Chapter 476: Chapter 440: Lunar New Year’s Eve (Bonus Chapter for Cumulative Rewards)
The snowstorm stopped after more than half a day. Before New Year’s Eve, Sang Que and the others finally made it back to Bright Moon Mountain.
Hua Qianmian and Qin Ze were both visiting for the first time. They were shocked to see that Sang Que had quietly built a city, while Yao Zhen and others felt an inexplicable sense of superiority, thinking this was just the beginning. The base down the mountain was the real shocker.
Qin Ze, just as He Buning described, appeared relaxed and carefree on the surface and was quite joyful when talking to people, but inside he was melancholic, like he had a kind of happy depression.
On the journey here, Qin Ze always had Sang Que put him in the painting; sometimes he slept by the lake in Taoyuan Village, sometimes chatted with Chu Mo Wei, though Chu Mo Wei couldn’t speak.
Now that they had reached Bright Moon Mountain, Qin Ze finally regained some vigor. Sang Que and Liu Tianyou decided to give all the water-related tasks at Bright Moon Mountain to Qin Ze, so he’d be occupied and integrate sooner, hopefully dispelling his inner gloom in the process.
Hua Qianmian didn’t need Sang Que to worry about her; she went sightseeing on her own. She was skilled at calculations and business, so later, business matters could be handed to Hua Qianmian to coordinate with Zhang Junyao.
Yao Zhen could then be freed up to focus on other tasks.
The county government of Pu’an County had sent documents signed by the State Governor of Jinzhou to Qingfeng Temple, allocating a new grant of land for Qingfeng Temple, compensating them with a lot of Silver Coins, and ordering them to complete the relocation before the second lunar month.
With just a few days left until New Year’s Eve, Pu’an County stopped deploying troops to attack the Quarry, and Zheng Xuan and the others were also called back.
Even though time was pressing, celebrating the New Year couldn’t be skimped.
Sang Que consulted Zhao Yunshu and the others for their opinions. Most of them prioritized the mission and chose to stay here for the New Year, taking the opportunity to experience the New Year’s Eve atmosphere of the Xuan Dynasty.
With Zhao Yunshu overseeing everything, Sang Que wasn’t worried.
Sang Que spent several days opening the Gate of Two Realms, transporting a large batch of supplies and building materials, along with a newly trained group of researchers, construction workers, and guard team members rotating out.
They brought back the collected samples and various data, attended all sorts of meetings...
In this flurry of activity, it wasn’t until the afternoon of New Year’s Eve that Sang Que finally got a three-day break. She could take Xia Chan and Xuan Yu to reunite with Sang Wan, freeing herself from all obligations, if only temporarily.
Huaxia, Yu City, New Year’s Eve night.
"Aunt Sang, Little Chan is back!"
As soon as Sang Que opened the door to their house, before she could say a word, Xia Chan eagerly darted through under her arm, rushing in to find Sang Wan.
At that moment, Sang Que suddenly understood why, in families with two daughters, the older sister would inexplicably hit the younger sister.
Hearing the noise, Sang Wan came out of the kitchen, wiped her hands on her apron, and smiled gently.
"You got back just in time; the main course is about to be served."
"Aunt Sang, Little Chan loves you the most!"
Meow~
Xia Chan and Xuan Yu rushed to Sang Wan’s side, eagerly winning her favor. At the doorstep, the black dog, Great General, looked grumpy as it glanced at Sang Que, whimpering in grievance as if to say, "Aren’t you going to do something? That’s my mom."
Sang Que chuckled helplessly, bending down to give Great General a head rub.
By dinner time, Xia Chan’s honeyed words were finally silenced by the food stuffed into her mouth, leaving her speechless.
"Mom, your cooking is pretty good!"
Sang Que picked up a piece of rib and complimented, knowing her mom used to burn ribs without fail.
Sang Wan laughed, "I’ve had some free time to try cooking, and it’s not so hard after all. By the way, why is Xia Chan’s hair red?"
Sang Wan had noticed Xia Chan’s vibrant red hair as soon as she came in, but Xia Chan had barraged her with chatter, leaving her no chance to inquire.
With her head buried in her food, Xia Chan left Sang Que to explain, "Simply put, she leveled up, and the red hair is a mutation, kind of like being poisoned."
Sang Wan nodded and served Xia Chan some food.
Sang Que suddenly felt a twinge of jealousy, "Mom, why don’t you ask how I’ve been?"
Sang Wan laughed at Sang Que’s unexpected little tantrum, "You always highlight the good, never the bad, and everything you’re involved in is classified anyway. Why should I ask pointlessly? Just having you here for New Year’s dinner satisfies me."
Sang Que sighed; her mom wasn’t wrong, as she’d have said everything was fine anyway.
"Let me tell you what I can. After the New Year, I might not be back for a long time. There’s a lot to do and I hope you can move to Lishi Mountain Base."
After this New Year, Sang Que planned to seek revenge for Yin Child, complete the progression ceremony, possibly hunt Earth Ghosts in the Hidden Realm, and with the court eradicating bandits, Bright Moon Mountain could be exposed at any moment, leading inevitably to war. Each task was extraordinarily dangerous.
"Alright!" Sang Wan agreed without hesitation, "The houses next door, upstairs, and across the street were bought by people who are clearly not ordinary. It doesn’t make sense for so many people to protect just me. Besides, I have no friends here, so living anywhere is the same as long as I have internet."
Sang Wan continued eating, the dinner table ambiance becoming a bit somber, even Xia Chan noticed something amiss, raising her head to glance between Sang Que and Sang Wan.
Sang Que realized she hadn’t spent much quality time with her mom, leaving her lonely at home.
Reflecting on the past, her biggest wish had always been to stay by her mom’s side, but now she had shouldered many responsibilities, requiring them to be apart.
Sang Que put down her chopsticks. "Mom, I actually need your help."
The words ’need you’ struck a chord with Sang Wan, as she hadn’t heard them in a long time.
Sang Que glanced around the house, drew nearer to Sang Wan, and whispered, "Mom, before coming back, I talked with the top brass about my further progression. Most of them are against it because it’s too risky. If something happens to me, the gate between the two worlds can’t be opened."
This was a very realistic issue. Now that the Wu Family members were all dead, if Sang Que failed in progression and died, they’d have to wait for Black Tai Sui to ’regurgitate’ someone, then grow a female descendant to sixteen to inherit the Mountain Ghost Coin and open the gate again.
So their position was for Sang Que not to take the risk for now, even if it meant tackling Zuo Jinye another way.
If it were about dealing with ordinary people, Sang Que had full faith in modern power, but in dealing with ghosts, modern power still had weaknesses.
"Mom, I don’t want to give up just like that! Only by finishing all this quickly can I lay down my burdens. I once heard that a storyteller’s ability can somewhat increase the success rate of progression, but the storyteller from the Deceit Dynasty was captured by my biological father, leaving only you to help me. That’s why I want you to move to Lishi Mountain Base. You’re my comrade, and I won’t leave you behind."
Sang Wan’s eyes welled up; she hadn’t expected Sang Que to remember her past words.
