Chapter 23: Manor Level 23

Ai Ling almost woke up from a deep sleep, struggling to open her eyes. Even though she had fainted from exhaustion, her thoughts were still with her seedlings.

She had a terrifying dream, where she saw her fruits, seedlings, and vegetables all being scorched by the fierce sun, sizzling as if they were about to burn.

The little plants twisted their bodies and begged her: “Ai Ling, save us, we’re so thirsty, we want to drink water, we don’t want to die.”

She suddenly sat up, breathing heavily, then rolled out of bed and ran out the back door.

The scorching sun was still that blazing sun, the kind that made people’s hearts race, almost burning the wooden boards beneath her feet.

But under this intense sun, the vegetable garden before her was full of life.

The lush green leaves, the unripe fruits on the trees, all appeared more vibrant under the sun’s rays.

They gently swayed in the summer breeze, the reflected sunlight flashing like they were waving at Ai Ling.

This refreshing sight was more effective than air conditioning, instantly cooling Ai Ling down.

She took her eyes off the plants and then saw a long, green, slender stream winding down, from the dense forest in the east all the way to her vegetable garden and kitchen.

It also branched behind the garden, stretching westward all the way to her rice fields.

That was her water diversion project. She remembered only setting up a small portion before she passed out—had it already started bringing water?

Listening closely, indeed, there was a faint sound of water trickling down, splashing, splashing—more beautiful than any music.

Ai Ling relaxed completely, even feeling that the fierce sunlight seemed warm and friendly.

She spun happily around on the floor barefoot, then cheerfully ran out the front door.

“He Xi, He Xi!”

She called out joyfully, “Did you help me finish the water diversion system? My rice plants haven’t been sunburned, have they?”

No one responded.

She didn’t mind and ran barefoot to the kitchen.

Just as she expected, the bamboo joints leading to the kitchen were intact, and no water leaked out. The water outlet had a perfectly shaped plug.

She tried pulling out the plug, and a clear stream of water poured down, crystal-clear and refreshing.

Unable to resist, she cupped her hands and drank directly from the stream. It tasted so sweet, not like waterfall water, but more like spring water from the mountains.

After drinking, Ai Ling couldn’t help but scoop some water to wash her face. It felt so comfortable. In such hot weather, having some cold water on her face felt even more refreshing than eating ice cream.

Ai Ling couldn’t help but think, if only she had a big watermelon right now to soak in this water—it would chill and cool down in no time, and it would taste just as good as one pulled straight from the fridge.

Unfortunately, when she first focused on planting fruit trees, why didn’t she think about planting some watermelon seedlings instead?

Hmm, it seems she’ll have to come up with a way to earn some damage points.

Coming out of the kitchen, Ai Ling saw the long green dragon winding westward, so she followed it all the way to her rice fields.

Sure enough, the rice field sparkled with the reflection of the water, which was just enough to cover the roots of the seedlings—neither too much nor too little, just perfect.

The little seedlings had already sprung to life, growing strong and upright, looking so robust that even a ten-level gale couldn’t topple them. It was truly heartwarming.

Ai Ling then realized that not only was the bamboo leading to her kitchen intact, but the bamboo from her estate all the way to the rice field was also complete.

She had actually considered this idea at first. After all, if the water flow wasn’t stopped, it would keep flowing and eventually drown all the seedlings.

But using complete bamboo over such a long distance was impossible for her.

The length of a single bamboo pole was so long, and without tools, it would be very difficult to pierce through the entire middle.

At best, she could only cut them into smaller sections and slowly work through them, but this would be very troublesome when connecting them.

She hadn’t yet figured out what to use to connect these complete bamboo tubes. If the seals weren’t done properly, water would leak all along the way, making it useless.

But at the time, the rice fields’ rice were the priority, so she used split bamboo troughs. She thought that once the rice field was filled with water, she could just go to the source of the water diversion and stop the flow manually. That would still work.

However, seeing the intact bamboo tubes now, Ai Ling felt that her previous idea was too naive.

Now, it was so convenient—when water was needed, she could just open the plug, and when she was done, she could simply close it. It was exactly like a water supply system.

She couldn’t help but marvel at it in her heart and began to observe how the bamboo was connected.

After a quick look, she realized that He Xi had inserted the thin end of one bamboo pole into the thick end of another, and then used some kind of resinous substance to fill the gap.

Ai Ling touched the connection between the bamboo poles. There wasn’t even the slightest dampness, the seal was done very well!

Sigh, as expected, the locals have their own ways.

The clear water flowed slowly down, gently and coolly. Ai Ling played with the water at the outlet for a long time, until her fingertips were cold, before reluctantly putting the plug back in.

Huh?

Ai Ling lifted her hand and looked at it. She found that her hands, which had been covered in blood and flesh before, were now back to their soft, white, and tender state. Only faint scars remained, which were barely noticeable unless one looked closely.

Ai Ling was puzzled. How long had she actually slept? How had her wounds healed so quickly?

She hurriedly turned back to check on the seedlings, and sure enough, she hadn’t noticed before, but the seedlings had already started to bloom and had flower spikes.

Thinking about it, even if she hadn’t slept for half a month, she must have slept for at least eight or nine days.

Oh my, she touched her face and quickly ran back, almost flying in her haste.

“He Xi! He Xi!” she shouted as she ran back.

As soon as she stepped into the yard, she looked up and saw that there was now someone in the once-empty wooden house.

He Xi was sitting on the log sofa, leisurely holding her glass, sipping the refreshing herbal tea she had made.

A breeze blew through, lifting He Xi’s smooth, dark hair.

From the side, his high nose bridge stood out prominently, and his long eyelashes framed his deep, enchanting eyes. The slight smile at the corner of his mouth was irresistibly charming.

Ai Ling stood outside, staring in a daze.

He Xi turned his head: “Are you cold? Standing out there in the sun?”

Ai Ling snapped back to her senses, feeling a bit embarrassed, but she couldn’t let her pride slip: “Aren’t you hot, wearing that long hair?”

He Xi smiled faintly, and his smile made even the wind seem cooler.

“Is Luo Ling supposed to defeat the Demon King with your sharp tongue? Making you so eloquent like this.”

When Ai Ling heard this, she found it strangely familiar. Oh right, it seemed like Fluffy Ball had said something similar.

Speaking of Fluffy Ball, Ai Ling couldn’t help but feel angry.

Ever since she introduced him to Yuan Muchen’s rabbit, he had been missing from home every day, following the rabbit around, even ignoring the task of defeating the Demon King.

She couldn’t help but wonder how the system’s creators would react when they found out. Would they be so mad they’d spit blood?

She walked up the steps, sat down across from He Xi, and naturally grabbed the water on the table, taking a large gulp. Then, she comfortably leaned back in her chair and asked:

“You just mentioned Luo Ling? Who is she? Is she the one who created the Xi Slayer plan? Or is she the maker of Fluffy Ball? Do you know her?”

He Xi stared at the cup on the table that Ai Ling had drunk from, remaining silent for a long time, his expression one of restraint.

Finally, he stiffly moved his gaze away and calmly said two words: “I know her!”

【My god! He Xi can actually tolerate someone drinking from her cup!!!】

【What do you mean ‘her cup’? Take a closer look, that’s clearly Cup Number 5.】

【Don’t argue with me, seriously, isn’t He Xi known for being a germophobe?】

【Sigh, poor Xi, locked up by the old witch for 10,000 years, it even changed his personality. My poor Xi!】

【Xi? Oh my god, chills all over.】

【You’re not that weird woman again, are you? What is your history with him, just say it outright!】

【Exactly, always leaving people hanging with these random remarks, is it really that fun?】

【Remember when we attended the World Celebration together? He wouldn’t even let anyone touch the cup he drank from. He’d destroy it immediately. Now he’s like this…】

【Hahaha, can I say something? Maybe she just minds you touching it.】

【That’s not it, let me be fair. He Xi used to not let anyone touch things that his mouth had been on. I remember once, a crazy fan secretly hid the chopsticks he ate with. When he found out, he nearly burned down the fan’s house. In the end, he gave the fan a huge sum of money and told her to leave the city he was in.】

【So domineering? Sigh, all the good feelings I just had for him are gone.】

【Xi, don’t worry, just hold on. We’ll find a way to save you!】

【Pfft, ‘we’? Is there a He Xi rescue team? Oh my, Luo Ling, come and see this.】

【Oh no, why does this feel more and more interesting?】