Southern Wilderness Language

<>

Chapter 28: Southern Wilderness Language

The best way to become fluent in a language was to use it often in conversation.

So Chen Beiwu did not use his divine sense. Instead, he spoke in the Southern Wilderness Language. "Are you all right?"

Mo Li stood rooted to the spot, still unable to process what had happened.

Could that female cultivator have held something back? Was the Southern Wilderness Language in the jade slip wrong? Chen Beiwu frowned slightly.

Only then did Mo Li come to her senses.

She stepped back twice, glanced at the Five-Scarlet Snake that had died on the ground without her noticing, and bowed respectfully to Chen Beiwu. "My lord, were you the one who saved me just now?"

"Yes." Chen Beiwu nodded and continued testing his Southern Wilderness Language.

His gaze fell on the Stone-in-the-Grass. "Where do you hail from, and what place is this?"

Mo Li blinked her dark eyes and shifted her feet, stepping in front of the Stone-in-the-Grass with a bewildered expression. "My lord, what are you saying?"

Chen Beiwu phrased his questions more simply. "What's your name, and where is this?"

"My name is Mo Li. The villagers call this place Desolate Mountain," she answered honestly.

"You were willing to throw your life away for this herb. It seems you recognize it?" Chen Beiwu asked bluntly.

A shy blush rose on Mo Li's dusky cheeks. "I think this is a Blue-Crystal Exotic Herb. It can fetch quite a bit of silver at an apothecary."

Chen Beiwu was a little surprised.

It was perfectly normal for an herb to have several names, since different places called it different things.

But the Stone-in-the-Grass was a Second-Tier Spirit Medicine, after all. How could mere silver buy such a treasure?

"This herb and I are bound by fate, but you did discover it first," Chen Beiwu said thoughtfully.

At his words, Mo Li immediately clenched her fists in anxiety.

Although she had never visited a town and knew little of the world, she understood one thing.

The village chief was an important figure throughout the surrounding villages. He had a wife and thirteen concubines to wait on him, and he could eat meat at every meal. Yet even his finest clothes were not as handsome as those worn by the noble young man before her.

Clearly, this was someone even the village chief could not afford to offend-a noble who could decide whether she lived or died with a single word.

Whatever he decided, even if he wanted to take the Blue-Crystal Exotic Herb, she could only accept it meekly. Otherwise, she would end up just like that Five-Scarlet Snake.

But if that happened, her father would...

At that thought, Mo Li mustered her courage and looked straight at Chen Beiwu. "My lord, you saved me. I'll become your servant to repay you, but I found this herb. Could you please leave it to me?"

Then she closed her eyes and said timidly, "If that really won't do, I can give you back my life, too. I'll just need a few more days before I return it."

He had saved her life. By rights, she should not have quibbled over a single spirit herb.

But Mo Li had no choice. Her family truly had no money. If she could not scrape together the treatment fee, her father would have little chance of pulling through.

Rather than stand by and watch her father die, she would sooner repay a life with a life and settle her debt to him.

Hearing this, Chen Beiwu could not help chuckling. "Why would I want your life for no reason? Forget about repaying me. Without you here, I wouldn't have discovered this spirit herb either."

Seeing how gently Chen Beiwu treated her, Mo Li's eyes widened. "Then you mean...?"

"Hold out your hand."

As soon as Chen Beiwu spoke, Mo Li obediently held out her dark, rough palm.

"Is this silver enough?" Chen Beiwu placed an ingot weighing roughly fifty taels in her hand.

"Yes, more than enough." Mo Li nodded repeatedly.

That much silver was enough not just to buy the Blue-Crystal Exotic Herb, but to buy five of her.

At her reaction, Chen Beiwu smiled without a trace of contempt.

Mortals cherished gold and silver, while cultivators sought spirit stones. The former pursued splendor and wealth; the latter pursued strength and longevity. There was no fundamental difference between them. Both were chasing the desires in their hearts.

He crouched down, carefully dug out the Stone-in-the-Grass, and put it away. Then Chen Beiwu looked at Mo Li. "Where is your village? Take me there."

"My lord, please follow me." Mo Li hurried forward to lead the way, without the slightest hesitation.

As Chen Beiwu walked, he searched their surroundings with his divine sense and conversed with Mo Li, treating it as practice in the Southern Wilderness Language while also learning about this world.

Mo Li's village was called Twin Rivers Village because it stood near two rivers. It had over a hundred households. Whenever the villagers needed supplies, they organized a group to travel to the nearest town, Waterside Mountain Town, to trade.

As for anything beyond Waterside Mountain Town, Mo Li could answer none of his questions. She only knew that Waterside Mountain Town belonged to the Marshland Kingdom, and that the kingdom had immortal masters who could fly on swords.

Young at heart, Mo Li grew bolder when she saw how friendly Chen Beiwu was. "My lord, are you a martial artist, or one of those legendary immortal masters?"

"That isn't important," Chen Beiwu replied calmly.

Mo Li lowered her head, her voice becoming subdued. "All right."

After crossing another hill,

and following a rugged path, two clear little rivers gradually came into Chen Beiwu's view.

About a third of a mile from the rivers, over a hundred homes stood scattered across the land, cooking smoke rising from every roof.

"My lord, that's my home over there. Would you like to come in and sit for a while?" Mo Li ventured to invite him.

"Certainly." Chen Beiwu nodded.

Under the curious gazes of the nearby villagers, Mo Li led him to a crude wooden house.

Before entering, Chen Beiwu had already "seen" through his divine sense a gaunt man lying on a bed of dry grass, looking barely alive.

"Father, I'm back."

After calling out, Mo Li bent at the waist and bowed to Chen Beiwu. "My lord, I'd like to buy some medicine. Could you help me?"

She understood the principle of a fox borrowing a tiger's might.

Without this lord accompanying her, she would never dare take fifty taels of silver to buy medicine. That could easily end in disaster.

"It's only a chill. I can cure it." Chen Beiwu pushed open the wooden door.

"Li, who is this?"

At the sight of Chen Beiwu, a trace of fear appeared on the gaunt man's face.

"Father, this lord is a very good man. He saved me in the mountains," Mo Li explained.

Hearing the first part, the gaunt man hastily forced a stiff smile.

A good man?

You foolish girl, where would you find a good man in a world like this!

Still, this man wore exceptional clothes and had fair, delicate skin. One glance was enough to tell that he was a wealthy young master from elsewhere, someone mountain villagers like them could never afford to offend.

But when he heard the rest of his daughter's words, the gaunt man's expression changed at once, worry filling his eyes. "What? You went to Desolate Mountain again!"

"No, I was only gathering firewood at the foot of the mountain." After telling that lie, Mo Li turned to Chen Beiwu. "My lord, you said you could cure Father's illness. Is that true?"

"Of course," Chen Beiwu said. "I never lie."

His only flaw was his kind heart. He could not bear to see suffering in the world.

That was why he willingly offered to treat Mo Li's father. It had absolutely nothing to do with the Stone-in-the-Grass being worth six hundred spirit stones.

"My lord, please save Father. I'll do anything." Mo Li took out the silver with both hands and moved to kneel and beg.

(End of chapter)