Chapter 224: 223 Oh, isn't that Si Tu Jin?

"Why are you here?"

Today, Wang Wu, as usual, after finishing the first day's specialized martial lessons, began his daily fixed leisure time.

He attends class in the morning, cultivates in the afternoon, and spends the spare two or three hours going out to shop, then returns home to sleep. Of course, Wang Wu does not waste his sleeping time either; he remains diligent, and how diligent he is depends on the day's specific circumstances.

Then today, he went out, still strolling the familiar streets as usual, mainly in the area where the human race gathers the most; people from all over the world are here, not just Chu people, but also Zhou people.

As for Wei people, they generally don't come here; their relationship with Chu is not as harmonious as that between Zhou and Chu, and the two sides still have military clashes on the border, though it has improved a lot in recent years.

Nevertheless, the relations between the two states remain relatively tense; although civilians interact, the Li River where White Horned City lies is not on the Chu–Wei border but on the Zhou–Chu border, so few Wei nationals are seen here.

Overall, Chu people are still the majority on this street; according to an official from a White Horned City department previously consulted, the permanent human population in the area of this street is roughly a little over two hundred thousand.

The transient population is even larger, since White Horned City is essentially a tourist city; humans who arrive usually stay in hotels in this area and hire guides to take them around.

White Horned City is vast, not only having an urban district but also extensive villages outside its city walls.

The Li River is an immensely wide great river,

Wang Wu, of course, didn't go out of his way to ask an official about this; it just so happened that a female monster he knows works in that department, though he can't recall what title she holds.

Never mind, I'm too lazy to think about it; it's not important.

But today, to Wang Wu's surprise, he actually ran into an acquaintance here, someone he hadn't seen for a while.

When the other person saw Wang Wu, their expression was also stunned.

"Wang..."

She opened her mouth as if to call Wang Wu, but for some unknown reason, it turned into silence.

She silently nodded toward Wang Wu, then the woman turned away.

"What's going on?"

Although he often clashed with Si Tu Jin before, mainly over food fights, Wang Wu doesn't really dislike this woman.

Even though at first he thought she was always wearing a mask, as they spent more time together she gradually began to show her true self before Wang Wu.

The real her naturally wouldn't make Wang Wu feel dislike; in fact, a human and a monster can get along quite well in some respects, though conflicts still arise often—such is the nature of a bad friend.

But now, when they meet again, her attitude toward Wang Wu seems as if she's seeing a stranger.

Wang Wu doesn't know the reason, but since it's her choice, he feels a bit odd yet can only respect it.

After all, there's no need for a cold face to stick to a warm butt, and friendship, like love, can't be counted if it's one-sided; love is the same.

"Jin Er, this is..."

At this moment, a man arrived here after Wang Wu's meeting with Si Tu Jin; upon seeing Wang Wu, he was startled at first, then stepped forward to help Si Tu Jin.

Although he didn't observe deliberately, Wang Wu still noticed that the man tried to take Si Tu Jin's hand, but she evaded.

When the hand was avoided, even though it vanished quickly, Wang Wu still caught a hint of loss and displeasure.

The latter was directed at him, clearly.

Because the blur was activated, the man naturally didn't know who Wang Wu was; Si Tu Jin, of course, knew Wang Wu's skill, as Wang Wu had told her before, so she merely glanced back at him.

"An old acquaintance."

Then she said nothing more, just turned her head. "Where are we going today?"

"As for today..." Si Tu Jin clearly didn't intend to continue this topic, but the man was different. Facing Si Tu Jin, who intended to leave, he turned directly toward her and forcibly grabbed her hand.

"What are you doing??"

When her hand was forcibly seized, Si Tu Jin's voice rose noticeably, and her tone carried a hint of anger.

"We are already betrothed; how could I not be allowed to hold your hand!!"

Facing Si Tu Jin's angry tone, the man responded firmly, "We've been engaged for about half a year now, right? Yet in these six months, you haven't even planned to let me, your husband, hold your hand?"

"You... not... my... husband!!"

"I have no feelings for you whatsoever."

"Why would I let you hold my hand?"

As she spoke, energy from Si Tu Jin's hand erupted continuously, wildly tearing the man's hand.

Even so, the man still showed no intention of letting go.

If this continued, his palm might not survive.

"I tell you, buddy, a forced melon never tastes sweet."

Facing this, even though Wang Wu doesn't like to involve himself in others' emotional disputes, he still spoke up.

This kind of love where one side is affectionate and the other indifferent, meddling is actually beneficial; after all, if love is one-sided, it's better off ended.

"She doesn't have much feeling for you, why bother?"

"Better to let go early; I see, buddy, you're also quite a handsome fellow, dignified and splendid—everywhere under the heavens has fragrant grass, why cling to a single flower?"

"What does that have to do with you!?" Wang Wu's advice had no effect, which was normal; after all, the man's initial displeasure stemmed from Wang Wu, and now being told that only inflamed his anger.

What is this called? It's adding oil to the fire, oil on fire, dry wood meeting a blaze... ah, pfft.

"She and I are at least friends, so if you cling to me, I have to speak up for my friend." Wang Wu didn't hold back; speaking after such a long time, Si Tu Jin's strength had also improved considerably.

That's not surprising; after all, she's the Si Tu family's prodigy, nearing a breakthrough to the True Realm before turning twenty.

And now, years later, she has already broken through into the new Delusion‑Breaking realm, progressing at a rapid pace; she appears to be at the mid‑stage now.

"Your progress is quite fast," Wang Wu said after responding to the man, then turned to Si Tu Jin with a smile, "Sure enough, you're the Si Tu family's prodigy; I guess your brother must have already reached the Void‑Empty realm?"

"Thank you, young hero, for your concern." While Wang Wu was advising the man, Si Tu Jin also watched Wang Wu, and after he said "She and I are at least friends," her eyes flickered.

"But my elder brother hasn't yet reached the Void‑Empty realm; though he is the Si Tu family's heavenly pride, the Void‑Empty realm isn't attained that quickly."

"But you're already at mid‑Delusion‑Breaking, right?" Wang Wu asked. "You're so fast, yet your brother hasn't reached Void‑Empty—could your talent be stronger than his?"

Si Tu Jin remained silent, but the remark clearly pleased her, almost curving the corner of her mouth.

But she still didn't smile, even though the man beside could clearly sense the shift in her aura.

"Thank you, young hero, for the compliment," she said softly.

Even though it was only a sentence or two of exchange, even though Si Tu Jin showed no obvious reaction the whole time, the man still felt a sharp pain in his heart for some unknown reason.

It has never happened before.

He had never felt on Si Tu Jin the same aura she displayed toward that man—the excitement, the pulsation, the vigor.

Si Tu Jin is very beautiful, beautiful enough that even Wang Wu, a monster, would acknowledge her looks. Of course, this doesn't mean her beauty ranks a tier above a monster like Wang Wu; it merely means her looks are on par with those of their demon race.

Nevertheless, that's already a rather high appraisal, because the vast majority of humans could never receive such a rating.

And appearance is useful at any time, unless you have truly reached a certain level—such as being able to see through illusion at a glance, rendering all lies meaningless before you.

But even people of this caliber, like Earthlings such as his master, also judge by looks; however, compared to the face, they pay even more attention to one's "inner self."

If your inner self is to their taste, appearance can be ignored. If not, even a world‑shocking visage will still appear to them like a mere skeleton.

Here, Wang Wu doesn't know exactly how much weight appearance carries, but judging from the years he has lived in this world, it is certainly significant.

Seeing the man whose face was already quite angry, Wang Wu asked Si Tu Jin, "Is this gentleman your fiancé?"

He didn't care what reaction or action the other might take afterward; that is the confidence of him, an absolute powerhouse in the Tianyuan Realm.

No human or monster could challenge him in strength, no human race or demon race. He is the man standing at the very top of this Stellar System Transcendent Pyramid.

That excludes those two Earthlings.

Even though he himself is also an Earthling.

But even counting those two Earthlings, he would still rank third, so he's indeed impressive.

Extremely impressive.

"Are you very concerned?"

When Wang Wu asked that question, Si Tu Jin's mind barely processed it; she blurted out the sentence subconsciously.

And after it left her mouth, she regretted it.

As for the man beside her, once that sentence was spoken, even a simpleton could roughly guess the relationship between the two.

In his current view, Wang Wu is certainly a human, not a demon. Of course, he could be a demon, but that is irrelevant and highly unlikely.

Si Tu Jin never felt she had any special feelings toward Wang Wu; indeed, she had always been interested in him, from the first meeting until the time Wang Wu went with her to Tongtian City.

Her attitude toward Wang Wu was always like this: she found him intriguing, a valuable "person" worth courting.

But when did this feeling begin to change?

Si Tu Jin doesn't know; perhaps she does—it was in Tongtian City, when their party fell onto that incomparably distant, still‑unknown region of an alien world.

And also when Wang Wu brought them back from there, and to ensure their safety, even at the cost of shattering his own body to summon his master to possess him, completely erasing Tongtian City.

After that, her feelings toward Wang Wu gradually changed in her heart.

Of course, she herself didn't realize it at the time, or rather, didn't think that was the beginning of the change.

Nevertheless, the relationship between them did draw much closer after that.

She began to unconsciously notice Wang Wu's every move; although she had already done so before, this kind of attention was different from the previous one.

Yet at that time she didn't feel her mindset had changed, even though some of Wang Wu's occasional actions made her feel uneasy, shy, feeling…

But she didn't, or rather, she was unwilling to acknowledge it.

Until Wang Wu's disappearance.

Several years have passed since then—not a long time—but for her, it felt like falling from heaven into hell.

That may be a bit exaggerated, but it is indeed the case.

Because Wang Wu's disappearance was total; the two no longer had any contact, as if Wang Wu had completely evaporated from her life.

Si Tu Jin's father originally intended to matchmake Wang Wu and Si Tu Jin, regardless of whether their relationship became friendship or lovers.

But in the following years, Wang Wu never approached the other side even once, so Si Tu Jin's father naturally ceased his efforts in that regard.

Moreover, the status gap between them, with the emergence of the Extreme Heaven Divine Palace, has shifted from possibly bridgeable to utterly unattainable.

Since it is now unattainable, they can only face reality.

However, the marriage contract with her current fiancé was not arranged by Si Tu Jin's father Si Tu Yuan; in fact, the family never imposed such a requirement on her.

Although the Jiang heir at the time explicitly named her and demanded a marriage alliance with Si Tu Jin, the Jiang family—need not say, a top‑tier noble house of the Great Zhou—would be a great opportunity for the Si Tu family if such a union were possible.

But even so, the family did not force Si Tu Jin; agreeing to the marriage was Si Tu Jin's personal choice.

Although everyone could see that Si Tu Jin completely disliked that heir, from the engagement until now not even an intimate gesture— even the hand‑holding was only forcibly done today by Jiang Ying.

It was just now.

Indeed, although the engagement has been almost a year, this is Jiang Ying's first time holding the other's hand.

Si Tu Jin had no feelings for him at all, but at that moment she was in a state of great loss, or a deadened heart, because Wang Wu never sought her again, vanishing directly from her life.

Even though news of him could still be heard, he never came to find her.

(End of chapter)