Chapter 37 The Four Lords of Keqiang Meet the Four Lords The next morning. ...
The next morning.
As soon as Yan Chao stepped out of the room, she heard the old man humming a song she couldn't understand. The rhythm was cheerful, and he sang it with great vigor, indicating that he was feeling much better. When Yan Chao came downstairs, besides the old man, Mi Qing was also there. She had changed to a new wooden hairpin today, which looked like a bean pod.
Yan Chao said, "Good morning, Mi Qing! Your hairpin today is quite special, but you seem to really like wooden hairpins."
Mi Qing smiled and took Yan Chao's hand, saying, "I still have many wooden hairpins. I don't know why, but I've liked them since I was little."
When the old man saw Yan Chao, he said with a smile, "Young lady, the medicine you gave me is really amazing! I feel much more energetic today, and I have the strength to do my work!" After saying that, the old man rolled up his sleeves and went to move the water vat that was half a person tall standing to the side.
Yan Chao loudly stopped him: "Wait!"
The old man paused upon hearing this, his outstretched hand freezing in mid-air, frozen in place, not daring to move for a moment.
Yan Chao rubbed his temples, sighed softly, and said, "This is medicine, not a magic pill. It can't withstand your abuse. If you really want to make up your mind, you need to act according to your own capacity. You must not increase the dosage on your own in order to get better as soon as possible." Yan Chao looked around and added, "If something really happens, no one will be able to save you."
Upon hearing this, the old man immediately withdrew his hand, stepped aside, and gave up on the idea of taking the jar.
Seeing his guilty look, Yan Chao said, "You didn't really take too much medicine, did you?"
The old man clasped his hands together, gave a dry laugh, and said, "How could that be? Of course I'll listen to the young lady."
Yan Chao nodded, not seeing Feng Xi and Yao Xu, and asked, "Where are they?"
Mi Qing said, "A dwarf deer wandered in from somewhere this morning. Yao Xu thought it was cute and insisted on dragging Feng Xi out to see it. It should be back soon."
Yan Chao asked curiously, "You're already here, why didn't he take you with him? What's the reason for bringing Feng Xi along?"
Mi Qing spread her hands, smiling with a mixture of helplessness and indulgence: "He always has a lot of strange ideas, and often acts like a child. But I quite like it."
Yan Chao thought to himself, "These two are a perfect match."
"As expected, those people showed symptoms again today... but at least they don't seem to have lost their minds again..."
Yao Xu's voice came from outside the door. The two of them entered, carrying a chill with them, but they were in a good mood.
Feng Xi looked at Yan Chao and smiled, "Chao Chao, did you rest well?"
Yan Chao said, "Okay." He then turned to Yao Xu and asked, "What were you two talking about just now?"
Upon hearing this, Yao Xu quickly sat down and asked mysteriously, "Guess where we just went?"
Yan Chao said, "I've gone to Keqiang."
Yao Xu's face fell, and he said, "Didn't A Qing tell you we went to see the dwarf deer?"
Yan Chao said, "I did, but you didn't bring Mi Qing. Where else can you go besides Keqiang?"
Yaoxu: "..."
Feng Xi sat down opposite Yan Chao, poured hot water into her cup, and said, "Chao Chao is indeed clever. Although the poison of those people has not been completely eradicated, they no longer exhibit any crazy or incoherent behavior."
Yan Chao said, "This disease is too wicked. If we don't use strong medicine at the beginning, it's very easy to leave lasting effects. Things are different now. If we want a complete cure, we'll need to take good care of ourselves afterward."
After saying that, Yan Chao picked up the cup and took a sip of water. The moment the rim touched the cup, she was suddenly taken aback. She didn't know when it had started, but she had somehow developed a habit of this casual gesture from Feng Xi. But where did this increasingly strong sense of familiarity come from?
Yan Chao thought to himself, "Did I sleep too long and make my brain all foggy?"
Yao Xu said, "Then let's hurry up and go after we finish eating!" After saying that, he turned to the old man and said, "Shopkeeper, please bring us some food!"
The old man said, "Alright! Please wait a moment."
A moment later, the old man came out carrying four bowls of shredded pork noodles, saying as he placed them down, "From what you've heard, has something happened to Keqiang?"
Feng Xi raised an eyebrow and said, "Why don't you go in and see for yourself?"
The old man immediately waved his hand and said, "No, no, no, I won't go. I'll just guard my own little plot of land. I value my life very much." The old man paused for a moment and then said, "The Keqiang people are very kind. They are the guardians of this mountain forest, and we people here are very grateful to them."
Yan Chao said, "We're going in today and won't be back for the next few days. Take your medicine on time and don't act rashly."
The old man nodded and repeatedly replied, "Yes."
After breakfast, the four of them stepped into the forest again.
Mi Qing said, "A Chao, you just said we won't be back for a few days. Are you sure you won't be kicked out by them again?"
Yan Chao kicked at the snow under his feet, half-jokingly saying, "If they dare to kick us out again, then let them fend for themselves."
Feng Xi said, "You won't."
Yan Chao said "Oh?" and looked at Feng Xi, saying, "What if I really do that?"
Feng Xi chuckled and said, "That's your own choice. If you really do it, I'll think it's great."
Yan Chao looked ahead and said, "I certainly won't ignore them, but I don't care about just anyone."
The weather was lovely today, but the wind was strong in the woods. When she finished speaking, her voice was carried away by the cold wind without a trace.
Including the one that Feng Xi didn't say aloud.
The four returned to Keqiang, and in just one day, the scattered tents had been re-erected, and the tribespeople were going about their business in an orderly fashion. If it weren't for their difficulty in moving due to the epidemic, one would have doubted that everything that had happened yesterday was real.
On the way here today, we did not see any Keqiang people stationed along the way, so the journey was smooth.
Seeing this scene again today is quite novel.
A middle-aged man leading a dragon beetle spotted them and shouted, "Raye! Raye's here!"
Upon hearing this, everyone rushed forward, knelt on the ground, raised their arms, and loudly spoke a phrase in the Keqiang language.
Surprisingly, all four of them understood.
"The gods descended to earth to protect Keqiang. Keqiang will never forget its promise."
The Keqiang language is one of the most obscure and difficult to understand among the languages of various ethnic groups. The Keqiang tribe has lived in seclusion in this forest for most of its history, never appearing before the world. If it weren't for the discovery of this place by the Four Gentlemen of Tianji in the previous generation, who helped them eliminate their enemies, they might never have been known to outsiders. They are as mysterious as a mirage.
Therefore, unless there is a special need, no one is willing to study the Keqiang language. Yan Chao once tried to learn the language, but all his attempts ended in failure. As a result, apart from the Keqiang people, almost no one in the world knows the Keqiang language.
The Keqiang people are warm and hospitable, but also brave and skilled in battle. The entire tribe is a soldier; even six- or seven-year-old children can kill a wolf with their bare hands. Because of this, few dare to covet this land.
Yan Chao thought to himself, "I couldn't learn it before, but now I understand it without even trying. Times have truly changed..."
Yao Xu was the first to step forward and said, "Um, could you all please get up? It's really awkward to see so many people kneeling before me. Also, why can I understand what you're saying?"
Upon hearing this, everyone stood up.
An elderly man holding a long cane stepped out from the crowd and said in fluent Central Plains dialect, "I am the Bimo of Keqiang, Labtan. Today, we are reunited with an old friend, so this is a small token of our appreciation."
Yan Chao looked at Rabutan, his gaze filled with the joy of reunion and the melancholy of parting. Deeper still, however, was a deep respect for his old friends.
Yan Chao expressed his gratitude to Labtan: "Although I don't know how you made us understand the Kazakh language, I am truly grateful to you. If I had known that we could learn it this way, I should have come sooner."
As soon as he finished speaking, the other three also expressed their gratitude to Rabtan.
Rabutan smiled slightly and said, "You have been kind to us in Keqiang, but these are nothing to mention."
Mi Qing asked, "Are you feeling any better about the Mad Wood Plague?"
"Thanks to you all, we are feeling much better," Rabtan said.
Seeing this, Yao Xu muttered under his breath, "Then why did you kick us out of here yesterday... Ah!"
Yao Xu grunted, clutching his head, and looked at Feng Xi, who had just slapped him, saying, "Feng Xi! Why did you hit me?!"
Feng Xi crossed her arms, gave him a disdainful look, and said, "I find you too talkative." Before she finished speaking, she walked straight up to the old man and said, "The plague in your bodies hasn't been completely eradicated. We will treat you here for the next few days. Also, how exactly did you contract the plague?"
Upon hearing this, Rabutan sighed with shame and said, "This is a long story. It's cold outside, so why don't you all have a bowl of milk tea to warm yourselves up?"
The four followed Rabutan into a tent, where a pot of freshly brewed milk tea was warming on a wooden frame over a fire.
Labutan personally poured a bowl of milk tea for each of the four people. The milk tea was rich, salty, and fragrant, with milk skin and milk tofu soaking in it. Taking a sip of the hot tea, one could feel their whole body warming up instantly.
Labutan sat cross-legged on the animal skin carpet and said, "A hundred years ago, the Keqiang tribe was nearly wiped out. Fortunately, four celestial beings descended and helped us escape danger. They were the Four Gentlemen of Tianji from the previous generation. I'm sure you all know them. Today, our tribe is suddenly afflicted with a terrible plague, and we have once again received help from the Four Gentlemen of Tianji. The Keqiang will never forget this kindness!"
Mi Qing replied, "How can you be so sure that the four of us are the new Four Gentlemen of Tianji?"
Labtan said, "The appearance of an old friend, this is the appearance that every generation of Bimo... no, every Keqiang person will never forget."
Mi Qing asked, puzzled, "An old friend? What do you mean by that?"
Upon hearing this, Rabtan smiled and shook his head, saying only, "You're in the thick of it, yet you feel like an outsider. What you've been searching for isn't far from you; it's always been around you. It's just that there's something else within you."
Mi Qing only heard the first half of it, and somewhat excited, she immediately stood up and said, "You know where I came from, right? Tell me quickly!"
Yao Xu grabbed Mi Qing and said, "A Qing, calm down."
Mi Qing looked at Yao Xu, paused for a moment, and then sat down again.
Rabutan lowered his head and sighed, muttering something that was difficult to understand. He then said, "You have done a favor for Keqiang, so I can grant you a promise. What do you want?"
Mi Qing firmly stated, "I just want to know where I came from."
Rabtan said, "Even if this might cost you dearly in the future, are you willing to pay such a high price?"
Mi Qing said, "I'm willing..."
"Aqing!" Yaoxu suddenly called out to her, his voice unsteady, his tightly clenched hands revealing his unease. "Aqing, are you really sure about this?"
Mi Qing said, "Yao Xu, you know me."
Yao Xu let go, turned his head away, and didn't say a word.
Yan Chao and Feng Xi remained silent, each harboring a suspicion, their hearts pounding with anxiety, unsure if they could ever find peace of mind.
Rabtan said, "Very well. But some things are not yet time, and what I know may not be the whole picture. Some things can only be seen by yourself. All I can do is take you to someone."
Mi Qing asked, "Whom do you want to see?"
Rabtan stood up and said, "Please follow me."
The four followed Rabutan to a wooden hut deeper into the jungle. The hut was well hidden, and three people were taking turns guarding it.
Rabutan led the four men into the house, where the first thing they saw were four portraits on the wall.
The painting depicts the Four Gentlemen of Tianji from the previous generation.
They are Ghost King Fengyi, Emperor Yaoqi, Spring God Mingqi, and Cloud Locust Mizhen.
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Author's Note: I'm so sorry! The promised weekend update ended up being Monday morning. Sorry for the long wait!!! I'm a really slow writer, although I'm faster than before, it's still generally slow, so I might update late at night quite often from now on, sorry for the wait! Following the updates is really hard work!
It snowed here today, the first snowfall of the year! I'm so excited and happy! I wonder if it's snowing where you are? Hope you enjoy reading this and have a happy day!
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