NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 140:
Chapter 140: The Dust Is as Big as the Stars:
The autumn harvest had arrived.
This was the result of Xu Xi leading the “sinners” out of the borderlands, step by step, working together with a single purpose.
With hoes in their hands, they tilled the earth and planted rice seeds beneath a sky painted in hues of soil and sweat. The fruits of their labor became the hope of humanity, transforming their sweat into a radiant light that illuminated once-dim eyes.
Xu Xi could see it clearly—those who were once as good as dead had started to come alive again.
But ahead lay an even greater challenge: the world itself. A world sick to its core, shrouded in shadows where truth was buried, and life seemed to wither away.
“Yingxue, let’s go.”
“Yes, sir!”
The girl grabbed her spear and followed lightly behind Xu Xi.
…
[Simulation Year 9, Autumn]
[You and the poor have witnessed a bountiful harvest together.]
[Though each person only received a small handful of rice grains, it was the first time the harvest truly belonged to them.]
[Some cried. Others laughed wildly.]
[The people followed you with a newfound clarity in their eyes, their confusion replaced by purpose.]
[Winter crept in quietly, and the earth was once again blanketed in ice and snow.]
[You kept training daily. Every punch carried the roaring essence of heaven and earth.]
[Your simple, steady chopping strikes seemed to cleave through clouds and skies.]
[With your martial eye, you continued observing the principles of the world, further refining the internal heaven and earth of your qi and blood.]
[Your relentless efforts bore fruit, strengthening your power.]
[Through persistent, unrelenting practice, your martial arts began to unify in ways that defied explanation, resonating deeply with the qi, blood, and heaven and earth within you.]
…
[Your vigilance about the capital of Xuanqi Prefecture kept you on edge, wary of an attack during the harsh winter.]
[But your fears did not materialize.]
[This winter remained as peaceful as the last.]
As the people celebrated the New Year, they did so with more joy, basking in the warmth of their hard-won harvest. Flames from bonfires lit the night, and laughter echoed across the survival army’s camps.
Xu Xi handed Wu Yingxue a New Year’s gift.
It wasn’t gold or silver—such luxuries meant nothing in their current circumstances.
It wasn’t jewelry either; the spirited girl had no interest in ornaments.
What he gave her was a simple, yet “precious,” grass spike.
“You seemed to like this the most,” Xu Xi said with a chuckle, holding out the gift.
Wu Yingxue stared at the grass spike, her expression a mix of astonishment and disbelief.
“Sir, who gives this as a New Year gift?”
She shouted at him, her tone half-accusatory and half-amused.
“You’re such a fool!”
Despite her words, she angrily placed the grass spike in her mouth and began chewing. The familiar sweetness spread through her mouth, and her indignation melted into quiet contentment.
“Haha, sorry, there are too few candies in the city. This is all I could afford,” Xu Xi said, laughing as he chewed on a grass spike of his own.
The two sat together under the starry sky, savoring the sweetness they had earned through struggle.
…
[Simulation Year 10, Spring]
[You are 25 years old, and Wu Yingxue is 19 years old.]
[The survival army grew stronger as more refugees, unable to bear Daqian’s oppressive taxes, joined your ranks. Many became “fools,” learning the ‘Martial Arts That Even a Fool Can Practice’ to survive.]
[Wu Yingxue expressed her concerns.]
[She worried that spreading the ‘Martial Arts That Even a Fool Can Practice’ too widely might inadvertently strengthen Daqian’s forces.]
[You smiled and reassured her, explaining that those in power would never lower themselves to practice such a skill. The ‘Martial Arts That Even a Fool Can Practice’ only empowered those seeking survival, those who longed for a choice in their lives.]
…
[In summer, under your leadership, the survival army launched a ferocious campaign through Xuanqi Prefecture, capturing over half of its territory.]
[The capital of Xuanqi Prefecture finally responded.]
[Scouts reported that state soldiers and border troops had been mobilized, with at least eight Innate Realm warriors among their ranks.]
[You knew this battle would be a bloody one. Many lives would be lost.]
[You gave the cowardly an option to stay behind in the county. Your mission had never been to force the people to die for your cause.]
[But no one chose to leave.]
“Brother Xu is too honest. What if someone bullies him while we’re not around?”
“Exactly! Someone has to protect Brother Xu!”
“If Mr. Xu and Ms. Wu Xiao aren’t leaving, neither are we!”
Riding donkeys and mules, carrying hoes and kitchen knives, the ragtag group of commoners declared themselves a survival army, determined to stand with Xu Xi and fight.
As Xu Xi looked up at the glaring sun, he found his vision blurring.
The sunlight felt particularly harsh that day, making his eyes sting.
…
[The war began. It was a gruesome, soul-crushing battle that obliterated life and peace.]
Faced with elite, armored soldiers on horseback, the Qihuo Army’s members had no choice but to rely on sheer numbers and raw desperation.
[They attacked wildly, wielding their hoes and knives until the tools broke apart.]
[They bit down on their enemies with their bare teeth until their jaws shattered.]
[Countless men and women, fearless in the face of death, formed a human wall to block sneak attacks aimed at you. They became an unyielding barrier, sacrificing themselves for the survival of the army.]
[You and Wu Yingxue fought together, battling the Innate Realm warriors of Daqian.]
[You unleashed powerful strikes, punching with the force of mountains and rivers, while Wu Yingxue wielded her spear like a blazing comet. Together, you suppressed the enemy’s elite warriors, giving your people a chance.]
[You won.]
[The survival army achieved victory, though it was a devastatingly bitter one.]
The battlefield resembled a bloody canvas.
Bodies lay mangled, weapons buried among severed limbs, and pools of blood formed grotesque lakes.
Those who perished were gone forever, and the survivors were barely standing, their strength utterly drained.
Xu Xi collapsed onto the ground, his sword in hand, his breathing labored. Behind him lay an even more horrific scene of carnage.
“Sir, let me carry you,” Wu Yingxue said, though she herself struggled to stand.
She managed to lift him briefly before they both fell into the blood-soaked mud, their faces covered in grime and blood.
Lying there, defeated and broken, they looked at each other and burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! Hahahaha!”
In their final attempt, they gave up on carrying each other. Instead, they supported one another, staggering forward step by step.
Together, they walked toward the capital of Xuanqi Prefecture.
Behind them, under the bright sunlight, a crowd of wounded survivors limped along, following their leaders.
The wind rose.
The humble dust scattered, rising higher and higher, reaching to stand alongside the stars.