Chapter 477: How Many Times Have You Been in Love?

"How much time has passed?"

"A little over 27 hours."

Ning Qing stood behind Chen Shu, placed her hands on his shoulders, gently kneaded his trapezius muscles, and whispered, "You read so slowly this time."

"Mm."

Because in this book, when the words were set down, Shengzu had poured his emotions into them, so there were words between the lines; naturally, one had to read them carefully.

Chen Shu closed his eyes.

Actually, it wasn't sore at all, and even if it were, her positioning and technique were wrong, but feeling the softness of her fingers and this concern was still comfortable.

Chen Shu stretched his neck and touched the Crystal.

The Crystal contained its own space, a space that was vast, vast and immense, far larger than any Space Stone or Mijing. The spot where Chen Shu opened it or accessed items was always the same; he guessed it was the center of the Crystal space, and his consciousness always probed outward from this center point. The range he could probe and control was related to the strength of his Spirit Soul, growing gradually as his cultivation increased.

To date, the diameter of the range he could probe might have already exceeded the maximum width of Yuanzhou Province, yet he still had not probed the boundaries of the Crystal.

And since he himself could not enter the Crystal, he did not know exactly how large the Crystal space was.

"The edge..."

So, although Shengzu had traveled to the Withered Plane to strike at their gods and their homeland, destroying their advantages and causing them to gradually decline, he had also left behind the Civilization Seed of that Plane, and he had also left behind his own promise.

It was just that later, when he returned to this Plane, he was likely already severely wounded and unable to fulfill his promise, so he handed it to his successor in this way.

"Sigh..."

Chen Shu was still filled with deep emotion.

He wondered, if it had been him who arrived in that era, what choice would he have made? Perhaps he would have made a similar choice.

"I want to read it again."

"Go ahead."

"And you?"

"I went out for a walk before, and now I can go for another one."

"Is it boring?"

"It's very interesting."

"How is it interesting?"

"You are reading another person, and I am reading another civilization."

"That's good."

Chen Shu opened the book again.

The sensation at the junction of his neck and shoulders continued to linger; he could feel the slenderness of her fingers, and he did not know how much later she left, while he only lowered his head to read the book again with even greater detail, completely unaware of the passage of time.

"I seem to have no changes; I am still clear-headed, still rational; I just miss home so much, I want to go back so much, and for this, I could disregard everything... I even recalculated the Universe Time Calculation Formula I derived in my mind several times, confirming that when I go back, I will still be able to see my family...

"I still remember what he said to me: If our world is destined to perish, then you should go back. Being able to let you fulfill your wish at the final moment can be considered as adding a bit of value to my life.

"I showed no mercy.

"..."

Chen Shu saw this passage again, and his heart felt as if it were being twisted.

What kind of helplessness and regret was this?

At the same time, he felt some admiration for Shengzu—

Many people, when faced with such a huge mistake, even if they were a sage, might choose to avoid it, cover it up, and try to bury it in history, especially knowing that five thousand years of history could bury everything. But he did not; on the contrary, he recounted this process with the most genuine and simple writing and the most detailed tone, while his own campaign to the foreign Plane was glossed over in just a few sentences.

This time, Chen Shu spent nearly two days and two nights.

Adding the previous day or so, about three days had passed, and it had likely been four or five days since he set out to leave the Beast Ancestral Court.

Chen Shu adjusted his emotions, finally stood up, put away this Autobiography—and only put away that—and asked Qingqing:

"Where did you go?"

"The library."

"Are the books inside real?"

"Fake, blank, but you can see the titles."

"Did you only go to the library?"

"I also went to a few scenic spots."

"Whoa! You came here for a vacation!" Chen Shu said, "How did you know which spots were scenic?"

"I'm smarter than you."

"Fine, fine, fine..."

Chen Shu shook his head and walked out.

Ning Qing turned and followed behind him, asking softly:

"Not reading anymore?"

"Not reading anymore, I'll read it slowly in the future."

"Not staying anymore?"

"Not staying anymore, it's not my home, why would I stay here?"

"What about your home?"

"That depends on when we get married."

"..."

Ning Qing pursed her lips, slightly quickened her pace, and walked beside him: "What about you? Do you want to go back?"

"We'll talk about that later."

"Where to now?"

"Going to the other place that is calling me."

"Okay."

The two of them still did not fly over, but instead walked, measuring this city with their footsteps.

Chen Shu had also been here in his past life; some places seemed familiar. Passing by Yizhou University midway, he even encountered a small hotel he used to live in. In a trance, he felt as if he had vaguely returned to another planet also called Earth, and for a moment, he could not help but be filled with deep emotion.

Another few hours passed.

The two arrived outside a scenic spot.

Ning Qing had already been here.

This was also a place Chen Shu had been to.

In the most prosperous area of this city, it was a very exquisite and elegant garden, with Chinese-red courtyard walls, emerald bamboo forests, and a charm as deep as poetry.

Chen Shu led Qingqing to walk through it again, whispering to her stories of that world and that era, telling her about his past experiences. He had assumed he would be very charming at this moment and that she would be immersed in the stories he told, but unexpectedly, after she finished listening, she just asked without emotion:

"How old were you when you came?"

"At that time... 21, I guess? Almost finished with university. In that world, you start university at eighteen or nineteen, and it only takes four years."

"Did you come alone?"

"!"

Chen Shu remained calm and glanced to the other side:

"Walk this way."

"Answer me."

"That's not important."

"Answer me."

"When we're being serious, is it appropriate to talk about these things?" Chen Shu dodged the question, "I'm still immersed in the story of my fellow countryman."

"Liar."

"How could I be..."

"..."

Ning Qing looked at him as he quibbled, too lazy to argue with him. She knew what kind of person he was, knew he was sentimental but would not be overly influenced by it, and knew his transcendent personality allowed him to always view these things with a relaxed mindset, so she just continued:

"Answer me."

"Look, look, you probed me so many times before, and today you finally couldn't help it, revealing your ugly face." Chen Shu shook his head repeatedly, clicking his tongue endlessly.

"Answer me."

"Is that the only sentence you know how to say?"

"Answer me."

"If you're an idiot, then say 'Answer me'."

"??"

"You asked, but you don't want to hear the answer."

"..."

"I'm so popular and handsome; the girls chasing me back then could circle this city five times. You don't think I've never been in a relationship, do you?" Chen Shu mimicked her expressionless face, "Come to think of it, you should thank those girls. If they hadn't taught me so well, could you possess such a good me?"

"Shameless."

"You were the one who wanted to ask. I'm telling you honestly, but you don't believe me."

"..."

Ning Qing pursed her lips, was silent for a few seconds, and then asked again:

"How many times have you been in a relationship?"

"Why? I don't believe the Ning Qing of the Zhu Ti Wei Mian hasn't asked this question." Chen Shu's expression was numb, "Don't you have the answer yourself?"

"I haven't asked."

"You want to make me feel awkward again, don't you?"

"..."

"Fine, you succeeded."

"Hurry up and say it."

"Not saying 'Answer me' anymore?"

"Answer me."

"Anyway, I was single when I came."

"..."

Ning Qing's eyes flickered, and she stopped talking.

This person leaned toward her again: "How did that 'me' answer?"

"The same."

"As expected of me, truly smart."

"..."

Ning Qing lightly pursed her lips and continued walking forward.

She wasn't angry, just feeling sour inside.

Someone like her should have been very rational, but facing him, she would always become jealous, to the point of appearing somewhat contradictory. Just as Chen Shu had accused her of earlier—knowing the answer but not wanting to hear it, yet insisting on asking—this was an irrational act.

Fortunately, she had long known the answer and had already been sour time and time again; she could handle it.

She could only hold his hand tightly, gripping it firmly.

The two soon walked to a corner.

There are several halls here, enshrining different historical figures, but today there is one extra building here, with the three characters "Divine Dragon Hall" written on the door.

Chen Shu pushed the door open and looked inside.

In the center was a bronze statue of a divine dragon, with nothing else.

"Did you just come in?"

"I couldn't push it open."

"Oh my, not sour anymore? You adjusted quite quickly."

"Bang!"

"Hehe..."

Chen Shu just chuckled, pulled her closer to him, and stepped inside with her.

"Hmm?"

This Divine Hall contained a strange and high-level energy; when he walked in, this energy in the air became the protagonist of the world, making it seem in his perception as if only the existence of this energy remained, his perception of Spirit Power also became dull, and it made his five senses strange.

He did not know if his proper Spiritual Sense was still effective, but at least in the Thousand Machine Art, the "Absolute Spiritual Perception" as a high-imitation Spiritual Sense had lost its effect.

The detection Spell of the Thousand Machine Art had also failed.

This feeling of being unable to control the surroundings made him very uncomfortable for a moment.

Chen Shu frowned, met Qingqing's eyes, continued forward, walked to the bronze divine dragon statue, and examined it.

In a trance, the bronze statue began to twist and change, as if it had come alive, gradually growing larger from the statue cast of brass, to the point where its head touched the ceiling, and in the twisting, it bit by bit became illusory, turning into an illusory body that seemed to be composed of smoke or ink wash.

Just for a moment—

A giant ink-wash dragon had appeared before Chen Shu; it raised its upper body, its head touching the ceiling, and lowered its head, staring at the two humans below.

Chen Shu had no choice but to look up and meet its gaze.

He only felt that this divine dragon seemed to have been washed out with ink on rice paper, yet its expression was so real, showing signs of old age, possessing its own majesty, and even Chen Shu, who knew it was a man-made object, was intimidated by it for a moment.

Then a majestic, old, and deep voice came out, somewhat hoarse:

"Finally, someone has come..."

"Who are you..."

"How many years have passed?"

"Are you referring to..."

"How many years has Shengzu been dead?"

"Over four thousand years."

"Over four thousand years..." The illusory divine dragon composed of ink wash narrowed its eyes, its face showing emotion regarding time, then it lowered its head again and said, "I am the Wish-Granting Divine Dragon, you may call me Lord Divine Dragon."

"Greetings, Lord Divine Dragon."

"Everyone who sees me can make three wishes to me." The divine dragon lowered its head and stared at him.

"Ah?"

Chen Shu was stunned for a moment; he seemed to have never heard of this kind of power in this world.

The Wish-Granting Divine Dragon half-narrowed its eyes and stared at him:

"You don't understand?"

"Three wishes?"

"I am not willing to say the same thing twice."

"Can any wish be granted?"

"My Divine Power is boundless."

"Emmm..."

Chen Shu fell silent for a moment, sensing the energy that composed it; this energy was somewhat familiar, it seemed to be the Space-Time Energy inside the Crystal, even more powerful than the Tribulation-Facing Buddha or the foreign world power outside, so he fell into thought.

"Hurry up, human."

"Is it three wishes for the two of us combined, or can each person make three?"

"Each person."

"Many thanks, Lord Divine Dragon."

"Hurry up."

"Qingqing, you wish first."

Chen Shu, adhering to the attitude of Qingqing first, looked at Qingqing.

The divine dragon also followed suit and looked at Ning Qing.

Only to see Ning Qing's expression was as cold as ever:

"I have no wishes."

"Everyone has wishes."

"I do not need to make a wish to anyone; there will only be one person who can realize my wishes, and that is myself." Ning Qing looked up and met the divine dragon's gaze indifferently; for a moment, she seemed more like a deity than this divine dragon.

"Awesome!"

Chen Shu couldn't help but say, and when he looked up again, the divine dragon had already turned its gaze back to him.

"Emmm..."

Chen Shu pondered for a moment and finally said: "The first one, I hope that the Plane War we are going to conduct in a few years can be won easily."

The divine dragon's voice remained cold and haughty:

"The second one."

"The second one, I want to possess the ability to travel through the universe, well, at least for two people to travel through the universe, to return to the Earth that Shengzu and I came from. It is the ability; I didn't say I must travel back, just possess this ability."

"The third one."

"I..."

Chen Shu glanced at Qingqing, gripped her hand tightly, and couldn't help but smile, then said to the Divine Dragon: "I want to become a bit more handsome."

Ning Qing was silent.

The Divine Dragon was silent.

A moment later, that vast and aloof voice came: "Very well, I have received your wish."

"Then when will it be fulfilled?"

"What?"

The Divine Dragon looked at him in confusion.

"?"

Chen Shu was stunned for a moment, then also looked up at it and repeated: "My wish, when will it be fulfilled?"

"How would I know that?"

"?? Aren't you the Wish-Granting Divine Dragon?"

"Indeed."

"Then when will you fulfill my wish?"

"Oh, you misunderstood. I am merely the Wish-Granting Divine Dragon; I am only responsible for listening to people's wishes to satisfy my own curiosity, not for fulfilling them," the Wish-Granting Divine Dragon said, still in a haughty and majestic posture. "If you want it fulfilled, go find another dragon."

"???"

Chen Shu was completely dumbfounded.

He stared at this Wish-Granting Divine Dragon, and a moment later, turned his head to stare at the calm-faced Qingqing beside him.

"Did you know about this beforehand?"

"..."

"Asking you."

"..."

"Asking you."

Chen Shu reached out and poked her arm.

"..." Ning Qing was silent for a few seconds, "If you are an idiot, you would say 'asking you'."

"Hurry up!"

Chen Shu continued to poke her, urging her.

"... I only knew that there was such a thing in here, but I didn't know what wish Chen Shu of the Zhu Ti Wei Mian made when he first saw it." Ning Qing paused here, "Now I don't know what he wished for back then either, but at least I know what you wished for: to become a bit more handsome."

"I..."

"?"

"I won't hold it against you..."

"It seems you are quite concerned about your..."

"Cease your nonsense!!"

"What are you all talking about?" The Divine Dragon lowered its head, looking at them majestically, and though aloof, it was very curious, "What does that mean?"

"Nothing..."

Just at this moment, a commotion came from outside.

Chen Shu was instantly alert—

This is bad. He had been so engrossed in reading the Shengzu's Autobiography that he forgot the time and forgot that neither this Square Body nor the Mijing were locked. Once opened, anyone could enter, and Nanzhou had "people," and their strength was quite good.

However, in the next second, he relaxed.

A special Spirit Power fluctuation faintly came from the air, which turned into vibrations upon hitting the body, forming sounds.

It was the Spiritual Sound Projection.

"Where did you bring us?"

"Can you shut your mouth? How many times have you asked? This place is so big, do you know where to go? We can only follow Grandma's intuition, can't we?"

"Amitabha..."

Normally, once this Spiritual Sound Projection was received, it was the same as ordinary sound, just replacing air vibrations with Spirit Power vibrations. But here, because the perception of Spirit Power had become dull, capturing the Spiritual Sound Projection from afar also became somewhat strange.

"There's a door here that's open..."

Chen Shu looked at Qingqing, and Qingqing was also looking at him; one had eyes darting around, the other was expressionless.

Then Chen Shu looked up at the Divine Dragon overhead.

The Divine Dragon wore a majestic expression and nodded slowly.

Chen Shu then decisively pulled Qingqing, circled behind the Divine Dragon's body, and hid.

I, Chen, am also curious.

Qingqing, meanwhile, had no expression and did not resist.

------------------Author's Note------------------

Recommending a book from a fellow reader——