Chapter 107

After a muffled sound, the light under Ji Jue's hands flashed, and then, a faint vibration emerged from the sword's edge, uncontrollably buzzing.

Amidst the crackling sound of constant shattering, cracks appeared one after another on the overburdened sword spine, spreading all the way to the guard.

Completely, collapsed!

After suffering thousands of successful or unsuccessful Dissociation Technique impacts over the past few days, the longsword, which had already had enough, was finally completely tormented to nothing. It was like a camel that died with its eyes open, humiliated and gasping its last breath under the final straw.

And a dreamlike wisp of faint light rose slowly from the crack, falling into Ji Jue's hands, instantly absorbed and digested by the Mechanical Deus Ex Machina.

"Hoo——"

Ji Jue tilted his head back comfortably, let out a long breath, almost tearful.

Finally got a suck, the first mouthful since coming back from the Rift Realm!

Pure! Authentic! This is the taste!

Invigorating!

Feeling the countless fragments of scenes rushing toward his face, and the painful torment of turning into steel, Ji Jue's hands clenched, his ten fingers stretching and contracting.

Finally, on this long road of the Ember Path, he had taken another step.

Congratulations, congratulations!

Only, he hadn't been happy for long before he saw the progress on his watch again...

After the number 【1】 was filled, on the number 【2】, a tiny bit of faint color finally emerged, almost too weak to be distinguished without a magnifying glass.

It wasn't even one percent; you'd have to count past the decimal point!

The more homework he did, the less money he earned.

The progress bar grew longer, his abilities required more grinding and liver-burning, yet equipment recycling was so troublesome... Oh no, could it be that he was playing a fake Legend?

Ji Jue couldn't hold back his grief.

Life couldn't go on; there wasn't even a shred of hope left.

Just like that, amidst the exhaustion of spiritual quality deficiency and the brutal blow of reality, he floated out of the workshop like a walking corpse and collapsed onto the sofa.

Falling into a deep sleep.

Until he was shaken awake by Ye Chun again.

The sunset outside the window had already risen, the dim light fading; it was already evening.

But Ye Chun had already changed into a simple black evening dress, her hair pinned up, her makeup neat, wearing a necklace and bracelet for the first time in a long while, carrying a small bag.

"Do you have any plans for the evening?"

She looked at the bewildered Ji Jue and, anticipating his answer, waved her hand first: "Continuing to grind doesn't count."

"No."

"That's good, hurry up, pack your things, and get ready to go out with me."

Ye Chun beckoned, her expression cheerful: "Aren't you short of money lately? I'll introduce you to a job; if it works out, you'll split the commission with me!"

Holy crap, money?!

Instantly, Ji Jue's eyes lit up, widening like copper bells; all sleepiness vanished, and as if he were a corpse coming back to life, he rose straight up from the sofa.

Then, he heard Ye Chun's voice: "By the way, do you have formal wear?"

"Ah, this..."

He hesitated, "I do have some, but..."

"That's true."

Ye Chun realized; she had seen that formal suit of Ji Jue's, the cuffs were almost unraveled, and the style could only be called barely fitting. It was fine for fish-eyeing in a graduation ceremony or some formal occasion to make up the numbers as a background board, but for an occasion where he was being brought out individually, it was better not to wear it.

She scanned Ji Jue's body and finally nodded: "Forget it, just wear this set; you just go change into a plain T-shirt."

"Is that appropriate?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" She turned and walked upstairs, not caring at all: "Going to a concert hall isn't like going to the Central City Upper Council for a meeting; why be so serious? You go wash up and wait for me."

After Ji Jue washed his face, tidied up, and came out of the workshop after putting on a change of clothes, Ye Chun had already come downstairs. Her originally pinned-up hair was scattered again, and after taking off her jewelry, she had actually changed into jeans and a T-shirt, just draped with a cardigan on the outside.

The young lady from a prestigious family attending a banquet had turned back into a laid-back senior student, relaxed and happy, once again within arm's reach, touchable.

It made Ji Jue no longer look out of place.

He couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

"Why are you standing there like a fool?"

Ye Chun threw the car keys over: "Do you know how to get to the concert hall?"

"The one at Mingyue Square in the Lihua District?"

"Right, you drive."

Ye Chun walked in front, urging: "Since you've changed clothes, that's perfect. If we're fast, we'll still have time to eat dinner before the start; I'm starving to death."

"Ten minutes, I'll be there on time!"

Ji Jue laughed and waved his hand to guarantee.

In reality, he arrived in six minutes.

With the assistance of the Mechanical Deus Ex Machina, Ji Jue drove the car all the way, shuttling freely through the traffic of the peak period as if entering an uninhabited land, leaving behind a back view that countless drivers couldn't catch up to, and roaring away amidst a chorus of curses.

Not only did he squeeze out time for dinner, but he also left room for Ye Chun to touch up her makeup.

Before the performance at the concert hall began, they completed their entry unhurriedly.

Only after Ji Jue sat down did he discover that it was actually a private box.

Only, the performance had already started, and the person who initiated the invitation was late because of the traffic jam—it was said that on the way here, they were startled by a car driving recklessly, hit the guardrail, and could only take a taxi over...

Regarding this, Ji Jue could only maintain a pure and innocent expression as much as possible under Ye Chun's indescribable gaze.

He began to appreciate the performance on stage with a fake air of sophistication.

According to the brochure given to him, the performing troupe was the famous Guangcai Troupe from the Empire, and this was the last stop of their federal tour.

As an internationally renowned troupe, their performance in Yacheng could be said to be hard to get a ticket for. The tickets hadn't even been released through public channels before they were all snatched up through various connections; even scalpers didn't have a chance to operate.

The people who came were all either rich or noble; Ji Jue looked out from the box, and besides a few faces often seen on television, he actually discovered a few Heaven-Chosen, but everyone was long since used to each other.

As the curtain opened and the faint melody sounded, the subtle, low murmurs disappeared. Amidst the sudden silence, the performance finally began.

The lighting was good, the playing was nice to listen to, and the Imperial language being sung was slightly difficult to understand, but not impossible.

The fancy dancing was truly beautiful.

Especially the big sister with blonde hair and blue eyes at the very front; her figure was explosive, and her dance moves were graceful!

Even a bumpkin like Ji Jue couldn't help but take out his phone to take a few photos, occasionally shaking his head and nodding along with the music in a fake display of appreciation.

It made Ye Chun laugh.

"First time seeing you appreciate art like this," she asked: "What do you think?"

"Wonderful."

Ji Jue answered without hesitation: "Truly musical and melodic, hmm, the dancing is also ballet-like and graceful!"

Ye Chun turned her head away, struggling to hold back her laughter.

Having known him for so many years, how could she not know Ji Jue? His brain was filled with science and engineering, he was terminally ill, and he was long since beyond saving.

He didn't have a single musical cell in his whole body; let alone classical musicals, he didn't even have much contact with modern music. The only songs he knew how to sing were a few of the most widely circulated pop songs.

And that was only because he learned them in advance for the project team's group karaoke...

"Still need to cultivate more; look at the big shots in the movies, they all listen to Mozart before killing people and setting fires," Ye Chun shook her head and sighed: "Without any level of art appreciation, how will you mix in the future? If you don't have class, you've already lost half the battle."

"What do I need class for as an artisan?"

Ji Jue was bewildered.

Besides, it's not like if you can play the piano or pull a tune, the opponent will expose their neck for you to chop, right? If you encounter an opponent, could you raise your hand and say, 'Brother, wait a moment, I play the cello particularly well'?"

Sometimes Ye Chun's train of thought was too jumpy; he really couldn't understand it.

But seeing her appreciate it so intently, this dance drama performance must be really amazing, right?

He followed the crowd in clapping, restraining the urge to play with his phone.

Soon, he heard Ye Chun's phone vibrate.

"Finally here," Ye Chun glanced at the screen: "I'll introduce you to someone in a moment, and then you can talk among yourselves. After the intermediary work is done, I won't interfere with the rest."

"Is it troublesome?" Ji Jue sensed her helplessness.

"It's alright; that guy's personality is just that he likes to show off and be in the limelight; he's not the difficult type, and he's a pretty good person.

If I have to say a shortcoming..."

Ye Chun hesitated for a moment and sighed melancholically: "I don't really like the way he looks at me."

Ji Jue was stunned for a moment, then immediately became vigilant.

Someone who could make the senior student care so much?

Could it be some kind of lecherous ghost?

He stood up decisively, changed seats, and sat next to Ye Chun. Ye Chun was stunned for a moment, and her expression became complicated.

Not long after, the door of the box was pushed open, and a white, chubby man walked in, panting, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He was wearing formal wear like the other audience members outside, with a pair of glasses on his round face, his smile kind and expectant.

"Eh, Xiao Chun is already here? I'm really sorry, look at this mess. Oh my, I don't know how these drivers drive nowadays; when I catch him, I'll definitely send him to driving school to retake his license!"

As he complained indignantly, after finishing his greetings, he looked at Ji Jue next to him, his smile becoming even more brilliant: "This must be the Mr. Ji that Xiao Chun mentioned, right? Oh my, truly young and promising! Hello, hello!"

He reached out both hands enthusiastically and solemnly, shaking Ji Jue's hand vigorously, as if looking at a savior.

He handed over his business card with both hands.

"My surname is Chen, Chen Yubo; I do a little import and export business on weekdays. If there's an opportunity, Mr. Ji, please take care of me too!"

As the saying goes, don't hit a smiling face; what's more, Boss Chen was so enthusiastic and kind that it made Ji Jue, who was secretly on guard, feel a bit bewildered.

Moreover, looking at the tone of his conversation with the senior student, it didn't look like they had ever had any unpleasantness.

Until he finally sat down, pulled the sofa directly, leaned next to Ye Chun, took out his phone, and skillfully shared a video of his kitten kneading milk from a few days ago with her. Interspersed were topics about cosmetics, hair conditioner, and skincare, and then it quickly jumped to which TV drama's CP was good to ship recently.

Only now did Ji Jue see, with the change in his sitting posture, the tie that was slightly bent to reveal the pink inner side. Even the intimate, friendly, and brilliant smile on his face, just like a best friend...

And the indescribable, helpless look Ye Chun cast toward him.

Ji Jue's expression twitched.

Finally, he realized with a start.

Damn, so the way he looks at you is the mutual appreciation between good GAY friends, right?!