Chapter 383: 0241 Self-inflicted and self-endured (two-in-one)
Everyone has things they cannot accomplish, but they still like to show off, and Yun Qian is no different.
For instance, she cannot eat spicy food, yet she insists on having one when Xu Chang’an is eating wontons...
There are many similar things.
She seems to always overestimate her abilities.
——
Yun Qian usually has a lot of confidence when facing certain things, like being able to say she only has a quarter-hour, so she won’t delay important matters.
But in different circumstances, this confidence loses its effect.
For example, Xu Chang’an has much respect for Yun Qian, but everyone has a limit. He often keeps the word "restraint" on his lips, like a diligent old gentleman teaching the lady to be restrained...
Obviously, Yun Qian is not a good student. Not only does she fail to learn, but she turns around to teach the gentleman how to do things, even wanting to define the meaning of "restraint" herself.
For a student who doesn’t listen well, the simplest and most effective method is to use a ruler to smack the palm, pain will imprint the lesson.
The gentleman is now letting the student learn this lesson.
What sound does the ruler make on the palm?
——
Is this a dream?
Xu Chang’an doesn’t know about this.
How much time has passed?
Perhaps a quarter-hour, or perhaps an hour.
A very real dream.
The sky is very dark.
But his eyes have long adapted to the darkness; he can distinguish the outlines of the furnishings inside the room and the facilities outside on the island, even the faint frost on the window can be seen clearly.
The fire basin?
The fire basin went somewhere unknown.
He can feel the heat of the fire basin, but cannot see a bit of flame.
This is normal, after all, nothing happening on the island at this moment can be leaked at all, otherwise... no matter what kind of existence it is, it would be enough to obliterate everything in cognition, then remold it.
That’s why it doesn’t illuminate.
But Xu Chang’an is not among this, he sees everything clearly, naturally including Yun Qian in front of him.
Yet the typically gentle young man avoids Yun Qian’s eyes which emit a light darker than the night—not out of guilt, just that his mind isn’t here.
"..."
Yun Qian did not speak, merely captured Xu Chang’an’s gaze tightly with a slightly dissatisfied look.
She was very tired, didn’t want to speak now, so she lightly sighed, making some kind of decision in her heart.
A quarter-hour, it turns out, wasn’t her confidence.
She shouldn’t be this way in the future, shouldn’t suffer from self-inflicted pain.
By the way.
Her husband often said that cultivating immortality can improve physique.
She will also cultivate immortality.
She should treat this matter as something important and keep it in her heart.
——
Above the Nine Heavens, lightning was densely packed.
The night had dyed the world ink-black, like a giant abyssal mouth swallowing the world whole, attempting to cover all the events happening here.
But upon closer inspection, instead of saying the abyssal mouth wants to devour everything, perhaps... it’s shocked into a daze.
After all, the happenings on the island at this moment are truly astonishing.
And the dark that should have enveloped the world defies its norm, offering a gentle warmth as if from the sun, creating a home-like atmosphere of comfort.
The island before him is essentially Xu Chang’an’s home; there is no reason for it to feel terrifying to him.
"..."
The river of time rarely flows at a regular pace, accompanied by some snowflakes blending into the night—
The sun and awakening of hibernation, all things are revived.
More—
The sun and awakening of hibernation, night surrendering to dawn.
Whether it’s the sun and awakening or the night surrendering to dawn, the explanations in "Ancient Rhymes" on the island are metaphors for... the bad environment passing, and smooth and beautiful times beginning.
What is the bad environment?
Do not ask Miss Yun; she does not find bad and unbearable just like a woman going to an amusement park for a day. Happy is indeed happy, but tired is truly tired.
Therefore.
Even Miss Yun didn’t think that the sunlight would ever be so beautiful to her one day.
Nor did she think she would almost be defeated by Xu Chang’an. Perhaps he is indeed her nemesis, and the world appointing him to deal with her has its strong rational-validity.
But upon closer thought, she is glad, because she rarely saw Xu Chang’an so unrestrictedly happy; fulfilling her wish, she moves another step towards being a qualified wife.
...Hmm.
He should...
Should have been satisfied, right?
Miss Yun no longer dares to think further.
In the aspect of self-deception, she also learned a bit from Xu Chang’an, just not the subsequent introspection.
——
After all the beauty concludes, Xu Chang’an peacefully sleeps in his dream, and then he dreams again.
He dreams of an apocalyptic scene.
A massive net of lightning envelops the entire heavens and earth, everyone raising their heads watching the terrifying sky, and as the dome collapses, where the lightning passes, black cracks appear out of nowhere, flitting in the storm like black dragons constantly brewing.
The thunder roars, brilliance flashes, but even though the lightning is extremely dazzling, it can’t prevent the disaster from occurring—the one from being engulfed by darkness.
Endless swallowing.
Everything between heaven and earth is covered by darkness, including the seemingly divine thunder dragon, which is swallowed entirely by the darkness.
And within such a scene, he is alone in the town looking up towards the sky, quietly awaiting things to occur, seemingly unable to make any slight alteration.
In the whole world, only the street where he stands still has lights.
Xu Chang’an lowered his head, in the palm of his hand, a "vortex" composed of scattered stars was slowly rotating, like a galaxy... as if he was protecting something.