Chapter 42: Advancing

"Slap!"

Chen Banxia, having been woken up to eat, slapped herself hard across the face; the sound was crisp—

To think she had just been busy sleeping and hadn't taken any photos!

So infuriating!

A loss of one hundred million!

Must not forget next time!

Chen Banxia walked to the table while fuming, looking at a table full of sumptuous food: golden soup fatty beef, sweet and spicy razor clams, abalone braised with shiitake mushrooms, pickled cabbage with black fish fillets, pickled pepper chicken gizzards, and she had also boiled a pot of tomato meatball soup, the bright red soup base shimmering with golden oil edges, with stark white meatballs resting inside.

"Haha!"

Chen Banxia immediately forgot her anger, picked up her chopsticks, and at the same time turned her head to say to Ning Qing, "Let me tell you, with Chen Shu's craftsmanship, you're going to be in for a treat from now on."

Ning Qing did not make a sound.

Poor sister, I have already been enjoying this treat for a long time.

Chen Banxia didn't stand on ceremony at all, picked up a piece of abalone, ate it in one bite, and said indistinctly, "You two should just stay at my place tonight; I have an extra room there."

"I have to go back to the Dormitory."

"Me too."

"Eh, didn't Chen Shu say you were practicing Closed-Mouth Zen?"

"It just ended."

"How did it end?"

"I couldn't help it, so it ended."

"So you didn't succeed in your practice." Chen Banxia nodded and said again, "There's no class tomorrow, why go back to the Dormitory?"

"None of your business," Chen Shu said.

"I have to go back," Ning Qing said.

"Fine, fine, I can't be bothered to care about you two."

Chen Banxia ate two bites, then suddenly stood up, took down that bottle of Royal Wine Cellar wine from the wine cabinet, easily unscrewed the cap, pulled out the cork with a 'thud', and immediately invited Chen Shu and Ning Qing to drink, but because the two had come by bike, only Chen Shu said he would drink a little.

On the way back, Ning Qing rode the bike, and Chen Shu sat behind, wrapping his arms around her waist.

The wind felt very comfortable.

Qingqing's waist is truly slender.

"We're here."

"Oh."

Chen Shu reluctantly let go of Qingqing's waist, even taking the opportunity to give it a firm rub, before getting off the small motorcycle.

Ning Qing looked at him expressionlessly.

This was the entrance to the Yujing Academy Sports Field; it was said that every Mid-Autumn Festival, many students would gather on the Sports Field to take a walk and admire the moon, sing, and dance, and Chen Shu had made an appointment with her to come and take a look.

After locking the bike and the helmet, the two stepped into the Sports Field.

It was indeed very lively inside.

There were large floodlights at both diagonal corners of the Sports Field; usually only one was lit, but today, unusually, both were on. However, both were very dim, as if they dared not compete with the moon for brilliance.

There were people everywhere inside, either gathered in groups of three or five, sitting on the lawn drinking wine and eating Mooncake, or walking slowly along the track; those with companions chatted with each other, and those without played on their Mobile Phone, each having their own way of relaxing.

Chen Shu, emboldened by the third of a cup of wine he had drunk, draped his arm over Ning Qing's shoulder and walked into the crowd with her.

Ning Qing turned her head to glance at her shoulder, then turned to look at Chen Shu:

"Does this cost money?"

Chen Shu stared intently ahead and couldn't hear.

Ning Qing asked again with great patience: "Does this cost money?"

"I'm drunk."

"So?"

"Why are you so calculating?"

"?"

"So annoying! Keep a tab! Just keep a tab! Keep a tab!" Chen Shu was a bit irritated, "You should have started practicing your Jingxin Dao right after dinner."

"I have a very good memory."

"..."

"Here."

Ning Qing pulled two Mooncakes from somewhere unknown and handed one to Chen Shu: "You made these, I haven't eaten one yet."

"Aren't you going to share them with your roommates?"

"I saved two for her."

"Oh..."

Chen Shu kept his right arm draped over her shoulder, unwilling to let go, so he had to take the Mooncake with his left hand, which was further away, and took a small bite; it was still the familiar taste.

The person beside him was also familiar; they had already spent fifteen Mid-Autumn Festivals like this.

"Should we see each other less often after this?"

"Why?"

"You've already failed your Jingxin Dao practice twice; I might as well let you succeed in one go to save the trouble."

"No."

"How so?"

"Practicing Jingxin Dao is not the goal; the result brought by Jingxin Dao is the goal." Ning Qing's voice was clear and firm, "Even after I finish practicing Jingxin Dao, I still want to be with you."

"Is that so..."

Chen Shu ate a Mooncake and looked up.

Tonight's moon was full and flawless, with clear radiance everywhere.

Zhang Suannai sat on a chair, bored, resting her chin on her hand; on the table in front of her were two plates of Mooncakes, one plate with only two small Mooncakes, and one plate with a large Mooncake sent by her sect.

There were also two cans of happy water.

However, the Dormitory door was tightly shut, there was no sound in the hallway outside, and the moonlight spilled in from the balcony, coating the floor tiles in a thin frost, only adding a touch of chill.

The light from the television flickered inside the living room, playing a Mid-Autumn Gala from some platform or other; someone was always singing, something about letting fireflies lead you as you run, returning to the initial beauty. But this singing echoed lonely in the room, failing to create any sense of liveliness, and instead, because it was too monotonous, it seemed even more silent.

Her roommate had not yet returned.

Zhang Suannai knew Ning Qing was practicing Closed-Mouth Zen; at first, she had suspected that Ning Qing just didn't want to talk to her and had made up an excuse, so she often loitered in front of Ning Qing's door, wanting to eavesdrop on whether there was any talking inside, and because she heard nothing, she once suspected that Ning Qing had drawn a Sound-Proof Rune on the wall, though it was hard to verify.

Later, she finally confirmed that Ning Qing had indeed stopped talking.

So she hadn't asked when Ning Qing would be back either.

She just waited foolishly by herself.

"Ah..."

Zhang Suannai couldn't help but stretch.

Although it was already Mid-Autumn, she wasn't afraid of the cold and was still dressed quite scantily.

On top was a blue and white jacket, very youthful, inside was a white cotton tank top, showing clear abdominal muscles, dark gray skinny jeans wrapped tightly around her legs, which not only made her legs look thin and long but also made her butt look very perky, white sneakers, and her hair was casually tied into a high ponytail with a red string; sitting lazily, her figure was still very prominent.

She was truly bored, so she reached out, picked up a small Mooncake, and put it in her mouth to eat.

The taste was actually quite good.

Eat slowly, wait slowly.

Until she heard footsteps outside, her ears immediately pricked up, and the movement of her hands stopped.

As the footsteps drew closer, she got up from the dining table and walked quietly to the door.

Her hand gripped the doorknob, waiting patiently.

Her eyebrows raised—

"Beep..."

The moment the sound of the card swipe rang out, she immediately pressed the doorknob and opened the door; looking at Ning Qing outside who was still maintaining the motion of swiping her card, she revealed a brilliant smile:

"Haha! You were scared, right!"

"Morning."

"What morning, it's already late... wait, you spoke?"

"Failed, starting over tomorrow."

"Failed? You actually failed? I thought you could go your whole life without speaking." Zhang Suannai paused, "You must have been a mute in your past life."

"Maybe."

"Where did you go? I was waiting for you to come back and eat Mooncakes; if I didn't think you were the type who definitely wouldn't date, I would have thought you went on a date!" Zhang Suannai smacked her lips, following behind Ning Qing as she walked past her, and without waiting for Ning Qing to answer the first question, she threw out a second one, "Your small Mooncake is actually quite tasty, where did you buy it?"

"Why wait for me?"

"To eat Mooncakes! It's Mid-Autumn today! Our dorm needs to have a reunion too!"

"..."

Ning Qing glanced at the Mooncakes and drinks on the table; her time with Chen Shu just now had softened her heart, so she didn't say anything, just walked to the dining table, pulled out a chair, sat down, and asked:

"Are there no activities at the Sports Field?"

"There are, every year, there are so many people."

"Why not go?"

"I was waiting for you to eat Mooncakes. You said you were coming back today, and I thought with your personality, cold as ice, you definitely wouldn't have any friends or anywhere to go; if I didn't wait for you, and you came back to find no one in the Dormitory, just you all alone, how miserable that would be. I originally thought if you came back early, I'd take you to the Sports Field to see what it's like, to let you see normal people's socializing, but it's too late now, we'll talk about it next year." Zhang Suannai said, slapping her forehead in annoyance with a *slap* sound, "If I had known, I would have sent you a message; I thought you were still being a mute."

"You talk too much."

"?? Is that the point?"

"..."

Ning Qing looked at her silently and didn't say more.

Zhang Suannai's interest remained undiminished, her figure, as hot as an anime character's, swaying beside her as she enthusiastically greeted her: "You try my Mooncake, it's a super sect limited edition; let me tell you, not just anyone gets to eat this, you're in for a treat."

As she spoke, she drew her Long Sword and used the tip of the Sword to cut the large Mooncake into small pieces: "It's double-yolk! Made with Spirit Bird eggs!"

Ning Qing glanced at her Sword; are there bacteria on it?

But she still picked up a small piece.

"How is it?"

Facing Zhang Suannai's expectant gaze, Ning Qing pursed her lips and looked her up and down: "Your outfit is quite nice."

The sixteenth of the eighth month, around noon.

Ning Qing stood alone in the courtyard, having been there for a long time.

The sunlight had dispersed the morning fog, the dew hanging on the plants in the courtyard had gradually disappeared, the surface of the soil on the ground was dry while the Inner Layer was moist; the soil quality was too fine, too hard, and held too much water, making it not very suitable for planting Chinese roses.

There were still two birds fighting in the sky, the same two from last week; Ning Qing had already discovered their nest at the top of the persimmon tree in the courtyard.

The sky was somewhat gray, with light haze.

North wind, leaves rustling slightly, wind speed about two meters per second.

The footsteps outside the door were somewhat brisk.

Ning Qing finally moved, and she stepped toward the door.

"Creeeak~~"

The wooden courtyard gate was pulled open by her, and Chen Shu outside had just raised his hand, maintaining a posture of knocking on the door.

Ning Qing silently took a step back.

Almost simultaneously, this person's hand still slapped down; it was originally intended to land on her forehead, but now, even though he stretched his arm to the fullest and leaned his body forward, he still just barely missed, falling short by just a little bit.

Ning Qing turned around and walked back inside.

The sound of the door closing came from behind her.

Immediately after was Chen Shu's voice: "Does that door of yours need some of that stuff applied to it? It always loves to squeak..."

Ning Qing walked back into the room and sat down, as if waiting for something.

Chen Shu came to her side and said to her: "I am going to advance; the potion I bought the day before yesterday just arrived this morning, keep watch for me. The chance of a problem is low, but if something goes wrong, help me make an emergency call."

Immediately, this person opened the box in his hand.

A white cardboard box, with a layer of foam cushioning inside, and in the center sat a glass-encased potion, fitting perfectly.

The glass tube was about three centimeters thick and ten-odd centimeters long, and the potion inside displayed brilliant blue and red colors, as if constantly flowing. It was not equipped with a syringe, meaning it was for oral consumption; breakthrough potions of this grade are basically composed of special Spirit Power, so there is no difference between injection or oral intake, as long as it is sent into the body.

"I'm drinking it now!"

Chen Shu sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning against the sofa, wasting no words; he opened the potion, put it to his mouth, tilted his head back, and poured it in.

The entire potion poured down, not a single drop sticking to the glass walls.

It had no taste upon entering the mouth, not even the taste of water; if not for being able to feel its volume, one might even think they were drinking air.

Gulping twice, he swallowed it into his stomach.

Chen Shu closed his eyes.

Ning Qing tilted her head slightly, watching him carefully.

The current Chen Shu was very quiet, and his breathing was very even; as he focused his attention on the breakthrough of his Spirit Sea, his expression gradually became focused, revealing his psychological changes.

His brows furrowed slightly;

His eyes closed tighter and tighter;

Then his brows furrowed even more severely.

He began to sweat.

Although he sat without moving, some muscles on his body also began to exert force involuntarily; this was subconscious.

At the critical moment, he began to feel pain.

Ning Qing should have been quietly observing him without interference, but she still couldn't help but reach out her hand, wanting to smooth out the space between his brows, wanting to wipe the sweat from his temples.