NOVPUBThey didn’t know what had just happened.
It seemed that amidst the roiling black mist, creatures were fighting.
It was uncertain what the final outcome was.
But the sheer magnitude of the disturbance left everyone horrified.
The evil Qi that had sealed off Annihilation Ridge had completely dissipated.
The entrance they had used to arrive had also reappeared.
After such an event, many people had lost the desire to treasure hunt.
After all, life was precious, and no one could guarantee there wouldn’t be another battle.
And Annihilation Ridge, being one of the Ten Great Forbidden Lands, indeed filled many hotheaded people with fear.
One after another, people began to leave Annihilation Ridge.
...…
Annihilation Ridge never stayed in one place for long.
Besides mostly concealing itself in the void, it would occasionally pause in the outside world, but it would soon depart again.
At this moment, as more and more people left Annihilation Ridge,
the vast Continent began to shake.
Countless blasts resounded all around.
"Rumble!"
The Firmament also started to crack open, as Annihilation Ridge transformed into a black aurora, began to vanish into the void, and quickly disappeared.
When Annihilation Ridge left, the people guarding Green Stone Valley had mixed feelings of joy and sorrow.
Some had acquired treasures within Annihilation Ridge.
Others suffered grievous losses for their Sect Gate.
However, none of this was of much relevance to Xu Zimei, who was still in Annihilation Ridge.
After Annihilation Ridge flew away, Bai Meng glanced at Xu Zimei, who was still in the midst of cultivation.
Then, waves of Demonic Qi surged around him.
The Demonic Qi gripped Xu Zimei’s body and began to carry him slowly towards the outside world.
Annihilation Ridge continued its hidden advance through the void.
Bai Meng directly shattered the barriers of the void, leading Xu Zimei away from there.
The two descended above a long river.
Bai Meng surveyed the surroundings, waving his hands, and instantly cut down several large trees.
He constructed a raft.
He laid Xu Zimei on the raft, which drifted gently along the calm river current.
Then, he concealed himself in the void, secretly protecting him.
...
The noon sunlight pierced through the dense jungle of overlapping peaks.
It cast a faint halo on the glistening river surface.
The raft floated lightly upon the water.
The river was gentle and stretched far.
Xu Zimei kept drifting this way.
Within his True Fate World inside his body, he was still slowly tempering the area of his eyes.
Downstream of the river, there was an ordinary village established here.
They lived by the river, with a history spanning several hundred years through the generations.
"Luohe Village!"
At dawn, the willow trees at the village entrance swayed with the chilly autumn breeze.
A group of women, carrying wooden basins and a large load of laundry, came to the downstream early in the morning to wash clothes.
The water was crystal clear, and the stones at the bottom were as large as prehistoric eggs.
Among these women were three ladies and two young girls.
The five positioned themselves and chatted idly while washing.
"Mu Yu, I heard that your mother has arranged for you to marry Shao Xing from the east end of the village.
Why are you unwilling? His father is the head of the village, and he himself is quite a catch. Marrying him would surely bring you happiness," one of the women said, looking over at the girl beside her.
"Exactly, you don’t know how many girls in the village want to marry Shao Xing. He didn’t show interest, but he has his eyes on you."
"You must seize this opportunity," another woman beside her urged.
The girl, called Muyu, just smiled and shook her head. 𝚗o𝚟pub.𝚌𝚘𝚖
She didn’t join in the conversation!
She was dressed in a light blue long shirt, looking very delicate.
Her long hair was tied behind her with a pink ribbon, and her eyes sparkled like water.
When she smiled, a small dimple appeared on the left side of her face, making her look very attractive.
At that moment, she was focused on washing clothes, not speaking.
The sky gradually brightened, and the group, having finished their laundry, prepared to leave.
Suddenly, someone pointed into the distance and shouted, "Look, what’s that over there?"
"It seems to be a small raft," the woman beside her said.
"And there’s a person lying on top of it.
Our Luohe Village is hidden within the gaps of the jungle; it’s been a long time since we’ve seen any strangers," she added.
As the women chatted curiously, the raft slowly drifted closer.
The small raft reached the shore and was pulled in by a few women.
They called out to the youth lying on the raft several times, but there was no response.
"Could this person already be dead?" one woman guessed.
The girl named Muyu placed her hand under the young man’s nose, tried it, and shook her head saying,
"He’s not dead, his breathing is pretty normal."
"Then why isn’t he waking up?" the woman shook her head and said, "Just let him drift away.
Don’t bother with it, lest we get involved in something."
"But downstream of this river, there are often wild animals.
Every once in a while, there are traces of Monster Beasts," Gu Muyu replied with some reluctance.
"If he doesn’t wake up, he’ll probably get eaten by wild animals."
"What does that have to do with us? We didn’t cause it," the woman replied nonchalantly.
"Let’s go, just in case he’s trouble."
Without further discussion, the women began to pull Gu Muyu, intending to leave.
As she watched the raft slowly drift away, Gu Muyu fell silent for a moment.
Then she forcefully shook off the women’s hands and ran straight to the raft.
She grabbed the raft at the shore, turned her head to the others, and said,
"Whatever the case, it’s a life. Since we’ve encountered him, we can’t just leave him to die."
"If you want to save him, do it yourself, but don’t say I didn’t warn you," the woman beside her said.
"If this man turns out to be a bad person, it could be a huge mistake."
"I’ll take that risk," Gu Muyu fell silent for a moment, and finally pulled the young man out of the raft.
She half-dragged, half-carried him toward the village.
The women behind wanted to help but hesitated and ultimately decided to give up.
...
Luohe Village, being an ordinary human village,
was not wealthy.
And Gu Muyu’s family seemed even poorer.
Her home was on the edge of the village.
It was just two old and simple thatched huts which leaked in several places when it rained.
Beyond the two huts was a yard, neither too big nor too small.
The yard was paved with red bricks, and beside it was a white and yellow ewe.
Only she and her mother, who was fifty and blind, lived in the house.
Ever since she was born, she had never seen her father.
At this moment, she brought Xu Zimei into the house with great effort and laid him on her own bed, sweating profusely.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead.
She took a careful look at the young man before her.
At first glance, he was not very handsome, but he had the kind of appearance that grows on you.
"Yu, are you back?" From the other small thatched hut, a woman using a cane walked out, touching the wall and called out loudly.
"Mother," Gu Muyu quickly came back to her senses and stepped out of the room to say,
"You haven’t eaten yet, right? I’ll go cook now."
