frightfiction Chapter 573 Retracing the Path of the Past
Chapter 573 Retracing the Path of the Past
After the "Poetry Gathering of Two Countries" concluded on the evening of the third day, the newly made friends bid each other a reluctant farewell at the stone gate, promising to meet again in the future, which made the gathering truly complete.
Xu Ning returned to Qunyu Pavilion immediately after the poetry gathering ended.
With the year drawing to a close, Beidou stopped sailing and remained stationed in Liyue Harbor. Xu Ning's return was bound to bring another tender and romantic encounter.
Although Xu Ning had said that he would definitely give the two of them a proper status upon his return, the two women, as if by unspoken agreement, patiently waited for his reply since he hadn't brought it up himself.
“Ningguang, put aside your work for the next couple of days. Let’s go back to Xiachuan with Beidou and offer incense to the old village chief.”
Xu Ning's fingers slid across the beauty's back, causing Ningguang to let out a comfortable sigh.
"Listen to you."
Beidou, who was lying in Xu Ning's other arm, sat up. "I was thinking of telling you about this. I thought you had forgotten."
Xu Ning chuckled and pulled her head close, giving her a light kiss. "How could I forget? Also, when we go back this time, let's walk the road where we met again, and see where we... came from."
Ningguang and Beidou exchanged a glance. Both of them sensed Xu Ning's unusual emotions, but they both nodded obediently.
The next day, Ningguang handed some things over to Baiwen and then set off with Xu Ning and Beidou.
Instead of teleporting the two of them from the teleportation point, Xu Ning hired a carriage and slowly traveled back along the same route they had come from, just like when he first came to Liyue Harbor.
Xu Ning leaned against the spacious and soft carriage, holding Ningguang and Beidou in his arms with his left and right hands respectively.
"Actually, you wanted to do this when you came here last time, didn't you?"
Beidou squinted and yawned in Xu Ning's arms, asking indistinctly.
Ningguang went to bed early again last night, while they tossed and turned for half the night, and now they're finally feeling sleepy.
Upon hearing Beidou's question, Xu Ning recalled Qingyi's quirky comment, "a shameless wine seller yearning for women on both sides," and couldn't help but chuckle, though he didn't deny it.
The man in blue, who was driving the carriage from the front, couldn't help but snort when he heard Xu Ning's laughter. Surprisingly, he didn't open his mouth to mock Xu Ning. Instead, the closer they got to Xiachuan, the more silent he became.
"This is the northern exit of Liyue Harbor. When we came here, we encountered a group of Hilichurls attacking the defenses. Is that Fugui still on duty here?"
Xu Ning peeked outside and discovered that the Thousand Rock soldiers on duty seemed to have been replaced by new ones.
Ningguang smiled and said, "He was transferred to train new recruits a long time ago. Now he is stationed in Guili Plain and can basically stand on his own."
徐宁“啧”了一声，“把新兵给他带，我还真不放心，记得有次发现他偷奸耍滑，还在这里揍了他一顿……”
Ningguang chuckled and said, "Because his fortune teller said you could marry forty-eight wives?"
Xu Ning asked in surprise, "You knew that too?"
After the car had traveled a while longer, Ningguang suddenly pointed to a small hill and said, "That's where we met them. There are several large sunset fruit trees there, and the fruit they bear is big and sweet."
Xu Ning followed her slender, jade-like finger and seemed to see again the barefoot little girl carrying a basket almost as tall as herself, holding a large sunflower fruit, smiling and saying, "...Thanks to your arrival..."
Ningguang looked up at Xu Ning's profile and said, "I've always believed that meeting you here is the greatest luck of my life."
Xu Ning smiled, "Meeting you all is my greatest fortune."
With the help of the Qianyan Army and the newly established Guhua Group, Guiliyuan has developed rapidly. Merchants can be seen coming and going everywhere, and hardworking people are reclaiming and cultivating the land in the fields.
However, Xiachuan, which originally relied on fishing for a living, has become deserted.
Since the outbreak of the Sea Mountain Cloudfall, the fishing industry has suffered heavy losses, and the people of Xiachuan have all left to make a living elsewhere. Even Ah Zhong took his wife and children to settle in Liyue Harbor and has never returned to his hometown.
Only during the annual sacrificial ceremony can one see a few signs of human habitation.
Xu Ning led the three of them to pay their respects to the old village chief and also repaired the grave and the old house.
“Ningguang, let me take you to the riverbank. That’s where Xu Ning and I met. There was a dog that was about to bite him, but we ended up biting it.”
Beidou led Ningguang toward the beach, with Xu Ning and Qingyi following behind.
Seeing the solemn expression on Qingyi's face, Xu Ning couldn't help but tease her, "When you met Beidou, you were actually watching, weren't you?"
Qingyi looked at Xu Ning seriously for a moment, "Let's recall your meeting first, and we'll talk about ours last."
Xu Ning found these words strange, but upon hearing Beidou's exclamation from ahead, he didn't delve into it further and simply hurried forward a few steps.
“Xu Ning, you’ve come to see too. You were lying right here, right? I don’t remember there being such a large dragon head stone sculpture here, and I don’t think I’ve seen this teleportation anchor point before…”
Xu Ning walked over, his brows furrowing involuntarily.
What is described as a dragon head stone carving is more like a dragon turtle half-buried in the soil, carrying a teleportation anchor point.
And just as Beidou said, he couldn't see it at all.
Logically speaking, even if Beidou and I were both starving and dizzy, it's impossible for us to have absolutely no contact with something this big.
"This stone sculpture is almost as tall as three people. I woke up lying on the ground right here. You can imagine how blind I must be to not notice it... It must have been built recently, but judging from the dust on it, it must have been quite old. Only a master of the rock element like Ningguang could make it look this realistic, right?"
Xu Ning stepped forward and patted the enormous dragon head. "The teleportation anchor point is difficult to forge, after all, it's something left over from ancient times, I..."
Xu Ning was speaking when a familiar feeling suddenly welled up inside her.
It felt just like opening the memory sphere in front of the Emperor a few days ago; a scene I had never seen before suddenly appeared before my eyes.
I was still standing in the same spot, but I was nowhere to be seen.
A small figure in green robes, holding the Dust Concealment Gourd, stood in front of the dragon-shaped stone sculpture with a displeased expression, slapping the sand with one foot.
"So, you're planning to hide here in that turtle shell, playing dead and cowering like a coward? And what about me? You expect me to face all those mad dog-like demons outside?"
Xu Ning was wondering who Qingyi was talking to when he suddenly saw the dragon-shaped stone sculpture twist unnaturally, as if it was still not used to the tortoise shell it was carrying. Then, the tired voice he had heard in the memory sphere last time rang out again.
"The tortoise shells we found are a bit small, they can't fit both of us... You should find another hole to rest in. Besides, I've already given you the Dust Concealment Gourd, what more could you want? You have wine to drink, and so much space to decorate as you please..."
"Arrange what?!"
The woman in green angrily slammed the Dust Concealment Gourd to the ground. “If you can’t beat Morax, don’t be a coward! We’re not staying here anymore. We’re going to take over Buyer’s territory. Even if she brings Amon along, she’s no match for you. Leave that vase to me!”
The dragon-shaped stone sculpture chuckled, "Wow, I've noticed you're getting braver and braver. Can you even beat Hua'er? Forget it, I've already used up most of my power, even going so far as to carry a tortoise shell on my back. Morax certainly won't come looking for me to kill me. As for you, nobody cares about you anymore. Go wherever you want."
After saying that, the dragon-shaped stone sculpture tilted its head, "Oh, right, bring this with you beforehand, so you don't bother me again later. Ugh..."
The dragon-shaped stone sculpture opened its large mouth and spat out a huge lump resembling a human onto the beach.
"Ugh~~~ Why use vomiting?! Draw a summoning array! You're getting more and more disgusting."
With a look of disgust, Qingyi took two steps forward and used her foot to flip over the vomit on the ground.
Believe it or not, it really is a person!
It was someone I knew!
Xu Ning looked at his naked little body lying face up on the beach, fast asleep, and felt an overwhelming urge to express his greetings.
The mystery has been solved; I really was a pile of vomit!
"This was separated when I went out with that witch to broaden my horizons last time. I just brought it back to give to you to cheer you up."
The girl in green once again showed a look of disgust on her face. "I don't want to. He looks...so small..."
Xu Ning and the dragon-shaped stone sculpture were both enraged.
"What do you mean 'little'? It's because he's still young. He'll grow up and has a lot of room to develop, just like a baby bird grows full feathers. He changes too..."
Xu Ning said that although he is unable to speak, the dragon-shaped stone carving undoubtedly conveyed his meaning very well.
The woman in green blushed, "I was talking about age, okay!"
The dragon-shaped stone sculpture watched as the man in green held the tiny Xu Ning and tossed him into the Dust Concealment Gourd on the ground. It then looked up at the sky and said, "When the dust settles and the sounds of battle subside, release him. Fate will naturally place him in the right place."
Qingyi paused for a moment, then asked, "When should I bring him to see you?"
The dragon-shaped stone sculpture said nonchalantly, "He'll come looking for me when he wants to. Oh, right, I need to make a filter so this guy doesn't sneak over along the net too early..."
The dragon-shaped stone sculpture laboriously extended a claw from under the tortoise shell, drawing an cryptic symbol on the ground, and a teleportation anchor point appeared that was almost identical to the Teyvat anchor point.
It yanked up the suspiciously shaped teleportation anchor with one claw, then stuck it into its back.
The dragon-shaped stone sculpture shrank back, waving its claws. "Over there, this sculpture of mine is meant to carry a monument, but now it can only carry an anchor point. It just doesn't feel right. Oh well, it's all settled. You may take your leave now. I need to rest."
Qingyi seemed to want to say something more, but in the end she said nothing. Stubbornly keeping her lips pursed, she threw the Dust Concealment Gourd in her hand into the water. Immediately, a beam of green light entered the gourd and drifted away with the current.
Xu Ning had already learned from Qingyi that she hadn't actually gone far at all.
They drifted westward for a short distance, not even reaching Dihua Island, but on a deserted island, Qingyi used a gourd to smash a hole, crawled inside, and settled down, facing the stone sculpture across the river.
"You've been silent for a while. Are you feeling down, or are you just in disbelief?"
The dragon-shaped stone sculpture, now half-shrunken, suddenly tilted its head, looked at the empty space where Xu Ning was, and asked a question.
Feeling both frustrated and incredulous, Xu Ning was startled. "Are you talking to me?"
The dragon-shaped stone sculpture stretched out a finger and scratched its face, accidentally chipping off a piece to reveal a few slivers of light. It hurriedly picked up a piece of mud from the ground and covered it up.
"Your description is inaccurate. The correct way to put it is that we're asking ourselves questions or talking to ourselves, right?"
Xu Ning retorted angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting! You and I are completely different individuals, you know? I have my own life, my own past and my own adventures. Don't suddenly barge in and talk about 'us' and 'us.' I won't share anything with you!"
This time, it was the dragon-shaped stone carving's turn to be frustrated.
"So I was really this individualistic? I'd cut off my own thigh if I wanted to? But speaking of sharing, everything you do in Teyvat is recorded in the ley lines. Forget sharing, anyone capable of reading ley lines can see it all clearly..."
Xu Ning was even angrier. Does this world have no privacy at all?
Are those little tricks I and Beidou Ningguang use something that anyone can just watch whenever they want? Did I pay for them?
"But you don't need to worry too much about that. I made a cut in the ley line at this location and installed a filter. Any information related to us or the element of alcohol will be intercepted by this thing. Otherwise, if the power and memories run wild, someone might get upset and come down to find fault with us."
Hearing the dragon-shaped stone carving's words, Xu Ning finally understood why the earth veins were so clean, and there wasn't even a trace of alcohol element to be found. It turned out that this guy had filtered and intercepted it all here.
Even so, this backup cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of this guy; it must be kept in my own hands for safety.
"Then quickly end this memory, let me out, and give me all the memories that belong to me."
The dragon-shaped stone sculpture laughed heartily, "I've been waiting for you to say that."
As the dragon-shaped stone sculpture slowly sank into the ground, the entire memory space suddenly shattered.
Xu Ning suddenly snapped out of his drowsy state and saw that Beidou and Ningguang were both looking at him with worried expressions.
Xu Ning wanted to give the two women a reassuring smile, but he also knew that his expression would probably be terrible.
"I'm fine, it's just that I received a lot of information all at once, and it's not easy to digest it all."
Xu Ning leaped onto the dragon's head and stomped his foot with a "bang," saying, "Give me all the information related to me stored in this anchor point, then delete the backup. Don't let me know you have anything else hidden."