Chapter 303: Let's Date

Outside University City, by the banks of the Qingshui River.

The two walked side by side.

The Changhu Corridor at Ling'an Academy is truly crowded; once night falls, it is full of students dating. Chen Shu feels very pained by this phenomenon. These people finally managed to get into the second-best school in the world, yet they don't know how to study hard, only knowing how to date every day, leaving him with nowhere to date.

Fortunately, there are fewer people by the river.

Although there are many pedestrians, most are out for walks, walking their dogs, or night jogging; their business does not conflict.

At the same time, the riverbank is divided into east and west sides; the east side is adjacent to the urban area, so there are more people walking, while the west side is the suburbs, so there are fewer people.

Chen Shu and Ning Qing are on the west bank of the Qingshui River.

As it grew later, pedestrians here became increasingly sparse, and the two found a bench to sit down. Chen Shu held two Mobile Phones, switching between them to type from time to time, while Ning Qing sat beside him with a calm expression, looking down at him reading the group chat.

"Zhang Suannai has stopped talking."

"In all likelihood, she has already turned off her Mobile Phone." Ning Qing withdrew her gaze and turned to look at him, "If you can't see it, it's as if it never happened."

"Haha..."

"Tomorrow is my birthday, she is coming for a meal, she will definitely be embarrassed."

"That has nothing to do with me!"

"Doesn't it?"

"No!"

Chen Shu pushed away the responsibility without hesitation and said: "Today's chat didn't start with me, the one who suggested the gathering wasn't me, the one hiding in the group silently watching her make a fool of herself wasn't me, and the one who revealed that you are Zhaoyeqing wasn't me either. No matter how you put it, it has nothing to do with me. I just happened to check the group while walking with you, agreed to the gathering, and gave an appropriate retort when she provoked me..."

"You used my account to retort."

"I am your boyfriend who isn't dating you yet; it is only natural for you to help me respond to netizens' mockery. You, on the other hand, wanted me to operate it myself. I'm docking your pay."

"You had already anticipated the outcome."

"Well, look at you! Secretary Ning! You are deep and scheming yourself, yet you actually think I am the same as you!"

"Then tell me, whose responsibility is it."

"Emmm..." Chen Shu pinched his chin and thought for a moment, then turned his head, pointing the finger directly at Ning Qing, "If you want to blame someone, blame yourself first, then blame Master Tongdeng, and then blame Master Xuanzhen! And then blame Luo Huaian!"

"What about you?"

"I am ranked after the group owner."

"Shameless."

"You're the one who's shameless!"

"Childish."

"You're the one who's childish!"

"..."

Ning Qing couldn't be bothered with him anymore; she stood up and walked to the river, resting her hands on the iron railing.

The night wind blew up her long hair.

The river water before her was almost still, reflecting the constantly changing lights, and all of it was reflected in her eyes, making her pupils seem to glow.

Not knowing what she was thinking of, she frowned again.

Immediately, she began to worry about the future of the world.

"By the way."

Chen Shu also came to her side: "Previously at Qingshan Ridge, we met a strange beast and did it a favor. It told us that in two months, an extraordinary treasure will emerge at Qingshan Ridge, and there will be a share for all who come..."

"You have good luck."

"It might also have to do with my looks."

"Heh..." Secretary Ning could not help but mock, then continued, "However, this encounter is meaningless. Even if it didn't tell you, in a while, the Spirit Sect would have told you too."

"The Spirit Sect?"

Chen Shu looked at her in confusion: "You seem to know about this?"

"Yes."

"Did you glimpse it?"

"No, the Forbidden Land concerns the origin; it is something we cannot glimpse." Ning Qing glanced at him indifferently, "It was a senior from the Secret Sect who told me."

"So what kind of extraordinary treasure is it?"

"It is not an extraordinary treasure."

"What is it then?"

"The Forbidden Land, the origin." Ning Qing said indifferently, "Didn't you tell me that you saw Buddha Light in the Forbidden Land?"

"That was Buddha Light?"

Chen Shu opened his eyes wide, reacting instantly.

"Is the Tribulation-Responding Bodhisattva about to become a god?"

"It is to become a Buddha."

"It's all the same..."

After Chen Shu came back to his senses, he frowned, recalling the Spirit Sect's records regarding the Forbidden Land, which mentioned that when the Forbidden Land opens, Divine Power overflows, and all living beings inside and around the Forbidden Land will be affected, facing both danger and opportunity:

"So... the extraordinary treasure the strange beast spoke of is actually the overflowing Divine Power, like in Nanzhou?"

"Yes."

"No wonder it said there would be a share for all who come..." Chen Shu paused, then asked, "Will all the major sects send people there?"

"They will only send you."

"Is that also what the Secret Sect senior said?"

"Yes."

"..."

Chen Shu still frowned: "But that is the Imperial Forbidden Land... The Calamity-Responding Bodhisattva borrowed the Imperial Forbidden Land to attain Buddhahood... Could it be that the Origin and the Forbidden Land are not absolutely one-to-one?"

"I suspect the same."

Ning Qing said softly, still staring at the water surface: "Perhaps the Forbidden Land was indeed related one-to-one to the Origin at the beginning, like seventeen balls creating seventeen pits, but it does not necessarily mean every ball needs to return to its original pit."

"A good analogy."

Chen Shu fell into thought.

Forbidden Lands were formed because of the Origin; initially, they were just special regions formed under the influence of the Origin Power, and later, through long evolution, they developed different characteristics, which perhaps also had to do with the successive generations of those who attained godhood. Later on, the deities of the major top-tier sects almost all attained godhood in the Forbidden Lands controlled by their own sects, because the characteristics of the Forbidden Lands they controlled were the most suitable for them.

As for what characteristics each Forbidden Land had, the book Chen Shu read did not record it in detail; the book only mentioned in one sentence that every person attaining godhood needed to choose a Forbidden Land suitable for themselves.

Thinking about it carefully, that is exactly how it is—

First, if the golden light in the Forbidden Land is confirmed to be Buddha Light, then it can roughly be determined to be related to the Right Light Buddha, and it can also rule out the possibility of the Calamity-Responding Bodhisattva using the Origin of an Imperial Family deity to attain Buddhahood.

Secondly, the Buddhist Sect and the Daoist Sect each control a Forbidden Land, but currently, the two Heavenly Venerables of the Daoist Sect seem to have both merged their Origins with the help of the same Forbidden Land.

"Sigh..."

A sigh from Ning Qing came from beside him.

"What are you sighing about again?"

"The Buddhist Sect has the ability to know the future in advance, the Calamity-Responding Bodhisattva attaining Buddhahood, the calamity..." Ning Qing said softly, "Humans merging with the Origin and ascending to godhood is something outside the scope of the World Will's prediction, so even if a Secret Sect Practitioner cultivates to the Ninth Stage, they cannot peer into matters regarding attaining godhood through the World Will. By the same token, every time a new deity is born, it will disrupt the World Prediction Line, and for a long time in the future, the reference value of the World Prediction Line will drop significantly."

"What are you afraid of? Even without the prediction line, can't you still predict? Aren't you Secret Sect people also cheaters?" Chen Shu said, "Besides, don't we, who can only predict Zhang Suannai's social death, live just fine?"

"You admitted it."

"Haha, just teasing you!"

"I'm afraid..."

"Afraid of what?"

"This era is full of geniuses, deities are assisting, the Calamity-Responding Bodhisattva is attaining Buddhahood, Cao Ci is collecting the Origin..." Ning Qing turned her head to look at him again, "I'm afraid that a catastrophe will arise and affect the peaceful life of you and me."

"When the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a road; when the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally go straight."

"Perhaps."

"Then are you going?" Chen Shu asked, "To the Forbidden Land."

"Not going, I will just take this time to cultivate 'Thought'." Ning Qing paused, "Except for you, it is hard for me to miss another person. If I don't part with you this time, I will still have to part with you next time; this is the best opportunity."

"Well, you! Secretary Ning! I treat you as my heart and soul, but it turns out you only treat me as a tool for your cultivation!"

"Can't be bothered with you."

"Tch..."

Chen Shu suddenly remembered another thing, so he asked: "Then how do you cultivate 'Sorrow'? You won't beat me to death, will you?"

"Are you afraid?" Ning Qing tilted her head slightly, glancing at him sideways, "Stop courting death so much."

"I'm asking you seriously."

"Use time to grind it."

"Fine."

Chen Shu grabbed a strand of her hair, wound it around his finger in a spiral shape, and watched the night with her, blowing in the night breeze, until the lights by the river were turned off.

The tenth of the fourth month, Saturday.

Ning Qing's twenty-third birthday.

Chen Banxia still came accompanied by her little friend, but she discovered that her little friend was a bit off today; she remained expressionless, neither smiling nor angry, and even when she tripped over a pebble while walking, she had no thought of beating the pebble up, which was very unusual.

"What's wrong with you? Are you unhappy?"

"Happy..."

"Then give me a smile."

"Heh, heh, heh..."

Zhang Suannai stiffly pulled at the corners of her mouth, her laughter sounding like an elementary school student reading a textbook.

"Don't scare me!"

Chen Banxia hurriedly asked the little girl beside her:

"What's wrong with Xiaoxiao?"

"She's gone silly."

"What does 'gone silly' mean?"

"It means she's become not smart."

"..." Chen Banxia was silent for two seconds, "How did she go silly?"

"She went silly last night."

The little girl was holding her cartoon water cup, eyeing the worry on Chen Banxia's face, and added: "She's often like this; she'll be fine in two days without even knowing it."

"Oh..."

Chen Banxia thought about it carefully, and it actually fit her little friend's persona.

"Hi!"

She immediately stopped worrying.

At this time, Chen Shu and Qingqing were already busy in the kitchen.

One could see all kinds of ingredients, seasonings, and spices placed neatly and orderly on the stove; as for the vegetables that were sliced, they were all of the same thickness, and as for those that were cubed or diced, those of the same type were all the same size; if it was minced meat or minced ginger and garlic, they were cut into uniform small particles, which made one feel comfortable just looking at them.

A peeled potato was placed on the cutting board.

"Pa..."

Chen Shu snapped his fingers.

The potato instantly became uniform potato shreds, differing only in length, spread out across the cutting board.

"How about it? Is it cool?" Chen Shu glanced at Ning Qing beside him, "I am very sorry to inform you, Ning Dunzi, you are unemployed."

"Where did you learn that?"

"From a senior brother in the past, the one who was beaten miserably by me in the Arena."

"Teach it to me."

"You think I'll just teach it because you asked? This is a trade secret!"

"Spirit Magic Net."

"It hasn't been listed yet; this is a developer version. He doesn't know how to cook and doesn't know the requirements of people who cook, so he asked me to help test it... If you want to buy it on the Spirit Magic Net, you'll have to wait at least another two months."

As Chen Shu spoke, he took stock of the ingredients and turned on the fire to stir-fry.

"Hmm? Ignoring me?"

"Fine, forget it then!"

Chen Shu, however, did not notice that Ning Qing, who had originally been standing beside him, had quietly moved her feet to come behind him; her gaze crossed over his shoulder, watching him sprinkle the aura of mortal life.

By the time he realized it, his waist had already been wrapped by a pair of hands, her fair hands folded together in front of his chest, and Ning Qing's upper body was pressed against his back, so very soft.

"What are you doing?"

Chen Shu was stunned for a moment, his first reaction being: "Trying to bribe me?"

After a few seconds, he heard Ning Qing's voice, clear and pleasant, sounding almost right behind his ear:

"Let's date?"

"?"

"I think you're right," Ning Qing said softly, "Worrying about those things is meaningless; it doesn't help with happiness. No matter how high or low the probability is, the missing part will be made up by us ourselves. If the World Will's prediction results were truly completely accurate, it wouldn't keep changing its answers."

"?"

"So let's date!" Ning Qing said, "Perhaps when we reach the Ninth Stage, that will be when the calamity descends. Before that, we should seize the time to enjoy every minute and every second we are together."

"Secretary Ning..."

"Hmm."

"You should have told me you were cultivating the 'Dao of No-Worry'."

"That is not important."

"It is very important, you nearly scared me to death."

"Don't change the subject... are you willing?"

"... No!"

"Why?"

Ning Qing hugged Chen Shu tighter, she tilted her head, her face pressed against Chen Shu's back, feeling his body temperature only through a thin layer of fabric, and her exquisite body pressed even closer to him.

Amitabha, what a sin!

Who could withstand this?

Chen Shu still bit the bullet: "No, I'm afraid that once you finish cultivating, I'll be dumped by you!"