Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

“Winning one battle does not mean you can keep winning. The resources, troops, and energy consumed in a major battle take time to recover. Lady Eva was able to gain a foothold in the North by accumulating experience battle by battle, not by getting carried away by a big victory and taking risks.”

Xiao Wu pouted: "I understand the reasoning, but I just feel... it's too slow."

"That's just how war is."

Zhu Zhuqing's voice remained cool and aloof, but it showed a hint of more patience than usual.

"Most of the time is spent waiting. Waiting for supplies to arrive, waiting for troops to assemble, waiting for the weather to improve, waiting for the enemy to make a mistake. The actual time spent fighting may only account for one-tenth of the whole process."

She paused, her gaze falling on Xiao Wu's face: "You think war is just about killing and being killed every day? No. The essence of war is making tedious preparations most of the time, and then using all those preparations at a few crucial moments."

Xiao Wu remained silent for a while. Of course, she knew that Zhu Zhuqing was telling the truth, but she just didn't want to accept it.

Chapter 551 Planting Trees

"And what about you?" Xiao Wu changed the subject, her gaze falling on the short blade that Zhu Zhuqing had just sheathed.

Have you gotten used to it?

Zhu Zhuqing didn't answer immediately. She glanced at the corner of the curtain billowing in the wind outside the tent, her gaze settling on the distant, hazy horizon: "I don't need to get used to it. I just need to live."

Looking at her profile, Xiao Wu suddenly realized that this woman, who was usually not very talkative, possessed a kind of silence that she couldn't fully understand for the time being.

She didn't press further, sat quietly for a while, then stood up and patted her skirt: "Then I'll be going now. Do you have any plans for tomorrow, since you're off?"

"No," Zhu Zhuqing said.

"Then I'll come find you."

Zhu Zhuqing did not refuse, but simply nodded.

When Xiao Wu came out of Zhu Zhuqing's tent, it was already completely dark.

Scattered lights appeared in the camp, and oil lamps hung at the entrances of several tents, their dim yellow glow swaying slightly in the cold wind.

She walked south along the main road of the camp, past several rows of tents, across an open area where supplies were piled up, and finally stopped in front of a gray tent that was a size larger than the others.

This tent was specifically allocated to Rapunzel. It was more of a makeshift field hospital than a tent.

The tent flap was always open, with several lamps lit inside, and figures could be seen moving around inside through the gaps in the curtain.

Xiao Wu stood at the door without going in directly. She first peeked inside and saw Rapunzel squatting in front of a wounded soldier, holding a bowl of freshly brewed medicine and feeding it to the soldier spoonful by spoonful.

The wounded man looked to be no more than seventeen or eighteen years old. His left arm was wrapped in thick bandages from the elbow down, and pale yellow medicine seeped from the edges of the bandages, indicating that the newly applied medicine had not yet completely dried.

His face was pale and his lips were chapped, but he didn't frown when he drank the medicine. He just quietly opened his mouth, drank one spoonful, and waited for the next.

Rapunzel's movements were steady; she held each spoonful perfectly level, neither spilling nor urging him to finish quickly.

The lines of her profile appeared exceptionally soft under the light, and her long golden hair was swept to one side, revealing her fair neck.

Xiao Wu didn't make a sound to disturb them, and just stood quietly at the door.

She has come to see Rapunzel many times.

Unlike Zhu Zhuqing, with whom she would only chat occasionally, she preferred to stay by Rape's side.

Rapunt has a reassuring aura about her, not because of her healing soul skills, but because of the gentle, unhurried rhythm she exudes.

Every time Xiao Wu sat next to Rapunzel, she felt as if she had returned to the Star Dou Great Forest, to the side of the auspicious beast, and even... to her mother.

But Rapunzel was too busy.

She is one of the few high-level healing-type Soul Masters in the Northern Alliance, and she has to treat anywhere from a dozen to dozens of wounded soldiers every day.

Besides the wounded soldiers in the army, the local people would also come to visit. Some were bitten by spirit beasts, some had broken their legs, and some were seriously ill. As long as they could reach the Iron Gate Pass, they would try their best to find Rapunzel's camp.

So most of the time, Xiao Wu could only sit quietly in the corner and watch Rapunzel finish round after round of treatments, and only occasionally had a chance to say a few words.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the wounded soldier finally finished his medicine.

Rapunzel placed the empty bowl on the tray beside her, then checked the bandage on his left arm to make sure there was no bleeding before standing up.

She turned around and saw Xiao Wu at the door, a knowing smile flashing in her eyes.

The smile wasn't obvious; it was just a very slight change in her eyes, but it was enough for Xiao Wu to catch it on Rapunzel's always gentle face.

"How long have you been waiting?"

Rapunzel walked to the tent entrance and casually rolled up the hanging curtain to let some of the light from inside the tent shine through.

"Not long."

Xiao Wu followed her to an open space on the side of the tent, where several flat stones were placed, a place where Rapunzel would occasionally rest and sit.

Xiao Wu sat down on the rock, resting her hands on her knees, and looked up at Rapunzel: "Are you done with your work today?"

Rapunt also sat down on a nearby rock, her posture slightly more relaxed than Xiaowu's, her hands folded on her knees, her long golden hair gently swaying in the night breeze.

"That's about it. No new wounded have been brought in tonight. There are a few more who need follow-up examinations tomorrow morning, so it shouldn't be too busy."

"That's good," Xiao Wu said. She didn't really know what to say; she just wanted to sit next to Rapunzel for a while.

The two sat quietly for a while.

A night breeze blew in from outside the camp, carrying the scent of frozen earth and withered grass. In the distance, the footsteps and whispers of patrolling soldiers changing shifts echoed from the city walls, sounding distant and indistinct.

After a while, Rapunzel spoke, her voice still calm and gentle: "Was training tiring today?"

"I'm not tired, just bored."

Xiao Wu rested her chin on her knees, her pink eyes gazing at the flickering firelight on the distant city wall. "I'm doing the same thing every day, I'm starting to lose track of what day of the week it is."

“Military life is inherently monotonous,” Rapunzel said. “I used to be like that too. I did pretty much the same things every day, and after a while, I felt like the days were passing very slowly.”

"So how did you get through it?" Xiao Wu turned her head to look at her.

Rapunzel thought for a moment, then a slight smile curved her lips: "I'm used to it. Besides, some things may be repetitive, but the results are different every time I do them."

Just like treating wounded soldiers, every day involves applying medicine, bandaging, and activating soul power. But each soldier's injuries are different, and their recovery speed varies. Seeing them get better day by day brings a unique feeling.

Xiao Wu was silent for a moment, then softly hummed in agreement.

Rapunzel glanced at her but didn't press her for an answer.

Having spent so much time together, she had come to understand Xiao Wu's personality somewhat.

She seems carefree and sometimes speaks without thinking, but she keeps many things to herself, and she usually doesn't bring them up.

"Do you have any plans for tomorrow?" Rapunzel changed the subject, her tone still gentle.

"No," Xiao Wu said. "Zhu Zhuqing is off tomorrow, and I was planning to go see her. If you're free..."

“I have a few patients to see tomorrow morning,” Rapunzel said. “I should be free by the afternoon. If you’d like, you can come and sit at the camp.”

Xiao Wu's eyes lit up: "Okay, I'll come over this afternoon."

The two sat for a while longer before Xiaowu stood up, brushing the dust off her skirt. "I'll head back now. You should get some rest."

Rapunzel stood up and nodded to her: "Okay, be careful on the road."

Xiao Wu walked back along the path she had come from, and after taking a dozen steps, she looked back.

Rapunzel was still standing in front of the tent, pulling the rolled-up curtain back down.

The lamplight cast a soft silhouette behind her, and the night breeze gently lifted her long golden hair; the scene was as serene as a painting.

Xiao Wu withdrew her gaze and quickened her pace toward her barracks.

……

The next morning, the sky over the North was still a hazy, cold white.

The wind blew from the north, carrying fine snowflakes that stung my face like needles.

A thin layer of frost covered the Iron Gate Pass city wall, and a few icicles hung from the edges of the crenellations, gleaming with a transparent, cold light in the morning sun.

Ju Douluo Yueguan stood on the slope outside the city gate, looking at the frozen, hard earth in front of him, and sighed silently.

The sigh was so soft that it was quickly dispersed in the wind, and he himself barely heard it.

He was dressed in a black outfit today, with tight cuffs, a turned-up collar, and a dark belt around his waist. He didn't look like he was planting trees; he looked more like he was on an emergency mission.

But he was indeed planting trees.

Yue Guan flexed his wrists, took a deep breath of the cool air, and then, with a slight thought, summoned his martial soul.

Qirong Tongtianju (奇茸通天菊).

Golden light emanated from his palm, and the phantom of a chrysanthemum with a warm, lustrous sheen slowly appeared behind him.

The petals unfolded layer upon layer, their edges sharp as blades, yet possessing a soft texture unique to plants. The appearance of that chrysanthemum seemed to warm the surrounding temperature, and even the snowflakes in the wind seemed to be gently brushed aside by something invisible.

Yue Guan raised his hand, his fingertips twitching slightly. The sixth spirit ring beneath his feet lit up, its golden light not dazzling in the morning light, yet carrying a profound sense of power.

The sixth soul skill, Golden Stamens Flowing with Rosy Clouds.

Countless golden petals scattered from his body, like fallen leaves swept up by the wind, swirling and gathering in the air, before pouring down like a drizzle onto the frozen ground in front of him.

Each petal falls precisely into the soil, with just the right amount of force—not so deep as to damage the soil below, nor so shallow as to be easily blown away by the wind.

Hundreds of golden petals left evenly distributed small pits on the frozen soil, arranged so neatly as if measured with a ruler.

Yue Guan's expression remained unchanged.

This was the umpteenth time he had repeated this action. At first, he needed to concentrate fully to control the landing point of each petal, but now he could make the petals land precisely where he wanted them without even having to think.

He felt that his control over his soul power had actually improved considerably compared to when he was in the Spirit Hall.

Even after the petals had all fallen, Yue Guan did not stop. He raised his hand and made a fist, and a warm green light condensed in his palm—the unique soul power of a plant-type soul master.

The light contained countless tiny seeds, which shimmered with a faint pale green halo in the morning light.

He pushed the ball of light forward, and the seeds, like dandelions scattered by the wind, fell precisely into the small pits left by the petals.

Immediately following was the third fluctuation of soul power.

He crouched down slightly, his right hand lightly pressing on the ground, and his second spirit ring lit up.

The second soul skill is "Self-admiration".

This soul skill was originally used to enhance one's own offense and defense, but Yue Guan has used it in a different way, transforming soul power into gentle fluctuations, covering the pits where seeds have already been planted, and then gently pressing them down.

The soil automatically closes up, burying the seeds at the most suitable depth.

The whole process is quick and precise, with each seed covered just right, neither too tightly to affect germination nor leaving gaps for the cold wind to freeze and damage the roots.