Chapter 3553: Medusa (19)
Chapter 3553: Medusa (19)
Relying on her invisibility talisman, Ning Shu bolted into the distance. Zeus remained suspended in mid-air, his expression looking rather sour.
Poseidon stood behind Zeus, his lips twitching and his mouth curled in a grin. He looked as if he were dying to laugh, clearly relishing his brother’s misfortune.
When Zeus turned to look at him, Poseidon immediately wiped the expression from his face and adopted a serious look.
“Who is that woman?” Zeus asked Poseidon.
“You should ask Athena that. She likely knows better than anyone, since the woman was one of her priestesses,” Poseidon said, passing the buck immediately. He figured this had nothing to do with him anyway.
Furthermore, he felt Athena should actually thank him. If he hadn’t taken an interest in that woman, Athena wouldn’t even have known her own priestess possessed the strength to defy a god.
Yes, she definitely owed him one!
“Let’s find Athena.” Zeus drove his chariot toward Athena’s domain.
After a moment’s thought, Poseidon followed him.
Ning Shu ran for her life. She didn’t know how long she had been running, but she only stopped when she was finally exhausted.
She landed on a hilltop and collapsed. As the power of the invisibility talisman faded, Ning Shu was left completely naked.
The shivering little firebird watched her.
With a flick of her finger, Ning Shu summoned water to coil around her body. The white liquid covered her private parts.
She turned to check her back, which was still a mangled mess of blood and flesh.
Now that the tension had eased, the pain on her back felt agonizing.
Her skin, which was once as flawless as snow, was now ruined.
Ning Shu slowly used spiritual energy to repair the wounds. The weather was abnormally hot, so she flicked her finger again to manifest water droplets. She swallowed them, feeling much better, and then took a fasting pill.
She glanced at the bird, which was currently hiding its head under its wings, and flicked her finger to place some water in front of it.
The crimson bird looked at Ning Shu and opened its beak to swallow the water.
It let out a soft cry and slowly shuffled closer to her.
Ning Shu reached out and patted its head while she considered her next move.
She had been running blindly and didn’t know where she was, but it felt much hotter here than in the city of Athens.
Even the air was shimmering and distorted from the heat. Ning Shu wiped away her sweat as she continued to absorb the power of the sun.
Every now and then, she manifested a bit of water to drink.
This was a desolate mountain range with no signs of human life.
In this era, humans were not particularly numerous and had yet to occupy every corner of the world.
Ning Shu decided she needed to find some clothes. It was so hot that the water covering her body evaporated quickly.
She summoned her dragon and stood upon its back, intending to search for a city-state or any sign of humanity.
Seeing her leave, the firebird quickly flapped its wings to catch up.
Ning Shu told it, “You can go wherever you want. You don’t have to follow me.”
The bird chirped at her, flapping its fiery red wings. It was terrified and had no idea where to go, so it figured it was better off following this person.
It felt a natural sense of closeness and awe toward her. Staying by her side meant it wouldn’t have to worry about its safety, which was good because it was currently scared witless and had no clue what to do.
Ning Shu was its only support.
It had originally been a weak, ignorant little bird. Even though its body had suddenly grown large, its heart was still small.
As the saying goes, ‘How can a sparrow understand the ambitions of a swan?’
In this case, the bird’s perspective was simply too narrow. It didn’t even realize how much power it possessed.
“Try to control your body and make yourself smaller,” Ning Shu said. Having such a giant creature with her was far too conspicuous.
The bird looked bewildered. Don’t ask it—it didn’t know anything.
Ning Shu: …
She flicked her finger and used a barrier to contain the bird. As the barrier slowly shrank, the bird shrieked in terror, flapping its wings and struggling desperately.
“Try to shrink your body. Shrink along with the barrier,” Ning Shu said, looking rather exasperated at the bird that acted as if the sky were falling.
The bird was still dazed, but if it didn’t shrink, its little body was going to be crushed by the barrier. It had no choice but to try its best to make itself smaller.
Slowly, the bird’s body shrank until it was the size of an ordinary sparrow. It was a vibrant red all over, looking like a piece of polished ruby.
It looked exactly like a ruby carving brought to life.
Ning Shu held out her fair, slender hand. The bird fluttered its wings and landed on her palm.
She placed the bird on her shoulder and flew off on her dragon to find a city or a town.
Sitting cross-legged on the dragon, Ning Shu didn’t waste a single moment and began to cultivate.
She hadn’t just offended Athena and Poseidon. She had also drawn the attention of the king of the gods. Would all the gods eventually come to hunt her down?
The thought of being surrounded by all the deities in the sky was a bit chilling.
“Chirp, chirp, chirp…”
The bird on her shoulder started calling out. Ning Shu opened her eyes and looked down, seeing signs of human life.
The dragon flew downward, and Ning Shu stepped onto the ground.
Dammit, she didn’t even have shoes. Her feet hit the scorching earth, and it felt like they were being grilled.
This was a town, primitive and ancient, with houses built of thatch. It was nestled in a forest and surrounded by large-leafed plants, though the leaves were already starting to turn yellow.
Even the wild grass by the road was withered and dry. The sun in the sky was incredibly fierce.
Ning Shu walked along, looking around.
To her surprise, the people here were wearing thin gauze. Their weaving technology was actually quite good.
Ning Shu’s appearance drew stares from the locals, but her only concern right now was finding some clothes.
She walked into a house at random. From inside came the rhythmic sound of a loom, meaning someone was weaving cloth.
Athena, the goddess of wisdom, had taught humanity weaving, animal husbandry, and agriculture. Modern humans now knew how to weave and wore beautiful clothes instead of covering themselves with leaves like they used to.
It also kept them warmer.
“Who are you?” a dark-skinned woman asked Ning Shu. Her gaze was wary.
Her eyes lingered on Ning Shu’s shoulder, looking at the ruby-like firebird with admiration.
Ning Shu said, “I’m just passing through. I’d like to buy some clothes from you.”
Ning Shu saw several finished bolts of cloth hanging in the room, enough to make an outfit.
The woman shook her head. “I’m sorry, I can’t just give them to you. I worked hard to weave these. What do you have to trade?”
They were total strangers, so of course she wouldn’t just give things away. “If you trade that bird, I’ll give you the cloth and even make the outfit for you.”
Ning Shu nodded immediately. “Sure!”
The bird: …
The firebird gripped Ning Shu’s shoulder tightly with its claws. Ning Shu said somewhat helplessly, “Look, he doesn’t want to go with you, so there’s nothing I can do about that. Do you have any other requirements? I can trade something else.”
“I don’t want to trade right now,” the woman said while shaking her head.
Ning Shu realized she didn’t have anything valuable on her, not even a single gemstone or a piece of gold.
She was a total pauper. She hadn’t gained anything from being by Athena’s side, and she hadn’t even been paid a salary.