Heartfelt wishes and difficulties
Last night I finally had a great time drinking.
Qian Jin woke up groggily in the morning, feeling a splitting headache and momentarily disoriented.
She rubbed her temples to calm herself down, and looked around. It was still the same lush and vibrant valley of the old ginseng, but now there was a figure beside her breathing evenly.
She turned her head and saw that Ao Ming was also drunk, sleeping not far from her. His peaceful sleeping face had lost its usual arrogance and awkwardness. His eyebrows and eyes were relaxed, and his long eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyes. His nose was high and straight, and his lips were beautiful.
Qian Jin looked at Ao Ming's extremely handsome face and thought to herself that this guy was really pleasing to the eye when he was quiet. But then she remembered that after drinking too much yesterday, Ao Ming first said with a straight face that "dragons can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk", but then he hugged the wine jar and started rambling on about which scale the key to the Dragon Palace treasure was hidden under, and finally even tried to push the falling petals with his dragon horn... She couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Qian Jin suddenly felt playful and started to poke Ao Ming's upturned nose with his fingers, then his slightly flushed cheeks, and finally, out of curiosity, he gently poked his tightly closed eyelids.
Ao Ming's eyelids trembled a few times before he slowly opened them. His azure eyes, still hazy with the light of waking, blinked blankly as he met Qian Jin's smiling face, which was close at hand.
"!!!" Ao Ming instantly snapped back to reality, sitting bolt upright. His ears turned bright red visibly as he glared at her, forcing a calm expression. "You! What are you doing?! Taking advantage of me!"
"Oh, you're awake?" Qian Jin chuckled and withdrew her hand. "I saw you sleeping so soundly, I thought you'd been pickled in Ginseng Elder's nectar."
After exchanging a few jokes, Qian Jin suddenly realized that the surroundings seemed too quiet.
She looked around and found that Elder Shen was not nearby. Only the messy stone banquet from last night was still there. On the large stone next to it, there seemed to be a green leaf weighed down with a spirit stone, with faint writing on it.
"It seems Elder Shen left something behind." Qian Jin got up and walked over, picking up the leaf. Ao Ming also straightened his robes and followed.
The characters on the leaves are vigorous and ancient, each stroke imbued with profound spiritual power, as if they were not written but grew naturally from the veins of the leaves:
"Young friends Qian Jin and Ao Ming:"
Last night's conversation felt like a lifetime ago. My young friend's words were like a morning bell and an evening drum, awakening me from my slumber.
For ten thousand years I have been trapped in this valley, imprisoned by my obsession with the past, living in a daze. Only now do I realize that I have ensnared myself in my own cocoon, and how utterly foolish I have been.
Having seen through it all, I now have the desire to travel far and wide. The world is vast, and the human world is full of life. I must personally go and see and experience the scenes that the great goddess loved and the beings she protected, so as not to fail her teachings or waste this remaining life.
Before parting, I have nothing of value but a single wisp of beard, which contains a trace of my original essence.
My friend is intelligent and perceptive, but life is full of dangers. If you encounter a life-or-death situation, you may be able to use this to temporarily ensure your safety.
May my young friend be safe and happy, and may there never be a day when I need this item.
In the southeast corner of the valley, nestled against the mountain and beside the water, there are some mundane items that I used to collect, originally intended as offerings to the place where the god fell, to express my sorrow.
Now that the obsession has subsided, keeping it is of no use. Giving it to a young friend may help you achieve your wish sooner.
The beginning and end of a relationship, let us part ways here.
Take good care of yourself.
"Shen Lao Liu"
Qian Jin picked up the short, golden ginseng root from under the leaf. Although it was only about the length of a finger joint, it was crystal clear, had a wonderful fragrance, and contained an indescribable vitality.
"Wow!" Ao Ming exclaimed, looking at the ginseng whiskers and recalling the "treasured item" mentioned in the old ginseng's letter. "Qian Jin, you've really struck gold this time!"
He suddenly realized that if this little money-grubber suddenly got so much money, would she really quit her job and run off to live a carefree life, just like she always talked about?
Thinking of this, his heart tightened inexplicably, and a sense of indescribable loss welled up inside him.
He subconsciously looked at Qian Jin, expecting to see her eyes shining as she excitedly calculated the value of the money.
However, Qian Jin's face did not show the ecstatic joy he had imagined. She simply carefully placed the ginseng root in a jade box, solemnly put it into the deepest part of her storage bag, and then looked in the direction indicated in the old ginseng's letter, her eyes clear and calm.
Ao Ming found it extremely strange and couldn't help but speak up: "That's odd. Shouldn't you be rushing off to dig for treasure right now, rolling around with spirit stones in your arms, and then starting to plan your retirement? Your reaction is wrong... Tell me! Are you really Qian Jin? Have you been possessed by some strange thing?"
He even started circling around Qian Jin, deliberately making exaggerated spellcasting gestures and shouting incoherently, "Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, demons and monsters, show yourselves! Quickly return my money-grubbing Qian Jin to me!"
Qian Jin was amused by his silly antics and laughed out loud, pushing away his wildly waving hands: "Stop fooling around! I just think... those things represent Elder Shen's feelings and longing for the Great God over the years. It's better to leave them there."
Ao Ming stopped what he was doing and stared at her blankly, as if he were seeing her for the first time.
Sunlight shone on her smiling face, as if coating it with a soft halo. Her eyes, which always shone with the light of spiritual stones, now held a clarity and respect he had never seen before.
After a long pause, he muttered in a low voice, "You're definitely not Qian Jin... the Qian Jin I know..." Despite his words, a complex light flashed in his eyes, a mixture of surprise, inquiry, and a barely perceptible hint of...admiration?
"Alright," Qian Jin said, her smile fading as she patted his arm. "Let's hurry back; they must be getting impatient." She touched the storage bag containing the ginseng roots again, then walked out of the valley first.
Ao Ming followed behind her, took a few steps, and couldn't help but look back at the southeast direction of the valley, his eyes shining with curiosity.
He quickened his pace to catch up with Qian Jin, gently bumping her with his shoulder. Lowering his voice, he urged her on, "Hey, Qian Jin, are we... really just going to leave like this? At least take one look! Just one look! It's been accumulated over millennia! Aren't you curious about how many treasures there are? What they look like? Maybe they're piled up like a mountain!"
Qian Jin paused, a fierce struggle instantly appearing on her face. She even unconsciously licked her lips, her eyes darting around for a moment, clearly indicating an internal struggle.
But quickly, she shook her head violently, as if trying to shake the temptation out of her mind, covered her ears with her hands, quickened her pace, and almost shouted, "I'm not going!!! Shut up! Don't say another word! If I go, I definitely won't be able to control myself!"
Ao Ming looked at her, both wanting to look and afraid to, desperately trying to restrain herself, and found it both amusing and somewhat admirable. Still unwilling to give up, he continued to fan the flames beside her: "Just one look! It's not like it'll cost you anything! Maybe Elder Shen hopes you can use those things for something? Isn't money what you want most?"
"I! Won't! Go!" Qian Jin practically roared, her pace quickening as she nearly ran. "Ao Ming, if you tempt me again, I'll... I'll tell everyone where you hide your secret stash of money!"
On the way back, Ao Ming couldn't help but scrutinize Qian Jin, muttering, "I just can't understand it... He clearly loves money the most, yet he's the poorest person in our God of Wealth Temple. This windfall is handed to him, and he just turns it down? What's the point of working so hard to earn money all this time?"
Qian Jin walked briskly ahead, and upon hearing this, glanced back at him, her eyes regaining their usual cunning and lively light, a meaningful smile curving her lips:
"You... really want to know?"
Ao Ming pricked up his ears, thinking he was about to hear some earth-shattering secret, but Qian Jin chuckled and said, "I'm not telling you!"
“You…you…you…” Ao Ming was clearly angry again.
The two returned to the God of Wealth Temple on the North Road amidst playful banter, only to find the atmosphere in the side hall even more somber than when they left.
Sister Lan and the God of Wealth of the Northern Road were standing in front of a huge map of the northern ice plains, seemingly arguing about something. Several celestial officials from the God of Wealth's Palace of the Northern Road were also standing on both sides, their expressions varied, talking in hushed tones.
“Lord God of Wealth, it is not that I am being stubborn,” Tu Shanlan’s voice remained gentle, yet carried an undeniable firmness, “but if we forcibly restart the trade routes without fundamentally eliminating the negative impact of the past and rebuilding the faith in the God of Wealth’s mansion, I fear that trouble may arise again in the future if we are not careful. In my opinion, the most urgent task is to appease them, publicly clarify the truth, punish those who made false accusations, restore the mansion’s reputation, and then plan for the future.”
The God of Wealth of the Northern Route stroked his long beard, his brows furrowed, his face showing obvious anxiety: "Lan girl, how could I not know your concerns? But the winter reserves of the tribes and major merchant guilds in the Northern Territory have been exhausted. Every day the trade routes remain frozen will result in huge losses! The people are suffering! The pressure from above is also... Sigh! We must get the goods flowing first, and we can make up for the rest slowly!"
"But, God of Wealth, acting hastily, I fear..."
"Sister Lan! God of Wealth!" Upon seeing this, Ao Ming quickly stepped forward, breaking the slightly tense atmosphere. "We're back."
Everyone's eyes immediately turned to the two of them, especially to Qian Jin.
The God of Wealth from the North Road seemed to have seen a savior and hurriedly waved, "You're back just in time! Qian Jin, Ao Ming, come and listen too! Let's discuss what to do next!"
Sister Lan also looked at them, her eyes questioning, clearly hoping they would support her point of view.
Ao Ming touched his nose, looked at the map, and then at the two sides arguing, hesitating for a moment. He felt that both sides seemed to have a point.
Just as the hall fell into another brief silence, with eyes scanning back and forth between Qian Jin and Ao Ming, Qian Jin took a small step forward.
She first glanced at the frowning God of Wealth of the North, then at Sister Lan with a determined expression, and finally her gaze fell on the huge map of the Northern Territory, a confident smile curving her lips.
"I do have an idea, but I don't know... if it's feasible?"
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