some other seasonings..."

As she spoke, Gu Nuan Nuan reached into her backpack and pulled out a large Jade Jar. Opening it, she revealed it was still more than half-full of glistening, golden honey. Next, she brought out salt, cumin, and pepper. While the others were in small amounts, the quantity of salt was quite large. It was in a jar that looked to hold at least a pound.

’Why so much salt?’

Qi Guoqing and Jiang Wenhao couldn’t help the twitch at the corners of their eyes.

"Well, I was worried we might be out here for a while, so I brought extra salt, didn’t I?" In reality, Gu Nuan Nuan had brought out so much salt because she wanted to make some jerky for them over the next couple of days, just in case they faced starvation again in the future.

’I’ll see if I can hunt more game in a bit. If so, great. If not, I’ll just take some out of my pack.’

She kept the thought to herself, instead suggesting with great interest, "The deer is quite large. We don’t have to roast all of it. We can slice some of it thinly, find a suitable flat rock, and have a stone-plate barbecue. We’ll stew the pheasant. Perfect! See that large, concave rock over there? That would make a pretty good soup pot. Mmm, it looks like it could make enough chicken soup for all of us. I’ll head out in a bit to see if I can find a bamboo grove and make some bowls and chopsticks."

Qi Guoqing and Jiang Wenhao looked over and saw that the rock Gu Nuan Nuan pointed out was indeed perfect. Jiang Wenhao immediately veered off and hauled the large, pot-like rock over. Taking a closer look, the two men were delighted. "It’s a perfect fit!"

Of course, it wasn’t such a perfect coincidence. The only reason such a suitable, large, concave rock was here to be used as a soup pot was because Gu Nuan Nuan had disapproved of their other cookware and prepared this one in advance.

As she was smiling to herself in secret triumph, Qi Guoqing spoke up. "I’ll help build a simple stove." He started to get up as he finished speaking.

"Don’t you move! In your condition, you think I’d dare let you work?" Jiang Wenhao was startled by Qi Guoqing and quickly pushed him back down. "You just rest here. If you get restless, you can help with the barbecue later. Forget everything else. The most important thing is for you to recover from your injury."

"I’m not just trying to be tough. It’s strange, but I feel like I’m almost back to normal," Qi Guoqing said, puzzled. He didn’t resist much as Jiang Wenhao held him down. He pressed a hand to his abdomen, his face full of confusion. "Is the medicine just that effective?"

Gu Nuan Nuan smiled to herself but kept a straight face. "Brother Qi, the ointment applied to your wound has a very strong pain-relieving effect, so it’s not surprising you’d feel that way. However, you’d best endure it for a few more days. Wait at least seven days before removing the gauze, because only then will the ointment be completely absorbed by your body."

"Seven days? Without changing the dressing at all during that time?" Qi Guoqing asked curiously. Jiang Wenhao leaned in and chimed in, "Yeah, I thought you were supposed to change it every day or two."

"No need. This ointment isn’t like the usual kind. All impurities were removed during its refinement, leaving only the pure essence. I forgot to tell Luo Hongyi earlier, but you absolutely cannot remove the gauze ahead of schedule. If you do, the medicinal properties will rapidly dissipate upon contact with the air. It won’t be able to fully penetrate your body and repair your injured intestines, and the treatment’s effectiveness will be greatly diminished."

Gu Nuan Nuan warned him in all seriousness—most of what she said was true, she wasn’t just trying to scare him. "After seven days, when you remove the gauze, you’ll find the wound has healed and the ointment has almost completely disappeared. However, that’s only the surface. The inside won’t have recovered that quickly. That’s why I’m having you continue to take the Satiety Pills, to prevent ordinary food and water from interfering with your internal healing. By the way, don’t be alarmed if you notice anything unusual in your excretions during this period. The ointment doesn’t just repair, it also promotes the regrowth of your damaged intestines. The dead tissue will naturally be expelled from your body."

If she didn’t explain it clearly, Gu Nuan Nuan was genuinely afraid that Qi Guoqing would be horrified by the severed, rotten pieces of intestine he would eventually excrete.

"So that’s how it works. It’s really that amazing? I’ll be careful. It’s only seven days. Even if you told me to keep it wrapped for seventy days, I’d do it without question," Qi Guoqing promised earnestly. At the same time, he broke out in a cold sweat. If Gu Nuan Nuan hadn’t warned him, he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t have removed the gauze to check on his wound.

Gu Nuan Nuan nodded in satisfaction. "There’s no firewood here. I’m going to go out and gather some branches and things. I’ll also see if I can snag another pheasant. Otherwise, with a stone pot this big, one pheasant will just turn into a thin, watery broth."

She crouched and drew a map on the ground. "This is the route in and out of the Array," she told them. "But don’t try to leave on your own for now. I’m afraid you might still get it wrong just by looking at the map. It’s best to wait for me to get back. I’ll walk you through it carefully a couple of times so you can memorize the path."

"Don’t worry," Qi Guoqing and Jiang Wenhao said, nodding together. They knew she could take care of herself, but they still felt compelled to add, "You be careful out there, too. Don’t go too far, and come back soon."

"I will." With that, Gu Nuan Nuan’s figure flickered and, to the two men’s gasps of amazement, she quickly vanished from sight.

"Her movement technique is definitely Qinggong," Jiang Wenhao said, practically drooling with envy.

"Wipe your drool and get to work. We don’t want the Captain and the others to get back and not even have a hot meal to eat."