Chapter 30: A Man and a Woman Alone in the Same Room

Despite the bright, sunny weather over the past few days, two gusts of wind were enough to strip the crabapple trees in the Bamboo-Listening Courtyard until almost nothing but bare branches remained.

Yuzhu reached for a broom to sweep away the fallen petals, but remembering that her mistress held a special fondness for these crabapple blossoms, she set the broom aside and let the courtyard remain blanketed in petals.

Shen Zhining had not yet fully awakened when she heard hushed whispers drifting in from the courtyard. She rubbed her eyes and called out, "Yuzhu, who are you talking to?"

Lin Chu understood Lin Jian; he was a hardworking boy. He had not made it into the Haixian Middle School, opting instead for the second-ranked high school in the county—a school where less than ten percent of students went on to top-tier universities. Yet, Lin Jian had successfully gained admission to the Jiangzhe Provincial University of Technology, a very respectable first-tier institution.

The fortune-teller did not know the ultimate meaning of such a transformation; fate remained blurred, yet it undeniably existed.

Wu Qiqi’s implication was to compare three subjects: mathematics, physics, and chemistry. Since biology was not yet taught in the first year of high school, she naturally did not mention it.

Thus have I heard: At one time, the Buddha was dwelling in the city of Rajgir on Vulture Peak, accompanied by twelve thousand great bhikshus.

The Eighty-One Step Heaven-Measuring Ruler—Jiang Chang’an felt a profound shock. Only one with deep cultivation of the Dao could wield it, and his current ability to command the ruler was entirely due to the Daoist essence he had accumulated from the Ancient Stele of the Great Emperor.

Though the ninja from the Land of Water wore protective armor, its defense was far from sufficient to withstand the flowing flames of the burning state.

"This Su Zhonghai is truly something! It’s admirable; he seeks a love that is unique and true, loving only one person his entire life. It is truly worthy of respect!" Qidian remarked.

This was actually the first time Ji Meina had heard the "ying ying ying" of a two-dimensional character, which prompted her to make such a judgment.

"Indeed!" Liang Xinhui replied. Perhaps because he was already accustomed to such responses, there was not a hint of shame in his expression. On the contrary, he spoke as naturally as if nothing were amiss.

Simple cucumber with minced garlic, simple stir-fried lamb with green onions—for a master chef like Dou Wei, these were the easiest dishes imaginable.

With a snap of Xinyue’s fingers, the two men drifted toward the high platform, leaning in to whisper explanations to their respective emperors. Tang Chen and his companions did not bother to take precautions—one was frail and sickly, the other a novice in the Saint Realm; the idea of someone rescuing the two emperors right before their eyes was simply too difficult to conceive.

"Are you an idiot?" Tang Chen asked bluntly. "Talking about crushing us to death—do you really think you're some kind of big shot who can shake the earth just by breaking wind?" Shangguan Xinyue watched Tang Chen from the side as he "scolded himself," finding the experience bizarre and nearly bursting into laughter.

Just as he was lost in thought, a cultivator appeared in the sky. His face was concealed by black cloth, he wore black robes, and he leaned on a staff fashioned from human bone. His eyes glowed with a ghostly green light as he scanned the city below.

Unable to make sense of it, I decided to put the matter aside for the moment. Following the path in my memory, I parted the weeds and headed toward the village, occasionally catching sight of lonely, wandering spirits watching me from the shadows.

It was precisely at this moment that a great fire broke out in the Xihe Hall, and the classics of the sages, preserved for hundreds of years, were all reduced to ash.

"Shall we keep talking?" Hager asked suddenly. Lucas gave a bitter smile: "If talking could prevent a war, I would wish for nothing more." "Everything you say now will be reported to your emperor by those around you," Hager reminded him.

The fairy did not speak. Watching the increasingly frantic look in Yuno’s eyes, she took a slow step forward. Tieguai tried to stop her, but Guola held him back with a hand, shaking his head at him.

"Come here!" Alicia called out again in a sweet voice. Before anyone knew it, the clothes Alicia had been wearing had vanished into thin air.

After saying this, without waiting for a reply from the artifact spirit, he stepped into the wormhole and vanished.