Chapter 640
Nangong Wan's pregnancy reaction came violently and suddenly.
At first, it was just a slight nausea when she woke up in the morning, and she didn't pay much attention to it. She continued to make tea, embroider, and occasionally teach a few words to the neighbor's children. But after a few days, the discomfort came like a tidal wave.
In the early morning before dawn, she would be awakened by the acid in her stomach, and would lie on the bed and retch, her eyes red and her fingertips trembling. During the day, if she smelled anything meaty, even the aroma of the mutton soup cooked by Grandma Tao next door, her stomach would churn, and she would have to force herself to swallow even a sip of water.
The worst time, she vomited so much that her eyes went black and she almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, Fu Shaoping was quick and held her in his arms. She leaned in his arms, sweating profusely, and didn't even have the strength to speak. She could only weakly grasp his collar, her fingertips turning white.
Fu Shaoping frowned, placed his palms on her back, and carefully inserted his spiritual power into her, but he did not dare to adjust it rashly - her body had been drained of soul and spirit, and now she was pregnant. Her meridians were much more fragile than those of ordinary people, and any carelessness would damage the foundation.
He could only stroke her back again and again, and asked in a low voice: "Are you still feeling uncomfortable?"
Nangong Wan shook his head, then nodded, and finally smiled bitterly: "...This child is more troublesome than Wen Buyan back then."
Fu Shaoping began to learn how to take care of a wife who suffered from severe morning sickness.
He first looked through all the medical books left by Doctor Zhou, and then went to the only pharmacy in the city to get some mild herbs, and boiled them into a decoction to calm the fetus and stop vomiting. But Nangong Wan felt sick when she smelled the medicine, and after taking a sip, she turned around and vomited it all out.
Fu Shaoping was silent for a moment, then turned and walked out.
When he came back, he was holding a bag of candied dates, a jar of wild honey, and a few dried mint leaves. He boiled the medicine again, filtered it to make it clear, added honey, and finally sprinkled mint powder on it, and handed it to Nangong Wan: "Try it again."
Nangong Wan took a sip and frowned slightly: "...sweet?"
Fu Shaoping hummed, and whispered: "The doctor said that if you really can't drink it, it's okay to add some honey."
Nangong Wan drank the medicine in small sips and didn't spit it out. Fu Shaoping's eyes flashed with a sense of relief, and he picked up another candied date and stuffed it into her mouth: "Press it down."
Nangong Wan's appetite became extremely picky.
The dishes she loved in the past, she could not even eat them now; the things she would not touch before, she could now swallow them with difficulty. Fu Shaoping would go to the market every day, and whenever he saw fresh fruits, freshly baked naan, or sour plums shipped from further west, he would buy them for her to try.
One day, Nangong Wan suddenly said that he wanted to eat white lotus root from the South China Sea.
Fu Shaoping was silent. Jinsha City was far away in the western desert, where did the lotus roots from the South China Sea come from?
But the next morning, when Nangong Wan woke up, she found a bowl of iced sweet soup next to her pillow. The soup was clear and a few white "lotus root slices" floated in it. She tasted it and found that it was a root special to the desert, sliced very thinly and marinated with honey and plum juice. It was sour, sweet, crisp and tender, and really looked a bit like lotus root.
She raised her head and looked at Fu Shaoping who was standing by the door: "Did you do this?"
Fu Shaoping nodded: "I tried it a few times last night."
Nangong Wan's eyes were slightly hot, he lowered his head and took another bite, and said softly: "...It's delicious."
When Grandma Tao learned that Nangong Wan was suffering from severe pregnancy sickness, she specially cooked a pot of light shallot porridge and sent it to her, and also brought a bag of dried tangerine peel she had dried at home: "Girl, put a piece in your mouth, it can suppress nausea."
Old Tao mysteriously handed Fu Shaoping a small cloth bag and said in a low voice, "My wife also vomited a lot when she was pregnant. This is a folk remedy passed down from our ancestors. Grind it up and soak it in water to drink. It works!"
Fu Shaoping took it solemnly, went back and tried it, and it actually helped Nangong Wan sleep soundly all night without waking up from vomiting in the middle of the night.
Even the naan-selling uncle who didn't usually come to visit, after hearing that Nangong Wan couldn't eat dry food, specially baked a few soft and glutinous milk naan and sent them to him, saying with a smile: "My daughter was like this when she was pregnant. Eating this won't hurt her stomach!"
Late one night, Nangong Wan was once again awakened by nausea. Just as he was about to get up, Fu Shaoping gently held him down.
"Lie down." He whispered, got up to pour a glass of warm water, and then picked up a piece of tangerine peel and handed it to her lips, "Suck it for a while."
Nangong Wan followed his instructions, and the sour fragrance spread in her mouth, and the churning in her stomach really eased a little. She leaned on Fu Shaoping's shoulder and whispered, "Shaoping, you have worked hard these days."
Fu Shaoping shook his head and gently combed her long hair with his fingers: "You are working harder."
Nangong Wan smiled, and suddenly held his hand, pressing it on her still flat belly: "When the child is born, I will tell him that his father almost turned the entire Jinsha City upside down in order to let his mother have a meal."
Fu Shaoping raised the corners of his lips slightly, lowered his head and kissed the top of her head: "It's worth it."
Pregnancy reactions will eventually pass.
When Nangong Wan finished a bowl of rice for the first time without vomiting, the tension in Fu Shaoping's eyes finally relaxed.
Outside the window, the sunset over the City of Ashes dyed the entire desert golden red. The wind and sand were still there, but it made people feel warm for some reason.
Nangong Wan thought, maybe this is the smell of fireworks in the world -
No matter how powerful a monk is, at this moment, he is just an ordinary person who is busy taking care of his wife and children.
###**"Dragon Abyss Tribulation·Extra·Journey to the Soul"**
When Fu Shaoping was flipping through a medical book, his fingertips stopped on a certain page for a long time without moving.
"The Yunling grass grows on the top of Qianlong Mountain. It only grows once every hundred years. If a pregnant woman takes it, it can strengthen her body, nourish her vital energy, and stabilize her pregnancy and nourish her spirit."**
Although Nangong Wan's pregnancy reactions have been alleviated, her body is different from that of ordinary people after all. In the battle at Longyuan Pavilion, she used her golden thread spiritual root to sustain her vitality, and her meridians had long been damaged. Now that she is pregnant, her spiritual power is even more depleted. Fu Shaoping can feel that she occasionally frowns unconsciously at night, and her fingertips tremble slightly, as if her spiritual power is unstable.
He closed the book, his eyes were calm, but he had made a decision.
Qianlong Mountain is far away from the East China Sea, thousands of miles away from Jinsha City. On the way, you need to cross deserts, dense forests, and even several places where monks are in conflict. Fu Shaoping is not afraid of hardships, but he has to make full preparations.
He first went to the blacksmith shop in the city to order a set of light armor, and then used Nangong Wan's gold thread and spiritual silk to weave a heart-protecting mirror and hide it close to his body. Then, he took out the map of Kyushu that he had drawn when he traveled in his early years, carefully marked the route, and avoided several dangerous monster nests.
On the eve of his departure, he handed a jade slip to Lao Tao and whispered, “If I don’t return in half a month, give this to Wan Wan.”
Lao Tao frowned and said, "Don't mess around, Nangong girl can't stand the stimulation."
Fu Shaoping shook his head: "Just in case."
Nangong Wan noticed his intention.
That night, she stood in the courtyard, looking at Fu Shaoping's back as he packed his bag, and suddenly asked, "Are you going to Qianlong Mountain?"
Fu Shaoping paused and turned to look at her. Under the moonlight, her eyes were as clear as before, but with a few more emotions that he couldn't read.
"Yeah." He didn't hide it.
Nangong Wan was silent for a moment, then said softly, "I know my body well, it's not that fragile."
Fu Shaoping walked up to her and held her hand: "I know."
"Then why do you want to go?" She looked up at him, her fingertips tightened slightly, "Qianlong Mountain is not an ordinary place. Even for you, it is not foolproof."
Fu Shaoping looked at her steadily, then suddenly raised his hand to touch her belly and whispered, "I want him to be better."
Nangong Wan's eyes became hot and he turned his face away: "...Idiot."
The argument lasted until midnight.
Nangong Wan insisted that she didn't need spiritual herbs, and even tried to get Fu Shaoping to stay by saying that her spiritual power was unstable. But Fu Shaoping was unusually stubborn, and finally simply picked her up and stuffed her into the quilt, and sat on the edge of the couch, saying word by word: "Wan Wan, believe me." Nangong Wan glared at him: "What if I don't agree?"
Fu Shaoping was silent for a moment, then suddenly leaned over and kissed her lips until her breathing became a little disordered, then he let go and whispered, "Then I'll wait until you fall asleep before I leave."
Nangong Wan laughed angrily and raised his hand to hit him: "Fu Shaoping, you have learned bad things!"
Finally, she compromised and tied a golden amulet around his wrist before he left, saying softly, "If you are in danger, crush it and I will sense it."
Fu Shaoping nodded and agreed solemnly.
Before dawn, Fu Shaoping quietly left Jinsha City.
He headed eastward, and the wind and sand blew in his face as he crossed the desert, but he did not slow down his pace. Three days later, he arrived at a small border town called "Luofeng Town", where monks and mortals lived together, and it was also the only way to Qianlong Mountain.
In the town's wine shop, Fu Shaoping ordered a pot of sake and drank it alone. Suddenly, someone at the next table laughed and asked, "Fellow Taoist, are you going to Qianlong Mountain?"
He looked up and saw a gray-robed wanderer looking at him with a smile. The man was about thirty years old, with an unsheathed iron sword hanging from his waist. He had a clear face and looked like a wanderer.
Fu Shaoping didn't answer, but the man didn't get angry. He came over and sat down: "What a coincidence, my name is Lu Zhao, and I'm also planning to go to Qianlong Mountain to collect herbs. How about we form a companion?"
Fu Shaoping said calmly: "No need."
Lu Zhao laughed: "Daoyou, why do you have to keep people at a distance? Qianlong Mountain has been in turmoil recently. I heard that there is a snow demon in the transformation stage lurking on the mountainside, specializing in devouring lone cultivators."
Fu Shaoping's eyes moved slightly, and he finally looked at him straight in the eye: "Why did you go to Qianlong Mountain?"
Lu Zhao shrugged, "My master's old injury relapsed, and he needs the soul-enhancing grass as medicine. Unfortunately, that thing only grows once every hundred years. If you go too late, you won't even get a leaf."
Fu Shaoping hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded: "Yes."
Lu Zhao was a talkative person, and he chattered non-stop all the way, talking about everything from anecdotes of Jiuzhou to the embarrassing moments of his own master. Fu Shaoping mostly listened in silence, only responding occasionally.
When they reached a dense forest, Lu Zhao suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Daoyou, the knife on your waist... is it made of dragon bones?"
Fu Shaoping glanced at him sideways, a hint of vigilance flashing in his eyes.
Lu Zhao waved his hands quickly: "Don't get me wrong! My master was a weapon refiner in his early years. I was influenced by him and am more sensitive to the materials of weapons." He pointed to his iron sword and said, "Look, my 'Wufeng' is also mixed with dragon scales, but it's a pity that the fire is not enough, it's not up to standard."
Fu Shaoping's expression eased a little, but he still didn't say much.
Lu Zhao did not ask further questions, but instead talked about the rumors about Qianlong Mountain: "It is said that there is an ancient altar on the top of the mountain, and the soul-enriching grass grows beside the altar, but every full-moon night, a strange crying sound will be heard from the altar..."
Fu Shaoping interrupted him: "We're here."
In the distance, the outline of Qianlong Mountain is faintly visible.
Before nightfall, the two found a cave at the foot of the mountain to rest.
Lu Zhao started a fire and took out some dry food to share with Fu Shaoping: "Daoyou, may I ask your name?"
Fu Shaoping took the dry food and said calmly, "My surname is Fu."
Lu Zhao raised his eyebrows: "Fu? Could it be the Fu family in the East Territory..."
"Just a casual cultivator." Fu Shaoping interrupted him.
Lu Zhao tactfully stopped asking questions and took out a small wine flask from his bag and shook it: "Want a sip? Homemade plum wine, it warms you up."
Fu Shaoping wanted to refuse, but suddenly remembered that Nangong Wan liked sour wine during her pregnancy, so he took the wine pot and took a sip. It was indeed sweet and sour, with a hint of the taste she liked.
He lowered his eyes for a moment, and suddenly said, "Lu Zhao."
"Ok?"
"If I pick the soul-bearing grass, I'll give you a leaf."
Lu Zhao was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Friend Fu, you are... interesting!"
In the light of the fire, Fu Shaoping's profile was still stern, but inexplicably less distant.
——Perhaps this journey will not be as lonely as imagined.
Three days later, Fu Shaoping and Lu Zhao finally arrived at Qianlong Mountain.
From afar, Qianlong Mountain looks like a giant dragon, with jagged ridges, winding and undulating, and the peak hidden in the clouds. The whole mountain is dark purple, and golden veins occasionally flash between the rock walls, like dragon scales. At the foot of the mountain is a deep ancient forest, with trees towering into the clouds, and lavender vines entwined between the branches and leaves, exuding a faint spiritual aura.
Lu Zhao looked up at the top of the mountain and whistled: "This place doesn't look like a good place."
Fu Shaoping's eyes were calm, his fingertips gently stroked the dragon bone knife on his waist, and he whispered, "Go up the mountain."
When you first enter the forest, the path is relatively flat. But as the altitude increases, the path becomes steeper and steeper, with the rock walls almost vertical, requiring you to climb with the help of vines or protruding rocks. The air is filled with a damp, fishy smell, as if a beast is lurking.
As Lu Zhao climbed up, he muttered, "This damn place, there's not even a bird..."
Before he finished speaking, there was a rustling sound above his head. Fu Shaoping's eyes became stern, and he suddenly grabbed Lu Zhao's collar and pulled him back.
"Swish!" A black shadow passed by where they had just stood, and its sharp claws cut through the air, leaving three deep grooves on the rock wall.
Lu Zhao's eyes widened: "What?!"
Fu Shaoping said in a cold voice: "The 'Shadow Scale Beast' of the Purple Mansion Stage is good at hiding, and its claws are extremely poisonous."
The monster looked like a mountain cat, but was covered with purple-black scales, and its vertical pupils glowed with a faint green light. It missed its attack and immediately disappeared into the shadow of the rock wall, leaving no trace.
Lu Zhao clenched his iron sword and cursed, "This is trouble."
The Shadow Scale Beast was extremely patient, always hiding in the dark, waiting for its chance to strike. Fu Shaoping and Lu Zhao stood back to back, alert to their surroundings.
Suddenly, the shadow on the left rock wall twisted slightly.
"Here it comes!" Fu Shaoping's sword flashed suddenly, and the dragon bone sword, wrapped in sharp spiritual power, chopped straight at the shadow!
The Shadow Scale Beast roared and was forced to reveal its true form, but it cunningly twisted its body to avoid the blade and swept its claws towards Fu Shaoping's throat! At the critical moment, Lu Zhao's iron sword blocked it with a "clang" sound, and sparks flew everywhere. (End of this chapter)