Chapter 86 Tomorrow Village (5) Yu Xing’s Lie Needs Cooperation

Chapter 86 Tomorrow Village (5) Yu Xing's Lie Needs Backup

In this miraculous state, Yu Xing perceived the world anew, realizing it was veiled in a soft, ethereal glow.

Everywhere, vibrant hues emanated: plants glowed, the bamboo forest shimmered with bright purple, and the crops of Tomorrow Village radiated a faint violet. Some plants emitted white light, others green.

Not just plants, but even certain stones and patches of earth shimmered faintly.

Yu Xing also noticed that people glowed, and the light they emitted varied.

Most people had a very faint, almost transparent glow, but a select few radiated a more intense white light.

Her gaze drifted back to Shen Tanrong.

The passengers and soldiers in the group all emitted transparent light, differing only in intensity—Shen Tanrong’s glow was the most brilliant.

Yu Xing’s gaze shifted again, this time toward Tomorrow Village.

To her surprise, the villagers of Tomorrow Village all emitted purple light of varying shades. Zhao Lan and the other two stood out distinctly among them, radiating dazzling white light.

Curious about the meaning of these lights, Yu Xing reached out as if to touch them.

Suddenly, she heard that voice from her dreams once more.

"Save me… save me…"

The voice was ethereal, childlike in its innocence. Yu Xing looked around in confusion, unable to see the speaker.

"Save me…"

The voice seemed to appear directly in her mind, as if someone were conversing with her telepathically.

"Who are you?" Yu Xing asked.

"Wuwuwu…"

A sobbing sound echoed in Yu Xing’s mind, as if from an immense grievance.

"Wuwuwu…"

The crying agitated Yu Xing. "Where are you? Stop crying."

An uncontrollable surge of irritation welled within her. "Stop crying, I’ll help you!"

The moment the words left her lips, she abruptly opened her eyes.

The night was dark, but the moon shone brilliantly. The Purple Moon and White Moon were so dazzling that Yu Xing could barely discern the surrounding stars.

She sat up sharply, pressing a hand to her forehead. Had she fallen asleep? And for so long that night had fallen?

Yu Xing quickly spat out the Spirit-Nourishing Warm Jade. Shadowy trees surrounded her. Holding the jade, she rinsed it with purified water while recalling what she had just seen and heard.

It felt like a dream—had those things truly happened? Had she really seen Shen Tanrong and the others? Was the child’s voice real?

Or was it all just a dream?

But one thing was certain: upon waking, Yu Xing felt remarkably refreshed, even better than after taking elixirs. Her mind was exceptionally clear, and her vision and hearing seemed enhanced. Though it was night, with moonlight as the sole illumination, she could still clearly see a strange insect crawling on a tree trunk ten meters away; she could even discern the patterns on its back.

She had been gone for so long—Miao Yuanjin and the others must be worried.

After cleaning the jade, Yu Xing immediately ran back to the village.

The village at night was shrouded in darkness, every door shut tight, no light emanating from any window.

Yu Xing stood in the center of the village, looking around in bewilderment. Where were they?

Suddenly, Yu Xing heard voices—faint whispers.

"Why hasn’t Xingxing returned yet?"

"Could something have happened?"

"Don’t think like that…"

She recognized them instantly: it was Zhao Lan and the other two talking. And she could clearly pinpoint the direction of the voices—they were coming from the school.

Yu Xing immediately ran toward the school and pushed open the door of the classroom they had occupied during the day.

"Bang!"

The door swung open forcefully, revealing Zhao Lan and the other two sleeping on makeshift pallets on the floor.

Startled by the noise, the three immediately sat up.

Da Ya shrieked, "What’s going on? What’s happening?!"

"Who’s there?" Miao Yuanjin spotted a shadowy figure at the doorway. "Who’s there?!"

"It’s me," Yu Xing said.

Silence fell. Yu Xing activated her terminal’s light. "I’m back."

"..."

The three in the classroom were speechless. Miao Yuanjin snapped angrily, "You scared us half to death!"

"Oh my god," Da Ya clutched her chest. "My heart… Once we leave here, I’m definitely going to the hospital to get my heart checked."

Yu Xing closed the door behind her and sat down on the bedding, reaching out toward Da Ya’s chest. "Sorry, does it hurt? Let me rub it for you."

Zhao Lan had also been startled, but seeing Yu Xing return finally eased her mind. Although she had been comforting Da Ya and Miao Yuanjin earlier, she too had been increasingly worried about Yu Xing’s prolonged absence.

"Why are you back so late?" Zhao Lan asked. "Did anything happen?"

Yu Xing had already planned her story on the way back. She lowered her voice. "Rescue has arrived, just outside the bamboo forest."

"What?" Da Ya’s pain vanished instantly. "Really?!"

"Really," Yu Xing said. "And Tomorrow Village is surrounded by swamp. We can’t go around it; we’ll have to find a way to cross it."

To this, Zhao Lan replied, "We already know that. We asked Yu today. I’ve thought about it—the swamp has more buoyancy than water. We can use wood or straw mats to create a floating path, like a pontoon bridge, to cross the swamp."

Yu Xing nodded. "Then let’s go now."

"So suddenly?" Miao Yuanjin was caught off guard. "What about the people of Tomorrow Village?"

Da Ya added anxiously, "Yeah, what about the villagers here? After you left, Yuanjin purified two more children. Now the villagers treat us like saviors. If we just leave like this, are we abandoning them?"

Of course, they wouldn’t abandon them; Yu Xing still intended to give them the Spirit-Nourishing Warm Jade.

But she couldn’t let others know; otherwise, how could she explain the Spirit-Nourishing Warm Jade’s powers? Or how she had acquired it?

Her plan was to leave with the group first, then return later as the Bull Warrior to deliver the Spirit-Nourishing Warm Jade to Tomorrow Village.

Unable to explain, she could only say, "But if we don’t leave now, the rescue team will arrive."

Yu Xing looked at Zhao Lan. "Weren’t we against letting the authorities know about this place?"

Zhao Lan met her gaze, discerning something unreadable in Yu Xing’s dark eyes.

"Did we?" Da Ya looked confused. "Was that really our stance?"

Miao Yuanjin bit her lip. Today had taken a heavy toll on her; twice, she had completely depleted her mental energy, which was damaging for a Divine Chosen. Humanity’s understanding of the mind was still shallow, and some mental injuries were permanent, yet she had chosen to act, unable to stand by while facing the deformed villagers.

"Perhaps informing the authorities wouldn’t be so bad," Miao Yuanjin said, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears as she looked at Yu Xing.

Yu Xing looked back at Miao Yuanjin, unsure how else to persuade her.

Zhao Lan silently observed the two, then raised a hand to pat Miao Yuanjin’s shoulder. "We can always inform the authorities after we leave. But for now, I think it’s better they don’t know. If the rescue team finds out, I don’t even know which army unit would take over here."

These words convinced Miao Yuanjin. If possible, Miao Yuanjin hoped the Seventh City’s military would take over. She had relatives serving in the Seventh City army, and if they could take charge, she believed it would be easier to help Tomorrow Village.

"Are we leaving now?" Miao Yuanjin asked. "No goodbyes?"

They left a note in the classroom for Yu, containing their farewells. They specifically included a line: they would return, and they would definitely meet again.

With the note left behind, the four departed the school.

"The only food here is those crop seeds," Zhao Lan remarked as the four glanced back at the dark Tomorrow Village. "Because of the lack of oil, they can’t even make the most primitive oil lamp for burning fat."

"Next time, I’ll bring books," Da Ya whispered. "Their poetry collection is almost unusable. I want to bring them some of my favorite books."

As they spoke, they left the village, crossed the farmland, and returned to where Shen Tanrong and the others were.

Just as they were about to reunite with Shen Tanrong, Da Ya suddenly thought of something. "Xingxing."

"Hmm?" Yu Xing was completely unprepared.

Da Ya asked, "If you couldn’t cross the swamp, how did you know the rescue team was outside the bamboo forest?"

"..."

Good question. Yu Xing was stumped.

With all three pairs of eyes fixed on her, Yu Xing struggled to maintain a composed expression. After a long pause, she said, "Shen Tanrong told me."

"Oh." Zhao Lan nodded. "Then how did Shen Tanrong know?"

"...How would I know? I didn’t ask." Yu Xing finished, then guiltily lowered her head and hurried forward.

Finally back with the group, the soldiers had already heard their footsteps. Yu Xing looked up to see Shen Tanrong standing ahead.

Upon seeing Yu Xing, Shen Tanrong’s eyes showed both relief and happiness.

Just as he was about to step forward and inquire about the situation, he saw Yu Xing, leading the group, frantically signaling him with her eyes.

Shen Tanrong: "?"

Yu Xing walked up and placed her right hand on Shen Tanrong’s shoulder, hoping to find an opportunity to discreetly get him to cooperate. Before she could speak, Zhao Lan and the other two approached. Da Ya immediately asked, "Is the rescue team really here?"

Shen Tanrong: "?" He was even more bewildered.

"What?" Shen Tanrong wondered if he had misheard.

"Is the rescue team really coming?" Miao Yuanjin asked impatiently. "Don’t lie to us."

Shen Tanrong’s eyebrows furrowed into a wavy line as he looked at the four in confusion. Then Yu Xing patted his shoulder, blinking at him meaningfully. "Earlier, when I came back to find you, didn’t you tell me you’d spotted the rescue team outside the bamboo forest?"

Shen Tanrong met her gaze, his eyes clearly asking, *When did you come back to find me? When did I say that?*

Yu Xing held his gaze for a moment, seeing that Shen Tanrong was not catching on.

Left with no choice, Yu Xing raised her hand and gently brushed his head. She said, "What? You don’t remember this?"

As her hand lightly swept over Shen Tanrong’s head, his eyes suddenly widened. That voice he heard earlier in the day… it truly wasn’t an illusion…

"Yes," Shen Tanrong said, his expression immediately serious. "The rescue team is indeed here."

"Really?" Da Ya was curious. "How did you know?"

Shen Tanrong turned away. "That’s none of your concern."

With that, he walked to the side, distancing himself from the four.

A soldier accompanying Shen Tanrong looked puzzled. He leaned in and whispered, "Captain, when did she come back? The rescue team is here? Why didn’t you tell us?"