Chapter 68, Chapter 68: Crows
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After lunch, She Ning followed behind Director Xia. Teacher Li and the others still had tasks in the city, so they parted ways at the entrance of Lin's Restaurant.
"Ah Ning, if you miss me, let's play together sometime." As Teacher Li left, Chen Xiaomin looked back every few steps, saying reluctantly.
The Fourth Middle School is too remote. It takes two hours to go to town. The ninth graders have a tight schedule and not much time to go out. I don't know when we'll see each other again.
"I'll miss you," She Ning waved at her and coaxed, "We'll see each other in the semi-finals, let's do our best together!"
Chen Xiaomin nodded vigorously, "I will, see you in the semi-finals!"
"Let's go too." As Teacher Li and the others gradually disappeared from sight, Xia Qiuxia picked up the two large bags of packages that were on the ground and draped them over her arms, then turned to She Ning and said.
"Director Xia, let me get you some."
She Ning said, and before Xia Qiuxia could reply, she swung her handbag behind her back and stepped forward, holding one of the bags in her arms.
"You're too skinny to lift it, I can do it." Director Xia stepped aside and raised his arm to prevent her from carrying it.
"It's okay, I'm not tired from holding it." Holding onto the package, She Ning resolutely refused to listen to her.
The packages were stiff, heavy, and full, a large bag that looked bigger than Director Xia's body. Her body was slightly hunched, and thin straps were tightly tied around her forearms. In just a short while, several deep red marks had appeared on her arms.
She Ning looked at the red marks on Xia's arm with heartache. Those red marks seemed to tell a silent story, recording Director Xia's efforts and hardships. She knew that the two packages were full of materials and books that Director Xia had carefully picked up from the bookstore and recycling station yesterday.
As has happened many times before, in places unknown to others, Director Xia is carrying a package much larger than herself with great difficulty, just to bring her and her classmates fresh materials and books.
"this……"
Director Xia wanted to say something more to persuade her, but when she met She Ning's stubborn and persistent gaze, she sighed and gave up.
"Okay, I'll let you help." Looking at She Ning's arm that was still clutching the package, Xia Qiuxia said helplessly, "Let go first."
She Ning listened to her and loosened her arms from holding the package. Xia Qiuxia put the package back on the ground, then opened one of the smaller packages, took out some documents and books, and put them into the larger package. When there was no more room, she put them on her crossbody bag.
"Okay, take this." After finally packing up all the books and materials, Xia Qiuxia picked up the smaller package and handed it to She Ning.
"Director, you're breaking the rules." Looking at the package, which was more than a third smaller after losing weight, She Ning exclaimed "Wow!" and muttered teasingly with a slight upturn of her lips.
Her eyes were bright and lively, and her face was full of expressions, making her very playful and cute.
It was rare to see her being so playful, so Xia Qiuxia was amused by her teasing expression. She gently poked her fair forehead with her finger and said with a doting smile, "You silly child, what if you get too heavy and bend your back? If you don't grow tall in the future, your teacher will be in big trouble."
"Teacher, don't look down on me." She Ning held the package steadily in her arms, weighed it in her hand, and deliberately shook it. "Look, I may have small arms and legs, but I'm quite strong."
Her regular exercise and training have paid off.
"Director Xia, let's go." Holding the package tightly, She Ning took the lead and walked out.
Xia Qiuxia looked at her back with tenderness in her eyes. She knew how to be grateful, and she was strong and independent. She hadn't made a mistake in loving the wrong person. With a gratified smile on her face, Xia Qiuxia picked up the package on the ground and quickly followed the person in front of her.
The main road was not far from where they were eating, just outside the alley. To the left was the direction of the guesthouse, and to the right was the bus station. Every now and then, pedicabs carrying people or goods would pass by on the roadside.
It would take at least half an hour to walk from where She Ning and her companion were. If they were traveling light, it would be fine, but the two of them were carrying heavy loads. Director Xia found a shady spot under a tree for She Ning to stay in.
"You watch the package, I'll go find a tricycle." After placing the heavy package on the ground and helping She Ning put down the small package in her hand, Director Xia rubbed the red marks on her arm before bowing her head and instructing She Ning.
"Be careful, don't talk to strangers, and shout if you encounter a bad person, understand?"
It was late afternoon, and the sun was quite scorching. There weren't many people on the streets, but it wasn't deserted either. Although the city's public security has always been good, one should always be wary of strangers. Large cities have a large population flow, and the risk of encountering human trafficking is relatively high.
In April, Xiahe Town cracked a human trafficking case and arrested many suspects following the clues. However, the human traffickers' organization is intricate and complex, and many lurking remnants have not yet been brought to justice.
Missing person notices are published in newspapers from time to time, reminding people to always be vigilant.
"Yes, I know." She Ning hadn't opened the slingshot and crossbow in the system's storage compartment yet. Although he really wanted to tell Director Xia that if he encountered bad people, he might be the one who was unlucky, She Ning still seriously responded to Director Xia's instructions.
Director Xia knew that She Ning was quick-witted and clever. After hearing her assurance, she went to the nearby convenience store and asked the owner to help look after the child standing under the big tree outside. Only then did she hurry to the place where the tricycles might gather.
After Director Xia left, She Ning stood under the tree, letting her mind wander.
Since exchanging 100 catties of spirit rice at the system convenience store, the She family has been cooking it with white rice every few days, and occasionally having a Linglong fruit. Unconsciously, She Ning has cleansed all the impurities in her body, and her functions and organs have returned to their best state.
In her dazed state, everything around her seemed exceptionally clear: the gentle rustling of leaves, the touch of a breeze on her cheek, and the faint voices of people in the distant alley.
"This little baby is really good-looking; he'll definitely fetch a good price."
"Stop looking. Are the others locked? We have enough people for today. We'll move out when it gets dark."
"So urgent? There are all sorts of events in the city lately, with lots of people and eyes around, it's the perfect time to make a move."
"We need to be alive to enjoy it! Chen Dahen has been arrested. We don't know if he leaked anything to the cops that he should or shouldn't have said. To be on the safe side, after we finish this round, we'll stop for a while and wait until things calm down before making any further moves."
"All right."
The sounds in the alley gradually faded away. Under the big tree, She Ning suddenly opened her eyes and looked in the direction where she had heard the sound. It was an inconspicuous alley, and the faint sound meant that it was far away from where she was.
She released Ya Ya from the storage room. Ya Ya affectionately nuzzled her fingertips with her little head. The glossy black Ya Ya flapped its wings and flew to the tree branch above her head. It tilted its head and looked at She Ning with its round, bright black eyes.
Since Zhang Jianbing was sent to the police station last time, the telepathic connection between the man and the crow has reached its maximum progress bar. The crow has returned to the system to upgrade, and the button has turned gray. The fact that it can reappear now means that the upgrade is complete.
She Ning opened Ya Ya's attribute page.
Auspicious creatures, crows
Note: Crows are said to bring good news, which is the origin of the Zhou Dynasty. Legend has it that crows bring good omens and can bestow light and warmth.
Usage count: Permanent
Skills: Share vision, grant light and warmth, foresee danger, invisibility, absolute territory (upgrade 1/10)
Absolute territory?
She Ning looked curiously at the new skills that Ya Ya had gained after leveling up, and clicked on the question mark next to Absolute Territory.
Absolute Domain: A special space independent of the real world, similar to the spatial domain in the cultivation world. Within the domain, the host is the sole master, and others cannot attack. They can only speak the truth and obey orders without question.
The space area increases with each level, starting at 3m and increasing by 3m each time.
3m, 6m, 9m...27m, 30m
The maximum level is 10, currently it is level 1.
"Ah Ning, I'm back." From afar, Director Xia sat on the side of the pedicab and called out to She Ning from behind.
Under the big tree, a thought popped into She Ning's mind. The crow received the instruction and took small, quick steps, disappearing completely into the leaves.
After loading all the packages onto the truck, She Ning politely declined Director Xia's offer to help her onto the truck bed. She held onto the side of the truck with her hands and pushed off with her feet to get on.
As the rickshaw left the tree, a black bird also took to the sky.
She Ning sat in the back of the truck, watching the black crow fly in the direction she heard the sound, and then land on a big tree in the courtyard of a small bungalow.
Sitting in the back of the truck, She Ning secretly closed her eyes and used the vision sharing function to get a general idea of what was happening in the yard.
The yard was empty except for a loquat tree, while the neighbor's yard had a lot of firewood and clothes hanging out to dry.
The house she was looking at now had nothing but trees. The bungalow had two large and one small rooms, and three people were secretly playing cards in the large room.
"Shunzi".
"Pass."
"A pair."
They deliberately kept their voices down so as not to disturb the neighbors.
Listening to their voices, She Ning recognized them as the ones who had been discussing human trafficking during their earlier conversation. Ya Ya hadn't gone to the wrong people or the wrong place.
Using the crow's vision, She Ning searched the house. Finally, she felt that the best place to hide someone was in the yard.
Not far from the wall was a wooden frame board. The board was very thick and heavy, and it would take several people to lift it. She Ning thought that the cellar below was where the children were hidden.
On the pedicab, She Ning closed her eyes. Xia Qiuxia thought that she would get carsick in an open-top pedicab, so she reached out and gently supported her. Director Xia let She Ning rest on her shoulder.
Her movements were a bit too big. She Ning slightly opened her eyes to look around, then closed them again, focusing eight parts of her attention on the human traffickers and two parts on this side.
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