“How is Brother Hao doing?” Zhenzhu asked. Due to the prolonged war, Yong Saiweihao had been in the army for two years now. She received news intermittently that he and his father would alternate in battle. Although Zhenzhu had confidence in his martial skills, she couldn’t help but worry. It had been a long time since they last met, and she wondered how he was doing now. “He has been going to battle more frequently. Father and Big Brother are trying to end the war as quickly as possible because the people are suffering greatly. But I don’t know much about the details of the battles,” Li Si said. She had grown up in a general’s family and was somewhat accustomed to the battles, yet she still worried a lot about her father and big brother. This update ıs available on novel•fire.net “Let’s hope the war ends soon,” Madam Wang said, feeling sorry for the people suffering due to the power-hungry rulers. Li Si naturally fit in well with the He family as always. She had an uncanny ability to get along with others. After finishing their meal, Zhenzhu led the visiting guest to her own residence because this stubborn guest refused to sleep in the guest residence and insisted on staying in Zhenzhu’s place. Given this, Zhenzhu just let it be. As soon as they entered the residence, Li Si quickly pulled her to sit on the wooden bench by the bed in a secretive manner. “What’s going on? Why are you acting ?” “Big Brother sent something important for you,” Li Si whispered. “Something important? What is that something important?” Zhenzhu raised an eyebrow while asking. Li Si reached into her dimensional ring and pulled out two objects and a living creature. The two objects were a Fenghuang feather and a dragon blood amber, while the living creature made Zhenzhu’s eyes widen. “A black turtle?” Inside the cage was a small black turtle, peeking its head out briefly before retreating back into its shiny black shell, which looked strangely familiar. “Yes, Big Brother sent all of this to you. But this black turtle is very stubborn. It’s very attached to Big Brother. It took a lot of his spirit energy to persuade it,” Li Si said. Zhenzhu was puzzled. How did it take so much spirit energy to persuade it? And why did it need persuading in the first place? Was it to give it to her? “How did he get it? And why is this black turtle meant for me?” Zhenzhu asked, confused. “I don’t know either. He just said that all of this is yours.” She was merely the messenger. Zhenzhu looked at the two objects Li Si brought. One was a fenghuang feather, and the other was dragon blood amber. Reflecting on past events, she remembered being upset over Baihu and not caring where these items had fallen. She hadn’t bothered to look for them. She hadn’t expected that Brother Hao had gone to collect them for her. Her heart pounded strangely. But when she looked at the little turtle peeking in and out of its shell, she was amazed. Why did this little turtle’s shell seem so familiar? “That’s the divination turtle shell!” Zhenzhu realized. Back then, Baihu had requested a turtle shell from her to create a formation. She had learned that the turtle shell, infused with a soul, was a semi-divine beast like Baihu and Xiao She. She hadn’t expected that now it had managed to form a physical body. “Hmph, as powerful as I am, why wouldn’t I be able to create a physical form? It’s a pity I have to be with someone like you. I’d rather be with A’Hao,” a voice suddenly said, startling Zhenzhu. “I am a semi-divine creature, why wouldn’t I be able to talk? It’s good to see you. Send me back to A’Hao. I can help him much more than that arrogant plant.” The little turtle told Zhenzhu. “Yes, the arrogant Spirit and Soul plant you sold to A’Hao. It’s grown quite pompous now. I will go back and eat its roots,” the little black turtle said stubbornly. Zhenzhu deduced that Brother Hao’s Spirit and Soul plant and this black turtle probably did not get along. “Why did Brother Hao send you to me?” “He said I belong to you. My soul has been bonded to yours since before I had a physical form. That’s why he sent me back. Please send me back to him.” It didn’t want to be in a vegetable garden, eating plants every day. As a great semi-divine creature, he should be fighting alongside a mighty warrior.” “How did you create a physical form?” Zhenzhu asked in confusion. Wasn’t it just a turtle shell back then? “Using the power of the Five-Sacrifice Formation.” “C... Can Baihu come back like you did?” Zhenzhu asked excitedly. "How could it come back? The fragment of that furry beast’s soul might have been shattered or who knows what." It didn’t know whether Baihu’s fragment of soul had truly been destroyed or not, but it couldn’t sense any divine beast power at all. “N... No way?” Zhenzhu asked dejectedly. “There might still be a way if its soul remains.” “Really?!” Zhenzhu exclaimed with excitement. “You just need to find its soul.” “You formed a bond with it, didn’t you? Try using your soul to sense it. If its soul still lingers, you will be able to feel it.” The little black turtle couldn’t be sure where Baihu’s soul might be. It could have been following Zhenzhu all along, or it might be stuck in the place where it died. Hearing this, Zhenzhu became very excited. Even if it was a faint hope, at least there was a way to bring Baihu back. Without delay, she quickly told Li Si a few words and then sat down to close her eyes, using her soul to search for Baihu’s. Seeing that her friend was immersed in her search for Baihu’s soul, Li Si didn’t disturb her. She quietly laid out a blanket on the bed and sat, waiting for Zhenzhu. Alright, she already knew what had happened two years ago. Back then, her friend had sacrificed so much for the region that she lost her bonded beast. Even though Big Brother had tried, he couldn’t bring Baihu back for Zhenzhu. Li Si felt deeply for her friend. Li Si laid there thinking until she eventually drifted off to sleep. She didn’t know how long she slept, but when she woke with a start, she realized the sky, which had been dark, was now bright. Had she slept through the night? But when she looked for Zhenzhu, she saw that A’Zhu was still sitting in the same position as before. Don’t tell me that A’Zhu has been searching for Baihu’s soul all night long. Still could not find Baihu’s soul? Or has its soul really been extinguished? At this moment, Zhenzhu’s delicate eyebrows were furrowed as if she was deeply pondering. Seeing this, Li Si walked over to nudge her, urging her not to overdo it. “A’Zhu, A’Zhu, take a break. Look, it’s already morning.” “Hmm? Morning already? I still haven’t found Baihu’s soul,” Zhenzhu finally opened her eyes. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find Baihu’s soul. Yet she wouldn’t give up and continued to search, only to find nothing but emptiness. “Take a break for now,” Li Si quickly dragged Zhenzhu to wash up and get dressed before heading out for breakfast. “Big Sister, why do you look like you’ve been racing? Big Sister Li Si, did you snore and keep Big Sister up all night?” He Yu asked when he saw Zhenzhu looking more exhausted than usual. “How could that be? You little brat, I never snore.” Li Si knocked He Yu on the head. “It’s nothing. Where are father and mother?” Zhenzhu asked He Yu, who was sitting alone before the meal. “Father went to the association early, and mother went to check the compost at the end of the field. Some villagers brought more animal manure to sell, so she hurried to make compost.” “When will you set out on your journey? I’ll quickly send someone to borrow guards from the Master of the Water Dragon Sect for you.” Zhenzhu was quite worried about He Yu traveling alone. He was still very young, but since he wanted to travel the world, she supported him wholeheartedly. “A’Zhu, why go through the trouble of borrowing people? I can lend you my guards. They were trained alongside Big Brother, they’re not just ordinary guards. I can lend you four or five,” Li Si said. The He family was like her own family, and He Yu was like her little brother. If necessary, she could lend him even half of her guards, so five or six guards was no big deal. Zhenzhu thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. “Thank you.” It was about time she hired some skilled guards. The He family had the Flowers Engulf Sky Formation for protection, so she hadn’t felt the need to have guards for security. But now she needed to hire skilled guards to ensure the safety of her family members during long journeys or when they had to go out on business. Zhenzhu discussed this matter with Li Si, knowing that as the daughter of a general’s family, Li Si would know where to find skilled guards to hire. “For hiring guards, you must bring them in with a full contract for loyalty or train them from a young age. If you need them quickly, my family has a substantial private force. You can borrow them for several years, and once your own guards are trained, you can return them. As for martial arts instructors, we can request instructors from the Zhao family. I’ll ask Father and Big Brother for permission,” Li Si explained at length, happy that her friend was seeking her advice. “Alright, thank you.” “Big Sister, I’ll be leaving in a few days. This time, I will become a great grandmaster painter,” He Yu declared with unwavering determination. “Alright, I hope you succeed,” she smiled at He Yu. After the three finished their meal, Zhenzhu went to the end of the field to search for Baihu’s soul again, tirelessly. However, no matter how hard she searched, she couldn’t find it. There were two possibilities for not finding Baihu’s soul: either Baihu’s soul wasn’t here and might be on Mount Weishan, or the soul had completely dissipated. But Zhenzhu refused to consider the second possibility. If she couldn’t find it here, she would travel to Mount Weishan again. Baihu’s soul might be there. Zhenzhu still couldn’t find Baihu’s soul. She decided to travel to Mount Weishan again, determined to find it. “I have a proposal for you,” Zhenzhu said to the little black turtle. “Let’s hear it,” it poked its head out of its shell. “You must help me find Baihu’s soul and help Baihu form a physical body. If Baihu returns, I will give you to Brother Hao. How about that? You’ll get to be with Brother Hao as you wish.” This little black turtle was of no use to her. Its ability to predict and foresee could be more beneficial to Brother Hao. In great endeavors, accurate predictions could lead to greater success. As for her, she didn’t need a companion animal. If she couldn’t have Baihu, she didn’t want another. “And if Baihu’s soul is truly gone and can’t come back?” “If that’s truly the case, I’ll accept it. You can go and be useful to Brother Hao,” Zhenzhu murmured. “Alright then,” the black turtle agreed to the deal. “What’s your name? Do you have a name?” Zhenzhu asked. It had been with Brother Hao for almost two years. Hadn’t he given it a name? “Yongxian. A’Hao calls me Yongxian,” the little turtle said proudly, poking its head out of its shell. A’Hao had given it a beautifully poetic name. “Yongxian, Yongxian, you must call me Yongxian!” How could she call it Yong’er? Considering its age, it was tens of thousands of years older than her. Hmph. “Yong’er, Yong’er, Yong’er.” Zhenzhu deliberately called its name as if an adult was calling a child. After all, it had only formed its physical body two years ago, so in that sense, she was much older. With that, she quickly ducked into the residence, leaving the little turtle shouting after her. The next day, Zhenzhu packed her belongings into her dimensional bracelet before bidding farewell to her parents to continue her determination to find Baihu’s soul. “Take care of yourself and bring Baihu back, Zhu’er,” Madam Wang said. “You must be careful. The country is at war now. Don’t be careless,” He Lei emphasized. “Father, Mother, don’t worry about me. Li Si and her guards will be with me. I’ll bring Baihu back.” “Big Sister, when you return, I’ll probably be leaving. Good luck,” He Yu said sorrowfully. He had never traveled far or been away from his family before, and this would be his first time journeying alone, which made him quite anxious. “I wish you good luck too. May you paint the pictures you want and become the grandmaster painter you aspire to be. Xiao She, please take care of Yu’er for me.” Xiao She emitted a burst of spirit energy, indicating its acceptance of her request. “Thank you,” He Yu replied. Zhenzhu spent a long time bidding farewell to her family before setting off with Li Si, filled with hope. This time, she hoped she could finally bring Baihu home. The horses traveling group of Zhenzhu and Li Si headed south, with Mount Weishan as their destination. Li Si didn’t forget to send a fast horse ahead to inform her big brother, though she didn’t know if he was still at the military camp or not, as he and their father alternated between being at the battlefield and the camp. In Zhenzhu’s haste, they reached Mount Weishan in just six days and six nights. Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Zhenzhu wasted no time and quickly began climbing. “A’Zhu, A’Zhu,” Li Si ran and caught her friend’s arm just in time. “A’Zhu, you’re rushing too much. We’ve traveled for many days. Let’s rest at the military camp first.” She knew her friend wanted to find Baihu’s soul quickly, but overexerting herself would be bad for her health. “No buts. Let’s go, rest at the military camp first. Tomorrow, I’ll go up the mountain with you.” So, they continued to the military camp. As soon as they arrived, the soldier guards recognized Lady Zhao and let her in immediately, since the Young General had told them that Lady Zhao would come to the military camp and they must take care of her and not miss anything. They also recognized the Lady’s jade pendant from the Zhao family. But who was the other lady accompanying Lady Zhao? She looked familiar. The soldier guard looked at her, trying to remember where he had seen this woman before. The shout made all the soldiers around stop in their tracks. “Is it really Lady He?” “It really is Lady He. I recognize her!” “Lady He has returned! Lady He has returned!” The soldiers were overjoyed to learn that Lady He had come back to the camp. They wondered if her return meant they would get to eat spirit vegetables again. The news of Lady He’s return spread through the camp like wildfire. Soon, every soldier knew that Lady He was indeed back. Zhenzhu smiled and greeted them until her face hurt. She hadn’t expected such a warm reception upon her return, and it filled her heart with warmth. "Lady He is quite famous. My soldiers are so happy they’ve stopped working," a deep voice came from behind her as she was greeting a commander. The two women cried out in unison. Li Si immediately threw herself into her brother’s arms, while Zhenzhu greeted him according to custom. She looked at his handsome face, which hadn’t changed at all. Yong Saiweihao was still the man women would give their lives for. His handsome and charming face had only grown more captivating with the air of a seasoned soldier after two years of battles. His aura of power and elegance hadn’t diminished in the slightest. As Zhenzhu examined him, Yong Saiweihao couldn’t help but observe the young woman before him. In the past two years, she had grown and changed significantly. Her figure had matured into a beautiful woman, and her eyes the shape of apricot’s seed sparkled attractively. He gazed at her perfectly balanced face for a while before meeting her eyes again. It seemed like a spark passed between their eyes, but it was fleeting, and their expressions soon returned to normal. "Brother Hao, how have you been?" "I’m well. And you?" He gazed into her beautiful eyes. Though they still sparkled, they no longer held the same bright liveliness he remembered from two years ago. Back then, her cheerfulness would make everyone around her smile. Now she was more mature and composed, but her eyes still made the world seem a better place. He wondered what it would feel like to be an only man she looks at. "Not bad. I haven’t been sick. How are things now? The war has dragged on, and I imagine Brother Hao hasn’t had much rest." As a general, he bore the heavy responsibility of protecting their region. Times of war must be exhausting for him. The soldiers of the Yan Region were fewer than those of the Tang Region, but in terms of skill, the Yan Region’s soldiers were slightly superior. Moreover, nearly half of their soldiers could already practice spirit energy cultivation. So, despite having fewer troops, their combat skills were not lacking. "Go rest now. You’ve been traveling for many days and must be tired.” "What tiredness? If I hadn’t dragged her here first, she would have already gone up Mount Weishan," Li Si said, as if complaining that her friend was very stubborn and needed Big Brother’s firm hand. "W... well... wel..." Zhenzhu stammered, unable to come up with a word. She just wanted to hurry and find Baihu’s soul. “Alright, alright, I’ll forgive you for now. Go get some rest; hurry, my body is sore,” Li Si pulled Zhenzhu towards the guest residence as if it was second nature. Before they reached the guest residence, Zhenzhu had to greet numerous soldiers who came to talk to her, each in turn. Only after Yong Saiweihao sent a stern glare did the soldiers start to disperse. Finally, once Zhenzhu reached the guest residence, it was quieter. “A’Zhu, go take a bath and rest. I’m going to rest now too.” Li Si quickly washed up and lay down on the bed, exhausted. How could she not be tired after days of journey? It did not take her long before she fell asleep. Zhenzhu sat idly in the house. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to rest, but it was midday. Normally, she didn’t sleep during the day because it made her body feel more fatigued. Besides, she was a gold-tier spirit energy cultivator, almost reaching the white-tier, so she didn’t tire easily. Zhenzhu decided to leave the residence and head to the vegetable garden behind the kitchen. Would it become overgrown like it used to? It had been two years since she left, the vegetables garden might have turned into a forest. Read ‘Rebirth: This Farmgirl Has Spirit Fish Scales’ before anyone else with more Chapters at https://www.jinovel.com/en
