The little girl placed a handful of spiced peanuts into Su Shanjun's hand, then dragged over a stool. She hopped up and sat on it, her eyes full of anticipation as she waited for Su Shanjun to tell a story.
Su Shanjun began to narrate, "The story today takes place a long, long time from now, in a very powerful era. Back then, a young man couldn't find a job after graduation and ended up becoming a foot massage parlor attendant, serving tea and water to people every day."
"Oh?"
Tong Yu tilted her head and asked with a smile, "What was his name?"
"Oh, his name was Lin Fan."
Su Shanjun continued, "The story begins with a pink immersion heater. That day, the pink immersion heater wasn't heating fast, nor was it slow. It was probably because the appliance was too old, its power greatly diminished. As the water bubbled, it wasn't fully boiling, feeling like it was burning into one's heart."
Tong Yu looked bewildered, "Su Shanjun, stop with the nonsense and get to the point..."
"Alright, alright."
Su Shanjun chuckled, "The customer's needs are our pursuit. Here comes the main point. The owner of the immersion heater was a woman, known as the most beautiful woman in Wuzhong. Her name was Xu Lin. Xu Lin was incredibly beautiful, fulfilling the verse from the Book of Songs, 'There she is, by the water's edge.' Oh my, she was fair-skinned and gorgeous, beyond compare..."
As he spoke, Su Shanjun wiped his mouth.
Tong Yu looked at him with disdain.
Just then, Su Shanjun in his dream looked at the scene before him and couldn't help but find it a little amusing. But in the next second, the peaceful and warm scene suddenly vanished. In its place was a dense forest, teeming with level 50 monsters: saber-toothed tigers. Su Shanjun himself had transformed into an assassin clad in peculiar leather armor, two daggers hanging from his waist, their blades glowing with a fiery red light.
"Lin Su!"
From ahead, the sound of horses' hooves echoed through the forest. Then, a stunning woman emerged, riding a spirited horse. She wore dazzling armor, her figure exceptionally graceful, and her face was captivating. One hand held the reins, the other a blood-stained longsword, the blood coming from the saber-toothed tigers in the jungle.
She pursed her lips and chuckled, "Good heavens, you promised to help me level up, and here you are, the top assassin in Henan, just standing there like an idiot, an experience point waiting to happen. You're letting me do all the work, and you're not even ashamed?"
Su Shanjun felt awkward and scratched his head. "Sorry, I was a bit distracted just now. I'll definitely make up for it. Please sit comfortably on your horse, Your Ladyship. Just listen to music or watch a show. From now on, I'll handle luring and killing monsters. You just follow behind and pick up gold coins and equipment."
"Okay, you promised."
The girl tugged at the reins, her horsemanship skillful. She immediately dodged to Su Shanjun's side, leaving a large group of monsters for him. While watching Su Shanjun fight fiercely, she laughed, "Lin Su, if I were to come see you... should I fly directly, or take a car to the city first and then a high-speed train to find you?"
"Either is fine!"
Su Shanjun, working hard to kill monsters, said with hopeful anticipation, "Your Ladyship, have you ever imagined what it would be like to see me for the first time at the airport or train station?"
"Yes..."
The girl's face instantly flushed. "To be honest, I've imagined it countless times. I don't know if my future boyfriend will be some greasy old man!"
"Hey!"
Su Shanjun jumped in annoyance. "What are you talking about? That's impossible! Your future boyfriend is the King of Assassins in Henan, and will surely be the King of Assassins on the national server! How could someone like that be greasy?"
As he spoke, he grinned mischievously. "Have you thought about what you'd wear to see me?"
"Huh?"
The girl blinked, then smiled, "Tell me, which outfit do you like? Whichever outfit you prefer, I'll wear it to see you."
"That one..."
Su Shanjun's face turned red. "The one you took in the mall, the back view photo. A white hoodie on top, with a black bow on your head. That one, hehehe..."
"Hmph!"
The girl chuckled, "Alright, I'll satisfy you!"
...
The next moment, the jungle behind the girl disappeared, and her figure became ethereal. She slowly began to merge with Tong Yu, who was sitting on the stool listening to the story. Their auras became one.
"Ah?"
In an instant, tears welled up in Su Shanjun's eyes.
The one he had searched for countless times was now before him!
At that moment, Su Shanjun's dream ended. When he woke, he knew his time was near. Previously, he had always waited for her. Now, the tables had turned, and it was her turn to wait for his awakening.
Suddenly, Su Shanjun felt a surge of happiness.
The next moment, as Su Shanjun fell from the beam of the Shanjun Shrine, he had already become a peak thirteenth-realm deity of mountains and waters, standing on the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake, even comparable to a great cultivator at the peak of the fourteenth realm!
However, this awakening also signaled that his end was drawing near.
"Swish!"
A streak of azure sword intent pierced the sky, carrying with it a shower of maple leaves descending from heaven, delivering a wispy figure into the Shanjun Shrine. The figure wore a cyan robe and carried an empty silver sword sheath on his back. It was an ethereal spiritual body, incredibly faint.
"Fusu."
He frowned, "Have you decided?"
"Mm, Xi Ge."
Su Shanjun smiled slightly, "It's rare, so rare, for me to be able to walk ahead of her this time. It's very good, very good. Every time, I waited for her to have an epiphany. This time, it's finally her turn to wait for me. It's just like when we were young and pursuing girls; they always made us wait for dates. Hmph, this time, it's their turn to wait for us. Do you know how that feels?"
"I don't know."
The man in the cyan robe scratched his head. "My Yun'er is always punctual, never making me wait even a minute. I haven't even arrived yet, and she's already by the roadside."
"Damn it!"
Su Shanjun slapped his thigh. "This conversation is going nowhere!"
The man in the cyan robe laughed heartily, then his expression turned solemn. "Fusu, this time... it might be a bit different."
"What do you mean?"
Su Shanjun frowned. "In this world, is there anything my Xi Ge can't solve?"
"I'm not a god. Some things truly can't be solved."
The man in the cyan robe said helplessly, "This time, your early epiphany might be a manifestation of heavenly will, or it might not be. But if the plans in the lower realm ultimately fail for humanity, the demon race and Ni Chang's Heavenly Realm will surely cooperate with the Heart Demon Legion to counterattack the upper realm. If the upper realm is gone, then I, Ding Muchen, will have no place to stand in heaven and earth. I might even die in battle like Senior Wang Xu. In that case... I won't be able to gather your remaining soul and plead for a heavenly decree for you again."
"It's fine!"
Su Shanjun was very carefree, saying with a smile, "For many years, I've relied on Xi Ge to plead for decrees for me. Even though I have a thick skin, I'd feel embarrassed. We've been trapped in this world for who knows how long, and it's time for an end. If even Xi Ge dies in battle, then my brother and I will die together. The heavens and earth have an end, why shouldn't our lives have an end?"
As he spoke, Su Shanjun raised his eyebrows slightly. "Besides, why would the plans in the lower realm fail? With that cunning kid Lin Zhao around, the demons' schemes won't succeed. This world won't change. Even if I die, I'll wait for Xi Ge to plead for a decree to resurrect me. No problem."
"Alright, alright."
The man in the cyan robe made an "ok" gesture.
"Ok?" Su Shanjun asked with a smile.
"No."
The man in the cyan robe replied, "There are two letters missing in the middle, otherwise it wouldn't seem profound enough."
"Alright, alright."
Su Shanjun laughed heartily. "I'm leaving now. You should go too, Xi Ge. I want to see her one last time before I die."
"Mm."
The man in the cyan robe spun and soared into the sky, saying, "Wait for me, we will reunite!"
"Definitely!"
Su Shanjun nodded with a smile.
...
Afternoon.
Su Shanjun ascended the mountain.
"Huh?"
Liu Liying was sweeping fallen leaves from the mountain path. Seeing Su Shanjun, she was very surprised. "Shanjun, you've come at the wrong time today. Lunch is long over, so you won't be able to mooch a meal today."
"I'm not here to mooch food or drinks today."
Su Shanjun grinned and said, "Liying, following that kid Lin Zhao, you're really becoming less polite."
Liu Liying chuckled, "Alright, alright, Shanjun, what are you doing up the mountain for?"
"I haven't seen Tong Yu in a long time. I'm coming up to tell Tong Yu a story."
"Oh."
Liu Liying replied, "Tong Yu is practicing her sword at the summit. Shanjun, you can go by yourself."
"Okay."
Su Shanjun drifted up the mountain. He glanced back at Liu Liying bending over to sweep, and said, "Liying, your figure is really good!"
"Pah, pah, pah!"
Liu Liying's face turned red.
...
At the summit.
Tong Yu stood rigidly in a sword stance, all taught by her master Lin Wanhua. However, her sword intent came from Wang Laodao's "Thirty-Six Stratagems." After all, the old Daoist was the originator of military and strategic arts, and his "Way of Strategy" was unparalleled. The sword intent evolved from this way of strategy was indeed more profound than the sword dao cultivated by Lin Wanhua.
Therefore, Lin Wanhua only taught sword techniques, not sword intent. This way, Tong Yu's starting point in sword dao was already far superior to mortal sword cultivators.
"Su Shanjun?"
Tong Yu looked at the elegant Shanjun with his flowing sleeves and couldn't help but smile. "Are you here to tell me a story? Today, I don't have any spiced peanuts ready."
"No, no,"
Su Shanjun sat down on a blue rock. "Today, I'm just telling a story."
"Oh?"
Tong Yu immediately stopped practicing her sword and sat down cross-legged, listening to Su Shanjun's story with great seriousness.
"What story are we telling today, Su Shanjun?"
"Today, I'm telling the story of the last knight on the national server, Jin Xi He Xi, and the strongest assassin on the national server, Shan You Fusu. These two figures, who were considered fifteenth-realm existences in that era, meet and become brothers. Today's story is a bit long, and it's extraordinary. These two are truly significant figures!"
"Significant figures?!"
Tong Yu's beautiful eyes lit up. She straightened her clothes. Since they were significant figures, her attitude needed to be even more respectful.