[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou":3,"chapter-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-135":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ink Saint of Great Zhou",{"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},2292098,4481,"Chapter 135: Watching the Sunrise","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-135",135,"\u003Cp>Unfortunately, Lu Fang was unconscious and could not answer Li Yu’s question; she sat there holding him for a while before rising to collect the unclaimed aura of the deceased Master Yi Hui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To prevent the recent battle’s commotion from drawing attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She carried Lu Fang to a secluded grove, set up a concealment array, and had already given him an elixir, yet he showed no signs of awakening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, though his breath was chaotic, he was not in mortal danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All Li Yu could do now was guard him here, waiting for Lu Fang to recover from his extreme weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An entire night passed; before dawn broke, Lu Fang finally blinked wearily several times and opened his eyes—he was still in extreme weakness, awake but utterly unable to move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even speaking a full sentence seemed impossibly difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thirsty… thirsty…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang whispered weakly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu hurried over, scooped a bit of water in a leaf, and carefully fed it to him; she murmured, “Little Master, you must think carefully before using that extraordinary power again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This weakness is far too severe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a pause, she tilted her head with a mischievous grin. “Little Master, your aura is so vast—if I killed you now, wouldn’t all your aura become mine?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After drinking the water, Lu Fang felt a little strength return and chuckled bitterly. “If I’d known this weakness would follow, I never would’ve used it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu, unimpressed by his lack of fear, said, “Little Master, aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you and steal your aura?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang hesitated a moment, then said, “Before entering the trial grounds, I was indeed afraid—but now I’m not. Little Yu seems like someone I can trust with my life.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He truly hadn’t anticipated falling into this utterly defenseless state of weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet what surprised him was that Li Yu had cared for him diligently and never tried to kill him for his aura—if she’d intended to, he wouldn’t have woken up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t call me that,” Li Yu said, her face flushing crimson at the term “Little Yu,” her whole body suddenly awkward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled without replying, closed his eyes wearily, and rested.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment of silence, as the sun began to rise, Lu Fang opened his eyes and glanced teasingly at Li Yu, who deliberately avoided looking at him. “Can you help me sit up? I want to see the sunrise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re this weak, and you still want to watch the sunrise?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu grumbled, but reluctantly helped him sit up. “Is this sunrise even prettier than the one at Wenyuan Academy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaning weakly against Li Yu’s shoulder, Lu Fang watched the sun’s first peek above the horizon and smiled. “I think this sunrise is the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this sunrise really that beautiful?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu shook her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled gently. “Is the sunrise at Wenyuan Academy really that beautiful?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu nodded firmly. “Of course—watching the sunrise from the roof of Wenyuan’s library is stunning. If you get the chance, Little Master, you should go see it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smirked. “I don’t believe you. How about this: when we return to the Capital, you come with me to Wenyuan Academy to watch the sunrise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine,” Li Yu replied without thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had the word left her lips than her ears turned red; she stammered nervously, “I don’t have time for that—go if you want to.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang laughed aloud; he didn’t even need to look at her to know how flustered she looked. He teased, “Aren’t you curious why I summoned a Book Spirit and gained so much extraordinary power?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu nodded instinctively, then realized he couldn’t see her; she spoke up. “Is there a secret?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled. “Of course there’s a secret—otherwise how would I be so favored? If you agree to watch the sunrise with me, I’ll tell you the secret.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu frowned slightly; she truly wanted to know the secret—but if she agreed, it felt like a private rendezvous, and she felt embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The men’s and women’s sections of Wenyuan Academy are separate—we couldn’t watch the sunrise together.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She offered an excuse to decline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s true!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang shrugged helplessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu waited, but Lu Fang said nothing more about watching the sunrise; somehow, her heart felt hollow—not from disappointment at not learning the secret, but from the loss of the promise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought made her anxious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She even forgot to ask about the secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang, meanwhile, watched the sunrise while swallowing the scent of book-essence to rapidly recover from his weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After roughly half an hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang stood up, stretched his limbs, and said, “I’ve recovered. Did you get hurt fighting that evil monk?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu shook her head. “My injuries were already healed. Just now—you took in book-essence? That’s such a waste. Are you afraid I’ll attack you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled warmly at her, shaking his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu’s entire body burned under his intense gaze; she jerked away like a puppet on strings, stiff as a board.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang laughed, stopped teasing her, and changed the subject.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A bit farther east, there’s an abandoned temple. I found a pond and a lotus stone there—it lets one enter sudden enlightenment quickly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu gasped. “So that’s why you advanced so fast to Sixth Rank, Second Stage—it was because of that special place?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes,” Lu Fang nodded, then described the pond’s conditions. “You should try cultivating there—it might help you break through to Fifth Rank.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu eagerly said, “Then let’s go together.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled and nodded. “I’ll go with you—I can guard you while you cultivate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They agreed instantly and headed toward the abandoned temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the temple, they found no one else; Lu Fang led Li Yu to the pond and set up a small binding array, then both entered through the arched gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu sat on the lotus stone to cultivate, while Lu Fang, bored, fished for spirit fish in the pond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several people touched the small binding array, but all left without entering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the first day, Li Yu entered sudden enlightenment and broke through to Fifth Rank, First Stage; after three days of cultivation, she could no longer enter the mysterious state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had entered the mystical state twice fewer than Lu Fang, but still broke through—her gains were considerable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These spirit fish are delicious. Staying here to cultivate isn’t bad at all—even if we can’t enter sudden enlightenment again, it’s faster than anywhere else.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu ate grilled fish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang shook his head. “You stay here and cultivate—I have your array flags. I need to attend to something.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1114,"2026-06-20T03:56:21.568Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7ee43fd7ef31c2941e2c124e92e39aaaac187cbb24dbbaf8f90abc15bed05331","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-136","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-134",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]