They gazed into the distance, watching Qingchen and Chen Jiazhang fall and get up again and again on the ridge.
After an unknown amount of time, the children of the gods saw the two small black dots disappear on the mountaintop.
"They succeeded!" Qin Yiyi suddenly jumped up!
The children of the gods erupted in cheers, grabbing each other's arms: "They succeeded!"
The Second Elder said, "Cheering for the knight seems a bit... wait, are they crazy? What are they trying to do?"
Right now.
Qing Chen and Chen Jiazhang stood side by side on the mountaintop, looking as disheveled as two dogs panting, yet they smiled silently.
However, just as everyone else was cheering for them, Qing Chen took out two sets of ski equipment from his backpack: "Everyone thinks that reaching the summit is the end of the knight's path, but this is only the beginning. Old man, can you still manage?"
Chen Jiazhang chuckled and took the snowboard, saying, "Who are you calling an old man? You weren't even born when I was going through a life-or-death situation."
"A hero shouldn't dwell on past glories," Qingchen said, putting on his snowboard. "Shall we go?"
"Walk!"
Qing Chen was the first to leap down from the golden summit of the snow-capped mountain: "See you at the bottom!"
See you down the mountain!
Standing atop the mountain, Chen Jiazhang watched Qing Chen's figure disappear into the distance. He suddenly realized that it had taken him ten years to see the person he once was.
He put his goggles back on, stretched his body, and jumped.
Chapter 762, The World Kyung-jun Prepared for His Younger Brother
Inside the fire pit, Qingchen, Chen Jiazhang, and the others had already come down from the snow-capped mountain.
With more than ten people around the fire as witnesses, the two knights completed the ordeal and returned to the valley.
Qing Chen's Knight's Path has already reached Rank A. He was wrapped in bandages, the scent of herbs overpowering the smell of blood, and although he had frostbite on his hands and face, he was exceptionally energetic.
Chen Jiazhang was different too. The old man was no longer slovenly. He combed his messy hair together. Although this brush with death had not brought him any real benefit, he had regained his spirits.
The group sat around a fire pit made of black stones, smiling broadly as they warmed themselves by the fire.
Qing Ji asked, "Can you come with me now?"
"Did my brother spend his last moments with you? Is that why the Shadow Gate appeared in your hands?" Qing Chen asked.
Ke Qingji shook his head: "It wasn't me, but he instructed me to leave the Shadow Gate to him."
"Is the white ginkgo leaf on your chest a tribute to my brother?" Qingchen asked.
Qing Ji nodded: "The forty-nine days are not over yet."
Qingchen said, "Do you have any more ginkgo leaves? Give me one."
Qing Ji seemed to have expected Qing Chen's request. He took out a ginkgo leaf from his sleeve and handed it to Qing Chen: "Wear it."
Qingchen carefully pinned the ginkgo leaf to his chest and gently stroked it with his index finger.
The Shadow Gate was like an endorsement; it was Qing Zhun using a forbidden object to tell Qing Chen who was the most trustworthy person.
Qing Chen trusted Qing Zhun's judgment, so Qing Ji's invitation to go to City 5 was definitely not malicious.
Qing Ji was not an enemy.
"Fourteen days, you can arrange it however you like. I also want to see what you plan to have me do," Qing Chen said calmly.
Qing Ji glanced at him sideways: "No need to be too nervous. It's not like we're forcing you to go to the battlefield. I'll give you ten more minutes to explain things."
Qing Chen first looked at Da Yu and Zard: "After we get back, I'll trouble you to find the bodies of Arthur and Li Yunze and see if they have any forbidden items on them. Then take their bodies to Midway Island. Also, I need to ask you to help deliver the Blood of the Gods to Luo Wanya. Ni Ergou will be waiting for you at the foot of the mountain to open the Key Gate for you."
Zard was heartbroken: "Does this mean we have to part ways already?!"
"By the way," Qingchen looked at Dayu again, "Don't stray too far from Zard. He's not very bright and is easily targeted. The shroud is in your hands. If anything happens to him, be sure to save him in time. You two should go to the wilderness settlement to help Yangyang out."
Da Yu curled his lip and said coldly, "I don't need you to remind me."
Qing Chen then looked at Chen Jiazhang: "Uncle-Master, where do you plan to go next?"
Chen Jiazhang countered, "You're forcing me to face a life-or-death challenge; surely you have some other plan in mind?"
Qing Chen said, "The final life-or-death challenge doesn't necessarily have to be challenged in the outer world."
Chen Jiazhang hesitated, but didn't ask any further questions.
Qing Ji opened the Shadow Gate and sent Da Yu, Zard, and Chen Jiazhang away.
The Shadow Gate opened once more, awaiting Qing Chen.
Qing Chen looked at Qin Yiyi one last time, hesitated for a moment, and finally said only, "Take good care of yourself."
After saying that, he turned and walked toward the Shadow Gate.
Qin Yiyi moved to walk towards Qing Chen, but was held back by the Grand Elder.
He only let go after Qing Chen disappeared into the shadow gate.
Qin Yiyi said with a wronged expression, "I finally got to see him, what are you doing!"
The elder said in a low voice, "Did he say much to you when he left? Didn't you hear his identity? People who want to become the head of the Qing family only have ambition and power in their hearts. Their lives are dedicated to their cause, and you are not part of their future!"
Qin Yiyi pouted: "He just doesn't have time to think about these things right now. I understand him. He has so many people to care about, so he can't think about these things."
"Little ancestor, stop trying to comfort yourself," the elder said, exasperated. "Go back to your room and rest."
Qin Yiyi went back to her room in a huff.
The elder was still worried and felt that he had spoken too harshly, so he followed after him to offer some further comfort.
He opened the door, only to find that Qin Yiyi was nowhere to be seen, and the windows were wide open.
The Grand Elder jumped three feet high in a fit of rage: "What a disaster!"
Without a doubt, Qin Yiyi must have secretly slipped away to find City 5.
This girl has always been very opinionated.
She could sneak away from her family to the hearth back then, and she can sneak away to City 5 now.
...
...
Countdown 80:00:00.
Qingchen walked out of an alley and looked at the bustling street and the signs everywhere: Xiaolongkan, Dalongyi, Longyaomei'er, hot pot and noodle shops everywhere.
There's also Jiafu Overseas Chinese Foot Bath and Massage.
This city felt different to him; it had a stronger sense of everyday life and was more lively than other places.
Even the holographic projection overhead showed long chopsticks and a steaming hot pot, with red oil bubbling and rolling in the pot, which looked very satisfying.
However, there's one problem: the variety of dishes stewing in that pot seems a bit limited...
Immediately afterwards, Qingchen saw PCE agents patrolling in the city, something rarely seen in other cities.
Moreover, Qingchen suddenly noticed a problem: half of the people in the city were carrying white ginkgo leaves.
Qing Ji walked slowly ahead, and Qing Chen asked, "I thought you would take me directly to Ginkgo Mountain."
Qing Ji said expressionlessly, "I need to show you this city; it's Xiao Zhun's wish."
Qing Chen was taken aback: "My brother's wish?"
“That’s right,” Qingji nodded. “After you left the inner world for the outer world, he had another chance to see that person.”
Qingchen knew that the so-called "that person" probably referred to Yan Liuyuan.
Qing Ji continued, "At that time, Xiao Zhun was already a shadow. He asked that person: What is the outer world like? Will Xiao Chen feel uncomfortable returning to the inner world? What entertainment activities are there in the outer world? What do people in the outer world eat? What is the most delicious food? What are people in the outer world doing?"
The person replied: "The best food in the outer world is hot pot with butter and noodles. The people in the outer world are also quite different from those in the inner world. They can walk freely on the streets and are very safe. People in the outer world live relatively well, without so many loans and pressures, and no one will cut your kidney while walking on the street. The entertainment activity of people in the outer world is washing their feet, which is quite comfortable."
"So, Xiao Zhun made a deal with the patriarch: he could continue to be the shadow of the Qing family, but City No. 5 had to be more like the real world—it needed hot pot restaurants, foot massage parlors, its people had to be a little more prosperous, and the roads had to be a little safer. He didn't want it to be worse than the real world when you returned. So, despite pressure from various factions, the patriarch issued some special laws for the city: tax cuts, subsidies, guaranteed supplies, and increased crime-solving rates..."
“Those tangible benefits were remembered by the people, so when they learned of his passing, a quarter of the civilians brought ginkgo leaves to pay their respects.”
Qing Chen stared blankly at everything around him. No wonder this city was so strange and so different from others.
The older brother used what he had heard from Yan Liuyuan to build this strange city for himself.
Kyung Joon, being part of a class, has no power to truly change the world. All he can do is make City 5 more like the real world, so that when he returns there, he won't feel so alienated.
The other party had promised to give him the whole world when he returned, so first of all, it had to be a world he liked.
So, upon arriving in City 5, Qing Ji didn't take him to Ginkgo Mountain. Instead, he went to the city to see all that Qing Zhun had done for him.
This clumsy way of giving left Qingchen speechless for a moment.
Qingchen asked, "Are you and my brother close?"
Qing Ji thought for a moment and said, "It's alright."
"What do you mean by 'not bad'?" Qing Chen asked, puzzled.
“We don’t see each other often, I wouldn’t die for him, but I would avenge him, that’s ‘not bad’,” Qing Ji said.
Qing Chen then asked, "Do you know the containment conditions for the Shadow Gate?"
“I know,” Qing Ji glanced at Qing Chen, “I have a child, Qing Wu is my son.”
“Where is Qing Wu? It seems he has been missing for a long time,” Qing Chen said.
“Cultivation is the most important of the three things a martial artist does in his life,” Qing Ji said.
"What are the remaining two items?" Qing Chen asked curiously.
"The second thing is to pass on your skills to the imperial family after you have cultivated yourself. The third thing is to have children so that your lineage will not end and your legacy will not be broken," Qing Ji replied expressionlessly.
"It really is... an indescribable life goal," Qingchen remarked.
At this moment, Qing Ji led Qing Chen to a dilapidated building.
Qingchen felt a pang of emotion: "This used to be where my brother and sister-in-law lived?"
“Yes,” Qingji said, “It’s still the same here. A mute servant comes to clean every week. Don’t worry, no one knows you live here. You can stay here in peace and then go for a walk around. No one will bother you.”