The warm afternoon sun shone on the blue grassland. The continuous Star Weave Grass had a refreshing beauty, but Ding Meng walked very slowly. He seemed to be enjoying the pleasure of walking, but at the same time, he seemed to be reminiscing about the past.
Ji Chenxue held his hand and accompanied him as they strolled through the wheat fields. For them, this kind of time was very rare. There was no deception, no swords, and the return to nature calmed them down.
Ji Chenxue could see that Ding Meng's expression was full of reminiscence. She couldn't help but ask, "This must be the Da Sheng Kingdom, right?"
Ding Meng nodded affirmatively this time. "This is the Da Sheng Kingdom. I can't be wrong, because I've been here before."
At this time, the two of them had reached the end of the mountain range. After climbing over a slope, their field of vision brightened. They saw an endless field of Star Weave Grass that stretched far into the distance. Several large rivers meandered through the field, and the colors of these rivers were constantly changing. It looked like a fairytale world.
"It's so beautiful!" Ji Chenxue exclaimed.
Ding Meng sighed. "It looks beautiful, but it's not suitable for people to live in."
Ji Chenxue asked, "Why?"
Ding Meng said, "The Star Weave Grass itself contains a trace of poison, and the Star Weave Grass here is too lush. Their excess poison is discharged into the river, so the river looks beautiful, but it's not suitable for people to live in. We are Divine Light warriors, so we can't feel it, but ordinary people can't survive here for too long."
Ji Chenxue was a little confused. "But you've been here before?"
Ding Meng smiled. "Do you know the name of this place?"
Ji Chenxue asked, "What's the name?"
"It's called Rosy Cloud Plating!" Ding Meng explained. "It's on the southern border of the Da Sheng Kingdom."
Ji Chenxue was surprised. "This is your hometown?"
Ding Meng nodded, and his eyes dimmed. "I've told you before that I lived here since I was a child. Like many children in the village, I had to cut grass every day with tools. After a long time, many people were poisoned and slowly died of illness."
Ji Chenxue asked, "What about your parents?"
Ding Meng looked into the distance. "I don't have parents. I heard from the elders in the village that I grew up eating the food of hundreds of families."
Ji Chenxue suddenly felt sad....... Ding Meng...... Ding Meng was struggling in the same time..
At this moment, words were unnecessary. Ji Chenxue held Ding Meng's hand tightly. Ding Meng seemed to feel her concern and could not help but wrap her arms around her slender waist.
Ji Chenxue rested her head on his shoulder and said faintly, "You must have suffered a lot to be able to live to this day."
Ding Meng shook his head and said with a smile, "This is nothing. When I was six years old, this place was scorched. The army of the Immortal Travel Country attacked and the village was turned into ruins overnight. I had to escape north with the others."
Ji Chenxue knew what happened later. Ding Meng met Ding Wenhe, the little girl, the protector, Uncle Niu, Zheng Ming, his elder brother, the princess, Yu Xingyang, Long Yao... These people had been dead for many years, but they lived forever in Ding Meng's heart and encouraged him to move forward.
Ji Chenxue couldn't imagine how Ding Meng felt when he revisited this place.
"Ding Meng!" Ji Chenxue suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Ding Meng turned around in confusion. "What's wrong?"
Ji Chenxue sighed. "If one day you could end all the grudges and disputes, would you be willing to come back to this place to live?"
Ding Meng smiled bitterly again. "I want to. I don't have any other skills, but I'm good at being a coolie. Unfortunately..."
Ji Chenxue also understood that there were many things waiting for Ding Meng to do. They couldn't be finished in a short time.
"I'm just asking!" Ji Chenxue hurriedly explained.
Ding Meng seemed to know what she was thinking. He smiled and said, "Don't worry. If that day really comes, no matter where we go, I'll take you with me!"
"Really?" Ji Chenxue jumped up like a child.
Ding Meng smiled and said, "Of course!"
If other men had said this, they might have thought that he was trying to coax her, but Ji Chenxue knew that Ding Meng was a man of his words. This was definitely a huge promise.
"Let's go!"
Ji Chenxue took the initiative to hold Ding Meng's hand and ran forward happily. "I want to see the places you've been to."
They walked along several rivers to an open area. The terrain gradually became flat, and the number of grass fields decreased. Finally, there was a trace of green in their field of vision. It was the normal green water and green mountains. The rivers converged into a big river. The water was green and clear. They could see wooden fishing boats drifting on the river. There were people fishing on the boats with fishing rods.
Ding Meng was a little surprised. "When I left, this place was devastated. I didn't expect that there would be people here again. Has peace been restored at the border?"
"It should be. Look over there!"
Ji Chenxue pointed to a small grass field by the river. There was a group of five or six-year-old children in the grass. They were wearing fish-skin gloves and holding sickles, concentrating on cutting the grass.
Seeing their skillful movements, Ding Meng couldn't help but sigh. "They're all children from poor families. Otherwise, they wouldn't be working at such a young age."
The faces of these children were still very young, but their skin was rough and coarse. There were thick calluses on each of their wrists, indicating that they had been doing manual labor for a long time.
Ding Meng noticed that there was a little girl in the grass field who was particularly eye-catching. Her cutting speed was very fast, and her hands and feet were very agile. Just like Ding Wenhe in the past, she had cut down a large patch of grass in no time. Then, she found a rope and tied a large bundle of grass to her back.
Ji Chenxue couldn't bear to watch. She was only a little girl, but she was already bent over by the Star Weave Grass at such a young age.
However, at this moment, something unexpected happened. Ding Meng and Ji Chenxue didn't expect. The little girl hadn't walked far with the bundle of grass on her back when the group of boys behind her swarmed up and swung their sickles at her back.
Ji Chenxue was shocked. "Are they trying to rob her?"
Ding Meng didn't say anything. This kind of thing was all too common. Back then, he had done the same thing. He had found a frozen gray steamed bun, and it had attracted more than a dozen children to try and rob it.
When a person couldn't stand the hunger, they would do anything. However, upon closer inspection, it didn't seem right. Although these people were children from poor families, their clothes were still intact. They weren't the kind of ragged beggars or refugees. They weren't the kind of people who would collapse at any time due to hunger. There was no reason for them to snatch other people's bundles.
Ding Meng was still in a daze when cries of surprise came from the grass field. Upon closer inspection, even he was surprised. The little girl was already lying in a pool of blood. She had suffered at least 20 to 30 cuts all over her body. Although these wounds were not fatal, three of her fingers had been cut off, and the tendons and veins in her elbows and ankles had been severed. The other boys had scattered after snatching the bundle of grass.
Ji Chenxue sucked in a breath of cold air. "How could a five- or six-year-old child be so ruthless?"
Ding Meng also felt that something was amiss. "Let's go and take a look!"
The little girl was helped up by Ji Chenxue. Her face was too young, but it carried a stubbornness and maturity that did not match her age. Her eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and her expression was cold. She did not even cry out in pain.
Ding Meng was about to step forward, but Ji Chenxue stopped him. "Let me do this!"
The little girl was an ordinary person. Ji Chenxue only needed to infuse a small amount of Source Energy to heal her injuries. It was only when her severed fingers were reattached that a trace of surprise appeared on the little girl's face.
"What's your name?" Ji Chenxue asked in a friendly manner.
The little girl was not shy. "Big Flower."
This was obviously a nickname, but Ding Meng knew that she was definitely a child from a poor family.
The Flourishing Kingdom had a caste system. Those who had a real name often had origins. To put it simply, many children of unknown people on the border only had a nickname. There was no surname to check. The poor could not even afford to eat, so why would they care about their name?
"Big Flower, where is your home?" Ji Chenxue's smile made the little girl feel at ease.
Big Flower pointed into the distance. "Apricot Village!"
Ji Chenxue asked, "Is there anyone at home?"
Big Flower replied straightforwardly, "Grandma is here!"
Ji Chenxue patted her shoulder. "Let me take you home, okay?"
Big Flower shook her head. "There is no grass!"
Ji Chenxue was stunned. He did not understand what she meant.
Ding Meng stepped forward and sighed. "She hasn't cut the grass yet. Without grass, there is no flour. Without flour, she and her grandma will starve …"
Ding Meng bent over and said, "Big Flower, let me help you cut the grass, okay?"
Big Flower hesitated. "You know how to cut grass?"
Ding Meng smiled. "I came here to cut grass when I was young. At that time, we didn't have any tools, so we had to pick them slowly by hand. These Star Weave Grass are actually divided into many colors. The blue ones have the least amount of poison and are the most suitable for harvesting. The red ones are flammable, so it's best not to pick them on a hot day or it will catch fire easily. The most dangerous ones are the black ones. They are very poisonous. Even children can't get close to them.
You can't even touch them. "As he spoke, he waved his hand casually, and large patches of Star Weave Grass in the field fell to the ground.
Big Flower's eyes widened. "Teach me!"
Ding Meng smiled. "Okay!
Take me to Apricot Village and I will teach you! "
Big Flower led the way without another word. Ji Chenxue also used her telekinesis to gather the bundles of grass together and float them in the air. She took Big Flower's hand and secretly sent a telepathic message to Ding Meng. "You really want to teach her?"
Ding Meng said, "Can't you see that she is about to awaken as an Origin Ability user?
However, telekinesis can't be taught, but helping her become an Origin Ability user won't be a problem. "
Ji Chenxue was shocked. "But she is a five- or six-year-old Origin Ability user."
Ding Meng explained, "I only found out after I went to the Federal Empire that the Da Sheng Kingdom's Origin Ability users have a very high chance of awakening. In the Federal Empire, only one or two Origin Ability users can awaken among tens of thousands of people. However, in the Da Sheng Kingdom, only one out of twenty-three people can awaken."
Ji Chenxue asked curiously, "What do you mean?"