Chapter 14 Lantern Festival. She was allowed to approach him brazenly. ...
Main quest: [Advance to Golden Core within three months] - Incomplete
Time limit: 90 days
The system issued two tasks at once.
Hua Deng was filled with questions: "What level am I at now?"
System: "Mid-stage Foundation Building".
"Repeat what you just said."
"Please advance to the Golden Core Realm within three months."
Hua Deng remained silent, then turned to Chen Zhou and asked, "Is there a method to break through to the Golden Core stage in three months? I really need it."
The female protagonist in the book can break through to the Golden Core stage in less than three months, without a doubt, because her dual cultivation partners include all the big shots in the cultivation world, including Sword Venerable Qiu Ce, one of the three great masters of the world.
As for Hua Deng, she didn't want to practice dual cultivation, nor did she want any of the people in the book.
"It's just a Golden Core, not difficult at all," Shen Zhou said.
“I know you broke through to the Golden Core stage the first time you held a sword at the age of five,” Hua Deng answered quickly, revealing a polite smile. “I was asking myself, how can one advance to the Golden Core stage in three months?”
"It's not difficult for you either."
The immortal sword landed in the courtyard of the Begonia Garden. Shen Zhou stepped off the flying sword and said, "Your physique is very special."
Hua Deng jumped down after him, realizing what he meant—she was no longer the Holy Body of the Union, but the Holy Body of the God of the Union.
Despite her rather awkward name, she is indeed a once-in-a-millennium genius in this regard.
"Does that mean... you're willing to cultivate with me?" Hua Deng tilted his head in thought.
Hmm, if Shen Zhou insists, should she agree?
Just then, Shen Zhou turned his head, his expression surprised and subtle, as if to say: What do you think?
“…I understand,” Hua Deng said. “So, is there another way?”
Shen Zhou then said, "In half a month, the Xiashan Secret Realm will be open to the disciples of the Immortal Alliance. The spiritual plants inside are fragrant and the spiritual energy is abundant, which is very beneficial to the wood spiritual root. In the next half month, you only need to meditate in peace and break through to the late Foundation Establishment stage. At that time, you may be able to break through to the Golden Core stage."
After speaking, he received no response, but saw Hua Deng's eyes widen, as if he were extremely surprised.
He recalled what had just been said and asked, "Do you still have doubts about this?" "I didn't know you could say so much at once!" Hua Deng exclaimed.
Shen Zhou: "..."
Reaching the later stages of foundation building in half a month is indeed not difficult for Hua Deng.
While in Huafu, she had two Golden Core stage teachers who guided her all the way to the Foundation Establishment stage. However, her Heavenly Spiritual Root was extraordinary, so after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, she deliberately suppressed her cultivation in order to learn the orthodox cultivation methods of the Medicine Purification Sect.
If you do the math, it's been over a year since she reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.
"Okay, then I'll try my best to break through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment in half a month. You have to help me too!"
"What help is there for those in the Foundation Establishment stage?"
"Shut up."
...
As it turns out, some things shouldn't be said too early.
From that day on, Shen Zhou either watched her stay up late or urged her to get up early, forcing her to turn her daily activities into a routine of going to class and practicing martial arts.
After a few days, Hua Deng felt like she had become a mini Shen Zhou.
"I can't take it anymore!"
She lay paralyzed on the bed like a dead fish, letting out a protesting cry.
Looking at Shen Zhou again, although it was late at night and quiet all around, clearly a time for sleeping, he was still sitting motionless and focused on meditation, even absorbing all the moonlight that fell on him, turning it into nourishment for his spiritual veins.
Hua Deng: "I want to go out and play! Go out and play!"
A cold, deep voice echoed in her mind: "Continue meditating for another incense stick's time."
here we go again!
Her body began to spiral out of control; she crossed her legs, facing upwards, and meditated with a frustrated expression.
After the incense stick burned out, I collapsed from the bedside, completely exhausted.
Failure to complete the mission would shorten her lifespan, but at this rate, she felt she would shorten it even more.
She tried to resist Shen Zhou, for example, by splashing water on him or burning him with fire when he was practicing, but it was no use. Any spell would fail if it was more than three inches away from Shen Zhou, and she couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes.
Hua Deng rolled around twice while hugging the raccoon plush toy.
"Shen Zhou, I'm so bored."
"Will you take me down the mountain to go shopping?"
"Today is the Lantern Festival, the lantern festival down the mountain is so beautiful. Don't you think the two of us sitting here meditating in front of the moon looks rather pathetic?"
A voice came from behind the screen, indifferent and even somewhat mocking: "You can go with Duan Yi."
Hua Deng sat up abruptly: "Don't mention his name, it's bad luck!"
Before Shen Zhou could use the puppet technique on her a second time, Hua Deng jumped off the bed, pushed aside the screen, and walked aggressively in front of him.
The man's face was cold and indifferent, his dark eyes flickered slightly, like an unapproachable vortex.
Hua Deng hurriedly turned her face away, angrily saying, "You're not allowed to use puppetry!"
Shen Zhou rubbed his temples: "Then choose one: Body Control Technique, Immortal Descent Technique, Immobilization Technique, or Silence Spell."
"Can't I have none of these?" Hua Deng bit her lip in a wronged tone, knelt on the bed with one leg, bent down close to him, and spoke with a hint of arrogance:
"I just want to go for a walk down the mountain with you, is that not allowed?"
Shen Zhou calmly lowered his eyes and said, "Alright, keep thinking."
"Why are you so stubborn!" Hua Deng grabbed his collar, determined to look him straight in the eye. "You're my Daoist partner, why won't you keep me company? What am I paying you to do here?"
Shen Zhou clicked his tongue, his brooding eyes as cold as knives.
Hua Deng was startled, pushed him away with both hands, and jumped away.
"W-What are you doing?" She crossed her arms and backed away, her voice noticeably weaker. "Are you angry?"
Shen Zhou stood up silently, conjured something in his hand, and hurled it over the lantern, covering it from above.
Splash—
The streetlights suddenly went out, and my heart sank.
Oh no, they've got to put a sack over it!
This sounds like murder and body disposal.
She stood in the sack, too afraid to move. Before long, the sack was taken away, and Shen Zhou stood beside her, frowning as he watched her.
He threw the "sack" in his hand aside: "This is a cloak, for you to wear. Were you asleep?"
"……oh oh."
Hua Deng hurriedly took the cloak and obediently put it on. Because it was a style for daytime, it was so large that it was comically oversized and dragged on the ground when she walked.
Shen Zhou used magic to make it smaller, and it fit perfectly.
Hua Deng rarely wore dark-colored clothes, but the one she was wearing had been modified by Chen Zhou and was exceptionally warm, so she didn't mind and curiously looked around with her collar pulled up.
"Where is this? It's so beautiful. Are we still in Qingzhou?"
"Yao'an City." Shen Zhou walked forward expressionlessly. "The lantern festival you requested is here."
Yao'an City, though still part of Qingzhou, was several times more prosperous than the town where the Yaoqing Sect was located, and its Lantern Festival was renowned. The dazzling array of lanterns moving through the city was almost overwhelming.
Under a bright moon and gentle breeze, various lanterns slowly rise.
Hua Deng exclaimed in surprise from time to time, and asked, "Doesn't it snow here either? I've never seen snow in Yangzhou. I thought Qingzhou would be different."
Needless to say, the Yaoqing Sect's mountain itself is a magic array, where there is no wind or rain all year round, and it is like spring all year round.
Shen Zhou simply said, "The snow is heavy in Youzhou; you can travel there by sword."
"How long will it take you to get there with your men? A breath should be enough, right?"
Hua Deng turned around and walked backwards to face him, colorful lights flashing across his face.
She said, "Why don't you just take me there?"
As she spoke, her lively eyes and brows lit up with a smile. Perhaps it was the gentle night breeze that softened her tone, giving it a sweet, pastry-like quality.
Shen Zhou looked away from her face, but couldn't detect any change.
"Take you to see the snow?" He casually pulled aside a pedestrian who was about to bump into a streetlight, seemingly with a sneer, "I'm not that free."
"Sigh." Hua Deng shook his head calmly and said, "I knew it."
However, tonight's trip was an unexpected and impromptu decision, so she didn't insist and generously let Shen Zhou off the hook.
As we continued forward, we gradually entered the bustling city center. The lights became increasingly dazzling, yet more and more people, whether intentionally or unintentionally, kept bumping into the streetlights for no apparent reason.
The streetlights are always on high alert in such situations, but there are always times when they can't be avoided.
Shen Zhou walked behind her with his hands behind his back, using his spiritual power to pull away anyone who dared to approach, his strength unconsciously increasing. When he heard cries of pain from around them, Hua Deng turned around in confusion: "What happened? Was someone trampled?"
“No,” Shen Zhou said calmly. “He didn’t buy the lantern he wanted.”
"That's so pitiful," Hua Deng said with pity, after all, there was nothing she couldn't buy.
Shen Zhou hummed in agreement, and after she turned her head, a streak of blood-red light flashed between her brows.
Having cultivated for many years, he had become accustomed to keeping his heart meridians sealed, neither seeing, hearing, nor thinking. His spiritual energy circulated spontaneously throughout his body, and he was constantly cultivating.
Therefore, he preferred places with few people, and even when he occasionally passed through chaotic markets, he never gave them any extra glances.
There were just too many clueless people today, so he simply released control over his heart meridian and completely unleashed his divine sense, instantly covering the entire Yao'an City, penetrating every nook and cranny, much more closely than his surveillance of the Yaoqing Sect.
At this moment, anything that harbors malice towards Hua Deng will be suppressed under his divine consciousness.
Unaware of the streetlights, I remained somewhat wary while strolling around, always staying close to him.
He observed with great interest, then slowly reminded her, "If you don't want them to disturb you, you can use disguise."
"Disguise? No way." Hua Deng raised an eyebrow and snorted, "I'm so good-looking, why can't I show it off? I won't change myself for anyone else."
She said in a matter-of-fact manner, "Besides, I'm so rich that I can afford to hire you, what am I afraid of?"
He listened calmly without uttering a word of rebuttal. Hua Deng, taking advantage of the situation, quickly poked his arm: "Isn't that right, Master Shen?"
This time, Shen Zhou didn't dodge, letting her lean in unabashedly, their posture intimate as if they were a real couple. The distance was close enough to see the shimmering light in her eyes and the curve of her eyebrows when she smiled.
He could even smell the delicate fragrance emanating from her hair, a scent like wind and snow; he remembered that the streetlights called it "perfume."
It wasn't as strong as he'd imagined, which made him wonder what the next scent would be like.
As they were talking, the two passed by a mask stall.
Hua Deng casually ripped off a mask of a blue-faced, fanged demon and hung it on Chen Zhou's face.
She suppressed a laugh: "Yes, that's it, then no one will dare to come near us."
Shen Zhou glanced at the remaining masks on the stall, seemingly dissatisfied, and waved them in front of Hua Deng.
The moment the mirror was pulled out, Hua Deng erupted in screams, tugging at Chen Zhou's sleeve: "Hey, turn me back! Did you hear me? You dare take another step!"
Chen Zhou strode forward, and Hua Deng spent a long time painstakingly removing the mask that insulted her aesthetic sense.
Of course, it's also possible that the spell will automatically wear off when the time is up.
She was angry for a while and had no desire to speak to Chen Zhou. Until she walked into the East Market and unintentionally caught sight of a rabbit lantern hanging high above.
Forgetting what had just happened, she turned around excitedly and said, "Look at that rabbit lantern, it looks like the winner of the pitching game can get it!"
Shen Zhou glanced at it and stopped: "Ugly. And there are too many people."
Hua Deng was speechless at his aesthetic sense.
"Then you have a match with me." She grabbed Shen Zhou's sleeve and started to walk away. "If you win, I'll give you three thousand spirit stones."
Shen Zhou stared at her slender white fingers, but in the end, he did not pull away.
Pitch-pot was a piece of cake for both of them, so Hua Deng made a rule that magic must never be used. For the sake of three thousand spirit stones, Shen Zhou agreed.
The game of pitch-pot consists of ten rounds. The first six rounds were all draws. Both Hua Deng and Chen Zhou managed to hit the target.
By the seventh round, Hua Deng was squinting as he aimed when Shen Zhou suddenly said, "You've disturbed my cultivation."
Hua Deng: "???"
Shen Zhou: "Add more money."
Hua Deng jumped up and down: "How dare you be a more shrewd businessman than me? You're obsessed with money!"
Clang—
Shen Zhou turned around, casually tossed the object, and hit it.
Not to be outdone, Hua Deng followed suit.
Another draw.
In the eighth round, Hua Deng pretended to aim, secretly glancing at Shen Zhou, and deliberately touched him with his hand the instant he exerted force. Sure enough, Shen Zhou reflexively dodged, the arrow veered off course, and it looked like it was about to miss.
Before the lanterns could even celebrate, a gentle breeze blew by and somehow managed to deflect the arrow into the pot.
She cried out, "You're cheating!"
Shen Zhou remained calm: "You fouled first."
"I didn't! You fouled!"
"You have no evidence."
The two were still arguing when an excited male voice suddenly came from the side: "I won! My wife, I won!"
The stall owner's voice followed immediately: "This young master is quite capable. In that case, this lantern is yours!"
The man, holding a rabbit lantern, walked hand in hand with his wife, their eyes and brows beaming with smiles, amidst the envious and blessing glances of onlookers.
Hua Deng: "..."
Shen Zhou: "..."
Frustrated, Hua Deng threw down the arrows, didn't even take the prize, and turned to leave the stall.
However, when they reached the dessert shop on the other side, she was in high spirits again and insisted on sitting down with Chen Zhou to have a bowl together.
"It's my treat!" she said generously.
Thinking of the rabbit lantern from earlier, Shen Zhou, unusually, didn't show much disgust. He obediently sat down on the low stool next to the table, his legs barely able to stretch out.
When the sweet soup was served, Hua Deng pushed a bowl towards him. Chen Zhou glanced at it but didn't say anything.
The surroundings were noisy and crowded, so it was inevitably messy and dirty. The bowls and chopsticks were relatively clean, but the table had some greasy stains.
Hua Deng rested his chin on one hand and stirred the spoon in his bowl with the other, staring intently at the gloomy daylight.
“You usually hate interacting with people so much, I thought you had OCD,” she said.
Chen Zhou picked up a spoon: "Do I look like it?"
Hua Deng nodded: "No, so you just simply hate people."
He scooped out a lotus seed and said slowly, "The cultivation method I practice is somewhat special. It requires me to keep my sword heart in a clear and pure state so that when I come into contact with others, I can sense the evil thoughts in their hearts."
"And then your sword heart becomes impure and unclear?"
"How could that be?" He swallowed the lotus seed, a half-smile on his face. "That would only make me want to kill people, kill many, many people."
Hua Deng said, "But there isn't always only malice between people, is there?"
Shen Zhou remained silent, while Hua Deng simply extended three fingers and gently pressed down on his wrist.
Just as Shen Zhou was about to pull it away, Hua Deng glared at him and increased the pressure on his hand.
"Don't move," she muttered softly. "I'm going to cure this problem of yours today."
Those three fingers were only as thick as his wrist, and compared to his skin tone, they were dazzlingly white.
Shen Zhou used his other hand to scoop up a spoonful of sugar water, lowered his eyes, and swallowed it.
His overly perceptive sword mind allows him to easily sense the thoughts of others, and most of the time, they resent and hate him.
But through the touch of those few fingers, just like before, he couldn't sense any emotions.
Without aversion, without greed, just like the owner of the fingers, light and clear.
She looked at him expectantly, smiled with pursed lips, and asked, "Do you feel anything?"
After a pause, Shen Zhou slowly said, "Yes."
"How did it feel?" Hua Deng leaned closer, even more curious. "Did you sense that I'm a good person?"
Shen Zhou said, "I sense that your cultivation level is particularly weak, about the same as mine when I was three years old."
Father's.
At that moment, Hua Deng really wanted to smash a bowl on his head—if he could beat him.
Unable to win, she leaned back and said expressionlessly, "Oh, then you can pay for these two bowls of sweet soup."
Finally, Shen Zhou paid for the two bowls of sweet soup and left with Hua Deng.
The journey back was arduous, with lanterns illuminating the way and swords flying overhead. It took a while, but Shen Zhou didn't object. However, he made many comments along the way, such as "So slow," "I could have walked there," and "You can't even fly over the golden pheasants on the mountain."
Hua Deng was itching to kick him down, but he tried several times and couldn't budge him.
When they arrived at Haitang Garden, Shen Zhou did not go in with her. He casually said, "I have something to take care of," and turned to leave.
As Hua Deng, draped in a cloak, stepped through the courtyard gate, the evening breeze carrying crabapple petals brushed against her cheeks, leaving a damp chill.
She belatedly looked up.
It's not a flower petal.
It's snow.
Snowflakes fell thick and fast, transforming from a few sparse flakes into a vast, sweeping blizzard. The streetlights tilted their heads back, and snowflakes landed on her brow, on her hair, and on her outstretched hand reaching towards the sky.
The moonlight was incredibly gentle, and her eyes were filled with the radiance of snow and night.
That night, all the disciples of the Yaoqing Sect ran outside, marveling at the rare snow scene.
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