area51novel Chapter 174 The Guardian of the Village
Chapter 174 The Guardian of the Village
Chapter 174 The Guardian of the Village
As night fell, lights began to twinkle throughout Song City. Jiang Han groggily woke up in his room, glancing at his bedside. Tang Yue was nowhere to be seen, and the messy bed had been tidied up. Jiang Han dressed and opened the door to find himself greeted by the enticing aroma of food. Hearing the noise, Tang Yue peeked out from the kitchen and teased, "Hey kid, why are you up so early? Want to sleep a little longer?"
Jiang Han was speechless. What did that mean? Was she looking down on him? Just wait until next time. No matter how much you beg for mercy, you won't get away with it easily. I'll remember this grudge. Jiang Han made up his mind.
Tang Yue, guessing what Jiang Han was thinking, smiled and said, "Alright, I don't understand you. Go wash your hands and get ready to eat."
"Okay," Jiang Han replied and went to wash his hands.
Although Tang Yue's dishes are relatively simple, they all taste very good.
During the meal, Tang Yue asked, "You came to Songcheng a few days ago, so have you already met everyone?"
"Yeah, it was kind of scary to be stared at by it," Jiang Han said, still shaken.
"Hehe~." Tang Yue covered her mouth and chuckled, saying with a hint of teasing, "I didn't expect that you, this fearless brat, would have a moment of fear. I'm warning you, everyone has watched me grow up. They're like my elders. If you dare to bully me, I'll have everyone teach you a lesson."
"How dare I? Even if you gave me two more lives, I wouldn't dare to bully you." Jiang Han said, then leaned in and kissed Tang Yue's red lips, making Tang Yue's cheeks burn. Just as Jiang Han was about to reach out his claws, she quickly pushed him away.
"You brat, is this what you call not daring to bully me?" Tang Yue said coquettishly.
"Stop fooling around, let's get down to business. Do you know why I said everyone watched me grow up?"
Jiang Han had a vague recollection, but he pretended not to know anything and shook his head. Tang Yue glanced at him and said, "My hometown is in a village where you can always see a lake. The village is scattered like small lakes. If they were all connected, it would definitely be a prosperous town."
Jiang Han didn't interrupt Tang Yue and just sat quietly beside her, listening as if she were listening to a story. Tang Yue, who was telling the story, was reminiscing about the place where she lived when she was a child.
"Our village is not only situated beside a lake, but also outside the Anjie border. Most of the villagers are mages, and many seemingly frail girls might actually be powerful mages." Tang Yue said, glancing proudly at Jiang Han.
"Do you know why we're able to live safely outside the Security Zone?" Tang Yue asked.
"Is it because of the Sky Serpent?" Jiang Han pondered for a long time before speaking.
"Yes, this big guy is the guardian of our village. With him around, we never have to worry about demons invading. With him around, there are no demons within a ten-kilometer radius of our village."
"I'm taking you somewhere. What I'm about to tell you is about the secrets of our village, something I don't usually tell just anyone."
As Tang Yue spoke, she got up to open the door, and Jiang Han followed behind her, smelling the fragrance in her hair and listening to her childhood stories. Gradually, the two arrived at the shore of West Lake. Under Tang Yue's guidance, they boarded a small boat, and Jiang Han rowed with a fine oar, the boat slowly drifting on the calm lake.
The lake was exceptionally tranquil in the darkness, and the moonlight and countless stars reflected on its surface made West Lake look even more beautiful.
The small boat rowed quietly until it reached the island in the middle of the lake, which resembled a prohibition symbol, unlike the circle of West Lake. Upon reaching the shore, Jiang Han saw a man dressed in blue standing guard at the entrance to the island. The man's eyes lit up when he saw Tang Yue, but his brows furrowed when he saw Jiang Han.
"Tang Yue, don't you know that outsiders are not allowed here?" the man in blue said, staring at Jiang Han with hostility.
"Tang Dasheng, do you think I don't know the village rules? Besides, he's not an outsider," Tang Yue said coldly after getting ashore.
Jiang Han is still her little man, and if anyone is going to say that, it should be her. What right does Tang Dasheng have to call her little man? Therefore, Tang Yue retorted without hesitation to Tang Dasheng's hostile words.
Jiang Han tied up the small boat and walked over, when he heard Tang Dasheng point at him and say, "Could it be that you two have already...?"
Tang Yue was considered one of the most beautiful women in their village, so she had many suitors. Tang Dasheng, who was on duty on the island in the middle of the lake today, was one of them. Who would have thought that Tang Yue would bring Jiang Han to the island in the middle of the lake today? How could Tang Dasheng not feel hostile towards Jiang Han?
"So what if it is? Alright, I'm going to take Jiang Han to visit the island in the middle of the lake. You can stay here and continue your duty."
As Tang Yue spoke, she took Jiang Han's arm and walked deeper into the island in the middle of the lake. Unbeknownst to her, a fierce glint flashed in Tang Dasheng's eyes after she left. Tang Yue led Jiang Han on a leisurely stroll around the island, telling him a lot about it. Jiang Han then understood why this elegant island had no trace of tourists; it turned out that it had been bought by the Tang family and was a private island.
Tang Yue walked along the familiar path, her steps sometimes slow and sometimes light, and Jiang Han could clearly sense the changes in Tang Yue's emotions.
After crossing the lake on the island, the person arrived at the central courtyard. With its green tiles and red pillars, it was a typical Jiangnan style. Inside the courtyard, there were many antiques on display. Jiang Han followed behind Tang Yue and listened to her introduce them one by one. From the antiques on the table to the murals carved on the walls, Tang Yue explained their origins to Jiang Han.
The murals still faintly reveal shapes: villages, lakes, and strange creatures circling the villages in fleeing poses. If you look closely, you can see a colossal creature surrounding the village—the Xuan Snake, the guardian of the village.
The demons that fled were not afraid of the village; what they truly feared was the snake that surrounded it.
"See this? This is the guardian spirit of our village, the Xuan Snake. It is a totem beast that has disappeared from history, not the demon that outsiders talk about. You may think that this big guy is very scary and that it could destroy the entire Song City if it gets out of control. That's because you don't understand this big guy. Once you get to know it, you won't think it's scary anymore."
"Actually, we didn't expect the big guy to suddenly appear in Song City a few days ago. It's the first time in so many years, and we don't understand why it appeared there. Generally speaking, it only appears when something in Song City poses a threat to it. Besides telling you about the big guy, I also wanted to ask you if you noticed anything else at the time, such as what the big guy was watching?" Tang Yue said, glancing at Jiang Han.
It was impossible to reveal that the totem snake was watching Ye Xinxia, since the snake sensed a threat to Xinxia's soul, not Xinxia herself. Jiang Han pondered for a moment and said, "It's probably watching me."
"Look at you, that's impossible. Your strength shouldn't be enough to threaten everyone, right?" Tang Yue looked at Jiang Han, who was deep in thought, while Jiang Han continued to look at the mural on the wall. Tang Yue, who had been thinking for a long time without any clue, simply stopped thinking about it.
Hiss hiss hiss~~~
As Jiang Han was looking at the murals, the sound of a snake flicking its tongue came from near the island in the middle of the lake, giving Jiang Han goosebumps all over. Snakes are scary enough, let alone such a large totem snake.
"Teacher Tang Yue, you didn't call me here just to be a sacrifice for your guardian spirit, did you?" Jiang Han said with a strange expression.
Tang Yue flicked Jiang Han's head and said, "You brat, what are you thinking? The big guy doesn't need sacrifices. Even if you did, do you think it would be enough to fill its teeth? Come on, I'll take you to see the big guy."
P.S.: Please vote for me!!
(End of this chapter)