Chapter 29: An Invitation from Feng Lingcan
“Could it be aliens?” Not wanting to embarrass myself, I decided to argue back a little.
The bookworm calmly looked at me. “Unfortunately, aliens are also humans. You see, humans were created in the image of gods. They are the highest form of intelligent life in the cosmos, aside from gods. How could you humans think that some slimy, slug-like, or fish-like creatures possess higher intelligence? The only alien setting I can accept is from Avatar. Hmm… that blue beauty is quite pretty, with her long, slender tail…” The bookworm dreamily stroked its toothpick, as if it were stroking the tail of the Avatar princess. Uh… are you in love with the princess, or just her worm-like tail?
“What were the gods doing when these worlds were being destroyed?” I asked, glancing around, easily spotting a world in the midst of destruction.
The bookworm snapped out of its daze and said indifferently, “Watching.”
“You were just watching?!” I slammed the desk, flipping it over. The bookworm floated amidst the flying book pages. “Does watching us humans destroy ourselves make you happy? Huh?! Like watching a disaster movie without having to buy a ticket! You watch us destroy ourselves again and again just to gain experience for becoming gods! How many lives have been sacrificed for your godhood?!”
“Calm down, calm down,” the bookworm said, standing on a floating book page, waving its toothpick. “Do you know about the butterfly effect?”
“Of course I do.”
“You actually know?” The bookworm’s eyes popped out in shock, like it had just seen a baby start talking.
I glared at it. “Is it that surprising that I know something?”
It blinked its bulging eyes. “You know the butterfly effect, but you don’t know there are cities on the Moon?”
“I-! Why are you still hung up on that? My brain isn’t connected to Baidu! How am I supposed to know every piece of technological news?”
“Fine.” The bookworm retracted its bulging eyes and waved its toothpick. “To be honest, the gods have tried to save humanity from destruction before. They’ve even used time resets. But, just like the butterfly effect, things only got worse each time. In the end, destruction was inevitable. In other words, even gods can’t stop you humans from destroying yourselves!”
“To hell with you—!” I slapped at it out of frustration. Even if it was something not even gods could prevent, its tone was infuriating.
Slap! It instantly disappeared after I hit it. I stood there, hands on my hips, fuming, surrounded by the fluttering book pages and countless worlds. Why show me all this? Why make me know? I could have just lived carefree, only worrying about what to eat next. But now, seeing these worlds being destroyed filled me with a sense of helplessness. A pain I couldn’t stop.
Splash! Suddenly, a huge droplet, the size of a yoga ball, fell from above and shattered a world in front of me. I was completely stunned. What the heck?
Looking up, I was shocked to see droplet after droplet falling. Splash! Splash! Splash! They shattered countless worlds around me. The water around my feet kept rising, submerging my legs. The water was warm, and… wait, why was it sticky?
“Ahh! The books are getting soaked!” The bookworm floated out, frantically trying to escape, and then it glared at me. “How can you sleep so messily?!” It angrily raised its toothpick like a knight charging with a lance, aiming straight at me.
I was confused. What did the flooding have to do with how I slept?
“Ouch!” It stabbed me hard in the face, jolting me awake. My eyes were immediately hit by blinding sunlight. I squinted, unable to open them fully, but in the haze, I saw a figure sitting in the golden light.
Shielding my eyes with my hand, I adjusted to the light. Then, I froze. I could feel something wet and sticky at the corner of my mouth. Uh… So this is what the bookworm meant by “messy sleeping.”
I was lying on the book pages, and… I had drooled all over them.
Rustle. A napkin floated down in front of me, like a golden butterfly gently falling. For a moment, I was stiff, then I quickly grabbed it, turned away, and wiped my mouth. My face instantly turned red. Who was sitting next to me? How embarrassing. If it was Mo Ming, I wouldn’t mind so much.
“Hehe…” A soft chuckle reached my ears, and my whole back stiffened. I recognized that laugh—it was Feng Lingcan.
Blushing furiously, I hastily covered the book, wiped my mouth, and turned back with an awkward smile. “Senior Feng Lingcan, shouldn’t you be resting more?”
Bathed in the radiant sunlight sat Feng Lingcan, a member of the royal court, as dazzling as ever. He looked at me warmly, his smile in the sunlight even more captivating, making my heart skip a beat under his gentle gaze.
I sat there, stunned by his tender smile. He sat next to me, his dark eyes filled with kindness, watching me. Even though I had just embarrassed myself, it seemed to have no effect on how he saw me.
He said nothing, just continued to look at me with that same gentle expression. His silence made the classroom feel extraordinarily quiet, so quiet that I thought I could hear the sunlight flowing around us. The stillness made the air between us feel almost thin.
My heart started to race under his long, gentle gaze. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was embarrassed or because I was flustered from being watched for so long.
“Senior Feng Lingcan?” I tried to break the silence that was making me blush and my heart pound.
His warm gaze revealed a complex mix of emotions, along with a hint of concern. He reached out his hand, and I instinctively leaned back. He paused, then placed his hand gently on the desk beside me, looking at me with gratitude and concern. “Were you hurt yesterday?”
“No!” If his unusual behavior today was because I saved him, I hoped he didn’t know I got injured. Given his personality, he would definitely blame himself. I didn’t want to see him feeling guilty, because I was simply repaying him for all he had done for me. I didn’t want to owe him even more.
“Really?” He leaned in closer, and I moved back a little, nodding. His expression suddenly became serious. “You’re lying! I saw you block that sword for me!” He raised the hand that had been on the desk and grabbed my right shoulder. I frowned immediately, and he let go, worriedly looking at me. “Is it here?”
His hand reached out again, and I quickly waved it off. “No, really, I’m fine! It’s already healed.” I covered my right shoulder. His dark eyes filled with guilt, just as I expected. “It’s my fault you got hurt…”
I looked at him, then smiled and released my hand from my shoulder. “Senior Feng Lingcan, don’t blame yourself. It’s my own fault for not being strong enough. I should practice more, maybe… read more books.” I glanced at the towering stack of books beside me. Even though I had resolved to study hard, just looking at them made my head hurt again.
Orz… I’m really not cut out for studying. Just seeing those books makes me feel miserable…
“You’ve been pushing yourself too hard…” Suddenly, a warm hand rested on my head. I froze. He gently patted it, letting out a soft sigh. “I’m the one who’s a god, I should be protecting mortals like you. But in the end, you protected me. Xiao Lan, do you want to join the royal court?” His tone suddenly became serious.
I looked at him in shock. He withdrew his hand and looked at me intently. “I think you can make it into the royal court. Join me, and I’ll guide you.”
I stared at him, stunned. He continued to gaze at me, his burning eyes filled with unwavering conviction.
How strange. Senior Feng Lingcan seems different from before. Although he was always kind and gentle, I could still sense a certain distance between us, a sort of aloofness, as if he kept a polite distance.
But today, that feeling was gone. His gaze held more sincerity. This change must have come after what happened yesterday.
Logically, this should be a good thing. It means he truly sees me as a friend now, or perhaps a brother, or someone on his side. But this newfound closeness feels a bit unsettling.
Especially since he suddenly suggested I join the royal court—who there could I possibly deal with?
“No, no, no.” I turned my face away, breaking from his gaze. “I’m not qualified. Even if I were, I wouldn’t dare.”
“Why not?” he asked gently.
“Fusu and the God of Light, for one.” I glanced at him. He chuckled. “Heh, true. I originally thought we could get closer…”
“Senior Feng Lingcan, please don’t dwell on what happened yesterday,” I said, looking away, clasping my hands together over the thick book. “Everyone went to rescue you. I just happened to be the one who found you. You’ve always helped me, even though we’re unrelated. You’re a god, and I’m just a mortal. But you and Senior Bai Ying have always looked out for me and even kept my secrets. So, saving you was only natural. I’m glad my abilities were finally useful.” I turned to smile at him. His dark eyes shone in the sunlight, filled with pride and joy for me.
He stared at me for a moment, then lowered his gaze slightly. “By the way, what were you reading in the book just now? Why were you crying?” He looked back up at me, his black eyes filled with curiosity, not the complex emotions from before. His simple gaze made me feel at ease. I looked at him, puzzled. “I was crying?”
“You were,” he confirmed.
I turned my face away, confused, touching my cheek. “I thought I was just drooling.”
“Hahaha!” He laughed heartily beside me, making me feel even more mortified. I turned away, covering my face with one hand, my face heating up again. Why did I have to show this embarrassing side to the senior I respect the most? I’m so ashamed I could die.
“Tell me, why were you crying?” His soft voice came from behind me. He’s always so gentle with people. He truly is the best senior in all of Xianyu Academy.
I turned back, only to be startled and take a step back, my heart racing. Senior Feng Lingcan’s face was so close to mine that, when I turned, I almost brushed against his nose. Luckily, my reflexes had improved from all the fighting.
