up to three months
With war imminent, a deathly silence fell over the pavilion after the Emperor uttered those words, as if a dark cloud was pressing down on them, suffocating them. But as Ning Chanyuan entered, the dark cloud dissipated in unison, and they rose to greet her with smiles.
Ning Chanyuan didn't say anything more.
Developing the cannon fin in two months wasn't difficult for Wu Qi, as the project was nearing its final stages. However, it wasn't an easy task either, since Wu Qi had already destroyed six rooms.
Yi Shenxin knew that the Emperor's words would indeed keep Wu Qi at the Moonfall Camp day and night, but he also knew that Wu Qi did not like the Emperor's words.
As expected, although Wu Qi obeyed the emperor's words, he could not hide his displeasure.
Judging from Wu Qi's expression alone, Yi Shen could roughly guess what she was thinking, which was nothing more than: "The people who kill are those who start wars without regard for the safety of the people, what does it have to do with whether I have developed the Paolin! The Paolin is for saving people, not for killing them."
Only weapons capable of killing indiscriminately can ensure peace in a region.
But weapons were not created to kill; on the contrary, they were created to save lives.
This is a concept that Wu Qi has adhered to for a long time, and it is also a view that Yi Shen agrees with, which is different from most people in the world.
Even after everyone left the pavilion, Wu Qi remained expressionless, gradually falling behind. Yi Shen and Song Yinxing exchanged a glance, the latter nodding slightly, leaving the two of them to walk slowly behind.
Every corner of the mansion had been approved by Ning Chanyuan; each was adorned with beautiful flowers and plants, exuding a kind of opulence that no one would tire of, yet different from the extravagance of other noble families—extravagance to the point of being hollow. Wu Qi and Yi Shen felt utterly out of place within it.
Yi Shen reached out and took Wu Qi's hand in his palm.
Because of the cannon blade, Wu Qi had many injuries on his hands, with quite a few cuts and bleeding.
Yi Shen didn't want to see Wu Qi get hurt, but he had seen Wu Qi stay in the Moonfall Camp day and night for Pao Lin, falling asleep under the moonlight, without even putting down his pen. After seeing that, he couldn't say another word.
He could only gently bandage and apply medicine to her hands during her rare moments of free time.
Yi Shen said, "I'm not sad anymore if I don't listen to what he said."
Wu Qi grasped his hand in return and said, "I'm not that sad. I just don't like him putting all the blame on me. After all, it wasn't me who killed them. I'm a role model for saving lives. Yi Shen doesn't need to comfort me."
"If I didn't coax her, who did?"
"You didn't provoke me, so why should you comfort me?"
“I am the one you’ve been waiting for. I think you’ll be happier if I’m the one to coax you, rather than if someone else does.” Yi Shen held Wu Qi’s hand and pulled her into his arms with a little force. “You have a good temper and are easy to coax. I really enjoy coaxing you.”
Wu Qi said helplessly, "No one would go out of their way to coax someone."
Yi Shen said succinctly, "I'll coax you."
Having said that, Wu Qi couldn't think of anything else to say, so he simply stood on tiptoe and kissed Yi Shen on the cheek.
He Qi watched quietly from a distance. When Wu Qi tiptoed to offer a kiss, he clenched his fists, turned his face away, and didn't want to look. After a long while, he finally turned back.
Unexpectedly, when he turned around, he happened to be looking directly into Yi Shen's eyes.
None of the confrontations he had imagined would occur. Yi Shen simply saw him, then bent down and said a few words to Wu Qi. Wu Qi turned around, saw him, and waved to him with a smile.
In that instant, He Qi didn't even loosen his clenched fist.
They were both so calm and natural that He Qi felt a dull ache in his heart. The calmness stemmed from not caring whether he was there or not, and the naturalness from not fearing that their kiss might be seen by others.
He Qi stared intently at the hands Yi Shen placed on Wu Qi's waist. His gaze was like that of a venomous snake, yet it was easily swept away by the two people not far away, leaving him to struggle aimlessly, unable to extricate himself from the sea of love.
Wu Qi and Yi Shen walked closer and closer, but He Qi clenched his fists tighter and tighter.
Everything around him was suffocating; the birdsong was enchanting, the fragrance of flowers was intoxicating. Only one thought remained in his mind—why? Why not me?
"What a coincidence, you're here too."
It is Wu Qi.
It wasn't until He Qi could clearly hear Wu Qi's words that his eyes lit up. At that moment, he saw the flower in Wu Qi's hair, within reach, but when he came to his senses, he was shocked to realize that it was as difficult as climbing to heaven.
He said in a hoarse voice, "I came to find you."
Wu Qi asked with a smile, "What do you need me for?"
He Qi said with difficulty, "It's Master Sun's business."
Master Sun had no wife or children; he devoted himself to teaching and nurturing students. All the money he earned was used to build a "Childcare Center." The Childcare Center was full of children abandoned by their parents, both boys and girls, most of whom were disabled. Master Sun could not stay at the Childcare Center all day, nor could he take care of so many people by himself. So, he hired several people to look after the children.
But he himself had to go out and earn money.
It was rumored that Master Sun was willing to become a teacher in the Imperial Academy because the Emperor offered him such a high salary.
Now, Tuoziyuan has been established for twenty-five years, older than Wu Qi and the others. In a few days, it will be the twenty-sixth anniversary of Tuoziyuan's founding. The students of the pavilion secretly discussed giving Master Sun a surprise and planned to quietly inform others.
He knew a little earlier, and with some selfish motives, he deliberately took on the task of notifying Wu Qi. Little did he know, he would witness what had just happened.
He suppressed the bitterness in his heart and told Wu Qi about the surprise he had secretly prepared for Master Sun.
Wu Qi exclaimed excitedly, "That's great!"
He had so much he wanted to say to Wu Qi, but at this moment, he couldn't utter a single word and could only bid a hasty farewell. He even felt that his farewell wasn't elegant enough, full of flaws, and would only make him a laughingstock.
Looking at He Qi's retreating figure, Wu Qi said regretfully, "He is very talented and shouldn't put all his energy into me."
Yi Shen replied, "Yi is prone to qi deviation."
There are quite a few people in the world who go mad because they cannot get what they love. Some people with extremely high talent do stupid things, causing great disasters, and causing them heartache and mental anguish.
Thinking of this, Yi Shen added, "I hope he can let go of it as soon as possible."
Wu Qi nodded and echoed, "Let it go as soon as possible, let it go as soon as possible."
When the two returned to Ning Chanyuan's side, they discovered that the Emperor was still there. He sat there, his spot the only quiet place amidst the bustling crowd. So many people never get to see the Emperor in their entire lives, so today they went to great lengths to flatter and fawn, trying to embellish his words and offer him the treasures they had painstakingly acquired, hoping that the Emperor would remember their faces or even their names.
He sat upright in his seat, making it difficult for others to fathom his thoughts.
At that moment, Wu Qi suddenly understood what Ning Chanyuan meant—he was very afraid of being alone.
However, why do people crave excitement yet still cling to solitude?
There's only one seat there, and only one person in the world can sit in it. How can someone who has gone through so much hardship to sit in that seat still have the audacity to say, "The world's excitement is far removed from my life"?
If such a person truly existed in the world, to put it bluntly, Wu Qi would say—pretentious, wanting both ways.
However, that was the Emperor, and she dared not speak. She could only stand aside and listen to everyone spout all the beautiful words in the world. As she listened, she became somewhat shocked.
I'm incredibly impressed!
Those eloquent words will make anyone smile. Who says businessmen aren't good with words? They're clearly the most eloquent of all.
Finally, when it was time for dinner, the Emperor propped his head up and dismissed everyone. Judging from his expression, he was getting sleepy after listening to so many compliments for so long.
After everyone left, he yawned and said, "I'm hungry."
He didn't sit at a table by himself, but invited several students from the pavilion to sit together. He specifically asked Ning Xunxu to sit next to him, and then specifically asked Wu Qi to sit on his other side.
During this meal, Wu Qi used all the etiquette she had learned before, but she couldn't swallow her food. She felt like she had a fishbone stuck in her throat, and even the most delicious food tasted bland. Not to mention that the Emperor had reminded her today that she had to create a cannon unicorn within two months.
After finally finishing the meal, His Majesty was about to leave.
After everyone hurriedly saw the Emperor off, a group of people surrounded Ning Chanyuan and Ning Xunxu, wanting to repeat the nice words they had said to the Emperor earlier to the siblings.
Wu Qi and the others gasped, gave Ning Chanyuan and Ning Xunxu a wink, and then made their escape.
Lin Kuo patted his chest and said, "How terrifying. If a bunch of people like this surrounded me in the future, I would definitely shout 'Hahaha, I want to sleep!' and then cover my ears and lie on the ground to sleep."
Wu Qi said, "Even if you cover your ears and lie on the ground to sleep, that group of people will still say that you sleep well and sleep wonderfully."
Lin Kuo: "...I admire you."
As they walked out, talking, Song Yinxing said, "Sister Yuqu coughed up blood today."
The group paused in their steps.
An invisible dark cloud pressed down three-tenths of the way, and sorrow permeated the air.
Song Yinxing said, "I saw it."
Even though Ning Chanyuan quickly folded the handkerchief and still had a smile on her face, Song Yinxing still saw it. She looked at Ning Chanyuan in disbelief, only to be met with a pair of gentle, watery eyes.
Ning Chanyuan shook her head at her and mouthed, "Keep it a secret."
Therefore, earlier, Song Yinxing nodded slightly to Yi Shen, handed Wu Qi over to Yi Shen, and stayed by Ning Chanyuan's side.
"Is there no other way?" Song Yinxing asked, her eyes red and swollen.
Lin Kuo stepped forward and embraced Song Yinxing, saying sadly, "We've searched for doctors all over the world... Sister Yuqu... at most, she has three months left, and..."
It's beyond saving.
As soon as she finished speaking, Song Yinxing's tears fell.
Although they have faced death and separation, they still cannot accept the departure of one person after another around them.
Those people closed their eyes, as if they had never been to this world.
Lin Kuo sighed, bent down, and wiped away Song Yinxing's tears with his fingertips, but the tears just wouldn't stop. Song Yinxing, her eyes red, gripped Lin Kuo's wrist, asking helplessly and lostly, "What...can we do?"
At this moment, Wu Qi also wanted to do something for Ning Chanyuan, even though Ning Chanyuan had her own things to do.
After much thought, Wu Qi said, "Perhaps it's companionship."
Companionship takes time, and that's exactly what Wu Qi needs most right now.
She needs two months to finish up the cannon and test its operation. She also needs to complete her studies at Cizige, prepare a surprise for Master Sun, spend some time with Ning Chanyuan, and rest.
Everything takes time, so she naturally abandoned the idea of resting.
From sleeping for two hours a day, to sleeping for one hour a day, and then to not sleeping at all.
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