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Chapter 317. Mountains High and Seas Vast (Two Chapters Combined, Happy National Day! Have fun everyone!)

In the days that followed, while his subordinates gradually implemented the plan, Jiang Jianxin once again threw himself into the Rose Transportation front, engaging in several intense clashes with Black Pupil Pharmaceuticals.

Fortunately, this time a geographer sent by the TV station assisted in the operation, which greatly weakened Black Eye Pharmaceuticals' long-range firepower advantage.

Jing Wei's [Navigation] ability demonstrated astonishing ballistic control, almost perfectly countering the opponent's long-range firearms.

Without firepower suppression, Black Pupil Pharmaceuticals had no choice but to send more ground troops to the front lines, which played right into Jiang Jianxin's hands.

She was skilled with cold weapons, and was inevitably at a disadvantage when facing a hail of bullets, but once the battle turned into a close-quarters fight, she was like a fish in water.

If enemies come in pairs, she cuts them down; if they come in groups, she wipes them out. The Grim Reaper's scythe is exceptionally sensitive to blood. Through repeated battles and sacrifices, its energy bar rapidly climbed to 2.0. After the scythe grew to half its original size, it abruptly stopped.

Jiang Jianxin realized that it might be facing some kind of bottleneck and needed to build up its strength to break through.

She was neither in a hurry nor worried.

In this era of war and chaos, death is ever-present, and the Grim Reaper's scythe is never short of power; all it awaits is the test of time.

The tremendous military success brought about a substantial expansion of the Rose Group's strategic space—the front line advanced all the way forward, eventually crossing the majestic Dacong Mountain and returning to the southern edge of the Sunset Plain.

That evening, celebratory bonfires were lit on the newly occupied land, illuminating the soldiers' tired yet excited faces.

The protracted war had cost them too many comrades, and the overwhelming victories of the past few days finally allowed the pent-up hatred to be fully released.

The air was filled with the merriment of heavy drinking and the satisfaction of revenge.

Amidst this boisterous celebration, Jiang Jianxin was nowhere to be seen.

The intense combat over the past few days had almost exhausted her. After completing the relocation with the troops, she went straight back to her tent and fell into a deep sleep.

She was awakened at night by the sound of joyful laughter outside the tent.

"Boom boom boom... La la la..."

The flickering light from the campfire shone through the window. She rubbed her eyes in her sleep and heard a lively commotion outside, accompanied by cheerful music.

She got up and lifted a corner of the curtain, glimpsing that Cecily's tent next to her was completely dark—it seemed she hadn't rested and must have gone to the campfire party.

It's quite lively around the campfire, don't you want to go check it out?

Intuition suddenly spoke in my mind.

Wake up! Go join the fun and relax with everyone.

Jiang Jianxin yawned and nodded.

She donned her black cloak and flew towards the campfire on a black broomstick.

The atmosphere around the bonfire was lively, with soldiers singing and dancing around it. In the center, someone was dancing energetically, drawing cheers from all around.

Cecily, sitting on a haystack a little further away with her cat in her arms, waved to her when she saw her:

"Your Grace, would you like to come in and have a seat?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jianxin swiftly flew to her side on his broom, hovering it in mid-air before gracefully shifting into a comfortable sitting position.

She looked around and asked:
"Has that geographer returned to his tent to rest?"

Cecily laughed:
"Look closely, the one dancing in the middle is Lord Jingwei."

"Uh?"

Jiang Jianxin was slightly taken aback and looked in the direction of the campfire—the figure leaping between the light and shadow was indeed Jing Wei.

The young man wore a plain white shirt underneath a brown vest, dressed like a scholar, yet he danced with a passion reminiscent of a primitive tribe.

"Thump thump tap tap... thump thump..."

His steps carried a primal rhythm, his feet striking the ground powerfully like the beat of a drum. Each stomp and turn caused the hem of his shirt to flutter like a bird in flight, while his crisp brown vest restrained this untamed spirit. His arms were sometimes raised high to the sky, sometimes drawn back to his chest.

The elegant attire and vibrant dance moves achieved a wonderful harmony in the interplay of movement and stillness.

His blond hair danced and swirled in the flames, his smile was bright, and his expression was radiant, a stark contrast to his usual gentle and courteous gentlemanly demeanor.

Jiang Jianxin was somewhat surprised, and she said softly:
"I originally thought that Lord Jingwei was the elegant and calm type of person, but I never expected him to be so... unrestrained and wild."

As she spoke, the music in the room quietly changed.

It was no longer the wild tribal rhythm of the past, but a dance with a distinct rhythm.

Jing Wei lowered his arms, bowed gracefully to a female soldier, and invited her to dance, then led her into a graceful dance.

Good-natured cheers and laughter erupted around him, but he just smiled and didn't seem to care.

Halfway through the dance, he casually invited a male soldier to join him. His dance steps remained calm and precise, without the slightest sign of panic.

As the music changed, Jing Wei's dance steps also changed. He seemed to know the dance styles of different places, and he danced each one with a unique charm and style.

"Your Excellency the Geographer has always been very kind and lively."

Cecily said to Jiang Jianxin:
“I was previously sent to the north to clean up pollutants, and I met him by the waterfall near Zhenbei City. At that time, the clouds were deep and there were no stars. The night was as dark as ink, and it was he who showed me the way.”

“As a thank you, I lit a light in his straw lantern. He was very happy and said that my light was warm and that it illuminated his journey like a firefly.”

Cecily recalled softly.

She didn't have many interactions with geographers, but that one time left a deep impression on her.

Perhaps because she was a war giant in the cleanup of contaminated areas, everyone was amazed by the incredible sharpness of her light, which could cut through those smog-covered, contaminated areas. This was the first time someone had said that her light was gentle.

Jiang Jianxin exclaimed "Ah!" and asked, seemingly understanding but not quite:
"He's a geographer, so does he travel frequently?"

"That's pretty much what it means."

Cecily said.

"The geographer is not a regular henchman for the TV station, and his attack power is not particularly strong. He only works occasionally and spends most of his time traveling around the world to improve the post-apocalyptic world map."

"Many of the geography books on the forum were written by him; he is a scholar who takes research very seriously."

Hearing Cecily say this, Jiang Jianxin remembered something.

She took out her phone and opened the compressed file she had sent to Chen Xinran last time.

It contains a large number of books, including geography books.

She flipped through a copy of "A New Compilation of Post-Apocalyptic Maps," one of the most-read books after the apocalypse, and sure enough, the author's name was listed there:

Edited by Jing Wei, a geographer.

Jiang Jianxin read several geography books and searched for Jing Wei on the forum before he finally understood that this powerful henchman was actually a proper scholar, and being a henchman was just a side job.

Just because his abilities happened to counter ultra-long-range, lock-on firearms, and he was also doing this side job to earn travel expenses, the TV station sent him to the front lines of the war. Jing Wei has an account dedicated to sharing his travel experiences; he's a major blogger with millions of followers in the travel section, and his latest post even mentioned that he was going to the front lines.

While I was engrossed in watching Jingwei's travelogue, I suddenly felt a shadow loom over me.

Jiang Jianxin looked up and saw Jing Wei carrying a plate of fruit.

"Would you two ladies like some fruit? I bought it from the forum myself to treat everyone."

Cecily took a bunch of grapes, but Jiang Jianxin, who had no appetite, waved them away.

Her screen wasn't off, so Jingwei saw his homepage. He smiled and said:
"Oh, does Your Highness the Rainbow Witch also enjoy seeing scenery from all over the world? I've filmed a lot of special terrains, including one episode about the special landforms that Sword Master Wan Jian Gui Yi carved out in Zhenbei City, which many people are very interested in."

"Uh, wasn't that just something the Sword Master casually chopped down? Can we study that too?"

Jiang Jianxin gave an awkward, dry laugh.

"of course."

Jing Wei said truthfully:
"War giants moving mountains and filling seas will affect the geographical environment. Every time a major event happens, I go back to check it out after it's over and modify the map data."

"Hahaha."

Jiang Jianxin chuckled twice more. Cecily, with her mouth wide open, quickly stuffed the grapes into her mouth and then leaned over from the side, asking curiously:

"What are you talking about? Her Majesty the Witch hasn't laughed like that in a long time."

Jiang Jianxin's smile vanished instantly.

This time, it was Cecily who laughed after successfully teasing him.

Jing Wei also recognized Cecilia and greeted her:
"Thank you for the light you gave me near Zhenbei City that time. Your light shines brightly, and that straw lantern is still burning to this day."

Cecily replied shyly:

"It's nothing. As long as I'm alive, that light won't go out. You can use it to light your way when the flashlight runs out of power, and it might help you avoid danger."

"Speaking of which, how did the geographer end up in Zhenbei City? I remember you had investigated that area once before."

Jing Wei replied gently:

"The nutrient solution I brought during my first expedition was stolen by a thief. The tricksters in the trickster sequence have many tricks, and I couldn't catch up with him, so I just let him go."

"Later, I accidentally activated my navigation ability, and my talent guided me to the fact that the stolen nutrient solution had arrived in Zhenbei City and been drunk by someone."

"It just so happened that the Sword Master slaughtered the peach trees in Zhenbei City at that time, so I went back to change the terrain and also to see if the thief survived the sword energy."

Jiang Jianxin couldn't hold back anymore. She hadn't expected that the nutrient solution she had been drinking was something Xie Yan had stolen from a geographer.

No wonder she wanted to buy nutrient solutions herself when she had money, only to find that the forum didn't sell those large-capacity, high-recovery nutrient solutions at all; it turns out they were custom-made for people's travels.

And most importantly, geographers are capable of navigation, even tracking and locating the position of nutrient solutions.

[The answer is truth, are you there?]

Jiang Jianxin urgently sought help from his mind.

【What's wrong? 】

Intuition replied instantly.

[Shouldn't the nutrient solution lose its effectiveness once it's ingested?]

she asked.

Of course, the reason he could navigate the nutrient solution was because the nutrient solution came into contact with you.

His talent includes a "parapsychological" pathway, which extends his ability to perceive lost personal items and people he comes into contact with. If the person he comes into contact with is stronger than him, he will provide a clue and increase the priority of path tracking. However, he can only provide the path of the item and the location of contact; he cannot track your movements.

Intuition paused for a moment, then added:

Although his ability belongs to the mental attack branch of the Light faction, it is more of a support skill and doesn't pose much of a threat.

Jiang Jianxin felt relieved and watched as Jing Wei left with the plate, then went to distribute fruit to the others. A little while later, she returned to the campfire and danced with everyone.

After dancing for a while, everyone turned off the sound system, and Jingwei led them in chatting about their past experiences.

Despite being a henchman at a television station and a renowned geographer, Jing Wei showed no airs whatsoever.

His affability did not rely on the scholarly knowledge of his advisors to build rapport, but rather on the more important saying after "reading ten thousand books"—traveling ten thousand miles.

His unique sense of warmth and comfort stems from the real mountains, rivers, wind, and frost beneath his feet.

As everyone sat together, sharing their past experiences, Jingwei began to speak freely. He described the wind and snow in the northern capital that could freeze one's breath, depicted the clear and sweet mountain springs in the desolate valleys, and recounted how the camel bells worn away by the wind and sand on the ancient Western Regions road emitted a desolate echo.

He didn't quote any famous lines from classical texts, but when he stretched out his calloused hands and mimicked the motion of a desert lizard galloping across scorching sand dunes, everyone sitting around seemed to feel the heat.

He recounted a night when he got lost in the southern rainforest, deliberately not using his natural abilities, and relying on the growth of moss to find his way. Starlight shone through the thick crown of the rainforest, and the air was filled with a strange fragrance of humus mixed with unknown wildflowers.

A young soldier couldn't help but take a deep breath, as if he could smell the damp, vibrant scent himself.

These are not just imaginings from his study, but memories he has walked through step by step, memories imbued with his own warmth.

His narrative includes the warmth of the rough scimitar given to him by a boy from the border town, the salty warning before a storm at sea, and the most basic truths about the land taught to him by a silent old man with a bowl of coarse tea in an unnamed village.

When he occasionally pauses, his gaze sweeping over the leaping campfire, what settles in his eyes is not the arrogance of knowledge, but the understanding and warmth left after encountering mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, and countless vibrant faces.

As a result, the soldiers discovered that the place names, local customs, and human relationships they had only glanced at in e-books had suddenly been infused with flesh and blood, becoming tangible and relatable.

Jingwei didn't try to close the distance, but the distance quietly melted away in these stories filled with hardship, sweat, and smiles.

It seems that true knowledge lies not only in the words themselves, but also in the journeys and experiences of the vast world and the everyday life of its inhabitants.

Jiang Jianxin sat on the broom, listening to Jing Wei recount his travels. It felt like listening to a story, specifically the travelogue of Jing Xiake.

The campfire crackled, and the flickering flames cast a soft, warm glow on everyone's faces.

The fatigue and tension had long since dissipated as the story unfolded, replaced by a sense of tranquility and serenity.

Some listened so intently that they forgot to tend the fire, while others gazed at the leaping flames, their eyes already soaring over mountains, following the story to distant lands.

On this night, after a fierce battle, there was no boisterous celebration banquet, only the gentle voice of a geographer describing the vast landscape flowing slowly in the night.

Many years later, Jiang Jianxin may forget the specific details of this battle, but she will definitely remember this night—the dry aroma of the haystacks, the warmth of the campfire, and the stories of snow-capped mountains, clear springs, deserts, and lone smoke under the starlight.

The night passed quickly, but it solidified in her memory like an amber-colored honey, and every time she thought of it, a solid and bright warmth would rise in her heart.

Today is National Day, so here's a double update! No depressing plot, just something cheerful. Thank you all for your monthly votes during this time. I hope everyone has a happy National Day and enjoys themselves!
May our motherland prosper and become strong; may the winds of progress rise and the golden age last forever!

(P.S.: Some readers should have already received their National Day gift cards. I've given many rewards before, but I only used one thank-you card opportunity each time, saving the rest to send out during the holiday. If you haven't received one, it might be because your nickname hasn't been changed or it's something like "Book Friend 202x0"... Since many readers have nicknames like this, I can only see the first few digits. Some readers have the same nickname, so I don't know if I sent duplicates, and I'm afraid of consuming other readers' opportunities. This card is only available on Hongxiu, because Qidian doesn't have a thank-you card function.)