After the Heavenly Dao returned to its position, the Weird retreated back to the inner world and could no longer break through the world’s rules to reach the outer world.
Humanity began post-disaster reconstruction work, and the first thing they did was to judge the guilty and commend the meritorious.
Thanks to Yun Xueqing’s influence, Fu Wuxuan, who had tagged along as a world savior, happily enjoyed this soft rice.
Back home, Fu Wuxuan bit into the medal in his hand. “It’s real gold. Does this count as our first pot of gold?”
Amused by his own corny joke, he looked up to see Yun Xueqing staring at the television.
The screen was commending the meritorious individuals. The news had been playing for three days and nights, with large photos of Yun Xueqing and Fu Wuxuan still displayed, surrounded by endless praise that had worn out their ears.
Fu Wuxuan found it odd. “What are you still watching?”
Yun Xueqing didn’t speak but pointed at the television.
The television was broadcasting the news, and the host’s serious and solemn voice came through. The next breaking news report was about those who had committed errors during the apocalypse.
There was no need to mention Strategy God Heavens; they were naturally rounded up entirely.
Leng Yin, the Temple Grand High Priest, had acted radically after Leng Xian’s incident, becoming extreme in his actions. Due to forming cliques for selfish purposes and openly opposing the authorities, he was sentenced to three years in prison.
Fu Wuxuan was somewhat familiar with Leng Yin, so watching this news left him with mixed feelings.
Yun Xueqing watched the following report and read it aloud. “Zhongse, for colluding with Strategy God Heavens and seriously neglecting his duties, was sentenced to life imprisonment for endangering humanity.”
He turned off the television. Fu Wuxuan acted as if he hadn’t heard, casually stretching lazily. “Got nothing to do. How about we go fishing later? We can make a full fish feast and invite Wu Xue over to eat with us.”
Yun Xueqing didn’t want to dwell on the heavy topic just now, so he went along with it. “Sure.”
With everyone busy with post-disaster reconstruction and the authorities stabilizing the currency system, only these two were extremely leisurely. They grabbed a bucket and two rods and headed to the riverbank.
The suburbs were sparsely populated, with few disturbances.
Fu Wuxuan baited the hooks and sat on the grass, waiting for the fish to bite.
Gazing at the azure sky, verdant mountains, and clear waters, all the previous troubles seemed like a breath of stale air that he fully exhaled, lifting his mood.
He hooked the corner of his lips, his tone carrying a hint of excitement. “This view is pretty nice. If I had professional equipment right now, I’d definitely take a great photo of us.”
Yun Xueqing looked at him curiously, and Fu Wuxuan continued nostalgically. “I studied photography before, so I’m pretty good at taking photos. The most interesting one I took was on the main road—wild boars lining up to fall into a stinking ditch…”
It had only been a few years, yet it felt like a lifetime ago.
Yun Xueqing quietly listened to him recount trivial stories from his past, chiming in occasionally.
Fu Wuxuan was an interesting person; even the most insignificant events became entertaining in his retelling. Yun Xueqing listened and chuckled lightly from time to time.
After hearing so many stories, curiosity inevitably arose. “Were you always this unserious before?”
Fu Wuxuan put on a serious face. “No way. I used to be a proper person.”
He embellished a few more tales with flourishes.
By the end, he hadn’t let Yun Xueqing know that he had actually been a very routine, ordinary person in the past.
After all, he didn’t want to appear ordinary in front of the one he loved.
Once the stories wound down, Fu Wuxuan asked, “What about you? What was your life like before?”
Yun Xueqing felt there wasn’t much to say—just practicing swordsmanship on the mountain and attending classes.
These were boring matters, yet Fu Wuxuan listened intently and finally sighed, “The life of a cultivator is truly enviable!”
Right after saying it, he paused for a moment, then smiled in realization.
The ordinary pasts they each thought of were special landscapes the other had never shared.
Half a day passed, and the sun was nearly setting, when Yun Xueqing suddenly felt puzzled. “Why hasn’t a single fish bitten yet?”
Fu Wuxuan smiled and explained, “Because our talking scared the fish away.”
Besides, he wasn’t even sure if there were fish in this river.
But it didn’t matter. What was important wasn’t the fish, but the time they spent together.
Fu Wuxuan thought contentedly, only to see Yun Xueqing frown slightly. “We can’t return empty-handed.”
They had promised a full fish feast.
Fu Wuxuan hadn’t yet understood what he meant when Yun Xueqing suddenly stood up and formed hand seals with both hands.
A beam of white light fell into the river, as if not light had dropped but a deep-water bomb. It directly upheaved the calm river surface!
The water exploded outward, and several fish were blasted out, landing directly on Fu Wuxuan.
Fu Wuxuan, who was hit squarely by the fish: “…”
He fished out the one that had burrowed into his collar and wiped the water from his face, only to see Yun Xueqing completely spotless. Fu Wuxuan’s mood was complicated. “…How come you’re fine?”
Yun Xueqing’s expression was flat. “I cast the Water Avoidance Incantation on myself.”
The water here wasn’t particularly clean; he didn’t want to get dirty.
Fu Wuxuan: “…”
So he cast it only on himself and not on me?
Fu Wuxuan suspected the other had done it on purpose, but thinking of how upright Yun Xueqing was, he couldn’t possibly prank him—it must have been an oversight.
Comforting himself psychologically like this, the next second, he caught the faint smile at the corner of the other’s eye that hadn’t yet faded.
Fu Wuxuan: “…”
He quirked his lips, his smile somewhat dangerous. “You’ve learned to be naughty.”
His hand still held a fish, inevitably carrying a fishy smell. He casually set the fish on the ground and reached with his somewhat dirty hand toward Yun Xueqing’s waist.
Yun Xueqing didn’t dodge in time and was fully embraced by him.
Fu Wuxuan focused on rubbing the fishy smell onto the other’s clothes when he heard Yun Xueqing’s voice tremble slightly. “Don’t… don’t touch!”
Fu Wuxuan stiffened all over, suddenly realizing he was hugging the other. Just as he was about to let go, he heard Yun Xueqing feign composure. “Quick… quickly let go.”
Suddenly, Fu Wuxuan didn’t want to let go. Instead, he hugged tighter with both arms, confining the other in his embrace.
As Yun Xueqing was about to use force to break free from Fu Wuxuan, he heard the other’s tone gentle yet unable to hide its desire. “Let’s go home. Tonight, we’re eating fish.”