Chapter 198 (Chapter 197) - Doing a Good Deed Every Day
All staff members on duty at the Summer Palace have been evacuated immediately.
Yan Shi searched around, but apart from the artifacts that were running around everywhere, there were no other living people in sight.
As she walked along the Meridian Gate Avenue of the Summer Palace, she felt that the whole world was eerie and frightening.
Like in a horror movie, the protagonist knows the house is eerie and haunted, but still pretends not to see it and walks inside.
The wind was strong, and tiles flew and stones fell. In the darkness of night, bronze statues roared and paraded, paper figures rode horses and ran rampant, and a landscape painting floated in mid-air. Ink dripped from the painting, spreading like a thick fog, making bricks and stones brittle and grass and trees wither wherever it went.
The once bright summer palace is now a scene of chaos and debauchery.
Yan Shi walked all the way until he reached the center of the Summer Palace, which was also the largest hall in the entire Summer Palace, Chongming Hall.
Strangely, despite the artifacts in the Summer Palace appearing so "active," the concentration of spiritual energy within them isn't actually very high; it's merely at the normal, sparse level of the surface world.
Yan Shi focused his attention, trying to gather some of the surrounding water spirits.
The tides swelled with blessings, emitting a pale blue light, and drew forth tiny streams of water to support and hold her. Yan Shi leaped up, grabbed the high eaves of Chongming Hall, and then flipped up.
We stood at the highest point of the Summer Palace.
The view from above is indeed clearer; the area below is a complete mess.
The problem remains: we still don't know where the culprit in the bustling city center is.
Yan Shi sat down on the roof, sighed, and propped his head up with his hands: "You've been following me all this way, aren't you coming out?"
"Yanlan." A voice came from beside her feet.
Yan Shi looked down and saw a familiar little figure dressed in ancient costume with a pattern of rain-beaten duckweed, carrying a scroll that was huge to her, struggling to hang it under the eaves of Chongming Hall.
Yan Shi burst out laughing and reached out to lift her up from below.
After the little man came up, he took a breath, took the scroll off his back, placed it beside him, and then sat down.
"I'm Qin Yu," she introduced herself. "Hello."
"Hello?" Yan Shi tilted his head. "Why are you following me?"
She remembered now; it was the artifact she encountered the first time she ate at the teahouse outside the Summer Palace. It was this artifact that told her that a fragment of the World Barrier had fused into the back of Lin Xuya's hand.
Qin Yu turned her head to look at Yan Shi: "I wanted to come and see the sister of the famous Director Yan."
"What results did you find?" Yan Shi asked her casually.
“It’s very different,” Qin Yu said, then paused and hesitated for a moment, “They all say that Yanju’s sister, Yanlan, is a big monster with unpredictable tempers.”
Yan Shi was genuinely amused: "Then you'd better be careful, I'm a monster with unpredictable moods, and I love to eat cultural relics."
“But I don’t think you’re that kind of person,” Qin Yu said earnestly.
"There's something I'm really curious about," Yan Shi said lazily. "We look exactly alike, so how do you distinguish between me and Director Yan?"
"Why can't I be Director Yan, but Director Yan is me?"
Even though it's all the same person, how can this persona switch so smoothly?
It's so smooth that even I can't comprehend it.
Qin Yu shook her head: "It's different. Director Yan is Director Yan, I know she is Director Yan when I see her. But only when I see you," she said with focused eyes, "can I know what Director Yan is really like."
Silence fell between them again.
"Why didn't you turn into the shape below?" Yan Shi asked.
Everything has a spirit. The artifacts in the Summer Palace were perfectly normal after the first world barrier broke; who knows what happened to cause them to suddenly lose their minds.
Qin Yu: "Because my ability is to break through the void."
"Cultural relics also have the ability?" Yan Shi raised an eyebrow.
“Yes,” Qin Yu explained in detail, “Our perception of spirits is far inferior to that of other races; ability is our foundation.”
"Unlike humans who cultivate their spirit first and then gradually awaken their abilities, our abilities are innate and closely related to our physical body."
"Oh," Yan Shi said, "I see."
She started spacing out again, seemingly lost in thought.
There were no other living people in the Summer Palace, and Yan Shi was truly at a loss as to how to deal with the current situation there.
When faced with difficulties, one should simply sleep it off.
In any case, the Bureau of Extraterritorial Management outside the Summer Palace has taken control of the situation, and it will not get any worse for the time being.
She leaned back and lay down on the roof, her hands behind her head, gazing at the night sky.
The sky was overcast, the clouds hung low, and there was no moon tonight.
Yan Shi looked at the sky for a while, then continued chatting casually with Qin Yu: "How old are you?"
"Hmm?" Qin Yu seemed a little confused by the sudden change in topic: "About a thousand years old?"
Yan Shi: "Then you've been staying in the Summer Palace for a long time."
This is what a true immortal being is.
She suddenly became interested and remembered the question the senior member of the Legislative Yuan had asked her during the previous meeting. She asked Qin Yu, "Then you must know the answer."
"Did the emperor and empress of the previous dynasty really know each other since childhood, love each other in their youth, and completely break up in middle age due to differences in political views, but torment each other for a lifetime, as recorded in historical records?"
Qin Yu: "Huh?" She was stunned for a moment, then gently shook her head, "I am a cultural relic, it is difficult for me to judge this matter, but he is still alive."
Yan Shi turned his head and looked at Qin Yu: "Who?!"
It's important to understand that the feudal imperial system of the previous dynasty had been overthrown more than three hundred years ago. If any of the last emperors or empresses of that dynasty were still alive, they would certainly not be ordinary people.
Secondly, how could that person allow his dynasty to be destroyed?
Qin Yu: "Empress Xuan, he is still alive."
As she spoke, she picked up the scroll she carried with her and carefully unrolled a corner.
Unlike the misty Jiangnan scene that He Yanshi had imagined based on Qin Yu's appearance, the scroll depicted a summer palace. Golden tiles and red walls, glazed eaves, shimmering in the sunlight.
"Empress Xuan," Qin Yu said softly, closing her eyes as her hand touched the painting. Her fingertips glowed slightly, and a wisp of spiritual energy flowed along the ink. Then she opened her eyes. "He is currently in the Summer Palace Library."
The library and Chongming Hall are not far apart; as buildings that separate the front and rear courts, they are almost right next to Chongming Hall.
Qin Yu sat on Yan Shi's shoulders: "Yes, it's inside."
"It's a bit strange," she paused, then muttered softly, "Empress Xuan isn't often in the Summer Palace."
"Why did you have to come today of all days?"
Yan Shi: "So is he human? Or some kind of demon or monster?"
“He’s a human.” Qin Yu tilted her head in confusion. “His life story should be detailed in your human history records.”
"Then how did he live so long?" Yan Shi asked as he walked, dodging the pebbles blown by the wind.
Qin Yu: "Only three hundred years?" She bit her finger and thought seriously, "That's not a particularly long time, is it?"
Yan Shi: ...
She paused for a moment: "You've been in the Summer Palace for so long, you must know that the lifespan of ordinary people in the surface world is no more than a hundred years."
Qin Yu: "But this is Empress Xuan." Her words carried an air of matter-of-fact, "Empress Xuan was the Imperial Advisor before, and the Imperial Advisors of the previous dynasty were all very capable and long-lived."
Yan Shi had already arrived at the library and pushed open the door.
Unlike my first visit, which was at night and the interior was incredibly dark, with only a corner illuminated by moonlight filtering through the windows, this time the library was brightly lit.
The library was quiet, with ancient books neatly arranged on the shelves, as if the chaos outside did not exist.
Yan Shi walked inside.
Two people were already sitting at the table by the window, playing chess.
One of them had waist-length black hair and wore a loose-fitting long shirt and trousers. He turned to look when he heard footsteps.
He had delicate features, clear and bright eyes, and a very gentle appearance. However, his eyes were extremely cold, gleaming with an almost bluish chill under the lamplight of the library.
The other person at the desk was none other than Sheng Chunqiu, whom I hadn't seen in a long time.
Yan Shi: "Good evening, you two?"
"Good evening." Empress Xuan nodded slightly, then placed another piece on the board.
Sheng Chunqiu, sitting opposite him, sighed softly, "I lost."
Empress Xuan: "Your heart is not at peace." He said coldly.
Then his gaze fell on Yan Shi again.
Empress Xuan gazed at her for a moment, her expression calm: "I thought it would be Director Yan who came."
Yan Shi leaned against the bookshelf next to him: "Then I'm sorry to disappoint you."
"Isn't Director Yan coming?" Empress Xuan asked.
Yan Shi found it amusing: "Why is it that the first thing everyone asks me when they see me is Director Yan?"
Her eyes, under the lamplight, revealed a sharp, aggressive edge: "She can't come. Only I will come to do a good deed."
Upon hearing this, Sheng Chunqiu asked, "What's wrong with Director Yan?" Her tone was filled with concern.
"You've already betrayed her." Yan Shi tilted his head. "Shouldn't you buy some fireworks to celebrate her accident?"
Sheng Chunqiu fell silent, pursing his lips and lowering his eyes.
"You cannot handle the current situation at the Summer Palace," Empress Xuan said slowly.
Yan Shi laughed: "If I can't handle it, how can Director Yan handle it?"
She really didn't know where to start. Even after switching to Yan Ju's alias, she still had no clue.
Empress Xuan: "Your sister is different."
“She is worshipped by countless beings.” He stated the fact calmly. “Faith can make everything come true. Whether it is faith in a god, the pursuit of an obsession, or being worshipped by living beings. This is where our human race’s power comes from.”
“But you have no faith. Therefore, you have no ability. So,” Empress Xuan looked out the window, “how can you do a good deed every day?”
Yan Shi: "I've found that I'm really easy for people to define."
“I was being represented,” she nodded, concluding.
Empress Xuan: "You are the deceased. Can't you feel the sorrow in this land?"
Yan Shi: ?
Empress Xuan: "When the world barrier shattered, the Spring and Autumn Period set up an array here, gathering the despair, anger and pain of the capital over the past few decades. It was inevitable that the spiritual energy would overflow and the artifacts would lose control when they were absorbed."
He paused, then said, "You are the deceased, so you should be the first to feel the sympathy."
The reason for the chaotic scene of demons dancing in the Summer Palace has been found.
So, in addition to carrying out explosive aesthetics in many places in the inner world, her former adjutant also took the time to set up a large-scale array in the Summer Palace.
The execution efficiency is still surprisingly high.
It would be great if it weren't used to increase Yan Shi's workload.
Moreover, she really couldn't understand what Sheng Chunqiu was trying to do.
Sheng Chunqiu said softly, "Yanlan, Director Yan can't come, so don't worry about it."
She looked at Yan Shi and said, "It won't affect your life. I just want some races to see the world."
Yan Lan had already stopped smiling, and in the light, her features were as indifferent as Yan Ju's.
She approached and placed her hands on the table: "You really do enjoy talking to yourselves." Yanlan remained expressionless.
Empress Xuan frowned: "What are you going to do?"
“I remember I already said that,” Yanlan said, enunciating each word clearly, “I’ll do one good deed every day.”
"Director Yan can't come, so he can't handle it. I will."
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