sinovels Chapter 29 Humans are not plants or trees
Chapter 29 Humans are not plants or trees
It was a bluish-white jade pendant with a lifelike fox carved on it, and two red gemstones inlaid in the fox's eyes.
The jade pendant has some charred marks on its edges, indicating that it has been exposed to intense fire.
"What about Taoist Wang?" Zhou Ning asked.
Xiao Cui shook her head: "I don't know. He disappeared after that night. Some people say he ran away with the treasures he looted from our house, others say he was killed by the curse my grandfather cast before he died. Anyway, no one has ever seen him again."
"So you two sisters... have been staying here all this time?"
Xiao Cui nodded: "My sister led me all the way here. We settled down in this mountain and have lived here for over a hundred years."
"Then why did your sister kidnap those women?"
Zhou Ning asked the most crucial question.
Xiao Cui lowered her head and remained silent for a long time.
"Because...because we're dying."
Zhou Ning was taken aback: "Is he dying?"
Xiao Cui nodded: "Although the lifespan of foxes is longer than that of humans, it is not infinite. Our relatives were killed, our homes were burned down, and the foundation of our cultivation was destroyed."
"Over the years, my sister has been trying to keep us alive, but... but the results are getting worse and worse."
"About six months ago, my sister discovered a way to extend our lifespan by absorbing the life force of humans."
Zhou Ning's heart sank: "So, she went and kidnapped those women?"
Xiao Cui's tears welled up again:
"My sister didn't want to hurt anyone. She tried many methods—gathering herbs, refining elixirs, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon… but nothing worked. She… she did it for me."
"for you?"
Xiao Cui nodded: "My health is much worse than my sister's. Over the years, my sister has been taking care of me. Half a year ago, I became very ill and almost died. My sister... my sister was desperate, so she... so she harmed people."
Zhou Ning fell silent.
He understood what Xiao Cui meant.
The white-clad woman's abduction of an innocent woman was certainly an evil act.
But her motive was to save her only family member.
While this doesn't excuse her crimes, it at least made Zhou Ning understand her predicament.
"Where are the women your sister abducted now?" he asked.
Xiao Cui said, "Most of them were released by you, sister. Only a few... a few are still staying at the temple because their life force was drained too much and they are too weak. You are taking care of them."
"Take care of?" Zhou Ning frowned.
"Taking their life force is called caring for them?"
Xiao Cui quickly replied, "No, sister only takes a little bit each time, so it won't harm their lives. Besides, sister will give them a medicine that can help them recover their vitality. Sister takes care of all their food, clothing, and daily necessities while they live in the temple."
Zhou Ning thought for a moment and said, "Then can you take me to see your sister?"
Xiao Cui hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
She led Zhou Ning through the tunnel to a hidden cave behind Lanruo Temple.
The cave was much more spacious than the tunnel, and it was furnished like a simple home.
There were several stone beds, covered with dry grass and animal hides.
Several young women were sitting on the stone bed; some were embroidering, some were reading, and some were resting with their eyes closed.
Although their faces were somewhat pale, they were in good spirits and did not appear to have been abused.
They were all a little surprised to see Zhou Ning come in, but they were not panicked.
"Xiao Cui, who is this...?" asked a slightly older woman.
Xiao Cui said, "He came to see his sister."
The woman looked Zhou Ning up and down and said:
"Are you looking for Miss Bai? She went out and hasn't come back yet."
Miss Bai?
It seems the woman in white is surnamed Bai.
Zhou Ning cupped his hands in greeting: "My name is Zhou Ning. May I ask, young lady, how long have you been staying here?"
The woman said, "I've been staying here for two months. Miss Bai has been very kind to us, providing us with food and clothing, and even helping us with our medical treatment."
"Don't you want to go home?"
The women looked at each other and remained silent for a moment.
The woman sighed and said:
"Of course we want to! But Miss Bai said our bodies are still too weak to withstand the bumpy ride. She said she'll send us back once we've recovered."
Zhou Ning then asked, "Do you know that Miss Bai is draining your life force?"
The women's expressions changed; they were clearly unaware of this.
Xiao Cui quickly explained, "Sister...she didn't mean it. She just...she just needs a little bit of life to stay alive. She won't hurt you, she really won't."
The older woman was silent for a moment, then said:
"Actually... I guessed it a long time ago."
Zhou Ning was taken aback: "You guessed it?"
The woman nodded: "I've been living here for two months. Although Miss Bai has been very kind to us, I feel my health is deteriorating day by day. I used to be able to embroider flowers all day long, but now I get exhausted after half an hour. I'm wondering if Miss Bai has done something to us."
She paused, then continued, "But... I don't blame her."
"Why?" Zhou Ning asked.
The woman smiled, a bitter smile tinged with sadness:
"Because, without Miss Bai, I would have died long ago."
She told her story.
Her name was Xiulan, and she was the wife of a poor scholar in the south of Guobei County.
Three months ago, her husband fell seriously ill, and the family was so poor that they couldn't even afford the medicine.
Desperate, she decided to go to the mountains outside the city to gather some herbs, but she accidentally fell off a cliff.
"I thought I was going to die," Xiulan said.
"It was Miss Bai who saved me. She carried me here, treated my wounds, and gave me medicine. She saved my life."
Zhou Ning fell silent.
He looked at the other women, and they all nodded in agreement.
"I was also saved by Miss Bai."
"Me too."
"Me too."
Zhou Ning took a deep breath, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
This woman in white is both the perpetrator and the savior.
She absorbed the life force of the innocent in order to save her own sister.
She also rescued those in distress and gave them a place to stay.
Good and evil are intertwined in her, inseparable.
"My sister is back."
Xiao Cui's voice interrupted Zhou Ning's thoughts.
He turned around and saw a woman in white standing at the cave entrance; she was the same woman he had fought with the night before.
Her shoulder was still wrapped in bandages, and traces of blood could be faintly seen.
When she saw Zhou Ning, her expression changed, and she suddenly drew the short sword from her waist.
"It's you!"
Zhou Ning raised his hands to indicate that he meant no harm:
"Miss Bai, I'm not here to fight."
The woman in white sneered, "Then what are you doing here? Have you come to arrest me?"
Zhou Ning shook his head: "I'll listen to your story."
The woman in white was taken aback and looked at Xiao Cui.
Xiao Cui lowered her head, not daring to look at her.
"What did you say to her?" The woman in white asked, her voice tinged with anger.
Xiao Cui whispered, "Sister...I...I told him everything."
The woman in white's face turned very pale.
She glared at Zhou Ning, her eyes full of vigilance.
"What do you want?"
Zhou Ning looked at her and said calmly:
"Miss Bai, I understand your predicament. But your actions have indeed hurt innocent people."
"Innocent?" the woman in white sneered.
"Those women's ancestors killed my entire family, and you call that innocence?"
Zhou Ning said, "That was done by their ancestors, it has nothing to do with them. Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. You shouldn't vent your hatred on innocent descendants."
A flicker of pain flashed in the white-clad woman's eyes:
"What about my sister? She's dying, what am I supposed to do? Am I just supposed to watch her die?"
Zhou Ning was silent for a moment, then said, "Perhaps there is another way."
"What method?" the woman in white asked.
Zhou Ning took out a pill from his pocket. It was a "Neiyuan Pill" that Yan Chixia had prepared for him, which could strengthen the body's foundation, nourish vital energy, and replenish vitality.
"This pill can temporarily stabilize your sister's life." Zhou Ning handed over the pill.
"As for a longer-term solution, I need to go back and consult my master."
The woman in white looked at the pill and hesitated for a long time.
Finally, she reached out and accepted the pill.
"Why...why are you helping us?" she asked.
Zhou Ning said, "Because my master taught me that cultivators should be able to distinguish right from wrong and protect the weak. Although you made a mistake, it doesn't warrant death. Your sister is even more innocent."
He looked at the woman in white and continued:
"Moreover, the women you abducted are willing to speak up for you. They say you saved their lives."
The woman in white looked at the other women, a complex expression flashing in her eyes.
Xiulan stepped forward and said softly, "Miss Bai, Young Master Zhou is right. We understand your difficulties. But harming others is ultimately wrong. We are willing to help you and help you think of other solutions."
The other women nodded in agreement.
The woman in white's eyes reddened.