118 Puppet Jade
The group led by Cong Xia rushed out of the city, finally stopping to catch their breath.
“Put me down,” whispered Zhuang Yao.
Deng Xiao placed him on the ground. Zhuang Yao adjusted his clothes, his small face pale but showing no extra emotions. “Let’s wait for them here. Those people are no match for them.”
Cong Xia noticed that Zhuang Yao was only wearing a thin undershirt, and his outer clothing was nowhere to be found. His nose was bright red from the cold. Cong Xia took off his own coat and draped it over Zhuang Yao, then zipped it up for him. He whispered, “Are you okay these past two days?”
Zhuang Yao looked uneasy and turned his head away. “What could possibly happen? I already told you not to come and save me. There’s no need. They were going to take me back to Beijing anyway, and we could have met there.”
Cong Xia sighed. “If you really thought we shouldn’t have come to save you, then you wouldn’t have calculated that we would arrive tonight and set the house on fire to send us a signal. You knew we would definitely come.”
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Hbwydt Zys zlv swv y psqv “bxrb” yde vwadle yoyu. “Ekvbswv xl, usw twup oswzed’v lhld cl yczl vs vbkdj. R jdlo usw oswze es psxlvbkdt rskdvzlpp zkjl vbkp. Gnvwyzzu, kv oswze cl clvvla kq vblu xkpvssj xl qsa usw yde vssj xl cynj vs Jlkfkdt. R nyd blzr ekhlav y zyatl rsavksd sq vblka yvvldvksd, xyjkdt kv lypkla qsa usw twup vs ldvla vbl nkvu. El nyd xyjl tsse wpl sq vbkp pkvwyvksd…”
Pldt Dkys lmnzykxle, “Tso nyd usw vbkdj zkjl vbyv? El oswze dlhla zlyhl usw clbkde. Ebyv kq vblu qswde swv usw’al dsv Usdt Ql yde bwav usw?”
Hbwydt Zys pbawttle, “R byhl y rzyd.”
Usdt Dky pbssj bkp blye. “Hbwydt Zys, plvvkdt ypkel svbla xsvkhlp yde rwarsplp, ol yal fwpv osaakle ycswv usw. Rq ydu xlxcla sq vbl vlyx oyp nyrvwale, ol oswze dlhla pkv kezu cu. Ohld kq usw esd’v nsdpkela wp, byhl usw vbswtbv ycswv bso ydmkswp Gcw xwpv cl? Tl ayd eyu yde dktbv, olyakdt bkp ryop swv, fwpv vs nyvnb wr vs usw.”
Hbwydt Zys zsolale bkp lulzkep, bkp lulp pzktbvzu aleeldkdt, yde bkp zkrp valxczkdt pzktbvzu. Tl xwaxwale, “Zsw pyke kv clqsal, ol yal dsv nsxrydksdp, fwpv wpkdt lynb svbla. R eked’v lmrlnv usw vs akpj yduvbkdt qsa xl. Rv’p dsv dlnlppyau.”
Usdt Dky tldvzu awqqzle bkp byka yde obkprlale, “Sltyaezlpp sq obyv ol yal vs lynb svbla, ol osd’v zlyhl usw yzsdl. Jlpkelp, ol’hl pbyale ps xydu plnalvp okvb lynb svbla. Rq ol’al dsv nsxrydksdp, vbld ol csvb pwqqla zspplp. Rpd’v vbyv aktbv? Zsw esd’v byhl vs jllr ralvldekdt vs cl yd yewzv. Zsw olald’v sdl vs cltkd okvb. El esd’v dlle vs cypl lhlauvbkdt sd plzq-kdvlalpv. Mbl xspv kxrsavydv vbkdt kp vbyv ol csvb pvyu pyql. Ohlauvbkdt lzpl kp plnsdeyau.”
Hbwydt Zys pvwccsadzu zlv swv y psqv pdsav. “R esd’v oydv vs ralvlde vs cl yd ‘kddsnldv’ yewzv zkjl usw.”
Nkw Wldtuw rkdnble Hbwydt Zys’p nbllj, “Zsw zkvvzl aypnyz, usw olal nzlyazu zssjkdt qsaoyae vs wp nsxkdt vs pyhl usw, yde usw nssrlayvle ps olzz. G pkxrzl ‘vbydj usw’ nswze nbsjl usw? Ebu yal usw ps ekqqknwzv yv pwnb y uswdt ytl?”
Zhuang Yao pushed his hand away and muttered, “I want to find Abu.”
“You’ll see Abu very soon.”
In no time, Tang Yanqiu flew over with Cheng Tianbi. Both of them looked exhausted and out of breath.
Cong Xia asked with concern, “Were those people tough to deal with? Are you injured?”
“No, it’s not that,” Tang Yanqiu took out the puppets’ jade from his pocket, “It’s just too uncomfortable. These two jades kept calling out to each other, and the pulling force became stronger and stronger. I felt like my consciousness was about to be split into two.”
Cheng Tianbi also looked pale, saying, “Give me the ancient jade.”
Cong Xia quickly handed the ancient jade to him, and Cheng Tianbi wound the two puppet jades back around it, shielding their mutual connection. He looked a bit relieved after doing so.
Deng Xiao said, “Let’s go back quickly. Abu must be worried sick.”
The six of them hurried back to where Abu was waiting for them.
Not far ahead, a white figure could be vaguely seen in the dark depths of the forest, rushing toward them at high speed.
“Abu!” Zhuang Yao shouted.
Abu’s sobbing cry echoed from afar. It ran faster and faster, like a white lightning.
Zhuang Yao also ran towards it, and Abu leaped into the air. It seemed like it was about to collide with Zhuang Yao.
Tang Yanqiu was alarmed and quickly pulled Zhuang Yao away. If he were hit by Abu’s nearly six-ton weight, his internal organs could be displaced.
Abu pounced in front of Zhuang Yao, meowing.
Zhuang Yao hugged its nose, choked with emotion, “Abu, Abu.”
Abu pushed its nose into Zhuang Yao’s embrace, extending its claws to gently stroke his back, its huge purple eyes glistening with tears.
atOptions = { ‘key’ : ‘a2c08536ac5f3373f407464a13564065’, ‘format’ : ‘iframe’, ‘height’ : 50, ‘width’ : 320, ‘params’ : {} }; document.write(”);Liu Fengyu said, “You see, you were gone for just one day, and Abu was this anxious. How could it follow us to Beijing?”
Zhuang Yao gently touched Abu, and said, “Abu, I’m fine. You can feel it, I’m fine.”
Abu retracted its two front paws and embraced Zhuang Yao like holding a toy, rubbing against him affectionately, its eyes filled with pure dependence and reluctance.
Deng Xiao sniffed, saying, “I really want to have a dog. It’s all because my mom didn’t agree back then.”
Zhuang Yao coaxed Abu for a while until its emotions stabilized. They all sat on Abu, and Zhuang Yao rested his head on its head, whispering softly to it.
Abu slowly headed north.
On the way, Cong Xia told Zhuang Yao about everything that happened to them in the past two days. After finishing, he asked Zhuang Yao, “Now tell us about your experience these two days.”
Zhuang Yao said, “After they captured me that day, I managed to get some information from them. They didn’t follow us with a premeditated plan. The pigeon mutant is their communication soldier, specializing in intelligence work. She came back from a mission in the south, and she was very familiar with the content of the bounty. She recognized us at a glance, and since we were separated at that time, she took me away. After capturing me, they had an argument about whether to have the headquarters’ people from Beijing come to get me or if they should personally send me back to Beijing. It involved the issue of credit distribution. I instigated a few words, and they were delayed for a day because of this argument. Otherwise, I should have been on my way to Beijing by now.”
“Did they not ask you to demonstrate your healing ability?”
“I told them I had no energy left at that moment and needed two days to recover.”
“Did they believe you?”
“They were half-convinced and half-doubting. In any case, no one was willing to cut themselves and try it out.”
“Did you start the fire?”
“Yeah, just some little tricks.”
“Did you find out anything else?”
“They mentioned something about the headquarters. According to the information you obtained, their leader is the Water Elemental Evolutionist, the one who got injured at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. His injuries haven’t healed yet, so Jiujiang County urgently needs us. The reason they hesitated on how to send me to Beijing is because it involves a significant contribution, and they fear that others might snatch the credit. From their words, it seems that the Sijiangmen is not doing well among the other factions, or they wouldn’t have been assigned to stations in other cities.”
Cong Xia said, “Then the headquarters must have a lot of experts gathered there. Beijing is truly a place full of hidden talents.”
Zhuang Yao said, “Compared to Jiujiang County, I’m also interested in the other major powers. As of now, there are already six natural elemental evolutionists, and their evolutionary directions are different. Only the Water Elemental Evolutionist and the Ice Elemental Evolutionist belong to the water energy, while the other four energies have only one evolutionist or mutant each.”
Cong Xia said, “Perhaps each evolutionary direction can only have one, otherwise there would be too many natural elemental evolutionists, which would be terrifying.”
Deng Xiao said excitedly, “When we get to Beijing, should we also establish a large faction? Then I’ll have many followers too, hahaha.”
Zhuang Yao gave him a look, saying, “Feeding so many people, do you think it’s easy? Having too many people is a burden, fewer but excellent is the best.”
Cong Xia agreed, “I agree.”
“Is that Dragonblood Clan the organization the foreigner we encountered last time belongs to?” Tang Yanqiu asked.
Cheng Tianbi nodded. “As far as I know, there are already more than forty Dragonblood individuals in Beijing since last year, and there might be even more. They used to be the most powerful biological weapons, and now they might have evolved to different degrees. Their individual strength must be formidable.”
Cong Xia said with concern, “Dragonblood individuals, along with the Fire Elemental Evolutionist (mutant), I wonder how powerful their leader is.”
Cheng Tianbi said, “Dragonblood individuals are under government control, without exception, all of them are military personnel. As long as we don’t stand against the government, we should have no conflicts with them.”
Zhuang Yao shook his head. “As long as we have the puppet jades and Cong Xia, we will have two points of conflict with any major power, unless our puppet jades and Cong Xia are both protected by the government.”
Cong Xia sighed. “Once we enter Beijing, let’s hurry to find my second uncle; otherwise, we’ll have no other way.”
Zhuang Yao snorted, “Entering Beijing will be the biggest challenge we’ll face. The people who issued the bounty, will they let us enter the city? Once we enter the city, any normal person could figure out that we would seek protection from the government, regardless of whether we have Professor Cong’s relationship or not. Once we establish contact with the government, they won’t have anything to do with us. That’s why they won’t let us enter the city safely. The reason I told you not to rescue me is that I and the Jiujian County can help you divert firepower and avoid the main attacks, so that you can enter the city quickly to seek assistance. If Beijing is so easy to enter, the people from the Sijiangmen would have taken me back themselves to claim credit. But do they dare? They would probably be wiped out halfway, which is why they were debating whether to return to the headquarters to find someone to help. You guys…”
Liu Fengyu patted his head. “You rascal, we are prepared for any attack, but if they find out that you are a fake, there will be constant danger. Aren’t you afraid at all?”
Zhuang Yao pursed his lips, touching his head. “Profit and risk are proportional, and it’s worth taking a gamble.”
Cong Xia said solemnly, “We absolutely do not agree with this viewpoint. Ensuring the safety of everyone is our first principle, Zhuang Yao, you must remember, it’s everyone, including yourself.”
Zhuang Yao smirked. “Being stuck with you bunch of naive ‘grown-ups’ is truly unfortunate.” Despite his words, he held Abu’s neck even tighter.
Cong Xia smiled faintly. “It’s all fate. Now that we are together, you need to abide by the rules, protect yourself, and not put yourself in danger to gain benefits for the team. No one will agree to that. We need to move forward together and retreat together.”
Zhuang Yao didn’t reply but buried his face in Abu’s fur.
After walking for fifty or sixty kilometers, it was already past four in the morning, the time when people were most tired and hungry. They decided to rest for a while.
After making a fire, they roasted the frozen and hard dry rations they carried with them and washed it down with water.
Deng Xiao sighed, “Too bad I lost that big wild boar I hunted. The boar’s skin is thick, and it tastes especially delicious when stewed.”
Cong Xia teased, “You only think about eating.”
Deng Xiao shook the dry bread in his hand. “Eating this stuff, don’t you want meat?”
“Just hold on a few more days. When the snow melts, the animals will come out, and hunting will be easier.”
“Yeah, then we can roast a whole lamb.” Deng Xiao couldn’t help but daydream about all the good life in Beijing, his eyes shining brightly.
Listening to Deng Xiao’s imagination about life in Beijing, the others couldn’t help but smile. Among this team, there were only two kids, and ironically, it was Zhuang Yao who never acted like one. On the contrary, it was Deng Xiao who exuded the youthful energy of a teenager, optimistic, cheerful, and carefree. Since Deng Xiao appeared, the atmosphere within the team became less oppressive and more lively.
As they chatted and finished their meal, they curled up in Abu’s embrace for a nap.
The sun hadn’t been up for long when they woke up and resumed their journey.
With Beijing approaching, everyone’s heart was filled with anxiety. They had put in countless efforts and sweat to come this far, but about the road ahead, each one of them felt somewhat lost.
Is Beijing the end point? Probably not. At least, for now, it seemed that the challenges they would face upon reaching there would be even greater. Constantly fighting day in and day out, no one knew when it would end, and no one knew where humanity was headed.
After a long period of silence, Liu Fengyu resisted the urge and asked, “How far is it from Beijing?”
“A little over a hundred kilometers. If Abu runs fast, we should get there today,” Zhuang Yao sighed lightly, “But now that we’re here, I’m not in a hurry. I’m worried there might be traps. Going too fast might cause us to overlook them.”
No one objected. If they were going to encounter an ambush, it would likely happen in the remaining journey.
Liu Fengyu whispered, “I wonder about my parents…” He clenched his teeth, and the fear and anticipation mixed into a tangle, leaving him feeling restless and uneasy.
Cong Xia comforted him. “Once I meet my uncle, I’ll ask for his help immediately. You must believe that your parents are still alive.”
Tears welled up in Liu Fengyu’s eyes, saying, “Even if they are alive, they must have suffered a lot. If only I was with them at that time.”
“Liu-ge, don’t blame yourself for this. The world has changed in ways no one could have predicted.”
Liu Fengyu nodded, praying for the safety of his parents.
Zhuang Yao said, “If your parents are still alive, they are most likely under someone’s control now.”
Liu Fengyu widened his eyes, immediately understanding what Zhuang Yao meant.
“Right now, your identity is the only one that’s completely certain. You’re a well-known celebrity, and finding your parents wouldn’t be difficult for those who want to. Actually, you don’t need to worry too much. If someone has really found your parents, they should be living well now, at least not struggling with food and clothing.”
“But what if those people use my parents to threaten us…”
Zhuang Yao shrugged. “We already have enough troubles on our plate. Let’s handle things one by one.”
Liu Fengyu slumped his shoulders, hope and worry filling his mind as they drew closer to Beijing, intensifying his fears.
Cong Xia patted his shoulder, “Liu-ge, no matter what happens, we’re here for you.”
Tang Yanqiu whispered, “Your parents, I’ll take responsibility for them too.”
Liu Fengyu looked at him in surprise.
Tang Yanqiu explained solemnly, “I promised my sister. Anyway, I’ve made a commitment to you and your parents, and I’ll protect you all.”
Liu Fengyu managed a faint smile. “Then, thank you in advance, hero Tang.”
**************
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