Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 869 - 867_1

Chapter 869: Chapter 867_1

Xiao’er looked at the twenty or so criminals, most of whom had gaunt faces, a lack of energy, and some even seemed to be enduring great pain.

The only one among them who appeared slightly plump had a decadent face, keeping his head low and coughing incessantly.

All of them were sick.

It wasn’t surprising. The criminals were exiled to this place to let them slowly suffer in the harsh environment, weren’t they?

"When were you exiled here?"

"Some of us two months ago and some one month ago." responded a young man, who had maintained an upright posture since arriving.

They ended up in this state in such a short period of time? Xiao’er was somewhat surprised.

Could this place really be so barren?

"Is there a lack of freshwater here? Is the population dense? Have the original inhabitants moved away? Are there any that haven’t moved away yet?"

"There’s enough. Other than us, there’s no one else here." The man thought to himself, people here didn’t live long, at most six months. How could there be scarcity with such a large island and so few people?

Xiao’er contemplated his answer. Even the lowliest creatures fight for survival. There was enough freshwater, even though they had been exiled, their lives didn’t need to be reduced to this state, right?

To Xiao’er, they seemed to be on death’s doorstep.

Could it be that these people, who once lived hand to mouth and easily led luxurious lives, couldn’t endure such hardships now?

Xiao’er could think of no other reason.

But there was something strange about this island. Ever since she arrived, she felt uncomfortable.

"Let’s go check out the government office."Shangguan Xuanyi took Xiao’er’s hand and asked the man who had responded earlier. "How do we get to the office?"

"Follow the biggest street straight ahead until the end, and you’ll see it."

"Let’s go, let’s look around and check the local chronicles at the government office too." Shangguan Xuanyi responded as he lowered his head to whisper to Xiao’er.

To learn about a place, checking with the local government’s chronicles is most convenient.

"Alright." Xiao’er withdrew her gaze from the criminals and moved forward with Shangguan Xuanyi.

"I have this feeling that the Nangong officials and soldiers we met earlier were rather hasty. They stood by the pier with the contract in their hands and as soon as we arrived, they started signing the contract and left, as if something terrible was here," Xiao’er voiced her thoughts.

"The sickness those people have is not normal and it’s likely not a result of the hardships of exile," said Shangguan Xuanyi casually.

That was why he had sent Zhao Youwei to inspect suspicious spots around the area earlier.

Activating their Qinggong, the duo made their way swiftly towards the end of the main street.

Many of the houses they passed were in disrepair, clearly uninhabited for many years.

"My master’s husband is quite intelligent," Xiao Bai’s voice echoed in Xiao’er’s mind.

"Xiao Bai, do you know the reason? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?"

"I was a bit busy earlier, and didn’t notice."

"Busy? With what?" Xiao’er was puzzled.

"Busy giving birth to Xiao Xiao Bai, and also showing Yun’er around our space."

Xiao’er: "..."

Busy giving birth to Xiao Xiao Bai!!! But how do two geese give birth? Xiao’er felt impure, and her face turned hot involuntarily! She had to stop thinking about it!

Ah, saying it out loud like this, it wasn’t awkward for them, but it was awkward for her!

"Ahem...uhm...so, what sickness did those people have?" She was so embarrassed that she started babbling!

"There is a large rock on this island that emits strong radiation."

"Was it originally there?" Xiao’er’s face fell when she heard this.

No wonder the people on this island seemed so lifeless.

"No, it was moved here a few years ago."

It was moved here a few years ago, so it wasn’t targeted at them.

"Where is the rock?" Such a thing must be removed immediately!

Otherwise, this beautiful island would become a death island because of a rock! What a pity.

The climate on Zhan’er Island is mild all year round. Xiao’er wanted to reclaim the island and grow rice for three seasons a year.

But now, even if the rock was moved, the things that could be grown here couldn’t be consumed anymore; it was quite a shame.

They would have to wait a few more years until the radiation was completely dispersed before they could reclaim the land.

"It’s right in the middle of the densely populated area."

They put a radioactive rock right in the middle of the residential area? This must be an intentional effort to make the people on this island suffer until death would be preferable.

The Nangong Emperor’s methods of dealing with criminals were just like executions by slow torture!

Shangguan Xuanyi suddenly stopped Xiao’er in front of a red and green rock.

Looking at Xiao’er, who had been silent for a while, he asked, "Why is your face red?"

Xiao’er touched her face, "Probably because it’s hot."

She would never admit that she had just been fantasizing about how two geese would give birth to Xiao Xiao Bai!

Shangguan Xuanyi didn’t suspect anything amiss. He opened his folding fan with a flick of two fingers and began to fan Xiao’er as they walked. "Girl, don’t you find it strange that this huge rock is placed here?"

The rock, colored in red and green, did look a bit odd, but definitely not beautiful. Even though there were a few other rocks placed nearby as decoration, this was the street, not a backyard of a mansion; why would it require decoration?

"Brother Shangguan, Xiao Bai just told me that there’s a large rock in the middle of the densely populated area that emits strong radiation. I think it should be this rock, and those people should’ve gotten sick from the impact of long-term exposure to strong radiation."

"What is radiation?" Shangguan Xuanyi quickly pulled Xiao’er away from the rock after hearing this.

"Radiation is..." Xiao’er gave a simple explanation.

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Xuanyi quickly carried Xiao’er in his arms, activated Qinggong, and headed towards the pier. "You stay on the ship and wait for me. Don’t forget to take a pill immediately!"

Upon hearing this directive, Xiao’er immediately shook her head, broke free from Shangguan Xuanyi’s grip, and said, "Don’t worry. We’re supposed to take the pill anyway. What does it matter if we leave a bit later?"

"Listen to me!" Shangguan Xuanyi had no choice but to stop because of Xiao’er’s resistance.

"Since we’ve already been exposed to radiation, it doesn’t matter if we stay longer! Small doses of radiation aren’t a big problem anyway. I really like this island and want to take a good look."

"We’ll look around once I get someone to move this rock," Shangguan Xuanyi retorted, becoming exasperated with Xiao’er’s stubbornness.

"Even if the rock is removed, everything here, including the grass and trees, will still have radiation for years. You shouldn’t worry about it. If it were harmful, Xiao Bai would have called for us to leave already."

Shangguan Xuanyi finally agreed to stop insisting when he heard this.

"But Brother Shangguan, where are you planning to move the rock to?" A rock that emits radiation could contaminate wherever it’s placed.

Therefore, it could only be put in a deserted place.

Actually, it would be safest to transport the rock deep into the desert, but the distance was considerable, from the south to the north.

There would also be many places along the way. The people transporting it couldn’t possibly travel non-stop; they would need to eat and sleep!