The abandoned cannon fodder girl's path to immortality

Chapter 246 Thanks
Before long, Chen Jinshu arrived at the courtyard where Zhou Wanning was.

She raised her hand, a wisp of gentle spiritual energy gathering at her fingertips, and gently knocked on the heavy wooden door.

Benedict! Benedict! Benedict!
A slight noise came from inside the door, and a few moments later, the wooden door creaked open.

Zhou Wanning's face, covered with deep wrinkles and filled with worry, appeared behind the door.

She was still wearing that faded, worn-out dark brown robe, and her gray hair was simply tied up with a wooden hairpin.

Upon seeing Chen Jinshu, a hint of surprise flashed across her cloudy eyes, followed by a gentle smile. The smile appeared somewhat stiff on her weathered face, yet it was exceptionally sincere.

"Fellow Daoist Chen?"

"Please come in. My humble abode is simple and unadorned, but I am grateful that you have not abandoned it, fellow Daoist."

Chen Jinshu smiled and nodded, then quickly stepped forward. The familiar aroma of tea wafted over her, causing her tense nerves to relax for a moment.

The interior was exactly the same as when I last visited: piles of jade slips on the stone table, unfinished array plates, scattered carving knives, and a steaming rough pottery teapot in the corner—all reflecting the owner's simple yet persistent life.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou." Chen Jinshu bowed respectfully, his gaze falling on Zhou Wanning. He keenly noticed that the other party's complexion seemed worse than a few days ago, with a lingering layer of ashen gloom between her brows.

Zhou Wanning's foundation was already damaged and her lifespan was running out. To waste her energy maintaining the formation in this filthy place was like adding insult to injury.

"I have come here abruptly because I have something I wish to give to you, fellow Daoist." Chen Jinshu did not engage in much small talk and directly stated his purpose.

With a flick of her wrist, a small, translucent, turquoise jade box, about an inch tall, appeared in her palm.

The moment the box lid was opened, a pure and powerful fragrance, rich in the vitality of creation, instantly filled the air.

Two perfectly round pills, each the size of a longan, lay quietly on a soft cushion inside the jade box.

The elixir was a warm, jade-like color, with a point of spiritual light flowing endlessly at its core. The naturally formed cloud patterns on its surface moved slowly like living things, exuding a surging vitality that was refreshing and delightful.

The mere wisp of aura caused Zhou Wanning's cloudy eyes to suddenly light up, and her withered face seemed to gain a touch of color.

"Life-Creating Pill? And it's a Grade 3 Upper Rank pill with naturally formed patterns!" Zhou Wanning's voice trembled with disbelief. She stared intently at the pill in the jade box, her withered fingers unconsciously rising, then stopping abruptly when they touched the edge of the jade box, as if afraid that her touch would tarnish this precious gift.

"this……

This elixir is far too precious! What merit do I, an old woman, possess to deserve it?

"Fellow Daoist Zhou."

Chen Jinshu gently pushed the jade box in front of her and said in a firm tone:

"If it weren't for your frank words the other day, exposing Lin Xiao's wolfish ambitions, even if Jinshu was fearless, she would still have encountered some setbacks, and might even have jeopardized the important matter of the Hundred Herbs Order."

Jinshu will forever remember this kindness. These two Life-Creating Pills have a slight effect on healing injuries, strengthening the body's foundation, and nourishing the Dao base; they may help alleviate some of your suffering. Jinshu personally refined these; please do not refuse.

She paused, looking at the complex emotions surging in Zhou Wanning's eyes, and continued:

"Moreover, fellow Daoist, in this filthy place, you have used an array to maintain a clean space, protecting yourself and indirectly protecting those who come after you. This perseverance is worthy of this pill."

"Protecting those who come after?" Zhou Wanning murmured these words repeatedly, her eyes suddenly becoming extremely complex, filled with deep pain, intense resentment, and a grief and indignation that had been suppressed for countless years.

She reached out and carefully picked up the jade box. Instead of immediately putting away the pills, she slowly raised her head, her gaze turning to Chen Jinshu with a sense of relief:

"Fellow Daoist Chen, do you know why I am willing to guard the edge of this wasteland that even the Rotten Earth Vultures refuse to set foot on? Why am I so aware of Lin Xiao's despicable deeds?"

Chen Jinshu's heart stirred slightly, and he vaguely guessed what was going on, but he just looked at her quietly without saying a word.

The shaman on her shoulder also quieted down, its little head tilted slightly, its bright black eyes fixed on Zhou Wanning.

Zhou Wanning forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.

She raised her other hand and gently pointed with her fingertips to an old scar below her left cheekbone, almost hidden in the wrinkles, yet still showing the hideous marks of yesteryear.

The scar was dark in color, like an ugly centipede, completely obscuring the once pretty woman.

"Because I was the first woman Lin Xiao tricked into that 'cold dwelling' in Medicine King Valley two hundred years ago using the 'ancient array diagram for communication'!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jinshu couldn't help but gasp, his pupils suddenly contracting.

Although she had a premonition, hearing Zhou Wanning say this fact in such a calm yet desperate tone still caused her an indescribable sting.

How long did it take Zhou Wanning to get over this painful and unbearable memory and speak about it so calmly?

Looking at the hideous old scar on Zhou Wanning's face, she seemed to see the desperate struggle a young woman experienced in that filthy stone house on that night two hundred years ago.

Unconsciously, she felt as if something was blocking her throat, and she choked for a moment before swallowing the spiritual tea that had just entered her mouth with difficulty.

As Zhou Wanning spoke, her gaze became distant and vacant:
"At that time, I was about your age, maybe a little older. I came from a small family in Nanzhou that relied on the inheritance of array formations. I was proud and arrogant, and my talent was also quite good. I heard that Medicine King Valley was famous for both alchemy and array formations, so I came here hoping to find some ancient array diagrams to improve myself."

Lin Xiao was already a disciple of the valley at that time. Although not a true disciple, he still held some influence due to his ancestors' legacy. He disguised himself very well, appearing gentle and refined, with extraordinary speech. His insights into array formations were 'unique,' and he was 'generous,' often gifting me rare fragments of array formation manuals or ancient array plates under the guise of 'discussion.'

“I was young and inexperienced at the time. I only thought I had met a like-minded senior, and I was grateful and completely unguarded.”

As Zhou Wanning spoke, her voice began to tremble slightly, and the knuckles of her fingers holding the jade box turned white and red from the force.

“Until that night he invited me to his residence to ‘enjoy together’ a copy of ‘The Fragment of the Xuanji Ancient Array’ which he claimed to have ‘obtained by chance’.”

"That room was probably no different from what you see today! It's just that back then, there weren't so many women's belongings. I fell into their trap as soon as I stepped into the inner room!"

The air was filled with the colorless and odorless 'Drunken Immortal's Guide,' and then I was struck by his Corpse-Sealing Technique. This technique can imprison the body. My Dao foundation is not yet stable, and my divine sense was being drawn into deducing those 'difficult array points,' so in that moment of relaxation, I was instantly struck!

"In a daze, my spiritual energy stagnates, and the world spins!"

He ripped off that gentle mask, revealing a ravenous, wolf-like ferocity! I struggled desperately, using my last ounce of strength to activate a protective array, barely managing to injure him.

"The scar on my face was slashed by him with a poisoned dagger in a fit of anger! If it weren't for... if it weren't for the life-saving talisman of my clan, 'Blood Escape Substitution Death,' which forcibly tore through space at the last moment to send me away."

I fear I've long since vanished like those women who came after me, my remains gone, or perhaps become material for his evil arts..."

Two lines of glistening tears silently slid down Zhou Wanning's wrinkled cheeks, dripping onto her dark brown robe sleeves and spreading out dark marks.

Her body trembled uncontrollably, not from sadness, but from the relief that she could finally express the grievances that had been building up for hundreds of years in front of others.

The problem was relieved.