Nobita's Time Heist

"Even if you raise pigs, how can they grow if you don't feed them?"

For a fleeting moment, Huang Amao revealed an unbelievably fierce look in his eyes, his anger erupting like molten lava from those unassuming pupils. Da Xiong almost thought he was about to roar and pounce on Asur, strangling him to death.

However, due to various unavoidable circumstances, he still endured it. He just bit his lip so hard that he even broke the skin and squeezed out a few drops of bright red blood.

"impossible……"

"This can't be happening! It can't be!"

Perhaps due to excessive excitement, the boy did not intend to go home. Instead, in a fit of rage, he turned around and ran towards the mountains.

"Ah Mao!"

……

Just as he took a step to chase after him, a gust of cold wind suddenly blew past him from behind, as if something unclean had touched him. Da Xiong's entire body went into overdrive, and he instantly stopped in his tracks. Looking back at the once peaceful forest, the howling wind gradually grew more piercing. The birds, who should have been roosting, seemed startled by something, emitting cries of alarm and taking flight in flocks.

"Nobita, the atmosphere seems a bit..."

"Ah."

Da Xiong's expression turned grave. When the atmosphere around them had deteriorated to the point where it was observable to the naked eye, it meant that the other side had no intention of continuing to play along. The "Emperor," who firmly controlled this eerie village, was about to unleash his punishment upon them.

"It's too dangerous for him to wander around outside alone. He already knows the secret, and Liu Ran could get rid of him at any time... We must bring him back immediately!"

Chapter 176: Beautiful Memories

"This is called duckweed. It prefers warm climates and humid environments, and usually grows near water. It is intolerant of severe cold. The whole plant, including the roots, is used medicinally. It can induce sweating, dispel wind, promote urination, clear heat, and detoxify. It is used to treat epidemic febrile diseases, incomplete eruption of rashes, wind-heat urticaria, itchy skin, edema, urinary retention, sores, erysipelas, and burns. It is contraindicated for those with superficial deficiency and spontaneous sweating. If too much is consumed at once, problems may occur."

"I'm talking to you, can't you hear me?"

Back then, there was no such thing as civilized teaching that strictly prohibited corporal punishment. Seeing that he was distracted, Liu Ran slapped him across the face.

Despite the blow to the head, seven-year-old Huang Amao still looked bewildered, as if he didn't know why he was there. He just covered his head, staring blankly at the old Taoist priest in front of him, like a broken puppet, without any reaction.

“Listen to me, kid… Since ancient times, no one gets food without working. With your parents in trouble, you are the pillar of the family.” Seeing this, Liu Ran sighed helplessly, squatted down to be at eye level with the little boy, and said earnestly, word by word, “Fortunately, our village is close to the mountains, and we rely on the mountains for our livelihood. For a long time, this will be your means of survival. If you don’t study hard, you won’t have food to eat, and if you don’t have food, you and your sister will starve to death!”

Perhaps it was the mention of his only family members that brought Huang Amao's eyes to a clearer state, though they still held a sense of grievance.

Even in ancient times, when conditions were harsher, adults would still do their best to protect their children until they reached adulthood. The burdens of life were far from weighing on their shoulders. But now, the sudden change in his family has made him the eldest in the family, and it is only natural that he should bear the responsibility of providing for them. For a seven-year-old boy, this is perhaps too cruel.

However, reality doesn't stop just because it's cruel; he must master a skill and mature in the shortest and fastest time.

"Throughout the year, many medicinal plants grow in the mountains. In the first year, I will take you to see them all. You need to know which plants can be picked and sold for money, which plants are highly poisonous, and which areas are infested with yellow jackals that you must avoid. Every day at dawn, Old Wang from the west end of the village will go up the mountain to chop firewood. Hunters will also occasionally go into the mountains with him. It's best if you go with them; it will be safer that way, understand?"

"why?"

"Huh?!" Liu Ran thought she had misheard. "Is your head made of stone? Why are you asking why?"

"I...I'm asking, why...why are you helping me like this?" Despite being so young, his eyes were lifeless, like those of a zombie. "My family doesn't have a single penny left."

……

This question was like a well-executed silence spell, instantly silencing the Taoist priest.

"Yeah, why is it such a troublesome thing with absolutely no benefits?" He pondered for a moment, then smiled wryly, "I can't really explain it either."

“When I’m collecting herbs, I feel pity whenever I see tender, immature seedlings that haven’t grown yet, and I can’t bear to uproot them.”

His gaze toward Huang Amao was somewhat complicated. "Perhaps... it's for a similar reason."

The boy couldn't understand these things; in fact, for a long time afterward, he didn't understand what the "compassion" he spoke of really meant. He simply faithfully followed the rules set forth by Liu Ran—when collecting herbs, spare the seedlings that hadn't yet grown.

"Master..."

He called out timidly, but was immediately rejected.

"Don't call me that. I'm not your master." Liu Ran shook his head mercilessly. "I can't possibly pass on my real skills to you. They're just some miscellaneous tricks that you never use in daily life."

"Just assume I did this for myself."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Ha ha……"

Because he had run so hard, Huang Amao was completely out of breath when he reached the riverbank. The rushing river silently witnessed everything. He didn't think about where to run; his legs took off on their own and led him to this riverbank—the place where Liu Ran had taken him up the mountain to collect herbs for the first time. For him, everything after the changes in his family started from here.

Of course, at noon today, this river was also given another meaning.

"There's no way this could happen, right? It's utter nonsense." Huang Amao leaned against a thick tree by the river, desperately telling himself, "Anyone who would believe them is a fool."

"Ah, I see, I understand now!"

His body moved as if by instinct, and he walked briskly toward the riverbank, a routine he followed whenever he felt distressed—walking to a place where duckweed grew, mainly gazing at the lush green vegetation, as if his whole mind would become more open.

"These people must have been sent from other villages. They're envious of Tongxin Village's improving situation, so they sent people to cause trouble... That must be it!"

His words had almost lost all logic, merely an attempt to find peace of mind. In this deserted stream, he bent down to look at his reflection—distorted and nestled among the green duckweed.

"The old man would never harm me!"

“…Right?”

Suddenly appearing in the icy river were a pair of blue hands. Huang Amao had never seen this color before; it was indigo from the underworld, a cold, chilling blue, as if the juice of a blue lotus blooming in a bitterly cold land had been extracted. In a daze, he saw what the owner of those hands looked like: a body as thin as paper; teeth that gleamed with a sharp, cold light when the mouth opened wide; and black hair as soft as seaweed, which would surely float in the water.

It emerged from the water without the slightest warning. In such a swift current, even the smallest ripple it created would go completely unnoticed.

In a flash of eye contact, Huang Amao didn't see its eyes, only knowing that its neck was gripped tightly by those dark, bluish hands. Like a pair of iron clamps, not only could it not break free, but its entire body was lifted up by this immense force and plunged towards the river surface.

……

"Eh?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Boom!"

Before he could react, water churned and a mouthful of icy river water was forced into his throat.

The maximum diving time for the average human is approximately 30 seconds to 2 minutes. If someone were to hold their breath for 2 minutes, depending on their physical condition, weaker individuals would likely require an ambulance. Even this figure is achievable with prior preparation. Surviving for 20 seconds after being suddenly and unexpectedly pulled into the water is already quite remarkable.

……

"Waaaaah... Waaaah—!!!"

Life turned into bubbles, slowly slipping away from his body. He prided himself on being able to swim a little, but those bluish-black hands instead grabbed his own ankles, dragging him towards the icy depths. It wasn't in a hurry; it simply held onto Huang Amao's ankles, letting him raise his hands above the water, flailing them haphazardly. Without the ability to tread water, there was no way to float; once his strength was exhausted, drowning was inevitable.

"Gudu..."

He swallowed another mouthful of water, and in a daze, he seemed to see again the bodies covered with white sheets under the old locust tree.

"So...that's how it is..."

The last mouthful of water choked me, and the buzzing in my ears felt like it was going to pierce my brain.

"It's all fake..."

……

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A giant steel hand pierced the water, grabbed him by the back of the neck, and freed him from the agony of suffocation.

Chapter 177: Though I killed him, I truly loved him.

"Ugh... Ugh... Cough cough cough—!!"

The boy's body was curled up like a shrimp, his back bent, and he subconsciously spat out a mouthful of river water. Facing him was an incredibly dazzling beam of light; in an era when the brightest man-made object was still a torch, this was undeniably avant-garde. To Huang Amao, it was as if two new suns had suddenly risen, shoving themselves directly into his eyes.

He vomited for a while, until all the bitterness in his stomach was expelled. He was so weak that he barely had the strength to speak. He struggled to sit up and saw something completely beyond his comprehension, standing quietly beside him like a silent guardian.

Even modern people would be terrified to see this thing, let alone an ancient person from 2000 years ago. The boy's brain went blank, but even so, he instinctively realized that it was this strangely shaped, huge iron behemoth that had pulled him back from the brink of death.

"Thanks……"

Meijin looked at him with some curiosity, then stretched out her finger and gently pressed Huang Amao's abdomen with the metal pad of her finger. She roughly knew what Da Xiong and the others had gone through, and she also knew that this was another country two thousand years ago, and even with such a long separation of time, the human body structure had not changed much.

……

"Dollars!"

Da Xiong, who came from the other side of the mountain forest, was deeply shocked by the scene before him.

The two headlights hanging in front of the US dollar bill illuminated everything vividly—several extremely thin shadows slowly emerged from the water, some leaning against the bluestone, others with half their heads showing in the water, all filled with these eerie, yellowish-orange eyes. These eyes, shimmering in the darkness, never blinked, like cat's-eye stones embedded in the gloom; although they had human limbs and torsos, they were more like animals overall.

“It’s a water ghost…” Asur clicked her tongue. At this moment, she and Da Xiong had reached a tacit understanding and explained spontaneously without asking, “It’s an Eastern monster. Those who die accidentally in the water or commit suicide in rivers, lakes, or seas are filled with resentment and cannot be reincarnated as humans. So they linger in the water and become water ghosts. They lure living people into the water or directly drag them into the water to drown them.”

"One theory is that only by finding the substitute in the water can the water ghost re-enter the cycle of reincarnation and be reborn as a human."

"Eh~~~ I see." Shizuka exclaimed after being taught another wonderful piece of knowledge, "Looking at it this way, it does look a bit like a kappa."

"In Western mythology, there are also mermaids who use songs to attract people, right?" Da Xiong murmured, looking at the water ghosts clinging to the shore with disheveled hair and bluish-green skin. "They're just a little different in appearance."

……

The turbulent river swirled, and amidst the ceaseless rushing water, a figure parted the spray, stepping onto the steps formed by the river, and slowly emerged from within.

The man was dressed in a dark black Taoist robe, wearing a jujube-shaped hat, a yellow cloud-patterned blanket, a seven-star sword at his waist, and water-fire boots on his feet. His cracked skin hadn't improved, but his back was unusually straight, his eyes held a strange excitement, and his complexion was unnaturally ruddy. His white hair and beard were gathered together, his eye sockets were deeply sunken, and his eyes, devoid of any muddiness, gave him a very capable appearance. At this moment, Liu Ran's appearance and aura had undergone a completely different transformation; he was unusually fierce, making Da Xiong almost unable to believe that he was the old man he had met on his first day in the village.

"Old man..."

The moment he saw him, all his remaining hope shattered. He gritted his teeth, squeezing out the last bit of strength from his body, and barely managed to stand up, asking in a voice barely audible, "What... was it really you who caused trouble for Old Zheng's family?"

"Don't you already know the answer?" Liu Ran asked with a smile.

……

The boy's expression was even more distraught than when he had just been pulled from the water. Perhaps at this moment, something within him had shattered completely. Yet, he still murmured, his brows almost knitted together, and asked in a trembling voice, "Why?"

"I think I told you that the day I taught you how to pick duckweed, right?"

Liu Ran slowly drew the Seven Star Sword from his waist. The sword was much thicker than he had imagined, with mottled red marks on its surface. The iron-smelting technology of that era couldn't produce weapons as thin as modern ones; it all depended on the craftsman's skill. This sword was clearly old. The moment it was drawn, a strange sword sound rang out from its blade. It was quite remarkable that a man in his nineties could wield such a precious sword using only the strength of his wrist.

"I am used to picking useful medicinal herbs, but I would never harm immature seedlings. Just like the ancient sages who hunted birds, they always left one side open, giving it a way out. Why do you think that was? Was it out of pity for the young birds?"

"No, not entirely. After the fledglings return to the nest, they grow up and then give birth to new birds. When they come back next time, they continue to catch birds. This way, they can keep catching birds." His gaze towards Huang Amao was devoid of emotion, only a cold indifference remained, as if he were not looking at a fellow human being, but rather a butcher sizing up a sheep or a dog.

"This village has a very special location, surrounded by mountains and accompanied by streams, its spiritual energy never dissipates. On such a blessed land, one can create a 'Returning Soul to Heaven' feng shui arrangement, transferring the lifespan of others to my use. Coincidentally, there are already villagers living here... It couldn't be more perfect? ​​The people here live to be over seventy years old, most people don't live to that age, so why can't I use their lifespan?"

"You killed someone."

Da Xiong stared directly into those aged eyes. At that moment, all of Liu Ran's identities faded away. In Da Xiong's eyes, he was nothing more than a "murderer."

"No matter how high-sounding the reasons may be, this is the truth. You turned people who could have lived much longer into your nourishment!"

"No, no, no..." After saying "no" three times, Liu Ran slowly raised the Seven Star Sword, looked at Da Xiong and the other two, and laughed wildly. Even though he barely had any teeth left, he still exuded the wildness that only young people have. His half-closed eyes suddenly opened, like a coyote entering hunting mode.

"Life in this world is filled with a thousand kinds of suffering. Let's not even mention birth, old age, sickness, and death. The political situation in the court is constantly changing. I look at the clouds in the sky. The White Emperor is approaching the city. The next chaotic era is coming soon... Foreigner, have you ever seen a real chaotic era? It's better to be a dog in times of peace than to be born as a human in times of chaos."

"It's like a giant slowly walking over everyone, crushing you without even looking down at you—that's the essence of a chaotic world. Countless people are killed, starved, or die unjustly!"

Da Xiong was stunned by these words, his scalp tingling. He had never been so acutely aware of the two-thousand-year generation gap between himself and the person in front of him. Even if he wanted to have a proper conversation, he didn't know where to begin.

Such a mad theory was already chilling and unacceptable, but after twirling his sword, the old Taoist priest uttered an even more weighty statement.

"Though I killed them, I was helping them escape from an endless sea of ​​suffering... In truth, I loved them!"

"Gah——!!"

A sword's edge points out.

The water ghost, which had been huddled in the river, seemed to be startled and let out a series of screams before lunging forward.

Chapter 178: The initial wish has been forgotten.

"【Wind God Fan】————!"

Nobita immediately pulled out the corresponding gadget and swung it fiercely, creating a hurricane that instantly blew away the swarm of water ghosts that were rushing towards them. Although they looked terrifying, they were actually solid entities and much lighter than expected. They fell back into the water like dumplings, turning into black ink stains.

However, this strong wind, strong enough to snap trees in two, didn't move Liu Ran an inch. He clasped his hands together in front of his chest, making a rather complex and ambiguous gesture, as if he had instantly become thousands of times heavier, and stood steadily in the wind. His dark black Taoist robe fluttered in the wind, but he remained motionless, only his gaze towards Da Xiong held a slightly amused expression.

"Oh, is that so? I knew it; your group's origins weren't too questionable." He made an ancient hand gesture with one hand, his face unusually flushed. "However, since we're all alchemists, things become much simpler..."

The rustling forest, the seemingly boiling river, and the faint, mournful howls in the air all foreshadowed something ominous. Da Xiong was exceptionally perceptive in these matters; when the invisible malice was projected from all directions, he knew that he could not delay any longer.

"Dollars!"

With a low, metallic clatter, Meijin lay down, transforming back into a Jeep. It honked twice, the headlights flashed, and the doors opened automatically, parking perfectly alongside Shizuka. Anyone unaware of the situation would probably think a seasoned driver with decades of experience was inside.

"Shizuka, you go with Asur. You must destroy the underground array's core immediately. According to the Chicken Foot God, as long as the core is destroyed, everything will end." Nobita dared not take his eyes off his opponent; his intuition told him that this enemy was unlike any he had ever encountered before. "I'll hold him off and buy you time!"

"..."

The true value of a childhood sweetheart relationship lies here; in that brief moment, at least dozens of words welled up in his throat. Because Nobita's order was very vague and abstract: no one knew where the array's core was, not even Nobita himself. The closest clue was that it should be underground, in the same place as the ghost ginseng nourished by human blood. Once found, how to destroy it was another problem. Would it be dangerous for Nobita to stay behind alone to cover their retreat…?

Despite all the questions, she swallowed all her unease and, in a flash, gave Nobita a firm nod.

"Leave it to me, Nobita. You be careful!"