Waking up in the arms of his beloved and seeing the first rays of dawn, Yun Wei found that his state of mind had changed somewhat.
This difference didn't come from his breakthrough to the mid-level fifth rank of the Time Branch almost overnight, but from the broad chest of his lover behind him.
Perhaps the logic should be reversed. It was precisely because of the embrace behind him that allowed him to indulge in his dependence that his state of mind was able to change, making the branches of time grow ever more lush and verdant.
Just like him, who never had the habit of sleeping in, he was now nestled in Isaac's arms, but couldn't help wanting to close his eyes and take a nap.
But it doesn't really matter, since understanding magic requires the least logic, and the latter happens to be intertwined with love.
"Awake?" A lazy, deep voice came from behind me.
"Mmm. But I want to sleep a little longer." Yun Wei took the initiative to hug the arm in front of him and gently rubbed against it.
Even though Isaac's body temperature was low, as long as the two were close together, the other's embrace would still warm him up. In the other's almost indulgent chuckle, Yun Wei could imagine the way the other was looking at him.
Perhaps there will be countless mornings like this in the future, beautiful enough for him to slow down and savor every long, fleeting second of his life.
...
The daytime class was still Ms. Susan's "Elementary Spellcasting Techniques," which mainly introduced introductory mage techniques such as instant spells, high-speed chanting, simultaneous spellcasting, and preparation for spell silence. The course was nearing its end.
Yunwei scanned the classroom but didn't see Richard.
At that moment, he was kneeling with Isaac beside him, whispering to each other under the piercing gaze of Ms. Susan.
Yun Wei said, "Isaac, we should go and have a fight."
Isaac was startled and confused. "Did I do something wrong?" Otherwise, why would Yun want to beat him up?
Yun Weili held up his black book to hide his face, which was trying not to laugh, and corrected, "No, I meant sparring. I feel that I have mastered all the content of this course, but I am not proficient enough yet."
Isaac also leaned on the table and replied in a low voice, "Okay, then let's go to the training ground this afternoon." Although he didn't show it on his face, he was somewhat conflicted inside, wondering whether he should win or lose.
Seemingly seeing through his thoughts, Yun Wei emphasized, "Hey, you're not allowed to go easy on me—"
"Claude, please stand on the blackboard and demonstrate the preparation for the Magic Silence!"
As soon as Yun Wei finished speaking, he heard Teacher Susan call his name. At that moment, she was waving her pointer, her face beaming with an "exceptionally kind" polite smile—if one ignored the ball of lightning gathering in the palm of her other hand.
"Okay, okay!" Getting caught daydreaming in class was an experience Yun Wei had never had in his previous life. He hurriedly put down his black book and, under Isaac's amused gaze, scrambled toward the podium.
...
"Young hero, please wait!"
After the morning classes ended, Yun Wei called out to Xie Mulang, who was about to leave.
The other person was about to leave when he heard this, so he lowered his leg, which he had been raising high, and asked with a slightly puzzled look, "Brother Yun? What is it?"
Yun Wei glanced at the crowd that had not yet dispersed, then gestured to Isaac beside him and said, "Let's talk in private."
The two stood in a quiet spot outside the classroom. Yun Wei took out his transcribed copy of the Tao Te Ching from his spatial storage and handed it to him. These days, whenever he got tired of reading, he would stop and memorize a few chapters from the book. After several days, he finally finished memorizing the entire volume.
"This is—" Xie Mulang hesitated for a moment, but still accepted it with both hands.
This is a handmade manuscript; its weight alone shows the care the author put into it. The cover is made of soft cowhide with holes and rivets, covering the easily worn corners.
When his gaze fell upon the three-character title written in bold calligraphy on the cover, his expression immediately sharpened, and he immediately began to flip through the pages, disregarding any possibility of losing his composure.
Hearing the sound of the pages turning like waves crashing on the shore, Yun Wei slowly said, "Thank you, young hero. I'm not sure how much the content I've memorized differs from the original." However, the first half of the book he had read before was almost identical to the content he had memorized in his previous life.
Xie Mulang was engrossed in the second half of the book, clicking his tongue in admiration as he said, “It’s alright. As the saying goes, ‘Words are meant to convey meaning, and once the meaning is grasped, the words are forgotten.’ The essence lies in the intention, which precedes the sword.”
Yun Wei smiled wryly, content that he could be of help, and was about to say goodbye.
However, at that moment, Xie Mulang, who had already glanced at the document, suddenly hugged Yun Wei and patted him hard on the back, startling Yun Wei.
Xie Mulang released Yun Wei, took a half step back, clasped his hands in a respectful manner, and said, "Brother Yun, you have truly helped me a great deal!"
His usually indifferent starry eyes were now glistening with tears of excitement, and he was somewhat incoherent, "In that case, I should rush back to Bili immediately—no, Brother Yun, I'll stay for another month, and I'll definitely vote for you then."
Voting? What kind of voting?
Yun Wei was stunned for a moment, and finally remembered the matter of voting for one person to enter the Tower of Ten Thousand Laws. Only then did he realize that the other party thought he was soliciting votes.
He quickly replied, "No, thank you, young hero, you misunderstand. Even without the trial of the Tower of Ten Thousand Laws, I would still help you. Besides, I only had the good fortune to see the whole book by chance. What I did was nothing more than a small favor, young hero, you don't need to take it to heart."
After listening to Yun Wei's words, Xie Mulang remained silent for a long time before saying, "I apologize, Brother Yun. I misunderstood your good intentions earlier. But in any case, this item is of great importance to Bili."
"To be honest, the reason I traveled all this way to Moonflower City is that I hope to find the second half of this sword manual."
Seeing the other person's heavy tone and furrowed brow, Yun Wei couldn't help but ask, "Has something happened to Bi Li?"
Xie Mulang nodded slightly and admitted, "A group of people came from the East Sea before the New Year, claiming that they were the true successors of Bili and clamoring for the four great families to give up Bili City. But Bili is clearly a city built by the four great families over hundreds of years on the merfolk mudflats, one load of soil at a time. How could it be easily handed over?"
"But the opponent's martial arts skills were superb, and he injured many of our people. In the end, with the mediation of the elders, we made a four-sword battle agreement to settle the score on New Year's Eve."
The other party spoke at length, revealing a great deal of information, leaving Yun Wei somewhat bewildered. However, he had a vague feeling that the visitor from the East Sea harbored ill intentions.
First it was Red Moon City, then Azure Glass City... Based on the information he had gathered over the past few days, he naturally connected all of this with the Abyss.
After pondering for a moment, he said in a deep voice, "Thank you, young hero. On New Year's Eve, I, Yun, will definitely rush to Bili to do my part."
Alch entrusted him with protecting the Continent of Elements, but he had no clue what to do. However, the situation with Bili was a clue, and he should be able to find some traces of it.
Now it was Xie Mulang's turn to be stunned.
"This..." Xie Mulang clasped his hands in a fist and bowed again, saying sincerely, "I will never forget your great kindness, brother. I will not thank you enough. If you ever need my help in the future, I will go through fire and water for you!"
Seeing how serious the other person was, Yun Wei couldn't help but laugh. Quite unusual, he took the initiative to bump fists with the other person and said softly, "Hey, we're practically brothers, why be so polite?"
...
On the steps not far away, the brown-haired youth stood ramrod straight, watching this scene with an expressionless face.
A mocking laugh came from beside him, as cold as ice and snow poisoned.
"Oh dear, what's going on? Your little sweetheart went off to be intimate with another man?"
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