Chapter 1561 Extra: Giving Justice a Buff (Part 2)

Luan Xin touched his brow.

No unusual changes were found in the body.

Seeing Luan Xin leave, the woman said, "You like him very much."

Shen Tang: "Human emotions are the richest I have ever seen among all races. Don't you think they are all very pitiful and lovable?"

She couldn't believe that anyone would dislike such a petty person.

The woman said, "...I don't think so."

Shen Tang was not surprised by this answer at all.

After all, this person lived during the most primitive period of life, and his emotions were never particularly strong. Shen Tang was not young at all, and compared to women, he was considered young. It's a wonder how despicable that old fox, Lao Shi, was, that he even dug up this reclusive guy.

This is elder abuse.

The respect for the elderly and care for the young have all been eaten by the dead fox.

Shen Tang changed into some casual clothes, intending to take the woman out for a stroll—she was determined to tell the old man about the pitiful and endearing qualities of the little human. The woman looked at her, puzzled, and said, "Why make such a fuss over something that could be done with a simple thought?"

"What can I do? I am now just a mortal being."

You can't just change outfits with a single thought.

Phoenix Court is always bustling. All the rare and precious treasures found throughout the four continents can be found here, and every few steps you can hear dialects from all over the country. Shen Tang and her companion blended into the crowd without attracting any attention, and passersby didn't recognize the person who had just walked past them as the ruler of this young dynasty. Shen Tang remarked, "Although humans cannot live forever, they live vibrant, lively, and full of life."

There's a reason why Heaven favors the human race.

He only eats this one bite, and the more trouble He causes, the more He loves it.

Shen Tang asked the woman, "You didn't have that back then, did you?"

Looking at the evolutionary process of all races, it is basically from simple to complex, from disorder to order, from ignorance to wisdom. The era in which the woman lived was separated from the birth of Shen Tang by a vast river of time. Based on this pattern, it can be deduced that that era must have been quite boring and lonely.

The woman lowered her eyes and thought for a few moments.

He said calmly, "No, it's hard to even find someone to talk to."

The creatures of that time had simpler structures and even simpler minds; to say they ate raw meat and drank blood would be an understatement. They had no language or order; from the moment of their birth, they were driven by the most primal instincts to do everything: to fill their stomachs, survive, kill, reproduce... They had no concept of parents, children, spouses, or friends, and their reproductive methods could be either two-sex or one-sex.

The recipes can be from different ethnic groups or from the same ethnic group.

It could even be themselves.

The newborn life may not even utter its first sound before being seized and devoured by the one who gave it life.

Heaven desires to see an orderly and perfect world.

But He didn't know what that world should be like.

After countless deductions, Heaven realized that it was overwhelmed.

He needed an assistant, someone to help Him complete His evolution, and thus, women were born. Women's mission was to assist the Heavenly Way, observing and educating these ignorant beings. If existing beings proved unedible, the Heavenly Way would guide a new race to replace the old. Gradually, the concept of all races arose.

However, that was a long time later.

The woman said, "Don't bring up the past."

Although her tone was completely calm, Shen Tang's intuition told her that if she asked another question, she would be hitting a nerve, and the other person might very well turn on her and beat her up. Shen Tang did some quick calculations on the odds of winning this confrontation, and she pursed her lips.

Shen Tang was unusually generous and invited the other party to try some delicious food.

Woman: "I have no need to eat."

She doesn't even have taste buds; what outsiders see of her is just an illusion, not her true state at this moment.

Shen Tang: "If there is no demand, then create demand."

She's currently constrained by her identity and can't do supernatural things as she pleases; she's still a free woman. Shen Tang kept coaxing the woman to try it out, saying that even old-fashioned people need to keep up with the new era.

"Think about it, so many adorable and pitiful little people are trying to survive, struggling to continue their lives, and trying to make their short, boring lives more interesting and fulfilling while just meeting the bare minimum for survival. Don't you think that's interesting? Don't you feel bad about letting their efforts go to waste?"

woman:"……"

She glanced down at the thing Shen Tang handed her.

"If you don't have a sample, you can sculpt one based on my current human body. The human anatomy is pretty much the same, just remember not to sculpt the same face as me." Shen Tang knew what the woman was troubled about. To have the same eating experience as her, the other party needed a real human body, and the human race was currently the most satisfying and favorite creation in the hands of the Heavenly Dao. Sculpting one now would require a sample.

woman:"……"

She frowned and imitated Shen Tang as she drank her water.

A sensitive and rich palate instantly brings a novel and vivid experience.

The woman asked, "What is this?"

Shen Tang: "Sweet."

The woman shook her head and said, "It doesn't look like subterranean fire."

She had once observed a creature whose main body was made of rock, who, when thirsty, lay down at a crack in the ground to drink from the earth's fire, and the creature's spirit emanated a pleasant aura. The woman was also curious and tried it, but she couldn't taste anything, although the sensation of it rolling around in her mouth made her feel nauseous.

The woman grabbed some more from the shop next door: "What about this?"

"hot."

What about this one?

"That's refined salt, don't drink it like water."

The woman tried them all, and in the end, she didn't even need Shen Tang to help her with the introductions. She just grabbed them and left. The shopkeeper was astonished, seemingly not expecting anyone to eat spicy snacks for free in broad daylight: "She didn't pay!"

Just as Shen Tang was about to take out his money, the woman threw something at him.

The shopkeeper looked down at the golden pebble.

I picked it up and found it was quite heavy; I even took a bite out of it and it left a mark.

"This is... real gold? I don't have change..."

When I looked up again, the two women were already far away.

In the distance, you could hear someone say, "What did you lose?"

The woman said, "The thing you're wearing around your waist."

She had just seen Shen Tang give things to these human merchants, and she knew that this was a medium of trade between humans—although she didn't know why humans liked these stones. Shen Tang: "The amount you just threw out could buy the whole shop."

The woman nodded thoughtfully.

The next time, she lost a silver nugget of the same size.

Shen Tang's lips twitched slightly: "It's still too big."

These snacks can be traded using copper coins.

The woman shook her head: "I didn't."

Then, she posed a soul-searching question—

"If you like it so much, why are you so stingy with it?"

In the woman's eyes, both the gold and silver stones were cheap and insignificant, not even worth as much as a snack of the same size. The humans she had encountered so far seemed to like these things, and she didn't mind giving them more.

Shen Tang: "This is not called being stingy. If I let you squander money like this, the Phoenix Court's economy will collapse in no time."

The woman looked at Shen Tang expressionlessly: "So fragile?"

She suspected that Shen Tang was deceiving her.

Shen Tang: "..."

Anyone who lies is a dog!

For several days in a row, the court officials also learned that the emperor was keeping a mysterious beauty in the inner court. Every day after court, he would leave behind his literary incarnation and a fictitious figure to review official business, while the real emperor would accompany the beauty to who-knows-where.

"What do you mean I'm accompanying a beauty and don't know where to hide? I'm just doing my duty as a host. Don't these people know how to talk?"

Shen Tang slammed his fist on the table in dissatisfaction.

She's showing respect for the elderly and care for the young!

Luan Xin's Adam's apple bobbed a few times on one side.

Shen Tang was worried that he would be frightened: "I wasn't talking about you."

They then changed the subject.

"Have all the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel been properly handed over?"

Luan Xin nodded: "Everything is in order."

His annual leave would last for two years, during which he would most likely not return to the royal court or contact officials in the Ministry of Personnel. Therefore, some things needed to be arranged properly, and any loose ends needed to be cleaned up. After several busy days, it finally came to an end. He had also received official permission for his leave, and his current visit to the palace was to bid farewell to the emperor.

Besides that, there is another question.

“My Lord, I have encountered some strange things these past few days.”

"Strange thing? Tell me more."

Luan Xin took a box out of his sleeve.

The box contained ten small goldfish arranged neatly.

Each goldfish is of excellent quality and feels quite heavy in your hand.

Shen Tang immediately guessed what was going on.

"Xin woke up these past few days to find this thing inexplicably on his pillow."

It might not be by his pillow, but it could be in his bed.

The guards at the manor did not find any villains around. Why would a villain slip gold bars to his pillow? Luan Xin suspected that someone wanted to bribe him secretly, and he also suspected that someone was deliberately using this to provoke him... He ordered people to keep watch for two days, and the little goldfish always appeared as promised.

Luan Xin was afraid of something going wrong, so he dared not sleep with his wife.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't catch the thief.

Shen Tang chuckled: "Didn't I say that the other day?"

Luan Xin, puzzled, asked, "What did you say?"

"May the heavens shine upon you, and may your path to success be clear."

Luan Xin: "...Was it sent by Lord Boyuan?"

Shen Tang said, "It's related to her. This thing shouldn't break before the blessing disappears. You can keep it."

Luan Xin felt a chill run down his spine.

No one dislikes gold, but with such an inexplicable origin, holding onto it is like handling a hot potato. He cautiously and subtly inquired whether he could return the small goldfish to Lord Boyuan.

Shen Tang asked, "Why is she collecting these?"

Luan Xin: "..."

Shen Tang added, "During your two-year vacation, you can explore more remote mountains and forests. You might discover many mineral veins with exploitable value. Alas, the metals produced domestically are simply not enough."

The previous civilization left no legacy for its descendants.

Shen Tang was really worried about this.

She even considered cheating.

However, Heaven's will was watching closely, and she could not create something out of nothing.

However, the woman's appearance gave her new hope. Now that Luan Xin was receiving her blessing, why not take advantage of it? Although puzzled, Luan Xin carefully noted it down.

Little goldfish mysteriously appeared in my bed...

Oh well, I guess I'll just consider it as someone reimbursing my annual leave expenses.

With his doubts resolved, he returned home with peace of mind.

His children were all married and settled, and even the youngest was studying in the compound, so Luan Xin didn't need to worry about them much. After giving a brief explanation, he had someone pack their bags and carriage, and then he set off with his wife and youngest student. Luan Xin was worried about his youngest student and planned to keep her with him for a couple more years, until she had settled down, before letting her continue her studies: "Yan Shu, is there anything you don't understand?"

This student was someone he took in during the seventh year of Yanhuang.

I've been with him for seven years.

Seven years have transformed her from a thin, sallow girl into a graceful young woman, with an appearance somewhere between a teenager and a young adult.

It possesses both the ambition of youth and the vigor of a teenager.

After accepting her as a disciple, Luan Xin gave her the courtesy name Yanshu.

Yan Shu didn't like to talk much, and in her early years she maintained a high degree of vigilance and distrust towards Luan Xin. In fact, she herself wondered why she was so uneasy and wary when her teacher treated her like his own daughter, with treatment comparable to that of his children, and even surpassing it in some aspects. This was too abnormal! You must know that in his early years, her teacher followed the lord in many battles and was busy with political affairs. It was common for him to be away from home for ten days or half a month. He had little time to spend with his children, and even less opportunity to teach them personally.

But he showed rare patience towards Yan Shu.

This attention even led the people in the household to suspect that Yan Shu was a lost treasure left behind by their father and mother, and even Yan Shu herself couldn't help but doubt her own background.

It turned out to be a false alarm later.

A month ago, Yan Shu also learned some of the past from Luan Xin.

At this point, all barriers disappeared.

"I will leave everything to the teacher."

Yan Shu, however, was thinking about other things.

One generation plants the trees, another enjoys the shade.

Miao Shu suffered misfortune, while Yan Shu benefited.

She must have left her a rich "legacy" in her past life.

As the walls of Phoenix Court gradually disappeared from view, she asked expectantly, "Teacher, Mistress, where are we going next?"

"Let's go and see how Ximin is doing in office."

In their last letter home, Ximin had subtly hinted that he hoped the Ministry of Revenue would allocate more funds, suggesting that the student's administration was facing some financial difficulties. Luan Xin was a little worried and decided to go check on him. This would also be a good opportunity to help him use up these little goldfish.

Yan Shu said, "It's been a long time since I've seen Senior Sister Miao."

It is said that Sister Miao was her cousin from a previous life.

Wow, that's truly amazing.

Yan Shu has no memories of her past life; she only knows that because of this so-called past life, she naturally possesses a wealth of political connections that are unimaginable to ordinary people. If she were just herself, where would she get such good treatment? Considering the benefits, she has no resistance to the so-called past life. She hasn't had to pay any price for it, so what is there to resist? At most, she'll just have to listen to a few nagging words from her teacher.

"Senior Sister Xiang, would you like to take a look around as well?"

"Um."

Luan Xin had actually been planning to take his annual leave for a while.

I contacted two students in advance and asked them to help me find out if there were any reclusive scholars in the area, so that I could visit them one by one.

The two students were very helpful and took the matter very seriously.

Once outside the Phoenix Court's territory, the official road was generally not as smooth as before, and the carriage was bumpy. Before long, Yan Shu could no longer endure it.

She was carsick, the shaking felt like her bones were about to break, and she nestled listlessly in her teacher's wife's arms. The gentle pats on her back were reassuring, and she soon drifted off to sleep.

The accompanying guards and maids cooked over a fire.

The sound of the lady humming a lullaby reached my ears.

Luan Xin gradually felt sleepy.

With a thud, something hit the roof of the carriage.

The noise woke him up.

"Gold again?"

The guards rushed forward to check.

The quantity is wrong, and the color is wrong too.

The purplish-red metal is designed in the shape of two fish biting each other's tails.

"Parents, is this copper?"

How could copper blocks fall from the sky?

Luan Xin: "..."

(End of this chapter)