I Got Together with the Goddess [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 48

“See you this weekend,” Shui Mingsheng said. It was time to say goodbye again, and Jiang Yiqing…

“See you this weekend,” Shui Mingsheng repeated.

It was time to part once more. Jiang Yiqing asked, “How are you getting back? You aren’t going to use the teleportation gu again, are you?”

The Miao people were taught from childhood that gu insects and gu arts should only be used within the Miao territories. Only by hiding their light and keeping their skills obscure could the art of gu continue to be passed down.

“Don’t worry, I did it very discreetly. The teleportation gu I used won’t leave any records,” Shui Mingsheng said.

As a public resource, teleportation gu could be used even by Miao people who did not know gu arts; they were originally invented to make the lives of the Miao people more convenient. However, to prevent them from circulating in the outside world, they all carried tracking spells so that it was known who the user was and where they had gone.

“I see.” Jiang Yiqing breathed a small sigh of relief, though there was still no way to explain how Shui Mingsheng had appeared in N City without buying a ticket, especially since so many people had seen her.

Shui Mingsheng had always acted cautiously, yet she had risked breaking the rules just to see her. This made Jiang Yiqing both angry and moved.

“Yiqing, I want to stay with you a bit longer. Since I’m already here…” Shui Mingsheng said.

“…” Jiang Yiqing gave her a sharp glare.

Fearing she was truly angry, Shui Mingsheng changed her tune: “Yiqing, alright, alright. I’ll go back today.”

Jiang Yiqing still didn’t feel at ease regarding Shui Mingsheng, so she purchased a Teleportation Talisman from her system space and placed it in Shui Mingsheng’s hand. “Gu arts aren’t the only things in this world; there’s also Taoist magic. Take this with you. If anyone asks how you got there, tell them this teleportation talisman sent you.”

The smile finally faded from Shui Mingsheng’s face. She said, “Yiqing, it’s one thing for me to take risks, but you mustn’t follow my lead. Don’t let anyone know you have a system, okay?”

Jiang Yiqing also knew that if people found out she possessed a “golden finger” that other did not, then the previously unexplainable mysteries would become subject to scrutiny. This would be very dangerous for both her and Mingsheng.

However, she didn’t want to live in fear forever. They had done nothing wrong, and she wanted to face things bravely.

“Mingsheng, are you afraid?” Jiang Yiqing asked straightforwardly.

Shui Mingsheng was stunned. She was naturally bold, having overcome fear by refining it into gu insects. But one day, she too would feel fear because she worried for her lover’s safety. Her concern had clouded her judgment, and she hadn’t considered Jiang Yiqing’s feelings. Would it feel good to have such power and yet be unable to use it?

Shui Mingsheng shook her head and said, “I’m not afraid. It’s just that I must become strong enough—until I can protect you, Yiqing, from any harm whatsoever—before I can truly be at peace.”

“Strength is a goal for both of us,” Jiang Yiqing said. “Mingsheng, don’t make me hide behind you. We should advance hand in hand.”

Although Shui Mingsheng had always known Jiang Yiqing was a resilient and strong girl, at this moment, she saw that her soul and inner self were stronger than anyone she had ever met.

This was exactly the sweetheart she had chosen; in this world, no one else but her could ever catch her eye.

“Alright, I understand,” Shui Mingsheng said. “Yiqing, let’s go find the location on the treasure map. I believe there must be treasures there that will make us even stronger.”

This was something they had agreed to do in October, but Shui Mingsheng suddenly felt it was a matter of extreme urgency.

Jiang Yiqing wondered if there was a better way to change their situation. Being separated in two different places all the time was truly difficult.

She had asked the system, and while there were many items that could move her back to the Miao region, there was only one that would allow her to stay with Shui Mingsheng while still attending school: the “Gate of Eternal Day.” With it, she could possess two daytimes; through this door, she could return to Shui Mingsheng’s side every morning. It didn’t even have side effects; the user of the Gate of Eternal Day would sleep normally at night, they would simply always have one more day than ordinary people.

The only problem was that the Gate of Eternal Day cost 10,000 points. It was an extremely powerful magical treasure, and even if she used all her savings, she was still short by a third.

As the two were talking, a figure suddenly appeared under the banyan tree.

Jiang Yiqing looked over and saw that it was Teacher Xia from the library.

Seeing her, Xia Yi waved and said, “Student Jiang.”

The teacher seemed to be looking for her, so Jiang Yiqing walked over, and Shui Mingsheng followed, holding her hand.

When Xia Yi saw Shui Mingsheng, she took off her glasses, stared intently for a moment, blinked in confusion, and then asked, “Is that Mingsheng?”

“…Auntie Xia?” Shui Mingsheng asked uncertainly. Xia Yi was wearing glasses now and her face was thinner than before; she really hadn’t recognized her at first.

“I didn’t expect it to really be you.” Xia Yi was somewhat surprised and said, “Mingsheng, you sent me an invitation when you got married. I’m so sorry, I had things I couldn’t get away from.”

Shui Mingsheng indicated that she didn’t mind and said, “Auntie Xia, this person beside me is my wife, Yiqing. Yiqing, this is my mother’s good friend. She is very interested in Miao matters and spent several years staying at our Qingfeng Village to collect materials for her research on folk customs.”

The two shook hands and shared a brief hug.

Shui Mingsheng looked at Xia Yi and said, “Auntie Xia, you said you were a folk customs researcher. Why have you come to N University to be a teacher now?”

Xia Yi’s expression darkened slightly. She didn’t seem prepared to talk much about her own affairs. Looking at the banyan tree, she asked, “Yiqing, Mingsheng, my eyesight isn’t very good. Could you help me look? Is there a hole up there in that banyan tree?”

Following the direction Xia Yi pointed, the crown of the banyan tree was massive and the foliage was lush; they couldn’t see any hole. Conversely, at the well-developed base of the roots, there was a tree hollow visible to the naked eye.

“Teacher Xia, do you mean this one at the bottom?”

“Did I see it wrong?” Xia Yi murmured, then said, “It’s nothing. Just act like I didn’t say anything.”

After saying that, she turned and left.

Jiang Yiqing kept staring at the banyan tree. The system said: “This is a thousand-year-old banyan tree. It originally had collection value, but because it has been infested with many insect borings, it no longer has much value.”

Jiang Yiqing thought to herself: If Xia Yi was talking about insects that aren’t visible on the surface, how did she know?

Could Xia Yi see things that ordinary people couldn’t? Jiang Yiqing told her suspicion to Shui Mingsheng. Shui Mingsheng said, “If that’s the case, Auntie Xia might be infested by some kind of plant-based gu insect.”

“It is a very dangerous thing for someone who hasn’t studied gu arts to be a host for a gu insect. If they aren’t careful, they will be swallowed by it.”

“Then what should we do?” Jiang Yiqing felt they couldn’t just leave Teacher Xia alone.

“Let’s go find her and ask clearly,” Shui Mingsheng said, glad to have an excuse to stay.

When they pushed open the heavy doors of the library, they were surprised to find it empty. The two had no choice but to sit in chairs and wait for a while.

After waiting for a long time without seeing anyone, Jiang Yiqing went to the office desk, intending to leave a note telling Xia Yi they had stopped by. However, on the desk, she saw a letter with ink that had not yet dried.

“Mingsheng, Yiqing:

I hope you can see this letter. I have been studying fragments and scrolls of the ancient Miao language and discovered an ancient Miao treasure map from a thousand years ago. Since that day, my life has no longer been peaceful. There is a power hidden in that map that ordinary people cannot touch. I thought I could be the one to reveal the secret, but it seems I overestimated myself. Over these years, I went deep into the Miao villages, and after returning, I studied the scrolls day after day. Not only did I gain nothing, but I also ruined my eyes. I have decided to entrust my dream to you. Please come to my home to find me.”

Jiang Yiqing showed the letter to Shui Mingsheng. Both found it strange, but it seemed Xia Yi had no reason to lie to them.

“I sent the wedding invitation to her home address back then. She told me her home address when she left the Miao region, so… should we go to her house?” Shui Mingsheng asked.

“Let’s go,” Jiang Yiqing said, putting the letter away.

If what Xia Yi said was true, there should be some connection between that map and the fragments they had obtained.

Jiang Yiqing still remembered the name: The Inheritance of Ten Thousand Gu. This was likely something every person in the Miao region dreamed of obtaining. Although no one had discovered yet that she and Shui Mingsheng possessed fragments, if it were ever known, it would lead to a bloody struggle. They had to prepare early.

The two found Xia Yi’s home located in a deep alley. She lived on the second floor of an old residential area. The surrounding eaves were cramped, the lighting was poor, and a group of cats lay at the entrance of the stairwell while another group roamed around them.

Jiang Yiqing waved her hand at the kittens. Though they didn’t approach, they moved aside to clear the path, letting them up the stairs.

“Teacher Xia, are you there?” Jiang Yiqing knocked and asked.

No voice answered from within.

The two exchanged a look and together pushed open the creaking wooden door. In the dim daylight, they saw a thin figure lying on the bed. Surrounding her were withered branches and trunks intertwined like the tangled roots of a banyan tree.

Upon seeing them, those branches seemed to possess a spirit of their own and retracted. The two ran to the bedside. Shui Mingsheng asked, “Auntie Xia, are you okay?”

At her call, Xia Yi’s eyelids, like wrinkled bark, slowly opened. Looking at the two of them and observing closely, one could see her skin was as dry and thin as bark. She seemed not to have fully recovered from the abnormal state just now.

“It’s you…” Xia Yi’s voice was slow and aged. “Good children, I have something to tell you.”