"Where exactly are we?" Zhang Lian asked, her voice soft but tense.
The cat floated beside her, its small tail flicking nervously. "Host, we're in a village quite far from the city. The villagers found you unconscious and brought you here. They mentioned that they're planning to go back to the city tomorrow to see what happened.
Zhang Lian's heart tightened at the mention of the city. The thought of her parents possibly being in danger made her emotional. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "I see," she murmured. "Then we should go with them.", after all the jade serpent sect might have already sended people, if something like this happened.
She quickly moved her legs off the bed, standing up. She smoothed her dress with quick, practiced movements, adjusting it until it fell perfectly into place. Her fingers ran through her hair, making it look less Messier.
Zhang Lian took a deep breath, her hand resting on the door handle for a moment before she slowly pushed it open. The door made a creaking sound as it opened the sound alerting someone outside.
Stepping through the doorway, Zhang Lian found herself in a small, cozy room.
The scent of fresh vegetables filled the air, and her eyes were drawn to a woman kneeling by a basket, separating vegetables to cook.
It was Li Hua, Guo Liang's wife. She was busy with her tasks, her long black hair tied back and a few loose strands framing her face. Her hands moved with ease as she worked, her focus entirely on the vegetables in front of her.
The sound of the door caught her attention, and she looked up, her eyes widening slightly as she saw Zhang Lian standing there. She quickly set the basket aside and stood up, whipping her hand on her own clothes.
"Oh, you're awake," Li Hua exclaimed, her voice filled with relief and surprise. she asked, her tone hurried yet gentle, as she made her way towards the door.
Without waiting for a reply, Li Hua slipped on her worn-out slippers, the sound of her footsteps leaving the small room came out, as she hurried outside to alert the village chief and her husband.
While Leaving Zhnag Lian confused….
-_-
The village itself was simple, The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth. Simple wooden houses lined the dirt paths, and villagers were going about their daily routines and a few children ran by, laughing and playing.
Li Hua's slippers kicked the dust as she moved swiftly towards the end of the village.
There, her husband, along with a group of other men, were deep in conversation with the village chief. They were discussing the city, planning to send a group to investigate when Li Hua approached them, slightly out of breath.
"My husband, that girl you brought back—she's awake!" Li Hua announced, her voice cutting through their conversation.
The people turned to her in surprise, the chief's eyebrows raising slightly. Their discussion was stopped as they heard about this.
"Let's go see if she knows something," the village chief said, stroking his beard.
The group quickly made their way back to Li Hua's home, their expressions of curiosity and concern.
---
As they approached the house, the door was opened and The room was small but neat, with simple wooden furniture and a mat on the floor.
Zhang Lian sat upright on the mat, her posture was elegant and beautiful. Her white hair falling over her shoulders, and her beautifully blue eyes, which were wide filled with confusion and wariness.
She was in her yesterday's robe.
Zhnag Lian was thinking about where Li hua might have gone, probably to call some people right? she asked the cat.
"Cat said, probably while flying."
---
The village chief was the first to speak, his voice carrying the authority of his position. "Young lady, are you a cultivator? Do you know what happened to the Longshao city? We were just preparing to go investigate."
As he asked his questions, the others in the room watched her closely. The chief's eyes were sharp. Behind him, the other men, including Li Hua's husband, exchanged glances, clearly curious about this mysterious girl.
Zhang Lian took a deep breath before replying, her voice steady despite the. "I don't know much myself," she began, carefully choosing her words. "I am from the Zhang family of the capital city of Longshao Kingdom."
Each city is surrounded by numerous villages like this one, and was directly under the sect's control. Each city had a mortal king appointed by the sect, and the villages around it provided support and resources.
Zhang Lian continued, her gaze distant as if she were recalling a painful memory. "I was eating with my family, when we heard a guard telling us — demon cultivators had attacked. We tried to flee, but they caught up with us. They used some kind of powder that made us fall asleep. The next thing I remember is waking up here, in this room." *(she is acting here, as she can't tell them about cat or system)*
As she spoke, Zhang Lian's hands tightened slightly around the edges of her robe, the silky fabric wrinkling under her grip.
She glanced at the chief, noticing the shift in his expression as he absorbed her story.
Cat was looking at her and said, well you are a good actor, but Zhnag Lian ignored him and continued acting.
The village chief nodded, his expression softening as he looked at her. "It's a tragic thing for someone so young to go through such a young age," he said, his voice filled with sympathy. "Gou Liang found you in the forest, far from the city. You can ask him for more details."
At this, the others turned to look at Gou Liang, who stepped forward hesitantly.
He was a young man, his clothes plain and worn from travel. He scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat embarrassed by the attention.
"I was heading away from the city with a group of others who were going to get their spiritual roots tested, but returned because the city seems to be under attack," he explained. "My brother found you lying in the middle of the forest. We thought it best to bring you along—there are lots of wild animal's roaming around, and it wasn't safe to leave you there."
Zhang Lian nodded slowly, processing this information and looked at the cat for putting her in the middle of the forest while she was defenseless. The cat ignored her, looking in other directions and as it didn't want to meet her eye's.
Then, the village chief spoke, his face was filled with deep concern. His eyes, usually calm, now held a hint of distress. He leaned slightly forward,
"These demonic cultivators," the village chief began, his voice grave, "have been attacking several nearby villages, leaving destruction and no one alive.
Entire villages have been wiped out. We've sent letters to the officials, but it seems they have been ignored. These Demonic cultivators have grown bolder, even attacking the city, which is under the Jade Serpent Sect's rule."
His tone was filled with frustration and helplessness. The chief's gaze was momentarily distant, as if he were mentally reliving the horrors described.
He continued, trying to offer hope. "We were preparing to send a team to investigate the situation. If you wish, you could accompany them. There's a chance that your parents might still be safe."
Despite his comforting words to Zhang Lian that her parents might be alive, he was thinking completely differently inside his mind. Internally, he feared the worst—that the city might be in ruins
His mind is thinking about the potential benefits for his village. If the city was indeed in such a situation, the chaos might lead to opportunities.
Perhaps his village could gain resources or even establish a new settlement if the city fell under new governance.
Zhang Lian listened carefully, didn't believe the chief comforting words, but in her heart she wanted her parents to be alive, after all they were really good to her and what would she do without them, as she is a mortal woman, at least for now.
"Yes, I would like to go with them," she said, her voice steady but soft. She looked at the village chief with innocent eyes, her face a mask of sincere concern for her parents' safety.
The chief nodded, his expression softening at her resolve. "Very well," he said, trying to reassure her. "I will make arrangements for you to join the team. They will leave as soon as possible."
As Zhang Lian thanked the village chief, her stomach gave a loud, rumbling sound. The sound echoed in the quiet room, and her cheeks flushed a deep red, with embarrassment and hunger on her face. She placed a hand over her stomach.
The village chief's gaze softened, and a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth. He gave a nod of understanding. "It seems you might be hungry," he said kindly. "Li Hua, could you please prepare something for our guest?"
Li Hua, who had been standing quietly by the side, immediately responded with a warm smile. "Of course," she said, with a warm smile.