r18novel Page 122
Page 122
After the portal closed completely, Shi Hao and Huo Ling'er disappeared.
The woman in gray remained seated, lost in thought, unable to recover for a long time.
After a long while, she slowly withdrew her gaze, her deep eyes filled with an unprecedented solemnity!
"I see……"
She sighed softly, her voice carrying a complex and unfathomable emotion.
"Is there such a forbidden being standing behind that little guy?"
"No wonder... he was so confident and fearless."
She looked in the direction of Shicun, her eyes growing increasingly profound.
"Shi Hao?"
"It seems that the world in this desolate region... is truly about to change."
"And you..."
"And what role will it play in this impending catastrophe?"
Shi Hao was naturally unaware of the double-pupiled woman's thoughts.
At this moment, he returned to Stone Village with Huo Ling'er.
This time, he's going to refine a Lesser Nirvana Pill to enhance his strength!
By the way, let's improve the strength of the people in Stone Village.
Chapter 91: Yunxi Comes Knocking! Is the Battleground Beginning?
"We're back."
A genuine smile appeared on Shi Hao's face. He pulled up Huo Ling'er, who was also somewhat excited beside him, and stepped into the soft green light.
The light flashed, and the passage closed.
The next second, the two appeared in the familiar village square at the entrance of Shicun.
"It's Brother Hao!"
"Haowa is back!"
"Look! Brother Hao is back with his beautiful wife!"
Almost the instant they appeared, the villagers of Shicun, who were busy or playing around, flocked over from all directions!
The children rushed to the front, surrounding Shi Hao and chattering away, asking him all sorts of questions.
The adults also put down their work, their faces beaming with the most sincere and enthusiastic smiles, and gathered around to offer their concern and care.
"Haowa, you've been away for so long this time, you didn't encounter any danger, did you?"
The men from the hunting team, including Shi Linhu, asked with concern, their eyes scrutinizing Shi Hao as if to confirm whether he was missing any limbs.
"Little Shihao, come here quickly, Auntie saved some freshly roasted pork leg for you!" A plump auntie greeted him warmly.
"Me too! I have some freshly picked purple cloud berries here, they're so sweet!"
The villagers' enthusiasm, like the warm sun in winter, instantly enveloped Shi Hao and Huo Ling'er.
Shi Hao responded with a smile, feeling a warm glow in his heart as he experienced the genuine simplicity and care that came from genuine kindness.
Meanwhile, Huo Ling'er, facing this enthusiastic scene that seemed to be "welcoming a hero," especially when she heard some of the mischievous children calling her "sister-in-law," her pretty face instantly turned as red as a ripe apple, almost dripping blood.
She instinctively hid behind Shi Hao, nervously clutching the hem of his clothes with both hands. Her shy and adorable appearance once again drew good-natured laughter from the villagers.
After exchanging pleasantries with the villagers for a short while, Shi Hao didn't linger. He had something more important on his mind.
"370," he reassured the still somewhat shy Huo Ling'er, then walked straight toward the willow tree at the village entrance that appeared increasingly mysterious and extraordinary.
The willow trees at this moment have changed considerably compared to before Shi Hao left.
Hundreds of emerald green and crystal-clear willow branches hung down like jade chains, each one flowing with mysterious runes and a powerful life force. The entire willow tree was shrouded in a faint halo of holiness, as if it were no longer a tree of the mortal world, but a divine root planted in the immortal realm.
"Willow Goddess, your disciple has returned." Shi Hao walked to the willow tree and bowed respectfully.
"Hmm." Willow God's thoughts responded gently, like a spring breeze caressing the heart. "It seems you've gained quite a bit from this trip to the Medicine Capital."
His tone carried a hint of understanding, clearly indicating that the commotion Shi Hao had caused in the Medicine Capital had not escaped His perception.
"Yes, Master!" Shi Hao chuckled, then his face turned solemn as he carefully took out the ice jar that still emitted a faint chill and seemed to contain a sleeping deity!
"Master, look! Your disciple has found a wondrous object in the Medicine Capital!" He held the Divine Ice Jar up to the willow branch. "It seems to contain the legendary... Imperial Butterfly!"
Royal Butterfly!
The moment those two words appeared, hundreds of branches of the willow tree trembled slightly!
An indescribable, ancient will, seemingly transcending countless ages, descended in an instant!
Those eyes, hidden deep within endless time and space, seemingly able to see through everything, fell upon that small divine ice jar!
"It really is...?" A subtle hint of surprise and complexity flickered in Liu Shen's mind.
"It seems to be the only royal butterfly left..."
He seemed lost in some ancient memory, remaining silent for a moment before speaking again, his tone tinged with both感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing regret and admonition):
"This insect has a mysterious origin and a very special background; it may not even belong to this realm."
"Rumor has it that its potential is limitless, and once it comes of age, its combat power may even be no weaker than the Ten Ancient Fiends."
"Your ability to obtain it is a testament to your great fortune and destiny."
“However…” Liu Shen’s tone shifted, becoming serious, “It will be no easy task to successfully hatch and raise it.”
"What it requires is not just ordinary essence of heaven and earth, but also sacred objects containing the origin of the Great Dao! If it is not careful, all previous efforts may be wasted, or it may even turn against its owner."
Upon hearing Liu Shen's warning, Shi Hao felt a chill run down his spine.
He knew that Huang Die was extraordinary, but he did not expect that even Liu Shen would give her such a high evaluation, even subtly placing her on par with the Ten Fiends!
It seems that I still have a long way to go to raise this "money-devouring beast" properly!
"Please enlighten me, Master, on how I should feed it?" Shi Hao humbly asked for guidance.
The willow tree's branches gently brushed against the cold, divine ice jar, as if sensing the dormant life force within.
After a moment, He slowly said, "This insect is still in its cocoon and has not yet truly emerged. To hatch it, one needs an extremely large amount of life essence and a trace of the Great Dao imprint that resonates with its origin."
"Life essence... I do have some here." Shi Hao thought of the Fountain of Immortality and Kunpeng True Blood in his storage space, which should be of some use.
"As for that Great Dao Imprint..." The willow branch swayed gently, and a vibrant green light, full of vitality, slowly condensed from the tip of the branch, eventually transforming into an extremely complex and profound green rune mark, which landed on the Divine Ice Jar.
"This is a trace of my original essence, containing the true meaning of life and creation. Perhaps it can help it break free from its cocoon," Willow God explained. "After it is born, you can nourish it with your own blood essence, supplement it with various rare and precious materials, and carefully nurture it."
"Remember, this insect is spiritual and once it recognizes its master, it is extremely difficult to change. You must treat it with sincerity and communicate with it attentively. In the future, it may become a great help to you in your conquest of the heavens and the earth."
"Thank you for your guidance, Master!" Shi Hao was overjoyed upon hearing this and hurriedly and solemnly put away the Divine Ice Jar, his heart filled with anticipation.
With Willow Goddess's personal guidance and help, the chances of hatching this royal butterfly are undoubtedly much greater!
After reporting the matter of the Imperial Butterfly to Liu Shen, Shi Hao prepared to turn and leave, allowing Liu Shen to continue healing in peace.
However, at that moment, he was suddenly drawn to a commotion of chickens flying and dogs barking from the square not far away.
In a corner of the square, his beloved pet furball was locked in a fierce battle with... well, a creature that looked extremely peculiar!
It's supposed to be a bird, but it's completely bald, without a single decent feather. It only has a few sparse, needle-like black feathers, making it look ridiculous and ugly.
But this thing is incredibly fast and moves extremely slyly, leaping and bounding about while making strange "caw caw" noises, and occasionally pecking at the furball's butt with its sharp beak!
The furball was clearly furious with this guy. Its golden fur stood on end, it squeaked and swung its little paws to fight back desperately. But it seemed that because the other party was too fast and too slippery, it was unable to do anything to it for a while.
"Huh? What's that?" Shi Hao stared in disbelief and walked over curiously.
Huo Ling'er followed along, equally curious as she watched the featherless monster bird that was "fighting three hundred rounds" with Mao Qiu.
"Furry!" Shi Hao shouted, and at the same time, an invisible aura emanated, instantly silencing the crowd. "Stop fighting! Who is this guy? Why does he look so unique?"
When Maoqiu saw Shi Hao arrive, it was as if it had found its backbone. It immediately stopped attacking, ran to Shi Hao's feet, and kept chirping, pointing at the featherless bird with its little claws, as if it were complaining.
Shi Hao couldn't understand its animal language, so he could only look helplessly at the clan chief Shi Yunfeng, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, and asked, "Grandpa clan chief, what's going on with this featherless bird? I don't remember there being any of these things in the village before I left?"
Upon hearing this, Shi Yunfeng's face showed a wry smile. Pointing to the featherless bird that had also stopped moving, tilting its head and warily examining Shi Hao's bird with its darting little eyes, he explained:
"Sigh, speaking of this guy, it's quite a strange story."
"Do you remember those eggs you had Maoqiu bring back when you came back from Baiduan Mountain last time?"
Shi Hao nodded; of course he remembered.
"Originally, that little furball planned to secretly hide those eggs and keep them for himself to eat slowly," Shi Yunfeng continued, his tone somewhat helpless. "But one day, I don't know how, the biggest egg just cracked open! And then this thing hatched!"
"When it first came out, it ate all the other eggs that Maoqiu had painstakingly hidden! Maoqiu was so angry that it wanted to fight it right then and there! But... hey! This thing looks ugly, but it's quite capable! It's as fast as a ghost, and Maoqiu couldn't catch it at all!"
"Later, this guy just stayed in the village and wouldn't leave. Because it had no hair and looked a bit funny, everyone called it... Baldy."
Baldy?!
Upon hearing this name and looking at the strange bird in front of him—which, though featherless, possessed a certain sleazy and arrogant air about it—Shi Hao instantly recalled an extremely familiar figure!
Kong Qiuji?! That self-proclaimed reincarnation of the ancient Peacock God, who loves to swindle and deceive, but whose true form is actually a five-colored peacock... Baldy?!
It really was him?!
Shi Hao felt as if a thunderbolt had struck him!
He clearly remembered that when he came back from Baiduan Mountain last time, he didn't seem to have asked Maoqiu to bring back any peacock eggs. Could it be that Maoqiu secretly hid them himself?
Unexpectedly... by some twist of fate, this bald guy still managed to sneak into Stone Village!
The inertia in this plot is just too strong!
Shi Hao looked at the featherless bird in front of him, which was winking and trying to get close to him, and felt speechless.
Well! Looks like Stone Village is going to have another troublemaker in the future!
……
The nights in Shicun are always so peaceful and serene.
To welcome Shi Hao and Huo Ling'er back, and to celebrate the village's growing strength, the villagers lit a grand bonfire once again.
The fragrant roasted meat sizzled on the fire, emitting an enticing aroma.