Chapter 81 Xie Rongjing looked down at the adorable child...

Xie Rongjing glanced down at his younger brother, who had obediently followed, his face expressionless, and spoke as if nothing had happened:

"What are you saying, Qiong'er? Of course I'm Qiong'er's brother."

Xie Rongjing's eyes were bright and pure, showing no trace of his malice.

Xie Baoqiong looked at the face carefully and felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

He hooked Xie Rongjing's sleeve, forcing the latter to slow his pace to match his, before carefully explaining to him, word by word:

“I saw it all. My brother gave all the remaining pastries to Erqiao.”

Xie Rongjing slowed his pace to match his younger brother's movements, his gaze fixed on the spout, which was so large it could hold an oil lamp, as he incessantly accused it of its "crimes":

"That's mine, how can my brother give it to someone else?"

Listening to his younger brother's rambling, Xie Rongjing's eyes subtly gleamed with amusement. He suppressed his laughter and defended himself:

"But Qiong'er already ate her portion, didn't she?"

Xie Baoqiong was taken aback for a moment by these words, a blank look flashing across his face. He did seem to have eaten a piece...

At this point in his thoughts, he realized what was happening, and with his face tilted back, he spoke with a bitter, lifeless tone:

"I only ate one piece; my brother gave the rest away."

Looking at the face beside him, which appeared even more fleshy due to anger, Xie Rongjing inexplicably thought of a raccoon-like animal in the mountains and forests, with nine horizontal rings on its tail, hence the name Nine-Ring Wolf. It was also known as Mountain Gate Squat because it would stand up to intimidate others when it encountered danger.

Resembling the sullen little man before him, Xie Rongjing could hardly conceal the amusement in his eyes, but he cleared his throat and corrected him:

"Qiong'er's share is only that one piece."

Seeing a hint of confusion and surprise on Xie Baoqiong's face, and that she was still about to argue, Xie Rongjing quickly continued:

"Qiong'er's remaining half bun should only be able to be exchanged for half a piece of pastry, but Qiong'er got a whole piece of pastry. Isn't that a win for Qiong'er?"

Something was wrong. Xie Baoqiong felt something was very off about Xie Rongjing's words, but before he could figure out what was wrong, he heard Xie Rongjing's father's voice soften:

"But it's my fault for not asking Qiong'er's opinion on this matter."

Xie Rongjing's temperament was not the sharp type to begin with, and at this moment, his slightly apologetic frown made him look like rain falling in the misty green mountains.

A moment ago, Xie Baoqiong, who had been so arrogant, scratched her face, her emotions, which had been halfway through their outburst, suddenly frozen in place:

"I..." The words caught in his throat. He turned his face away and awkwardly began to speak:

Why did brother give the pastries to Erqiao?

The pastries would most likely end up in Xie Rongjing's mouth, but if they were given to someone he'd just met, he naturally wouldn't get to eat them.

Xie Rongjing stopped in his tracks at the halted carriage, turned to the side, leaned down to look him in the eye, opened his mouth, and spoke in a soft, gentle voice, as warm as a spring breeze:

"Qiong'er, I saw it."

I have witnessed suffering, and I cannot turn a blind eye.

The words reached Xie Baoqiong's ears in a muffled way. He blinked slowly, trying to understand Xie Rongjing's words.

Xie Rongjing's fingers brushed against his innocent and immature eyes, tracing the edges of his eyes, his figure overlapping with the still-childish, dark blue-green pupils:

"The world is in a difficult time. Now that I have witnessed it, even if I can't help you forever, it would be good to help you for a while."

Seeing the person's confusion, Xie Rongjing changed to a simpler, more understandable explanation and then patiently guided them:

"You and I are fortunate to be born into wealthy and powerful families, possessing more rights and wealth than ordinary people, and we should therefore uphold our principles."

After Xie Rongjing's expression appeared in the second half of his story, Xie Baoqiong stared at him intently, her eyes filled with confusion once again.

Xie Rongjing smiled and ruffled his hair: "Of course, Qiong'er doesn't have to share her things with others."

Xie Baoqiong understood what he was saying. He nodded, his gaze shifting to the carriage behind Xie Rongjing, a look of resistance appearing on his face, his lips slightly pursed.

"Brother, I don't want to go back."

Xie Rongjing sighed softly: "I'm still angry that my brother gave away the pastries."

"no……"

Xie Baoqiong's voice had barely risen in a shrill tone when Xie Rongjing's gentle, helpless voice rang out again:

“You can be angry with your brother.”

Seeing the little figure in front of him quickly glance away with an awkward expression, Xie Rongjing let out a soft chuckle:

"Being cute can also work."

"I didn't!" Xie Baoqiong turned his eyes back and stared intently at the person who "slandered" him.

Xie Rongjing's smile deepened:

"Really not? Then we'll have to go back."

Xie Baoqiong, with an expression that said, "How could you do this?", brushed away Xie Rongjing's hand that reached out to pinch her cheek, buried her face in Xie Rongjing's chest, and whispered:

"...Well, a little bit."

His face was pressed against the chest that vibrated incessantly, and Xie Rongjing's suppressed chuckles could be heard in his ears.

If Xie Rongjing really is his brother, that doesn't seem so bad.

...

Xie Zhuo, whom the two brothers had forgotten about, was in a less than optimistic situation.

The narrow path along the field was not as wide as the main road, which had been filled in. It was only wide enough for one oxcart to pass through, and horse-drawn carriages could not pass. Xie Zhuo and the others had to borrow an oxcart from the village to travel.

The dirt road was not smooth, with large stones appearing from time to time. Xie Zhuo remained expressionless as the cart bounced and swayed. His eyes glanced at the red pine tree floating half a foot above the cart.

Chishong lifted his eyelids, returning a mocking glance:

What are you doing?

"Lord Akamatsu, why not use the teleportation technique from yesterday to directly reach your destination?"

"Since we're in human territory, using human wisdom is a good experience."

If Akamatsu hadn't spoken from mid-air, his words would probably have been more convincing.

Xie Zhuo withdrew his gaze, looked towards the destination they were about to reach, straightened his robes, and said sarcastically:

"It is truly rare that Lord Akamatsu would ever appreciate human wisdom."

Chishong didn't reply, but turned his head and said, "We've arrived." He then floated off the cart first.

The oxcart slowly came to a stop at the edge of the field, and Xie Zhuo jumped off.

A gust of wind swept across the field, ruffling his hair. Xie Zhuo squinted, and when he looked up at the crops in the field, he gasped for breath.

No wonder I didn't hear the sound of the ears of grain hitting each other when the wind blew.

In Xie Zhuo's pupils, the crops that had already formed ears of grain should have turned from green to golden yellow before being harvested by people, but now they lay lifeless and drooping in the field, their verdant leaves tinged with a withered yellow color that symbolized death.

“It’s not just this one area.” Akamatsu walked into the fields, his voice carried by the wind, cruelly revealing an even worse truth.

Xie Zhuo slowly walked into the field path, where the ears of grain drooped over the sides of the field ridge, leaving a path less than half a foot wide, barely enough for one person to walk on.

He carefully avoided the green tassels on both sides, half-squatted down, and used his fingers to lift one of the plants, the edges of its full, overlapping green leaves now tinged with a withered color.

Xie Zhuo turned his head to look at the red pine tree that was walking further and further away, almost disappearing into the sky and earth, and asked:

"Is there any way to save these crops?"

The sound was carried away by the wind and became muffled, but the red pine in the distance was no ordinary person; it had keen hearing and eyesight and heard it clearly:

"We found a way to remedy the situation and set up a spirit-gathering array here, but it's better than nothing. If we can't find the source of the illness, I'm afraid there's no cure."

What Chishong didn't say was that if the spiritual energy of these crops wasn't replenished, they would probably be difficult to ripen.

The two continued on their way, and the further they went, the more desolate the scenery became.

"Did you notice anything, Lord Xie?" Chishong remained as flippant as ever. After all, cultivators only missed out on a certain pleasure by not eating grains, but it wouldn't affect their foundation.

Xie Zhuo stared at the withered yellow color before him, his expression grave, as he heard Chisong's indifferent tone:

"You should already have a plan in mind. I am but a mortal, and all I can see are appearances..."

"I came with you today because I wanted to see what can be seen from the perspective of an ordinary human being?"

Chishong interrupted Xie Zhuo's seemingly meaningless words.

Xie Zhuo glanced at Chi Song and slowly spoke:

"As Miss Cheng said yesterday, the root cause of this illness lies in the lack of spiritual energy in the body."

Although I could not detect any spiritual energy, judging from the way doctors treated patients, they seemed to be directly transferring spiritual energy into the patients' bodies.

Since this trip can alleviate the patient's symptoms, it means that the patient is not unable to absorb spiritual energy.

But after Miss Cheng dissected the poultry carcasses, she found that apart from the complete absence of spiritual energy, they were no different from healthy poultry…

Xie Zhuo paused, his gaze falling on the withering crops before him, his tone ambiguous:

“Looking at the crops in this field, they are also afflicted by the plague. You once said that you set up a spirit-gathering array here. From the words, I understand it to be an array that gathers spiritual energy.”

But I once heard an immortal mention that in places abundant with spiritual energy, even ordinary mortals would feel refreshed and invigorated. And this place…”

Xie Zhuo didn't say it explicitly, but looked at Chisong and said, "You are a cultivator, so you should know more about it than I do."

Things in the world always wax and wane; there's no reason why something could disappear in one place and then vanish elsewhere.

Chishong narrowed his eyes slightly. He could indeed sense the thin spiritual energy around him, but in his eyes, it was normal for the spiritual energy in the mortal realm to be relatively scarce.

But after hearing Xie Zhuo's words, he couldn't help but have some thoughts:

This epidemic is probably not a natural disaster, but a man-made one.

However, such forbidden techniques were all destroyed a thousand years ago. If any of them were secretly passed down, they would be mindful of the now-completed Heavenly Laws and would not dare to act recklessly.

Chishong wouldn't have thought this way before, simply because his mind was confined by the shackles of the Heavenly Dao. But now, after Xie Zhuo pointed it out, his detached and unmoved face finally showed a slight ripple.

Xie Zhuo, observing Chi Song's changing expression, knew this matter was likely not simple, but he spoke according to the order of importance and urgency:

“We must catch the child who is peeping through the window, but the most urgent task now is to find a solution to the epidemic.”

Chishong finally remembered why he and Xie Zhuo didn't get along. Xie Zhuo always wanted more people to survive, even if appropriate sacrifices would lead to a better outcome.

He chuckled, and a magical artifact appeared out of thin air in his hand, which he tossed into Xie Zhuo's arms.

"Then I'll trouble you, Lord Xie, to find the source of the epidemic's spread. As for that little thief, I'll handle him."

This kind of magic requires a medium to maintain, and the spiritual energy in the area where the medium is located will be stronger than that of the surrounding area. This object is called the Treasure-Seeking Mirror; it emits light in places with abnormal spiritual energy, and I can sense it.”

After explaining its uses, Chishong had no intention of staying any longer. Before turning to leave, he glanced at Xie Zhuo, who was holding the treasure-hunting mirror. Recalling the latter's insights, he realized that Xie Zhuo had such a clear understanding of a world he had never seen before in such a short time. If he were to embark on the path of cultivation, this task would never have come to him.

He casually asked, "Why don't you cultivate immortality?"

Xie Zhuo examined the treasure-hunting mirror that had fallen into his hand. It was about the size of a palm and had an antique appearance, like an ordinary bronze mirror.

He put away the mirror and spoke calmly:

"I don't have the talent for cultivating immortality."

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Author's Note: PS: Nine-section wolf and Mountain Gate squatting are both nicknames for red pandas.

Xie Baoqiong: (Strolling around) (Pokes the bronze mirror on the table)

Bronze mirror: [Glowing (*^^*)]

Xie Baoqiong: (Withdraws her hand)

Bronze mirror: [Extinguished (-_-)]

Xie Baoqiong: (Reaching out and withdrawing her hand)

Bronze Mirror: [Flash!!!]

Akamatsu:?