Chapter 524
In the interplay of light and shadow.
The villagers learned that Li Tiexiang had drawn away the demon, and after a while, the pair of grandfather and grandson he had saved, with the old man summoning his courage, made their way up the mountain.
“The demon is dead! Little Li Tiexiang is safe!”
He hurriedly called out to the villagers, and even the village chief came.
However, upon recognizing the woman beside Li Mo, the village chief knelt down first, and soon the villagers followed suit, kneeling in a wave.
As they knelt, they chanted praises to the Tianzu Niangniang (Heavenly Clan Goddess).
Indeed, the three cities of Heaven, Earth, and Man were relatively independent.
But the main reason was that the Tianren (Heavenly People) had little regard for the people of the other two cities.
The Tianzu were too powerful, their lifespans too long.
For the people of Rencheng (Human City), they could no longer be considered kin; it was more like a divide between gods and mortals, except these gods did not require the faith of mortals.
As for the people of Dicheng (Earth City), they constantly sought to grow stronger, hoping to ascend to the Tianzu’s position when it became vacant.
When Ying Bing arrived, the villagers felt little joy; instead, they appeared fearful and awed.
After all, to this powerful Tianzu, they were no different from ants...
“I will stay in the village for a while.”
“Then I, an old man... I will offer my house for you to stay in...”
“No need, I think that place over there is just fine.”
Ying Bing pointed to Li Mo, who lay on a stretcher, being treated with medicine.
Ah?
Saying this, she glanced back at Li Mo and said no more, quietly walking into the blacksmith shop.
The die was cast, and the villagers dared not speculate on what this powerful Tianzu fairy was thinking, each returning home with different expressions.
The happiest of them all was undoubtedly Li Mo.
At that moment, the village chief pulled him aside, his expression serious, lowering his voice:
“Little Li, you must take good care of the fairy. Her staying here may have other intentions, and you must not harbor any improper thoughts!”
“If you anger her, it could be far worse than angering a demon!”
“Even if you don’t provoke her, her unintentional actions could lead to serious consequences. You must be extremely careful!”
The village chief went on to recount many tales.
For instance, there was once a young Tianzu who sneaked into Rencheng to play and befriended a mortal.
The mortal, unaware of the other’s identity, poked the Tianzu’s nose with a feather while he was asleep, wanting to see his funny expression.
As a result, the young Tianzu sneezed, and a torrential rain fell upon the surrounding ten villages, continuing for half a month without stopping!
This fairy was clearly much stronger!
“I understand, village chief. Don’t worry.”
Li Mo smiled and patted his chest; he never felt afraid of that fairy.
“Ah, what is meant to be a blessing is not a curse, and what is a curse cannot be avoided…”
The village chief shook his head, unable to resist being infected by Li Mo’s sunny disposition, a smile appearing on his face:
“With this Tianzu Niangniang in the village, we need not fear the disasters of fifty years from now.”
“Will she stay for that long?”
“Fifty years is a lifetime for us, but for the Tianzu, it’s just a blink of an eye.”
The aged village chief chuckled, patting his shoulder.
The young and strong Li Tiexiang looked bewildered.
He did not yet know that the old village chief had once been as young and vigorous as he was.
Nor did he understand the fleeting nature of time, how things change.
He was even unaware of how time could be as sharp as a knife, separating mortals from the divine!
...
P.S.: Please support my work; the recent plot has really been stressful. This side story is the most well-prepared and thorough one I’ve crafted, and it has inspired me for my next book. I hope this endeavor is successful. Thank you, dear readers. I know the updates have been unstable, and it’s indeed frustrating to follow -3-
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Chapter 594: Don’t Call Me Niangniang, Jiang Yu’s Ambition
As evening fell, the sun dipped low in the west.
Li Mo returned to the blacksmith shop, carrying the hopes of the entire village, along with a wild deer that had been frightened to death by the demon.
In the simple little courtyard, smoke rose gently, caressed by the breeze.
“Does the fairy want to eat?”
As Li Mo processed the deer meat, skewering it onto bamboo sticks, he secretly pondered.
Maybe after it’s roasted, he could bring some inside. His barbecued meat was a specialty; perhaps it was because he felt that both blacksmithing and cooking required a keen sense of timing, sharing a common essence.
If she didn’t like to eat, then perhaps the Tianzu didn’t need to eat at all...
Lost in thought, the young blacksmith suddenly froze on the mud threshold.
Unbeknownst to him, Ying Bing had already come out of the house and sat down beside him on the same threshold.
Her hair rippled in the gentle breeze, hugging her knees, her clear and bright eyes were studying him, filled with a smile that seemed never to tire.
Li Mo felt his face flush, his mind drifting away.
“Is it time to flip it?”
“Oh, right... Sorry, you’re just too beautiful.” Li Mo hurriedly turned the deer meat over.
“You’re still as foolish and immature as ever.”
“Huh?”
The young blacksmith didn’t understand, but suddenly felt as if he had been struck by an arrow in his heart.
Before crossing over, he had thought himself strong and resolute, but now he found himself utterly helpless in the face of true beauty.
No, what was he thinking? The fairy might just be indulging in a whim...
“Are you going to eat?”
“No, I don’t want that.” Ying Bing shook her head.
“Is it that you don’t like barbecued meat?” Li Mo felt a bit disappointed, thinking she might not eat mortal food.
“It’s because you haven’t finished cooking it.”
Ying Bing took out a few chili peppers, ground them into powder, and mixed them with other seasonings.
“Try this.”
“You’re also skilled in cooking, Niangniang? This is delicious!”
Li Mo tentatively took a bite, and his eyes lit up—wasn’t this the taste of the barbecue from his previous life?
He had thought about recreating it here, but unfortunately, he couldn’t find the right ingredients.
Flattered by his praise, Ying Bing instinctively reached for Li Mo’s hand but bit her lip, holding back, and instead picked up a skewer of roasted meat.
The grease glistened on her lips:
“Don’t call me Niangniang.”
“Then what should I call you?”
“Just... call me sister.”
Ying Bing rested her chin on her hand, her eyes sparkling with a bright smile, and she blinked lightly, nearly blinding the young blacksmith.
The fairy sister seemed quite different from what the village chief had described.
Having saved the world a few times, could he really marry such a woman?
“Then... Fairy Sister, will you stay in Dawang Village forever?”
“As long as you’re here, I will be.”
Li Mo didn’t understand why the fairy sister said this, but he realized something important.
One’s fate and safety cannot be placed in the hands of the Tianzu or any other elusive entity.
People must fulfill themselves; they must be their own saviors.
With the fairy sister in Dawang Village, she gave him the chance to fulfill himself...
“The martial arts I used today felt a bit strange. I can use it, but I don’t know how to explain it... I want to teach the other villagers too.”
“I can modify it a bit; it should work.”
...
“I just love watching this.”
Shang Qinqing’s eyes sparkled, making strange sounds of excitement.
Qin Yuzhi had also been completely turned into a shipper; she could hardly wait to use the same trick as last time to link their dreams together.
Not only do I want to ship, but I want to ship ahead of time!
Unfortunately, she couldn’t enter the Jiangshan Sheji Tu (Nation and Society Map), so she had to postpone her plans.
In the imperial capital, chaos erupted, with countless expressions resembling dogs that had been kicked on the roadside.
“Damn, I came to watch the thrilling Tianren trials, and what is this!”
“Are you trying to trick us into coming here to kill us? Just ‘call me sister,’ go ahead and kill me to entertain yourselves!”
“This is off! Isn’t the Jiangshan Sheji Tu supposed to make us forget the past? What the hell have we forgotten!”
“Damn it, change the channel!”
The scene became quite chaotic.
However, it was true that the light and shadow had lingered too long on Li Mo and Ying Bing, causing everyone to nearly forget.
Clearly, it was a trial for three people, yet it seemed someone had been missing their name from the very beginning...
Clearly, Jiang Yu was very important; he was now the only trial participant in Tiancheng (Heaven City), and if nothing unexpected happened, he would soon wield the Tianren Divine Sword.
Emperor Jingtai also felt it was about time to see what Jiang Yu had been doing in the imperial capital.
Thus, the light and shadow shifted, and the scene returned to Tiancheng.
At this moment, a meeting was taking place in Tiancheng.
“Jiang Yu is now the most powerful among the innate beings in our Tiancheng, and he has established a faint connection with the Divine Sword. He will surely succeed in becoming its master in the future,” a Tianzu said slowly.
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