[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner":3,"chapter-i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-90":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I'm Not Crazy—This Is the Emperor's Banner",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2291430,4480,"Chapter 90: Magical Magic","i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-90",90,"\u003Cp>Ruan Hongzhuang looked at Shen Siyuan with a puzzled expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you muttering to yourself?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not for the fact that Shen Siyuan wasn’t wearing wireless earphones, she’d have thought he was on a call.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I was talking to someone,” Shen Siyuan said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To whom?” Ruan Hongzhuang glanced around, even more confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t know, do you? I’m a magician—I can communicate with spirits. I was just chatting with a ghost mother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ruan Hongzhuang gave him a sidelong glance, utterly speechless—clearly, she didn’t believe a word of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Chen Haiyan, standing nearby, believed him a little, thinking his words might be true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can’t?” Shen Siyuan asked with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before she could answer, he suddenly reached toward her ear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ruan Hongzhuang instinctively tried to pull away, but then realized and blushed, standing still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ruan Hongzhuang had a neat, chin-length bob, giving her a crisp, efficient look; but the weather was hot, and sweat glistened faintly at her temples, with a few stray hairs obscuring her ear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan reached out and gently smoothed her hair back, then tucked it behind her ear before withdrawing his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Ruan Hongzhuang, still blushing, widened her eyes in utter disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because in Shen Siyuan’s palm lay a rose—vibrant, dripping with dew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How is this possible?” Ruan Hongzhuang whispered, unable to believe it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan was wearing a sleeveless crew-neck tank top—there was nowhere to hide anything, and this wasn’t like a coin you could palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a rose—a rose still glistening with water droplets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For you,” Shen Siyuan said, offering the rose to Ruan Hongzhuang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ruan Hongzhuang took it dumbly, feeling her mind couldn’t process it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lowered her head and sniffed—the fragrance filled her nose, the petal’s texture against her tip confirmed its reality, all telling her this was truly real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did you make it appear?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regaining her composure, Ruan Hongzhuang couldn’t help but press further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Haiyan was equally curious—she’d been watching closely the whole time and hadn’t seen how Shen Siyuan produced the rose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I told you—I’m a magician. Isn’t this just a simple trick?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Shen Siyuan reached his hand out again before Ruan Hongzhuang, snapped his fingers, and another rose appeared out of thin air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ruan Hongzhuang couldn’t help but gasp, then eagerly reached out to take it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re incredible—how did you do that? So magical…” Ruan Hongzhuang was so excited she could barely form coherent words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan smiled but still didn’t answer, saying instead: “Wait here for me—I’ll go buy some water.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ruan Hongzhuang nodded obediently, her full attention now on the two roses in her hands, trying to spot any hidden mechanism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan turned and signaled Chen Haiyan with his eyes to follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning his back, Shen Siyuan took a step forward, thought of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, and it appeared in his palm; he formed a hand seal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Chen Haiyan could react, she was effortlessly drawn into the [Ten Thousand Souls Banner].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss, give me a bottle of mineral water and open a coconut.” Shen Siyuan walked toward a nearby stall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boss handed him a bottle of mineral water first; the coconut would take a moment—the machine had to crack it open on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Shen Siyuan formed another hand seal with his fingertip, and Chen Haiyan was released from the [Ten Thousand Souls Banner].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, all her questions had been answered; she merely bowed slightly to Shen Siyuan before turning to walk toward her son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A smile lingered on her lips, her steps light and swift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mineral water or coconut?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Coconut.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan handed her the coconut and took the rose from her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This green-skinned coconut required both hands to hold—it was inconvenient to carry while holding a rose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s sit and rest in that pavilion over there,” Shen Siyuan said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were lucky—the pavilion had just been vacated by a family, leaving them a place to sit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coconut water is actually colorless, like plain water; many inlanders mistakenly think it’s milky white, but it isn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It tastes bland, far less sweet than canned coconut water, but it’s refreshingly crisp, with a faint plant-like fragrance, somewhat like slightly unsweetened sugarcane juice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The water in one coconut exceeds the volume of a bottle of mineral water; one person drinking it all at once would surely feel bloated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So after a few sips, Ruan Hongzhuang couldn’t drink any more, making this large coconut a burden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t drink any more—do you want it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ruan Hongzhuang turned to Shen Siyuan, hoping he’d help her finish it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Give it to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan didn’t hesitate and reached out to take it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go ask the boss for a straw.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ruan Hongzhuang reached to pull out the straw she’d just used.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine—I don’t mind your germs,” Shen Siyuan said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ruan Hongzhuang froze mid-motion, her cheeks flushing, her eyes glistening as she looked at Shen Siyuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? You don’t want to?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“N-no… I just… you don’t mind?” Ruan Hongzhuang said, embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan bit down on the straw—the faint scent of peach lingered on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan looked at Ruan Hongzhuang’s red lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that her lipstick?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ruan Hongzhuang seemed to guess his thought and blushed, turning her head away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon she turned back, picked up the rose Shen Siyuan had set aside, and sniffed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It always feels so magical—are these things you prepared in advance?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan nodded. “I planned to give them to you when I took you home tonight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan had unlocked the first storage layer of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner; his greatest gain wasn’t the Spirit-Fire Fireflies, but the storage space itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing he’d be on a date today, he’d bought these flowers ahead of time and stored them in the space, keeping them fresh—even preserving the water droplets sprayed at the florist’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No one’s around—tell me secretly, how did you do it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ruan Hongzhuang suddenly leaned close, whispering; they were so near, Shen Siyuan could feel her faintly fragrant breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a secret—I can’t tell you,” Shen Siyuan laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Ruan Hongzhuang suddenly leaned in and lightly kissed his cheek—then pulled away instantly, before Shen Siyuan could react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blushing, she lowered her eyes, unable to meet his gaze: “Now can you tell me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I just kissed you!” Ruan Hongzhuang looked up, clearly displeased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s fine—I’ll return it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before she could react, Shen Siyuan swiftly pressed a light kiss to her cheek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now Ruan Hongzhuang’s cheeks burned even redder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I… I feel like we’re moving too fast.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even for Ruan Hongzhuang’s reserved nature, she felt utterly flustered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You kissed me first,” Shen Siyuan said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Ruan Hongzhuang bit her lower lip, lifted her head, and looked at Shen Siyuan—her bright eyes shimmered with tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then you have to take responsibility for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan felt he’d been tricked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, on the other side, Chen Haiyan followed her son down the path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though she longed to reveal herself and meet her son, the mountain was crowded—she feared causing a disturbance.\u003C\u002Fp>",1180,"2026-06-20T03:53:08.657Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","30578307238dd2975145752d5e13ddd09f493edc7bc2f66f6ef02c0e4a603246","i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-91","i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-89",623,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-cover.jpg"]