Kankan's Decision

Gaga felt very uncomfortable.

It's not pain, but a general feeling of 'uncomfort' throughout the body.

Difficulty breathing, muscles not responding to commands, blurred senses, unclear hearing, and inability to open the eyes.

When foul air enters the body, it corrodes the five internal organs, causes five types of fatigue and seven types of injury, dissipates the spirit, and numbs the body.

So he couldn't even feel the pain because his body was numb and he didn't feel the injury.

This actually helped him hold on, preventing him from unconsciously tensing his muscles due to the intense pain of his injury, which would have increased the bleeding.

If the wound is too painful, it is more likely to bleed heavily. Relaxing will help the injury heal.

But...

Gaga's injuries are unlikely to heal completely.

Bad air not only numbs the body, but also damages the body and causes wounds to fester.

Although he didn't feel pain, and the wound was cleaned, which allowed him to get through the night, he would still die if the wound continued to worsen.

There's nothing we can do about it.

He desperately needs external support.

Fortunately, the two people who stayed behind carefully fed him some soup.

With some easily digestible energy and some water replenished, he finally felt a little better.

He unconsciously chewed something, then lay dazed and confused on the car, unable to react.

It wasn't until the midday sun was so intense it gave him a headache that the numbness throughout his body finally subsided somewhat.

The sun is the place where Yang Energy gathers, and sunlight is pure, intense yang energy. Although it crosses the universe and is weakened by the world's own Gale Layer, only a very weak part remains.

But no matter how faint, the intense Yang Energy began to dispel the foul and dark aura on his body.

One of the nemesis of evil energy is Yang Energy.

Having finally regained a little strength, Gaga, though still unconscious, subconsciously began to breathe.

The breathing techniques of Daoism are the foundation of cultivation, aiming to reach a point where one can accomplish them instinctively without needing to think.

Coincidentally, he had reached this level of skill, and could instinctively breathe in and out Yang Energy.

Just right, just right, just right again.

Gaga always seems to have something 'just right' about her.

Breathe in and out, inhaling yang energy into the abdomen.

Her body was bathed in sunlight, and her face had the luster of jade.

The essence and vital energy circulate, and Yang uses its form.

The Yang Energy surged into the body, and although the evil energy was deeply rooted and difficult to dispel with such a simple thing, it was partially suppressed.

With this suppression, the original numbness disappeared.

The numbness was gone, and a sudden, intense pain struck! It caused the drowsy Ga Ga to let out a cry of pain and be forced to open his eyes.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he sat up abruptly, panting heavily.

"My benefactor, you're awake?" A voice sounded beside him, its tone filled with joy.

However... they were still speaking the language of the immortals, which is the elegant language of the world.

There's nothing we can do.

A hundred years have passed since the immortals descended, and for most of the newly born Sacred Flame Tribe, this is their 'mother tongue'.

Even Gaga herself can't speak the traditional Sacred Flame Tribe language, let alone anyone else.

However, Gaga noticed that this voice... was exceptionally clear and articulate.

Gaga herself speaks with a slight accent, which is unavoidable.

But the voice didn't have any accent at all; it sounded like someone who had passed a certification exam—very standard.

Gaga immediately realized that this meant the other person was not a local.

He immediately turned his head to look where the sound came from, only to see a woman.

She wasn't ugly, but she deliberately put a lot of stuff on her face, hunched over, and walked with a stoop, making it impossible to tell her gender at first glance. You had to look closely to find out her gender.

Clearly, those thieves lacked the patience for careful observation.

"You are...? Before, Ga, that... cough cough, one of the people in the car team?" Ga Ga endured the pain, barely managed to get up, sat in the car, looked at the two people beside him, and tried to speak.

But his voice was extremely hoarse and intermittent, to the point that even he could hardly understand it.

Because half of the Sacred Flame Tribe's vocal organ, the base of their wings, was removed.

This is a very serious injury. For the Sacred Flame Tribe, it is equivalent to losing the ability to speak and make facial expressions at the same time.

Their emotions and language are generated by the vibration of their wing roots.

With one wing gone, Ga Ga can still manage to make some hoarse, indistinct sounds, but speaking will become extremely difficult for her in the future. It will hurt when she speaks, and others will have a hard time understanding her.

He had to stop talking and instead observe the two people next to him.

There was a man and a woman; the woman was the one who had just called her.

The other man, after waking up, hurriedly went to the earthenware pot and brought back a bowl of soup.

The woman seemed to understand Gaga's words and said to him, "Yes, my brother and I were kidnapped by the Xijiang bandits. My benefactor, please don't speak yet. Your injuries are too severe, so please rest."

The man quickly brought soup to Gaga and fed it to him.

Gaga tried to move, but his body was in so much pain that he could barely move. Knowing his condition, he had no choice but to lie down.

However, after lying down, he still struggled to flap his wings, trying his best to make a hoarse sound, "You... aren't... cough, locals?"

This sentence was understood by the two of them.

The brother of the pair replied, "Our benefactor is right. We were captured by the Xijiang bandits from Golden Spirit Temple."

Gaga paused for a moment when she heard the place name.

Golden Spirit Temple?

This place name sounds like... a place where immortals still reside?

As mentioned before, two-thirds of the Sacred Flame Realm is still the territory of the Immortal Sect, with only one-third remaining in a chaotic zone of mutual warfare.

However, Gaga was unaware of this, as his sources of information were too limited.

This was the first time he had ever heard of a place called the Immortal Sect, and the first time he had ever met people from the Immortal Sect place.

This raised some questions in Gaga's mind, which she wanted to answer.

However, those things should happen after we leave this place; we are still not out of danger at this moment.

Gaga lay on the stroller and began to Hand Seals.

Now that he's awake, expelling the evil spirits won't be difficult. He has Daoist Sorcery and can use Yang Energy to nourish his body.

Upon seeing this, Shen Shuibi broadened her field of vision and scanned her surroundings.

Few people came; the so-called bandits of Xijiang were still busy enjoying themselves and didn't care at all that a small squad hadn't returned.

I really can't be bothered to care. Given the discipline of the Xijiang bandits, it's perfectly normal for them to take a couple more days off if they run into some trouble.

Hmm... In that case, there's no need to watch anything else.

The rabbit lost interest in what was to come, stopped watching these trivial matters, and began to busy itself with its own affairs.

Let's talk about it when Gaga's life is in danger.

However, at this moment, Gaga calmly began to think.

He met... commoners from the Immortal Sect.

He never had a good impression of the world ruled by immortals, which is why he pinned his hopes on the Sacred King and wanted to restore tradition.

But now, after he was injured, he discovered that the people from the Immortal Sect spoke clearly and logically, and even the common people were grateful and polite.

Moreover, the fact that they could still push the carts shows that they were in good physical condition. Judging from their appearance, they were able to afford food at least before they were abducted.

Only when you can afford to eat can you understand honor and shame, etiquette, and gratitude.

However, being able to afford food... in this chaotic world, has become a luxury.

So, after the local prisoners encountered the incident, they looted the food and ran away, leaving only the two people from the Immortal Sect behind to rescue Gaga.

What does this tell us?

This means that even commoners can have enough to eat in the territory of the Immortal Sect.

Is the Immortal Sect... the right one? In any case, at least they have enough to eat.

A sense of doubt crept into Gaga's mind.

Is it really right to support tradition?

The laws of the immortals were overthrown, but this world became the territory of people like the Xijiang bandits...

Are the immortals the ones who are right?

Moreover, was there something I misunderstood about the Way of the Guardians before?

The Daoist Sorcery he found was extremely powerful and versatile.

However, when faced with a life-or-death crisis before, he ultimately chose to fight for his life using the path of the guardian.

It was almost an instinctive choice; I didn't think about it much.

It's like instinct, and...

Just like his choice, he could have investigated and left immediately, then gone to report to Ge Gu.

He doesn't need to risk his life at all.

But after seeing what those people had gone through, he still stepped forward, even at such a heavy price.

Is this the meaning of the Guardian's Way?

He always felt that the path of a guardian was the one he should choose.

Although the Daoist sect is powerful, it's... not that welcoming?

While thinking about these things, he didn't stop, but silently circulated his Cultivation Method, gathered the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and began to heal his injuries.

Daoist Sorcery come in handy in situations like this.

While breathing exercises to heal their bodies and rest, the two prisoners also rested; their injuries were not minor either, but they could still move.

I stayed in the same place for another day.

It was evening by then.

Ga Ga opened her eyes.

"Drop the car... cough cough cough, ga!" Ga ga tried to speak, but was still stuck by his broken vocal organs.

He was surprised to find that his speech now seemed to have an uncontrollable creaking sound.

Just like... his name.

Is it a coincidence?

Gaga hates the word "coincidence," but it seems there's no way to avoid it.

"My benefactor, you're awake? Can you walk without the car?" The two siblings quickly got up from the ground, and the older brother immediately asked.

Because Gaga doesn't look like she can walk, she'll probably still have to push the stroller.

They didn't leave during the day because Gaga and the others needed to rest, and it would be easier to be seen from a distance if they left during the day.

When it's still, it might be overlooked, but when it moves, it's easily seen.

So they planned to travel by cart at night.

"Yes... yes, come with me, I have a home..." Gaga said with difficulty, then got down.

After a day of rest and recuperation, he was able to move again.

The two siblings exchanged a glance, then abandoned the car, picked up the remaining mycelium and food, and followed Gaga to the 'home' he had mentioned.

My benefactor must have a camp, right?

The three set off.

They quickly returned to camp.

Ge Gu was surprised, but immediately arranged for a doctor to treat them.

After the treatment, the two prisoners were also interrogated, with Gaga listening in.

Only then did the brother and sister begin to reveal their origins.

They did indeed come from a place ruled by immortals, from Golden Spirit Temple, a temple that enshrines a 'Golden God', but all that is known is that it is a Golden God, and no one knows which 'immortal' it is.

The two siblings now speak of that Golden God with great reverence, constantly referring to him as "my god," showing immense respect.

Especially the younger sister, who said to Ge Gu in an extremely humble tone, "It is the Golden God who gave us food and taught us virtues, and it is precisely because of this that the place we live in is so different from this place."

Gaga sat beside her and watched.

He saw Ge Gu's sneer, clearly Ge Gu was unmoved by this rhetoric and even wanted to laugh.

But Gaga didn't find it funny.

He wanted to see if the Immortal Sect's territory was just as chaotic and terrifying. Was it any better than the current chaos?

After listening to this, Ge Gu shook his head, stopping them from continuing, "Alright, there's no use saying anything now. You can't go back to Golden Spirit Temple anyway. Do you want to stay in our camp, or go back on your own?"

This question stumped the two siblings.

To be honest, they wanted to go back, but the road was too dangerous.

However, at that moment, Gaga suddenly spoke.

"Let them, on their own, cultivate this land here."

"Wait, after the harvest, take some as food, and then... I'll send it to them," Ga Ga said with difficulty.

Ge Gu flapped its wings and made a questioning sound.

Gaga's meaning was simple: let them farm here, and after the harvest, leave some of the produce here and take the rest with them as food. Then Gaga would escort them away from here.

"Are you very free?" Ge Gu didn't seem very happy with the suggestion.

"I want to go and see," Ga Ga said stiffly.

He speaks almost without intonation now, which to the Sacred Flame Tribe means he has no expression, so it sounds completely devoid of emotion.

However, despite the absence of emotion, Ge Gu seemed to hear a certain longing.

He looked Gaga up and down.

This young man... he could have run away on his own, but he risked his life to save everyone else, ending up like this...

"Alright, whatever you want, but you can't take the food that's already in the camp. You have to keep track of what you eat now and pay it back later." Ge Gu shook his head and stopped worrying about it.

However, this is the decision for now.

The two siblings had no food and no way to leave, so they stayed in the camp for the time being.

This place doesn't support idlers; everyone has to work, so it's not considered harsh treatment.

On the other side, Li Qi had already taken a seat of honor at the Liu family's residence, which meant he was a welcome guest.

Liu Shenzhi's father, Liu Junyi's maternal uncle, sat at the head of the table, cupped his hands in greeting to Li Qi, and said:

"My son is honored to have made your acquaintance with me, sir. I am very fortunate."

It's the last day, brothers, please vote with your free monthly tickets!