Chapter 642
"My master's 'Zhao Ran Ling', with this you can go directly to 'Xuan Jian Pavilion' to find me." Lu Zhao put away his joking expression and rarely said seriously, "Friend Fu, although you and I met by chance, we are friends for life and death after fighting side by side. If something happens to you in the future, no matter where you are, just crush this order and I will come to you."
The mountain breeze blew past, and the bamboo leaves rustled.
Fu Shaoping held the token tightly, remained silent for a moment, and finally nodded: "Thank you."
Lu Zhao waved his hand, turned around and set foot on another mountain road. His back was as casual as usual, leaving only a teasing sentence floating in the wind -
"Remember to treat me to your child's full moon celebration!"
Fu Shaoping watched his figure gradually go away until it disappeared in the twilight, then he withdrew his gaze.
He flipped his hand, put the Zhaoran Order into his sleeve, turned around and walked in the opposite direction.
It leads to the city of Jinsha and to the peace for him and Nangong Wan.
As the night deepened, Fu Shaoping walked alone in the wilderness.
He did not regret hiding his whereabouts. Nangong Wan was pregnant and could not withstand any disturbance. Although Lu Zhao was trustworthy, the road in the martial arts world was long and people's hearts were unpredictable. He could not afford to take any chances.
The note in my sleeve felt slightly hot, like a heavy promise.
Fu Shaoping looked up at the sky and saw the stars hanging low.
If you really reach a dead end
He pressed his cuffs lightly and continued walking.
Dusk always comes early in the City of Ashesand.
Nangong Wan stood on the bluestone steps outside the city gate, her plain white dress gently fluttering in the evening breeze. She held her slightly bulging belly with one hand, her eyes always looking at the winding mountain road in the distance.
The guards guarding the city had long been accustomed to the eldest lady of the Nangong family waiting every day, so they just quietly stepped aside and did not dare to disturb her.
The afterglow of the setting sun stretched her figure out long and made her look particularly thin.
When the familiar figure finally appeared at the end of the mountain road, Nangong Wan's fingertips tightened unconsciously.
Fu Shaoping was dusty and his robe was still stained with blood, but his steps were still steady and powerful. He saw the white figure in front of the city gate from a distance, and his steps unconsciously quickened a bit.
The distance between the two was getting closer, but Nangong Wan suddenly turned around and walked towards the city.
"Wan'er."
Fu Shaoping's voice was a little hoarse, but it made her stop suddenly.
Nangong Wan had her back to him, her shoulders trembling slightly. Fu Shaoping walked behind her and wanted to reach out, but stopped just before he touched her.
"I'm back."
These three simple words finally made Nangong Wan turn around. Her eyes were red, but she was stubborn and refused to let the tears fall.
"You still remember to come back?" Her voice was trembling with suppression, "Do you know that the agreed date has passed?"
Fu Shaoping looked at her slightly white knuckles and knew that she must not have had a good rest these days. He gently held her cold hand and said, "I encountered some accidents and was delayed."
Nangong Wan's eyes fell on the wound on his shoulder, and her pupils shrank suddenly. She wanted to say something, but was gently embraced by Fu Shaoping.
"I'm fine." He whispered in her ear. "I got the medicine."
Feeling the slight tremor of the person in his arms, Fu Shaoping tightened his arms. Nangong Wan finally raised his hands to hug him back, buried his face in his chest, and said in a muffled voice: "If you dare to overdue next time, I will..."
“So what?”
"Just take the child and remarry."
Fu Shaoping laughed softly and gently stroked her long hair: "You won't."
Nangong Wan looked up at him, but softened her heart when she saw his tired eyes. She sighed and took his hand: "Let's go home."
The setting sun stretched the shadows of the two people very long, and gradually merged into one. The guards guarding the city looked at their receding backs and smiled at the same time.
Fu Shaoping felt the warmth coming from his palm and suddenly felt that all the hardships along the way were worth it.
Nangong Wan held his hand and swore silently in his heart:
This time, you will never take risks alone.
When she pushed open the wooden door of the courtyard, the setting sun was shining obliquely on the pear tree in the corner of the courtyard. Nangong Wan breathed a sigh of relief and watched Fu Shaoping put his luggage under the corridor, his movements were a little slower than usual - she knew he must be very tired.
"Go change your clothes first." She pushed his back, "I'll go boil some water."
Fu Shaoping held her hand and said, "Sit down."
As soon as the water boiled, there was a gentle knock on the gate.
"Mrs. Nangong, I heard that Master Fu is back?" Aunt Li from next door stood at the door with a bamboo basket, followed by several neighbors. The basket contained freshly picked vegetables and two lively river fish.
Nangong Wan hurried out to greet him, and Fu Shaoping followed him out.
"Hey, Master Fu, you're finally back." Wang the blacksmith from West Street said in a loud voice, "Mrs. Nangong has been alone these days, and we feel so sorry for her."
Fu Shaoping clasped his fists solemnly: "Thank you all for your care."
While everyone was talking, Fu Shaoping suddenly rolled up his sleeves and said, "I'll be the host today."
Under Nangong Wan's surprised gaze, he handled the river fish neatly. The knife flashed, and the fish scales flew, which was even more smooth than his swordsmanship.
Aunt Li was stunned: "I didn't expect Master Fu to have such skills?"
Nangong Wan leaned against the door frame and chuckled: "That's all he can come up with."
When dusk fell, a large round table was set up in the courtyard.
When Fu Shaoping served the last steamed fish, the old doctor stroked his beard and praised: "I'm afraid even the chef of Zuixianlou can't compare to your knife skills."
"Brother Fu." Xiaodouzi from the opposite side looked at the sweet and sour pork ribs eagerly, "Can I have another piece?" Fu Shaoping pushed the plate directly in front of him, causing everyone to laugh. Nangong Wan quietly held his hand under the table and found a new scar on his palm.
After three rounds of drinks, Blacksmith Wang patted Fu Shaoping on the shoulder and said, "Let me know if you're going on a long trip. We'll take turns to talk to Madam Nangong."
"That's right." Aunt Li served Nangong Wan a bowl of fish soup. "When you're not around, she always stands at the city gate waiting for you. No matter how hard you try to persuade her, she won't go back."
Fu Shaoping's Adam's apple moved, and he suddenly stood up and filled a glass of wine: "Fu toasts to you all." He drank it all in one gulp.
The moonlight sprinkled in the bustling courtyard. Nangong Wan looked at her husband's profile as he was surrounded by neighbors and urged to drink. She suddenly felt that such a world might be more worth cherishing than the swordplay.
At midnight, everything was silent. Fu Shaoping stood in front of the bluestone platform in the courtyard, gathering a little spiritual light on his fingertips, and sketched the last rune in the air. The blue light curtain of the courtyard protection array rippled like water waves, and then turned into starlight and dissipated in the night wind.
Nangong Wan was wrapped in a plain shawl and leaning against the pillar. The moonlight cast a silver glow on her pale cheeks. She watched her husband take out the soul-enhancing grass from his personal brocade bag. The three-inch-long stem was as crystal-like as jade, and the seven feather-like leaves were covered with pale golden veins, each of which seemed to be pulsating slightly as if it had life.
"Your injury." Her eyes fell on the bloody bandage on Fu Shaoping's right shoulder.
"No problem." Fu Shaoping had already lit the Qingming fire under the alchemy furnace. The dark blue flame cast a deep shadow on his brow. "If the medicinal properties are lost, the effect will be weakened." When he spoke, his Adam's apple rolled and his jawline was extremely tense. It was obvious that he was trying hard to endure the pain.
When the third o'clock bell rang, the entire black iron cauldron began to glow with a jade-like luster.
Fu Shaoping pointed the fire with his sword, and the blue veins on his wrist appeared and disappeared as the temperature changed. The soul-enriching grass gradually stretched in the furnace, and tiny golden waves rolled up on the edges of the leaves. When the seventh leaf was fully stretched, the whole plant suddenly turned into a pool of moon-like spiritual liquid, which blended with the snow ganoderma and thousand-year-old ginseng roots that had been put in earlier. At the moment, a clear and melodious phoenix cry could be heard from the furnace.
Nangong Wan suddenly groaned, her bare hands tightly grasping the window frame. A noticeable bulge appeared on her lower abdomen, and then quickly moved to the other side. The skin under the thin shirt was faintly visible with light golden light patterns.
"Shaoping, child." She panted and hunched her body, her hair on her forehead soaked with cold sweat.
The alchemy furnace suddenly trembled violently, and colorful rays of light burst out from the cracks in the furnace cover. Fu Shaoping frowned, pinched the alchemy formula with his left hand, and slapped the furnace with his right hand like lightning. With a clear "clang" sound, seven pearl-like pills broke out of the furnace and drew the shape of the Big Dipper in the air. He turned around and flicked his sleeves, and the jade cup was like a white rainbow piercing the sun, taking all the pills into it.
In the bedroom where candlelight flickered, the moment Nangong Wan swallowed the pill, soft white light seeped out from all the pores on his body.
Fu Shaoping knelt on one knee in front of the couch, his palm placed on her back, and slowly passed his true essence into her as a warm current. Suddenly, his pupils shrank suddenly - in Nangong Wan's Dantian Qi Sea, in addition to her own water-attributed true essence that was like a trickle, there was actually an overbearing and fiery aura, just like it was eagerly devouring the power of the Yunling Pill. What was even more strange was that this aura was mixed with a few strands of dark golden energy, which was exactly the same as the ancient inscriptions he had seen on the stone wall of the ancient tomb.
"Ah!" Nangong Wan suddenly cried out in pain, her ten fingers sinking deeply into the quilt. Complete golden lines appeared on her lower abdomen, and those complex runes moved and changed like living things, sometimes turning into a phoenix with spread wings, and sometimes turning into a coiled dragon.
The fetal movement became more and more intense, and Nangong Wan's thin shirt was soaked with sweat. Fu Shaoping bit his tongue and quickly wrote blood runes on her abdomen with a mouthful of blood. When the deep red runes touched the golden light, a "chi chi" sound was made, and white mist rose like a branding iron entering water.
"This is not an ordinary fetal movement," Fu Shaoping's voice was terribly hoarse. He stared at the lines on his wife's abdomen that were gradually calming down. "The child is awakening the blood inheritance." His fingertips trembled slightly, and his right hand, which had just written the blood talisman, had been bitten back and turned into a bloody mess.
Nangong Wan opened her eyes weakly, but a smile appeared on her pale lips. She raised her hand with difficulty and wiped the blood off her husband's chin: "You are so domineering at such a young age." She fell asleep before she finished speaking, but her hands still instinctively protected her bulging belly.
Outside the window, the morning star pierced the indigo sky. Fu Shaoping stared at his wife's frowning brows as she slept, and suddenly placed his bloodstained forehead gently on her belly. At this moment, he could clearly feel the pulse of joy coming from that little life - it carried the gentle breath of Nangong Wan, mixed with his own sharp sword intent, and even a bit of ancient and unfamiliar majesty.
When the morning dew had not yet dried, Nangong Wan was leaning against the window embroidering a small dress, when she suddenly heard Fu Shaoping talking to Aunt Li in the yard.
"Looking for a midwife?" Aunt Li's voice suddenly rose. "Don't worry, Master Fu. I know the best midwife in the city, Granny Wang. She has delivered hundreds of babies!"
Nangong Wan paused, and the embroidery needle left a crooked stitch on the fabric. She put down the embroidery frame and gently stroked her bulging belly - the fetal movement had become more obvious in the past few days, and she could occasionally feel the strange fluctuations of spiritual power.
After Fu Shaoping sent Aunt Li away, he entered the house and saw that she looked dazed, so he poured her a cup of warm tea and handed it to her: "Bring the midwife to see you in three days."
"Shaoping." Nangong Wan suddenly grabbed his wrist, "I'm afraid an ordinary midwife can't handle this child."
Three days later, five midwives came to the courtyard one after another.
Granny Wang arrived first, her silver hair was combed meticulously, and she had a string of copper bells hanging around her waist. As soon as she took Nangong Wan's pulse, she said "eh", her old eyes sparkling, "Madam, this pregnancy is strange, I have been practicing medicine for sixty years..."
Before he finished speaking, Nangong Wan's abdomen suddenly flashed with golden light. Granny Wang was struck by lightning, took three steps back, knocked over the coffee table, and the copper bells jingled.
The second was Zhao Wenpo from the south of the city, who was said to be proficient in the art of incantation. As soon as she took out the talisman paper to perform a ritual, the talisman suddenly caught fire, scaring her so much that she ran away.
By the time the fifth Granny Liu left, Fu Shaoping's face had become as gloomy as iron.
"If it doesn't work." Nangong Wan bit her lip, "Go to Xuanjian Pavilion to ask for medical advice?"
There was a sudden knock on the gate.
Standing outside the door was a young woman carrying a medicine box, with patches on her coarse cloth clothes and a slight limp in her left leg.
"My last name is Zhou, and I help out at the herbal medicine shop in the west of the city." She said in a clear voice, "I heard that your family is looking for a midwife."
Fu Shaoping frowned: "The girl is too young."
Madam Zhou said calmly, "My ancestors have been practicing medicine for three generations, specializing in treating women with difficult labor." She suddenly looked directly at Nangong Wan, "Can the fetus in your belly absorb people's spiritual power?"
Nangong Wan's pupils shrank slightly.
It turns out that when Zhou Niang was young, she was attacked by a monster and her left leg was disabled, but because of this, her spiritual eyes were opened. She saw the golden light flowing in Nangong Wan's abdomen and took the initiative to reveal the government's reward for seeking a doctor.
Madam Zhou's method of taking a pulse is very special. She holds three fingers in the air half an inch away from the skin, and there is a faint green light on the fingertips.
"It's the awakening of the ancient bloodline." She said with certainty, "The childbirth needs to be guided by the green wood spiritual energy, otherwise the spiritual power of the baby will explode the moment it is born."
Fu Shaoping suddenly interrupted: "What reward do you want?"
Madam Zhou looked at her disabled left leg and said softly, "I only hope that after the young master is safe, Master Fu can teach me three moves of self-defense swordsmanship."
Nangong Wan and her husband looked at each other and saw the same decision in each other's eyes.
In the twilight, when Madam Zhou left, there was an extra pack of osmanthus candies made by Fu Shaoping himself in the medicine box - that was Nangong Wan's favorite snack these days.
At 3:30 pm, Madam Zhou was already standing outside the courtyard gate, carrying her medicine box. The morning mist soaked her coarse cloth, and her left leg ached slightly from the moisture, but she still stood straight and waited.
Fu Shaoping was slightly startled when he pushed the door open: "Miss Zhou is here early."
"The Yang energy is just beginning to rise during the Chen period, which is the most suitable time for acupuncture." She bowed, and a crisp sound of porcelain bottles tapping against each other came from the medicine box.
Nangong Wan was combing her hair when she saw Madam Zhou limping over the threshold in the bronze mirror. She immediately stood up to greet her.
"Madam, don't move." Madam Zhou stepped forward quickly, her movements even more agile than those of an ordinary person. She pressed her fingertips on Nangong Wan's shoulder, and a wisp of green wood spirit energy penetrated into her meridians. "How many times did the fetus move yesterday?" (End of this chapter)