Chapter 203: Chapter 204: The Thing That Can’t Sleep

Translator: 549690339

The further west we went, the more lush the scenery became.

This vast wilderness hadn’t withered with the arrival of autumn.

The green grass river, winding and twisting, had the group heading to Miao Kingdom stopping to let the horses and Dragon Beasts drink.

They had hired two Dragon Shepherds, a husband-and-wife team that frequently escorted distant merchants and travelers. They conducted their business around the Imperial City’s inns and towns, and although their cultivation bases weren’t exceptionally high, the Dragon Beasts they raised were generally comfortable to ride, had ample stamina, and were good at long journeys

The husband and wife both looked rather dark and stout. Apart from the Dragon Beasts they could summon, there were also a few Juvenile Spirits around them, acting like their offspring, always lively and bustling around them.

“This grassland is home to a flock of Iron Eagles. As soon as we take to the sky, they will swarm over as if we’re invading their territory. But once we’re past here, we can fly for a distance and reach Long River City directly,” said the male Dragon Shepherd.

“Are there not many regions where one can fly?” Fang Niannian asked with some curiosity.

She didn’t quite understand.

Since becoming a Dragon Shepherd, and given that Dragons are among the most revered of all creatures, why was there such a great restriction on flying? Surely the wilderness couldn’t all be occupied by ancient demons?

“It depends on your knowledge of the area. If you are certain that there aren’t any powerful creatures claiming the airspace, then you can fly freely. However, during a journey, the vast majority of territories are unfamiliar. How many Monster Groups or demon lairs there are is unknown. Without overwhelming strength to intimidate or fight them off, entanglement in battle could make the trip much slower than traveling by land,” explained the male Dragon Shepherd.

“Actually, the most important reason is that once creatures in this world possess a spirit, they acquire a certain level of intelligence and become cunning and skilled in ambush and tailing. If they sense the scent of combat, they will loiter nearby, relentlessly pursuing the wounded and directly pouncing on those who are too exhausted to fight. Even if the odds are small, just one encounter can severely slow down the journey and put you in a perilous situation,” added his wife.

Fang Niannian nodded as if she understood, yet she didn’t.

Anyway, she had no intention of becoming a Dragon Shepherd herself.

But if in the future they lacked a seasoned Dragon Shepherd to lead the way, issues were bound to arise, so she needed to pick up some experience.

When they first left the Li Chuan Continent for the Supreme Court Imperial City, Zhu Minglang chose the route with stability in mind, mostly flying along areas with city roads.

The grass was luxuriant; even the rivers seemed to be covered by it. At a glance, all one could see was a vast and sprawling forest of green grass, with the rivers silently weaving through them.

Dressed in cinnabar silk, a light purple ribbon encircled Nan Lingsha’s slender waist. She let a piece of rice paper float in front of her, and her ink brush began to casually outline

Her painting was very casual, not as focused as usual—she seemed to be just practicing.

But within the rice paper, the wilderness, the grass, and the faintly discernible Clear River leaped from the page, effortlessly capturing the spirit of the scene.

Yun Zhonghe glanced at her, noticed the bamboo tube filled with water on a large rock beside Nan Lingsha, used to dilute the ink, and thus stepped forward proactively to fetch some water from the river.

“Miss, this painting is exquisite,” Yun Zhonghe said.

Nan Lingsha stopped her brush and looked at Yun Zhonghe without saying a word, but her beautiful eyes seemed to say: Do I know you?

Yun Zhonghe felt a bit awkward.

She apparently didn’t remember him at all.

Do defeated enemies not deserve to have names?

“I am Yun Zhonghe. I had the honor to exchange knowledge of the Power of God and Mortality with the miss in the City of Mechanisms, where I was defeated by you,” confessed Yun Zhonghe.

“Hmm,” Nan Lingsha responded with a hum and then focused back on her painting.

Yun Zhonghe scratched his head and walked away, knowing when to take a hint.

“Zhu Minglang, Zhu Minglang, look quickly,” Fang Niannian tugged at Zhu Minglang’s sleeve at that moment, pointing in the direction of Nan Lingsha.

“What is it?” Zhu Minglang asked, puzzled.

“Sister Xinghua is feeding the Juvenile Spirits, and Sister Lingsha is showing her the painting she just finished,” Fang Niannian said.

Zhu Minglang looked over and saw that Nan Lingsha had finished her painting and walked over to Li Xinghua. He unfolded the painting and whispered with Li Xinghua.

Although Nan Lingsha didn’t wrap her arms around Li Xinghua affectionately like Nan Yuso did, the atmosphere was clearly different.

“It seems like you guessed right,” Zhu Minglang said.

Indeed, Li Xinghua had a more harmonious relationship with Nan Lingsha.

“A woman’s intuition is always right,” Fang Niannian said somewhat proudly.

Zhu Minglang gave a perfunctory thumbs-up.

“What’s wrong?” Nan Lingsha saw that Li Xinghua seemed a bit distracted and asked with curiosity.

Li Xinghua didn’t immediately respond. Her gaze drifted to the end of the wilderness, and after a while, she raised her eyes to look at the increasingly darkening sky ahead.

The painting by Nan Lingsha.

The darkening sky before her.

This scene seemed all too familiar.

“What did you see?” Nan Lingsha pressed on.

“Something terrible, at the end of the wilderness,” Li Xinghua had a somewhat pale complexion. At this moment, some brutal images surged into her mind, causing a fine sheen of sweat to appear on her forehead.

Nan Lingsha wiped her brow and softly said, “Has it already happened?”

“It’s very vague, I can’t see clearly.”

“Was it that which woke you up last night?” Nan Lingsha asked.

“Mhm,” Li Xinghua nodded.

“I’ll go take a look.” Nan Lingsha knew that Li Xinghua often had nightmares. What was worse was that her nightmares often manifested in reality, and even took place around her.

Under such circumstances, she often couldn’t sleep for a long time. If she ignored them, it would torment her conscience.

Li Xinghua shook her head and said, “I can’t see clearly; I cannot predict the danger.”

“It’s fine,” Nan Lingsha quietly consoled her.

“What’s wrong?” Zhu Minglang approached, having been watching the two sisters the whole time. He also noticed that Miss Xinghua looked different, seemingly afraid of something.

“I’m going to check out the end of the wilderness,” Nan Lingsha said.

“I’ll accompany you  Niannian, come over and talk to Sister, I’ll take a walk with Miss Lingsha,” Zhu Minglang said.

“Alright,” Fang Niannian replied.

Zhu Minglang also sensed that something was off, especially the fearful look in Li Xinghua’s eyes. Her fear seemed to stem from the end of the wilderness.

What had happened there?

Had Li Xinghua foreseen something there?

“Be careful, that’s something we’ll encounter later on,” Li Xinghua said.

“That’s all the more reason to go and see clearly,” Nan Lingsha said.

In the past few days, Zhu Minglang had noticed Li Xinghua looking quite pallid, as if she hadn’t rested well each day.

Could it be that she was foreseeing something that kept her from sleeping peacefully?