That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

Actually, this suggestion was the safest course of action at the moment, but he subconsciously didn't want to put Aqing in danger alone.

Especially under the current circumstances, Jiang Jingming was even less willing to split up with A Qing.

He once said he would protect her, which meant he would make sure she was always by his side.

Although it seems that Ah Qing is protecting him more often than not.

"Let's not worry about anything else, let's just go together!"

Xie Yunqi stood on the edge of the cliff, leaning out over the edge without a care in the world, looking like a little bird about to flap its wings and learn to fly.

A mountain stream can be vaguely seen below the cliff, flowing from the mountainside all the way down to the bottom of the mountain, and then into Xinghua Village, nourishing the field ridges.

From Xie Yunqi's perspective, the mountain spring, bathed in the slanting rays of the setting sun, resembled the winding veins on a butterfly's wings—a truly beautiful sight.

"Be careful."

Jiang Jingming stepped forward, drew his sword from its sheath, and hooked it around her belt.

Once this young lady gets into a playful mood, she can't stop and doesn't care about her safety.

"I also think it's better to act together."

Fang Zhiyi lowered her head slightly, looking in the direction of Xinghua Village, her eyes filled with falling petals:

"Even if we are all captured together, it is better than being captured separately and held hostage."

That's true.

Lu Zhao nodded, took off the official robe tied around his waist, and casually threw it down the cliff.

The official uniforms of the Divine Capital Guard were pure black, with silver cloud patterns embroidered on the edges. As the mountain wind blew down from the cliff, they slowly descended, like a roc gliding with the wind.

Lu Zhao stood still, watching quietly.

This was once an outfit he desperately wanted to wear, but now it seems nothing special, nothing remarkable.

It's just an old shackle.

Lu Zhao took a deep breath, feeling an overwhelming surge of emotion for the first time in his life.

……

As you descend the mountain road, you see crisscrossing paths outside the village, and many villagers with their trousers rolled up are bending over and planting rice seedlings in the paddy fields.

Green shoots dot the fields, creating a vibrant scene, while the breeze carries the sweet fragrance of apricot blossoms.

Jiang Jingming and his group passed by without attracting much attention. Most people just glanced up and then focused on their farm work.

Fengling City is a scenic spot with beautiful mountains, rivers, flowers, and birds. Now is the season when apricot blossoms are in full bloom, and it is normal for tourists to come and go.

In their spare time from farming, villagers would also clear out empty rooms and rent them out to tourists to earn some extra money.

Xie Yunqi, a girl who grew up in the capital, found it very strange to see people planting rice seedlings, and she kept looking around as she walked.

"It looks peaceful! There are no signs of disturbance from the Divine Capital Guards yet."

That's how the young lady commented.

Jiang Jingming followed behind her, and was also affected by the leisurely and pleasant atmosphere, his steps becoming lighter.

If the people of Fengling City had always lived this way, it would be hard not to call it a picturesque city.

Having been confined in a cage for so long, returning to nature is nothing more than this.

As the sun gradually set behind the mountains, the farmers in the fields packed up their gear and walked home in pairs.

An elderly woman brought a large pot of herbal tea and waited early at the village entrance. She held the tea in a large, rough porcelain bowl and offered it to everyone she met, without charging them for the tea.

Upon seeing Jiang Jingming and his group, the old lady greeted them with a smile:

"Are you all from the city? You must have traveled all day, have some tea!"

"Yes."

Jiang Jingming nodded, took the teacup she offered, and bowed his head to thank her.

"Oh my goodness! Look at these three girls, they're so pretty!"

The old woman's eyes lit up. She wiped her hands on her clothes several times before going to get them teacups.

Thank you so much!

Xie Yunqi held the bowl with both hands and sipped the water slowly.

Fang Zhiyi leaned lazily against the apricot tree, a few apricot blossoms falling into the teacup in her hand.

Aqing silently sipped her tea, her gaze sweeping indifferently over the crowd returning home.

Lu Zhao had been somewhat silent since he came down the mountain. Now, after accepting the tea, he simply cupped his hands in thanks.

"what happened?"

Jiang Jingming nudged his shoulder.

"nothing."

Lu Zhao snapped out of his daze and forced a smile:

"I was just thinking about my parents. In the past, at this time of year, they would work for other people from morning till night, and when they got home they were so tired that they could fall asleep standing up. Even so, all year round, they couldn't even buy a piece of land of their own."

Jiang Jingming listened to him speak, then quietly lowered his head and drank his tea.

He also thought of his "family".

After retiring, the followers of the Moon Crossing Sect made a living by herding livestock, living a similarly poor and arduous life, working from sunrise to sunset.

Sometimes, when there was a heavy snowstorm, a few frightened cattle and sheep would run away, and a group of believers would search everywhere for them. When they returned, they would all be covered in dust and mud.

No matter how high one's skill level was in the past, in such a situation, one could only end up in a sorry state.

At first, Jiang Jingming didn't understand them.

How come those once-powerful and ruthless figures in the martial arts world are content to live such a life?

But then I suddenly understood.

Many people wander their whole lives just to find such a place to call home.

There's no need to worry about where to go tomorrow, whether you'll get a good night's sleep tonight, or fear of some enemy barging in with murderous intent.

This peace of mind is my hometown.

Chapter Eighty-Six: The Dirty Thing

The old lady brought us homemade barley tea, which was refreshing and bitter, perfect for a bowl of after a long day of hard work when you're all sweaty and pale.

"Thank you so much, Jingming, for thinking so much about me. I almost neglected my family because of a moment of anger."

Lu Zhao scratched his head, somewhat wistfully:

"Jingming, you think of everything so thoroughly, sometimes I really don't know who's older, you or me!"

"Hmph, being old doesn't mean you're knowledgeable!"

Xie Yunqi had been eavesdropping for a while, and now he stood with his hands on his hips, looking quite smug.

The young lady believed that she had taken the lead over Lu Zhao in the matter of defection, which was one of the pieces of evidence that she was more insightful.

The old woman left the last bowl of tea, closed the tea bucket, and glanced at the end of the field ridge where she had been standing.

"Guests, have you found your lodgings for tonight?"

"Not yet. Do you have a good place to go?"

Jiang Jingming answered without hesitation.

The old woman chuckled and shook her head:

"Our little village doesn't have any great places to go. Tourists who come to admire the flowers usually just find a place in the village to spend the night. If you don't mind, why don't you come to my house?"

The old lady wasn't entirely just kind-hearted.

She observed that these young men and women were all outstanding in appearance and well-mannered, clearly from wealthy and noble families.

If we take good care of them, we will certainly receive a reward.

"In that case, I'll take my leave of you."

Jiang Jingming thought for a moment, then clasped his hands in thanks.

"Great!"

Xie Yunqi finished his tea and happily stacked his teacup on the highest point.

She was actually very tired today, but her indomitable spirit kept her going; otherwise, she would have already refused to leave, acting spoiled and spoiled.

Fortunately, she no longer had to travel and flee at night, and now she could finally get a good night's sleep.

The old woman placed the teacup into the wooden bucket and looked into the distance.

"Please wait with me a little longer. My husband hasn't come back yet, even after sunset. I wonder if he's gone off to watch Old Zhang fish again!"

Old Zhang was the best fisherman in the village, and whenever the men in the village had free time, the first thing they would do was go to him to watch their skills.

But logically speaking, that shouldn't be the case. It's already this late; even Old Zhang should be home cooking by now.

"My child's mother!"

Just then, a weak shout suddenly came from afar.

"oops!"

The old woman was startled and dropped the tea bucket, running towards the direction of the sound.

Jiang Jingming and Lu Zhao exchanged a glance and followed.

A burly man, dressed as a farmer, was lying half-reclined on the ground, his fingers painfully and helplessly digging into the yellow soil. He had probably crawled back like this the whole way.

At this moment, his entire face was bluish, he was breathing heavily, and his expression was extremely painful.

"My goodness! What's going on?"

The old woman's knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground, wailing in pain.

"IDK."

The man was trembling, and white foam kept seeping from his mouth as he spoke.

Jiang Jingming stepped across the ridge, knelt down beside him, and pried open his eyelids to look at his pupils, which were already somewhat dilated.

This is not a good sign.

How do you feel now?

Jiang Jingming frowned.

"I feel cold all over, and this area hurts like it's on a hot coal fire."

He struggled to raise his finger and pointed to his chest, then his whole body began to convulse unconsciously.

"Don't scare me, sir! sir!"

The old woman was so frightened by the sight that she grabbed Jiang Jingming's clothes and tried to kowtow to him.

The village doctor is unreliable, only working sporadically and not even good at treating minor illnesses, so he's even less dependable now.

Jiang Jingming raised his hand to stop her from kneeling, then turned to look at Fang Zhiyi.

She stood to the side, her expression somewhat enigmatic, as if she were lost in thought.

Jiang Jingming suddenly had a bad feeling.

The last time Fang Zhiyi showed this expression was when she encountered the man-eating ghost.

Could it be a rare and difficult disease that even she couldn't handle?

In just a short while, the man could no longer speak, only uttering some brief, indistinct syllables.

Lu Zhao took a step back, unable to bear watching any longer.

When he was a child, his father contracted a fever due to a severe drought, and his whole family collapsed as if the sky had fallen.

The old woman knelt weakly on the man's body, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I told you not to go to Cuiwei Mountain! You've been corrupted by evil spirits! If you go, how am I supposed to live?"