Chapter 358: Are You Falling in Love?

The few people and the cat put down their luggage and went out for a stroll.

Yan City is not far from Bai City; Chen Shu, Chen Banxia, and the two sisters had all been here before. Back then, its fame was at its peak, and the daily foot traffic was immense. Later, people grew tired of the homogenized and commercialized ancient city, and coupled with incidents involving the fleecing of tourists and unscrupulous tour guides, its reputation declined. Fewer people came, and it actually became a bit quieter.

In fact, whether it is commercialized or not is just a trick played by the people of this era; it has nothing to do with the ancient city itself.

Whether its reputation is good or bad has no effect on her. At most, it only affects a portion of people. She has been sitting quietly here for over a thousand years—a thousand years of human life and smoke. Who knows how many generations she has seen off? The gods of a thousand years ago must have fallen by now, right?

That is why Chen Shu likes to cast aside those miscellaneous things and look at her as she is.

Climbing the mountain in the middle of the ancient city, one can see the tiled roofs connected in a single expanse. Under the sunlight, they are a simple gray-blue, a hue like history itself, spreading almost to the edge of one's sight. From this angle, none of the signs below can be seen—the ones selling silver ornaments and local specialties, the ones selling drums, the bars and restaurants—in the field of vision, they all remain just patches of tiled roofs, forming this great scroll of a painting.

A thousand years ago, she was likely just like this.

"Wow..."

Zhang Suannai let out an exclamation.

Chen Shu said to her from the side, "If you were to fly over this on a Sword, it would definitely feel amazing!"

"Can I fly?"

"The tickets range from one thousand to three thousand, and buying a ticket might require waiting in line for two days. The benefit, however, is that you can fly first and then queue up to pay later."

"Emmm..."

Zhang Suannai fell silent for a moment, then looked at him with ill intent: "I suspect you're talking about detention and administrative fines!"

This person has become sharp!

Chen Shu grinned.

The ancient city of Bai City allows flying, but Yan City does not, because the ancient city of Bai City is far from the city, about thirty kilometers away, while the ancient city of Yan City is right next to the modern urban area, almost indistinguishable from it. Many cities have no-fly zones.

The group found a place to drink on the hillside and each ordered a few beverages. They were much more expensive than normal shops outside, but one could listen to people singing.

The person singing was a girl with a hoarse voice.

"I almost came here to play before," Zhang Suannai said to them while drinking lemonade. "I had a junior fellow apprentice a few years older than me who heard that there were unscrupulous tour guides here fleecing tourists, so he specifically came here to play. I wanted him to take me along, but he wouldn't do it."

"Why would he specifically come here to play if he heard there were unscrupulous tour guides?" Chen Banxia asked, puzzled.

"To have some fun, obviously."

Chen Shu answered for Zhang Suannai.

"It was to rectify the industry!"

Zhang Suannai corrected him sternly.

Chen Shu shook his head and said nothing.

It suddenly occurred to him that what the Moonlit Nüxia does is quite similar to the Sword Sect Disciple. One is an incarnation of the city's light, the other goes around rectifying unscrupulous industries. One relies on a powerful royal court background to commit illegal acts for the purpose of cultivating Killing Sword Dao, while the other just walks on the edge of the law, looking for a little fun.

Chen Shu offered no comment and looked into the distance.

It was daytime right now.

The daytime is quieter than the night; there are not many people in the alleys of the ancient city, but it will become lively by nightfall.

A snow-capped mountain stood tall outside the city.

The few people and the cat sat for a while. When the sun went down and the sunset gilded the ancient city and the distant snow-capped mountain with a charming, rouge-like color, they finally got up to go down the mountain. They ate a pot of Wax Ribs soup at the market outside the ancient city; the taste was decent, and the Blueberry Wine provided by the shopkeeper was quite good.

Night fell, and the lights were turned on.

The people who had been out on group tours during the day returned, and those who had been sleeping in the inns woke up. Everyone gathered in the ancient city, and the central road was packed with people. The ancient city was suddenly filled with the music of various shops, and the bars opened as well, making it very noisy. Young men and women from all over gathered here, getting dead drunk, using the indulgence of a vacation to resist their ordinary, mediocre lives—this was the way they had found to transcend.

Chen Shu and the others returned to the hotel.

Chen Banxia and Zhang Suannai giggled, saying they were going out for a few drinks later without the other three, saying it as if they would actually go if the two of them invited them. Then the two of them swiped their room card and ducked into the room.

Chen Shu, Qingqing, and the little girl exchanged glances and also swiped their cards to return to their rooms.

"Click."

The lights in the room turned on automatically.

Soft light filled the room.

Tuanzi Hotel is equipped with a switchable Soundproofing Array, which is quite nice. Chen Shu turned it on, and the room immediately became quiet.

"Hehehe..."

Chen Shu sat on the bed and giggled at Qingqing.

Ning Qing, however, did not even look at him, her expression remaining indifferent, seemingly even less shy or nervous than him. She took out her toiletry bag and personal clothing, then took out a "Book Almost Finished" to read later, and then turned her head toward the bathroom.

The bathroom was partitioned off with glass.

The bottom layer was frosted glass, opaque, and had stickers on it, so the privacy was passable, reaching about shoulder height.

The top section was ordinary glass.

If someone were showering inside, one should be able to see a swaying shadow through the light from within.

"Want to take a shower?"

Chen Shu saw through Qingqing's thoughts and suppressed the joy in his heart: "Go ahead, I promise not to peek. If I peek, I'll let Chen Banxia be struck by lightning."

"..."

Ning Qing rolled her eyes and walked into the bathroom.

The light turned on, blurry and indistinct.

Chen Shu thought she would use a Spell to block the view, but she didn't. She just turned on the showerhead and began to remove her clothes. By the time all her clothes were off, the steam had already filled the space, further blurring the view.

A slender shadow swayed inside.

The sound of water splashed and rattled.

Perhaps if one walked over now, leaned against the edge of the bathroom, and looked in through the transparent glass at the top, one could take in the sight of Qingqing bathing...

Chen Shu sat on the bed, propping his chin up, staring in that direction while thinking exactly that.

But right now, one can't see anything at all.

It's all supported by a rich imagination.

"Sigh..."

Chen Shu sighed and took out his phone.

Chen Banxia had just invited Zhang Suannai into their "Yujing Ghouls" group chat, and the two of them posted the photos they had taken today.

Zhang Suannai mostly posted photos of Qingqing and Xiaoxiao from behind, their profiles, and cute pictures of Taozi, while Chen Banxia mostly posted scenery, group photos of everyone, and the cured pork rib hot pot they had while eating; the two of them had also taken quite a few photos of each other in the ancient city, but none of those were posted.

Zhang Suannai: Do you guys want bubble tea?

Zhang Suannai: I'm a bit thirsty.

Zhang Suannai: I'm ordering bubble tea now.

Chen Shu started typing.

Chen Shu: Aren't you guys going out to drink later?

Chen Banxia: The night is still long, and we just finished eating, so we plan to go out at ten o'clock.

Zhang Suannai: That's right, that's right.

Zhang Suannai: 【Image】

Zhang Suannai: Order whatever you want to drink.

Chen Shu: Whatever is fine.

Ning Ji: I'm fine with anything too.

Zhang Suannai: Then I'll order you a brown sugar taro ball milk tea, a lemongrass green tea, and a mango pomelo sago.

Chen Shu: That works.

Ning Ji: Just hang them on the doorknob.

Zhang Suannai: Okay.

Chen Shu took off his shoes, put on the slippers he had brought, sat cross-legged on the bed, and started scrolling through short videos.

The sound of water in the bathroom was still splashing.

About ten minutes later, the bubble tea had arrived, and the doorbell rang twice.

Chen Shu pressed pause, got out of bed, and walked over.

However, the bathroom was in the direction of the door.

When he realized this, his footsteps faltered, and his breathing hitched for a moment.

Chen Shu wouldn't go out of his way to peek, as that would seem a bit sleazy, but if he had to pass by there anyway, pretending to look straight ahead wasn't something Chen Shu would do either.

What's wrong with looking at his own Qingqing?

Who wouldn't want to look? She even sneaks looks at me!

Chen Shu pursed his lips and walked over.

As he passed the bathroom, he turned his head slightly and saw Qingqing taking a shower inside.

The frosted glass with horizontal patterns obscured her body, and the plain glass on the upper section was covered in steam, but his gaze could still penetrate through.

From this angle, he could see her collarbone and the area above it; her collarbone was beautiful and symmetrical, and her shoulders were fair and rounded, all covered in tiny water droplets. She had twisted her hair into a small bun at the back of her head, with only a few strands escaping and sticking to her delicate neck. Her face was exquisite, her features deep, and her skin as white as jade, flushed with a faint, misty red from the stimulation of the hot water.

Ning Qing was undoubtedly an extremely beautiful person.

Whether it was the hazy steam, the rinsing of the hot water, or the small bun her hair was tied into, the coldness about her seemed to have diminished a little.

Chen Shu couldn't help but stop in his tracks, staring blankly.

He really didn't want to walk away.

At the same time, Ning Qing noticed Chen Shu outside and looked at him indifferently.

Their eyes met.

「……」

Chen Shu calmly shifted his gaze and moved his eyes downward.

He even leaned closer to the glass.

Ning Qing was neither surprised nor angry; she simply took a step forward, and the closing of the distance made it impossible for his gaze to continue downward, while she simultaneously raised her hand to cover her chest, effortlessly thwarting his scheme.

「……」

Chen Shu blinked and looked up again.

Ning Qing was expressionless and didn't move, quietly staring back at him, while the showerhead in her hand continued to spray water, with steam rising incessantly.

Chen Shu, naturally, wouldn't feel shy.

He shifted his gaze downward to look again.

Ning Qing stared at him, still expressionless, but gradually turned her head away.

"That's about enough..."

Chen Shu thought to himself and continued walking out.

A cup of bubble tea was hanging on the doorknob, and Zhang Suannai, who had brought it, was already gone. Just then, the door next door opened, and the young girl took down two cups of bubble tea, looked at them, peeked at him, walked over with one of the cups, and handed it to him. She turned and left immediately, not saying a word during the process, nor did she attempt to peek inside through the gap in the door even once.

Chen Shu shook his head and returned to the room.

The sound of water in the bathroom had stopped.

About a few minutes later.

Ning Qing came out of the bathroom.

After her shower, she was wearing a beige silk camisole nightdress, a new style Chen Shu hadn't seen before. As she walked out, she seemed to still carry the steam with her, and the flush on her skin had quickly faded, leaving behind skin as white as snow. The nightdress was slightly tight, highlighting the contours of her fully developed breasts, and the thin silk fabric was inevitably pulled into a few wrinkles. Two thin straps passed over her snowy, rounded shoulders from her raised chest, tracing past her collarbone, making it look even more exquisite.

Chen Shu was half-lying on the bed, holding a cup of bubble tea, his eyes unfocused and his expression dazed.

Seeing him like this, she walked over calmly.

"What are you fantasizing about?"

Her voice was indifferent yet carried a hint of gentleness.

"I suddenly realized you are so beautiful."

"I have always been beautiful."

"I didn't realize you were this beautiful before," Chen Shu answered honestly, then paused, "maybe I was just used to looking at you."

"..." Ning Qing cast a faint glance at him, "You haven't seen what I look like without clothes on, have you?"

"Emmm..."

"Go take a shower."

Chen Shu didn't say anything; he just stood up and walked toward the bathroom.

About ten-plus minutes later.

Chen Shu walked out of the bathroom, carrying the scent of the same body wash as Ning Qing, while Ning Qing was half-reclining on the bed, holding A Book and reading it intently; the light cast by the bedside lamp was soft and bright, her hair was loose, her expression was quiet, and beneath her beige camisole pajamas was an alluring body.

"I suddenly remembered—"

Chen Shu stood at the threshold between the bathroom and the room, staring at Ning Qing on the bed inside: "When I looked at you just now, you suddenly realized it, and you weren't even in Surprise."

When practicing "Heavy Surprise," she would be more easily startled than usual.

"I finished practicing it."

Ning Qing flipped a page with her finger.

"Finished practicing?"

"Mm."

"What about 'No Surprise'?"

"I have always been in No Surprise."

"So..."

"Both are finished."

"Both are finished?"

"Mm."

Only then did Ning Qing shift her gaze away from the book, unhurriedly took a bookmark from the side, tucked it between the pages, closed the book, set it aside, and even picked up the lemon green tea on the bedside table to take a sip, as if deliberately keeping him in suspense, before finally raising her eyes to glance at him:

"Want to date?"

"..."

Chen Shu stood where he was, blinking his eyes.

So, before, it wasn't because she was practicing and comprehending "Heavy Surprise" that she deliberately sealed her Secret Sect abilities, causing her to be locked out by Xiaoxiao without knowing it; she had done it on purpose. It was even possible that when she went to take a shower, she had anticipated that he would pass by and peek at her.

It was all intentional.

Secretary Ning is so calculating...

Chen Shu walked to Secretary Ning's bedside.

Looking at Ning Qing, who was wearing silk pajamas, leaning against the headboard, and looking up to meet his gaze, he couldn't stand steady anymore and his body leaned down toward her.

"Let's date!"

Chen Shu's voice was firm.

At this moment, no one could stop him.