Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

So he took out the jade slip and recounted what had happened back then, including the story of the white rat moving into his house.

Yan Huai'an watched as Zhuang Xing used the talisman she had left behind to take out the jade slip, remaining silent.

Zhuang Xing and Yun Ling no longer need this jade slip. Zhuang Xing had already read through it once and memorized all the knowledge in it. Yun Ling's life-giving magic had also reached the level of self-reliance. She had learned everything she needed to learn, and all that was left was to use her own brain to create her own style.

Yan Huai'an stared at it for a while, as if he was organizing his thoughts.

She seemed not to have expected that the amulet could be related to the inheritance of a certain cultivator. The "key" was indeed a rare magic artifact with the ability to ward off evil spirits and demons, because the key contained the true qi of the White Lotus Hermit.

But in reality, its true function is not to ward off evil spirits and demons.

Yan Huai'an silently took the jade slip. Zhuang Xing had already demonstrated how to use it to her. It wasn't difficult; she could learn it with just a glance.

She flipped through the contents of the jade slip, turning page after page, and read a lot of things.

“If Sister Yan is interested, then take this jade slip,” Zhuang Xing said. “This should rightfully belong to you, Sister.”

Yan Huai'an hesitated for a moment, then put the jade slip away.

"Thank you."

"Sister, would you like to come back with us?" Zhuang Xing asked.

Yan Huai'an shook his head and looked at the sword at his waist.

She took out a small pouch, opened it, and found several demon cores inside.

“Payment,” she said.

Zhuang Xing knew she was referring to the reward for the jade slip.

Zhuang Xing knew he couldn't leave without taking them, but he didn't take them all. He only picked half to take, and even that half contained six demon cores, none of which were ordinary. The worst quality one was the same as the demon core of that wild boar demon.

"Thank you for your kindness, sister, but this is enough for me," Zhuang Xing said.

Yan Huai'an shook his head and took out another large demon core for him, which Zhuang Xing had no choice but to accept.

Zhuang Xing thought that Yidu had a large population, and a large population should attract many monsters, but the area around Yidu was unexpectedly peaceful.

This inevitably made him wonder if it was related to Yan Huai'an.

"Sister, have you been exorcising demons in Yidu all these days?" Zhuang Xing asked.

As expected, Yan Huai'an nodded.

No wonder she often goes out and doesn't come back for days at a time.

Zhuang Xing understood; those demon cores from earlier must have been taken by Yan Huai'an from the demons he had eliminated.

She slew all the invading monsters and stayed in Yidu to protect the peace of the region.

It seems she's been doing this since last winter, but hardly anyone knows.

The corpses of the demons she slew were probably just left in the wild to be devoured by hungry wild beasts and lesser demons.

Zhuang Xing then stopped inviting her to come along, only saying that she was welcome anytime.

After he and Yunling bowed to each other, he left the courtyard.

Yan Huai'an stayed inside alone and took out the jade slip.

The fluorescent light illuminated her face. She untied her hair tie and grasped a strand of her hair, where a faint white wisp was visible.

She gripped her sword, a hint of confusion in her eyes, but then her resolve slowly returned.

...

On this day, the prefect wrote a memorial to the emperor.

In the spring of the thirty-seventh year of the Yuanding era, cotton was found at the home of the Chu family in Yidu. The Chu family suffered from tuberculosis and, seeking blessings, purchased cotton from a traveling merchant and planted it. It flourished for four years...

He looked at the cotton plant beside him and knew that this woman's name would be recorded in history books, though only briefly, but many people in later generations would remember her.

Although she is dead, her life and her name will never be forgotten.

...

(The first part of the youth arc, now complete)

Chapter 141 Refugees

came back.

Zhuang Xing pulled on the reins of Wuzhui, and Wuzhui slowed down and gradually came to a stop.

I stayed in Yidu for more than half a month this time.

The soldiers and officers who were there to support the refugees had set off before him and Yunling.

When he returned, the official road had been repaired and extended a distance from the village entrance, about four or five li away.

He saw many unfamiliar faces. At the village entrance, someone was distributing porridge. People with gloomy faces lined up and, under the watchful eyes of the soldiers, received a bowl of millet porridge from the pot and sat by the roadside to drink it.

These must be refugees who came from outside with relief, and many of them are children.

Some of them looked bewildered, while others sat there blankly, staring into the distance.

I didn't hear any crying, but I could feel a sense of oppression.

It was lifeless.

Zhuang Xing led his horse through the crowd, and no one looked at him.

He parted ways with Yunling in front of the wheat field and hurried home.

The black horse went back to the thatched hut to rest and lay down on the straw.

After running around all day, I was probably feeling a bit tired.

Zhuang Xing carried his luggage and looked ahead.

The mother was holding her little sister's hand as they learned to walk in the yard. The little sister was already over two years old, and although she was still a bit clumsy when she walked, she was much better than before.

She can speak much more than before. Although her speech is not clear and she cannot express her meaning very clearly, and her logic is sometimes unclear, you can see that she is making progress day by day.

These days she is awake most of the day, except for taking a short nap at noon, and usually goes to bed after dark.

When she saw Zhuang Xing return, she suddenly strode over with her short legs and hugged Zhuang Xing's leg.

Her head was only slightly higher than Zhuang Xing's knees.

Zhuang Xing reached out and picked her up.

She turned her head and bit Zhuang Xing's finger, while Zhuang Xing, without changing his expression, used his other hand to tickle her.

At first, she stubbornly held on, but after a few seconds, her body began to tremble. Then, she suddenly let go, tilted her head back, held her breath, puffed out her cheeks, and looked at Zhuang Xing.

It's as if she treats this like a game, and if she laughs, she loses.

My little sister has a strong personality. If you scratch her until she can't hold it in anymore, her smiling face will immediately turn into a crying face.

Zhuang Xing had already experienced something like this before; when a two-year-old child cries, it's truly earth-shattering.

It seems that only children have this special ability to cry loudly anytime and anywhere.

Zhuang Xing chose to surrender, releasing his grip to indicate defeat.

The younger sister raised her eyebrows, as if she felt she had won and finally released the anger she had been holding in.

She struggled a few times, as if she didn't want to stay in Zhuang Xing's arms anymore, so Zhuang Xing put her down.

She ran back to her mother and grabbed her mother's finger.

A smile bloomed on her mother's face: "You're back!"

"Hmm," Zhuang Xing said, "Isn't Dad home?"

“He went to the fields,” Mother said. “He said he had nothing to do at home anyway, so he might as well go out and farm. There are people over there who have asked him how to grow wheat.”

"Did anything happen in the village when I went to Yidu?" Zhuang Xing asked.

"A lot of people have come again," Mother said. "Other than that, there's nothing else. By the way, what do you want to eat tonight? Mother will make it for you."

"I bought some pickled fish from Yidu." Zhuang Xing patted his bag. "Let's have fish tonight, it's delicious."

"Okay." Mother nodded. "Then I'll steam another pot of rice and a plate of steamed buns."

Back inside, Zhuang Xing took out the longevity lock he had bought for his younger sister.

This is a silver lock, exquisitely crafted.

Many people believe that as long as children wear this kind of ornament, it can help ward off disasters and evil spirits and "lock" in their lives.

In those days, the infant mortality rate was very high. To ensure the safety of children, longevity locks would be hung on newborns when they reached 100 days or one year old, and these locks would remain on them until adulthood.

Wealthy families use gold and jade, ordinary families buy a silver lock, and poorer families use an iron lock or simply make a knot.

This type of jewelry is quite popular, and many children in the village wear it.

However, most of them are just ordinary jewelry, not instruments.

Zhuang Xing made some modifications to the silver lock he brought back.

His true qi was extremely sharp; even a silver lock could be marked without any special technique.

This longevity lock can be considered a magical artifact, capable of driving away snakes, insects, and rodents.

He specially chose a longevity lock engraved with birds; it was small but very beautiful.

Zhuang Xing hung the silver lock around his little sister's neck. The little sister held the small lock and bit it twice with her baby teeth.

Then she widened her eyes, winked at the bird carved on the lock, her eyes suddenly narrowed into slits, and she laughed happily.

Zhuang Xing patted her head, and seeing that she liked it, his mood improved considerably.

Before his father returned, he brought steamed buns and fish into the house. During the fifteen days he was away, Da Bai seemed to have become much more familiar with his mother.

Big White, carrying two little furballs, came into its mother's arms. Big White found a comfortable spot on its mother's body, and its mother used her own comb to brush Big White's fur. When she brushed Big White's forehead and back, places it couldn't usually touch, Big White squinted its eyes and looked very comfortable.

Two little furballs nestled next to the pickled fish and steamed buns, happily eating.

They are at the stage of growing, and they only care about eating.

The white rat then came to Zhuang Xing's place, nudged his pocket, and smelled the demon core again.

These demon cores were obtained from Yan Huai'an in exchange for jade slips. The jade slips were originally found by the white rat. Zhuang Xing felt that giving it one or two cores wouldn't be a waste, so he took one out and fed it to the white rat.