Chapter 21 Common Route (21) "Ah Yuan, concentrate."...

Clang—

The array blade in Jing Yuan's hand fell to the ground.

The array blade in his hand is called "Stone Fire Dream Body," and it was forged by Baiye Yingxing, the first short-lived species in the Immortal Ship Alliance in a thousand years.

"Jingyuan, your heart is in turmoil."

A woman with a face as cold as frost and hair as white as the moon pointed her sword at his door.

"If things are still like this tomorrow, I will consider informing Teng Xiao of your situation and asking him to let me take over the challenge."

Jing Liu put down those words, sheathed his sword behind him, and looked sharply at Jing Yuan.

"Now, pick up your weapon."

As Cloud Cavalry, one must not allow weapons to fall out of hand or one's body to become disorganized.

This is the first rule that Jingyuan needs to follow after becoming an apprentice.

But in that brief moment, his attention was distracted, and the weapon in his hand was knocked away.

Why?

He closed his eyes, gripped his weapon tightly, and charged forward once more.

The answer had been swirling in my mind a thousand times, but I had never spoken it aloud.

The sounds of weapons clashing rang out once again, but this time, Jing Yuan did not release his weapon.

Because he knew the consequences of laying down his weapons, and he also knew the outcome he would face after revealing the answer.

He was unwilling to face it, so he neither laid down his weapons nor spoke out.

After an unknown amount of time, Jingliu finally nodded in satisfaction, "Not bad this time, keep it up."

She left those words behind, said nothing more, and left the room.

Jing Yuan gripped the array sword tightly in his hand and sat down on a bench to the side.

The jade disc placed on the chair glowed red, reminding him of several unread messages.

He opened it in silence, quickly browsed through it, and lingered on the images for a long time.

The crispy egg tarts had been sitting for several hours and no longer tasted as delicious as when they were freshly baked.

What's missed is missed. Unless he can turn back time, he can only try his best to make up for it.

His fingers slid across the screen, and as he saw the next few messages, the veins on his hand gripping the sword bulged, and his eyes, hidden by his bangs, became unfathomable.

After pausing for a moment, he replied to the message, quickly cleaned himself up, and hurriedly ran outside.

Jingyuan instinctively wanted to take the Star Chariot home and then check if the Crane Kite next door had returned home.

Only after he boarded the train and announced his destination did he realize—

He Yuan won't be coming back tonight.

Actually, this isn't the first time they haven't come back.

When I was a child, on weekends, He Yuan would often wander outside all day and not even come back at night.

At first, Jingyuan messaged him to come back, saying it wasn't good for him to be out late at night, but Heyuan wouldn't listen.

With no other choice, Jingyuan had to join forces with Heyuan. When the two were in elementary school, they explored every explorable place in Luofu and knew exactly which road was closest to them.

We started reporting our whereabouts to each other in junior high school.

Jingyuan, who was in junior high school, was spotted by the Sword Master and taken in as his apprentice, and from then on he lived a life of leaving early and returning late.

He didn't have the time or energy to accompany He Yuan, so he had to use this method to find out her whereabouts.

Luofu has always been safe. Whether it's safe or not is just an excuse, an excuse to know the whereabouts of He Yuan. The real purpose is to hold onto a kite string that can be unilaterally cut at any time.

When did it get out of control?

Jing Yuan thought it probably started a few days ago.

Originally, the best ending he envisioned was for them to go hunting together as a general and a guard, as they had agreed upon when they were children.

However, Jing Yuan did not expect that He Yuan had become somewhat aware of love.

Then things spiraled out of control in the next few days.

She only came home late last night; the bite marks on her lips seemed like a provocation.

I'm not going home tonight, and I wonder if anything else will happen.

Many times, Jingyuan wished he didn't see things too clearly and wasn't too clear-headed in this one-sided relationship.

But if he wanted a long-term commitment, perhaps he shouldn't have taken that step.

There are gains and losses.

He returned to his doorstep and went to He Yuan's house first to take out the egg tarts stored in the refrigerator.

Sitting in the dimly lit kitchen, I ate in small bites, not even letting a drop of cream go to waste.

Jingyuan thought that Xiaoyuan was in dire financial straits, so he should help her pay her utility bills first.

And the new outfits released this month...

He opened the corresponding software and logged into He Yuan's account, only to find that there was already a large amount of pre-deposited funds in the other party's account.

Source: Yingxing.

The jade tablet emitted a faint light, making the characters on the black background particularly glaring.

He closed the jade lamp, paused, walked to the living room, and casually turned on the lights.

There was a vase on the table with a single blue-purple iris inside.

Xiao Yuan didn't have the habit of growing flowers. Jing Yuan knew this very well.

It goes without saying who sent it.

He watched all this with annoyance, and ultimately did nothing but return home.

He's always known what kind of person Xiao Yuan is, hasn't he?

To say something somewhat funny—

Those people will be forgotten, but Jing Yuan will at least always have a place in He Yuan's heart.

They were best friends, not lovers, yet they did everything lovers could do.

...It's just a matter of lacking a temporary title.

Jing Yuan's eyes dimmed.

He had the closest yet most distant relationship with He Yuan.

He knew some of He Yuan's secrets, but he couldn't guess his origins.

I first met He Yuan when Jing Yuan was seven years old and He Yuan was five years old.

That was a very special child.

This was Jingyuan's first impression of Heyuan.

In Jingyuan's memory, the house next door to his house had always been uninhabited.

Then one day, I heard a clanging sound coming from next door, which seemed to be from renovations.

New residents are moving in; I wonder what they'll be like.

The next day, he asked his mother.

"Mom, are you going to visit the new neighbors next door?"

His mother looked at him strangely.

"Yuanyuan, isn't our neighborhood already full?"

For the first time, Jing Yuan felt a chill.

Driven by a child's boundless curiosity and fearless spirit, he climbed onto the wall and secretly observed the neighbors next door.

For two or three days in a row, a group of people came and went, but there were no neighbors in sight.

Until one day, an ordinary family of three walked out of the house.

Strangely, the parents walked ahead, closely embracing each other, completely ignoring the child following behind them.

Those are their children, aren't they? Why won't they even give them a little bit of concern?

No matter how much they love each other, they won't completely cut off all ties.

Jingyuan held his breath and moved his gaze to the child's face.

He is a very handsome little boy.

The moment you see him, you'll be captivated by his dreamy eyes and never be able to look away.

He looked indifferently at his parents as they walked away, as if they were insignificant people.

Whether out of sympathy, pity, or curiosity, Jingyuan threw a pebble from his pocket, which landed precisely at the little boy's feet.

He looked up at Jing Yuan, his eyes as indifferent as inorganic matter, like those of the intelligent machines that came to the Immortal Ship to do business.

But it was only for a moment.

Soon, those eyes became lively again, filled with clear curiosity and amazement.

He looked at himself, without saying a word.

Jing Yuan felt the atmosphere was a bit awkward, so he took the initiative to speak: "How come I've never seen you before?"

The child rolled his eyes and replied, "Then you've seen me now."

A slightly strange, but surprisingly funny conversation.

This can be interpreted as: nothing in the past matters, what matters is the present me and the future me.

Jing Yuan thought for a moment, then asked, "So I'm the first person to see you?"

The child nodded, "You're the first person I've ever met."

After a rambling conversation that revealed almost nothing, Jingyuan finally learned the child's name.

Crane and kite.

Like a crane, pure and elegant; like a kite, soaring straight into the sky.

After exchanging names, the atmosphere fell silent again.

Just as Jing Yuan was about to speak again, He Yuan went into the room without turning her head.

Jing Yuan: "..."

What a unique new neighbor.

About two or three hours later, he felt that he had made his assessment too early.

After lunch, the new neighbor bought something, and a large flock of mechanical birds flew towards this area, filling the open space in the yard.

Strangely enough, no one seemed to find it strange.

Except for Jingyuan.

Jingyuan wanted to ask Heyuan.

Crane Kite once again walked away without looking back.

The next time, I heard footsteps coming from next door at the same frequency.

Jingyuan climbed the courtyard wall for the third time and found his new neighbor running in circles in the small yard.

I ran about three kilometers.

Uniform speed.

I wasn't even out of breath after it was over.

Jingyuan couldn't understand it.

Jing Yuan was greatly shocked.

Jingyuan began to consider the possibility that his neighbor was an android.

Wait... do androids need to eat?

It seems they're being fed a nutrient solution.

With a series of questions lingering in his mind, Jingyuan drifted off to sleep.

When he got up to go to school the next day, he found that his new neighbor had become a transfer student in his class.

This doesn't make sense!

The new neighbor is only five years old, still at kindergarten age!

Oh, the teacher said he's a genius.

The new neighbor sat next to Jingyuan and became his deskmate.

Pretty children always attract the attention of other children, and Jingyuan thought that his deskmate would be very popular.

But he soon discovered—

My deskmate seems to be isolated.

To be precise, it was the deskmate who isolated the whole class (except for Jingyuan).

"What's with his arrogance! We talk to him, invite him to dinner... he completely ignores us!"

"He's like a mute; I talked to him for ages and he didn't respond at all!"

"I guess he spends all his time trying to build a good relationship with the teacher. He's so eager to raise his hand in class, but not so eager to interact with us."

...

Such words gradually spread in the class and then throughout the school.

Many people say that He Yuan is very smart, but he is too aloof and also very impolite.

Some people learn a few new terms and then try to apply them to him, saying that he will definitely become an "antisocial personality" and cause harm to Luofu.

The other children didn't want to play with him anymore, only Jingyuan still went home with him.

Therefore, Jingyuan was also isolated.

"You don't need to do that."

On the way home, He Yuan said to Jing Yuan.

"They are useless to me, and I don't like being around them. It's a result of a two-way selection."

Jingyuan always felt that this sentence was strange.

"That's perfect, I don't really like them either."

Jingyuan answered in this way.

It's really... not very elegant for a child this age to need to be coaxed by the teacher to eat.

He Yuan stopped and looked Jing Yuan up and down before nodding.

He extended his hand to Jingyuan.

From that day on, they became "freaks" in the eyes of their classmates and "proud" in the eyes of their teachers.

They were inseparable and gradually left their mark on each other's homes.

From small items like toothbrushes and cups to large items like pajamas and bedding.

Isolation is useless against them.

They are a group in themselves.

Reporting others can actually be educational.

He Yuan and Jing Yuan not only have excellent grades, but also actively participate in various school activities, adding a significant chapter to the teachers' resumes.

In addition, the tattling was so convincing that no adult would believe it.

That's all the tricks kids have.

After these failures, a small number of people began to look for flaws in He Yuan.

"Do your parents really love you? Why do they leave you home alone? Were you adopted?"

For most children, losing their parents' love feels like the sky has fallen.

But He Yuan didn't care.

He is essentially without parents.

The parents in the game are just pre-programmed tools, providing players with money and funds every month.

He replied, "Yes, my parents really don't love me. They only coldly send me two thousand yuan every month."

For an adult, two thousand yuan is not a lot.

For elementary school students, two thousand yuan is a huge sum of money; it can buy two thousand packs of spicy strips.

KO!

After a period of calm, some people who still harbor resentment have not given up and are waiting for an opportunity.

Jingyuan's essay became the breakthrough point.

To be honest, neither Jingyuan nor Heyuan knew why having a dream would become a breakthrough.

My dream is to become a general!

"Jing Yuan wants to be a general! Hahahahahaha!"

"Have you ever seen a general who looks like this? You should cut your hair first."

A group of people laughed so hard they almost fell over.

He Yuan, believing that Jing Yuan was partly responsible for his isolation, began to launch a powerful counterattack.

"Well, you failed math last time, so you can't even get close to the Shence Mansion. You probably don't even dare to dream about it."

"And you, your language comprehension is terrible. You got a zero on an essay, a question where you just write something and get points. You're a real genius!"

"You too! I've never seen a Xianzhou person fail physical education. It's really rare!"

"Oh, so long hair means you can't be a general? The current Sword Master has long hair, and so does the Dragon Lord. That means people with long hair are intelligent and geniuses!"

"Is the reason you're not smart... because you cut your hair short? But your hair is shorter than mine, so how come you're not as smart as me?"

...

Clearly, elementary school students' vocabulary cannot compare to that of adults, nor can their logic.

“You don’t understand anything.”

He Yuan looked at them with pity.

Jing Yuan didn't really care. This kind of thing would only cause a short while and would soon be replaced by the next hot topic.

But He Yuan seemed to see it as her responsibility and was determined to stand up for him.

“People like you don’t study well, you don’t exercise well, and you live a muddled life every day, wasting your time.”

“Jingyuan has long been clear about his ambitions, and he has already left you far behind at the starting line.”

"As for me, I am destined to become someone you can't even look up to."

He Yuan put her hands on her hips and said, "Haven't you heard the saying?"

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; never underestimate a young man's potential!"

"Once Jingyuan becomes a general, let's see if you all get yourselves dealt with!"

Jingyuan: Well, that's not necessarily true.

Don't make promises like that so easily!

After an overwhelming rebuttal that even a primary school student couldn't refute, the matter ended there.

Jingyuan's essay was no longer the focus; instead, Heyuan's words spread throughout the campus and were praised by parents and teachers.

One parent asked, "What should I do if my child doesn't know what to do?"

He Yuan: "That's easy. While the child is young, let them learn a little bit of everything, and they'll eventually find something they like."

With various extracurricular classes thriving off-campus, Jingyuan and Heyuan finally found some peace and quiet.

Then He Yuan seriously devised a "180-Day Babysitter-Level Guide to Becoming a Cloud Cavalryman".

I run and exercise before school every day, and after school I quickly finish my homework and start practicing.

At first, Jingyuan's parents thought they would give up after a few days.

Then a month passed, and the two of them, like a wound-up toy, never stopped!

He Yuan even took Jing Yuan to explore every street and alley of Luofu.

Jing Yuan had no idea how He Yuan could find so many people in need of help and so many errands to run.

After finishing each task, Crane Kite seamlessly transitions to the next one.

When Jingyuan asked the question, Heyuan smiled but remained silent.

World Quest, kid!

Their reputations soared to unprecedented heights, even reaching the ears of the Sword Capital.

Then Jingyuan was taken in as an apprentice by Jian Shou Jingliu and taught his skills.

"What about Xiao Yuan? Why—"

Jingyuan found it strange.

Xiao Yuan is clearly better than him; she's the one who guides him during every practice session.

Jingliu remained silent for a long while.

“He said that he already had a disciple, and he was afraid that if he were to become my disciple, it would mess up the seniority.”

This is a lie.

He Yuan has no apprentices at all.

He simply didn't want multiple schedules to take up his time and interfere with his grand plan to improve his attributes.

Jingliu had a match with him and realized that he really didn't need it.

In the end, they only accepted Jing Yuan.

After Jingyuan was accepted as a disciple, Heyuan's words from before were brought up again.

Some parents even thought that He Yuan was skilled in physiognomy and asked him to take a look at their children's faces.

Crane Kite: "..."

He just said it casually, but later he still dragged Jingyuan to train for a long time and kept boosting his attributes until it worked.

Although, given Jing Yuan's own attributes and talents, it was only a matter of time before he was accepted as a disciple.

But if it can be accelerated, then why not accelerate it!

He saved Jingyuan time!

Avoid taking twenty years of detours and reach the pinnacle of life sooner!

Jingyuan: ...

Thinking back to those days when his back ached every day, he wondered countless times how he managed to persevere, and how He Yuan managed to persevere as well.

After all, the so-called strategy is nothing more than the result of He Yuan's daily routine being halved again and again.

He is an energetic person with a very good memory.

Jingyuan had seen him give a jigsaw puzzle to the school security guard and a fountain pen to the aunt who took care of the flower bed.

The former would greet them after school and leave a light on for them if they came home late; the latter would pick up a fallen flower branch, give it to He Yuan, and praise him as the most beautiful child he had ever seen.

Jingyuan asked why.

He Yuan simply said, "You should return the favor when you receive a gift, and you should also repay the kindness of others."

But Xiaoyuan, I remember you said that you don't like to waste your time on useless people.

The security guard and the woman in charge of the flower beds were clearly not considered "useful".

—As Yu Heyuan said.

There are very few people in this world who are truly useful to He Yuan.

Even Jingyuan was just a little kid when he first started dating Heyuan.

"Then why did you send these gifts, and why did you even pick a day?"

"Because it's my birthday," He Yuan kicked a pebble at her feet. "Receiving a gift on your birthday will definitely make you very happy."

"It must feel good to be remembered on such an important day."

"As for gifts, the security guard's jade tablet is full of jigsaw puzzles, and the flower bed lady is taking her doctoral entrance exams, so she gave her these."

Jingyuan suddenly laughed.

Xiao Yuan, saying one thing and meaning another is not a good habit.

Xiao Yuan, just tell who you like. Don't beat around the bush when you send gifts.

Xiao Yuan, liking you is an easy thing.

At the same time, he also discovered something—

He Yuan never mentioned his birthday, but he had already celebrated it once!

On his birthday, Jingyuan asked him again, but he brushed it off vaguely.

Taking this opportunity, Jingyuan asked again.

Will Jingyuan remember my birthday?

He Yuan looked at him.

For a moment, Jing Yuan absurdly felt that He Yuan was like a stray cat that had ordered him to adopt.

Once you remember your birthday, you must remember it forever.

Some cats need to be showered with love and companionship.

They resemble high-needs personalities in humans, with extremely high demands and thresholds for emotions and spirituality.

Her beautiful blue-violet eyes looked at him, as if to say:

"If it's definitely me, then no other cat is allowed."

But a cat can have more than one owner.

One owner cannot meet his emotional needs.

If you adopt this cat, you have to accept that it has other owners.

Jingyuan didn't take it seriously at the time and said matter-of-factly, "Of course I will remember it."

In his view, the relationship between himself and He Yuan was one that no one else could interfere with, and that they were the closest of friends.

That is indeed the case.

In their later close relationship, when Jingyuan and Heyuan talked about certain things, no one else could intervene. They could only watch them speak their unspoken understandings and sometimes use secret codes that only the two of them could understand.

Best friends, childhood sweethearts, they have the closest relationship in the world.

Even lovers and spouses cannot get past them.

Jingyuan opened the jade tablet.

An hour has passed since the message was sent, and it is still unread.

He was certain that He Yuan was not asleep at this moment.

Then... who held He Yuan back? Who prevented He Yuan from even having time to look at Yu Zhao?

Last night, He Yuan and Ying Xing returned together, and both of them spoke to him first.

They are each other's highest level.

Is it because he didn't have time to reply... that's why it's like this?

Jingyuan opened the red software and searched for gifts that Heyuan would like.

He didn't feel that he wasn't replying to messages because of "serious business," so he could rightfully ask He Yuan to forgive him.

What's the difference between that and a sleeping husband?

If you can't balance "business" and emotions, it's better to cut one off as soon as possible.

Jingyuan's finger paused on a certain page, and he placed an order without hesitation.

He didn't linger long before moving on to the next webpage and placing another order.

A closer look at his expenses reveals that "buying gifts for Xiaoyuan" accounts for the vast majority of his spending.

After thinking it over, he sent another message.

[Jingyuan: I'll pick you up tomorrow with a gift.]

【Jingyuan: [Cat clasping hands in prayer]】

[Jing Yuan: I hope Lady Xiao Yuan will forgive me this time and not hold a grudge.]

The jade tablet by the bathtub made a sound again; the reminder was a sound that He Yuan had specially set up for Jing Yuan.

He let go of the pool wall and reached towards the shore.

With his legs tangled and his feet forced away from the bottom of the pool, one hand was released, and his entire body weight was placed on the other hand, causing his body to shift slightly.

Danfeng caught him in time, pulling his hand back from touching Yuzhao.

The scorching breath sprayed onto the butterfly bones, and the dragon's tail coiled upwards slightly.

"Ah Yuan, concentrate."

A note from the author:

----------------------

It was too difficult to separate, so I just put them together. [sigh]

Also, the next chapter will be available for purchase, and I'll try my best to write more. I hope you guys will support me.

Let me promote my pre-orders.

Genshin Impact Teyvat Life Simulator

Similar to Su Wen's works.

[I'm writing this after finishing "The Immortal Boat".]

[You have opened The Teyvat Life Simulator]

*

In your first playthrough, you are an ordinary person living in Liyue.

You grew up normally, but because of your beauty, you were offered to a demon god in search of protection.

But you've never seen this demon god. Instead, you've met a handsome young man and plan to propose to him after the war ends.

But you died in the war.

Only after death did you realize that the person you intended to propose to was the demon god of this place, and also the initial target you offered yourself to.

ah……?

*

In your second playthrough, you are an ordinary person who grew up in Mondstadt.

You grew up normally, but because of your beauty, you were offered to a demon god in search of protection.

This demon god still has no interest in you; at most, he'll listen to your singing and feed you well.

The good times didn't last long. The demon god was overthrown, and you were hit by a hail of arrows, looking like you were going to die for the demon god.

ah……?

*

In the third playthrough, you are an ordinary person who grew up in Inazuma.

You were stranded on a deserted island and offered up to a demon god.

This demon god has no ill intentions towards you, is quite friendly, and has already arranged a way out for you.

You were planning to live a normal life when you accidentally ate raw fish and died.

This isn't right...!

*

Fourth viewing...

Fifth playthrough...

...

Looking at the ending, you might think this game should be called "Goddess Simulator" or "One Hundred Ways to Die".

Your experience could perhaps be written as "Me and My Husbands Who Killed Me".

*

In your final playthrough, you used the points you'd accumulated to get a wealthy start.

It just so happens that a thousand years have passed since the war between the demons, and we are now entering the human era. You don't need to get entangled with those demons who are your nemesis; you can find a beautiful character to fall in love with.

You happily enter the game, then exit with a deathly pale face.

Nobody told you that these ex-husbands are either alive or have come back to life, and are now searching for you all over the world!

Wait a minute?! Why can't I log out?!