Chapter 270

"Brother Jiang, scoot over."

Chen Shu plopped down beside Jiang Lai, curled himself into the sofa, took out his Mobile Phone, and began looking through the photos he had taken today once again.

He had already looked at them several times, and the more he looked, the better they seemed.

The more he looked, the prettier Qingqing was.

The more he looked, the more handsome he himself was.

Meng Chunqiu, sitting opposite him, asked, "Brother Chen, I haven't seen you all day today. Where did you go again?"

"Xinzheng Temple."

"You went to Xinzheng Temple again?"

"Yeah..."

Chen Shu looked at his Mobile Phone, zoomed in, and didn't even lift his head: "Isn't it the Double Ninth Festival today? I went to Xinzheng Temple to climb high, look into the distance, and enjoy the autumn and the chrysanthemums."

"Enjoy chrysanthemums? Where are there chrysanthemums at Xinzheng Temple?"

"Under the White Tower."

"The White Tower? Isn't that the inner courtyard area? As a tourist, how did you get in?" Meng Chunqiu was surprised and skeptical. As a member of the Imperial Family, even when he accompanied his elders to Xinzheng Temple to burn incense and pay respects to the Buddha, he could at most enter the inner courtyard to walk around and eat a meal before leaving. The White Tower was the place where the Bodhisattva practiced in seclusion; although inner courtyard disciples could go to the foot of the tower to walk around, he had never been there, and he usually stayed dozens of meters away from the White Tower.

"Brother Chen, you aren't bragging, are you?"

"Brother Chen, is that the White Tower in this photo of yours?" Jiang Lai squinted and glanced at Chen Shu's screen.

"Yeah." After answering, Chen Shu then replied to Meng Chunqiu, "I just happen to know a monk at Xinzheng Temple; he took me there."

"So that's how it is."

Meng Chunqiu nodded; that did sound reasonable. He then asked, "Are there chrysanthemums planted under the White Tower? Why don't I seem to have any memory of that?"

"Yeah, Wood Daisies."

"Wood Daisies?"

Meng Chunqiu's expression suddenly turned somewhat strange.

"What's wrong?"

"The day after the Former Emperor abdicated, a bunch of Wood Daisies inexplicably appeared at the entrance of his sleeping quarters. No one knew who sent them." Meng Chunqiu paused. "We juniors even said that since someone sent chrysanthemums right after the Former Emperor abdicated, this sort of thing was most likely done by the Sword Master of the Sword Sect. Only he would be capable of doing such a thing..."

Chen Shu moved his gaze away from the Mobile Phone screen, lifted his eyelids, and looked at Meng Chunqiu:

"The Former Emperor and the Bodhisattva were very close friends, right?"

"That is true. The Former Emperor, the Calamity-Responding Bodhisattva, the Changpei Daoist Leader, and the Sword King were all very close friends and had known each other for a long time." Meng Chunqiu nodded. "I heard that when the Former Emperor was young, he was a very easygoing person who got along well with everyone."

"I see..."

Chen Shu could barely relate to that.

It was probably just like a group of silly friends.

If things continued to develop and no one became a god, and no one met with an accident along the way, then the group owner who practiced the Imperial Spirit Method would definitely be the first to die.

By then, being old, having experienced all the vicissitudes of life, and holding a high position, everyone would revere you and view you as a god. There wouldn't be many old friends left to talk to, and as they withered away one after another like fallen leaves in the wind, it would be hard for anyone not to feel melancholy.

Thinking about that now was still too far off.

Chen Shu couldn't help but recall the year he first arrived in Yujing. During the New Year, he was lying on the sofa at Chen Banxia's house, boredly scrolling through videos in the evening, when he came across the news of the Former Emperor going to Xinzheng Temple to offer the first incense stick on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

In the picture, the Former Emperor and the Calamity-Responding Bodhisattva walked side by side, stepping over three thousand years of bluestone slabs, passing through the courtyard, not knowing where they were going, leaving only two silhouettes behind.

That was just last year.

At that time, the Calamity-Responding Bodhisattva was already known as a living Buddha and rarely came down from the White Tower anymore. It was also that very autumn that the Former Emperor abdicated.

Chen Shu couldn't help but whisper: "When shall we bring wine again, to get drunk together on the Double Ninth Festival..."

"?"

Meng Chunqiu suddenly turned his head, staring at him with a blank expression: "Brother Chen, why do you always speak in verse..."

"I didn't write this one either."

"Who wrote it?"

"A man named Meng Haoran."

"Meng Haoran?"

Meng Chunqiu's expression became even blanker.

Isn't that the name of my elder brother?

Chen Shu ignored him, shook his head to cast aside his thoughts, and continued to look down at his Mobile Phone, selecting a few of his favorite pictures to post as a status update.

He typed the caption: The frost wind begins to herald the Double Ninth, wild chrysanthemums by the stream shine bright.

He glanced at Meng Chunqiu beside him, then decisively pressed the backspace key, deleting them one by one, and replaced it with: Climbed high to look into the distance with Qingqing on the Double Ninth. Found a great spot at Xinzheng Temple that no one else could find. Thanks to the photographer / cute

Four landscape photos, four portrait photos.

In the middle, a photo of a finger pinching a small flower.

Posted successfully.

Playing the innocent card so well.

Especially that cute emoji at the end—the finishing touch.

Chen Shu was very satisfied.

He then went back to Feixin and found Qingqing.

Chen Shu: Are you making my dried flowers yet?

Qingqing: I am making them.

Chen Shu: Thank you for your hard work, Secretary Ning.

Qingqing: It is my duty.

Chen Shu: Listen to me (continuous emojis) thank you (continuous emojis) because of you (continuous emojis) the four seasons are warmed (continuous emojis)...

Qingqing: Find a hospital and get it checked.

Chen Shu: /sheepish grin

Chen Shu: Should I send the photos to you?

Qingqing: Okay.

Qingqing: 【Typo/Particle】

Chen Shu: 【Image】【Image】【Image】...

Qingqing: Received.

Chen Shu: Look at the post I made.

Qingqing: Saw it.

Chen Shu: Like it.

Qingqing:...

Qingqing: Liked it.

Chen Shu: Such a good girl.

Chen Shu: Let me give you another assignment.

Qingqing:...

Qingqing: Logging off.

Chen Shu: Go make a post too.

Chen Shu: Hurry up.

Qingqing: I don't have many people on my Feixin.

Chen Shu: Hurry, hurry.

Qingqing:...

About half an hour later, Chen Shu saw the post Qingqing had made.

Secretary Ning must have spent a while choosing the pictures too.

The photo in the middle of a finger pinching a small chrysanthemum and the four landscape photos were the same as the ones he had chosen, but the four portrait photos were different; looking closely, the photos Chen Shu chose highlighted Qingqing more, while the ones she chose were the exact opposite.

I have to say, Master Tongdeng takes really good photos.

Chen Shu withdrew his gaze and turned to look to the side, seeing that Jiang Lai had new injuries on his body, and asked, "Brother Jiang went to fight in the Arena again?"

"Yeah..."

"Boss Li must be thrilled lately, right?"

"Huh? What?"

"You promoted to the Fifth Rank so quickly; you must have earned him a lot of money."

"No, no..." Jiang Lai said hurriedly, "There are still many formidable seniors in Yujing, hidden dragons and crouching tigers; I've already lost several matches."

"But your popularity is high."

"It's, it's alright..."

Jiang Lai couldn't refute this; it was indeed the truth.

Because he naturally had a round face, he looked very approachable, especially to middle-aged women. And since he was a student—a student of Yujing Academy—not only did female students have a charm bonus for middle-aged uncles, but male students could also easily stir up the protective instincts of wealthy older women.

Comparing him to the other vicious and ruthless contestants in the Arena, Jiang Lai was simply a breath of fresh air.

Whenever there was a match involving Jiang Lai, the proportion of female spectators in the audience would soar; there was no need to doubt that at least eighty or ninety percent of them were his fans.

20% fangirls + 80% fan-aunties.

The term "fan-aunties" was coined by Chen Shu, and when Brother Meng heard it at the time, he was very amused for the whole day.

"In the Yujing Arena, are there many Sixth Rank Martial Artists?"

"Sixth Ranks are rarely seen in the Underground Arena," Jiang Lai answered honestly. "However, if you play in international competitions, or the Martial King Tournament, there are many Sixth Ranks."

"Keep it up, Brother Jiang. Dominating the country is within reach; winning the Martial King title is not a dream."

"..."

Jiang Lai's face turned red.

Chen Shu and Meng Chunqiu looked at each other and smiled.

Teasing one's roommate is still quite fun.

However, for the Underground Arena, a match between Five-stage Martial Artists could be considered a top-tier competition; Sixth Ranks were rarely able to be scheduled.

A Five-stage Martial Artist means their own combat power is comparable to the level of an ordinary Fifth-tier Practitioner from twenty years ago. Even if there might be some inflation in the certification process, the combat power is still terrifying—the physical body is impervious to blades and guns, bullets cannot penetrate it, they can withstand small shells, and they can knead steel ingots in their hands like mud for fun. If placed on the Battlefield of the previous life, one wouldn't dare say they could solo a tank, but soloing an armored vehicle would definitely be no problem. If encountered at extremely close range, even a few tanks would be finished.

Usually, soldiers in the Yiguo army are only Third-stage Martial Artists, and special forces only require the Fourth Rank.

The Sixth Rank is the limit for Martial Artists.

Chen Shu had also watched the Martial King Tournament, which is the highest league for Martial Artist Arena duels; the vast majority of Martial Artists are on the national team.

Brother Jiang is truly a heaven-sent talent.

"Brother Jiang, do you need new Martial Artist Runes? If you have any requirements, you can tell me; don't be polite." Chen Shu clapped his hands, his desire to nurture someone rising again, "Although we don't have a team as powerful as those famous Martial Artists, let's not let them pull too far ahead of us."

"Not for now. The current Martial Artist Runes are enough for me to use until the Sixth Rank, and I have them for attack, defense, movement, and utility."

"That works too..."

Chen Shu didn't have any inspiration for Martial Artist Runes for the time being either.

The Small Blazing Sun Art definitely wouldn't work. The minimum Spirit Power Total required for a single casting of that thing could drain hundreds of Brother Jiangs dry, and the minimum Spirit Power Quality requires a Cultivator to reach the mid-to-late Fifth Stage; the Spirit Power Quality of a Martial Artist is pitifully poor. Moreover, the structure of the Small Blazing Sun Art is complex and cannot be simplified; if one Rune is missing or wrong, it won't function. Casting it is also complex; even if an orthodox Spirit Cultivator obtained the complete Spell structure and its annotations, it would require a very long time of study and practice. Martial Artists, these simpletons, are far, far too distant from the Small Blazing Sun Art.

As for the Thunder Method...

The ordinary Thunder Method has average power, and the Improved Thunder Method cannot be simplified; once simplified, it loses its piercing performance.

And the Improved Thunder Method is currently still a secret, a high-level secret that has risen to the level of national and military secrets, so it cannot be drawn for others casually.

When things quiet down, or when you are tired from being busy, or like today when you want to rest again, you can call Brother Meng again to go watch a match of Brother Jiang's together; perhaps you can gain some inspiration regarding Martial Artist Runes from it, or at least see what other Five-stage Martial Artists are like.

Once they reach the fifth stage, they should all be quite professional, right?

Chen Shu sat and watched the news for a while longer.

Perhaps due to dissatisfaction with Yiguo's previous deployment of troops to Puluo, the anti-suzerain sentiment among the Puluo populace has rebounded even more violently than last time, leading to increasingly frequent attacks originating from Puluo; those extremist forces are not only attacking Yiguo, but are not even sparing their own country, committing murder and arson—they have simply gone mad.

Nüxia of the Moonlit Night is on the news again, again, and again; this time, she sanctioned some traitors who had colluded with Lanya.

Brother Luo truly has refined interests.

Won't the Royal Court do anything about her?

"Truly rebellious..."

Chen Shu made a decision in his heart.

The news ended, and Brother Jiang went to carry out his early-to-bed and early-to-rise plan; this is a good habit that a Martial Artist should have, as any good Martial Artist will not stay up late. Brother Meng had just received a negative answer from his elder brother and was frowning, brainstorming. Chen Shu said a word to him, then turned off the television and returned to his room as well.

The living room suddenly became quiet.