Chapter 96: Nanlu Academy

Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Nanlu Academy

By the afternoon, the Beastmen of the tribe had all learned how to make Immortal Tofu and small crayfish.

When dinner time rolled around, they eagerly dug into the dishes, their mouths full of endless praise.

"I had no idea this stuff was so delicious!" one villager exclaimed.

"To think I used to be afraid of these weird bugs—no, wait, small crayfish. Now that I know how good they taste, I’m not scared of them at all!" another chimed in.

"Exactly! When we went to catch them, our eyes lit up because all we saw was food!" a third agreed.

Of course, the ones they were most grateful to were Qiao Feishuang and Qiao Suluo. Qiao Suluo’s status in the village had skyrocketed. If she were to announce she was leaving the village now, everyone would probably burst into tears and beg her to stay. They were even thinking of ways to repay her in the future.

Meanwhile, Qiao Suluo’s mind was entirely focused on finding new ingredients. She had already found two fresh ingredients for the village and taught the tribe how to prepare them, but she was still short of one more to complete her task. Because of this, she spent the next few days fully dedicated to foraging.

Eventually, she helped everyone discover garlic. The inhabitants of the Beast World Continent usually only knew of scallions and ginger; they had never encountered garlic before. While roaming the mountains over the past few days, she stumbled upon a patch of wild garlic. She brought everyone together to roast and eat it, introducing it as a legitimate food source. None of them had ever imagined that garlic could be eaten directly or used as a seasoning in stir-fries.

"DING! Congratulations to the host for completing the mission. Reward: Two hundred points."

Although it was only two hundred points, it was enough to pay off the 182-point debt she owed the system, leaving her with a balance of eighteen points.

"Do you know how Que Hongjin is doing right now?" she asked. The system had previously mentioned an additional reward, but all she cared about was Que Hongjin’s condition.

"Is the host certain about exchanging the reward for an information card to learn about Que Hongjin’s current status?"

Qiao Suluo answered without hesitation, "I’m certain."

The system replied, "Que Hongjin is currently staying in a house at the easternmost end of Huaihua Lane in Nanhe County. Although his life is not in danger, he has fallen into a deep sleep and has yet to wake up."

Qiao Suluo’s expression drastically changed. "Why would he fall into a deep sleep and not wake up?"

"I just ran a scan," the system explained. "He sustained heavy injuries while fighting Mo Xuan Ye and was subsequently ambushed and poisoned by Mo Chi. Afterward, he was saved by the Young Valley Master of Medicine King Valley. The Young Valley Master brought him to that house to recover and is currently studying the poison in his system to find a cure."

"The Young Valley Master of Medicine King Valley?"

Just thinking about Medicine King Valley soured Qiao Suluo’s mood. It hadn’t been long since she ransomed Yue Hanzheng from that very place. She wondered how Yue Hanzheng was doing now. However, in her heart, Que Hongjin’s safety took precedence over everything else at the moment.

"Yes. The Young Valley Master of Medicine King Valley was gathering herbs in the area and happened to come across the poisoned and unconscious Que Hongjin. Finding the poison to be quite unique, he brought him back to study the toxin, cure him, and treat his body," the system added.

Having understood the situation, Qiao Suluo didn’t delay any further and prepared to head to the county to find Que Hongjin. Bai Qianluo and Chu Moyuan naturally insisted on accompanying her. They were worried she might encounter danger on the road. After all, back in the Ancient Secret Forest, she was nearly killed by Mo Xuan Ye using his Domain Ability.

Qiao Suluo also felt much safer with Bai Qianluo and Chu Moyuan around to protect her. And so, she brought the two men along to the county town. Without an ox cart, they had to make the journey on foot.

By the time they arrived at the county town, it was already mid-morning. As they passed through the main street, Qiao Suluo spotted the large stall pavilion erected right outside the Drunken Immortal Tower. The structure was built high and spacious, complete with two mud stoves and counters. Beneath the counters were individual storage cubbies, making it very convenient to store various items. There was also enough space beside it to set up several tables and chairs.

She hadn’t expected her father and brothers to build it so perfectly. With this setup, she could even start serving soup-based dishes, allowing customers to sit and eat right at the pavilion. It would also provide shelter from the wind and rain. Qiao Suluo was highly pleased with it. She had merely mentioned the idea in passing, yet her father and brothers had made it a reality. Thinking of her parents and family at this moment filled her heart with warmth.

However, this wasn’t the time to dwell on such thoughts. Without stopping, they continued their brisk walk toward Huaihua Lane in the northernmost part of town.

As they passed through the area, Qiao Suluo realized that Huaihua Lane was extremely close to Nanlu Academy. These few alleys were situated directly opposite the academy, just a few minutes’ walk away. Qiao Suluo remembered her past promise: once they earned enough silver, she would send Que Hongjin to study at Nanlu Academy. He loved reading so much. Nanlu Academy was one of the four great academies in the south. The quality of its teachers went without saying; many were renowned scholars from the Capital City. Furthermore, the academy boasted an incredibly extensive collection of books.

Gazing at the academy’s grand entrance and the clean, wide roads leading to it, she muttered, "I didn’t expect Nanlu Academy to be right here.

"But why are there no shops around here?"

Bai Qianluo explained, "An academy is meant to be a quiet place for studying, and this area is relatively secluded. Therefore, there are very few commercial shops here."

Qiao Suluo had noticed this along the way as well. In her opinion, the vicinity of a school was actually the best place to open a business. In her past life, the areas right outside schools were packed not just with storefronts, but with countless street stalls. They were the spots with the highest foot traffic.

Her eyes lit up at the thought. She wanted to open a shop here. However, for now, she already had a stall to manage. She would need to plan things out carefully later. Just the thought of running a food business made her blood boil with excitement and filled her with drive.

But she suppressed her excitement for the time being, focusing first on finding Que Hongjin at Huaihua Lane.

When they arrived at the easternmost house in Huaihua Lane, the front gate was tightly shut. Qiao Suluo stepped forward and knocked on the door.

A young man dressed as a servant opened the door. He looked at the three of them with a confused expression. "Who are you?"

Qiao Suluo tried her best to put on a friendly and harmless smile. "Hello there. I am Que Hongjin’s wife. Upon learning that he was recuperating here, I was so worried about him that I took the liberty to visit. I apologize for the intrusion."

"Que Hongjin?"

"Yes. The Peacock Beastman—the one missing a wing."

Afraid the servant might not understand, Qiao Suluo made sure to clarify.

Realization dawned on the servant. "So you’re his wife! But how did his injuries get so severe? He was even poisoned! If it weren’t for my young master, your Beast Husband would have died."

"It’s all my fault," Qiao Suluo said, blaming herself.

The servant was taken aback. He had merely made an offhand comment about the Beastman’s condition and never expected his wife to actually blame herself. Females were known to be cold and heartless. How could she say such a thing?

Because Qiao Suluo’s attitude was so pleasant, the servant didn’t really suspect her.

"May I go in and see him?" Qiao Suluo asked anxiously. "I’m very worried about him.

"He truly is my Beast Husband."

Right at that moment, Yue Hanzheng happened to wheel his chair out of the house. Upon seeing Qiao Suluo, a look of shock crossed his face, which quickly shifted to anger. "You... you vicious woman! What are you doing here?

"Are you so determined not to let us go?"

The moment Yue Hanzheng saw Qiao Suluo, he instinctively assumed the worst about her intentions.