CSMCDB - Chapter 75

Chapter 75

"Are you not planning to… Hmm, are you going to keep dressing as a man?" Lin Jinyu hesitated for a moment before rephrasing her question. "That way, you'll be pursued too."

That wasn't entirely out of the question…

[No! Absolutely not!!!] 1947 roared. [You are a Long Aotian! I don't care, you are a Long Aotian!]

But… Wen Yuncheng replied to 1947 in her mind, I can't stay like this for my whole life, can I?

[…] 1947 fell silent. [Then let's talk about it later. There's no need for you to switch back, anyway. It's not like you've fallen for a man.]

For Wen Yuncheng, it made no difference whether she continued to disguise herself as a man or not; it was all the same to her. Wen Yuncheng scratched her head and looked at Lin Jinyu. "I don't need other people to like me. It's very convenient like this… Hmm, as for the future, let's talk about it in the future, shall we? It's good to focus on cultivation right now."

Lin Jinyu was taken aback. She suddenly had a thought. Besides that old matter with the Wen Family, could it be that Wen Yuncheng was dressing as a man to avoid being hit on? Considering how ruthless Wen Yuncheng was toward the female students at the academy, not many girls would dare to confess to her. Even those who had feelings for her kept them hidden.

However, even if Lin Jinyu was a little tempted, it was impossible. There was no way she could implement Wen Yuncheng's method.

Wen Yuncheng was unaware of Lin Jinyu's thoughts. Seeing that Lin Jinyu didn't seem interested in asking further, she let the topic drop. "This way~ I can even help you block some unwanted suitors. Isn't that good?"

Lin Jinyu smiled faintly. In the beginning, the gossip about her and Wen Yuncheng had spread like wildfire through the academy, but now it had gradually died down. As for blocking suitors… it had probably drawn some animosity her way, but it hadn't really stopped anyone. After all, the two of them had publicly stated they were just friends. "As long as you think it's good."

Wen Yuncheng froze. "I… of course I think… it's pretty good." It would be even better if the Little Ice Mountain really had no suitors, and… if the previous rumors about us were true. Wen Yuncheng raised a hand to pinch her ear, which felt a little hot. She didn't know where she found the courage, but she suddenly asked, "What kind of person do you like?"

"…" Lin Jinyu thought about it seriously for a moment. "I don't know."

Alright then… that's normal. Wen Yuncheng muttered to herself, thinking that not knowing was good. It was great… at least she didn't have a definite love rival yet.

The two didn't continue the conversation. This time, Wen Yuncheng had left the academy with Lin Jinyu mainly to purchase daily necessities for the Beast Tide, as well as some new clothes. Now that Wen Yuncheng was worth millions of Star Stones, she no longer had many restrictions when it came to food and clothing.

Of course, the expensive delicacies on the Starry Sky Continent still couldn't compare to the deliciousness of the items from the system's store. This was one of the reasons Wen Yuncheng liked to give Lin Jinyu food from the store.

"Oh, right, try this." Wen Yuncheng suddenly remembered something and spent one point to redeem a small, cylindrical object from the store. She simply tore off the outer paper layer, revealing brown, round, checker-like things inside. She poured a few into her palm and held them out. "It's candy."

Lin Jinyu took one. The taste that filled her mouth made her pause. "It has a very peculiar taste."

The Starry Sky Continent didn't have cola flavor, and it was the first time Lin Jinyu had ever eaten something like Mentos.

Wen Yuncheng gave the rest of the candy to Lin Jinyu. Although the Little Ice Mountain didn't comment, Wen Yuncheng could sense that Lin Jinyu quite liked it.

After they finished their shopping, the two parted ways at the academy gate. Wen Yuncheng was still heading to the Dueling Arena to grind for experience, while Lin Jinyu would continue to practice her sword techniques and forge her sword intent.

However, during a break from her practice, Wen Yuncheng's question flashed through Lin Jinyu's mind. What kind of person do I like?

Warm, sincere, reliable, hardworking, strong…

Marriage? Love? Entrusting her whole life… Lin Jinyu gripped her sword in silence. The only face that came to mind was, surprisingly, Wen Yuncheng's.

She shook her head, a helpless smile touching her lips, and resumed her sword practice.

When the Beast Tide began, Wen Yuncheng and her group arrived with the S-Class. Cheng Jiangliu and Zhao Qiuyu had already graduated. They had apparently wanted to stay at the academy as instructors, but for their first year after graduation, they returned to their families to cultivate for a while, so they weren't present for this Beast Tide.

Upon arriving at the border town, Wen Yuncheng received a mission almost identical to last year's.

[Limited-Time Daily Mission Activated: Slaughter]

[Mission Requirement: Seek a breakthrough in battle]

[Mission Reward: 10 EXP for killing a demonic beast below your star level, 100 EXP for killing a demonic beast of the same star level, 1500 EXP for killing a demonic beast of a higher level. Rewards are halved for cooperative kills.]

The only difference was that the experience for killing a higher-level demonic beast had increased by five hundred.

1947 was encouraging her to go bombard Star Lord-level demonic beasts!

"Senior Lin, can I really not team up with you?" Zhou Yaze asked, still unwilling to give up. His eyes were moist and his face was full of grievance, which made Wen Yuncheng stare in bewilderment. Is this guy a puppy-dog type?

"My apologies." Lin Jinyu had originally agreed with Wen Yuncheng to rest in town for an hour before setting out. But now… she headed directly for the Demonic Beast Great Forest. Wen Yuncheng raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly, activating her Mechanical Wings and controlling her altitude to follow.

As Zhou Yaze watched the two of them leave, his expression shifted, and his face flushed red. He turned and shot a vicious glare at the people around him who seemed to be watching. He felt like everyone was laughing at him, mocking him! But on what grounds? He was the most outstanding elite disciple of the Sky High Sect in recent years! The adopted son of the Great Elder! Even the Sect Master had high hopes for him, believing his future achievements would be no less than that of a Star Venerate!

Looking at all the major sects, he felt he was perfectly qualified to be with Lin Jinyu, whether in terms of talent, strength, or background. And that Wen Yuncheng… she had only achieved what she had by relying on her Star Power Mutation! What could a country bumpkin from a remote, minor family possibly know? She was just lucky enough to have had a marriage contract with Lin Jinyu—

Zhou Yaze had never really taken Wen Yuncheng seriously. In his view, since the engagement between Wen Yuncheng and Lin Jinyu had been called off, they could only be ordinary friends, no matter how close they appeared now. But- but Lin Jinyu had rejected him time and time again… and instead spent her time with Wen Yuncheng. It was hard for Zhou Yaze to convince himself not to be angry.

He clenched his fists so tightly he nearly dug his nails into his flesh. The pain gradually calmed him down.

Lin Jinyu…

Zhou Yaze closed his eyes, walked into a shop in town, and began purchasing supplies for the coming days.

"Are you happy?" Lin Jinyu stopped in the forest and watched as Wen Yuncheng slowly landed beside her using her Mechanical Wings. she asked suddenly.

"Huh? Ah… a little." Wen Yuncheng smiled awkwardly, wondering if she had been that obvious. "I am a little happy. I don't really like that guy. He's always pestering you, and it annoys me."

Lin Jinyu nodded but didn't pursue the topic. She took out a map and pointed to a marked area. "The Crystal Pool Eagle is located between the outer and middle perimeters. We need to cross this stream."

"No rush, we can just walk there. We shouldn't waste any other demonic beasts we encounter, either. Just kill them," Wen Yuncheng said with a nod. Lin Jinyu didn't make any particular comment, which left Wen Yuncheng both relieved and a little disappointed. She thought to herself that she was becoming more and more childish, always acting like a little kid whenever she was with Lin Jinyu.

They discussed and planned a rough route, then set off immediately. From the entrance to the outer perimeter, and from the outer perimeter to the middle, they initially only encountered a few Star Practitioner-level demonic beasts. Later, Wen Yuncheng caught a Star Warrior-level python, and to her shock, the python actually excreted!

[??? What are you thinking?] Wen Yuncheng's shock was so great that it even startled 1947, who had been keeping silent to give the two of them some private time. [Why wouldn't a python excrete?]

But this is the first time I've seen it! Wen Yuncheng was utterly astonished. And… and why does a python excrete like that? It… its… why does it look a bit… like a durian?

[…If you keep this up, I'm going to block you.]

Wen Yuncheng struggled to regain her composure. She glanced at the Little Ice Mountain, but Lin Jinyu was staring at her with a completely placid expression. "I… I've never seen that before. It's novel, novel."

"You really are…" Lin Jinyu murmured, but said nothing more. She drew her longsword and casually sent out a slash of Star Power. Then, she took a step forward, condensed her sword intent, and struck out fiercely!

The moment the second strike was unleashed, the python was so terrified it didn't dare to move. As a result, both the first and second slashes landed squarely on it, cutting it into three pieces.

Wen Yuncheng had initially been planning to make snake soup, but now she had completely lost her appetite.

Without even collecting the corpse, the two of them bypassed the python and continued deeper into the forest.

They walked and fought, taking a temporary rest by a small stream in the evening. As usual, Wen Yuncheng started a campfire and went back to her old trade—roasting meat.

As she turned the stick to ensure the meat cooked evenly, she skillfully sprinkled on various seasonings. Lin Jinyu sat opposite her, watching her quietly, which warmed Wen Yuncheng's heart.

After handing the cooked meat to Lin Jinyu, Wen Yuncheng turned to look into the forest. "There's a Star Power fluctuation over there. Probably a fight."

"Mm," Lin Jinyu acknowledged. In the Demonic Beast Great Forest, people rarely went out of their way to find others, which was why they seldom ran into their schoolmates. After all, everyone was here to become stronger. Even if they sensed a Star Power fluctuation nearby, they would actively avoid it—unless they were deliberately trying to steal someone's demonic beast, snatch their spoils, or commit murder and robbery.

After they had eaten their fill, Wen Yuncheng took out the parts for a C-02 Enemy-Annihilator and began assembling it. Lin Jinyu, on the other hand, closed her eyes and entered a state of cultivation.

[What are you thinking about?]

1947's voice startled Wen Yuncheng. She continued fitting the part in her hand and replied, Actually… my desire to become stronger isn't particularly great.

It was just that at the academy, events occurred every year that pushed her to improve her strength and level up constantly. On one hand, Wen Yuncheng felt that she was being passive, but on the other, she felt that she had indeed worked very hard. It had just occurred to her, or rather, she had belatedly realized, that the time she had left to grow was uncertain.

—Would the Huanling Continent make a move? If so, what kind of move? If they attacked, when would it begin… Wen Yuncheng knew none of it.

'I think, perhaps I can work even harder,' Wen Yuncheng said to 1947 in her mind. She looked at Lin Jinyu and thought, I don't know when the Child of the Plane will appear. Rather than betting everything on a stranger, I'd rather fight desperately to level up myself.

You said before that a true Mechanical Master is worth an army of thousands, right?

[Of course.]

VerseVoyage