Chapter 129: Up the Mountain!

  Ji Liu Feng couldn't help but glance at Ji Xiang Yue, "Now that both countries have come to propose marriage at the same time, Father Emperor needs to consider the feelings of both nations, and it's not easy to make a decision for the time being. I have an idea that can kill two birds with one stone, solve Father Emperor's dilemma, and also not let you marry so miserably!"

  "What method? Tell me quickly!" Ji Xiangyue grabbed Ji Liufeng's arm, looking unusually excited.

  "Looking for a wife!" Ji Liu Feng slowly spat out two words.

  "Proposing marriage?" Xī Yín Yuè was taken aback.

  The princess nodded, "Both the Yan and Zhou nations are powerful, marrying you to either one would cause the other nation to lose face. Now Father is definitely in a difficult position. Why not issue an imperial edict, announcing to the world that the Princess of Xia is seeking a husband? Definitely many young and talented men will come swarming in. What's more, those princes from Yan and Zhou, if they really want to marry you, must also come personally to compete. Whether they are good or bad, everyone will be judged on their skills, whoever wins will become the son-in-law of Xia, regardless of which nation's prince they are. If they're not skilled enough, they can only get out of our sight!"

  Xiang Yue heard this and suddenly felt a surge of joy, her face lighting up with a hint of happiness. However, she immediately followed up with a concerned tone, "But what if the winner is someone I don't like? What should I do then?"

  Xiang Liu Feng smiled, "When the time comes, it's up to us to set the questions, and who wins or loses is still up to us to decide. If you take a liking to that person, we'll let him get first place."

  "What if I don't think any of them are worthy?" asked Xiāo Yuèyuè.

  "That's even simpler, you can't even look at one of them, let's first eliminate those princes who are not worth provoking, and then casually choose a provocative winner, when the time comes to regret the marriage, isn't it easy to find an excuse?" Ji Liu Feng said with a smile.

  "Isn't this a bit off?" Ji Xiangyue expressed some concern.

  "Then I've got nothing to say. I've already helped you come up with a plan, if you really don't want to get married, then hurry and go beg Father Emperor before he makes a decision!"

  Ji Xiangyue paused for a moment, then slapped the table and stood up, "I'll go ask Father Emperor right now!"

  As she spoke, Xiāo Yuè Méi stood up and was about to leave the pavilion, but after taking a few steps, she turned back and pulled Xiāo Liú Fēng up.

  "What's wrong?" Ji Liu Feng was puzzled.

  "Come with me!" Xiāo Yuèyuè didn't give him a choice, directly pulling Xiāo Liǔfēng away.

  ——

  Tongtian Village

  "Little Tiger, is your body feeling better?"

  After several days of recuperation, Little Tiger's weak body gradually recovered a bit. On a clear morning with misty rain outside, Little Tiger followed Ye Lan to deliver breakfast to Xiao Yun. Seeing Little Tiger's pale face and non-stop cold sweat, Xiao Yun asked with concern.

  Xiao Hu shook his head, "Xiao Gege, thank you. I heard from Alang and the others that if it weren't for you this time, I'm afraid I would have already died."

  Xiao Yun smiled and ate the meal brought by Ye Lan, while looking up at Xiao Hu, "You little guy's luck isn't bad, huh? You've run into a magic bug that only appears once every few hundred years."

  Xiao Hu scratched his head, smiled awkwardly, and looked a bit embarrassed.

  Xiao Yun put down his chopsticks and asked curiously, "How did you find the Magic Bug?"

  Xiao Hu thought for a moment and said, "I don't remember very clearly either. I only remember that night I entered the old ghost forest, released the North Dipper insect, waited for a long time without seeing any life insects come out, until it was almost dawn, when one life insect flew out. At that time, I didn't think much and directly went to catch it. The insect was very fierce and bit people. It took me a lot of effort to catch it. After returning, I asked Master Changqing to help me open my eyes, and after that, I don't have any impression."

  "You have no idea, you were so scared at that time, and we were all frightened to death. Fortunately, we met Xiao Da Ge, or else your life would be over." Ye Lan said.

  Xiao Hu smiled wryly, although he couldn't remember what had happened before, but after listening to the villagers' accounts in the village, he was still terrified. The demonic insect, for him, was something that existed only in legends, and he never thought that one day he would encounter it himself.

  Ye Lan turned her face towards Xiao Yun and said, "Xiao big brother, my father asked me to ask you, when do you plan on going to the Old Ghost Forest?"

  "Huh?"

  Xiao Yun was taken aback for a moment, before he had indeed mentioned this matter to Ye Changqing and others. He had always wanted to go to the Tongtian Village's inheritance site to take a look, to see if he could also find some Ningshi worms to study carefully. However, in the past two days, Ye Changqing and others did not actively seek him out to discuss this matter, so he didn't dare to bring it up either.

  "Of course I can anytime!" Xiao Yun replied immediately, he thought Ye Changqing had already forgotten about this matter.

  Yelan looked out the door and said, "This weather is no good for finding North Dipper insects. Let's wait until the sky clears up, then we can catch some more North Dipper insects before going."

  Xiao Yun nodded, he could wait for a few more days.

  "When the time comes, I and Zhu will also go with you." Ye Lan said.

  "Huh?"

  Xiao Yun was taken aback, Ye Lan bringing himself along was one thing, but why did he also bring Zhuo Zhu together?

  Xiao Yun suddenly turned around and came back, it seems that Ye Changqing and the others still don't trust themselves too much, but he didn't mind too much either, if it were him, he would also leave a hand.

  "I want to go too!" Little Tiger said weakly.

  "What? That demon bug hasn't scared you yet?" Xiao Yun heard and couldn't help but laugh.

  The little tiger's face flashed a hint of fear, but he immediately steadied his expression and said, "It was because of that demon bug that I not only failed to complete my awakening, but also nearly lost my life. I have to find another fate bug again. I don't believe it, such a disastrous thing will happen to me again."

  "It's hard to say, your body hasn't recovered yet, let's talk about it after you've fully recovered!" Ye Lan said.

  Xiao Hu listened and didn't make another sound, although it was indeed very tempting to follow, but his body had been severely damaged by the magic insects, and he had just come out of the village, not knowing how many times he had stopped to rest.

  ——

  "Do not stay in the old devil forest for a long time, so as not to affect the survival of the fate insect. Moreover, only one fate insect is needed, and catching more will be useless. In recent years, for some reason, the fate insects in the old devil forest have become increasingly scarce, do not catch too many!"

  Three days later, Xiao Yun caught hundreds of Beidou insects and prepared to follow Ye Lan to the forbidden area of Tongtian Village's Old Ghost Forest. Before leaving, Ye Changqing instructed Ye Lan and Zhuo Zhu.

  Ye Lan and Zhuo Zhu nodded in agreement, but Xiao Yun standing aside could tell that Ye Changqing's words were actually meant for him.

  Xiao Yun didn't say a word and stood by the side, waiting for Ye Changqing to finish speaking before bidding farewell and leaving the camp with Ye Lan.

  Watching the three people's distant backs, Ye Changqing let out a long sigh. He didn't know whether it was right or wrong to let Xiao Yun, an outsider, enter the inheritance grounds of Tongtian Village, but since he had already promised Xiao Yun, he couldn't go back on his word.

  ——

  After trekking through the mountains for a whole morning, the rugged mountain road was difficult to navigate, and the caterpillars in the forest made Xiao Yun's body itch all over. At noon, on a huge rock protruding from the cliff, the three of them temporarily stopped to rest.

  Xiao Yun took out a water bottle and gulped down a few mouthfuls of cool water, then looked up at the rolling green mountains. "Zhuang Zhu brothers, how much farther is that place?"

  It's been a whole morning, although the three of them didn't walk fast, but this road was far beyond Xiao Yun's expectation. In his opinion, that old ghost Lin should be the place where Tongtian Village is located, and it shouldn't be too far from Tongtian Village.

  The big guy sat lazily on the stone, holding a roasted flatbread in his hand and taking big bites, saying with his unclear voice, "It's not that far, we're not in a hurry, let's take it slow, we'll definitely arrive before evening."

  "Late afternoon?"

  Xiao Yun wiped the sweat, it's just noon now, and there's still a long way to go until dusk. This mountain road has already made him suffer enough this morning.

  Ye Lan smiled and said, "Xiao Da Ge, don't listen to Zhuo Zhu's nonsense. Up ahead is Eagle Gorge. Once we cross Eagle Gorge, it won't be far before we reach Lao Gui Forest. However, the Destiny Insects usually only come out at night. If we go now, we'll just end up waiting outside. Why not take this opportunity to appreciate the scenery along the way?"

  Following the direction of Yelan's pointing, not far ahead, there was a prominent valley, with what seemed to be flowing water in it, and one could hear the faint sound of running water coming from it. It must have been the Eagle Gorge that Yelan had mentioned.

  ——

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