Chapter 226 (Farewell) (Comic Strip Plot)...

Lin Cai stopped in her tracks. She stood there, watching the moonlight, like a tide, gradually engulf all the malice within the Summer Palace.

The rampaging artifacts, after being bathed in moonlight, slowly calmed down and stood there blankly.

The moonlight shone on Lin Cai as well, dispelling the chill and relieving the pain that had been lingering in her bones since the fall.

Under the bright moonlight, it seemed as if only she and Yanlan were standing there.

The entire room was completely silent.

Yanlan finally moved; she pushed open the courtyard gate of Chongming Hall. Inside, it was pitch black.

The moonlight enveloped Yanlan, carving a path through her. Malice howled, brushing past her cheek and leaving a bloody mark. Yet, the moonlight relentlessly enveloped all darkness, and just as it did, swept away all malice.

The entire Summer Palace was shaking violently, but was then calmed down by the moon tide.

The wind stopped.

All darkness was embraced, transforming into a sky full of falling snow.

Yanlan walked to the entrance of Chongming Hall and used the Undead Halberd to cut off the last bit of gray.

Then, she swayed and knelt on one knee in the snow. The halberd slipped from her fingers and fell silently to the ground.

In the vast world, her black hair was the only dark color.

It's the scene from the cover art.

The sky and earth were vast and blue, the palaces were ablaze with white. Countless figures, their faces blurred, hung in the air, looking down. Yanlan knelt in the center of the scene, looking up at everything. Her eyes showed a rare gentleness, yet she couldn't hide the arrogance within.

Lin Cai couldn't help but reach out, wanting to grab something. But she clenched her fist weakly, only managing to catch a few snowflakes.

Yanlan chuckled softly: "Now, the moon is out."

[Aaaaaaahhhhhh, whatever, the moon is here, Lanlan, you are the moon itself!]

I hereby declare that from this day forward, I am Yanlan's dog.

There are too many dogs, don't take my spot!

Question Lin Cai, understand Lin Cai, become Lin Cai.

The character "澜" (lán) is so well chosen... like moonlight rippling on the water.

It's not surprising that Lin Cai, as the protagonist of the comic, is always so preoccupied with Yan Lan's death. Having seen such a moon, how could she forget it?

Lin Cai stood still and slowly blinked.

Clear tears rolled down her cheeks. She raised her hand and wiped them away forcefully, then took a ball of light out of her pocket and held it tightly in her palm.

A dazzling light shone through her fingers.

Lin Cai walked towards Yan Shi, her speed increasing until she was running forward.

"That's good." She murmured to herself as she ran, "Lanlan is still alive."

"Yanlan is still alive."

The scenes that had appeared countless times in her nightmares did not repeat themselves.

This road was not as long as the one in front of the palace. Lin Cai ran, pushed open the courtyard gate of Chongming Hall with her fingertips, ran into the courtyard, and stopped not far from Yan Lan.

"Lanlan," she called out clearly.

[I can't take it anymore, why am I watching a documentary about my wife interacting with other dogs?]

[As expected, no one doesn't love Yanlan. If anyone does, it's all an act. How could anyone not love Yanlan! You have no taste!]

[I have no problem with Lin Cai, as long as she doesn't suddenly turn evil and imprison Yan Lan (?). I'll have a problem with anyone who affects the moon hanging high in the sky.]

Yanlan turned around and looked back.

Her face was paler than ever before. When she saw it was Lin Cai, Yan Lan tilted her head.

"Good evening," she said softly, as if it were any other ordinary day.

Lin Cai: Good evening.

Yanlan continued to gaze at her, waiting for her to continue.

“Tonight,” Lin Cai stammered, “the moon is especially beautiful tonight.”

Yanlan seemed to smile. Her eyebrows curved, still with the nonchalant air she had when she first appeared.

"Um."

Everyone knows that this old thief wants to sell a CP (couple pairing) relationship.

[Hilarious! More scenes focusing on Lin Caijia's interactions, more subtle hints in the dialogue. It's a shame that *Colorful World* is still lukewarm at best.]

[It feels like it's missing a bit of tension. I hope the old thief understands that popular American couples don't have one-sided love :) And we generally don't call one-sided friendship "love."]

I thought this was a shonen manga with Lin Cai as the main character, but honestly, the main characters in this shonen manga have such a low level of plot content.

Lin Cai had already run to Yan Lan's side and knelt down immediately.

There were many people around, and Lin Cai could feel countless eyes on her.

The next panel abruptly cuts from a close-up of the characters to a long shot.

Countless people in the air looked down, and the staff of the Bureau of Extraterrestrial Affairs, who had finally sneaked into the Summer Palace after Yan Lan purified it, also stood cautiously at a distance and watched.

No one knew what Lin Cai wanted to do after running over there.

All that could be seen was her anxiously approaching Yanlan, seemingly checking on his condition. However, she only touched him briefly before pulling away again after confirming he was alright.

Lin Cai took a breath and stood up again, supporting herself on her knees.

“Teacher Yanlan,” Lin Cai said, “I won’t bother you any longer.”

"good evening."

The ball of light in Lin Cai's palm had disappeared; that must have been the Heart of Light. It had been removed from her body today according to the bet.

[I have very mixed feelings right now, and I'm convinced. Lin Cai, hiding from everyone's gaze, handed the Heart of Light to Yan Lan...6. I never doubted it before, but I just went back and checked the main character list again.]

The main character in the comic goes to great lengths to give his only cheat ability to a supporting character...? It's hard to judge, I'm going to stop reading.

Honestly, for those who are obsessed with the main character, reading this manga is pure torture. It lacks any of the satisfying feel of a typical shonen manga, and the plot is shrouded in mystery. Every character in the entire manga, including the protagonist, is a riddle teller.

Readers are completely unaware of the details and can only appreciate the old thief's immersive and skillful techniques and high-level character development (and not the main characters, but specific supporting characters).

However, among all the comics I've followed, Yanju and Yanlan have some of the best character designs.

No one dislikes the sun and the moon.

[I thought the main characters of your comic were Yan Ju and Yan Lan. Are there still people who haven't realized this? (Shocked)]

Lin Cai did not stay at the Summer Palace.

After leaving the palace gates, she slowly leaned against the wall and walked along the deserted palace path to the nearest subway station.

Although the authorities were unable to enter the Summer Palace due to the incident, they had already evacuated the surrounding tourists and pedestrians.

The subway announcements kept playing.

"Dear passengers, due to a hazardous gas leak from a nearby factory, please leave the Summer Palace area in an orderly manner as soon as possible to avoid any accidents. Dear passengers..."

[Last week, I passed by the Summer Palace station on my way home from work, and this phrase kept playing on the subway. It was almost frighteningly real...]

The subway station is a true 1:1 replica, even the station names are exactly the same. I must say, the immersive experience is superb.

[If you saw Hayashi Aya at Summer Palace Station last week, then this is truly a masterpiece.]

Lin Cai looked up at the platform, her goal quite clear. After confirming the direction of the subway, she walked into the empty subway car with a blank expression, finally stopping outside the Summer Palace.

Libertas, who hadn't appeared in public for a long time, stood at the exit of a subway station in the suburbs of Beijing waiting for her.

"Lin Cai." Upon seeing her, Libertas looked her up and down, his eyes filled with worry.

To be fair, Lin Cai knew that his victory over Libertas in the freshman arena was not honorable. As a freshman, Lin Cai was definitely no match for Libertas.

But this doesn't change the fact that Libertas, just like before Lin Cai returned, sincerely treats her as a friend.

Lin Cai: "Did you manage to borrow the airship?"

“No need to borrow.” Libertas shook his head. “My mother bought me one so it would be easier for me to get back to school.”

Lin Cai: ...

Lin Cai: "Oh."

[Is this what a despicable second-generation rich kid looks like? Lin Cai's expression perfectly mirrors my own.]

[I hope that in my next life, I can smell the perfume that Old Qian's mother wore as soon as I'm born... I forgot what came after that.]

The art style and plot of these few pages return to the typical shonen manga style.

Perhaps because of familiarity, Lin Cai, who carries the memories of her previous life, also exudes a youthful air when she interacts with Libertas.

Everything was relaxed as the airship approached Zhanzhou.

Both of them jumped off the airship and took out their student cards from their pockets.

Libertas was ahead of Lin Cai in line. After she went in, Lin Cai, as usual, placed her student card at the access control.

The green light of the scanner swept over the student card and Lin Cai's right hand, which was placed into the scanner.

The door didn't open. The green light flashed, then turned red.

"Warning: The spiritual energy is not compatible. Please insert the correct student card. Unauthorized entry of students or outsiders into the academy is prohibited."

【？？？】

[Sure enough, Lin Cai and Libertas's interactions on the airship were too pleasant, which made me guess early on that the old thief was going to unleash his ultimate move.]

[Was it caused by Lin Cai giving the Heart of Light to Yan Lan?]

Libertas looked at her in surprise: "Lin Cai, did you take the wrong student card?"

Zhan Zhou's access control system was indeed meticulous and ingenious.

Lin Cai sighed self-deprecatingly, covering the photo page of the card with her palm, and looked up as if nothing had happened: "Yes." She said with a smile, "I took the Bai Du card instead, and I didn't even notice before leaving school."

Libertas: "Why don't you call Bai Du? I don't know where he is now."

"It's nothing." Lin Cai shrugged and stuffed her student card back into her pocket. "It's the middle of the night, I'll just go home tonight. I'll ask him to pick me up tomorrow morning."

The camera zooms in on Lin Cai's student ID photo. In the photo, the girl has orange hair and black eyes, smiling politely at the camera.

Libertas: "Okay."

As she spoke, she took out a very thick book from her storage space and handed it to Lin Cai through the door: "You asked me last time if I had any rare books about the deceased in my collection. I looked around at home and brought them to you."

The book's cover depicts a heavy fog and a halberd. There is no title.

Lin Cai took the book and hugged it to her chest, looking at Libertas: "Thank you."

"Lorenz."

“It’s nothing,” Libertas said. “Why are you suddenly so distant?”

Lin Cai: "To express my gratitude, Lita."

Libertas: "Hmm?"

"Goodbye," Lin Cai said softly.

[A formal thank you when addressed by surname, followed by a goodnight greeting when addressed by nickname... This is either the grand finale or a brutal ending.]

[Lin Cai's spiritual aura is off. Could this reaction mean she'll become an ordinary person after losing her Heart of Light?]

That concludes this discussion.

Yan Shi let out a long sigh.

The chapter progress bar is still quite long, which shows that Director Yan hasn't read it in a long time.

Of course, these are not the main points.

Yan Shi's expression was strange. The Yan Lan in the painting looked so much like her.

As Yan Shi has come to realize, he now has a terrible idea.

Could she not be Director Yan, but actually Yan Lan?!

After all, according to the comments in the comic, Yanju and Yanlan are almost identical.

Although she doesn't know where she got her "never met" and "never heard of" twin sister.

But who knows whether she will be Yan Ju or Yan Lan in the future?

Author's Note: Regarding the fact that I still managed to finish writing the update even after walking 20,000 steps on CPSP last night (

I'm not the same pigeon I used to be (closes eyes in satisfaction)