Chapter 169 – He is Her Ingredient (2)
The boy slightly pursed his little mouth but no longer spoke. His eyelashes became dripping wet.
Ning Xuemo continued to kick the water. It took her a while before realizing he was not moving at all. She feared that he was planning a new trick again.
It was true that he wasn’t incanting anything. He was quite well-behaved, and his little face lightly rested on her chest.
The lake’s surface undulated with waves. The platform of green foliage had already disappeared without a trace.
The lake was like a mirror reflecting the moonlight. Ning Xuemo could almost believe that she was still in a dream if it wasn’t for the child currently in her arms.
She quickly reached the shore with the ginseng child. She felt tired and sweat could be seen on her forehead.
She sat on a big stone, but still did not dare to let the child down on the ground, continuing to carry him.
As a ginseng, it should have the ability to escape through the ground. If she was to put him on the ground, perhaps it would slip underground without being seen…
How would she be able to eat him then?
Ning Xuemo’s gaze lay on that child and her hesitation could be seen. Suddenly, she understood Elder Tang Seng’s[1] state of mind at the time when he ate a ginseng fruit[2].
The ginseng fruit Tang Seng received was merely shaped like a little baby, really a fruit and nothing else. But when it came to eating this ginseng child, it wasn’t just a matter of biting it with a crunch.
When looking at this thing in her arms which could speak and move, with warm and tender skin, glittering big eyes and captivating red lips, it seemed too much like like a human child. Such a heaven devastating beauty made her unable to bite it!
No matter where she wanted to bite him, she felt like it was a sin to hurt him!
She wasn’t a softhearted person. To stay alive, she had left numerous corpses in her wake, but amongst those, none belonged to a child. Not to mention eating a child…
It appeared that compared to her, Zhang Guolao was more vicious and merciless. Sniff, sniff!
Perhaps she should just close her eyes and throw him inside a pot to stew. Unfortunately, there was no pot or firewood available.
This place seemed quite weird. Although the lake was surrounded by tall trees everywhere, no dead leaves or dried up branches could be found.
Unless she went further inside the forest….
She raised her head and looked into the distance. Under the moonlight, all that her eyes could see were the grotesquely shaped stone mountains, the verdant and lush big forest, and a vast expanse of dark green. The sight gave off a feeling of mystery and danger.
On this ninth peak, the animals had free reign; if she encountered one, it would keep her busy for a long while. For the time being, it was better for her not to provoke any wild beasts.
A rumbling sound could faintly be heard by the both of them. The sound came from Ning Xuemo’s stomach.
‘I’m super hungry!’ Ning Xuemo swallowed her saliva.
“You’re hungry?” The child spoke once again.
“Correct!” Ning Xuemo affirmed. Her eyes fixed on his silver like moonlight hair. Suddenly, she got a bright idea; she raised her hand and pulled out two strands of his hair. Later, she would look at them to her heart’s content.
What was she going to do with his hair? Voodoo doll? Put a curse on it?
The ginseng child slightly frowned while he stared at her.
After a moment, Ning Xuemo’s little face looked somewhat gloomy.
Those TV shows would be the cause of someone’s death! She clearly remembered someone pulled off the beard of a ginseng old man in a certain movie. When pulled out, the beard turned into the tassels of a ginseng, but the hair in her hand didn’t show any sign of transforming.
‘Could it be a characteristic of a ginseng elder but not of a ginseng child? Or could it be that the beard can’t maintain the transformation, but hair could?’
“Why is your hair not turning back into a ginseng tassel?” Ning Xuemo stroked her short blade and then placed it on the little child’s neck once again. “Hurry and transform back. Otherwise, I’ll just eat you immediately.”
The corner of the little child’s lips twitched as he lowered his eyes, looking at the short blade resting on his neck. Then, he looked at Ning Xuemo again. “You want to eat ginseng?”
“Correct! Hurry and transform back!” Ning Xuemo slightly pressed the short blade on his neck.
This short blade was also something that Ji Yunhuang gifted her. It was sharp enough that it could slice a strand of hair, quite a good blade. Under the moonlight, the blade glinted ominously.
[1] It’s the name of Sun Wukong’s master in Journey to the West. For more informations, click here.
[2] Ginseng are plants and what we eat are the roots, like carrots. But there is a chinese myth about a ginseng tree that bore fruits in the shape of babies or such. Like what they are trying to replicate with pears here.