Chapter 985

"Your information seems to be very well‑informed."

Zhenyan Shikou smugly: "No one told you? This lion is Aohema's far‑seeing eye and wind‑carrying ear; nothing that spreads through the streets and alleys escapes this lion's sight and hearing."

Dan Heng: "We'd like to ask you for a favor. Right now, the rumor called 'Pink Haze Celestial Maiden' is spreading widely throughout the Holy City…"

"Ho ho ho! Warrior, I'm afraid I can't help," Zhenyan Shikou changes tone, "As for rumors, I don't think they're impossible; if the citizens like them, who cares about truth or falsehood? But the two of you are so averse—could there be another reason behind it? Tell me."

"Why is this lion eating a melon?"

Just as Xing was at a loss, a familiar voice sounded from behind: "Don't be fooled—what this lion loves most is the heated chatter of many mouths."

"Just like a few days ago, when someone defamed my clan's honor, your attitude was also permissive, wasn't it?"

Upon seeing the newcomer, Zhenyan Shikou's demeanor flipped a full 180 degrees: "Oh, oh ho! Isn't this… Wandi, sir? How have you been lately?"

Wandi sneered: "You have the face of a lion, yet you're as weak as a soulless hyena. You and your brother, in pursuit of amusement, will go to any lengths, even tolerating the vile act of fabricating history, with no bottom line."

Zhenyan Shikou hurriedly defended: "How could you call it fabrication? At most it's just some… uh… editing! Artistic editing!"

——

Dragon clan.

After all this fuss, Zhenyan Shikou is still a journalism major.

As the student council president, Caesar has encountered plenty of fake news at school. If you round up all the school news and execute them all, there will surely be innocent victims, but leaving a gap between each shot will definitely let some slip through.

"Those who like to add spice later should be dragged out and repeatedly executed," Caesar said lazily, leaning on the sofa. "If Zhenyan Shikou truly agrees to Dan Heng's request, I'm afraid the 'Pink Haze Celestial Maiden' matter won't be suppressed; instead, it will spread even more widely."

But they will also be sanctioned by Aglaea.

"Sanction?" Caesar laughed, his smile tinged with sarcasm. "Who knows whether the source is Zhenyan Shikou or an Aohema person? Moreover, once a piece of news passes through several people, it becomes entirely different from the original. Everyone adds their own flavor; if someone spreads a rumor, tsk tsk… Today someone spreads 'Pink Haze Celestial Maiden', tomorrow someone claims she has already descended upon Aohema, and the next day's development might be that Pink Haze Celestial Maiden is dating the Golden‑blooded."

Spreading a rumor takes just a mouthful, while debunking it breaks legs. Those who write news often create rumors at no cost, and as long as your rumor spreads faster than your refutation, you needn't worry about being confronted—it's just too convenient.

——

"—— Shut up!" Wandi, in front of it, slowly clenched his fist, producing a clack of bone, "Do as they say, or… I'll crush you by hand into iron dust."

"Oh ho! I—I understand, this lion will think of a way right away!" Zhenyan Shikou, terrified, said, "I assure you, gentlemen, from now on—you will never hear the words 'Pink Haze Celestial Maiden' again!"

Under Zhenyan Shikou's "cooperation," the rumor gradually subsided…

Dan Heng: "Thank you for stepping in to help."

"Don't misunderstand, I just don't like that lion head. Also, Bai E seems to value you a lot. If you get 'cleaned' without any clarity… his glass‑like fragile heart couldn't stand it."

Xing blinked: "Clean… cleaning?"

Wandi turned and left, and before departing coldly tossed out, "Seek your own blessings, foreigners. Pray this farce doesn't reach Aglaea's ears."

——

Gintama.

"Hmm, I think I've figured it out—Wandi's true identity is… a tsundere golden retriever!"

Gintoki suddenly realized, slapping his thigh with a "Bang", no wonder it looks so familiar! This "caring but making excuses to act indifferent" is exactly the essence of tsundere!

"... Is that all?" Shin'ichi's voice was filled with deep helplessness, and he couldn't help but scoff: "A tsundere golden retriever is a trait only female protagonists in romance anime have; don't casually project it onto a big man!"

Moreover, right now Xing and Dan Heng are in a life‑or‑death crisis; didn't you hear what Wandi said? Aglaea's "cleaning"… Shin'ichi couldn't help but shiver; he certainly didn't want to wake up the next morning to find that the train duo had been reduced to just one!

Aglaea really is something else, Gintoki mused, rubbing his chin. "She resembles the kind of villainous woman you only see in anime—beautiful, unsmiling, with a strong desire to control… she certainly has the potential to become an antagonist."

However, just her alone probably can't kill Dan Heng and Xing. If she dares to show hostility, Dan Heng in his Dragon Lord form would surely rip the ceiling of her favorite Cloud‑top Heavenly Palace right off. Likes bathing? She can bathe longer with the Dragon Lord's help.

——

"That flamboyantly dressed golden‑blood, whose personality is also a bit odd," Dan Heng said, watching Wandi's departing back, "But regardless, this matter is concluded. Prepare yourselves mentally and go to the appointment. If we're still asked, we'll admit it truthfully."

The two arrived at the Cloudstone Heavenly Palace and successfully met Ti Bao, but when asked why they were late, the long‑waiting Ti Bao was visibly displeased: "You two, what exactly did you do? We've been waiting here forever; our wings can barely flap."

"We ran into some trouble, but luckily it's resolved."

"Teacher Ti Bao, do you surf the net?"

"The news travels fast, even the Wanwei Net knows? Young people are full of energy! But today we're so busy, we have no time at all."

Dan Heng relaxed a bit: "That's good then. Surfing the net… isn't a good habit."

Ti Bao tilted her head: "What nonsense are you saying… Let's go, hopefully Aglaea isn't getting impatient waiting."

The three walked upward to a pavilion to rest briefly, during which Ti Bao raised her hand and pointed into the distance—

"Look— the Gate of Ten Thousand Paths! Quite conspicuous, that's where we met."

Following the direction of her finger, they saw, amid encircling mountains, a towering temple standing silently.

Back then at the temple's gate the view was vague; now, from afar, the massive temple clings to the mountain, grand in scale, its huge stone pillars rising from the foot to the mid‑mountain, layered upon layered, up to the dome that disappears into the clouds.

"The terrain of Ong Falos is magnificent; this place must have once been a fairy‑tale beautiful world."

Ti Bao sighed helplessly: "There's nothing we can do. The past can't be recreated, but we can move forward following the divine decree."

"The past can't be recreated? Yet you clearly displayed Olorinis's miracle," Dan Heng said.

Ti Bao explained earnestly: "These are two concepts. We merely obtain the power of the Veil of Eternal Night through prayer, salvaging what we need from the past for our own use. It's not a reversal of the world."

"Even so, it runs counter to the physical laws we know."

Xing: "We've already got a 'god', and you're still concerned about this?"

"Even a 'god' must obey the world's underlying rules; I'm still trying to understand Ong Falos."