Chapter 19 The Night of the Full Moon "Shen Zhou, please help me."...
no.
no!
The streetlights suddenly came to their senses.
She wanted to leave. After all, Shen Zhou was a normal man, and she didn't want to expose this side of herself to him.
Struggling to pull her arm away, she stepped back, her expression grave as she met Chen Zhou's eyes—
His familiar, dark eyes remained completely unmoved. He looked at people like they were corpses, and at her even more so like she was a skeleton, his gaze remaining cold and indifferent even as she was soaked to the bone.
Hua Deng: "..."
She's overthinking it; this man is definitely not normal!
Amidst the frustration of being looked down upon, she inexplicably felt a strange sense of peace, and thus, in a moment of resignation, she sank into the water, a series of bubbles rising above her head.
Shen Zhou pulled her up: "Are you going to sleep here?"
She flailed her arms and cried out, "Let me go! I'm not feeling well and need to rest."
Shen Zhou restrained her arm and said coldly, "It's no wonder you feel uncomfortable soaking in the water."
Hua Deng said anxiously, "I mean my body..."
She hissed, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
"Is it that serious?" Shen Zhou nodded slowly. "Then leave a last message, and I will pass it on."
Hua Deng: "...That's not what I meant!"
She was speechless.
A lone man and woman, in the dead of night, both dressed in wet clothes, in a grove of trees. What would be an hour and a half in a Japanese adult film, they saw as nothing more than the other person being mentally unstable.
What a steadfast and pure revolutionary friendship this is.
Hua Deng gave up, saying, "Anyway, I'm sick. I advise you to stay away from me, or I might do something terrible."
Shen Zhou: "Make one for me to see."
Judging from his expression, he was genuinely curious.
The streetlights dimmed for a moment, and he began to undo his belt.
Shen Zhou backed away, a strange look in his eyes: "Is this the terrible thing you were talking about?"
The streetlights looked up: "Isn't it scary?"
She prepared many lines, such as "I'm a woman, after all," "You're so unguarded," and "Women are all big bad wolves."
But she and Shen Zhou were really too close.
As the evening breeze blew, it felt as if every cell in her body was mingling with his breath. She could see the mole on his Adam's apple, the dampness on his chin, and the curve of his lips when he spoke.
"His lips are beautifully shaped," Hua Deng thought. "Although his lips always say things that she hates, they look quite soft."
When she came to her senses, Hua Deng was startled, and her expression turned terrified.
She was actually thinking... thinking...
Before she could recover from the shock, Chen Zhou dragged her and threw her onto the shore, saying, "Even a mushroom spirit can't stay in the water forever."
Hua Deng didn't want to have any contact with him and struggled frantically, crying out, "Let go! Let go!"
Shen Zhou frowned and turned around: "What's wrong with you?"
After asking the question, he didn't wait for Hua Deng's reply. Instead, a flash of white light appeared in his eyes, and he immediately activated his Heavenly Eye.
After a moment, he closed his eyes slightly and said calmly, "So that's how it is."
She couldn't hear what he was saying anymore; her attention was entirely focused on the hand on the back of her neck.
She felt his warmth, but only felt colder and colder until she could hardly bear it. All she wanted was to be closer to him and never be separated from him again.
The streetlights shuddered.
She knew how terrible her thoughts were, and she could feel her mind gradually becoming muddled, but she had no control over them at all.
All she could do was let her body sink a little deeper, and before she completely lost her mind, she managed to say, "If I do anything later, I'll give you ten thousand... fifty thousand spirit stones. Just bear with it and don't kill me."
With her willpower, she should be able to hold out for a while... right?
As the streetlights closed their eyes, the thought of this moment suddenly snapped a string in my heart.
She suddenly opened her eyes.
Shen Zhou remained standing still, staring down at her, seemingly deep in thought. He always had a somber expression when he was thinking, and Hua Deng would usually avoid him if she saw him.
But this time she wasn't afraid at all; she just wanted to get closer, and even closer...
She followed her heart and snuggled into Chen Zhou's arms.
Shen Zhou's body visibly stiffened.
But she didn't care. She hugged Chen Zhou, her hands climbing up his back, and nestled her head against his broad chest. The air there was warm, and she let out a satisfied sigh.
Shen Zhou's expression shifted several times, and he reached out to pull her away. But his hand, though raised, hesitated to fall.
From this angle, you can see the shape of the Tsinghua University lights.
She was curled up, her face buried in her hair, her eyes flushed an unusual red, and her brows furrowed, as if she were in great pain.
After a moment of silence, Chen Zhou lowered his hand. After a while, he said slowly, "It really is a terrible thing."
Hua Deng hummed as he spoke, "Chen Zhou, I think I'm sick."
He said, "I know."
Hua Deng asked groggily, "Then what should we do?"
Chen Zhou stared at the rippling stream, casually tapping the surface with his fingers, but this time no fish jumped out.
Withdrawing his hand, he said, "There are more than two thousand cultivators participating in the Immortal Sect Competition. You can choose one to cultivate with."
"I don't want to..." Hua Deng trembled at his words, her voice trembling with fear, "I don't want to, I don't want to..."
I don't want to become a real furnace, just like in the story.
Shen Zhou looked at her and said, "Then I can kill you."
This sudden sentence jolted Hua Deng into a brief state of clarity. She looked up in a daze and saw that Shen Zhou's expression was calm, as if the person who had just spoken was not him.
But Hua Deng could sense from his calm gaze that he was serious.
He truly saw death as a means of liberation.
Hua Deng pouted, looking even more aggrieved: "But I don't want to die yet."
She drawled, "Think of something!"
Seeing that Shen Zhou didn't speak, she reached out and pinched his sleeve with her two wet fingers and shook it.
"Please help me, Shen Zhou, you must have a way."
Shen Zhou looked into her eyes, where his reflection was. He didn't like it, so he reached out and covered her eyes.
His eyelashes brushed against his palm, one stroke at a time.
He was lost in thought when he suddenly sensed two people approaching from outside.
He could certainly drive those two away, but this was ultimately not a place for him to stay.
He loosened his hand from covering his eyes with the streetlights, frowned deeply, and for the first time understood what a "hot potato" meant.
The sweet potato in her hand wasn't hot, it was freezing cold, and she would look at him with an air of self-righteousness, showing no awareness of needing to ask for help.
Shen Zhou gave a nonchalant hum, raised his hand to press her head down, and lifted her horizontally out of the water.
The streetlights let out a "whoosh" and wrapped tightly around his neck.
Shen Zhou paused for a moment: "Let go."
"If I let go, I'll fall!" Hua Deng hugged even tighter.
He glanced at the streetlights with an ambiguous look, but ultimately didn't throw her off. Instead, he took her and disappeared from the spot.
Hua Deng opened her eyes wide with curiosity.
The first time she followed Shen Zhou in teleportation, she discovered that his teleportation technique was completely different from the sect leader's. She was teleported away without feeling anything at all, as natural as a scene cut in a movie.
They arrived at a palace, but the lanterns were unfamiliar to her, and she had no interest in recognizing them. Her head was spinning, and although she tried hard to see, she couldn't make anything out.
Chen Zhou strode forward.
The hall was brightly lit by candles, and the gauze curtains moved swiftly without any wind. Everyone present was greatly startled by this sudden turn of events and knelt down in fear. Shen Zhou shouted, "Get out!"
The figures vanished instantly, leaving the magnificent palace empty.
Only one person remained in the same spot.
The young man with black hair and purple eyes looked on in disbelief, almost jumping out of his seat to stare at him.
As the sun rose in the west, he was surprised to see Shen Zhou returning with a woman!
The woman covered him completely with her outer robe, revealing only her jet-black hair and a slender ankle.
Two slender fingers gripped Shen Zhou's collar, and she nestled in his arms, their intimacy unparalleled.
Although Shen Zhou seemed inexplicably irritable, Jin Ze still rushed forward and said, "Hey, what are you doing? Are you trying to abduct a woman? Are you even human?!"
*Pfft*
The candlelight in the hall was pushed to one side, the flames suddenly went out, and a cold wind swept through the darkness. Jinze felt light all over and was swept away.
He landed with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The door slowly closed, and Jinze's angry roar came from outside: "Shen Zhou, I'll fuck your grandpa!"
Click.
The hall fell completely silent.
Shen Zhou gently patted the restless girl in his arms and strolled deeper into the area.
...
When the Left Protector rushed over, he was taken aback.
"Young Master, what are you doing here?"
Outside the main hall, Jinze was seen squatting alone in a corner, his whole body shrouded in shadow, looking very lonely.
He looked up, his voice weary: "I was kicked out."
The Left Protector subconsciously glanced at the palace next to him.
Fuxian Palace, the former residence of the sect leader, has been vacant since his death, but Jinze occasionally comes in to stay for a couple of days.
The only person who could openly and legitimately kick Jinze out was that other person.
The Left Protector immediately fell silent.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Jinze asked, displeased.
“Young Master, the entire Ziyang Palace is your territory. You can go anywhere you want,” said the Left Protector.
Jinze gave a sinister smile: "I'm fine with going anywhere, that's no reason for him to kick me out!"
The Left Protector said, "Yes, young master."
Jinze: "? What's so good about it? Don't you have anything else to say?"
“Oh, yes.” The Left Protector came up with an idea. “Why did His Highness suddenly appear? When I received the news, I thought something had happened outside.”
After the death of the previous leader, that person was unwilling to become the leader and also forbade Jinze to become the leader, so the people of Ziyang Palace had to call him "that prince" to distinguish him from Jinze.
His question hit the nail on the head, and Jinze angrily retorted, "For a woman! A woman!!"
The Left Protector hesitated: "You had an affair, and he found out, so he kicked you out?"
"...It wasn't me!" Jinze roared, "It was him! His woman!"
Left Protector: "His mother? Cousin? Younger sister?"
Jinze: "Are you sick?!"
Left Protector: "...She's probably not that kind of woman, is she?"
Jinze said coldly, "That's exactly what it means."
He said, "I used to want to be the boss of Ziyang Palace."
The Left Protector was still in shock at the mention of a "woman," and upon hearing this, he reflexively replied, "You are the leader of Ziyang Palace."
"Don't interrupt me!" Jinze squatted on the ground and waved his hand impatiently, continuing to say with a sigh, "But that guy keeps putting pressure on me, and I can't swallow this."
The left protector emitted a sound from his nose, indicating that he was listening.
“I was thinking that if I outlived him, wouldn’t I be the boss?” Jinze grabbed a withered blade of grass and threw it hard on the ground. “But now, he brought back a woman, and I’ve become the third one.”
The Left Protector spoke up: "That shouldn't be possible..."
"Don't interrupt me!" Jinze glared at him, completely absorbed in his own world. "If they have a daughter and a son, then I'll be the fourth or fifth child. If they raise a cat or a dog, what's the point of me living? I might as well just die!"
The Left Protector remained silent.
Jinze frowned: "Why are you not saying anything again?"
The Left Protector smiled and said, "Young Master, perhaps you have misunderstood. That prince is not the kind of person who is lustful."
“I used to think that way too, but you didn’t see how he acted just now.” Jinze rubbed his hair in frustration. “He treats that woman like she’s his most precious possession, he won’t even let me look at her! And when have you ever seen him with a woman? Especially not hugging or cuddling her?”
The left-hand guard spoke in a slightly strange tone: "Are you serious?"
"Otherwise what?"
After a moment of silence, the Left Protector turned tail and ran.
LOL, he's not as clueless as Jinze. At times like this, the farther he runs, the better. Ideally, he could go on a business trip to another state!
...
Shen Zhou, inside the palace, was fully aware of the commotion outside, but he couldn't be bothered to care.
Holding the lantern, he walked from the main hall into the secret chamber. The moment the black iron door opened, his vision suddenly became bright.
The secret chamber was filled with ever-burning white candles, and the entire room was made of white jade. In the very center was a hot spring made of 100,000-year-old black ice, with wisps of cold smoke swirling around it, blurring the light of the candles.
Three years ago, he sent Jinze to build this place, where he would occasionally use the pool to calm himself down if he lost control during practice.
No one but him can get in here, not even Jinze.
Shen Zhou came to the edge of the pool, intending to throw the lanterns directly in, but she clung tightly to his neck, refusing to let go.
After a brief standoff, he walked down the steps with a dark expression.
Hua Deng went into the water, still holding him, but in a different position, instead of just wrapping her arms around his neck, she wrapped her whole body around him.
He forcefully pulled away the streetlights, like grabbing a cat that had fallen into the water, and said as patiently as possible, "You stay here, I'll go and refine a pill for you."
But Hua Deng wouldn't listen. She reached out to hug him again, her eyes half-closed as she unconsciously murmured, "Chen Zhou, Chen Zhou..."
She was probably in great pain, but didn't know what to do, so she could only call his name again and again, her voice soft and sticky, with a nasal tone, like a cat's meow.
"Shenzhou, I'm in pain," she said, her voice trembling with tears.
The voice that used to boss him around had become incredibly soft.
Shen Zhou unconsciously rubbed the back of her neck with his fingers, then put her back into the water.
As the streetlights began to entangle him again, he remained motionless, feeling a long-lost sense of unease.
Actually, this isn't a big deal. It can be solved by finding someone to practice dual cultivation with. He's not interested in this kind of thing, but there are plenty of people who can.
He had no concept of propriety, morality, or shame; these things had long been left behind by the years. But he remembered Hua Deng saying that she was unwilling.
She refused, so there was only one option left.
Shen Zhou held the back of her head, circulating his internal energy.
For cultivators, true qi is an extremely precious thing. Sometimes, even after cultivating for several days, they may not be able to obtain a single wisp. Moreover, it is consumed very quickly.
But Shen Zhou didn't care. He channeled his true energy as if it were free, condensing it into a ball of light in his palm.
This true energy is more special than any elixir or magical treasure in the world; if he wanted, he could even bring the dead back to life under certain circumstances.
Shen Zhou, however, never did that.
Most people in this world despise him, and Shen Zhou is unwilling to waste his energy on them.
If Hua Deng wakes up and can accept becoming a monster like him, then he might be able to do a good deed occasionally.
With that in mind, he continuously channeled his true energy into Hua Deng's body.
He observed the lantern's reaction, but she barely reacted, just like when he cleared her spiritual veins last time, accepting it without the slightest resistance.
"You're good at recognizing quality."
Shen Zhou spoke lazily, a faint smile playing on his lips.
If Hua Deng were still awake, she would be shocked to see this scene, but at this moment she only felt extremely comfortable and wished she could transform into an octopus and wrap herself around Shen Zhou.
Shen Zhou stopped what he was doing and observed her condition: "Isn't that enough?"
The streetlights are starting to cry out in pain again.
Shen Zhou reasoned with her: "You won't be able to handle any more."
Hua Deng let out a sound, as if he didn't understand why he stopped, and looked up at him.
A layer of mist clouded over those clear eyes, making them look confused and unable to understand what he was saying.
Shen Zhou pinched the bridge of his nose and stopped talking.
The streetlights are still patiently waiting.
Although her mind was a complete mess, she remembered the feeling just now; it was very comfortable, even more soothing than the breeze in March.
As she waited, she began to grow anxious, and a sense of emptiness welled up inside her again.
The emptiness gradually turned into a deep hunger, making her desperately want to swallow something.
Shen Zhou was stroking her back and helping her regulate her breathing. A section of her neck was completely exposed above her collar. Hua Deng bit down hard without hesitation.
Unfortunately, a Foundation Establishment cultivator can't bite a Body Integration cultivator. Hua Deng's lips stiffened, and Shen Zhou's movements also stopped.
He lifted her up by the back of her collar, his face expressionless, but his eyes were sinister.
Hua Deng seemed to have sobered up a bit, shut her mouth and dared not move, her dark eyes darting around.
Shen Zhou freed his hand and grabbed her chin, his fingers brushing against her rosy lips, and sneered, "You think I can indulge you just because I'm sick?"
Hua Deng softly asked, "What?"
"I told you not to repay kindness with enmity," Shen Zhou said, increasing his pressure.
He had been wielding a sword for years, and his fingertips were covered in thick calluses. The lantern, feeling uncomfortable from his grip, opened its mouth and bit it.
She couldn't bite Shen Zhou, but she bit her own teeth so hard they hurt, and then spat it out with a "pui" sound.
Shen Zhou's brow twitched throbbed.
Without further hesitation, he poured even more energy into the lanterns.
Before long, Hua Deng became scorching hot, his whole body glowing red.
She started to whine and cry, "Chen Zhou, I feel terrible..."
She said that, but her hands were still tightly gripping his waist, and she unconsciously pressed herself against him, like a fledgling bird recognizing its nest.
The water temperature in the pool slowly rose, and Shen Zhou's brows furrowed involuntarily. He thought irritably, "Why can't Jin Ze do anything right? Even the 100,000-year-old Xuanbing is affected by his true energy."
He used magic to lower the water temperature, and then manipulated the lanterns to swish them up and down.
Hua Deng: "Gurgle, gurgle."
Shen Zhou: "No drinking allowed... never mind."
He touched Hua Deng's forehead and found that the temperature was a bit too low, so he channeled some of his inner energy into her, and then he saw Hua Deng burn again.
Shen Zhou: "..."
He continued to lower the temperature with a gloomy face.
After repeating this process several times, the streetlights were finally kept at a constant temperature.
Shen Zhou carried her ashore and placed her by the pool.
Hua Deng was soaking wet. He thought for a moment, but decided against using magic to dry her off, lest she become too hot and uncomfortable.
He kept watch for a while to make sure the lanterns were truly asleep, then sat down on the spot, held his temples, and gently pressed them.
Killing someone is a matter of the blink of an eye, but saving someone is so complicated.
*
The streetlights have come on.
She woke up groggily and suddenly.
Just like a phone's system update, it happens inexplicably even though no time was set.
The surroundings were completely unfamiliar, and she had no recollection of the streetlights. She pressed her palms against her head, gradually recalling some events from the previous night—not many, but enough to shatter her composure.
Even more shockingly, she found herself with a sore back and aching muscles, as if she had been fighting with someone all night.
It perfectly matches the description of what happened after that in the novel.
Even the male voice that rang in her ears was exactly the same as in the novel, asking her, "Awake?"
Hua Deng froze for a moment, not daring to turn around to look at him. When she noticed a pool nearby, she rushed over to check her condition.
Seeing this, I finally felt relieved.
Thank goodness! My clothes didn't move, my hairstyle didn't change, and there were no strange marks on my body.
My integrity has been preserved.
Hua Deng felt conflicted. She felt that it wasn't her own integrity that was preserved, but rather Shen Zhou's, since he cared a lot about this thing.
She slowly got up and took two steps toward Shen Zhou, who was meditating.
At this moment, she was extremely grateful that she couldn't remember what happened last night, otherwise she really wouldn't know how to face Shen Zhou.
"Where is this?" she asked softly.
Such a luxurious place gave her the feeling that she had forcibly taken over someone's home. Could it be that Shen Zhou really did seize it?
“You don’t need to know,” Shen Zhou said.
That's it, it's confirmed, he definitely stole it.
Hua Deng joked, "Is it your secret base, the kind where if someone finds out, they'll be silenced?"
However, Shen Zhou wasn't joking. He said calmly, "Congratulations, you guessed right."
Hua Deng: "...Never mind what I said."
After a while, she asked again, "Shen Zhou, do you sword cultivators only have feelings for your own swords and not for others?"
If it were a normal man, he would be furious upon hearing such words and would be eager to take off his pants to prove himself.
Shen Zhou obviously wouldn't.
He remained seated in meditation, saying without turning his head, "Isn't this exactly what you need?"
That's true.
She gave a thumbs up: "Then keep it up."
Shen Zhou finally turned around and gave her a look, but Hua Deng didn't understand.
He seemed too lazy to say more, stood up and said, "Let's go, this isn't a place for you."
"I shouldn't have come, but I have," Hua Deng thought to herself, while nodding obediently on the surface.
She walked towards the door, raised her hand to open it, and said, "Where is this place out here..."
Before she could finish speaking, her wrist was grabbed by another large hand, which pulled her backward. The scene changed rapidly, and she was back in her room at the Qingyang Sect.
The sky was already bright when Shen Zhou released her hand, repeating the same words: "You don't need to know."
Hua Deng snapped out of her reverie, blinked, and said in a whimsical manner, "By the way, is there a banquet today? I invited Su Yiqing to join me."
"..."
“I think I’m in pretty good shape right now, what do you think?” Hua Deng said to him with a smile, spreading her arms wide.
She seemed completely unaffected by what happened last night.
Shen Zhou's brow twitched suddenly, and he stepped outside, his tone icy: "Whatever."
*
The secret realm will open gradually over the next two days, and today is the perfect day for a grand banquet, a day for cultivators from all sides to get to know each other.
At the banquet, Hua Deng sat upright with a serious expression.
Before her stood cultivators from all corners of the world, each with their own unique style; without a doubt, most of them were merely fleeting romances with her.
Su Yiqing sat at a table with her, holding a stack of documents she had somehow acquired, and introduced the people at the scene to her one by one.
The lanterns occasionally nodded, and suddenly a group of people walked over. In the center of the crowd was a woman in flowing white clothes, gentle and kind, with a smile as warm as a spring breeze.
Su Yiqing immediately became excited: "This is Senior Sister Yu Heng from our Qingyang Sect, the champion of the previous Nascent Soul group, she's incredibly powerful!"
She turned to Hua Deng: "Senior Sister Yu is a very nice person, and like you, she is a medical cultivator!"
Hua Deng's focus, however, was elsewhere. She asked, "She's the champion? What about Xue Wu?"
According to previously found information, Shen Zhou used the name "Xue Wu" when he was in the Wanjian Sect, but he reverted to his real name after being expelled from the sect at the age of nineteen.
"Which Xue Wu?"
Su Yi was stunned for a moment before she realized, "You don't mean... the murderer who slaughtered the Myriad Swords Sect, do you?"
Hua Deng nodded calmly: "I heard he's a genius, why didn't he get first place?"
The Immortal Sect Grand Competition is held once every ten years, and he should be able to participate just in time.
"I don't know about that." Su Yiqing didn't think much of it and scratched her head, saying, "Maybe he has a twisted personality and can't bring himself to kill in this kind of situation?"
Hua Deng uttered an "oh," and secretly sent a message to Chen Zhou under the table.
"Haven't you participated in the Immortal Sect Grand Competition before?"
The reply came quickly: "No."
Why are you shy?
"I became a deity when I was thirteen years old."
oh.
Because he was too talented, he didn't fit in with those around him.
The streetlights, turning into twisted lemons, replied with lightning speed: "Then don't be jealous of me if I get first place this time."
"First place in the Foundation Establishment group?" The other side replied slowly, "Heh."
The streetlights were furious.
She was going to delete Shen Zhou from her friends list for one hour... no, two hours!!
She picked up the messaging device and typed a string of messages, then deftly severed her friendship with Shen Zhou, put down the device, and took a sip of tea to catch her breath.
Su Yiqing thought they were chatting happily, and seeing this, she was quite envious: "As expected, other people's partners are always more desirable. My partner has to wait an hour to reply to a message."
Hua Deng chuckled and said, "I give him fifty spirit stones for every message he replies. Would you not reply if it were you?"
This is the method she finally found after more than a month of research, which allows Shen Zhou to reply to messages in a timely manner.
Su Yiqing stared in disbelief: "You rich people really know how to have fun."
Hua Deng smiled, glanced casually out of the corner of his eye, then suddenly stopped, staring intently at a young man walking in through the door.
The young man was in his early twenties. In terms of appearance alone, he could be described as handsome and dashing. However, seeing Shen Zhou's face every day was like tasting a pot of stale food after being used to delicacies; she couldn't muster any interest in it.
What truly caught the attention of the streetlights was that he was actually glowing.
It's just like a light bulb.
"Who is that?" Hua Deng asked, turning his head to the side, his expression inscrutable.
Su Yiqing was clearly familiar with this person's information: "Oh, that's Pei Jianming, the chief disciple of Tunyun Pavilion. He's a genius who has cultivated to the Nascent Soul stage in his forties and has a fire-attribute heavenly spiritual root."
"And the light emanating from him?"
"It seems he practiced some kind of 'Golden Crow Sword Technique,' so his body glows all day long, and everyone calls him Super Firefly."
Hua Deng chuckled.
She shook the teacup in her hand and said nonchalantly, "They're just like us, only with Heavenly Spiritual Roots."
Su Yiqing stiffened and slowly turned her head to look at her.
Hua Deng's body stiffened.
After a long silence, Hua Deng asked weakly, "You...aren't you a Heavenly Spiritual Root?"
Su Yiqing suddenly laughed, a laugh that was utterly bleak.
She asked, "Why do you think I have a Heavenly Spiritual Root?" Hua Deng closed her eyes and said, "I thought all female protagonists had Heavenly Spiritual Roots."
Su Yi cried out, "But I have both wood and fire spiritual roots!"
Su, who only reached Foundation Establishment at the age of twenty-five, said with a light heart: "I'm going to fight you geniuses to the death!"
After all that commotion, Pei Jianming, who was chatting with someone else, seemed to glance over at them, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Su Yi was startled and, disregarding whether he was a genius or not, immediately lowered her head.
He casually tugged at the streetlight: "Eat your food, don't look at him!"
Hua Deng didn't react for a moment, then looked down and asked quietly, "What's wrong? Are you afraid of him?"
Su Yiqing simply said, "You'll find out soon enough; he's coming."
As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Jianming walked to the table, standing backlit, looking down at them with a detached disdain.
Hua Deng frowned almost imperceptibly; she was the only one who ever looked at others like that.
Out of courtesy as fellow cultivators, she still greeted him: "Senior Brother Pei, what brings you here?"
Pei Jianming laughed: "So you really do know who I am."
Hua Deng: "Of course, Senior Brother Pei's reputation is widespread."
Pei Jianming's expression grew even more arrogant: "Weren't you looking at me just now?"
Hua Deng: "It's because of me—"
Pei Jianming: "Alright, stop explaining. You guys haven't always been like this."
The city lights are full of question marks.
Her patience finally ran out: "What exactly are you trying to say?"
What am I trying to say?
Pei Jianming braced himself on the table, looking down at him and moving closer.
“I cultivate the path of ruthlessness and do not associate with women. I advise you to give up on this idea.”
Hua Deng: "???"
She looked at Pei Jianming in disbelief, then at Su Yiqing.
The latter nodded sadly and mouthed: Yes, he's an idiot.
Hua Deng suddenly understood, Hua Deng had a profound realization.
She stood up, filled with respect: "So you are the ruthless one who lives on. I wish you success soon."
Pei Jianming snorted coldly, about to say something, when suddenly his eyes changed and he abruptly turned his head. However, his movement was too late; the sword light that flew out of nowhere grazed his cheek, shaving off a lock of his hair.
He didn't react at all.
Pei Jianming turned around with a sullen face, only to see a man holding a broken sword standing not far away, looking at him indifferently.
No, this isn't just "looking at" him, it's completely ignoring him!
The lamp behind the table smiled slightly and sat back down.
Pei Jianming's gaze swept from Shen Zhou to Hua Deng, and finally back to Shen Zhou. He cursed, "Who do you think you are? How dare you lay a hand on me? Ha, I know!"
Shen Zhou remained silent. Pei Jianming gave a sarcastic smile, stroked his chin, and scrutinized him: "You're the new disciple of the Yaoqing Sect, surnamed Shen, right? I've heard your swordsmanship is superb. How does it compare to mine?"
Shen Zhou said, "You?"
Just one word ignited Pei Jianming's fury. He immediately drew his sword and shouted, "Since Brother Shen doesn't object, then I'll draw my sword first!"
His sword was one of only ten first-grade immortal swords in the world. This strike was extraordinary, with the sword light like a white rainbow piercing the sun, slashing towards Chen Zhou.
Su Yiqing was so frightened she wished she could crawl under the table. Glancing at Hua Deng out of the corner of her eye, she saw him leisurely eating snacks and couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you worried at all?"
Hua Deng also stuffed a piece of osmanthus cake into her hand and said vaguely, "Don't worry about it, Shen Ye will definitely be too lazy to compete with him."
She's right, Pei Jianming's sword didn't hit anyone at all.
The sword wind severed a pillar in the hall, causing a great uproar among the crowd. However, Shen Zhou disappeared from the dust and smoke and appeared beside Hua Deng, handing her the sword in his hand.
He said, "Give it a try?"
Hua Deng's eyes lit up, and he excitedly gripped the sword hilt.
She had never fought with a sword before, and at this moment she used all her strength, disregarding any moves, and slashed wildly forward.
Pei Jianming initially dismissed it, but when the sword light cleaved the wooden table in two, his expression changed drastically. He quickly wielded his immortal sword, unleashing his full power.
The sword energy whistled in and collided violently with the defensive magic weapon on his chest. The aftershock spread out with a bang, and he was sent flying, landing with a thud!
Pei Jianming didn't react at all, or couldn't believe what was happening. He remained in the dog-lying position, his body flashing with golden light, as if the power was about to cut off.
The streetlights emitted a merciless laugh.
Her smile caused many people who were secretly observing the situation to chuckle.
Pei Jianming lay on the ground, unsure whether to get up or not, pounding the ground with his hands and filled with regret.
In a place no one knew, he cried out in his mind, "System, what's going on! Didn't you say I was the strongest?!"
The system's monotonous, mechanical voice replied, "Yes, host, you are the strongest, but that's two hundred years from now."
"Ugh, damn it, damn it!!"
The system, out of pity, stopped responding.
This unfortunate host has been transmigrating into a protagonist-centric novel for decades, and all he does is get beaten up or is on his way to get beaten up. When will he ever learn his lesson?
"You're really not the strongest right now, and no woman likes you," it added in its mind.
On the other side, Shen Zhou sheathed his sword, didn't even glance at him, and found a place to sit down.
After laughing enough, Hua Deng took out some pastries from the oil paper package and handed them to Su Yiqing, but the latter did not take them.
She stared at Shen Zhou's retreating figure, her breath ragged, and asked without blinking, "Is he also a Heavenly Spiritual Root?"
Her ferocious tone suggested that she was ready to charge at Shen Zhou and fight him to the death the moment the lights came on.
Hua Deng hurriedly said, "No, he's just an ordinary person with five spiritual roots."
"Five spiritual roots?" Su Yiqing slowly leaned back in her chair, a relieved smile on her face.
She said, "Five spiritual roots are great! I really wish the whole world consisted of people with five spiritual roots, haha!"
Hua Deng breathed a sigh of relief, not daring to say that the Five Elemental Roots had already reached the Integration stage.
However, Su Yiqing couldn't help but wonder: "What did you see in him back then? I thought he was very talented."
Hua Deng finally had a day to talk to someone about relationship issues. Even though her Daoist partner was fake, she still said sweetly, "You don't know, he's very handsome when he's not disguised!"
Su Yi slowly uttered a question mark: "?"
Ah, that tone, that expression—it brings back memories of the day she found out her best friend was dating.
In fact, she asked the exact same question this time: "Putting aside his looks, does he have any savings now?"
Hua Deng said, "He's earning it."
Su Yiqing: "How do you earn it?"
Hua Deng blinked: "I'll give him the money."
Su Yiqing's vision went black.
After pausing for a moment, she decided to approach it from another angle: "Look at his face, doesn't it look a bit fierce?"
Hua Deng innocently said, "He promised me he wouldn't be mean to me anymore."
What? You were actually fierce before!
Su Yiqing's eyes widened: "But he really looks like he'd kill someone!"
Hua Deng patted her reassuringly, his eyes filled with a trusting smile: "That was before. He stopped killing after he got together with me."
Su Yiqing: "Me? This? You? Sigh..."
"Never mind," she said, covering her face. "I wish you happiness."
Hua Deng chuckled and waved to Chen Zhou, indicating that he was about to leave.
None of them noticed that right after Hua Deng unleashed that sword strike, a figure was hidden in the crowd, staring intently in Chen Zhou's direction.
At this moment, her dark, spring-like eyes cracked, revealing the deep-seated resentment and malice within her.
Amidst the clamor of voices, the woman's lips twitched slightly as she silently murmured that name.
—"Xue, Wu".
As Chen Zhou walked toward the streetlights, he suddenly stopped and glanced behind him.
"What are you looking for? Is there someone you know?" Hua Deng followed his gaze and peered around, but found nothing.
Shen Zhou turned around, picked up the two oil paper packages, and walked back: "They might be enemies."
Hua Deng couldn't help but feel a little nervous, jogging to catch up: "Is it strong?"
"Very weak."
"……OK."
Perhaps worried that Hua Deng might be concerned, he added, "He's only slightly better than you."
Hua Deng smiled and said, "I still prefer you when you're mute."
...
According to Hua Deng's research, her illness mainly occurred between midnight and 5 a.m. the following day, and did not last for three days and three nights.
This made her feel somewhat relieved, at least giving her room to maneuver and making it easier to explain to others.
Nevertheless, she clung to Chen Zhou all day, afraid that if she had a relapse, no one would be by her side.
Shen Zhou didn't say anything. Anyway, he did nothing but cultivate every day. But in the evening, he suddenly said, "I have to go out for a while. I'll be back in half an hour."
Where are you going?
Before Shen Zhou could answer, she immediately added, "Take me with you! I don't want to be alone."
"Let's go to the library," Shen Zhou said, leading her outside.
This time, he didn't use teleportation. Hua Deng asked in surprise, "You like reading?"
Shen Zhou: "I don't like it."
Hua Deng: "Then what are you going to do?"
She found that chatting with Shen Zhou was a bit of a hassle; she always had to ask an extra question.
Shen Zhou simply said, "Find something."
They entered the library without any hindrance. When they realized that even the guards hadn't given them a second glance, Hua Deng belatedly realized that he hadn't used teleportation today, but he had used invisibility.
Shen Zhou walked all the way to the seventh floor before stopping.
Hua Deng asked telepathically, "The seventh floor is a restricted area. Are you here to peek at forbidden books?"
For some reason, Shen Zhou nodded and said, "Yes, peeping at forbidden books."
He raised his hand and a yellowed booklet flew out from the corner and landed in his hand.
Hua Deng glanced at the book quickly, not seeing the title clearly, only noticing the signature as Xue Zifei.
Wait, Xue Zifei.
That document shows that Shen Zhou's former master?!
She quickly opened her eyes wide and saw a line of small print on the title page: "This book is specially presented to my beloved student Xue Wu in exchange for three ounces of fine wine."
Before she could read any more, a flame ignited in Shen Zhou's palm, burning the entire book to ashes.
At the same time, the alarm in the library went off, presumably triggered automatically by something being lost.
To her surprise, Shen Zhou did not leave, but stood there coldly watching the person who barged in through the door.
First came a few juniors, then a few elders, and finally the sect leader of Qingyang Sect.
"It's him!"
"He's back?"
There were constant whispers, filled with immense fear.
"He's back! He's going to kill us!"
Where is he...?
In the center of the room, the Qingyang Sect Leader's legs trembled, and he could barely stand.
But the next second, he suddenly turned his head, his gaze piercing towards the location of the streetlights.
Shen Zhou glanced down, his expression unchanged.
I forgot to remind her not to breathe.
While the streetlights were still in a state of indifference, watching the spectacle, I suddenly felt a tightness around my waist, and I was pulled backward, pressed against another body.
That body was completely different from hers; its chest was hard and broad, just like the arms that were wrapped around her waist, which she couldn't pry open, and they squeezed her so tightly that she moved uncomfortably.
"Don't move," Shen Zhou's deep voice came through the phone. "I can help you conceal your presence."
Hua Deng looked up and, sure enough, saw the Qingyang Sect leader walking cautiously and solemnly toward them, as if he had discovered something.
She immediately dared not move, held her breath, and tried her best to ignore the temperature of the deep day and the sensitive trembling that arose because of him.
The Qingyang Sect leader continued to approach, and Shen Zhou's large hand, which was positioned in front of her waist, tightened slightly. His other hand gripped her shoulder, pulling her back into his arms. The two of them were pressed tightly together, with almost no gap between them.
Their presence completely merged into one, and then completely disappeared from the room.
Even though the Qingyang Sect leader scanned every corner with his divine sense, he couldn't find any clues.
He breathed a sigh of relief, stayed in the room for a while longer, and then strolled away with the others.
Hua Deng's tense body finally relaxed, and she began to struggle in dissatisfaction, even stepping on Chen Zhou's foot.
"Tsk."
Shen Zhou tightened his grip on her shoulders slightly, and Hua Deng was completely immobilized. Her entire body was as if it had been numbed, leaving her completely at his mercy.
Just as she was about to question Shen Zhou about what he was doing, the Qingyang Sect Leader, who had clearly already left, suddenly kicked the door open again and grinned sinisterly at the empty room, "Haha, you've fallen for it!"
Hua Deng: "..."
Are you all crazy people in the cultivation world?!
After waiting for a while and confirming that there was really nothing wrong, the sect leader stroked his beard, let out a long sigh, and leisurely left.
This time, Hua Deng didn't dare to move, nestled in Shen Zhou's arms, her eyes fixed on the direction of the door.
But as she stared, perhaps because the distance was too close, fragments of last night suddenly surfaced in her mind.
She finally remembered how she had nestled in Shen Zhou's arms, the way he looked down at her, how he had pressed his lips to hers, gently caressing them, and whispering, "You think I can indulge you just because I'm sick?"
She actually bit him back!
It's over.
Was she really that bold?
Shen Zhou had already released her arm, but she remained frozen in place, too embarrassed to speak.
Even more terrifying was that she felt that familiar chill emanating from the very marrow of her bones again.
This time, a surge of heat also emerged simultaneously, colliding with the coldness within her body and nearly shattering her reason.
Hunger returned, and she wanted to grab something, to frantically fill herself up.
The streetlights gazed sluggishly out the window.
There are no clouds today, and the bright moon is high in the sky.
It's almost midnight.
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