but……
"So what? I like Momo, not his master."
"Naive." Master Xuanjing sneered. "What if Master Moyu forces Moyu to separate from you? Are you sure your feelings for him are as strong as those for the master who raised him from childhood?"
These words made Shen Yebai's body stiffen.
Master Xuanjing pressed his advantage: "Besides... Mo Yu doesn't really like you that much, does he?"
These words touched on Shen Yebai's sore spot, and he instantly fell silent.
He knew how much Qin Moyu valued the old Taoist priest, and he also knew that if Moyu had to choose between him and the old Taoist priest, Moyu would definitely choose the old Taoist priest. This made his good mood vanish instantly.
if……
if……
If the troublesome person disappears...
Shen Yebai's thoughts raced in a certain direction without his awareness, but were pulled back by reason at the last second.
However, only he himself knows whether he is truly calm or just temporarily calm.
...
On the other side.
Qin Moyu walked towards the library under the blazing sun, completely unaware of the confrontation between Xuanjing Zhenren and Shen Yebai because of him. He put aside Shen Yebai's matter and focused on finding information about the Extreme Cold Land after arriving at the library.
The tower looks elegant from afar, but it looks even more ancient up close. Logically speaking, a place like this, which stores ancient books and martial arts techniques, should be heavily guarded, but there was no one at the entrance of the treasure pavilion.
The vermilion gate was half-open, and through the soft candlelight inside, one could vaguely see a dazzling array of books, but the gate wasn't even locked.
Perhaps there's more to it than meets the eye?
Qin Moyu tentatively took a step towards the door, but nothing happened.
Is there really no guard?
Qin Moyu placed his palm on the door and applied a little force, and the door creaked open.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Tears well up even though we can't see our fellow villagers (…)
Upon entering the library, one is greeted by neatly arranged wooden bookshelves. On each shelf is a wooden plaque with the book categories written in white, such as "Swordsmanship," "Physical Skills," and "Formation." Candlesticks are placed beside the bookshelves, and the soft candlelight imbues the entire library with a sense of tranquility. There are staircases on both sides leading to the upper floors, and futons are provided in various locations for people to rest.
Perhaps it was the wrong time of day, but there were only a few scattered people on the first floor of the library, some sitting on cushions reading books, and others simply standing in front of the bookshelves reading.
The library was completely different from what Qin Moyu had imagined. Its orderly and standardized layout didn't seem like a product of the cultivation world; it was more like a modern library.
Qin Moyu tiptoed in, surprised. It was so quiet that even the sound of footsteps felt like noise.
The further Qin Moyu went in, the stronger her sense of déjà vu became, because there were neat tables and chairs inside that couldn't be seen from the entrance, and the tables were inlaid with light beads, just like the nightlights Qin Moyu used to use when she studied late into the night at school.
Qin Moyu randomly picked a book—or rather, a wooden slip. When she took the wooden slip out of the bookshelf, the two red characters "Borrow" slowly appeared on the book. Qin Moyu found it novel and put the wooden slip back. She then clearly saw that the two red characters had disappeared.
Now Qin Moyu understood why the library was unguarded; it seemed to have a built-in security system. It was hard to say whether there would be an alarm once she left the room.
Once is a coincidence, but two or three times is inevitable. The person who built the library must have been a time traveler.
Qin Moyu felt inexplicably excited.
Although his memories of his past life were much blurred, Qin Moyu still held great hope for his "fellow villager". He carefully circled around one layer, but found no more clues or wooden slips related to the extremely cold land.
So Qin Moyu headed up to the second floor.
The furnishings on the second floor were similar to those on the first floor, except that there were far fewer wooden slips on the bookshelves. However, the smaller quantity meant higher quality. Qin Moyu picked up a few at random and was secretly amazed at how wealthy and powerful the Guanlan Sect was.
Qin Moyu looked up and found that the library had five floors. He went up to the third floor and was surprised to find that there were more people here than on the two floors below, especially girls. They were all in twos and threes, whispering in the corners, and low laughter could be heard from time to time. There were also far more wooden bookshelves than on the two floors below.
Why does the atmosphere here feel so strange?
Qin Moyu quietly walked to a less crowded place—a bookshelf that looked different from the others, full of the vicissitudes of time, with only a few wooden slips on it, and picked one up to look at.
It was a shock when I looked at it; it wasn't a martial arts manual at all, but... a novel?
To be precise, this wooden scroll, disguised as a "travelogue," is entirely filled with accounts of the love-hate relationship between the male and female protagonists. It details how the female protagonist, heartbroken after killing the male protagonist, breaks through to the Tribulation Stage and solitude, reminiscing about her past life. The plot's twists and turns, its bizarre story, and its melodramatic absurdity are in no way inferior to the online novels Qin Moyu had encountered in her previous life.
Qin Moyu thought she might be reading the wrong book, so she switched to another one.
Goodness, this time it's not a romance novel, it's a story of a protagonist who rises to power through trials and tribulations. The male protagonist, named Fen Qi, starts as a lowly servant, encounters numerous adventures, stirs up countless bloody storms, and eventually becomes a powerful overlord.
Qin Moyu was taken aback. How could there be another leveling-up novel within a leveling-up novel? What kind of absurd nesting behavior was this?
No wonder there are so many people on this floor. As expected, there is never a shortage of market for wish-fulfillment novels. As for where these novels come from?
—It must have been done by that "fellow villager".
But why are these books placed in the library?
Qin Moyu put the wooden slip back with a hint of doubt, but a soft female voice suddenly sounded beside her.
"Could you please get that wooden slip for me?"
The speaker was a girl of about eighteen or nineteen years old, dressed in plain white, with her jet-black hair tied up only with a wooden hairpin. She had a beautiful face, and there was a faint sadness between her brows. No one could resist the expectant gaze of her watery autumn eyes.
Qin Moyu rarely chatted with girls, especially such a beautiful one. He scratched his face a little shyly and readily agreed.