Vol2 – Chapter 26 – Dialect of the village
Vol2 – Chapter 26 – Dialect of the village
In the following days, Meng Qingzhou spent his time either watering flowers and walking the dog, or teaching Dongfang Liuli how to cultivate.
Her progress was astonishingly fast, even Meng Qingzhou, who had the System, was left speechless.
"Wife, you really are a prodigy," Meng Qingzhou marveled.
In just three or four days, Dongfang Liuli had broken through the Ninth Rank Realm, then rapidly advanced through the Eighth, Seventh, Sixth... all the way to the First Rank Grandmaster!
She even reached the early stage of the Cloud Ascension Realm!!
"Hmph," Dongfang Liuli lifted her chin proudly, looking for praise and a pat on the head.
"Compared to a certain Space-Time Sword Saint, whose talent is higher when they first started cultivating?"
Meng Qingzhou rubbed his chin and said, "Hmm, about the same."
Dongfang Liuli's delicate eyebrows twitched uncontrollably, and she said with a twitch in her eye, "Really?"
"What, you think only you can have extraordinary talent and can't stand others being good?" Meng Qingzhou mercilessly poured cold water on her.
Dongfang Liuli was shocked and was about to speak when she suddenly felt a strong sense of foreboding. In the depths of her crimson eyes, a faint True Phoenix mark appeared. She turned her head to look in a certain direction, her gaze piercing through the void, seeing two unfamiliar auras infiltrating the palace and heading towards Present Village.
"Someone has infiltrated the palace, and their target is Present Village!?"
Dongfang Liuli's pretty face changed dramatically.
If it weren't for the Emperor Grade aptitude Meng Qingzhou had given her, along with the True Phoenix inheritance that allowed her to reach the Heaven Supporting Realm, she might not have even noticed these two people.
"Morning Glow Realm late stage!"
"Fortunately, the True Phoenix inheritance includes a method to cultivate Divine Sense, allowing me to stay vigilant at all times. If there's an invasion, I can sense it immediately."
Dongfang Liuli felt a sense of relief and couldn't help but glance at Meng Qingzhou.
Her lucky husband was truly her star of fortune.
"Qingzhou, I just remembered I have some matters to attend to. Wait for me at home," Dongfang Liuli hurriedly said, preparing to leave.
"Wait..."
Meng Qingzhou hugged Dongfang Liuli and patted her back, saying, "Come back soon."
Dongfang Liuli paused, then smiled slightly and said, "Okay."
...
...
On the streets of Present Village.
Meng Qingzhou activated a Celestial Grade concealment technique and quietly followed behind Dongfang Liuli.
"We've already retired to the countryside, yet Liuli is still so busy every day. Could there be something else going on?" Meng Qingzhou had a bad feeling, a sense of crisis welling up inside him.
Although he didn't want to doubt Dongfang Liuli, his past life experiences with the scum of the internet and Dongfang Liuli's recent busy schedule made it hard not to be suspicious.
With this in mind.
He secretly smeared a colorless, odorless juice from a Celestial Grade spiritual herb on Dongfang Liuli's clothes before she left. This juice could only be detected with a special method.
Meng Qingzhou sniffed the air, following the unique scent to a wooden building, where he stopped.
"The home of Village Chief Jiang Dahai."
"Why does Liuli come here every day?"
Meng Qingzhou's eyebrows twitched wildly, unable to suppress his curiosity any longer. He leaped onto the roof and eavesdropped.
...
...
In a certain building in Present Village, which the Empress had designated as a temporary 'Minister's Office' for gathering officials.
At this moment, the villagers were gathered together.
Village Chief Jiang Dahai, who had just returned from the fields with a hoe, still had a towel around his neck for wiping sweat.
Blacksmith Qin Fenghuo, holding a hammer and exuding a scorching aura, was drenched in sweat and reeked of it.
Lin Lu, the smiling owner of the liquor store, who looked like a shrewd merchant, and others...
Including Meng Qingzhou's wife, the plainly dressed Madam Meng—Dongfang Liuli.
"Your Ma... uh, sister-in-law, why did you call us here?" Qin Fenghuo was not used to the term 'sister-in-law,' but due to the new rules of Present Village, he dared not disobey.
Dongfang Liuli's pretty face showed a hint of embarrassment as she said, "Someone from the neighboring village has infiltrated Present Village. I suspect they have ill intentions."
Village Chief Jiang Dahai frowned and said solemnly, "Is that true!? Our village has layers of security. It's impossible for ordinary people to sneak in silently unless they are very powerful... uh, I mean, unless they can plow five acres of land in a day."
"Plowing five acres, which village has such a strong person?" Lin Lu said gravely.
In fact, these were all 'code words' used in Present Village.
Present Village represented the Jin Dynasty, and the neighboring village represented the countries of the Wilderness.
Plowing fields equated to strength: one acre was Cloud Ascension, two acres was Mountain Moving, three acres was Sea Overturning, and so on...
Being able to plow five acres and evade the Great Jin Dynasty's detection meant at least a late stage Morning Glow Realm!
"I don't know. There are two infiltrators, and they don't seem like villagers from the neighboring village. They seem more like city people," Dongfang Liuli's eyes were sharp, her finger tapping the table lightly.
Present Village was her reverse scale, and now someone had dared to reach into it, making her both shocked and furious.
"City people..." Village Chief Jiang Dahai's expression darkened.
City people referred to 'Sky State cultivators,' while 'villages' referred to the countries of the Wilderness.
"Our village is very far from the city. How did they get here? Moreover, what is their purpose in infiltrating Present Village? Our village is far less prosperous than the city. What's worth their attention?" Qin Fenghuo pondered, feeling something was off.
Su Qingqiu stood aside, listening to these code words, and silently glanced at Wu Die standing on the other side. The two exchanged looks, both seeing the awkwardness in each other's eyes.
Their toes were practically digging into the soles of their shoes.
What kind of encrypted information was this? Even if it was code, it was too obscure! Who came up with this?
"That's what I want to find out, but no matter what, they dared to reach into Present Village, and they must be severely punished!" Dongfang Liuli's tone was cold and emotionless, very indifferent.
Jiang Dahai instinctively prepared to bow, but then remembered he was the village chief. He straightened his back and said calmly, "I have an ancestral map (Map of Mountains and Rivers) at home that can silently send them into Present Village (Eight Trigrams of Heaven and Earth, Shifting Positions), and then we can gather the villagers to wait for a chance. Once we find them, we'll capture them alive and interrogate them to see if they're from the neighboring village or some big shot from the city."
Dongfang Liuli pondered the true meaning behind Jiang Dahai's code words. Since it was her first time using code, she wasn't very skilled yet. After a while, she nodded and said, "Alright, let's do that!"
"But don't act rashly. The Empress' reign is a time of peace. Fighting and killing will get us arrested by the authorities. We common folk should seek harmony and prosperity. Let's first probe them quietly and observe whether they are good or evil."
Village Chief Jiang Dahai nodded slowly and said, "Agreed!"
This scene made Qin Fenghuo grit his teeth, secretly transmitting, "Old bastard, I want to switch roles with you. Why do you get to be the village chief and boss the Empress around, while I have to stay in the shop forging iron all day? We're equals, but the treatment is so different. It's not fair!"
Other villagers also looked at Jiang Dahai with envy, jealousy, and hatred.
"Heh, you think being the village chief is easy?" Jiang Dahai's eyes were mocking as he transmitted back, "Being the village chief means managing the village, mediating disputes among villagers. This requires sharp rhetoric skills. Do you have that?"
"Then, you need to understand the growth cycles of crops, methods to control locust plagues, and when autumn harvest comes, you have to help villagers calculate their yield. Can you do that?"
"Moreover, the Empress' Husband has already checked my Life Destiny. If we switch, won't it be obvious?"
Qin Fenghuo's eyes widened, and he finally sighed in defeat.
Motherfucker, this old bastard really got lucky.
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