Chapter 40: Is She a Priest Genius?
Fox Xin knew far too much, from the Ancient Bloodline to the Forbidden Array here.
’Nan Zishi suspected she must be carrying something related to a legacy.’
’And maybe whatever Fox Xin had on her could be the key to saving Hu Bai.’
Nan Zishi was only acting on a slim hope, but Fox Qi really did pull several wooden planks from inside Fox Xin’s robes.
He picked up the planks and said nervously to Nan Zishi, "Mother, they’re wooden planks, and I think there’s writing on them!"
"Bring them here!"
Fox Qi brought the planks over. Just as he said, they were covered in pictographs that Nan Zishi couldn’t understand.
Nan Zishi had encountered this world’s writing during her previous year here, but back then she’d had the system to translate for her. Now, with nothing, she was completely in the dark.
"Fox Qi, can you read this?"
Fox Qi hurried over to look and nodded. "Mother, I can read most of it."
"That’s great!" Nan Zishi said. "Help me figure out what this says."
Fox Qi pointed to the characters he recognized, sounding them out as he went. From the words he spoke, Nan Zishi began to guess the purpose of these Arrays.
"Mother, they’re Arrays!"
The first was an Array for forced bloodline awakening. It was a vicious technique that could cripple the talented Beastman within the Array if anything went wrong.
The second was a bloodline transfer Array. This one was even more malicious. It could transfer a bloodline to a Beastman of the next level down. In other words, an Ancient Bloodline could be transferred to someone with a High-level Bloodline, and a High-level Bloodline could be transferred to someone with a normal bloodline. However, an Ancient Bloodline could not be transferred directly to someone with a normal bloodline.
Nan Zishi glanced at the little Beastman cub on the ground, Hu Lie.
’So this little Beastman cub has a High-level Bloodline?’
High-level Bloodlines were already extremely rare in the Beast World. Anyone who possessed one could basically guarantee a smooth advancement to Beast General.
For the sake of an Ancient Bloodline, Fox Xin had actually gambled her own precious grandson who possessed a High-level Bloodline.
"There’s a third Array here too!"
Fox Qi sounded out the words one by one, then said in pleasant surprise, "Mother, it’s an Ancient Bloodline Stabilization Array! It’s an Array specifically for the Fox Clan’s Ancient Bloodline!"
"The Fox Clan’s Ancient Bloodline is heaven-defying, making it difficult for a Beastman’s physical body to withstand. Therefore, the Beast God left this Array to help the Fox Clan’s awakened descendants stabilize the aftereffects of their bloodline."
"Fox Xin must have known about the issues with the Fox Clan’s Ancient Bloodline for a long time, which is why she prepared this Array in advance. As soon as Hu Lie successfully received and awakened the Ancient Bloodline, Fox Xin would have placed him in the stabilization Array to recuperate."
An excited expression finally appeared on Nan Zishi’s face.
’To think, Fox Xin never got to use it, but now they could!’
Seeing this, Nan Zishi immediately picked up the wooden plank. She grabbed a stick and began to draw the Array on the ground.
Fortunately, her hand was steady with a scalpel, so she was also steady when drawing circles.
She drew the Array with the grace of flowing water, completing it in a single, fluid motion.
"Fox Qi, let’s move Hu Bai inside together!"
"Okay!" Fox Qi stopped crying.
Nan Zishi wrapped her arms around Hu Bai from behind while Fox Qi held his legs.
Together, they placed Hu Bai inside the Array.
"Why isn’t anything happening?" Nan Zishi asked anxiously.
Fox Qi said, "Mother, you have to chant."
"Chant? I don’t know how to chant."
Ready to try anything, Nan Zishi said, "Aqi, you say it once, and I’ll try to repeat it."
Fox Qi recited the syllables word by word, and Nan Zishi repeated them one by one. She had a good memory and committed every sound Fox Qi made to her mind.
Then, she began to attempt the chant.
Nan Zishi raised her right hand and fluently recited the words that Fox Qi had half-read, half-guessed.
’Oh, Beast God, it was I who abandoned my mate and son and left the Beast World, causing them to suffer so much. It’s all my fault.’
’If anyone is to be blamed, blame me. Please, I beg you, protect Hu Bai and protect Fox Qi!’
Beneath Hu Bai, the hastily drawn Array actually began to operate!
"Mother, Mother! It’s working, it’s working!"
Seeing this, Nan Zishi raised her right hand and chanted the incantation once more!
The Array spun even more smoothly. Within it, green motes of light seemed to gather, converging on Hu Bai.
One by one, the dancing green motes of light burst into Hu Bai’s body, merging with him.
Fox Qi clasped his hands in prayer and whispered, "Oh, Beast God, please protect my father and my mother. Aqi begs you."
Standing nearby, She Yang, who felt terribly guilty for not being able to help, also closed her eyes, lowered her head, and flicked her tongue with a HISS HISS as she prayed.
’Uncle Hu Bai is a good Beastman. Oh, Beast God, Yang begs you, please protect Uncle Hu Bai, the pretty lady, and big brother Fox Qi.’
This was Nan Zishi’s first time using such an Array, and she didn’t know if she could stop chanting, nor did she dare to.
She chanted over and over until she was utterly exhausted.
Her mouth was dry, and she was so weak she could barely stand. She let her arm fall.
Just then, inside the stabilization Array, Hu Bai sat up. He turned his head to look at the mother and son, their faces filled with surprised delight.
"Mother! Father’s awake, Father’s awake!!!"
Nan Zishi said joyfully, "Aqi, your father’s awake!"
*
Nan Zishi checked Hu Bai’s body again.
He was still weak, but his life no longer seemed to be in danger.
Hu Bai happened to glance at the tail behind Nan Zishi. It was fluffy and wagging cheerfully.
’The young female is a Fox Beastman?’
’But I remember she wasn’t before...’
Fox Qi rushed forward and hugged him, the little one unable to stop his tears. "Daddy, you scared Aqi to death! You really scared me to death!"
Hu Bai looked down, touched the totem on his body, and also saw the wooden planks that had fallen on the ground when Nan Zishi rushed over.
’Is this a Third-level Priest Array?’
He suddenly looked up at Nan Zishi.
’He had always known his female master was no ordinary person, but... she could actually activate a Priest Array? And a low-level high-grade Level 3 Array at that.’
’Could it be... she’s also a Priest?’
Hu Bai pushed all distracting thoughts from his mind. He had just survived a disaster; now wasn’t the time to dwell on such things.
"Female master," the male said, lowering his head, his eyes filled with tenderness.
Nan Zishi picked up the wooden planks and handed them to him, looking a bit flustered. "I can’t read, so I just treated it as a last resort and blindly followed Aqi’s chanting."
Hu Bai took the planks and lowered his head to study the ancient wood in his hands.
Nan Zishi said, "Aqi said it’s an Ancient Bloodline Stabilization Array. Take a look."
Hu Bai picked up a plank to read it. Even though Nan Zishi couldn’t understand the words, she looked on with him, and Fox Qi joined in, watching alongside his father and mother.
After he finished reading, Hu Bai said, "Aqi wasn’t wrong. It really is an Ancient Bloodline Stabilization Array. But a few of the syllables in his chanting were pronounced incorrectly."
Nan Zishi: "...?"
’The pronunciation was wrong, but the Array still worked?’
Nan Zishi didn’t quite understand.
It wasn’t just Nan Zishi who was confused; Hu Bai found it even more baffling.
Nan Zishi had never undergone any Priest training, yet she had drawn such a perfect Array. She had never chanted before, yet she managed to activate the Array even with an incorrect incantation.
’Is she a genius Priest?’
Nan Zishi asked excitedly, "That’s wonderful! Aqi also had his bloodline forcibly awakened. Can he use this Array to stabilize it too?"
"There’s no need." Hu Bai shook his head and ruffled Aqi’s little head. "Aqi’s awakening wasn’t successful."