Chapter 34 The Childhood Betrothal of a Miao Girl (Part 4)
Guided by the system, Jiang Yiqing's consciousness entered the space, which displayed that the jade flute could be sold for 16 coins...
Guided by the system, Jiang Yiqing's consciousness entered the space, which showed that the green jade flute could be sold for 16* coins, while the Miao language pack required 100* coins.
Jiang Yiqing wandered around outside the stilted house for a while, and suddenly the words appeared in front of her again.
"Deer Antler Lingzhi Fragment ×1"
"Ganoderma lucidum is a good thing. Fortunately, there are good things everywhere in Miao villages. Host, if you take the time to look for it, it won't be difficult to buy a Miao language pack."
Jiang Yiqing collected the Ganoderma lucidum, then turned around and saw Shui Mingsheng watching her quietly not far away. Thinking about how strange her actions must have been, she felt a little embarrassed. She walked up to Shui Mingsheng and said, "Mingsheng, I won't run around anymore."
Shui Mingsheng said, "I didn't expect you to have such a childlike side, Yiqing. Of course you are free to move around. It's a good thing that you are curious about our Miao village."
After saying that, she led Jiang Yiqing upstairs to the room she had prepared for her. Jiang Yiqing walked in and saw that the room was bright and clean, with carved wooden furniture that had a classical charm. The embroidered bed was covered with soft, sun-scented bedding, and there was also a huge princess doll on it.
Ming Sheng had prepared this with care, which warmed Jiang Yiqing's heart.
“In Miao territory, we still need to wear our traditional clothing for important occasions. Yiqing, I have specially prepared an outfit for you. Do you like it?” Shui Mingsheng took out a dark blue outfit with silver bells at the waist from the wardrobe. It looked very elaborate, with colorful silk threads interwoven to form various mysterious patterns.
No girl dislikes beautiful clothes. Shui Mingsheng urged her to change. When she came out after changing, Shui Mingsheng stared at her, unable to look away, and praised her repeatedly: "Yi Qing, you are so beautiful."
Jiang Yiqing looked at Shui Mingsheng and said, "You are beautiful too."
Shui Mingsheng smiled and said, "Then I will dance for you to celebrate the fate that led us to meet, and to celebrate Yi Qing's arrival at Qingfeng Village."
Jiang Yiqing never expected there to be such a program. Miao women are skilled at dancing, let alone a great beauty like Ming Sheng dancing.
What did she mean? Was it a simple welcome, or...?
"Host, in Miao territory, Miao women only dance when courting. This Shui Mingsheng's intentions are crystal clear..."
Jiang Yiqing's face flushed, filled with fear and a mix of emotions she couldn't quite describe. Her heart immediately began to pound, and as Shui Mingsheng danced, her heartbeats became as rhythmic as drumbeats.
Shui Mingsheng began to dance a unique Miao dance. Her arms moved softly yet powerfully, and her steps were nimble and swirling. Her skirt swirled and curled like lotus leaves, and her graceful movements were dazzling and seemingly magical, making Jiang Yiqing's heart surge.
As Jiang Yiqing danced, the rhythm of the music began to resonate within her. She became somewhat absorbed in the music, but simply watching wasn't in her nature. So she picked up a hand drum and began to accompany Shui Mingsheng.
Seeing this, Shui Mingsheng became even more excited. She quickened her pace and spun around so fast that it was hard to keep up with her movements. She was like a fluttering butterfly, and her dance was so intricate and beautiful that she was a peerless dancer. Jiang Yiqing couldn't keep up with her rhythm, so Shui Mingsheng slowed down and the dance became more lyrical.
Shui Mingsheng possessed an unparalleled charisma, captivating Jiang Yiqing so much that when Shui Mingsheng reached out and grabbed her, Jiang Yiqing offered no resistance, following her lead and jumping up and down with her.
Jiang Yiqing only knew the dances she had seen before, and had only learned about five or six tenths of them, but it already surprised Shui Mingsheng. She completely cooperated with Jiang Yiqing's movements to showcase herself, and the distance between the two was infinitely shortened. Jiang Yiqing's face was flushed, and it was hard to tell whether it was due to the dancing or the person in front of her. The fragrance emanating from her made her feel as if she were in a flower garden.
"The girls from Miao territory might really be able to cast spells," Jiang Yiqing thought to herself.
Jiang Yiqing collapsed from exhaustion, and Shui Mingsheng helped her lie down on the sofa next to him. She leaned down and gazed at her intently.
"How beautiful... Yi Qing is." Shui Mingsheng exclaimed.
Her scent clung to Jiang Yiqing's face. Jiang Yiqing had never met anyone like this before; she was like a fairy from a storybook.
Shui Mingsheng, surrounded by fragrant softness, saw Jiang Yiqing blushing and unsure of what to do, so she wisely stopped and got up.
After packing her luggage, Jiang Yiqing prepared to collect some Ganoderma lucidum, while Shui Mingsheng had to go to a meeting with the elders of Qingfeng Village for the Gu Battle Tournament three days later. She was worried about leaving Jiang Yiqing alone, so she handed her a small wooden box.
Jiang Yiqing opened it and saw a jade-green insect lying inside.
“This is a Fear Gu. Once it senses a human approaching, it will awaken from its slumber. I can sense its changes,” Shui Mingsheng said. “Yi Qing, take this. If you encounter danger, I will rush to your side immediately.”
"Okay." Jiang Yiqing put away the Fear Gu, thinking to herself, "So the Gu worms in Miao territory are real after all. Then the Gu worm I saw on Shui Mingsheng's left hand earlier was also real?"
Jiang Yiqing searched for Ganoderma lucidum around Qingyu Tower. There were Ganoderma lucidum, white Ganoderma lucidum, and purple Ganoderma lucidum. After working for a while, she finally collected eight Ganoderma lucidum. Not only could she buy the Miao language pack, but she also had 25 coins left.
She turned on her phone and found that the internet connection kept dropping, making it impossible to properly reply to the messages Jiang Xuerou sent her.
"Host, exactly 25 coins can buy a super data package, enough for you to use here during the summer vacation."
Although Jiang Yiqing didn't know the names of many things in this world, she could roughly guess what they meant. Therefore, she bought a data package and successfully let Jiang Xuerou know that she was safe.
"Yiqing, don't be stubborn. If you don't want to stay, just tell Mom, and Mom will bring you back herself." After Jiang Yiqing left, she became more and more worried, feeling that her decision was too hasty. This was her daughter's life-long affair.
"Mom, don't worry, I've arrived at the Miao village, everything is fine here."
“Yiqing, I heard from Shuixi that there are seventy-two Miao villages, which are divided into raw Miao and cooked Miao villages. The cooked Miao communicate with the outside world, while the raw Miao are very xenophobic. Qingfeng Village is a raw Miao village and they don’t speak Mandarin. You’re not forcing yourself, are you?”
"It's really nothing."
Jiang Yiqing's surprisingly firm stance surprised Jiang Xuerou.
"Then come back in two months. The Miao region is too complicated and not suitable for girls from ordinary families like us to associate with."
"Mom, this is still far from certain, don't worry."
"Okay, remember to video chat with Mom every day."
"Okay."
After getting internet access, Jiang Yiqing learned about modern knowledge online and gradually came to understand the system of the society she lived in.
That evening, Shui Mingsheng returned, carrying a lot of food in a bamboo basket. She placed the food on the table and invited Jiang Yiqing to eat.
There were only two people, but there were a full five dishes and a soup. At a glance, Jiang Yiqing thought the food was similar to what she ate at home.
Shui Mingsheng picked up a river shrimp for her, and Jiang Yiqing tasted it and thought it was quite good.
"It won't be too spicy, will it?"
Jiang Yiqing shook her head.
Shui Mingsheng specially contacted the village's head chef to prepare a special meal for Jiang Yiqing, worried that a girl like Jiang Yiqing from a coastal area might not be used to the food.
"We ate a little late today, I think we can eat earlier tomorrow," Shui Mingsheng said, glancing at the clock on the wall.
Jiang Yiqing originally thought she would find life here very difficult, but she was overthinking it, because Shui Mingsheng was a very warm person.
“Really, there’s no need to trouble yourself, Mingsheng. I can handle it,” Jiang Yiqing said.
Shui Mingsheng, however, was skeptical. Even if Jiang Yiqing said she wanted to leave the place tomorrow, Shui Mingsheng wouldn't be surprised. So she decided to treat her even better.
"Then I'll take you out to play tomorrow, and we can feed the Gu worms while we're at it. There's not much here, but the scenery is quite nice. Tomorrow I'll take you to a valley with lots of flowers blooming along the banks. I'm sure you'll like it."
Jiang Yiqing was quite helpless when she saw that Mingsheng really thought she was here as a tourist: "Mingsheng, you really don't need to worry about me. I can live well on my own here."
Unexpectedly, Shui Mingsheng said, "A girl your age can't stay idle at home, she definitely has to go out and travel."
Jiang Yiqing chuckled and said, "Then you'll really be disappointed, Mingsheng. I really am someone who can stay idle."
"Haha, Miao territory would be perfect for you, Qing. The pace of life is much slower than in big cities." Shui Mingsheng laughed. "But are you really not going to the valley? There are lots of butterflies there this season."
Jiang Yiqing had never been tempted by such a thing. Although living in the prosperous capital region, she could see very rich and charming scenery that she could not see elsewhere, she could not travel thousands of miles and did not have much of a concept of the country's famous mountains and rivers. So, she was naturally very happy to have the opportunity to see the natural scenery of Miao territory.
“I…” she said hesitantly.
Shui Mingsheng said, "You don't need to be so polite with me."
"Okay, I'll go."
The next day, Shui Mingsheng took Jiang Yiqing to a place called "Xiaoxitou". Along the way, there was a babbling brook with orchids, calamus and other wildflowers blooming on the banks. Butterflies fluttered among the flowers, and sunlight shone through the gaps in the trees onto the stream, making the water surface shimmer like mercury.
At noon, they had a picnic on the spot. Both of them leaned against a big tree. There were only trees and flowers around them, all natural scenery. There was no one else except her and Shui Mingsheng, but Jiang Yiqing felt very comfortable.
"Is the sandwich delicious?" Shui Mingsheng asked Jiang Yiqing.
Jiang Yiqing only knew about a kind of triangular cake, but she had never eaten a sandwich. It was something that only existed in this world. Thinking that countries across oceans were connected to each other in this world, Jiang Yiqing found it incredible.
She nodded and said, "It's delicious."
"It's good as long as it tastes good." Shui Mingsheng smiled, "It was worth getting up early to cook."
After eating the sandwich, Shui Mingsheng washed the wild fruit he had picked along the way in the stream and handed it to Jiang Yiqing, saying, "Try this. In ancient times it was called 'linqin,' but now it's just an apple. This kind of local apple can't be found anywhere else."
Jiang Yiqing had eaten apples before, so she took a bite. The sweet juice immediately filled her mouth. She quickly swallowed it and said to Shui Mingsheng with surprise, "It's so delicious. It tastes exactly the same as the ones I've had before."
"Really?" Shui Mingsheng was amused by her and used a tissue to wipe the juice from the corner of her mouth.
The movement was so natural that neither of them noticed anything amiss. The girl's soft lips were more tempting than the most juicy fruit, and Shui Mingsheng's eyes darkened as he withdrew his hand.
After lunch, the two continued along the stream, seeing many mushrooms along the way. Some of them, according to the system, contained spiritual energy, so Jiang Yiqing picked them. They also found a very rare orchid in a secluded patch of grass, called "Willow Leaf White Ink," worth 1000 coins.
Seeing that she was still quite busy, Shui Mingsheng smiled and said, "I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable, Yiqing. There are some plants that I don't even recognize."
"No, I just collect things I think are valuable."
After walking and stopping here and there, they finally arrived at Xiaoxitou, where Jiang Yiqing saw several ancient houses standing by the stream.
Shui Mingsheng pulled her forward and said, "Yi Qing, these houses have a history of hundreds of years. They are where my ancestors lived. Our Shui family started to rule Qingfeng Village from this chief. The chief found the family's Gu insect, the Spirit Snake Gu, here. And only here can you find the leaves that the Spirit Snake Gu eats."
Jiang Yiqing followed her forward and saw that the road and walls in front of the house were built with stones, and the weeds did not grow over the road. She pushed open the door and went in. There was a huge tree in the backyard of the house. The leaves were as lush as mulberry leaves, and the huge canopy was almost about to destroy the old house next to it.
Jiang Yiqing watched as Shui Mingsheng nimbly climbed the tree trunk, picked many leaves, put them in the bamboo basket he carried with him, and then lightly jumped down from the tree.
Shui Mingsheng exerted force with his left hand, and the silver chain on his hand began to jingle. Jiang Yiqing saw that the shape of the Gu worm she had seen yesterday gradually appeared on the flower and grass part of the chain. It was jade white. Shui Mingsheng placed a fresh leaf near the mouth of the Gu worm, and the Gu worm opened its mouth and chewed politely. However, in no time, it swallowed a large piece of leaf.
"Let's go back, Yiqing." Having achieved their ultimate goal, Shui Mingsheng took Jiang Yiqing's hand and walked back.
However, they hadn't gone far when it suddenly got dark. Jiang Yiqing asked in confusion, "Did it get dark so quickly? It's summer now."
Shui Mingsheng pulled her closer, his expression a mixture of seriousness and surprise, and said, "Yi Qing, stay close to me and don't let go of my hand."
"I see."
Shui Mingsheng led Jiang Yiqing to hide behind a tree trunk and whispered to her, "I never expected that our first outing with Yiqing would lead us to the Gu Market, a once-in-a-decade event."
"Gu Market?"
"In places where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is abundant, occasionally, immortal Gu and mid-to-high-level Gu worms will gather and go out, circling and flying in the air. Some Gu worms will fall behind the group, and the main force will abandon them. This is known as the survival of the fittest mechanism among Gu worms. However, for humans, the Gu worms that are eliminated are much better than those that can be found normally. Therefore, this good thing of being able to pick up Gu worms for free is called the Gu Market. At this time, the sky will change, such as red clouds appearing at night, or day suddenly turning into night. Those who are fortunate enough to see the Gu Market often have extraordinary gains."
Hearing this, Jiang Yiqing also felt lucky and asked, "What should I do?"
"Don't make any noise, lest you disturb those sensitive Gu worms. Once they sense the presence of humans, they will never come back here," Shui Mingsheng said. "The Gu market will only last for less than fifteen minutes. Let's just watch quietly."
Almost as soon as Shui Mingsheng finished speaking, Jiang Yiqing saw a flash of light suddenly appear in the dark jungle.
The light, set against the green leaves, appeared a vibrant, emerald green. Within a few breaths, the entire forest was filled with flickering lights, like a forest of fireflies.
The scene before her was unbelievably beautiful. As far as the eye could see, there was a vast forest and countless mysterious creatures that glowed. Jiang Yiqing couldn't help but hold her breath.
Soon, the Gu worms gathered together, forming a swarm of worms like a silver river, or a ribbon shimmering with silver light. At this moment, the spirit snake Gu on Shui Mingsheng's left hand also began to flicker faintly. Shui Mingsheng hid it in his sleeve and continued to stare intently at the Gu worms.
The Gu worms began to fly swiftly through the forest. As they approached the place where the two were hiding, Jiang Yiqing actually began to see the words on the silver light.
"Wandering Immortal Gu x1"
"Spirit Cloud Gu x1"
"..."
"These are all Immortal Gu, but they are very aggressive. If you try to take them by force, you will suffer a dangerous backlash," the system sighed.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yiqing did not collect them, but let them return to the mountains and forests.
But a tiny Gu worm suddenly broke away from the group and flew towards them. Jiang Yiqing looked at Shui Mingsheng, whose eyes in the darkness exuded a trustworthy steadiness. Shui Mingsheng squeezed Jiang Yiqing's hand to indicate that everything was alright.
Because the Gu worm army was large, this Gu worm that fell from the army was not noticed by the other Gu worms. It flew to Jiang Yiqing's clothes. Looking down, it was a slender, small Gu worm.
"Dreaming Gu x1"
Jiang Yiqing then collected the Gu worms.
Just as Shui Mingsheng said, in less than a quarter of an hour, the Gu worms disappeared before their eyes, and the sky returned to its bright state.
Just now, Jiang Yiqing seemed to have seen several specks of light fall into the forest. They must have been the stragglers of the Gu insects. Shui Mingsheng moved through the jungle and picked up all the Gu insects that had fallen to the ground.
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