"I thought that it would be quite a journey to get the stone back after I returned. I never expected that... you guys alone could almost wipe out the Six Harmonies Sect."
Bei Sining paused for a moment: "I won't say much about gratitude, you've really done a great job. I believe it will continue to be good in the future."
Bai Li panicked and cried out, "Your Majesty, don't go! What will we do if you leave?"
Bei Sining said in a deep voice: "Do what you're supposed to do."
The Demon King was dressed in a black robe, the patterns on the hem and cuffs of which were exquisite, making him appear as ethereal as a celestial being. He seemed to traverse spatial rifts without any difficulty, remaining spotless and carefree.
He seemed to have come only to take a stone and give it to his dearest person; nothing else could stop him or hinder him.
It's time for the demon race to relinquish its heavy burden.
Suddenly, Kongque thought that she had watched Bei Sining grow up, watched him show such a sweet expression, and watched him want to be willful for once, disregarding the survival of the demon race and only talking about his own feelings.
In her eyes, this kind of reckless impulsiveness is what love should be like.
Did Bei Sining ever truly love Ruofeng? Even if he did, it certainly wasn't like this now. When he wanted to form a pact with Ruofeng, he went through a tug-of-war with the head of the Six Harmonies Sect for over ten days to exchange for the benefits of the demon race; and before the wedding, he repeatedly instructed the demon race to dress in their finest attire to showcase their strength.
Even playing the zither and reciting human classics were not just for the purpose of getting closer to Ruofeng.
But now, he doesn't care about anything else; all he wants is to go back.
Peacock thought with relief, "Maybe this time... I've really found the right person?"
Children grow up, and elders should learn to let go. The Si Ming Cat clan is the most free, and she should give Si Ning that same freedom…
“Then I’ll imprint the small world here, so I won’t have to worry about not being able to come back in the future,” Bei Sining said.
"Cough cough cough," the peacock choked for a moment, then asked him strangely, "You'll come back?"
Bei Sining frowned: "Did you guys even listen to me? I let Ruofeng go just to avenge my new Daoist partner. He was furious when he heard that, saying he would kill his enemy, but he still didn't break up with me. He even gave up my companion stone and was willing to stay with me. He even felt sorry for me... He really likes me!"
The three demons scratched their heads frantically. Here we go again.
Bei Sining finally clicked her tongue and sighed, "A demon core can't be out of one's body for too long. I have to go back quickly. Otherwise, I could tell you how we met..."
The three demons, their eyes filled with pain, cried out: "You must leave now!"
Chapter 106
On the first day after Bei Sining left, Wen Zheng considered whether he should take leave and wait for him at home.
Bei Sining used magic to stuff the demon core into the pendant he was wearing, so only a faint, brilliant silver light could be seen.
Bei Sining told him that the demon core could not be separated from his body for more than three days, but he needed to find his former world in the spatial rift and break through the world membrane, which would take some time.
"I'll try to be back in two days," he promised.
Wen Zheng considered stopping him, but ultimately didn't say it. He silently watched him gradually disappear into the distorted air, eventually turning into a ripple.
After staring at the air for a while, he tidied up and washed up, but lost interest in making breakfast. He decided to go out and buy something to fill his stomach.
The school curriculum is already quite demanding, and if Bei Sining won't be back for two days, he might as well go to class.
Wen Zheng listened attentively to the classes all morning, but it wasn't until noon that he remembered he hadn't eaten the two steamed buns he bought that morning, and he was starving.
The cooled buns were a bit greasy; a cat spirit would definitely find them repulsive. He casually thought this, and ate the bun, which he knew would be disliked, bite by bite.
"So pretentious," he thought to himself with a smile.
After eating two steamed buns, Wen Zheng wasn't very hungry anymore. He walked along Rongda's main road and suddenly didn't know where to go.
Despite having lived alone for so many years, he had only spent a few months with Bei Sining, yet new habits quickly took over his mind.
He had just stopped to check reviews of nearby fast food restaurants when someone called out to him from behind.
Wen Zheng turned around and met Jian Ming's bright smile.
Jianming wasn't alone; he brought along Zhang Zhenghe, the tall roommate he'd met before. They'd just finished class and were heading to the cafeteria for lunch. Hearing that Wen Zheng hadn't eaten either, Jianming grabbed his arm, beaming, "Great! Haven't you tried the third cafeteria yet? It's delicious! My treat!"
The suggestion was perfect, and Wen Zheng gently pulled his arm away, obediently following him. He glanced at his simple-minded roommate Zhang Zheng's dark expression and chuckled inwardly.
The first time Jianming came to the library, she had just emerged from the shadow of the impending storm, and Zhang Zhenghe was by her side. Tall and burly, with a face full of worry, Jianming was a naive and innocent girl who liked to hold other people's hands or put her arm around their shoulders. Whenever this happened, her good roommate would stare intently at those physical contacts with a gaze that could burn.
So gullible, yet so easily fooled—it's brilliant.
The enticing aroma of food wafted from the cafeteria, and Wen Zheng's dormant appetite returned. Taking advantage of the cat spirit's absence, he planned to eat some dishes that Bei Sining didn't like, so that he wouldn't have to go a long time without them when Bei returned.
After silently thinking about the menu for a while, when he got to the window, Jianming, who was in front of him, ordered in a clear voice.
"Orange rice cake, watermelon stir-fried with pork intestines, tomato stir-fried with mooncakes!"
Wen Zheng: "………………"
He turned around and saw a smile that hadn't yet faded from Zhang Zhenghe's lips.
Okay, I've got it. Wen Zheng thought deeply.
This third canteen, praised by Jian Ming with flowery language, specializes in creative cuisine. Besides dishes whose names sound hellish, it also offers a number of molecular gastronomy dishes. Wen Zheng picked and chose a few items, and the three of them sat down in a corner.
After taking a bite, the taste wasn't as terrible as he had imagined. Wen Zheng thought he would bring Bei Sining to try it next time. He also occasionally discussed basic courses and passwords with Jianming.
As they were talking, someone at a table diagonally opposite them said something. Wen Zheng keenly caught his own name and paused.
"I just don't like the way those people in the class brag about him... Before, when we heard he squeezed into the undergraduate program, a lot of people thought there was something fishy going on. But then we heard he went to graduate school, and suddenly they didn't think anything of it anymore? I just don't understand, isn't that even more suspicious? Wen Zheng graduated from a military academy and wasted so many years of his studies, and then he got into graduate school right after coming to our school?"
"Maybe he really can do it..."
"You know it won't work if you just think about it! What are you thinking?!"
Because Wen Zheng stopped talking, Jian Ming also heard the last few sentences. He frowned and looked in that direction, and was surprised to find that it was the girl in his class who wore blue nail polish. Her uncle was a school janitor? Jian Ming vaguely remembered.
She spread gossip in class that day and was ridiculed by everyone after class. Unexpectedly, she didn't give up and continued to spread rumors and fight for it everywhere!
They're like a persistent ghost!
Jianming slammed his hand on the table, about to go over and yell at the person to leave, when Wenzheng stopped him.
“Brother,” Jianming said, feeling wronged, “We can’t not scold them, otherwise they’ll dare to do it again! In a few days they might post it on the forum. You’re a celebrity, and in a few more days it will be completely out in the open! It will be so troublesome to clarify that, and some people still won’t believe it…”
"They even post on forums?" Wen Zheng asked in surprise.
"Yeah, you've never played it before? I even saw someone secretly filming you in class last time... Hehe, I didn't mean to not tell you, but bro, do you mind?"
Wen Zheng ignored him, searched for a while, and then turned the phone face down.
“I didn’t say I was going to let them go,” Wen Zheng said. “I meant I would go myself.”
Now, his identity represents more than just himself; being among so many soldiers, fallen researchers, and fallen heroes is both an honor and a constraint. Minor squabbles might be one thing—no one can be liked by everyone—but maliciously spreading rumors is intolerable.
He had just searched on the forum and, sure enough, there were people secretly using abbreviations to criticize him for getting into university through connections—and there was more than one post. Letting it go was definitely a bad idea. He wasn't afraid of anything now, so he quickly finished the rest of his meal, grabbed his phone, and walked to the table diagonally opposite him.
"Now I know what privilege is. Wen Zheng is a prime example of privilege, relying on his... holy crap."
The girl with the nail polish was tapped on the shoulder. Turning around, her heart suddenly raced, followed by embarrassment, shame, anger—a complex mix of emotions. This manifested on her face, turning a deep purplish-red.
"What is it?" Wen Zheng asked, simultaneously opening his phone and swiping to a forum screenshot, asking without any preamble, "Did you post this?"
When I looked closely at the nail polish, I almost fainted.
Yes, she did post this. She was so proud of herself that she said in the post that her uncle was a school janitor and had inside information!
Because of her uncle, she often hears gossip and complains about him; almost the whole grade knows about it...
She didn't think much of it when she posted it; she was just venting. Who would have thought that the person she was talking about would hear it and then confront her with evidence, asking if she had said bad things about him?!
The nail polish seller was about to explode with frustration, internally cursing whoever had brought this trivial matter to light!
Seeing the shiny nail polish, he blushed and remained silent. Wen Zheng continued, "Spreading rumors is no small matter. Your casual words have had a great impact on me. Please delete the post now and apologize to me."
Nail Polish dislikes people like Wen Zheng who seem calm and rational; it makes her, who is easily agitated, seem ridiculous. The other person is aloof and perfect in every way, making her own jealous face look even uglier in comparison.
The more she thought about it, the more unbearable it became. In a moment of impulsiveness, she forgot her fear and deliberately retorted, "Who said I'm spreading rumors? I think you got in through connections! You're a big hero now, and the school leaders are all fawning over you. How could they possibly release information that's bad for you? Don't treat us like fools—oh dear."
Her best friend kept tugging at her sleeve anxiously, and finally pulled so hard that she fell down.
His already short stature was further chilled by Wen Zheng's condescending gaze.
"..." Wen Zheng stared at her for a long while, and just as the nail polish was getting goosebumps and wanted to run away, he finally spoke: "None of you are convinced?"
The eight people at the table exchanged glances upon hearing this, and apart from two or three who shook their heads under pressure, the rest remained still.
"I understand," Wen Zheng said. "I'll do the practice questions live on stream."
"……ah?"
***
Recently, Xuanyuan Tianlu's career has taken off, for a rather unusual reason: he has become a sycophant at Z University.
The streamer who used to curse eight hundred times a day suddenly became a hero who saved the world. Xuan Yuan Tian Lu said, "Exciting!"
Low-class men have their own way of surviving. Xuan Yuan Tianlu became a follower of the one who was about to cause a storm, so deep down he admired strength. In peacetime, there aren't many leaders that people are willing to follow. After learning about Wen Zheng's secret identity, he suddenly felt like he had unlocked his full potential.
From then on, the various people in the live stream who routinely called him a loser, a coward, and shameless after losing bets suddenly discovered that the furious Xuanyuan Tianlu had a new way of dealing with things.
"Yeah, I lost a bet with Z." "That's right, I cheated on Z, and he got so angry that he made a bet with me!" "I not only played Survival of the Fittest with Z, but I also played Survival of the Fittest with him!" "Z helped me build this live stream room."
Those in the know were speechless and disgusted, finding no more enjoyment in criticizing him, and left in droves.
The new recruits who came later seemed quite happy to listen to his daily blatant flattery, even though it was a bit disgusting to hear, though the words were crude but the meaning was sound.
Just then, Xuan Yuan Tian Lu's agent resigned, and after some consideration, the platform reassigned him to Wen Zheng's former agent. Their relationship immediately became closer; the two would occasionally go out for barbecue and brag, and when drunk, they would tell everyone they met, "You know what? I know Wen Zheng!"
Today, Xuanyuan Tianlu just started his live stream and, as usual, first took a look at Wen Zheng's live stream room.
He has a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks and is not good-looking, but he is very good at saying nice things.
"The weather's nice today. Yesterday's forecast said it would be a bit hot in Rongcheng at noon. I wonder if Z has taken off his layers yet? Even though Z's livestream room is black today, I can feel that unwavering resilience from that black screen. It's a kind of composure, a kind of depth. Black is Z's disguise, his protective color. Do you know why Z loves wearing black so much?... I don't know either, but I guess being low-key and having depth are qualities he pursues... What? Z is online!?"
Just as Xuanyuan Tianlu was about to close the page, a notification that the streamer had come online flew by with special effects, so fast that even a blind person could see it.
He was as excited as if his team had scored a dramatic comeback goal. He tilted his chair to the ground with a thud and shouted, "Z University is here! Against this backdrop of darkness, with his wild and unrestrained spirit, he's here!"
Bullet comments:
Is this really necessary...?
-Damn, although I'm excited too, can you shut your dog mouth, you idiot Tianlu?
-I'm worried for Z. Is Tianlu going to turn into a fanatical obsessive fandom? But why is Z airing this now? Isn't he in school? I think I heard that.
-He's a student, at Rongcheng University. My friend said he even saw him on campus! Is he going to be livestreaming himself eating lunch at this hour?