Ling Cage: Twelve Talismans? I have everything I need.

Chapter 144 The Horse Talisman is really useful

Bai Jingyu pushed open the door, and Yang Chen followed closely behind.

The two tiptoed upstairs. Next to the master bedroom was Xiao Yuekui's room, the door of which was ajar.

Bai Jingyu gently pushed the door open, and Yang Chen quietly followed behind him into Xiao Yuekui's room.

With the curtains drawn, in the dimly lit room, Xiao Yuekui was curled up in the blankets, not sleeping soundly.

Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her originally fair face was now flushed with an unnatural redness.

Yang Chen felt a slight tug at his heart.

Bai Jingyu walked to the bedside, bent down and gently touched his daughter's forehead with the back of his hand. He felt the temperature, which was significantly higher than normal, and his brows furrowed tightly, his eyes filled with worry and heartache.

He lowered his voice and said to Yang Chen, "It's a bit hotter than this morning... I took the medicine and fell asleep, and I haven't woken up yet."

Yang Chen nodded, indicating that he understood.

"How do you plan to treat it? Do you need to go to another place?" Bai Jingyu asked.

Yang Chen shook his head: "No need, it'll be fine in a second."

He walked to the other side of the bed, and under Bai Jingyu's gaze, slowly reached out his right hand to take Xiao Yuekui's small hand, which was exposed outside the quilt.

[The noble horse is freed from all external forces]
A soft, pure blue halo extended from Yang Chen's hand, enveloping Xiao Yuekui's entire body.

Bai Jingyu watched, holding his breath.

It was almost immediately effective.

Xiao Yuekui's slightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and the abnormal flush on her face quickly faded, restoring the fair complexion that a child should have.

Her slightly heavy breathing became steady, and she slept much more soundly and peacefully.

She even unconsciously smacked her lips and rubbed against the soft pillow.

In an instant, his sickly appearance vanished, as if the fever had never happened.

The halo in Yang Chen's palm quietly dissipated, and he nodded gently to Bai Jingyu: "It's alright, everything's fine now."

Bai Jingyu reached out and placed the back of his hand on Xiao Yuekui's forehead to feel it. He found that it was no longer as hot as before, and then tucked the blanket around Xiao Yuekui.

Bai Jingyu thought to himself, "Is it really that amazing?"

He turned to Yang Chen, his voice low: "Yang Chen, thank you..."

Yang Chen smiled slightly and shook his head: "Father-in-law, you are too kind. This is what I should do."

The two watched quietly for a while to make sure that Xiao Yuekui was sleeping soundly, then exchanged a glance, tacitly left the room, and gently closed the door behind them.

The door was closed very gently, cutting off the light from the corridor, and the room was once again plunged into a dim light suitable for peaceful sleep.

Almost at the same time the door lock made a slight "click," the small bundle on the bed stirred.

Xiao Yuekui's long eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes a crack.

After the high fever subsided, my body felt an unprecedented lightness and comfort, and my previously dull and heavy mind became clear, although I was still not completely sleepy.

She blinked groggily and looked toward the door.

There seemed to be some slight movement just now... Did someone come in and then leave?
She seemed to feel someone holding her hand; it felt very comfortable…

That feeling vanished quickly, as quickly as if it were just an illusion.

Is it a dream?

“Father-in-law, now that Xiao Kui is alright, I need to go back and check on the village, so I'll take my leave now.”

Bai Jingyu nodded understandingly: "Okay, business comes first. Be careful on the road."

Yang Chen nodded slightly, and his figure disappeared.

Bai Jingyu had been sitting alone in the living room for a short while when a sound came from the doorway.

Theresa came in carrying some freshly bought fruits and vegetables.

Seeing Bai Jingyu at home, she visibly breathed a sigh of relief: "Jingyu? It's so good to have you at home. I was worried that you were too busy today and that I was worried about Xiao Kui, so I temporarily put aside my work at the hospital and rushed back."

She put down her things and asked with concern, "How is Xiao Kui? I'll go upstairs to see her..."

Before she could finish speaking, she heard rustling footsteps coming from the stairwell.

The two turned their heads at the same time and saw Xiao Yuekui walking downstairs in her pajamas, rubbing her eyes.

Her complexion was rosy and healthy, and her eyes were clear; she showed no signs of illness.

Theresa was surprised and went to meet her daughter. She knelt down and touched her daughter's forehead and then her little face. Her hands were warm and cool, and there was no sign of fever at all.

"Xiao Kui? How...how are you feeling? Are you feeling better?"

Xiao Yuekui nodded, her voice returning to its usual clear and crisp tone: "It seems like I'm all better now, Mom. I feel much better now; my head isn't dizzy or hot anymore."

She touched her forehead to confirm, "It's really healed!"

Theresa stood up, her brows furrowed, her face full of confusion.

"How...how could you recover so quickly? You were burning up with fever this morning, but after taking the medicine and sleeping, you're completely better?"

The fever-reducing effect of this medicine is too immediate. It's a small dose for a child, which is a bit beyond her common sense.

At this moment, Xiao Yuekui seemed to remember something, looked up at Bai Jingyu, and asked with her big eyes.

"Dad, did you come into my room just now? I think I could feel you."

Bai Jingyu walked to his daughter's side and smiled gently: "Yes, Dad saw you were sleeping soundly, so I didn't disturb you."

Little Yuekui's brows furrowed slightly as she tilted her head, trying hard to remember.

"Oh...but I think...I think I heard two voices? Besides Dad, there was someone else..."

Bai Jingyu was taken aback by these words. He reached out and gently tapped Xiao Yuekui's nose with his finger: "Little scatterbrain, are you still half asleep?"

After Bai Jingyu said that, Xiao Yuekui became a little uncertain. She blinked and muttered softly, "Really? Was it a dream...? It seems so..."

Children's attention is easily diverted, and she quickly stopped dwelling on the vague memory and instead took Teresa's hand.

"Mom, I'm hungry."

Theresa smiled gently and said, "Okay, it's a good thing you're hungry. It means you're really better. Mom will go and make you something nice to eat."

When Bai Jingyu heard his daughter say she was hungry, his last bit of worry completely disappeared, and he smiled and ruffled Xiao Yuekui's hair.

"Okay, it's good that you're hungry. Xiao Kui, go change your clothes first, and Mom will make you something delicious."

He straightened up and turned to Theresa, who had already entered the kitchen: "Theresa, you stay with Xiao Kui. I have some business to attend to at the company."

Theresa paused as she was about to tie her apron, then looked up at Bai Jingyu with a probing gaze.

Jingyu seems unusually busy these past two days, and his schedule seems somewhat... unpredictable?
But she wasn't the type to pry, so she suppressed her doubts and simply nodded gently.

"Okay, go ahead, but don't overwork yourself, and come back soon."

"Yes, I know," Bai Jingyu replied, then bent down and kissed Xiao Yuekui's forehead.

"Be a good girl and listen to your mother."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the entrance, and the door closed gently.

Bai Jingyu, who had already left the house, looked back.

Now that everything's settled with my younger daughter, I need to go visit my older daughter.

Xiao Kui and Xiao Tian still have plenty of time to spend with him, but he owes Yue Kui and Yue Tian far too much.

And Theresa.
Keeping it a secret isn't a good idea; I need to find an opportunity to talk to her about it.

I don't know if she will accept Yue Kui and Yue Tian.

Yang Chen returned to Dragon Bone Village, where a familiar scene greeted him. Children were chasing and playing in the open space, just as they always had.

It seems that nothing unexpected happened during their absence.

He was just about to go find Wulan Aodeng and check on how Maiduo's marksmanship had improved when he saw Hongkou and Poxiao walking side by side in the distance.

The two still looked as capable as ever; Red Hair was dressed in a neat combat uniform, while Dawn carried an equipment box on her back.

To Yang Chen's surprise, Tasia and Fang Yuan were also following behind them.

As they approached, Hongkou spoke first: "Boss Yang."

Dawn nodded in greeting: "Boss Yang."

Tasia and Fang Yuan followed closely behind, almost in unison: "Boss Yang."

Hearing the way the two addressed each other, Yang Chen felt a pang of disappointment.

Once upon a time, Tasia and Fang Yuan, the two little ones he watched grow up, always followed behind him, calling out "Brother Yang" in their clear voices.

When did this change begin? It seems like it started after Hai Sang started calling him "boss" properly, and the two kids unconsciously changed their way of addressing him as well.

Why did Hai Sang change his tune so suddenly?
Yang Chen suppressed his doubts, put on his usual gentle smile, and glanced at the four of them before asking, "Hmm. Where are you going...?"

Hongkou pointed in the direction of the shielding tower on the outskirts of the village and answered succinctly, "We regularly inspect the shielding towers, and it just so happens to be my and Xiao's turn today."

Yang Chen nodded knowingly.

The shielding tower is one of the lifelines of Longgu Village, and its stable operation is of paramount importance.

"I don't have anything urgent to do anyway," Yang Chen said.

"You guys go to the warehouse and get the marrow crystals first. I'll go to the shielding tower with you later."

Simple routine inspections do not require replacing parts, but since it has already returned, let's replace the shielding tower's core chip as well, to prevent any potential malfunctions later.

“Okay.” Hongkou nodded in agreement.

Yang Chen hurried back to the small house he shared with Bai Yuekui.

He walked to the wall, raised his hand, and took down the hanging Alaya consciousness.

The ancient Tang sword feels slightly heavy in the hand; it is also the "key" to the switch shielding tower.

He slung the knife behind his back and glanced around the room.

He walked to the window and checked each one one by one, making sure they were all locked from the inside before turning around and leaving the room, gently closing the door behind him.

At this moment, Hongkou had already retrieved several pieces of marrow crystals with a faint blue luster from a warehouse not far away, and was carefully placing them into the trunk of the vehicle.

As she saw Yang Chen approaching, she closed the trunk lid.

"The marrow crystals are ready, Boss Yang," Hongkou reported.

"Okay." Yang Chen nodded, walked straight to the driver's side, opened the car door and got in.

Through the car window, he succinctly said to the four people outside, "Get in the car."

Tasia opened the passenger door and got in, while Dawn Red and Fang Yuan got into the back seat together.

Once everyone was seated, the car door slammed shut.

Yang Chen shifted gears, lightly pressed the accelerator, and the vehicle smoothly drove off, heading towards the towering shield tower on the outskirts of the village.

Yang Chen kept his eyes on the road ahead and asked Tasia in the passenger seat.

"Has that frequency device been completed yet?"

Upon hearing this, Tasia immediately nodded: "It's already done. The Awakeners plan to go and test it on that type of Devouring Beast in a couple of days."

"Hmm, not bad efficiency." Yang Chen nodded knowingly and then said.

"For testing, tell them to drive the hovercar when you get back; it'll be safer that way."

Since the Devouring Beast can't fly, if something goes wrong, it's better to drive a floating vehicle to escape.

"Understood," Tasia replied earnestly.

As we talked, the towering shielding tower came into view.

The vehicle stopped outside the base of the tower.

As everyone got off the bus, they looked up and saw the massive tower standing amidst the desolation.

Yang Chen did not go up immediately, but said to Tasia, Fang Yuan, and Hongkou Poxiao, "You guys check the mana spores around the base of the tower first to see if they are attached."

"Received!" Fang Yuan playfully put his five fingers together, imitating a less-than-perfect military salute, then turned around and pulled Tasia to start working.

Yang Chen smiled as he looked at her still somewhat carefree back.

Without further delay, he took the marrow crystal and flew towards the top of the tower.

He walked to the central control panel at the top of the tower and removed the Alaya consciousness from his back.

Pull out the blade, grasp the handle, and twist gently.

The shielding tower is temporarily shut down.

Yang Chen walked to the core device on the side, where the marrow crystals were emitting a bright blue light, but one of them was noticeably dimmer than a brand new marrow crystal.

Yang Chen skillfully opened several safety latches and removed the marrow crystal that was about to run out of energy.

Then, a brand new piece of myelin crystal was taken out of the container.

He precisely inserted the new myelin crystal into the slot, fastened the safety lock, and closed the protective cover again.

He then reached out and placed his hand on the tower, and blue light shone forth as the horse talisman repaired any hidden ailments that might have appeared on the shielding tower.

After doing all this, he once again activated his Alaya consciousness and pulled it out.

The shielding tower has been restarted.

Yang Chen stood by the metal railing at the top of the tower, looking down.

Below, Hongkou, Poxiao, Tasia, and Fangyuan were scattered around the base of the tower, carefully inspecting and cleaning the mana spores and tiny eye tumors attached to it.

"Are there many eye tumors down below?" Yang Chen raised his voice and shouted down.

Hongkou, who was removing a tumor with a resonant gun, looked up when she heard the sound, covered her forehead with her hand, and responded loudly.

"A team cleaned it up last time, and there aren't many new ones this time, so it will be finished quickly!"

Yang Chen understood; it seemed the routine maintenance was going well.

He also has several other shielding towers that need their myelin crystals replaced.

"Alright, you guys get started cleaning." He waved his hand downwards.

"I'll go and replace the marrow crystals in the remaining towers as well."

After saying that, he flashed and disappeared from the edge of the tower top, turning into a swift shadow, carrying a container containing the remaining brand-new marrow crystals, and flew towards another shielding tower in the distance.

For the next few hours, Yang Chen repeated similar steps.

Upon arriving at a shielding tower, briefly shut down the tower, activate the core device, remove the dim marrow crystal that is either depleted or about to be depleted of energy, and replace it with the new marrow crystal in your hand.

After each replacement, he would reach out and press his hand against the tower, activating the power of the horse talisman. A gentle blue aura flowed over it, meticulously repairing any minor damage that might have occurred to the tower, ensuring it was in optimal condition.

Replace, repair, restart.

Thanks to his hard work, the shielding tower was completely renewed.

When he finished maintaining the last shielding tower and returned the Alaya consciousness to his back, the sun was already hanging in the middle of the sky.

He stood atop the tower, surveying the remaining sparse greenery and the two villages in the distance, and gently exhaled.

(End of this chapter)