Li Nianlong smiled faintly, "It's a small matter, not worth mentioning."
Anu giggled, "Yes! Big Brother already has a wife. If another girl wants to repay him, he might not be able to handle it!"
Li Nianlong glared at her, "Don't talk nonsense."
"Hehe." Anu stuck out her tongue, then turned to Song Hewen, teasingly saying, "There's someone right there who can't forget their savior."
Atou blushed upon seeing Song Hewen, "Song... Song Gongzi..."
"Atou..." Song Hewen gazed at Atou, his eyes full of affection.
Seeing the two of them exchanging affectionate glances, the village chief sighed, "Young man, come here."
"Yes..." Song Hewen didn't dare to delay and immediately stepped forward.
Atou thought the village chief was going to punish him and hurriedly said, "Father, this whole matter was caused by me. Please don't blame Song Gongzi, punish me instead!"
Seeing his daughter so protective of Song Hewen, the village chief shook his head with a wry smile, "Why are you so anxious? I didn't say I was going to do anything to him."
Song Hewen quickly said, "Miss Atou, you don't have to plead for me. It only makes me feel more guilty."
"No... if not for me..."
Seeing the two of them arguing over who to blame, the village chief chuckled, "What are you two arguing about? I didn't say I was going to blame anyone!"
Seeing them both look at him in surprise, the village chief sighed, "It's my fault for not noticing my daughter had fallen in love with an outsider, causing all this trouble."
Atou blushed deeply, "Father..."
The village chief shook his head, looking at Song Hewen, "Young man, do you really like Atou?"
Song Hewen said earnestly, "Yes, please grant us your blessing."
The village chief stared into his eyes, "Since you know who we are, do you understand the price you'll have to pay to live with us?"
Song Hewen didn't flinch as he met the village chief's gaze, "I understand."
Seeing Song Hewen's determined expression, the village chief felt comforted, "No regrets?"
Song Hewen said, "My heart is set, I will not regret it."
The village chief nodded appreciatively, then produced a peach from somewhere, "Alright, eat this peach."
Without hesitation, Song Hewen ate the peach.
The village chief smiled and nodded, "From now on, you are a member of Peach Blossom Village."
Li Nianlong knew that eating the peach would turn Song Hewen into a peach tree spirit and couldn't help but admire the power of love. He said, "Congratulations to all three of you. Now that everything is settled, it's time for us to take our leave."
The village chief quickly said, "Heroes, please wait. I have something to give you."
Upon hearing this, Li Nianlong broke into a cold sweat, laughing awkwardly, "No need. We do good deeds without seeking rewards. Farewell."
He grabbed Anu and started running.
"Hey! Big Brother, why are you pulling me? Don't run so fast!"
Nonsense, if we don't run now, we'll end up being thieves who stole the longevity gourd.
As the two ran off into the distance, the village chief sighed, "Truly righteous people."
Shortly after, an angry roar echoed through Peach Blossom Village.
"Where's the longevity gourd? Who the hell stole the longevity gourd!? Damn you!"
...
After leaving Peach Blossom Forest, Anu said, "Big Brother, since we couldn't find the Water Spirit Pearl, let's go to the Fire Qilin Cave first!"
"Okay." Li Nianlong nodded, "Anu, thank you for your help."
Anu giggled, "No need to thank me. You've helped me a lot too! Let's go!"
Following the storyline from the game, Anu tricked the guards and led Li Nianlong into the Fire Qilin Cave. The temperature inside the cave was extremely high, enough to kill an ordinary person, but Li Nianlong and Anu were not ordinary. They could withstand the heat.
They fought their way through monsters and finally reached the Fire Qilin. Contrary to being a vicious monster, the Fire Qilin was quite good-natured. It spat out the Fire Spirit Pearl, relieved its throat, and gave its horn to Li Nianlong. However, the Fire Qilin advised him to visit the Nuwa Temple before leaving.
Li Nianlong thought: Am I finally going to meet Ling'er's mother?
With Anu's guidance, Li Nianlong arrived at the Nuwa Temple, a sacred and solemn palace with a lifelike statue of Nuwa, resembling Zhao Ling'er's original form.
Anu knelt before the statue, praying devoutly, "Lady Nuwa, please bless my tribe and relieve us from suffering."
After her prayer, Anu said to Li Nianlong, "Brother Liu, you should also pay your respects to Lady Nuwa!"
"Alright..." Li Nianlong thought: Kneeling to my mother-in-law isn't a big deal. He knelt and said respectfully, "Junior Li Nianlong, following the instructions of Elder Qilin, has come to pay respects. I am inept and have caused my wife and unborn child to suffer. Please bless them with safety and longevity."
After his prayer, Li Nianlong stood up, only to see the statue faintly glow. He was then absorbed into the statue, and the spirit of Qing'er, the Queen of the Witches, appeared before him.
Qing'er looked identical to Zhao Ling'er, only more mature, a woman in her twenties.
"You must be... my mother-in-law?"
"..."
Li Nianlong's words left Qing'er speechless, "How did you know?"
"Because you look exactly like Ling'er, only more mature." Li Nianlong smiled, then his expression changed, "If you are inside the statue, does that mean you have..."
Qing'er said softly, "Yes, I have already passed away. My soul transformed into this statue to continue protecting my people."
Li Nianlong was deeply moved, "Mother-in-law, you are truly great. I admire you."
Qing'er didn't respond to his praise, instead asking, "Li Nianlong, do you truly love Ling'er?"
Li Nianlong said, "Ling'er is already my wife. We vowed to be together in life and death. Even when heaven and earth end, our love will remain."
To modern ears, such words might sound overly dramatic, but in this world, with limited exposure to romance novels, Qing'er, an unfortunate woman, found comfort in his words. "Even though Ling'er is not human?"
"Ling'er is a descendant of the Nuwa clan. It's an honor for a mere mortal to marry into the divine clan." Li Nianlong proudly said, "Marrying Ling'er is my fortune."
Hearing this, Qing'er nodded, though her eyes turned sad, "If only he thought the same way."
"He?" Li Nianlong was about to inquire further, but Qing'er waved her hand, "Go now, return to ten years ago and do what you must."
The scene shifted, and Li Nianlong found himself in Nanzhao, ten years in the past, just as Jiang Shi was fleeing with Zhao Ling'er, pursued by Miao soldiers.
Seeing his wife in danger, Li Nianlong was enraged. With his Meteor Chasing Moon Bow, he shot down the soldiers, each arrow hitting its mark.
"Are you alright?" Li Nianlong approached Jiang Shi and Zhao Ling'er, his gaze tender.
Jiang Shi, feeling his inexplicable concern, said, "Thank you for saving us, but there are many soldiers. You should leave quickly."
A large bird appeared, carrying Jiang Shi and Zhao Ling'er away. Zhao Ling'er glanced back at Li Nianlong, seemingly wanting to remember him.
Li Nianlong met her gaze, his eyes full of tenderness: Ling'er, don't worry. I'll protect your mother.
The constant flow of Miao soldiers was tiring. Eventually, Li Nianlong donned a Miao soldier's uniform, blending in and making his way to the Nanzhao Palace. He saw the villainous Bai Yue stirring up the followers, filling Li Nianlong with rage, but it wasn't the right time to kill him. Using his stealth skills, he headed to the dungeon.
In the dungeon, he found Qing'er. After a conversation, he went to find Elder Shi and obtained Qing'er's Heavenly Snake Staff. Returning, he handed the staff to Qing'er, saying, "Lady, this is all a plot by Bai Yue. The Miao King, easily swayed by Bai Yue's words, imprisoned his wife and hunted his daughter. Such a man doesn't deserve to be called a man!"
Qing'er's face showed pain, "Enough, let's leave quickly!"
It was clear that women of this era remained loyal to their husbands, even after being wronged.
"Where are you going!" The Miao King and Bai Yue arrived with soldiers.
Bai Yue sneered, "The witch is trying to escape. This time we caught her red-handed."
"Enough!" Qing'er was furious, but Li Nianlong coldly said, "Bai Yue, I know the floods in Miaojiang were caused by your water monsters. You are the real villain!"
"What!?" The Miao King, Qing'er, and the soldiers were shocked.
Bai Yue, panicked and enraged, shouted, "Lies! They are trying to blame us. Don't believe him. Watch
as I reveal the witch's true form!"
Bai Yue used his power to transform Qing'er back into her original form. Seeing her snake body, the Miao King and soldiers were horrified and believed Bai Yue's words.
Li Nianlong, holding his golden sword, was about to kill Bai Yue when Qing'er stopped him, "You can't defeat them. Let's go!"
Li Nianlong was frustrated: Who said I can't defeat them? I could kill them all with one swing of my sword.