"…………"
Shen Mo guessed that Qin Moyu would say something surprising, but he never expected that he would still underestimate Qin Moyu's ingenious ideas.
He said with mixed feelings, "It's not that... it's not possible..."
Formations were initially developed to gather spiritual energy when spiritual energy was waning. Over time, they were continuously optimized by later generations, creating various formations for both offense and defense. However, no matter how formations evolved, they were all designed to meet the needs of cultivators in some way. Cultivators who could set up formations had long since abstained from grains, so how could they possibly think of researching a formation that could increase food production?
In theory, places with abundant spiritual energy should be able to increase food production, but whether it can double the yield still needs to be improved on the ground.
but……
"Even if this kind of formation is developed, its practicality will still be very low," Shen Mo said helplessly.
Qin Moyu tilted her head in confusion.
“No matter how much production is increased, it can't exceed the land's carrying capacity. The array materials needed to achieve a large-scale effect are too many, and the effort and reward are not equal.” Shen Mo tilted his head like Qin Moyu, sighed and smiled, “Moyu always surprises me.”
"Childish." Qin Moyu scoffed at Shen Moxue's behavior, but didn't dwell on the previous topic or care about the mess. She lay down peacefully and said, "Come on, tell me the story."
He acts just like a spoiled young master.
Shen Mo found it amusing, yet also felt utterly hopeless, finding Qin Moyu's arrogance incredibly endearing.
He ignored the array manual and lay down next to Qin Moyu, slowly recounting his childhood stories.
It wasn't particularly interesting. Born into royalty, Shen Mo inevitably had to learn many things as a child, including the Six Arts of a Gentleman, which were the most basic. But what impressed him most was not the heavy workload, but the love between his parents.
"Father only shows another side when he's with Mother." Shen Mo looked at the rough ceiling. The things that made him feel wronged when he was a child still made him reminisce. "Just because Mother casually mentioned wanting to see a sea of flowers, Father secretly eloped with her. Although the Southern Kingdom was peaceful at that time and the court only held a meeting once every three days, it's still hard to imagine, isn't it? They had a great time outside, and only remembered that I was there when they came back. I couldn't find them and was afraid that asking others would lead to a leak, so I spent three days in fear."
Although it was a terrible situation, Qin Moyu couldn't help but laugh: "Then Ye Bai, weren't you very aggrieved?"
“Yes, so next time I’ll pester my mother to take me out to play, and then leave my father alone in the palace.” Shen Mo’s lips curled up, and a smile flashed in his eyes. “The only regret is that I didn’t get to see the expression on my father’s face when he couldn’t find my mother in the palace. It must have been very satisfying.”
"That's so nice..." Although Qin Moyu had never met Shen Mo's parents, she could tell from their words that Shen Mo had lived in a very happy family when he was a child.
“I didn’t understand before.” Shen Mo suddenly turned around and saw Qin Moyu’s profile.
"Don't understand what?" Qin Moyu also turned around, and the two looked at each other.
Shen Mo noticed a stray strand of hair at Qin Moyu's temple, gently brushed it aside, and saw his own reflection in Qin Moyu's glassy eyes: "I don't understand why Father seems like a different person when he meets Mother."
She might feel helpless when her mother is angry, struggle with a careless remark from her mother, and even do something unimaginable like "eloping" because of her mother.
Qin Moyu sensed the unspoken meaning in his words and tried hard not to let her smile become too smug: "Then how come you understand now?"
"because……"
Shen Mo moved closer to Qin Moyu and answered all her questions with a gentle kiss.
It was a kiss that ended in an instant, devoid of passion or desire, yet like a goose feather falling on a lake of the heart, creating ripples.
Qin Moyu had absolutely no resistance to this kind of innocent and straightforward approach. He touched his ear, and sure enough, it turned red again, much to his dismay.
To save face, Qin Moyu gave Shen Mo a bear hug and was pleased to see Shen Mo's bewildered expression.
"Since you've already said it, it would be too much for me to keep it a secret." Qin Moyu chuckled, her breath brushing against Shen Mo's neck, causing Shen Mo to widen his eyes slightly.
At first, Shen Mo was still immersed in the close contact with Qin Moyu, but when Qin Moyu started to talk about her time travel, all the romantic feelings disappeared, leaving only heartache.
Qin Moyu's past life was also very simple. He was abandoned at the gate of an orphanage when he was a child. Because he was cute when he was young, many people wanted to adopt him, but he refused them all because he did not want to go to a completely unfamiliar environment and he could not bear to leave the orphanage director.
At that time, Qin Moyu's biggest wish was to earn money to subsidize the orphanage. Who knew that after he graduated from university and started earning money, the director passed away due to illness, and the orphanage was closed. He lived a life where he was the only one who was fed and no one else was hungry. He had no friends or family. When he found out that he had transmigrated, his first reaction was not surprise, but joy.
"I'm really happy to have traveled through time." Qin Moyu buried his head in Shen Mo's arms, his voice muffled, and he was incredibly calm as he recounted his past life.
Qin Moyu never dwells on the past; he only cherishes the people he knows. When familiar people leave, the past leaves him with nothing but loneliness, meaninglessness, and added sorrow.
He saw off the seriously ill director, the dilapidated orphanage closed down, and all the brothers and sisters who were not related by blood found a place to go. He was all alone, but he was quite at ease.
“I have a master now, and I’ve found my mother—although she’s just a remnant of her soul now, and I can’t even wake her up.” Qin Moyu was sincerely grateful for this time travel, because this time travel had changed his life from stagnant to monotonous. “I have you now, and I have many friends, like Shen Sheng… In my previous life, I would never have dared to dream of this.”
Shen Mo finally understood why Jiang Hua wanted to talk to Qin Moyu alone, and also why Qin Moyu could see through the question Jiang Hua left behind at a glance—it was simply because they came from the same place.
A world completely unfamiliar to him.
"Do you find it strange? After all, even I don't know if I stole someone else's life... Maybe there should have been another Qin Moyu, not me..."
This is why Qin Moyu never told her master about her time travel.
In his view, he came into this world the moment he opened his eyes and closed them. Did he, like Jiang Hua, replace the original "Xiang Mei" and occupy someone else's life? Would he return to that empty room and become the lonely Qin Moyu again the moment he opened his eyes and closed them again?
This is the most secret unease and fear hidden deep in Qin Moyu's heart.
"Impossible." Shen Mo interrupted Qin Moyu's wild thoughts directly. He hugged the person in his arms tightly, as if he wanted to meld the person into his bones and blood.
Shen Mo couldn't imagine a world without Qin Moyu. He said firmly, "You are you, Moyu. Believe me, no matter which world you go to, I will find you."
Qin Moyu felt Shen Mo's strong heartbeat, and after a long while, he finally spoke.
"good."
From this day forward, no matter how far apart they are, Qin Moyu will believe that someone will find her.
And that person was named Shen Mo.
…………
Two flowers bloom, each representing a different branch.