Chapter 14 The people worship the fairy, and the offerings are piled up like mountains!
Xiao Qidi felt his heart pound a few times.
But this touched a hidden thorn deep in his heart, and a shadow involuntarily rose in his eyes.
He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Miss Ning, please have some self-respect."
Ning Jinli's smile froze.
It was just a casual joke in a good mood, but I didn't expect the other person to react like this. The words "please have some self-respect" seemed to carry a warning meaning.
Forget it, after all, he was an ancient person from more than two thousand years ago, and a ruler of a country. Perhaps such teasing is offensive to him.
She said awkwardly, "I was just joking, don't take it to heart."
Xiao Qidi's eyes were dark and unfathomable, and his thin lips moved slightly. "Miss Ning seems to be helping me with all her might. I want to know why."
Ning Jinli frowned.
She could understand that ancient rulers were inherently suspicious.
But experiencing this feeling firsthand is really uncomfortable; it makes it seem like she has ulterior motives towards him.
"I admit you're very handsome, but don't worry, I'm not interested in you!" she said irritably. "I just can't bear to see those people suffer, and the things you and the people of Linxian Village gave me have helped me a lot, so it's a win-win situation!"
Seeing Ning Jinli like a little tiger with its fur standing on end, Xiao Qidi was somewhat taken aback.
He was a hostage in a foreign land from birth, and for those nine years he lived a life worse than that of pigs and dogs. Later, he returned to Xuan Kingdom and inherited the throne. Although he had no real power, everyone at least outwardly respected and submitted to him.
For him, in his eighteen years of life, he was either trampled underfoot or held in the highest esteem.
There are only these two extremes; there is no middle ground.
Now, he felt treated differently by Ning Jinli.
They neither looked down on him nor cared about his so-called king status.
This feeling is actually quite nice...
Xiao Qidi's tense face softened, his eyes showing apology, and he clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Miss Ning, please forgive me if I have offended you."
Seeing that his attitude had improved, Ning Jinli didn't want to stay angry anymore. She waved her hand and said, "It's okay. I was the one who made the joke first, so we're even."
"By the way, how's your injury?"
Ning Jinli couldn't help but worry when she thought about how seriously he had been injured, had undergone surgery and received a blood transfusion, and had rushed back before he had even had a chance to recover.
Xiao Qidi said, "Thank you for your concern, Miss. I'm much better now. Besides, with the medicine you gave me, I'll recover soon."
Judging from his calm demeanor, he didn't seem to be putting on a brave face.
Ning Jinli couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "This guy's physical abilities are really amazing!"
This can be seen as evidence that the Xuan Dynasty emperor recorded in history was a puppet.
Because that person only lived to be fifty years old, yet he still tried every means to find the elixir of immortality.
How could Xiao Qidi, with his extraordinary physical abilities, have such a short life?
If his fate of becoming a "human puppet" could be changed, he would not be replaced by a puppet, and he would surely achieve something even greater than unifying the six kingdoms!
Who knows... it might have enabled the Chinese nation to unify the world more than two thousand years ago? Then who in this world would dare to bully us?!
I'm actually quite excited just thinking about it!
Ning Jinli's thoughts suddenly exploded, and she couldn't help but chuckle.
After hesitating for a moment, Xiao Qidi finally interrupted her silly laughter, "Miss Ning, could you please give me more hoes and shovels?"
Ning Jinli snapped out of her thoughts and asked in confusion, "You're going to farm?"
Logically speaking, given the current situation of Linxian Village, it is not suitable for farming.
Although she can provide a continuous water supply, it takes several months for crops to grow and be ready for harvest.
Besides, she can provide enough food for Linxian Village.
Shouldn't they concentrate their efforts on holding off the enemy's encirclement?
“It’s not for farming,” Xiao Qidi explained seriously. “The hoes and shovels you gave us are made of an exceptionally hard material that can easily break the bronze weapons we use. I want all the soldiers to be equipped with one.”
"With Miss Ning providing food and water, the 70,000 soldiers and civilians have temporarily solved their survival crisis and are not afraid of the enemy's siege. However, it will not last more than a few days before the enemy finds that the siege strategy has failed."
"Then, even at the risk of casualties, the enemy will surely choose to launch an attack. Before that, I must prepare for defense."
After hearing this analysis, Ning Jinli suddenly understood.
“What are hoes and shovels?” she immediately promised. “I’ll get you better combat equipment!”
Xiao Qidi asked in surprise, "There are even better weapons than that?"
Ning Jinli blinked. "Little brother, the industrial manufacturing capabilities of modern society are beyond your imagination."
Xiao Qidi was overjoyed, "Thank you so much, Miss Ning! When will it be available?"
Ning Jinli guessed that those things would definitely not be as easy to buy as food and vegetables; it would take at least two days, and she couldn't be sure of the exact time.
It's a pity that Xiao Qidi can't use a mobile phone, otherwise I could contact him anytime.
Thinking of this, Ning Jinli had a flash of inspiration and turned around to find two walkie-talkies in the corner of the warehouse.
This was previously provided to warehouse staff. Two walkie-talkies could directly transmit signals and communicate over a distance of up to five kilometers, without needing a network or a base station!
Xiao Qidi stared blankly at the two long, rectangular blocks in her hand. "What are these?"
Ning Jinli turned on the walkie-talkie, tuned the frequency, handed one to Xiao Qidi, and then took the other and stepped back a few meters, "Hello, hello, hello?"
Xiao Qidi suddenly heard the cube in his hand make the same sound, and his eyes widened in shock.
Is there really something in the world that can transmit sound across a distance?!
"Come on, let me teach you how to use it." Ning Jinli began to give her careful instructions.
The walkie-talkie was very simple, and Xiao Qidi learned it in one go.
The next step is to test whether a call can be made, since it involves passing through a time-space channel.
When Xiao Qidi returned to the cave, Ning Jinli nervously pressed the call button, "Hello? Can you hear me?"
The receiver crackled, then Xiao Qidi's voice came through, "Yes!"
Ning Jinli breathed a sigh of relief; at least communication would be a little easier now.
Once the combat equipment is acquired, we can inform Xiao Qidi in a timely manner.
Because the walkie-talkie had a limited range, the two decided that Xiao Qidi would put it in a cave and arrange for several soldiers from Linxian Village to take turns guarding it.
Whenever Ning Jinli communicates via telepathy, the soldiers will report to him.
Several soldiers witnessed the function of the walkie-talkie; they could hear Jinli Fairy's voice even though they couldn't see her in person.
So they built an altar with stones in the cave and solemnly placed the walkie-talkie on it.
After finishing, he kowtowed several times, vowing to protect the fairy's communication artifact with his life.
"Your Majesty! Many people are heading towards the Immortal Cave!"
The guards responsible for patrolling around the cave reported to Xiao Qidi.
Xiao Qidi hurriedly walked out of the cave.
Countless people were walking in long lines towards this place, stretching as far as the eye could see.
The crimson setting sun cast long, dense shadows of the people.
Xiao Qidi's expression was grave. "Haven't the food and water already been distributed to the soldiers? Are there still so many people who haven't received them?"
A dozen or so cave guards immediately drew their knives and stood ready.
In any case, nothing can go wrong at the Fairy Cave.
As the group approached, everyone discovered that the one leading them was none other than the old village chief of Linxian Village.
Xiao Qidi stood with his hands behind his back and asked in a deep voice, "What brings you all here?"
The old village chief was the first to kneel down, and the rest of the group followed suit, kneeling on the ground in a flurry.
"Your Majesty!" the old village chief kowtowed and said, "This humble subject previously led the people of Linxian Village to offer the golden nanmu wood that the village had stored for generations to Fairy Jinli. In return, the fairy bestowed upon us so much divine food. Therefore, this humble subject calls on everyone to make more offerings to the fairy, so that she may continue to bless us. When we have the means in the future, we will also build a temple for the fairy!"
"I see." Xiao Qidi gestured for the guards to put away their swords.
He knew that Ning Jinli was not a deity, but the people and soldiers needed a strong spiritual support, so he complied with their wishes.
These people are villagers from remote border areas, most of them poor, but they still give everything they have to make offerings.
Someone offered up a few feet of linen that they themselves couldn't bear to use to make clothes.
Someone offered up the few dozen copper coins that the family had left.
Someone brought over their best-preserved bronze bowls, pottery jars, and other valuables from their home…
Although it was extremely meager, it was the best thing they had.
However, among the tens of thousands of people who fled to Linxian Village, a small portion were merchants, and some were landlords and gentry.
They offered silver ingots, gold ingots, and even calligraphy and paintings by famous artists, jewelry, jade, and ancestral handicrafts.
In the current situation, no amount of valuable possessions is as important as having food and water.
As people placed offerings one after another, a small hill gradually rose up on the open ground outside the cave...
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