Evolution - Chapter 17
Chapter 17
By now, it was dusk, and traveling at night was out of the question. They studied the map for a long while, chose a route, and settled on a place to spend the night. After calculating the distance, they figured that if they pushed themselves, they could probably make it before dark.
Many people had set out from the starting point that day, and with the powerful cultivators in charge of recruitment acting as a deterrent, their journey to the chosen campsite was uneventful. During the hour-plus of travel, Ji Changqing and Luo Gengjiu managed to catch a rabbit and a slightly injured, disoriented pheasant.
For the little ones, catching prey was a joyous occasion. They all actively scanned their surroundings, and whenever they spotted edible wild vegetables or mushrooms, they would trot over, grab a handful, and keep moving. They had no choice—making good time was crucial, but so was feeding ten people. On top of that, they had to intermittently glance at their illustrated guides and try to learn.
Fortunately, aside from Luo Mingsheng and the two little boys, everyone else in the group could recognize at least some edible plants and mushrooms. The previously shy and quiet Er Ya, in particular, was an expert. The wild vegetables and mushrooms she gathered accounted for nearly half their haul, earning her cries of admiration from the other children, which in turn spurred them to try even harder.
Letting your capable teammates make you look useless was a cardinal sin of survival.
In a child's world, competition was always direct.
He Yi also found the little girl exceptionally capable. She was quiet, observant, and worked with clean efficiency—the perfect all-purpose assistant He Yi had always dreamed of. He Yi cracked her knuckles. Hmm, I can't find one in the real world, so why not try training one here? I'll just chalk it up to gaining experience in mentoring an assistant.
In addition to food, they also collected plenty of firewood, which they handed over to Luo Mingsheng to keep in her storage pouch. At first, the young girl was quite disdainful—shoving all sorts of things into her pouch. Did the pouch have no dignity? But since food was a major issue, she reluctantly accepted her role as the group's pack mule.
Gathering supplies as they went, they reached their chosen campsite just before night fell. Everyone immediately got busy setting up firewood, starting a fire, cutting the meat, and washing the vegetables.
In the cultivation world, camping in the wild was a simple affair. Luo Gengjiu scouted a high point not far from a water source, and with a few swift movements of her sword, she quickly dug out a cave about one and a half meters high, two meters wide, and two meters deep. She then built a fire inside to dry it out.
By the time she had finished her excavation, the aroma of cooking food was already wafting from outside.
They shared a meal of pheasant and mushroom stew, roasted rabbit, and two fish Ji Changqing had speared with a sharpened stick. After they finished the stew, they added more water to the broth, brought it to a boil, and threw in the wild vegetables, eating until they were mostly full.
After dinner, they arranged the night watch. There wasn't much to it, really. While the others had been preparing the meal, Luo Mingsheng had taken Gu Jiawen and He Yi to find some herbs that repelled snakes and insects. They had extracted the juice and sprinkled it in a circle around the campsite. The watch itself would be handled mainly by Ji Changqing and Luo Gengjiu, one taking the first half of the night and the other taking the second.
Luo Mingsheng stressed again that if they encountered danger, everyone had to follow orders. If they were scattered, each person would have to find their own way to the destination. After all, their objective was to reach the finish line within three days to pass the test, not to arrive as a complete group. There would be absolutely no time to search for lost teammates.
After everyone washed up, the two older girls gave the little ones a simple massage to relax their muscles, lest the children be too sore to walk the next day. They certainly weren't in any position to carry them.
With their cultivation, Luo Mingsheng and Luo Gengjiu could go two or three days without sleep, but no one knew what dangers lay ahead. It was better not to be overconfident, but to rest and conserve their strength.
After the massages, Luo Gengjiu cleared the embers from the cave. The six youngest children filed in, lying down fully clothed on the still-warm earth. Space for two more was left near the entrance. Luo Mingsheng and Luo Gengjiu, of course, wouldn't be sleeping in the cave. They had brought a two-person tent, which they pitched right at the entrance, effectively blocking the wind while leaving a small gap on one side for access.
While the two cultivators meditated in their tent, Ji Changqing and He Yi began practicing their physique techniques outside. They had been dropped into this test in a daze and had only realized while traveling that their physical condition perfectly matched their character profiles. They knew some rudimentary martial arts, but their fitness was far from excellent. Having never properly recovered from a serious illness, they were currently running on fumes, sustained only by their youth.
Practicing the physique technique was an excellent way to repair and improve their bodies, so the two started without hesitation. It was a case of practice makes perfect; having done it once before, they picked it up again quickly. They went through the motions again and again, only stopping, drenched in sweat, when they felt that familiar warmth spreading through their bodies.
Ji Changqing progressed much faster than He Yi. When she finished, she was ravenous. She ran to the spot where she had placed a crude, hastily woven bamboo basket in the water. Her original plan had been to check it in the morning for breakfast, but now it seemed it would have to serve as a late-night snack. She lifted it out and, sure enough, there were fish inside. She took them all out and placed the empty basket back in the water. With any luck, there'd be another catch by morning.
By the time He Yi finished her practice and collapsed onto the ground like a boneless cat, Ji Changqing had already finished roasting the fish. She unceremoniously hauled He Yi up, made her drink a bamboo tube of warm water, and then shoved a cooked fish into her hands.
Having finished their meditation, Luo Gengjiu and Luo Mingsheng silently lifted the tent flap and emerged, their actions clearly stating their desire to join the late-night meal.
Ji Changqing generously handed them one of the fish. Well, there were only three in total, and her distribution was blatantly biased: one for herself, one for He Yi, and one for the two Luos to share.
Luo Gengjiu and Luo Mingsheng didn't quibble over it. As Luo Gengjiu carefully deboned the fish and gave the meat to the younger girl, she made small talk with Ji Changqing. "Are you two practicing the same kind of martial art? I have a few manuals myself. If you're interested, you can take a look."
This offer was prompted by Ji Changqing and He Yi's impressive performance throughout the day, which had made Luo Gengjiu inclined to befriend them. Martial arts manuals were a dime a dozen in the cultivation world, but high-grade ones were not easily obtained. She considered their situation: poor spiritual roots, no family backing, no money, and no connections. With the path of a spell cultivator all but closed to them, their only hope lay in becoming sword or physique cultivators.
Even then, while Ji Changqing might manage, He Yi would have a difficult time. Offering them a few manuals that were worthless in her eyes was a simple way to build goodwill. One never knew when such a connection might prove useful.
Ji Changqing and He Yi didn't stand on ceremony. "Thank you," they said. "If there's ever anything we can do to help you in the future, we'll do our best."
Luo Mingsheng and Luo Gengjiu were satisfied with this. A few manuals that meant nothing to them in exchange for a promise from two capable people—at worst, they broke even; they certainly wouldn't lose out on the deal.
The four of them slowly finished the fish, after which the two Luos returned to their tent to rest. Ji Changqing took the first watch, sitting by the bonfire. He Yi took out the children's primers Luo Mingsheng had been reading from earlier and went through them, trying to unlock the latent knowledge her character's body should possess. At the same time, she helped Ji Changqing learn the characters and memorize the illustrations.
He Yi was a god-tier student, and Ji Changqing could be considered a top student in her own right. It took the two of them over an hour to get through one guide. Ji Changqing then waved the sleepy lightweight off to bed while she tried to tackle the other books on her own.
Early the next morning, just as the sky began to lighten, everyone woke up. Luo Gengjiu, who had taken the second watch, had already prepared a fish soup. She had also hunted a young, goat-like beast and was roasting it in large chunks over the fire. They couldn't afford to stop for every meal, so she had taken advantage of the animals coming to the water source in the morning to prepare both breakfast and lunch in one go.
The group quickly washed up, ate their meal, extinguished the fire, and set out early.
Their task for the day was particularly arduous. According to their plan, they needed to cover half the total distance. And the deeper they ventured into the mountain forest, the more dangers and unexpected events they would encounter.
The journey was tense but ultimately safe. They stopped midday to eat the roasted meat and leftover fish soup from the morning. The little ones were exhausted, so they were given another muscle-relaxing massage. After a short rest, the group set off again. The two better-dressed little boys started whimpering, muttering over and over, "I want to go home."
Luo Mingsheng's small face grew stern. "Weren't you thrilled when you tested positive for spiritual roots? If you pass this assessment and join the sect, you'll be able to fly through the heavens and move through the earth. A short walk like this will be over in the blink of an eye. But if you give up now, you'll be this exhausted every time you face a challenge!"
The two pampered boys looked at the other children, who were only silently rubbing their sore legs. Thinking about the future powers they could gain, and feeling ashamed that they were the only ones crying, they managed through sobs and hiccups to say they wouldn't go home.
Luo Gengjiu stood up, her gaze sweeping over the small children. "The three protection charges on your wooden tablets can also be used to forfeit the test," she said coolly. "If any of you can't take it anymore, just press the red dot, and you can leave. If you can't endure this small hardship, you'll have much worse to suffer in the future."
"I can endure it, no matter how hard it gets," Gu Jiawen said resolutely, his childish face set with determination. "I want to pass the assessment and join the sect to learn more."
"I... I can keep going, too," Er Ya said, clenching her small fists, her eyes shining with hope. "I don't think this is hard at all." Compared to her life at home—endless chores, never enough food or warm clothes, and frequent beatings and scoldings—this was nothing. Here, the older girls protected them, her new friends were teaching her to read, and people praised her when she helped with the meals...
These were things she had never even dared to dream of before.
Cao Hu and Zhao Xian also gritted their teeth and insisted they were fine, absolutely fine.
With Luo Gengjiu scouting ahead, they managed to avoid many of the threatening demonic beasts and plants. Their journey remained relatively peaceful until the sun began its descent in the west.
Luo Mingsheng watched her teammates huffing and puffing, staggering along despite their best efforts. The stamina of mortals was truly worrying. She gave a hand signal for a break, and the little ones collapsed on the spot as if they'd been granted a royal pardon. Soon, their sitting postures devolved into sprawling heaps on the ground.
Trekking over mountains and through valleys was exhausting. After lying down for a spell, everyone obediently sat up and began to eat the warm water and still-hot roasted meat that was passed around. They had yet to experience the power that came with cultivation, but they were already deeply appreciative of its conveniences.
Ji Changqing was tired, too. Her stamina was only slightly better than that of an ordinary person, and after standing watch the previous night, she'd had to remain on high alert all day, her nerves stretched taut. She sat casually on the ground, her hand resting near a long staff Luo Gengjiu had fashioned for her from a sturdy piece of wood. One end was sharpened to a point, and it served well enough as a makeshift weapon.
After about twenty minutes, everyone felt somewhat recovered. Luo Mingsheng called out, "Alright, we should reach tonight's campsite in a little over an hour. Let's push on!"
Their spirits lifted at her words, and their steps grew a little lighter.
Luo Gengjiu once again went on ahead to scout, her distant whistle signaling that the path was clear. The children paired up, leaning on each other as they moved forward.
A new, indistinct awareness was beginning to dawn on them. They were starting to understand that on this journey, while others could offer a measure of protection and care, the only person they could truly rely on was themselves.
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