the truth

Chi Wangyue and Yan Tianhua were assigned to the same class by chance. They were walking on a main road, a road that led in all directions and could be described as "the road to Rome." However, one of its drawbacks was that there were many trees.

They had stumbled into a towering forest as if by accident, and the main road wasn't exactly straight. Chi Wangyue joked, "Are we going to end up in the far north or the far south?"

Yan Tianhua looked him over gently and reminded him, "No. The end of the road is our destination. Just keep walking forward, and we'll reach the end."

"Oh, but the road ahead is really long. Let's not even talk about the mental strain, our legs are about to break... Also, the locations are all random, right? It's a bit unfair to us, it seems like God is a bit petty." Chi Wangyue complained while looking at him affectionately.

“…Hmm.” Yan Tianhua cooperated.

Chi Wangyue was subconsciously surprised when he heard his senior brother's voice. Then, he cautiously probed, quickly adding a few lighthearted jokes.

Yan Tianhua seemed to have discovered something, yet also seemed to have discovered nothing at all.

Nothing unexpected happened on the way, but the two walked in silence for a long time. They estimated that they had still exceeded their original planned time.

"What kind of place is this? It feels like an endless loop, and it's a straight path, but something feels wrong, though I can't quite put my finger on it."

Chi Wangyue was puzzled but didn't voice it. Yan Tianhua offered her advice. He lowered his eyes, seemingly thinking of something, but it didn't quite fit the current situation.

"Do you still remember the story Li Er told about the Qi family?" Although it was a question, it was a statement of fact.

Chi Wangyue subconsciously ignored the tone of his statement and answered frankly, "Of course I remember, it was an exceptionally vivid story."

"Hmm, but in that story, it only had a general outline, and it has nothing to do with this place!" Chi Wangyue pondered, a string vibrating in her mind.

"Perhaps our location here has a significant connection to the story," he explained in a seemingly nonsensical way, but then, miraculously, the significance of that connection was proven.

Yan Tianhua gazed into the distance and stopped in her tracks, causing Chi Wangyue beside her to halt as well. In that instant, Chi Wangyue turned around and saw Yan Tianhua hugging him tightly and covering his eyes with her hands.

Some things happen in the next instant, leaving no time to react.

Chi Wangyue felt a burning desire inside, though she maintained a calm facade, her heart was pounding.

His voice was a little hoarse. "What happened?"

There was no response.

Chi Wangyue couldn't help but imagine the worst-case scenario, and her first instinct was to stop her mental reaction. She silently asked herself, "Hu Li, what happened?"

Hu Li paused for a few seconds before saying, "Host, there was some dirty stuff just now, it wasn't convenient for you to see it." Who would have thought that they had entered a strange place, a place that was quiet and full of hidden secrets. Apart from the two outsiders, no other "people" had visited.

As for the filth Hu Li mentioned, it took him a few minutes to see it with his own eyes before his reaction time slowed down. The warmth of the person behind him was the courage that sustained him in the darkness.

Chi Wangyue tried her best to remain calm.

They weren't like this before; they had only reached a point, a turning point, when suddenly their positions changed. Yan Tianhua noticed something approaching first, and taking the initiative, he wanted to protect his junior brother.

He didn't want his junior brother to see anything bad, so he covered his eyes with his hand before the boy realized what was happening. Yan Tianhua was in a very interesting phase, balancing both guarding and protection.

When Chi Wangyue heard the sounds of fighting behind her, she knew someone had made a move. The Uncrossing Sword vibrated slightly, a sign of its old, fine tradition of being fond of fighting.

Suddenly, Chi Wangyue grabbed Yan Tianhua's hand. The other hesitated for a moment, and Chi Wangyue seized the opportunity to step back first, witnessing the scene before him. In the blink of an eye, the Cang Sheng Sword was swiftly drawn.

At that moment, their eyes met, their gazes shining. It had been a long time since they had worked together; the current difficulties were merely temporary.

Yan Tianhua was naturally very agile, especially when using the Uncrossing Sword, where she and the sword became one, inseparable. Chi Wangyue's sword strikes were of medium to high power, but their momentum was strong, each strike threatening to break through the opponent's defenses. The two had excellent teamwork and cooperated well.

What Chi Wangyue saw were countless burial grounds filled with the stark white bones of countless people. However, this was only history before her eyes. The past was like smoke, but in their confrontation, this ghostly thing had shown remarkable resilience.

Chi Wangyue remained calm and tapped the shoulder of the person behind him. "Yan Tianhua, Senior Brother, is this thing possessed by some kind of demon? It attacks and eats anyone it sees. It truly lives up to its reputation as an old relic of this place."

Yan Tianhua, taking the step up, muttered, "That makes sense."

If these bones before them could hear, they would be furious and waiting for the next visitor to return. But these inhuman creatures before them seemed determined to cause endless trouble.

Chi Wangyue leaned against his back, "Is this love at first sight or is she thinking of letting them sleep with her forever? The bone spirits are such a troublesome bunch."

Yan Tianhua replied softly, "Yes. I'm here." The former's meaning was self-evident, while the latter was more inclined towards reassurance.

Chi Wangyue's heart skipped a beat. "Oh." He stood up and smoothly faced the enemy's combat power.

A good mood can contribute to success.

Smile more, be sunny and cheerful.

"People who smile a lot are lucky, whether they are boys or girls."

…

These words popped into his mind one by one. "Although it has the suspicion of being inspirational, it is still a very popular piece of bad inspirational advice, and it has helped him move towards the light. He still feels the warmth of it."

The movements were simple, swift, clean, and fast. However, the stubborn bones were no match for the opponent's strength, resorting to a thuggish style of fighting. Chi Wangyue combined communication with combat, managing to accumulate a neat and even score.

Points are the tools they use to manipulate bones. And bones are just bare skeletons; some are complete bodies, while others are completely absent.

"Because I am not here, I miss you."

It became an obsession, and thus he became possessed.

His extreme madness was the coldest denial. Yan Tianhua dealt with a considerable number of bones, but he also cleared them out in the shortest amount of time. Mainly, he had his junior brother by his side. Bones are like weeds; they are the source of fire.

Until they reach the point where they run away at the mere sight of someone, they remain nameless.

Like anyone who tries to rewrite history, before achieving their ultimate goal, they are just a handful of ashes in the long river of history, an ordinary person in the vast mortal world.

The river of time is not always calm, but it is made more turbulent and tortuous by changes, which gradually gives rise to the fertile soil full of life.

Unbeknownst to them, Yan Tianhua and Chi Wangyue had already destroyed eight generations of their skeleton army, and were thoroughly fed up with the tenacious and ever-regenerating creature.

Especially the Uncrossing Sword, a once-renowned sword with a fiery temper, inherently kind nature, yet fond of war, possessing an exceptionally powerful yet restrained sword aura, was also somewhat annoyed. It wasn't that the enemy was weak, but rather that Yan Tianhua was deliberately keeping it hanging on. Watching it helplessly yet unable to stop grumbling was the most beautiful sight.

The road was still long, but the overall tone here was darker. Tall, gloomy ancient trees blocked the way, along with thick, ever-growing branches and a small house in the distance. It gave off a peculiar feeling. Yan Tianhua glanced at it and walked forward first.

Chi Wangyue looked around. They had taught the bone army, generation after generation, how to communicate, no less than a thousand times, until at some point they seemed to give up, which meant that there was an even more dangerous nesting ahead.

Yan Tianhua glanced at her junior brother in surprise, and they stared at each other for several seconds. When they came to their senses, they realized that their heads were straight as if they were trying to make a perfect pair of chopsticks.

…As they chanted "hurry up," both of them quickened their pace. Seeing the changes ahead, seeing that the end of the Dark Series was the Green World, their expressions changed involuntarily.

"Because this place is still exactly the same as the illusion they visited before. A central symbol is a statue, pure white, that looks very refreshing."

Various lush trees and plants take root here, and butterflies of all colors dance wildly. Prosperity and wild grasses run rampant among them, yet one associates it with the unrestrained beauty of nature, rather than an endless wasteland.

"Qi Yuan...which one is the real story of you?" These questions remained unresolved.

But there are always things they have to face. Everything has a cycle of familiarity and unfamiliarity. In their second and third attempts, Yan Tianhua took the lead, his shadow stretched long by the light, yet he couldn't see the sun, as if it were perfectly normal.

Chi Wangyue noticed something amiss and asked the system in his mind, "Hu Li, do you know anything about the Qi family? Or any gossip or something?"

"Host, this is where you open a side quest. There's very little information about this. To be precise, there's only one."

"Try not to get involved in matters concerning the Qi family. Developing this storyline will cause a certain degree of temporal inconsistency and spatial distortion."

[Friendly reminder: Please choose carefully, as this will affect every step you take next.]

Chi Wangyue inquired, "Main system, it seems the plot doesn't want me to leave. The root cause must be that it has definitely tampered with it, creating some kind of bug."

A heart called "youthful arrogance" is ignited, and rebellion will be crowned with a glorious name in the future.

Chi Wangyue looked at Yan Tianhua, who was leading the way. He took a few quick steps forward, then became much more subdued when he got close to her. He generously grabbed Yan Tianhua's hand; it was very close and warm.

Yan Tianhua paused for a moment, then asked, "What is it?" He had clearly thought of many solutions beforehand, but when he actually got the answer that had been on his mind, he treated himself with the indifference of a passerby.

"I want to keep up with you, and I'll protect you." His eyes reflected the light, as did the beautiful plants and scenery around him. Chi Wangyue noticed that her senior brother seemed to be indulging her a tiny bit.

As the saying goes, once or twice is acceptable, but a third time is not. He may have done it once or twice, but not a third time. Chi Wangyue lowered her eyes and took several steps before realizing that she had been lost in thought.

The road ahead is not the same as the road before, but the Creative Realm in Chi Wangyue's hands is the place they personally walked with their friends.

The world changes in an instant. They have come this far after a long and arduous journey. Although the landscape has shifted, the two of them, through a combination of guesswork and deduction, have managed to carve out a unique path for themselves.

A path where two people can chat leisurely, play around without being noticed, and enjoy beautiful scenery and resting places.

Those who lived here before knew that this path used to be a wall. But now, a gap has been added, which is considered quite "polite".

When others treat guests with utmost respect, it's like a trap for the guest.

When they went inside, the layout of the house was exactly the same. It was as if they had been there before. One of them was carefree, while the other was meticulous. At this moment, their attention was focused elsewhere.

The so-called "elsewhere" depicts a very handsome young man, sitting confidently in a chair. His smile is slightly mischievous, but when he doesn't smile, he appears remarkably composed. Although he doesn't look quite like the statues outside, the resemblance lies more in his inherent charisma.

This is Qi Yuan from the Qi family.

He smiled broadly and spoke with clear logic and reason. When he saw the two walking towards him, his first thought was, "Finally here. It was worth the wait."

Chi Wangyue calmly looked up at him from above and asked, "What exactly do you want?"

Yan Tianhua leaned to one side, always prepared for the worst possible outcome.

Qi Yuan meant no harm; he was just being reasonable. "I'm here to tell you something."

"I shouldn't be the one to say this, but for certain reasons, I have to come out and explain. As you all know, I secretly fled my family and came to the vicinity of Zhonghua Mountain."

"It was a good place, but it changed because of me, that's an undeniable fact. So I tried to fight against fate, but fate only gave me cause and effect. And from the moment I did the first good deed, I tried to avert the bad things, however insignificantly."

“I know the version you know. Li Er’s account is only a very small part. Those involved have their own experiences, and rumors naturally have their own degree of unreliability.”

"Since I'm here, feel free to ask me anything. Perhaps I'll be happy to answer your questions."

Chi Wangyue and Yan Tianhua exchanged a glance, tacitly planning their next move. "What exactly is your current state?" Chi Wangyue asked with a relaxed smile, purely out of curiosity.

Qi Yuan slowly narrated, "A state of disorganization. Alive. Nonsense." No one had asked, so there was no way of knowing. Qi Yuan had experienced many difficulties and had learned to cope with pressure on his own.

"What exactly is the opportunity here? What was the cause, process, and outcome of this matter? And thank you."

"By chance, by chance, those destined to meet will meet again."

As for "this matter," in its conventional sense, it would be said to have many implications.

This is the first winter they/we met.

Qi Yuan is a powerful figure with impressive skills. He always acts with remarkable composure, but the moment he walks in alone, the process begins.