Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Providing Blades, Spears, and Clubs
At her words, someone chimed in, "That’s right! Our Ningning has the wolf pack. We’re not afraid of anyone who comes!"
But Uncle Liu said, "We can’t just rely on Ningning. What kind of people would that make us?"
"There are so many men in the village. What if we form our own patrol teams and rotate through shifts?"
As soon as he finished, Chen Ye immediately agreed, "Uncle Liu has the right idea."
Instantly, many villagers volunteered.
They ended up forming six squads, each with nine able-bodied men.
Shen Ningning also came to an agreement with the Black Wolf King: if they encountered danger, the wolves wouldn’t act alone. They had to stick with everyone!
That way, she wouldn’t have to worry about the wolves getting hurt on their own.
「Back home.」
Shen Ningning immediately entered the Immortal Realm.
From the Weapons Hall, she dragged out a pile of swords, spears, and clubs.
Most of the villagers only had clubs and sickles; proper weapons were rare.
The little girl figured her collection of weapons would be a huge help.
But carrying them back and forth was exhausting. In the end, she just brought in a basin filled with Spiritual Spring Water. After being washed in it, the weapons’ blades became even sharper, as if they had just been honed.
Shen Ningning busied herself, enjoying the task.
’Longswords, sabers, daggers, axes... Ooh, I should take the Meteor Hammer, too!’
She tried to lift the hammer, which was bigger than her head.
Unfortunately, it was too heavy. The little girl cried out and fell backward.
She landed squarely on her bottom.
Her dark eyes welled up with tears from the pain.
"Owwie..." Shen Ningning whimpered pitifully.
That wasn’t all.
She had bumped into the shelf behind her. A small box, one that held gunpowder ingredients, fell, spilling a pile of white, rock-like chunks into the basin of water.
A pungent smell drifted over.
"Yuck, yuck, yuck!" The little girl sputtered, choking on the smell.
She scrambled over to check the shelf of gunpowder ingredients.
Everything on it was pre-packaged into sets, with four small boxes per set.
Paper labels on them read: Sulfur, Realgar, Saltpeter, and Honey.
Shen Ningning stared in confusion. She guessed it was a formula and that the ingredients were meant to be combined.
She picked the small box she had just accidentally knocked off out of the water. The label on it read "Saltpeter."
Shen Ningning studied the saltpeter curiously. As it soaked in the water, it sparkled with tiny specks of light, as if it were sitting in the sun.
"Whoa, it’s so magical!" she marveled.
She didn’t know what the gunpowder ingredients were for yet, but they seemed very powerful!
After all, the smell alone was almost unbearable!
Shen Ningning pushed the basin aside. Cradling the newly cleaned weapons, she left the Immortal Realm.
She loaded all the weapons onto the carriage by the door, ready to take them to the village the next day.
After all that work, the little girl was huffing and puffing from exhaustion.
Her round little face was flushed as red as a sunset cloud, and her pitch-black eyes sparkled brightly.
Night had fallen, and Grandma Qin was already asleep.
The Black Wolf King came over and nuzzled Shen Ningning’s little cheek, nudging her to go rest.
The little girl, however, patted the Black Wolf King’s head. "I’m just going to tidy up the Immortal Realm a bit, then I’ll rest!"
’I have to clean up the gunpowder ingredients I knocked over.’
However, when Shen Ningning re-entered, she witnessed something incredible!
In the basin of water where the saltpeter had fallen, the water had actually frozen!
Her big, watery eyes widened. She rubbed them hard, unable to believe what she was seeing.
Shen Ningning scurried forward on her little feet and cautiously reached out to touch the water’s surface.
A thin layer of ice shattered at her touch!
"It really froze!" The little girl was overjoyed.
’If I can drink iced water, this summer will be so much more comfortable!’
But...
Shen Ningning lowered her head, scooped up the icy water with her small hands and sniffed it.
It smelled awful.
’Drinking this would definitely give me a stomachache!’
The little girl plopped onto the floor, cupping her chin in thought.
"Hmm... what should I do..." she murmured, her long lashes lowered as she stared at the basin. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "I’ve got it!"
She scrambled to her feet and brought in another small basin from outside the Immortal Realm.
She filled both basins with water, then placed the smaller one inside the larger one.
However, Shen Ningning only put the saltpeter into the large, outer basin.
She did this because the water with the saltpeter in it shouldn’t be consumed.
But if she used this double-basin method to chill it, the water in the inner basin should be fine!
Shen Ningning decided to give it a try.
’If the water in the small basin freezes too, then I’ll have clean iced water to drink!’ The little girl was full of anticipation.
The first thing she did upon waking up the next morning was rush into the Immortal Realm to see the result.
When Shen Ningning saw that the water in her small basin was frozen solid, she leaped into the air with a cheer.
"Yay! I did it!"
Grunting with effort, she carried the heavy wooden basin and ran out.
"Grandma! Grandma, look! I made ice! You can eat it and drink it!"
Grandma Qin, who was washing vegetables, came over with the wolf pack when she heard the commotion.
"It really is ice!" Grandma Qin was astonished. She touched it again and again. It was freezing!
Shen Ningning put the wooden basin on the ground, and the wolves crowded around the ice to inspect it.
The weather was scorching, with waves of heat rising from the baked earth.
Yet, a faint coolness emanated from the area around the wooden basin.
Lang Si couldn’t resist and stuck out his tongue for a lick.
’Whoa! This is amazing!’
When the Black Wolf King saw this, he let out an angry series of growls.
’You have no self-control!’
Shen Ningning’s eyes crinkled into smiling crescents, sparkling like scattered starlight. "Go on, lick it! It’s okay! We’ll have all the ice we want from now on!"
So that Grandma and the wolves could all enjoy the cool treat, Shen Ningning took out several boxes of saltpeter.
She repeated the process, using every basin in the house to make ice and placing them all in the cellar.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead with her small hand. "By tonight, they’ll definitely have turned to ice!"
Grandma Qin smiled. "This is wonderful! You’re so clever, Ningning."
Just a few days ago, she had been worrying that as the weather grew hotter, even the breeze from the Seven-Round Fan wasn’t cool enough.
Shen Ningning couldn’t stand the heat, and the furry wolf pack suffered even more.
But with ice, everyone would feel much better!
Since Lang Si had already licked the first block of ice, Grandma Qin tipped it out of the wooden basin and onto the ground.
Having gotten the Black Wolf King’s permission, the wolves took turns licking the block of ice.
So cool and refreshing!
After a busy morning, Shen Ningning had a simple lunch of cold noodles made by her grandma and a couple of chicken meatball skewers.
Full and satisfied, she skipped her afternoon nap, took the wolves with her, and led the horse-drawn carriage to Xiangyun Village.
She had to deliver the weapons to the villagers.
When Chen Ye saw the weapons in the carriage, even his usually calm expression showed a hint of astonishment.
"So many blades sharp enough to cut iron like clay... and they’re already honed."
Chen Ye looked at Shen Ningning with a mixture of surprise and admiration. "Miss, you must have spent a fortune!"
He thought Shen Ningning had bought them from the city for their self-defense.
The little girl didn’t correct his charming misunderstanding, simply offering a sweet smile that revealed her dimples.
"Of course! We have to protect the village. It’s my home, too!" Shen Ningning entrusted the task of distributing the weapons to Chen Ye.
He was a former soldier who had seen battle, so he knew how to handle it.
Just as Shen Ningning was thinking of going to see the mad scholar, Deng Fugui came running from the village entrance—
"Little Wolf Sister! Little Wolf Sister! That dignitary from the palace, they’re here to see you again!"
*
