Chapter 321: Three Years Less Life
Chapter 321
Lin Zaozao frowned with a bitter look on her face, full of thwarted rage and disappointment.
Such a good-looking young man, yet he was destined to be taken by someone else...
Alas! This was truly heart-breaking, especially for her...
[Host, Ji Fantian is destined to be the husband of the second female lead in this world. You must not develop any feelings for him.
If the host dares to have any improper thoughts about him, this system will shock you as punishment.]
[Alright, alright, I won't develop any feelings for him. I was just being a smart-aleck, but I won't actually do it.]
[Please remember what you've said, host.]
After hearing that damn system go offline, Lin Zaozao's eyes were filled with loathing.
She had discussed with Gu Shan, and for her safety, she would try to obey that despicable system for now.
Gu Shan said that the wretched system had brought two souls from other worlds to be the destined ones in this world, and their fates were closely tied to hers.
Once those two souls from other worlds arrived here, she would find a way to make them voluntarily return to their own worlds.
If those two souls refused to return, she would have to find a way to break the connection between them and herself, so that their lives would not be bound to hers.
Only when her fate was no longer controlled by that cursed system could Gu Shan completely destroy it.
A fallen immortal, a demonic cultivator, an utter villain - yet he had created a system identity to control her.
Regardless of whether she was truly the destined one of this world, she didn't want her fate to be manipulated by that damned system.
As Lin Zaozao was lost in thought, a few more people entered from outside. Apart from the one wearing a coarse cloth robe whom she didn't recognize, she knew the rest.
There were Senior Priest Mingyue, Lord Han Yunchuan of the Han Country, and Uncle Zhang. Just as Lin Zaozao wondered who the person walking alongside them was, Ji Fantian stood up from beside her bed and respectfully greeted the four newcomers.
"Senior Priest Mingyue, Your Lordship, General Zhang, Master, greetings!"
"Ji Zhun, is this the disciple you've been hiding?"
"Indeed, his name is Ji Fantian, my inner disciple."
Ji Zhun looked at Ji Fantian with pride as he spoke.
Han Yunchuan observed the greeting Ji Fantian with satisfaction. For such a young child to have impeccable manners and etiquette.
More importantly, this child's medical talents had already surpassed his master's.
Just this time when treating Ming Zhu, the little priestess, even his master couldn't diagnose her condition, but Ji Fantian could discern the cause just by taking her pulse.
"Fantian, how is the little priestess Ming Zhu? Has she awakened?"
"Your Lordship, Ming Zhu has indeed awoken."
Ji Fantian stepped aside, revealing Lin Zaozao whom he had been obscuring.
"Little girl Ming Zhu, you're awake!"
Ming Yue and Han Yunchuan approached Lin Zaozao's bedside, observing the pale-faced young girl.
Seeing her nonchalant demeanor, they couldn't help but glance at the silent Uncle Zhang standing beside the bed.
Uncle Zhang had truly been too rash...
He clearly knew that this little priestess was a child born from the Moonlight Flower Tree, and for their requests, she had to make equal sacrifices.
Yet for the sake of the citizens of the Han Country, Uncle Zhang had taken this young girl out to catalyze the growth of plants.
Although they didn't approve of Uncle Zhang's actions, they could understand. As the great protector general of the nation, seeing his people on the verge of starvation, his actions were a desperate measure.
"Senior Priest Ming Yue, Your Lordship, I'm fine. It was just a nap! Look how worried you've gotten."
Lin Zaozao sat up in bed, speaking dismissively.
"Just a nap? Ming Zhu, you've been asleep for ten days! If it weren't for Han Ye, Dashan, and Han Xibei keeping watch over you during these ten days, you would have starved to death in your sleep."
"What? I slept for ten days!"
Lin Zaozao exclaimed in a raised voice.
No wonder she felt so weak and stiff when she first woke up. It turned out she had slept for a full ten days!
"Little girl, this time it was Uncle's fault. Uncle... Uncle was too impatient... Uncle is not human, little girl, forgive me..."
Uncle Zhang approached Lin Zaozao, his voice choked with emotion.
"Uncle Zhang, what's the matter? How is my fainting related to you?"
"Little girl, Uncle knew that there must be an equal exchange, yet... yet I still made you catalyze the growth of the rice paddies.
Little girl, you catalyzed so many plants in a single day, which would shorten your lifespan and harm your body.
If it hadn't harmed your body, how could you have fallen into a ten-day slumber? Little girl, Uncle was wrong, Uncle was too selfish.
But... but I couldn't bear to see people starving to death in the Imperial Palace every day.
I'm sorry, little girl..."
Seeing Uncle Zhang in tears, even before Lin Zaozao could speak, Dashan rushed to her bedside from outside, grasping her hand and pleading.
"Little priestess, please don't blame Uncle. Uncle truly had no choice. Although the Han Country has received heavy rains, rain alone cannot make the rice mature in just a few days!
Little priestess, there are starving people dying outside the Imperial Palace every day. Whenever Uncle and I have time, we have to run outside to burn the bodies of those who starved to death, afraid that too many corpses would cause a plague.
Waaah... Little priestess, we really had no choice. Please, don't blame Uncle, he truly had no other option..."
"Uncle Zhang, Dashan, don't cry. It's just a bit of my lifespan lost, no big deal."
She didn't even fear death now, let alone losing some lifespan. If dying meant she could go home, she might as well die sooner.
"Little priestess, the amount of rice seedlings you catalyzed would cost you three years of your lifespan. Three years is truly a long time."
Dashan tightly grasped Lin Zaozao's hand, his eyes brimming with tears as he spoke.
"No worries, it's just three years, right? Dashan, look at me. I just sprouted from that Moonlight Flower Tree, and in just a few days, I've grown to look like a three or four-year-old. Time means nothing to me.
I'm optimistic and cheerful. If I die young, I'll just be reborn. It's no big deal."
"No, little priestess, it's not like that. The senior priest said that children born from the Holy Tree will have short lives. But now..."
"Dashan, shut up!" Senior Priest Mingyue scolded him immediately.
"Priest Mingyue, don't be harsh on Dashan. It's just a short life, I don't mind.
You know what? I don't really belong here anyway. Dying young and being reborn early means I can go back to my original home sooner, which is quite nice."
"Ming Zhu, that's not true. This place, this is your true home."
Mingyue explained anxiously.
"No, no. This is not my home..." Lin Zaozao murmured.
Where was the path home for her? If she died, could she really return to her own home?
Seeing Lin Zaozao's silence, Senior Priest Mingyue and the old sovereign Han Yunchuan exchanged a glance, then looked at Ji Fantian standing on the ground and said gently.
"Ming Zhu, from now on, let the young doctor Ji Fantian stay by your side at all times! His medical skills are superb, and with him here, we'll be at ease."
"Stay by my side!" Lin Zaozao pointed at her nose, looking at Ji Fantian's handsome face and saying cheerfully.
"Priest Mingyue, you mean this handsome guy will be living with me, right?"
"Ming Zhu, no. Only you can reside in the Sacrificial Palace. As for the young doctor, he will stay in the side palace next to the Sacrificial Hall."
Mingyue smiled gently at Ji Fantian, whose face had turned slightly red.
"That works too!"
Lin Zaozao turned her head, looking at Ji Fantian standing far away from her, and said cheerfully.
"Young doctor, if you're not busy, feel free to come visit me often. It's quite lonely living alone in such a large palace.
You can come visit me, chat with me, hold my hand and check my pulse, and so on."
"Little Priestess Ming Zhu, if you're sick, I'll naturally come to see you," Ji Fantian said with a straight face.
"Hmph! So you'll only come see me if I'm sick? You can come visit me even if I'm not sick!"
"Little Priestess Ming Zhu, we must follow the rules."
"You're just a child, why do you sound so mature!"
Seeing that she couldn't tease Ji Fantian, Lin Zaozao turned around and whined to Uncle Zhang.
"Uncle Zhang, is there any food? I'm starving!"
"Yes, yes, yes. I've prepared it for you, let's go eat now." fr𝐞𝐞𝚠e𝗯𝗻ovel.c𝐨m
Uncle Zhang put his hands under Lin Zaozao's armpits, not caring about the other people in the room, and carried her out.
Dashan, Han Ye, and Han Xibei followed closely behind them.
Feeling the light weight in his arms, Uncle Zhang's eyes immediately turned red.
He should be damned. Back then, how could he have thought of making such a young child solve Han Country's food problem?
This was just a little girl! He had truly been blinded by greed, doing such a despicable thing.
"Uncle Zhang, don't cry, I'm fine. I'm only three or four years old now, I still have a long life ahead of me!
Even if it's shortened by three or four years, it's no big loss for me. After all, I saved so many people, I think it's worth it."
"Little girl, I swear, from now on, I'll put your life before Han Country's.
From now on, I'll never make you catalyze the growth of rice again, or make you do anything else."
"Little priestess, I'll do the same, I'll always protect you. I, Dashan, swear that I'll consider you more important than anyone else. Yes! More important than Han Country, more important than even Uncle."
Dashan moved closer to Uncle Zhang's side, promising seriously.
"Dashan, Uncle Zhang saved you and raised you to be so big, so you should be protecting Uncle, not me."
"Little priestess, Uncle raised me, so of course I'll always protect and serve him.
But little priestess, you catalyzed the growth of all that rice, corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, which saved the people of Han Country.
As long as we have those grains, our Han Country will never have people starving to death again. With those crops, the commoners outside the Imperial Palace can eat their fill and regain the strength to plant another batch of grains.
Little priestess, with those grains, we don't need you to catalyze crop growth anymore, never again. As long as you don't need to catalyze crop growth, then you won't die."