I Got Together with the Goddess [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 33

Pedestrians on the road were all dressed in Miao ethnic clothing. Jiang Yiqing looked out the window; they had already reached the depths of the mountains. It was a world of lush greenery. The vehicle traveled along a winding “sheep-gut” path. Aside from the sound of the car’s movement, the surroundings were profoundly quiet.

A sudden sense of unease coiled in her heart. She couldn’t help but regret a little—how had she agreed so easily to come to a place where she knew no one and nothing? Even if Jiang Xuerou might have noticed something wrong with her, that was her biological mother after all. In the place where she lived, surrounded by people just like her, what did she have to fear?

But in a place like this, Jiang Yiqing felt an indescribable terror. She was never a brave person to begin with, and she now trembled at her own impulsiveness. The people here really knew how to raise Gu and cast spells; they could take a life in an instant.

Mingsheng’s aura also seemed to change upon reaching this place. She no longer displayed the sunny, cheerful disposition she had at Jiang’s house; she looked as though she were weighed down by heavy troubles, her expression turning solemn.

This made Jiang Yiqing even more flustered. She couldn’t help but reach out her finger to brush against the back of Mingsheng’s hand.

Mingsheng looked at her, masking her internal emotions. Finally, a hint of a smile appeared in her eyes. “Yiqing, is it too late to regret it now?”

“What are you saying?” A trace of panic reflected Jiang Yiqing’s pure pupils.

Mingsheng wanted to tease her even more. She leaned close to her ear, whispering almost against that white, soft earlobe, “Now that we’ve reached our Miao territory, this is my domain. Yiqing, you were persuaded by just a few words—how did you dare follow someone to the middle of nowhere?”

Meeting those eyes that had suddenly turned deep, Jiang Yiqing panicked, but she forced herself to remain calm as she looked back. “Mingsheng, you promised me…”

“Yes, I promised you. I will protect you and won’t let anyone bully you—and I shouldn’t bully you either.” Seeing her fear, Mingsheng’s heart softened instantly. She reached out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Jiang Yiqing’s ear, her touch lingering slightly on the ear as she said in a low, gentle voice, “Yiqing, you must have a heart of wariness toward others. It’s fine because it’s me, but if it were someone else, would you dare wander off with them like this?”

Her voice was so beautiful that for a moment, Jiang Yiqing didn’t even process the words. However, she felt relieved and said, “I understand, Mingsheng. I will be careful, but you are the only one who mustn’t lie to me.”

Seeing the clarity return to her eyes, Mingsheng took several bags of snacks out of her backpack and said, “We’re almost at Qingfeng Village. Eat something first to regain your energy. See which one you like.”

Jiang Yiqing happened to be hungry. Seeing a red package that looked appetizing, she took it.

Mingsheng hadn’t expected her to be able to eat such spicy food. Wasn’t the palate in N City very light? The food in their own region was quite spicy. Jiang Yiqing, however, didn’t know how to open the package. After looking at it for a long time, she found a notch. With a tear, spicy oil splashed onto her face and clothes.

Several red oil spots instantly appeared on her white dress. Mingsheng hurriedly pulled out a wet wipe.

“I’m so stupid,” Jiang Yiqing said, feeling particularly frustrated. She must look so foolish right now.

As Mingsheng wiped the oil spots, she coaxed her softly, “It’s not your fault. It’s my fault for giving you spicy strips.”

“…” Jiang Yiqing looked at her, losing the mood to eat because her heart already felt sweet enough.

Mingsheng wiped the small red dot on her cheek, then carefully inspected her face to ensure nothing was missing. She said, “Fortunately, it didn’t get in your eyes.”

Jiang Yiqing didn’t stop her. She watched Mingsheng take the wet wipe to clean the front of her dress. The two were extremely close, and the fragrance from her body drifted over. Sensing her gaze, Mingsheng looked up to meet her eyes.

The posture was very ambiguous. Mingsheng’s arm was right in front of her chest. Her skin was so white that no pores could be seen, as delicate as jade. Jiang Yiqing suddenly felt her breathing grow rapidly.

Just then, the car passed over a patch of collapsed ground, and the vehicle shook violently. Mingsheng’s tilted body leaned further toward Jiang Yiqing. Her breath brushed against Jiang’s face; those cherry-colored lips seemed as if they were about to press against her own.

In fact, her lips were only a few millimeters from Jiang Yiqing’s cheek. Looking at the flawless skin before her, which radiated a crystalline luster with faint downy hair shimmering like snow in the sunlight, Mingsheng felt a moment of enchantment.

Just as she was about to press her lips forward, Jiang Yiqing, startled by the proximity, became flustered. Her exaggerated movements made Mingsheng retreat slightly, feeling a mix of wanting to laugh and wanting to tease her.

Jiang Yiqing’s face turned crimson. All her usual reserve and etiquette seemed inapplicable in this world; she was becoming someone unlike her original self.

“Ding! Congratulations, Host, on binding the ‘Fragment Collection System.’ Collect fragments of heavenly materials and earthly treasures to instantly refine spiritual elixirs. Become immortal through alchemy, achieve eternal life, and fulfill the dreams that ancient emperors spent their nights longing for! Host, cheer up—you are about to arrive in the Miao territory, where endless treasures are waiting for you to collect~”

When this voice rang out, Jiang Yiqing thought she was hallucinating. But it was quite strange to hallucinate such things. Noticing that Mingsheng’s expression remained the same—showing she hadn’t noticed anything unusual—Jiang Yiqing asked in a small voice, “Who are you?”

“I am the System, Host. You can think of me as a little cute that only you can see~”

“I don’t know you. Why are you looking for me?”

“Everything is destiny, profound and mysterious. Host, do you not believe in destiny?”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s okay if you don’t understand,” the System said. “You’ll understand when you need to use me. I will guide you along.”

Though Jiang Yiqing didn’t quite understand, she didn’t have time to figure it out immediately because they had arrived at Qingfeng Village.

Mingsheng was the first to get out of the car, then reached out to pull her down. Standing on this land, Jiang Yiqing felt a sense of trance. This village of stilted buildings (diaojiaolou) stretched as far as the eye could see. Seeing Mingsheng and her, the Miao people in the village gathered around, whispering and discussing them.

The murmurs began to rise.

“This is the girl the Young Master brought back, saying she wants to marry her.”

“But isn’t that a girl too?”

“I heard she’s a college student. I’ve never seen a college student in my life.”

Discussions from all directions flooded into Jiang Yiqing’s ears, but she couldn’t understand a single word. She realized only then that the people here spoke their own local dialect—she hadn’t even noticed this before coming.

Mingsheng gripped her hand a bit tighter and said to the crowd, “This is Yiqing. She is a guest in our village. I hope everyone shows hospitality so she can have a pleasant holiday here.”

The Miao people seemed somewhat defiant. One man named Zhao Er questioned, “Young Master, how is it that after one trip outside, you don’t even speak the Miao language anymore?”

“Back then, your mother married into our village and caused us to become an unrecognized ‘Raw Miao’ village. Now you’ve brought another outsider!”

“Zhao Er.” Mingsheng looked at him with a stern gaze. Jiang Yiqing noticed she had suddenly become forceful and domineering. Mingsheng said, “Does the Village Chief’s word count for nothing? Is it your place to interrupt?”

“What, am I not even allowed to have doubts? Then go ahead, Young Master, use your Gu insects to control me, just like your father did to Elder Qiu Shu back then!” Zhao Er shouted.

Mingsheng was almost moved by angry laughter. She raised her left hand slightly, and on the flower-and-grass patterns of her silver chain, the silhouette of a Gu insect gradually emerged, rounded like a silkworm.

“According to Qingfeng Village rules, those who provoke trouble must reflect in isolation. You either go to the detention house, or you apologize to me immediately. Otherwise, don’t blame me for punishing you in front of everyone!”

Seeing her movement, Zhao Er was afraid, but he continued his unreasonable shouting, “The Young Master is going to use Gu to hurt people! For an outsider, she’s going to attack her own kin!”

Jiang Yiqing could only understand Mingsheng’s words. Sensing this was not the way forward; she turned to the newly met System for help: “What are they saying?”

“Host, there is a language barrier in the new area. How about this: I will gift you a time-limited ‘Miao Language Pack’ so you can understand what they say and speak it yourself.”

“Thank you.”

Immediately, the obscure and difficult dialects were transformed into language she could understand.

Mingsheng looked at Jiang Yiqing. Losing face in front of the girl she liked was truly hard to swallow, but if she used her Gu and accidentally scared her, the loss would outweigh the gain. Her hesitation only fueled the other party’s arrogance.

“Do it! Young Master, didn’t you say your word is law?” Zhao Er provoked.

Just then, Jiang Yiqing spoke.

“You don’t need to harbor such great malice toward Mingsheng and me,” Jiang Yiqing said.

That fluent Miao language—it was impossible to master it so proficiently without frequent contact with the tribe. The Miao people looked at her in surprise.

“As you can see, I speak the Miao language. I have just arrived and caused you some inconvenience. If you have any opinions about me, you can say them directly, and I will accept them with an open mind,” Jiang Yiqing said gracefully.

“A college student really speaks differently…”

“This girl seems very calm under pressure, she has a special aura…”

The crowd discussed it animatedly.

“This… since the Young Master has decided, we don’t have any objections.” Someone advised Zhao Er: “Zhao Er, you have too much hostility. That is the Young Master after all; keep your personal grudges to yourself.”

A woman walked up to comfort Jiang Yiqing: “Miss Yiqing, our village is just like this. Since the Young Master’s father passed away, it’s been a bit fractured. Sorry to let you see such a joke. Are you here to be the Young Master’s wife? If you can’t accept it, don’t force yourself. The Miao territory isn’t like the outside world; it’s quite closed-off, and people’s thinking is a bit restricted.”

Mingsheng felt a bit sheepish: “Aunt Yun, don’t say it like that. What if you scare Yiqing away?”

“You silly girl, since you brought her to such a place, you must protect her well.” Aunt Yun looked at Mingsheng with mock reproach.

“I know, I know…” Mingsheng raised her hand in a promise.

She then asked Jiang Yiqing, “Yiqing, you weren’t scared, were you?”

Jiang Yiqing knew Mingsheng was the last person who wanted this to happen, so she shook her head. This was the environment Mingsheng had grown up in; it must have been difficult for her to remain so sunny and cheerful.

“At the Great Gu Competition in three days, Mingsheng, I will definitely drag you down from the position of Young Master…” Seeing that no one was paying him attention, Zhao Er muttered as he turned and left.

Mingsheng led Jiang Yiqing forward, saying, “Yiqing, I didn’t know you could speak the Miao language.”

Jiang Yiqing said, “… Mingsheng, I don’t know how to explain it to you right now.”

Mingsheng didn’t mind and added, “That Zhao Er has always believed my father killed Elder Qiu Shu, so he’s always worked against me.”

Mingsheng felt more awkward: “Uh… you probably aren’t interested in this either. I’ll explain it to you next time.”

Jiang Yiqing was simply still digesting all these new things, and her language system hadn’t fully synced yet, so she appeared quiet.

“Follow me to Qingyu Tower first; that is where I live,” Mingsheng said.

Jiang Yiqing followed her through the complex routes of stilted buildings to a wide waterfront that was not connected to its surroundings. Across the water was a massive cluster of stilted buildings that could be described as “luxurious.” A wooden bridge led from their feet to the opposite bank.

The reflections of the stilted buildings danced in the emerald water, and the surrounding bamboo forest rustled in the wind. The place was incredibly beautiful, with a high concentration of oxygen in the air. Jiang Yiqing was momentarily stunned by the sight.

Mingsheng smiled and pulled her onto the wooden bridge. The figures of the two girls were reflected in the water; the gentle flow of the stream made the scene appear exceptionally tender.

Jiang Yiqing was a bit afraid and leaned closer to Mingsheng. Mingsheng smiled and supported her arm lightly. They finally crossed the long wooden bridge and arrived in front of a building.

So this was Qingyu Tower? Jiang Yiqing looked at the stilted building shrouded in green bamboo leaves, feeling deeply impressed.

Suddenly, text appeared before her eyes: “Qingyun Bamboo Fragment x10”.

“Host, the appearance of text means these are items with spiritual energy. You can collect some Qingyun Bamboo fragments, and you can instantly synthesize a Green Jade Flute.”

Jiang Yiqing nodded and stepped forward to observe closely.

The System continued: “Then the Green Jade Flute can be sold in the mall for * coins, which you can use to exchange for things you want in the mall.”

Jiang Yiqing gazed at the vibrant leaves. A sudden gust of wind blew, causing many leaves to fall. Some were collected by Jiang Yiqing before they even hit the ground. Then, a Green Jade Flute appeared in her hand.

“As a beginner’s gift, I will also give you a storage space that you can check at any time.”