abcnovels
Chapter 490: Cowheart Village
Chapter 490: Cowheart Village
Chapter 490: Cowheart Village
A group of soldiers was in the middle of training on a flat field used for drying rice in Cowheart Village. Gao Zhijian was sitting on a boulder, frowning while staring at the soldiers before him.
His mind was still busy pondering over what had happened not too long ago.
The other disciples… they don't believe me at all. Gao Zhijian thought. Logically, he ought to feel angry, but surprisingly, Gao Zhijian was not angry at all. Even he couldn’t believe the chaotic scenes that had been popping up in his head recently. It was highly likely that he was once an emperor. He once lived in a palace and was surrounded by many people who catered to his every whim.
However, his memories of those times were incomplete. There were large gaps filled with many different bizarre deaths and events; he had lived multiple lives with drastically different lifestyles compared to when he was an emperor.
Gao Zhijian felt like his memories weren't his own but were a confused mixture of many people's memories in a variety of sizes. Gao Zhijian became suspicious. Were the chaotic memories fake? What if he had become a lunatic like Senior Li?
Gao Zhijian knew that he had to know his past and find his true self amidst the chaotic memories. However, he did not want to go back unless it was absolutely necessary. He wanted to stay here, as he had decided that things were going well.
He liked Cowheart Village, and he liked the name Gao Zhijian—he was Gao Zhijian.
A hazy figure flashed across his mind, and his lips unconsciously parted to reveal a sincere smile. Living together with everyone was the freest he had ever been; he had lived a life of luxury within a magnificent palace. He ate well, and he had warm clothes to wear, but the air within the palace was cold and uncomfortable.
He disliked living in that palace.
Gao Zhijian thought about many things while sitting on the boulder. When he came back to his senses, he found that the dozen or so soldiers were flailing their wooden halberds in a disorderly manner. This group was taking advantage of his distraction to slack off.
Gao Zhijian picked up a small stick and walked over to them. He struck the soldiers on their backs, correcting their postures. The attack contained just enough strength to hurt but not injure the soldiers. Clearly, Gao Zhijian was an expert at controlling his strength.
The soldiers were too skinny. They needed more muscles to become even stronger for the sake of cultivating martial arts. Gao Zhijian's job was to train troops for Cowheart Village, and it was all according to Senior Li’s instructions.
The soldiers sighed and groaned, and time ticked by just like that. The demanding physical training session had increased their appetites, and they wolfed down their food during dinner.
They were enduring such hardship not because they wanted to do so. It was all for the sake of a salary, which was a hundred cents on top of their daily rations.
Today’s dinner was soy sauce fried rice. It was salty and oily, thanks to the lard. It was a perfect meal to replenish their lost energy, and the dish itself was rather easy to cook.
Chun Xiaoman wasn't in the crowd, so Gao Zhijian discreetly kept an eye out for her.
After dinner, Gao Zhijian went to the kitchen. He fried two eggs and covered the soy sauce fried rice with them. He then walked out and carried a bowl and chopsticks with him toward the Bai Family’s Ancestral Hall.
More specifically, Gao Zhijian made a beeline for the hall just in front of the ancestral hall, where Chun Xiaoman led a group of people to recite the chants of the White Lotus Sect.
“Eat,” Gao Zhijian said, placing down a bowl of fried rice before Chun Xiaoman.
“Hey! Big guy, you really are something, huh? Why did you bring food for only one person? We haven't yet, you know?!” Lu Xiucai said, sounding dissatisfied.
Gao Zhijian didn’t even bother to look at Lu Xiucai.
Chun Xiaoman's chanting came to a halt. He looked up at the others and said, “Let’s stop here for today and have dinner.”
The four girls nodded respectfully. Lu Xiucai cast a look of disdain at Gao Zhijian before following the four girls up the stairs.
Chun Xiaoman proceeded to eat the bowl of fried rice. “How are things on your side? Were they also obedient today?”
“Still... still... still... okay!”
“Ah, I'm struggling here. Only a few people have been able to memorize these chants so far, which makes sense because a high level of comprehension is necessary to memorize these chants. Those with low comprehension will have no accomplishments, no matter how many times they recite.
“We're all human beings, so I don’t know why there’s such a big difference between each of us. I wonder when we'll finally learn everything.
"Oh, I have something to tell you, and you may not believe me, but that bum Lu Xiucai has the highest comprehension level among the people here. You have no idea how smug he was when he learned that.”
Gao Zhijian stood quietly, listening to Chun Xiaoman without saying anything. Once Chun Xiaoman had finished venting her frustrations, the bowl of soy sauce fried rice that Gao Zhijian had prepared for her had also been polished clean.
Gao Zhijian picked up the empty bowl and was going to leave when Chun Xiaoman called out to him. “Zhijian, you no longer have to bring me food. Xiaohai will leave some for me in the kitchen.”
Chun Xiaoman then pursed her lips with a complex expression. “I've sworn to never marry, and I have no intention of breaking my oath. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”
“Hmm…”
“Hey, I’m being straightforward here. We’re all brothers and sisters forever, so I've got to tell you the truth. I don’t want to lose you as my brother. Of course, I’ll tell Zhao Wu the same thing.”
Gao Zhijian was quiet. He was the only one aware of the pain that pierced his heart the moment he heard Chun Xiaoman's words. However, he had inadvertently failed to suppress some of his anguish as the empty bowl in his hand fractured with a crack.
Chun Xiaoman walked up to Gao Zhijian and stared intently into the latter's eyes. “A place to call home is rare for us with disabilities. We must cherish what we have, for many people wish to have what is ours.”
“I'm sure you know, but people like us can only be sold, beaten, and treated like garbage. We're not even human in their eyes, which is why I want you to focus on what matters, Zhijian. We must also work hard to protect our home.”
“Mmhm.” Gao Zhijian nodded and cut a desolate figure as he turned around and walked toward the stairs with the empty bowl in his hand.
Chun Xiaoman felt a little guilty as she stared at his departing figure. However, she was still convinced that he had to make a decision sooner rather than later. With that, she sat back down and picked up the books on the ground before reciting the chants.
These chants weren't comparable to Li Huowang's supernatural powers, but she dared not underestimate them and was ravenous in her studies. Her comprehension wasn't as high as Lu Xiucai’s comprehension, but diligence could make up for a lack of talent. If studying for six hours a day wasn’t enough, then she'd study for even longer.
Even gold and stones could be split with hard work, and she had a lot of work to do, as she could barely use a few simple divine chants. She'd never want a repeat of her harrowing experience long ago when her own father had sold her away, and she had no choice but to acquiesce.
Before Chun Xiaoman could become engrossed in her studies, rapid footsteps echoed from the staircase. A panicking Lu Xiucai rushed down the stairs and exclaimed, “A group of bandits have entered our village and are killing people on sight! We already have a few casualties!”