Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 865 - 422: Searching for Husband_2

Chapter 865: Chapter 422: Searching for Husband_2

Jiang Shouzhong shrugged: "Whether it’s fortune or disaster, you can’t stop it, leave it to fate."

Jiang Wan smiled faintly and got back to the main topic: "Although the Yin Yang Divine Thistle Register has four volumes, you only need to find the first two to resolve the Stone Qi on the Li Family girl."

Jiang Shouzhong nodded, silently noting it down in his heart.

Currently, the first volume is with Luo Mingtang, this guy has scattered around ten avatars practicing Dual Cultivation everywhere, making it hard to locate his real body, it seems we’ll need Empress Luo Wanqing’s help.

To reach the Capital City of Nanjin Country as soon as possible, the three of them avoided the official roads and opted for shortcut paths through the mountains.

As a result, they could rarely find inns or taverns to rest, spending most of the journey camping out in the wilderness.

Luckily, Jiang Wan and Jiang Shouzhong were experts and didn’t feel fatigued.

Little Jiangyi sometimes rode on the back of an ox, sometimes carried by Jiang Shouzhong, feeling leisurely and carefree.

Moreover, Jiang Shouzhong occasionally told stories, so the long journey wasn’t boring.

One evening, they arrived at a secluded mountain forest.

Near the forest was a large lake.

The moonlight was bright, reflecting shimmering waves like countless tiny diamonds dancing upon the water.

"Let’s rest here for the night," Jiang Wan said to Jiang Shouzhong, seeing Little Jiangyi’s slightly tired face, as she jumped off the ox’s back.

"You start the fire, I’ll get some water."

With that, she lightly kicked the dog demon, which had curled up nearby and taken the form of a little dog: "Silly dog, go catch a couple of wild rabbits, we’ll have extra supper tonight."

The dog demon whimpered and dashed into the woods.

"Papa, I’ll go gather some firewood for you."

Little Jiangyi said crisply.

Jiang Shouzhong quickly instructed: "Just gather around here, don’t wander far."

"Got it!"

Little Jiangyi waved her hand.

Jiang Shouzhong found some appropriately sized stones and began stacking them to build a simple fireplace for the campfire, while complaining:

"Zhao Wuxiu is really a blockhead, unable to ascend, he should just lift the space-lock ban. If we could fly on swords, why go through all this trouble?"

Jiang Wan smiled upon hearing Jiang Shouzhong’s words as she untied the water bag from the ox’s back:

"You can’t really blame Zhao Wuxiu for this, it’s likely an issue from Taoyuan Holy Land, once the ban is lifted, problems might arise."

Jiang Shouzhong’s thoughts were stirred.

Could it be that since the Heavenly Gate was destroyed and couldn’t be closed, they fear cultivators might fly up, hence the ban on air travel?

"Actually, not being able to fly is quite good, I’m hopeful that in the future, everyone won’t be able to cultivate."

Jiang Wan blinked her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings.

Jiang Shouzhong frowned slightly and smiled: "That would truly be imperial power at its peak."

"No, it’s not just that I hope for no cultivators, I also wish there would be no emperors or bureaucrats in this world."

As Jiang Wan spoke, she raised her hand to brush aside a few strands of hair that were tousled by the night breeze.

A self-mocking smile surfaced on her face once more:

"But I know this thought is too idealistic, even though I yearn for it, in reality, it’s almost impossible to achieve."

Jiang Shouzhong laughed freely and said:

"Emperors can indeed be done without, but bureaucrats... no matter the system, there’s always no way to abolish them."

Jiang Wan recalled Ye Zhuchan’s words, curiously staring at the man: "In your world, are there no emperors?"

"No."

Jiang Shouzhong shook his head in response.

Jiang Wan asked again: "Do you want to be an emperor?"

Jiang Shouzhong was taken aback and, after much thoughtful consideration, replied:

"It depends on what kind of emperor. If it’s to be a wise ruler, well then, I apologize, I’m afraid of trouble and find it exhausting.

But if it’s to be a foolish monarch, well, I might try that, maybe I could live more freely."

Saying this, Jiang Shouzhong himself laughed, a hint of teasing in his tone.

"Desire is the essence of human nature."

Jiang Wan nodded slightly and softly gave her insight.

She suddenly lamented regretfully:

"No matter what, Zhou Chang was indeed a good emperor. Unfortunately, he couldn’t change himself; to be precise, he couldn’t change the inherent ideology of imperial supremacy.

In his view, imperial power was the ultimate existence. This was both the foundation of his rule and, to some extent, limited his vision and courage for reform."

Jiang Shouzhong had little interest in such topics to begin with, and now he found them somewhat boring, unwilling to continue discussing what seemed to him to be meaningless subjects with this woman.

He squatted down, focused on the task of piling up stones.

During their journey together, he discovered that Jiang Wan had a wildly free-spirited way of thinking, with all kinds of strange ideas popping into her head.

Some of her concepts would even be considered shockingly advanced in modern times.

Perhaps this woman inherently lacked any mundane desires, enabling her to think or evaluate worldly matters from an almost divine perspective.

Jiang Wan went to the lakeside to fetch water, then dug a trough of over a meter nearby.

Jiang Shouzhong knew she planned to bathe Little Jiangyi and herself, so he sensibly went up to help, filling the trough with the fetched water.

"When we reach Water Moon Manor, if Qingchen is still there, I won’t make an appearance."

Jiang Wan took off her shoes and gently dipped her feet into the trough.

The jade-white, delicate little feet, as soon as they touched the water, seemed like two lively little fish, gently swaying and creating ripples.

Though the two had special status, such actions were somewhat inappropriate.

However, Jiang Wan was naturally an uninhibited, eccentric person, and given that her current body was Jiang Erliang’s, she had even fewer concerns.

Not to mention playing barefoot in the water, she might even undress in front of Jiang Shouzhong without a second thought, given her personality.

Jiang Shouzhong frowned with displeasure, "Is it necessary to hide like this?"

Jiang Wan gazed at the night sky, "Sometimes, not seeing is truly better than seeing again."

She raised her hand, unconsciously twirling a lock of her falling hair again and again, her exquisite face tinged with a faint trace of melancholy.

"You’re so pretentious and emotionless."

Jiang Shouzhong said.

Jiang Wan snorted coldly, "You brat, I’m being rational."

"Being overly rational makes one less than an animal."

Jiang Shouzhong was quite opposed to Jiang Wan’s constant detachment as an observer,

"In the hearts of Qingchen and Ms. Jiang, no matter how you’ve wronged them, they still wish to see you. Even if you were to die again, they wouldn’t want to be left with regrets..."

"Why do you talk so much? You’re as annoying as an old woman."

Jiang Wan lifted her little foot, splashing a string of water drops onto the man’s body, "Besides, I’m your elder—don’t lecture me. Learn to talk less, understand?"

Jiang Shouzhong continued to babble:

"In my view, you’re just being pretentious. Ms. Jiang is right; you don’t actually care what others think. If you truly wanted to make up for your guilt towards them, you should..."

"Ugh, I’m not listening, not listening."

Jiang Wan covered her ears, "Get lost, you’re really annoying."

Jiang Shouzhong, seeing her act like a willful young girl, just shook his head helplessly, "Suit yourself, but don’t blame me if you regret it later."

...

On the other side, Little Jiangyi was diligently picking up fallen dry branches, humming a little tune, bouncing around, her small figure occasionally appearing and disappearing among the grass and trees.

Suddenly, her gaze was drawn to something not far away.

Little Jiangyi focused her eyes, discovering it was a rather dilapidated stele. The stele was half-hidden among the overgrown weeds, with only a small part exposed.

Little Jiangyi curiously stepped forward to clear away the weeds, faintly recognizing the words "Husband Seeking Forest" carved on the stele.

"Husband Seeking Forest, what a strange name."

Little Jiangyi slightly furrowed her brows, murmuring softly to herself.

The girl didn’t care much, picking up the branches and preparing to leave.

But at the moment she turned around, she suddenly felt something lightly touch her shoulder.

The girl instinctively turned her head.

What met her eyes were a pair of red embroidered shoes, swaying in mid-air.

The vivid red stood out starkly in the dim forest.

Little Jiangyi’s gaze slowly moved upward from the shoes, and when she saw the full image, she froze in place. Hanging from the tree was a woman in a tattered bridal dress.

The woman’s body swayed as if blown by the wind, extremely eerie.

"Ah!"

Little Jiangyi turned pale with fright, retreating rapidly, stumbling backward, and tripping to the ground, the branches in her hand scattering all over.