Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 262 - 1: Press Forward with Courage
January 11, 2018
After a whole night of rest, Wang Jiu temporarily adjusted the route, heading straight southeast along the rugged mountain path for over a thousand miles.
Leaving the treacherous mountainous region, the group's pace didn't noticeably increase because beyond the Cyan Cloud City, crossing the rolling mountains of Teng Country, lay the so-called Border Desolate Area.
Two thousand years ago, the Li Family led a team to pioneer southward from Heaven-Reaching City, igniting the flame of civilization in the chaotic and untamed region. Over the next two millennia, the civilized area on the Xiangzhou Continent expanded more than tenfold, but this expansion was not evenly distributed. Beyond a thousand miles southeast of Cyan Cloud City, south of Teng Country, including the Huaihai Plain and Huai Mountain Range, remained the border region of the Xiangzhou Continent.
Poverty, backwardness, danger, and sparsely populated—these are the main features of the border regions. Wang Jiu, accompanied by four youngsters, traversed this edge for two days without encountering any cities or villages for supplies, nor any straight and clear roads. During this time, they even faced several surprise attacks from reckless Mountain Spirits.
Nonetheless, compared to the true wild borderlands, the Huaihai and Huai Mountain regions were much safer. Few Demon Essences could bypass the civilized border defenses to invade human territory. Moreover, Mountain Spirits and Wild Beasts mostly adhered to their own business, quietly proliferating in sparsely populated areas. Only in a few regions did active conflicts arise between the Mountain Spirits, Wild Beasts, and humans for survival space.
The Mountain Spirit surprise attacks encountered by Wang Jiu's group were, at worst, like encountering pickpockets at a transportation hub. It was much more civilized compared to the rampant killings and fires of the wild areas.
"...So, what is the scenery like at the true wild borderlands?"
Shen Qingming, with her hair full of dry leaves, asked with lingering fear.
Not long ago, while traversing a wooded area, several Vine Spirits, reaching half human height, went berserk, lashing at them with poisonous thorns. Since the attack happened suddenly and without warning, Wang Jiu intentionally didn't alert them, leaving Shen Qingming and the others in disarray. Even Li Wanqing barely managed to protect herself—she faced the Vine Spirits' leader, who was significantly stronger than the grunts.
Li Chaolu and Li Xinyu were also taken aback, unable to fathom how they could encounter danger so casually in what they considered the civilized region.
In their understanding, the world had changed drastically from two thousand years ago; Heaven-Reaching City, Golden Jade City, Cyan Cloud City... dozens of large cities illuminated the land like the sun, with hundreds of secondary cities supporting Xiangzhou's civilized network. Below them, countless towns and millions of villages spread across the civilized realm.
In these areas, everything was orderly, peaceful, and serene—at least one wouldn't expect to be attacked by Vine Spirits while passing through a forest!
It was utterly unreasonable!
More than the embarrassment of battle, what the young ones cared about was the feeling of grievance from doing nothing and yet being lashed in the face by poisonous thorns. Given their background, refraining from acting like a Government Official's Son and bullying others already showed great character—when had they ever been provocatively sought out like this?
Among them, only Li Wanqing, with more worldly experience, was unfazed by it all, her only intention being to console the aggrieved Shen Qingming with a hug. The other three were resentful, nurturing a desire for fiery revenge.
At this point, Wang Jiu summarized, "In fact, this was purely self-inflicted. You've made yourselves too conspicuous. Failing to restrain your True Essence Fluctuations while walking was like being a torch in this woodland, easily disturbing the sleeping plants."
Upon hearing this, the four fell silent. After a moment, Shen Qingming spoke, "Are you saying that being ambushed was our fault instead?"
"From the Vine Spirits' perspective, your unabashed True Essence Fluctuation was indeed a preemptive strike."
Li Wanqing said, "Let's not talk about those three newcomers. I've been carefully restraining my True Essence Fluctuations, so why did the Vine Spirits' leader target me?"
Wang Jiu replied, "Your perfume is derived from plant essences, which have an aphrodisiac effect on Vine Spirits. Being approached by the leader is because, within their groups, mating is usually initiated by the leader first."
Li Wanqing was stunned, "Vine Spirits, getting aroused by a human like me!?"
Wang Jiu explained, "These are Tan's Vine Spirits, the most unruly and fierce kind among Vine Spirits—full of vigor and very unfussy, often dubbed the 'Teddy of Vine Spirits'."
"So these are Tan's Vine Spirits?!" Li Xinyu exclaimed with surprise, "If I had known, I would've..."
Li Chaolu kicked him, "You would've gathered seeds to cultivate at home, right?!"
"I wouldn't..."
"You think I don't know what you're thinking? 'The Hikikomori Reincarnation: Vines and Beauties' Wild Ride', isn't it?!"
"How did you know!?"
"Aunt Wenjun received your book borrowing request, and you weren't home when she delivered it, so she asked me to hand it over... If it weren't for Aunt Wenjun being the book's owner, I would've burned it on the spot!"
"I was wrong, please don't tell Mom."
"It's too late; Mom already knows. Just wait to be disciplined when we return."
Wang Jiu ignored the two and continued, "Furthermore, including Li Wanqing, your methods of restraining True Essence are too rigid, a typical academic style. They are poorly suited for complex environments. Maybe it doesn't show in these relatively peaceful areas, but if you were in the chaotic wild lands, you'd all essentially be telegraphing your presence as targets."
Although they didn't know what the term "Train King" from the Primordial Era meant, everyone understood what Wang Jiu was trying to say. They each fell into silence and reflection.
When the sky began to darken and the sun set in the west, Shen Qingming finally said slowly, "…So, Ah Jiu, is this a live lesson you prepared for us?"
Wang Jiu replied, "Of course not. With your level of intelligence, it's hard to grasp the joy of learning. If I organized a live lesson, it would certainly bore you."
"..."
"This is just a fun segment I added to enrich our hiking trip."
Shen Qingming asked, "If I say it's not fun at all, are you going to have me experience a path of knives and raging fire next?"
Wang Jiu gave a thumbs-up, "You're smarter than your ancestor Shen Kaishan, who only realized how interesting my designs were after his hair and eyebrows were all burnt off."
"…Alright, we all recognize how witty and humorous you are now. Can we start heading to Shen City soon?"
Wang Jiu said, "Of course, in fact, we don't have much time for entertainment anymore, as there's just over a month until Shen Ruoshi's birthday banquet, and our preparation time is quite limited."
"So you do know our time is limited!"
Wang Jiu said, "That's why I combined preparation with entertainment to improve efficiency."
"…What kind of preparation work is this that leaves us covered in fallen leaves during a hike?"
"Considering your delicate relationship with the Shen Family, I believe a dreadful and long journey, along with a totally disheveled appearance, not only shows our sincerity in traveling all this way to celebrate a birthday but also pleases their sensitive nerves."
"..."
Wang Jiu said, "So next, we should follow this river northeast. By this evening, we can reach Yulin Village, settle there for the night, get about two hours of sleep, and arrive at Shen City before dawn the next day—I believe the sleepy and greasy look better earns the Shen Family's favor."
Shen Qingming was also impressed with this Celestial Divine Sword's peculiar thought process, leaving him speechless, while Li Chaolu gazed dreamily and murmured, "Mr. Wang Jiu's far-sightedness is truly impressive…"
Only Li Wanqing took out a map, searched for a long time, and couldn't find the supposed location of Yulin Village.
"Traditional maps won't have that small village. You can only find a gourmet's lyrics to the fish soup of a small fishing village two hundred miles south of Shen City on page 174 of the Shen City's local delicacy guide."
"..." Li Wanqing held the map, speechless, having nothing to say about the sword spirit's meticulousness.
Wang Jiu then said excitedly, "It's said that only fish caught at night can make the most delicious fish soup, so if we quicken our pace, we can arrive in Yulin Village in time for the perfect meal!"
"It sounds like this journey finally has a genuinely interesting segment," Shen Qingming said, exhausted.
——
Under Wang Jiu's guidance, the group quickened their pace and finally reached Yulin Village that would only be noted in the gourmet guide by evening.
This was a small village with only a few hundred people, originally named Fish Scale Village—because the local fresh fish were so famous, later renamed Yulin Village.
The group claimed to be traveling wanderers and found a local family to stay with. After paying dozens of taels of silver, Wang Jiu also successfully convinced the young and beautiful Little Fish Girl in the household to fish for them under the cover of night and serve delicious fish soup.
After drinking the fish soup and riding the warmth in their stomachs, they gathered in the family's vacant storeroom, preparing for a short rest. Before sleeping, under Wang Jiu's instructions, Shen Qingming also did a simple disheveled makeover to prepare for the real combat test in the morning…
However, just as they were about to sleep, an ear-piercing whir suddenly came, and then a commotion of panic surged throughout the village.
Several cultivators immediately opened their eyes, adjusted their breathing, and focused, ready for any changes. Moments later, the door was forcefully opened, and the charming Little Fish Girl anxiously shouted, "Quick, get ready and follow me to the village chief's home for refuge… Oh, you're all ready?"
Wang Jiu, dressed in pure white, appeared otherworldly under the moonlight, but his expression was extremely grave.
"What's going on?" Shen Qingming asked.
"Demon Essence, and there are quite a lot of them." After a pause, Wang Jiu said, "Prepare for battle."
