Chapter 57 Xiao Li, Mommy misses you so much...
The time-space portal has disappeared again!
This marks the third time in a short period of time that the spacetime tunnel has disappeared since its emergence.
Ning Jinli felt a headache coming on.
This thing is just like Xiao Qidi's temperament, it's something she can't figure out either.
However, she was relieved and wished that the time tunnel would be restored even slightly.
It's best to wait six months.
In this way, Xiao Qidi can perfectly avoid that secret history.
He would not have been seriously injured and captured, nor would he have been tortured into a human stump by the enemy, and it would have been even less likely that he would have been replaced by a puppet by the rulers of Xuan Kingdom in the future!
He will surely become a great emperor for all time—Emperor Xuanzu!
In the evening, Ning Jinli received a call from the hospital and rushed over to pick up Xiao Qidi.
"Tsk, this protective shield is really good." Ning Jinli gently touched his back. It was basically invisible from the outside; you could only feel a shell through his clothes when you touched it.
Xiao Qidi remained expressionless and strode towards the small warehouse.
Upon reaching the back door of the warehouse, his face instantly darkened. "Where's the passage?"
Ning Jinli shrugged, "I don't know..."
"Did you get rid of it?" Xiao Qidi stared at Ning Jinli with his sinister eyes.
Ning Jinli was now completely confident and assertive. "You flatter me too much. I don't have that kind of ability."
Xiao Qidi took a step forward and stood in front of her. His tall figure made her feel as if Mount Tai was pressing down on her.
“Since you say you can move the passage back to Linxian Village,” Xiao Qidi said, his voice carrying a sense of pressure, “then perhaps you can also close this passage.”
Ning Jinli slowly backed away, "This is really impossible..."
Xiao Qidi pressed closer, "So, moving the passage back to Linxian Village was a lie, you're trying to fool me into thinking you could do it?"
Ning Jinli said weakly, "What kind of logic is that? How did you come to this conclusion..."
“Miss Ning,” Xiao Qidi stopped, his eyes cold, “I am grateful for everything you have done for the soldiers and the people, but if I find out that you have ulterior motives and are secretly plotting against the people of my Great Xuan, I will not be lenient with you.”
"Xiao Qidi! What do you mean?" Ning Jinli immediately became angry.
She took two steps forward, puffed out her chest, and glared at him angrily. "I don't expect to confide in someone like you, but! Aren't you tired of being so suspicious all the time?"
Xiao Qidi's eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of frost.
Being suspicious and paranoid is exhausting.
But if he hadn't been forced to learn to do this from a young age, he probably wouldn't have been able to return to Xuan Kingdom alive.
His thin lips trembled slightly, but he said nothing.
When he heard Ning Jinli say that she didn't expect to confide in someone like him, his heart ached inexplicably.
However, he also...did not expect anyone in this world to understand him, nor did he expect anyone to be truly trustworthy.
“Miss Ning, I’m just giving you a heads-up. Whether you’re angry or upset, it’s up to you.” Xiao Qidi’s eyes regained their calm as he said quietly, “If I find out in the future that I was being too suspicious of you, I will apologize to you and repay your kindness.”
Ning Jinli said irritably, "Ha, you really are fair in your rewards and punishments! Forget it, I don't care about your reward!"
Just as the two were arguing, a light came from the back door of the small warehouse.
The two looked over together, and saw a fluorescent vortex appear right in front of them.
Ning Jinli's eyes widened.
What's going on?
Are time-space tunnels really this capricious? They disappear without warning and reappear without warning?
Without saying a word, Xiao Qidi strode inside.
In the blink of an eye, he returned. "That place is still the Medicine King Valley Cave. Miss Ning, please move it to Linxian Village."
"Wait, let me sort this out." Ning Jinli frowned, deep in thought.
After the time portal disappeared and reappeared three times during this period, she vaguely found a clue.
"Miss Ning," Xiao Qidi called out in a deep voice.
"Shut up." Ning Jinli glared at him.
Xiao Qidi: ...
Ning Jinli paced back and forth in front of the time-space tunnel a few times, then stared at Xiao Qidi for a moment.
“I understand,” she snapped her fingers and said, “The disappearance and reappearance of the time-space tunnel is most likely related to you in some way.”
Xiao Qidi kept a straight face and tried his best to be patient. "What do you mean by that?"
Ning Jinli said while thinking, "When it first disappeared, you left Linxian Village and went to Xitun Pass."
"You disappeared for the second time yesterday, when you went to Medicine King Valley."
"The third time, I took you to a hospital in the city."
“These three situations all have one thing in common, which is... you are far away from the entrance and exit of the time-space tunnel.”
"This means that no matter which entrance or exit you use, the spacetime tunnel will close if you go beyond a certain range. It will only open again once you return to the range."
Xiao Qidi asked, "Then why was the passage not closed when I went to Xitun Pass again after the first disappearance?"
“Well, it must be because the spacetime channel has been upgraded,” Ning Jinli further analyzed. “Although I still don’t understand what caused the upgrade, I’m pretty sure about this.”
"After the first closure, it was upgraded for some reason, allowing me to teleport things with my mind, and a teleportation range was also revealed. It seems that in addition to these two points, it also makes you able to trigger the closure or opening of spacetime channels over longer distances."
“Look, Xitun Pass is closer to Linxian Village than Yaowang Valley is to Linxian Village; and Yaowang Valley is closer to Linxian Village than the hospital I took you to today is to my factory.”
"Conversely, it means each time it gets farther than the last."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qidi nodded slightly.
From this perspective, it does make a lot of sense.
Excitement gleamed in Ning Jinli's eyes. "If this pattern holds true, once the spacetime channel is upgraded to a certain level, it won't close no matter where you are! And it might even allow me to further expand the coverage area of my teleportation!"
However, her excitement lasted less than two seconds before it faded.
Because the most crucial question is how to upgrade the channel, and we have absolutely no clue.
“What you’ve said, though unverified, makes sense,” Xiao Qidi said quietly. “So, Miss Ning, can you move the entrance on the other side of the passage back to Linxian Village now?”
Ning Jinli said, "I initially thought it was my fault, but based on the above speculation, the entrance to the spacetime tunnel in your world is also related to you. You can't blame me for this..."
Xiao Qidi frowned, his expression shifting between light and dark.
Ning Jinli quickly said, "Why don't you try using your mind? Look, after the spacetime channel was upgraded once, I was able to use my mind to teleport things. Maybe you can even use your mind to change its entrance and exit?"
"Okay, I'll give it a try."
Xiao Qidi stood in front of the back door of the small warehouse, concentrating his attention, thinking about how to get the passage back to the Immortal Cave in Linxian Village.
However, no matter how hard he tried, after several attempts, the other side was still Medicine King Valley.
As darkness approached, Xiao Qidi, not wanting to waste any more time, decided to ride his horse back to Xitun Pass from Yaowang Valley.
"No!" Ning Jinli grabbed him. "Although your external injuries are protected, riding a horse—"
Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Qidi's suppressed anger overflowed from his eyes. "Ning Jinli! I can overlook the fact that you lied to me this time, saying you could move the passage back to Linxian Village. But if I see you lying a third time, I—"
"No, stop right there," Ning Jinli said, puzzled. "I admit it this time, but how come it's a second time?"
Xiao Qidi stared straight at her, "You know the answer in your heart."
Ning Jinli was speechless for a moment.
This guy is so weird!
"Never mind," she said calmly, not wanting to waste any more energy arguing with him. "I didn't stop you from riding a horse because I wanted to drive you back to Xitun Pass!"
"Hmm?" Xiao Qidi's expression softened slightly.
"Wait for me in the big warehouse next door." Ning Jinli said this and turned to leave.
Xiao Qidi silently went to the large warehouse.
A short while later, Ning Jinli drove her Mercedes-Benz G-Class into the large warehouse.
"Get in the car," she called out, sticking her head out.
Xiao Qidi got into the car and sat in the back seat.
Ning Jinli gripped the steering wheel with both hands, glanced at the rearview mirror, and said in a cool tone, "Isn't this faster and safer than riding a horse? As long as you don't take the wrong route, I can definitely get you to Xitun Pass before the barbarian army."
"Speaking of which, I heard from the soldiers you brought to Medicine King Valley that the barbarian army has been tricked by you into going to attack the Crown Prince of Yu Kingdom, and you yourself are certain that they will both suffer heavy losses."
"Since that's the case, there's not much danger at Xitun Pass and Linxian Village. Why are you rushing over there instead of taking a few days to recuperate? Don't you trust General Duan and the others to do their jobs well?"
His rapid-fire words darkened Xiao Qidi's eyes.
But he didn't answer, only saying expressionlessly, "You wanted to deliver the goods to Linxian Village, but you found that the road there was impassable for trucks, so you didn't make the delivery. And there's no proper road between Yaowang Valley and Xitun Pass, so how could you possibly drive there?"
Ning Jinli wrinkled her nose. "This car of mine is one of the most powerful all-terrain off-road vehicles in modern cars. It used to be my mother's favorite, which is why I bought one..."
"I'll show you what it means to drive even when there's no road. Hold on tight, or you can lie down if you want."
After she finished speaking, a thought struck her.
The next second, the person and the car appeared outside the Medicine King Valley cave.
Ning Jinli started the car, stepped on the gas, and with the powerful roar of the engine, the car passed through Medicine King Valley and drove into the distance in the afterglow of the setting sun.
The wheels kicked up a long cloud of dust.
Before long, a carriage appeared near the entrance to Medicine King Valley.
Several mounted guards stood in front of and behind the carriage.
Inside the carriage sat a woman who lifted the curtain beside her and saw the dust slowly being blown away by the wind in the distance.
"Sect Leader, Medicine King Valley is just ahead." A voice came from outside the carriage. "Should we go straight in, or..."
The woman lowered the curtain. "It's impolite to go in directly. Send someone to request an audience first. Remember, be polite."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
After the carriage stopped, the woman took out a necklace from her collar, opened the pendant, and held it in her palm.
There is a small photo inside the pendant.
The photo shows a family of three, and the little girl in the middle is none other than Ning Jinli from more than ten years ago!
"Xiao Li, Mommy misses you so much..." The woman gazed at the innocent and lovely little girl in the photo and murmured softly, "Wait a little longer, Mommy will definitely find a way to come back to you."
Ten years have not only failed to blur her memories, but have also deepened her longing.
"Sect Leader, the Divine Physician Lian has arrived," someone announced from outside the carriage.
The woman closed the pendant, put it back into her collar, wiped her eyes, tidied her appearance, and immediately got off the carriage.
Lian Qingbai stood in front of the carriage and bowed, "I did not know that Sect Leader Ye of the Tian Shu Sect had come from afar. I am sorry for not welcoming you properly."
"I apologize for disturbing you," the woman replied, returning the greeting.
Lian Qingbai was somewhat surprised.
He had never met anyone from the Tian Shu Sect before, but rumors in the martial arts world said that this sect was not only mysterious, but also quite ruthless in its methods.
Unexpectedly, this sect leader not only has a heavenly appearance, but is also so polite.
What's even stranger is that Master Ye's features seem to give him a sense of déjà vu.
However, he didn't dare to look closely and didn't think much of it.
"Sect Leader Ye," Lian Qingbai said politely, "I already know why you've come, but... to be honest, Medicine King Valley has just been destroyed by the barbarian savages and needs to be rebuilt. I simply cannot leave my post and cannot join the Tian Shu Sect to serve you..."
"The barbarian soldiers of Shayue?" Sect Leader Ye frowned. "Are they still here? Do you need me to eliminate them for you?"
Lian Qingbai said, "Thank you for your concern, Sect Leader. The barbarian soldiers have already left."
Sect Leader Ye asked the attendant who had just been sent in to inform him of the request for an audience, and learned that the person had personally witnessed the devastation in Medicine King Valley, which was indeed in a terrible state.
Even the people in Medicine King Valley could only live in the tents left behind by the barbarian soldiers.
"Since that's the case, I won't force you. I'll come to visit again after Medicine King Valley is restored." Sect Leader Ye gave his attendant a look.
Immediately, several people carried a wooden box out of the carriage and placed it in front of Lian Qingbai.
"This is a small gift, I hope it will help you rebuild Medicine King Valley." After saying this, Sect Leader Ye turned and got into the carriage.
Lian Qingbai wanted to politely decline, but the other party didn't give him the chance.
The carriage procession turned and left, so he could only bow and, with mixed feelings, open the box.
A golden light came into view.
They were gold ingots arranged neatly.
It amounted to a total of three thousand taels.
Lian Qingbai was both happy and worried. "Now we don't lack money to rebuild Medicine King Valley, but if we actually use it... wouldn't we owe the Tian Shu Sect a favor? Sigh..."
...
Night deepened.
Inside the Crown Prince's tent, where the elite army of the Yu Kingdom was stationed.
"What's going on! Ba Meng hasn't even led his troops to arrive yet?" The Crown Prince of Yu was furious and threw things in a fit of anger.
According to the previous agreement, the 100,000 barbarian soldiers dispatched by the Sha Yue Kingdom should arrive by daytime at the latest today.
However, the scouts searched the southwest direction several times but found no trace of them, nor did they see any barbarian soldiers sending advance troops to report the situation.
“Your Highness, please don’t worry, wait a little longer,” the camp general reassured him. “The barbarian soldiers are always disorganized, so it’s normal that they can’t arrive on time. But they will definitely come, otherwise how can Ba Meng avenge his brother Ba Yong?”
The Crown Prince of Yu Kingdom, however, could not calm down.
Having lost 30,000 elite troops before, and now leading an army of 170,000 with nothing to do but wait here, he has already heard some rumors circulating in the army.
He put on a great show, but in the end, he made a lot of noise but accomplished little.
Watching his nearly 30,000 men perish, he not only cowered in his tent, but also killed the vanguard soldiers who had escaped, claiming it was to prevent rumors from disrupting morale, but in reality, it was to cover up his incompetence.
"Wait! Wait some more!" the Crown Prince roared. "Do you know that some soldiers are already laughing at and gossiping about me behind my back? I shouldn't have listened to you in the first place! Do you expect me to kill all those who are talking about me?"
"Crown Prince..."
"Shut up!"
With a furious shout, he commanded, "I, the Crown Prince, have reached my limit! Issue the order: the army must march immediately! We must capture Xitun Pass tonight!"
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