Chapter 849: Paradise, Eden? [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
"Mama, why the rush?" Gong Xichou had just lifted the curtain when he was grabbed and pulled inside. His body instinctively wanted to fight back, but he recognized the person's identity from the force and forcibly suppressed his instinct. "Did you come here to play with me today?"
Sigh, he's so bored he's practically stiff.
If it weren't for the unfinished business with Mama, he would have packed his bags and gone to find his brother and nephew long ago; it would have been more worthwhile than wasting time here. He had barely finished speaking when Shen Tang smacked his hand. Gong Xi Chou swiftly pulled his hand back: "Ouch, you hit me!"
Shen Tang said seriously, "Let's get down to business."
Gong Xichou responded with an "oh," but his actions were lazy and undisciplined. He chose a place to sit down and said, "Go on."
Shen Tang pointed to the pattern on the ground and asked him if he remembered it.
Gong Xichou, blindfolded: "..."
He pointed to his eyes, indicating that he was still injured and couldn't see the pattern on the ground. Shen Tang had no choice but to take his hand and draw on his palm with her fingers. Gong Xi Chou tilted his head, a few strands of his braid falling down, looking very focused.
"I remember the first picture."
Gong Xiqiu was referring to nuclear radiation warning signs.
Shen Tang asked him, "Where have you seen me before?"
Gong Xichou adopted a thoughtful posture and said, "I've seen it in many places! There's one place, Mama, you know too! On Xianyu Jian's back! If it weren't for this pattern, I wouldn't have bothered with this kid's business back then. Some clan documents also have it, but this pattern is ultimately related to a force called the Society of the Gods. Have they contacted Mama?"
"...You're not also a member of the Gods Society, are you?"
So she's the only outsider here?
Gongxi Chou suppressed his frivolous smile and shook his head: "How could that be? The gods have a deep-seated hatred for the ancestors of the Gongxi clan. Although there are only a few of my clan members left and our ancestors are all buried underground, as a member of the Gongxi clan, I cannot do anything against our ancestors. If I die tomorrow and my soul goes to the gods, won't I be surrounded and beaten up by my clan members? It's not worth it!"
Shen Tang and Gu Chi exchanged a glance.
"...Deep-seated hatred? What hatred? What grudge?"
Gong Xichou beckoned to her.
"It's a long story, and I'm thirsty."
Shen Tang tossed the unused water pouch into his arms, and Gong Xi Chou, without keeping him in suspense, continued his story after moistening his throat.
"Because the Gongxi clan migrated several times throughout history, the earliest clan records were lost in the process. Subsequent records were all repaired by later generations based on their memories. I remember there were probably eight or nine revisions, and much of the content contradicted each other. Some were simply determined to be fabricated legends... There is a theory that the history of the Gongxi clan can be traced back one or two thousand years. At that time, all the clan members lived in a world that was isolated from the outside world and had abundant crops. Here, they had no worries about food, drink, or clothing..."
Shen Tang couldn't help but complain.
Is this place called 'Garden of Eden'?
Upon hearing those three words, Gong Xichou turned his head: "Huh, how did Mama know? Did you regain some memories?"
Shen Tang: "..."
Gong Xichou continued, "However, 'Eden' is just one of its alternative names. The mainstream name that the clan records generally accept is 'Peach Blossom Spring'! According to the mythological version of the clan records, at that time, the world underwent a strange change, the Yin and Yang realms were out of balance, and the Netherworld's death energy, unique to the Yellow Springs, permeated the human world. Living people who were contaminated by the ghost energy would become ghost puppets, feeding on the living, causing countless deaths and injuries..."
Shen Tang frowned and said, "Ghostly aura?"
Gong Xichou nodded: "Yes, that's what the clan records say. It also says that ghostly energy plagued the human world for twelve years, nearly wiping out all living things. There were very few uninfected humans, animals, and plants. Seeing that the mortal realm was about to become the underworld, our ancestors prayed to heaven, and finally moved the heavens. The gods intervened and brought all the survivors to a secluded place, which is 'Peach Blossom Spring.' The gods also planted a divine tree as the core of 'Peach Blossom Spring,' which can isolate the ghostly energy from the outside world. If our ancestors had any problems, they could pray sincerely under the divine tree, and the gods would hear them..."
Gu Chi listened with great interest.
"And then what?"
Shen Tang interrupted Gong Xi Chou: "No, I remember you said a few years ago that your clan met a benefactor on the way to exile after being convicted more than two hundred years ago. The benefactor gave you a coffin, and I am placed in this coffin. To thank the benefactor, your ancestors carved a statue of the benefactor after going into seclusion?"
This must be the origin of the deity worshipped by the Gongxi clan.
Gong Xiqiu said very naturally, "I already said that the clan records were lost or damaged during several migrations, and the contents were all supplemented and revised by later generations. It is inevitable that some personal understanding and speculation will be mixed in... It may all be true, or it may all be false, or it may be half true and half false... Regarding the records of 'Peach Blossom Spring', the clansmen don't really believe them. They treat them all as stories."
Shen Tang: "..."
That reason is all too real.
"How did your ancestors become enemies with the ancestors of the Gods Society?" Gu Chi brought the topic back on track. Who knew how the conversation would veer off course if he expected these two oddballs to chat?
"This is a much longer story. A few days after the gods saved our ancestors, they said they had to go on a long journey to deal with the ghostly energy, and they never returned. The gods saved too many survivors, and they lived peacefully for many years, with our ancestors and the ancestors of the Gods as their leaders. However, during this time, people were born and animals were born, and the 'Peach Blossom Spring' was a limited place. In addition, the seeds that our ancestors brought to the 'Peach Blossom Spring' were contaminated by the ghostly energy, and the yield decreased generation after generation. Food became scarce in the 'Peach Blossom Spring,' and soon conflicts broke out."
"The ancestors of the Pantheon gathered a group of people by force, attempting to use force to feed and raise others. The ancestors strongly opposed this. A great battle broke out between the two sides. The ancestors were defeated and fled 'Peach Blossom Spring' with the survivors who were not raised."
Shen Tang: "Didn't they say that the ghostly atmosphere outside makes it unsuitable for living?"
Gong Xichou said, "Our ancestors weren't stupid. They secretly took away many branches of the divine tree, and the ghostly energy outside was much thinner than before, so we could barely survive. However—it was also due to the influence of the ghostly energy that, for a period of time afterward, the babies born either died or were deformed, with two heads, half a head, three hands, and so on. Our ancestors prayed to the gods and barely managed to get through it."
Gu Chi asked, "What about those who stayed in 'Peach Blossom Spring'?"
Gong Xiqiu recalled carefully: "The clan records don't mention much about this. It only says that after a hundred years, 'Peach Blossom Spring' finally couldn't hold on any longer, and people gradually escaped. These people scattered to various parts of the continent, multiplied and became the people we know today."
Gu Chi joked, "According to this myth, we were family thousands of years ago? Does your clan history describe what society was like before the great catastrophe?"
Gong Xiqiu simply shook his head at this: "If this part of the clan records is true, the relevant documents should all be in 'Taoyuan'. Our ancestors escaped from poverty, so it is not easy for them to have preserved so many records."
Shen Tang made a decision.
"Later, you'll accompany me to the Gongxi tribe's territory."
She wanted to see those clan records with her own eyes.
Gongxi Chou knew her plan, but still couldn't help but pour cold water on it: "Mama, it's not that I'm unwilling, it's just that the remaining books in the clan's territory don't even contain as much information as I remember. On the night of the extermination, ninety percent of them were taken by the Geng Kingdom. Of those ninety percent, fivety percent are records from the last migration of the Gongxi clan, all within the last two hundred years. There are only a few rare books left that can be traced back one or two thousand years, and who knows how many of them have been fabricated or modified by later generations... I'm afraid they're not very useful."
Shen Tang looked gloomy and said, "We still have to go and see."
Gong Xichou asked her, "Is Mama in trouble?"
Shen Tang concealed the details of her time travel, only saying that the three patterns appeared in the wrong era. Gong Xi Chou didn't press the matter further: "I see. According to Mama, that myth might not be a legend, but reality? Our ancestors weren't lying? However, the Gods shouldn't have any so-called 'nuclear weapons.' What could exist for thousands of years and still be usable..."
Gong Xichou's criticisms are very accurate.
But Shen Tang was still worried.
"Maybe they'll build it again later?"
Gong Xichou shook his head, but he was quite optimistic: "Impossible. If the Pantheon had a treasure that could kill 80 or 90,000 people with a wave of its hand, why would it need to hide for so many years?"
Shen Tang: "Uh, that's true..."
Although the Gongxi tribe's myths match in many ways, they are not empirical evidence and lack authority. Shen Tang would much rather find relics or related unearthed artifacts. Even just one piece could prove that a modern civilization once existed.
Perhaps we can still figure out why civilizations have perished.
Ghostly energy, puppets, feeding on living people?
Goodness, it can't really be a zombie apocalypse, can it?
Shen Tang scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Gu Chi was very curious about the new words that suddenly appeared.
What is a zombie?
Shen Tang said, "They're just living dead."
She looked at Gu Chi and a strange light seemed to appear in his eyes: "You don't still want to write zombie-themed novels, do you? Stop it, you have so many novels to write that you don't even know where they're going to be."
They only care about digging, not burying; they're practically eunuchs in charge.
Gu Chi, on the other hand, was a bachelor: "As long as I live long enough."
He had initially scoffed at the myths of the Gongxi people, but after confirming the possible existence of such a civilization, he became intensely interested. However, until conclusive evidence was found, these were all just speculations. The most pressing matter was still the meeting of the gods…
Speaking of the Gods' Guild, Gu Chi wanted to give Shen Tang a heads-up, lest she develop resentment because of Qi Shan's high-ranking position in the guild, and consequently waver in her trust in Qi Shan. No matter how strong her lord's destiny was, it couldn't withstand Qi Shan being her lord's assassin.
“My lord, as far as I know, the Pantheon has also contacted Qi Yuanliang…” Gu Chi didn’t dare to say where he first met Qi Shan, “Should we send a letter to inquire?”
Shen Tang was not surprised at all.
While her eccentric subordinates may be troublesome, their talents and abilities are undeniable. If Qi Shan's feat of killing seven lords in succession still doesn't attract the attention of the gods, then the gods are blind: "I won't write letters anymore; letters also risk being exposed. Now we are in the open while the enemy is in the dark, so we must eliminate any risks. When we meet again, I will ask him myself... Don't tell anyone."
Although Gu Chi's scholarly ways allowed him to know a lot of gossip, he wasn't a chatterbox; he said what he should say, and he would never say what he shouldn't. There were more than just Qi Yuanliang left behind, yet he was singled out for mention; there must be a special reason.
Shen Tang knew what was going on.
Gu Chi clasped his hands in a salute and said, "Yes."
Before leaving, Gong Xichou suddenly remembered something. "That Lin Xiaoma under Mama's command, she has a notebook written by the High Priest. There's a detail in the notebook: while searching for the [Corpse Vine], the High Priest encountered a strange mass grave in a deep mountain forest. The grave was full of ancient bones... Judging from the timeline, it might be a relic from that era..."
Upon hearing that there was a clue, Shen Tang borrowed a notebook from Lin Feng.
Copy down the records related to that mass grave.
He then ordered her to find a tomb raider.
Lin Feng's expression was horrified: "My lord wants to dig up someone's grave?"
Calculating the odds, the strategist Xun displayed incredible prowess in the battle to defend the pass, leaving the lord's private treasury in dire straits. Taking advantage of the chaos, they hired tomb raiders to plunder graves for wealth—a method that, while unethical, was undeniably highly profitable. Lin Feng didn't object much to this.
The living are always more important than the dead.
Shen Tang said, "Ahem, no."
She did it too, but always secretly. Whether it was Heyin County or Longwu County, the ancestral tombs of the local powerful families and gentry were very rich in funerary offerings. Shen Tang was in a really tough time at that time. Just confiscating their property wasn't enough, so she had to borrow some more from their ancestors.
She explained, "I just wanted to get something from them. After thinking it over, I realized that they have a lot of professional contacts."
This excuse convinced Lin Feng.
She always trusted her lord and believed everything Shen Tang said.
After Lin Feng left, Shen Tang stared at the map for a long time.
My eyes were bloodshot from staying up all night, but I still couldn't find the approximate location of the "mass grave." I couldn't help but mutter that the high priest was not meticulous.
Why wasn't the coordinate of such an important discovery marked?
Because of Kang Jishou's lingering bad luck, Shen Tang hasn't dared to close her eyes for too long these past few days, fearing she might wake up to find herself buried alive. After changing locations seven or eight times, experiencing choking on water, getting food stuck in her teeth, biting her tongue, falling flat on her face, and being subjected to divine retribution... a series of torments, Shen Tang also paid the terrible price of spraining both her ankles. Thanks to her strong destiny, she finally made it through.
At that moment, she was in a daze.
His mental state was completely different from the last time we met.
Qin Li was startled at first glance.
"Is my lord feeling unwell?"
Although Shen Tang's eyes were bloodshot and she had a cane tucked under her arm, she was still agile and moved with ease using the cane. Seeing Qin Li approaching, she grinned and said, "Gong Su!"
Qin Li bowed and said, "Greetings, my lord."
Seeing the ring she had carefully chosen on his perfect hands, Shen Tang, now "released from prison," felt even better: "No need for formalities. Have you been settling in these past few days?"
"Thank you for your concern, my lord. It's quite a habit."
Qin Li was a little reserved and didn't feel comfortable, so Shen Tang didn't force him. When she had nothing to do, she would let him accompany her for walks around.
Qin Li: "..."
His gaze fell on Shen Tang's legs.
Shen Tang coughed and said, "Cough cough, I twisted my ankle while walking. It will be fully healed in a couple of days..."
Qin Li: "...Walking, did you twist your ankle?"
Should this term appear on a 16th-rank Grand Master?
"Hehe, even horses stumble, and people make mistakes... I was just one Kang Jishou away from spraining my ankle... Don't mention him, just thinking about him makes my eyes hurt..." Only she knew how she had endured the past few days. "Don't let my bandaged ankles fool you, I can still walk like the wind, I—"
The rubble where the cane landed suddenly collapsed, and Shen Tang's body fell uncontrollably towards the city wall: "Damn it—"
|ω`)
Just between you guys, what do you think of the next book with multiple male leads?
PS: Although the possibility is slim, because girls don't allow that kind of thing _(:з」∠)_
(End of this chapter)
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