ABFC | Chapter 32: It’s Better for Mu Zhe and I to Part Ways

Wen Ruan returned to the viewing platform with sparks and lightning all the way.

After getting off the fish cart, she cheerfully tidied her disheveled clothes. As she continued straightening them, she suddenly noticed something was off.

She reached out and touched around, her expression changing drastically. “Damn it! My bellyband!!!”

“Maybe, maybe,” Wen Ruan muttered anxiously, spinning in place twice. “It must have fallen into the water earlier when I was in such a hurry.”

Everything else was fine, but if this one fell there. What if Mu Zhe sees it again…

A complete disaster.

Her heart was filled with despair, “From now on, Mu Zhe and I shall remain strangers in this vast world.”

“Should we go back and get it?” 996 suggested awkwardly. “Maybe it’s not too late.”

“It’s too late,” she said sorrowfully, gazing up at the sky. “If I go back now, my dignity will be lost not just at Grandma’s house but all the way to Grandpa’s as well.”

By the time she goes back and forth, the meal will have gone cold.

At that time, will the two of them work together to carve out a dream castle with a bellyband?

That would be so embarrassing…

966 didn’t know what to say, “Then, want to go back in time?”

She was a little tempted and then remembered the extra five points of favorability. Quickly, she said, “Can you control it precisely? Take us back to the timeline where the favorability was increased.”

996 said embarrassedly, “The system is not so accurate yet, it can only go back to an approximate time point.”

“…Then, can we get a discount?”

“Sorry, that’s not possible.”

Wen Ruan faced a difficult choice between social death and going back to the pre-liberation era overnight.

“Forget it,” she muttered, gathering her hair, her mind drifting as she walked down the high platform, heading toward the Canglang Water Pavilion.

“We’re all adults here,” she said, “I believe he will choose to selectively forget some things.”

“He wouldn’t go out of his way to keep it and wait until the next time you two meet to return it, right?

Imagining that scene, Wen Ruan shivered, her face shifting from red to pale, and her steps grew unsteady.

Thus, what Zhu Sha saw at the entrance of the Canglang Water Pavilion was precisely this scene——

A blue-clad young woman walked down the corridor in a daze, her face pale, and her hair still damp with traces of moisture.

Her steps were unsteady, staggering lightly as she floated over, not even making a sound with her footsteps.

She looked like a water ghost that had just climbed out of a lake—one with an exceptionally deep grude.

Zhu Sha was startled and hurried forward, calling out, “Madam!”

Wen Ruan shuddered and stiffly turned her neck. Seeing it was him, and the tension in her chest slowly eased.

“What’s wrong?”

He looked her up and down, his expression serious. “Madam, has something happened?”

She shook her head. “I’m fine.” It’s just that I had a brief moment of social death.

“Your face looks pale.”

Fearing Zhu Sha might overthink it, she twisted a damp lock of hair. “I just washed my hair and went for a walk. Maybe the wind gave me a headache. It’s nothing serious.”

Zhu Sha whispered, “Please excuse me.”

After saying that, he put his hand lightly in her hair, and warmth instantly spread.

Wen Ruan felt a little uncomfortable. She instinctively wanted to push him away but then realized it would be impolite, so she reluctantly held herself back.

Awkwardly, she started to make small talk, “What are you doing here?”

Once her hair had mostly dried, he withdrew his hand and spoke gently, “I came to inform you, Madam, that the Lord has returned.”

Wen Ruan painfully covered her face. “I didn’t need you to remind me, I already know.”

“The Lord is currently in seclusion and may not emerge for a few days.”

“Thank you for your concern,” she forced a smile and said politely, “Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?”

“No need,” Zhu Sha observed her expression, knowing that she was just saying it casually, so he clasped his fists and bowed, “I’ll take my leave.”

Watching Zhu Sha leave, Wen Ruan turned and walked up the corridor bridge. From a distance, she saw Lu Zhu standing at the distance.

She wasn’t sure how long she had been standing there, quietly, without making a sound.

Wen Ruan ran over faster and asked curiously, “What are you doing here?”

Lu Zhu smiled brightly. “I’m fishing, Madam.”

“Fishing?” She glanced behind Lu Zhu, where a fishing rod was indeed placed. Her interest was piqued. “Have you caught anything?”

“What’s the rush? A long line is needed to catch a big fish,” Lu Zhu said, affectionately linking her arm with Wen Ruan’s, and subtly glancing in the direction Zhu Sha had left.

“It’s not time to collect the pole yet.”

That night, He Fengchang’s communication came later than usual. It wasn’t until the third watch that the spiritual stone began to glow.

Wen Ruan tapped her earrings lightly and whispered, “Master.”

He Fengchang’s tone was filled with guilt. “Good disciple, how have you been? These past few days, your Master has been busy with matters concerning the secret realm and forgot to check on you. That was truly my fault.”

“Disciple is doing well, thank you for your concern, Master,” Wen Ruan said with a yawn, then casually asked, “What kind of secret realm are you talking about, Master?

He Fengchang said, “It’s the Li Gu Secret Realm left by the previous Heavenly Dao. It will be open in a few days.”

Hearing this name, Wen Ruan suddenly woke up.

Isn’t this the first stop for our original hero Qi Xingzhi to embark on the road to defy the heavens and change his fate?!

In the original novel, the Li Gu Secret Realm was a wild, undeveloped secret realm that did not belong to any sect.

It is said that a type of fruit called the Wugou Fruit grows within it.

[T/N: “Wúgòu” (无垢) means “unstained,” “pure,” or “undefiled”. So 无垢果 (Wúgòu Fruit) would literally mean “Pure Fruit” or “Unblemished Fruit”.]

Eating just one can increase a person’s cultivation by a hundred year’s.

The hero Qi Xingzhi, with his bodyguard Tao Yaoyao’s help, swept through the geniuses of the major sects and got ten Immortal Fruits.

After this battle, he not only left a “terrifyingly formidable” impression in the eyes of all the major sects, but his cultivation also soared directly to the Nascent Soul stage.

Laying a solid foundation for becoming the leader of the Immortal Alliance in the future.

She felt a little regretful, “I also want to go and see it.”

The hero of this book is both devoted and righteous. More importantly, his looks are said to be “the dream of every female cultivator in the cultivation world”.

I wonder how he compares to Mu Zhe in terms of looks—who’s more handsome?

He Fengchang’s spoke in a gentle tone, “My dear disciple, this secret realm requires a Golden Core stage cultivator to enter. You’ve only just reached the Foundation Establishment stage, so let’s not get involved in such high-level affairs, okay?”

Wen Ruan: …Master, you misunderstood me. I’m going to see the male lead, not to fight and kill.

She suddenly remembered something and asked curiously, “Master, why did you say this secret realm was left behind by the previous Heavenly Dao?”

It wasn’t mentioned in the book.

He Fengchang began to explain patiently, “The Heavenly Dao is not eternal and unchanging; it undergoes succession.”

“When a new Heavenly Dao takes over, influenced by the laws, this world will also give rise to a new batch of secret realms and pure lands.”

“And the Li Gu Secret Realm was born a thousand years ago, during the tenure of the previous Heavenly Dao.”

Wen Ruan started to understand. It was somewhat similar to the saying, “With each new emperor comes a new court.”

This worldview was something she was learning about for the first time, and it intrigued her greatly. She eagerly asked:

“Then how is the new Heavenly Dao formed?”

“Well,” He Fengzhang laughed, “All you need to do is get rid of the current Heavenly Dao.”

This method of succession is way too uncivilized.

Wen Ruan was a little emotional, “For ordinary people, ascending to immortality is already the limit. I don’t know what height I need to reach to kill the Heavenly Dao.”

“Ding Dong~ The task for earning points has been dropped, please check it~”