Chapter 247 - 246: Strange Villagers

Chapter 247: Chapter 246: Strange Villagers

That night, Huo Xingchen’s temperature started to rise again, but it wasn’t high enough for him to take any fever medicine.

Gu Qingyin barely slept all night, constantly working to bring his temperature down physically. Only when Huo Xingchen’s temperature stabilized around dawn did she lie down beside him, rest her head against his small shoulder, and drowse off.

Huo Yunjing, who was sleeping against the wall, got up at that moment. He slipped out of bed, walked over to Gu Qingyin’s side to pull the blanket over her, and stood watching the mother and son for a moment before turning to leave.

The door closed, and a sigh was heard from inside the room.

When Gu Qingyin next opened her eyes, it was already bright outside, and she was the only one left on the sleeping platform. Startled, she scrambled out of bed and rushed outside. The sight of Huo Xingchen squatting in the courtyard talking with Dongfang Lingjun made the knot of worry in her chest instantly dissolve.

She paused for a couple of seconds to collect herself, then walked over. "What are you two chatting about?"

Huo Xingchen looked up as Gu Qingyin reached down to feel his forehead. "Your fever’s gone? Did you take your medicine this morning?"

Huo Xingchen replied obediently, "I did. I’m all better now." He looked at what Dongfang Lingjun was holding. "Grandpa is teaching me how to identify plants."

Dongfang Lingjun smiled. "Master Huo brought these back this morning. There are many different kinds, and some of them are edible." He pointed to a waist-high water vat in the courtyard. "He brought back water, too. Go get washed up."

Gu Qingyin agreed, ruffling Huo Xingchen’s hair. "Take your time and learn well."

After washing up, Gu Qingyin drank a carton of milk for breakfast.

Seeing this, Huo Xingchen ran into the kitchen and came back carrying a bowl of vegetable congee.

Gu Qingyin was surprised. "Where did we get rice?"

Huo Xingchen shook his head. "I don’t know."

Dongfang Lingjun, who was nearby, explained, "We found it at the door this morning. Just a small handful, but it was enough to make some congee."

Gu Qingyin understood. ’It must have been a gift from those children yesterday.’

"This small handful looks like it was scraped together from different places. It was full of sand and dirt. It’s a good thing it was us; anyone else wouldn’t have been able to get it clean." Dongfang Lingjun shook his head. "It’s truly hard for ordinary people to survive without water."

If the villagers had enough water to cook this rice themselves, they would never have given it away so easily.

After finishing the congee, Gu Qingyin used a talisman to clean the bowl and then sat down in the courtyard to make paper figures.

Before long, Gu Ziqian and Huo Yunjing returned. Gu Qingyin glanced up. "Where’s Qiu Yan? Didn’t you come back together?"

The two men exchanged a look. "She wasn’t with us."

Gu Qingyin’s hands stilled, and the color drained from Dongfang Lingjun’s face.

Gu Ziqian pinched his fingers together in a quick divination, then his expression relaxed as he sat down on a nearby stool. "Don’t worry. She’s fine."

Dongfang Lingjun let out a breath of relief, but his expression remained stern. "Why does that child wander off like that? When she gets back, I’m going to have to give her a serious lecture."

Gu Ziqian laughed. "She’s a woman in her twenties, and a skilled Array Master to boot. Are you really afraid she’s going to be bullied by a bunch of starving commoners?"

Dongfang Lingjun shook his head and sighed. "Dayan is too soft-hearted. I’m afraid she’ll be tricked."

"I’ll go look for her." Huo Yunjing turned and walked away.

Dongfang Lingjun quickly called out his thanks. "Thank you for the trouble."

Huo Yunjing gave a wave of his hand and headed out the gate.

Huo Xingchen’s eyes darted around, and he jumped up to run after him. "I want to go too!"

Huo Yunjing stopped and turned to look at Gu Qingyin, a question in his eyes.

Huo Xingchen hadn’t had a chance to go out and look around since they arrived. Gu Qingyin didn’t have the heart to keep him cooped up, so she could only nod in resignation. "Please look after him."

Huo Yunjing shook his head, took Huo Xingchen’s hand, and led him out.

Gu Qingyin felt at ease, so she lowered her head and resumed making her paper figures.

Dongfang Lingjun kept glancing toward the gate, and eventually, he went to wait there directly, like an old father anxious for his children to return home.

Gu Ziqian, however, watched Gu Qingyin’s work with great interest. After a moment, he suddenly asked, "Who taught you this skill?"

Gu Qingyin didn’t stop her work. "When I was a child, my master would make little paper animals to keep me entertained. After watching for so long, I wanted to make them myself. The more I made, the more I wanted to try new things, and I learned how to do it before I even knew it."

"You’re very talented," Gu Ziqian praised.

Gu Qingyin gave a noncommittal smile. When it came to the mystical arts, talent was the one thing she had in spades. She was a true natural—mastering one concept made a hundred others fall into place. It was just that some things simply failed to hold her interest.

"I’m so envious of your master, finding a disciple as perfect as you," Gu Ziqian remarked with a sigh that was hard to read.

Gu Qingyin offered a piece of half-hearted advice. "When we get back, just announce that you’re looking for a disciple. I guarantee every talented person in the Mystical World will line up to apply. If too many people show up, you can hold a tournament. It would be a perfect opportunity to evaluate your future disciple’s character and aptitude from all angles. With that many people to choose from, you’re bound to find one who’s perfectly to your liking."

Gu Ziqian was left speechless. ’Why on earth would I go looking for a disciple just to give myself a headache? I shouldn’t have even brought it up. Just making trouble for myself out of boredom.’

The courtyard finally fell quiet, leaving only the soft sounds of Gu Qingyin focusing on her papercraft.

After a moment, Gu Ziqian narrowed his eyes and shot a suspicious look at Gu Qingyin. ’Did she say all that on purpose? Was I bothering her?’

Meanwhile, Huo Yunjing and Huo Xingchen found Zhang Qiuyan in front of an ancient tree in the center of the village. She was busy helping the local children mend the holes in their clothes.

Judging by the new needle and the spools of colorful thread, these were clearly not items that belonged in the village.

Huo Xingchen was floored. ’Someone actually carries a sewing kit with them when they leave the house! What kind of bizarre hobby is that? In this day and age, you’d be hard-pressed to find a sewing kit in most people’s homes.’

’So this is why she was gone all day and didn’t come back to the courtyard? That’s just... bizarre.’

Just then, Zhang Qiuyan, who had been absorbed in her mending, finished her work. As she looked up, she saw the man and boy in the distance. She paused for a second, handed the clothes to a waiting child, then got up and hurried over to them.

"Is something wrong?" Zhang Qiuyan asked, a little puzzled. Still, she couldn’t suppress a flutter of happiness that Huo Yunjing had come looking for her.

Huo Yunjing shook his head and answered frankly, "Senior Dongfang was worried about you. I also took the opportunity to bring Huo Xingchen out for a walk."

Zhang Qiuyan didn’t seem disappointed. Instead, she just said, "Oh," and smiled. "Well, you two continue your walk. I’ll just pack up my things and head back."

Huo Yunjing nodded without a word.

Huo Xingchen looked up at him. "Aren’t we leaving?"

Huo Yunjing said in a low voice, "She’s being watched. We’ll see her back to the courtyard first."

A flash of surprise crossed Huo Xingchen’s eyes. He subtly scanned the area and realized it was true—several men were furtively sizing up Zhang Qiuyan. If they weren’t in the middle of the village with a group of children around, they probably would have made their move by now.

’These villagers are so strange,’ he thought. ’Vicious enough to resort to cannibalism to survive, yet bizarrely concerned with what other people think and feel?’

Zhang Qiuyan quickly finished packing up. She smiled and said goodbye to the children, telling them she would be back tomorrow.

When she turned and saw they were still there, Zhang Qiuyan was surprised for a moment, but a happy smile quickly broke out across her face. She walked quickly to their side. "Let’s go back."