Chapter 63
The internet instantly exploded, becoming the hottest topic of discussion.
[In my lifetime!!! Am I seeing this right?]
[Mr. Cao’s original! Where did they dig this up?!]
[I’ve checked it several times. It really is the museum’s official account.]
[Don’t just show it, show us the content!!!]
[It says it was donated by a Mr. Qi. I told you the original Dream of the Red Chamber must have been passed down!!!]
[Let us thank this unknown, great benefactor, Mr. Qi.]
[Is Redology finally getting its grand finale…]
[Grand finale, my ass. Now that the original is out, there will be even more to argue about.]
[I predict this will support a whole new batch of Dream of the Red Chamber analysis experts.]
[To think the original would come to light while I’m still alive. I thought I’d have to wait for my grandson to burn it for me.]
[You could also just wait and ask Mr. Cao in person, hahahaha!]
[Is it just me, or have there been an unusually large number of major events lately?]
[Yes, the first-ever Global Science Summit is being held in the Hua nation. All the top scientists from around the world are flocking here.]
[The president of Country A has already visited the Hua nation three times in the second half of this year.]
[He’s really making himself at home, isn’t he, Little A!]
[Perhaps the era of our Hua nation’s good fortune is upon us!!!]
Recently, the Hua nation was indeed in a state of prosperous growth. Explosive news was popping up one after another. Not only were there technological breakthroughs, but now there were also unexpected developments in the cultural sphere. The people were dizzy from the string of good news. The entire world was also a bit baffled by the Hua nation’s sudden leapfrog rise. Even Country A, which had always been snide and sarcastic, was now playing the part of a well-behaved grandson, having visited twice in a short period to probe for information, and had even applied to use their most attractive new asset: the body repair instrument.
…
The Qilin shook its head, listening to Xia Anran read the netizens’ rainbow farts about it, its fluffy paws elegantly crossed. “Hah, what’s the big deal? We know a lot of things. It’s just that in recent years, Big Brother Yinglong won’t let us go out, so we can’t say anything even if we want to.”
According to the Qilin, it had been walking the mortal world since the Han Dynasty, had met countless famous people, and had been on good terms with many of them. It was just that their clan had a rule that their “outings” had a time limit; they couldn’t stay in the human world forever. So, it would slip out for a trip every few decades. It wasn’t until the modern era that the clan had issued a strict rule forbidding them from appearing before humans casually.
So, for the rest of the day, the Qilin was hounded by Director Huang and the others, who asked it about ancient times. Everyone left satisfied, holding a full notebook, leaving only a drained Qilin lying pitifully on the sofa. Xia Anran, as the divine beast’s designated “spiritual energy supplement,” came over to chat with it.
“It’s probably because after the founding of our nation, becoming a spirit was no longer allowed,” she said, making idle conversation.
The Qilin shot up. “We are not spirits! That’s all just made up by you humans!” After saying that, it asked awkwardly, “Then… what would you do if you caught something that had become a spirit?”
She deliberately scared it. “Wow, that would be a lot of trouble. Usually, they’re captured and then burned with fire.”
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, the Qilin breathed a sigh of relief and said smugly, “Hehe, I’m not afraid of fire. Your human fire can’t burn me at all.” That’s it? It had thought it would be some cruel method. And this was what had made Big Brother Yinglong forbid them from leaving the mountain?
Xia Anran silently found a video on her phone. It was a science blogger simulating a high temperature of several thousand degrees. When a block of iron was thrown in, it instantly turned into molten iron.
The Qilin had probably seen iron before during its wanderings. Its fur immediately stood on end, its eyes wide. It shot up from the sofa and scurried into a room. Humans are too scary!
This led to the scene where, when they were about to leave the prairie and the Academy of Sciences and the History Museum were eagerly asking when the Qilin would be coming to the capital, it clung to Xia Anran’s leg and refused to let go, saying it would not leave this prairie for anything, and even tried to sneak back into the mountain.
“Sob, sob, the humans will burn me to death,” the Qilin wailed, wiping its snot and tears all over her.
“…”
Under everyone’s puzzled gazes, Xia Anran gave a sheepish smile and explained the situation. And then she was met with a chorus of helpless and reproachful looks.
“Little Xia, look what you’ve done. You’ve scared the child,” Professor Gong said, trying to pet the Qilin. The Qilin still remembered this old man who had poked it with a needle and nimbly dodged him. This human is the most terrifying of them all!
In the end, Xia Anran had to take responsibility for her own actions. After she had coaxed it for a long time, it reluctantly left with Professor Gong and the others.
“You have to promise they won’t burn me into water!”
“Mhmm, I promise. They’ll burn themselves into water before they burn you.”
Professor Gong: “…”
The Qilin’s eyes darted around. After seemingly confirming that these humans weren’t lying, it finally slung on the backpack full of snacks that Master Guo had made for it and set off.
…
Only after the Qilin was gone did the system, which had been as quiet as a mouse, finally come back to life.
[That annoying beast is finally gone!]
She poked it. “I knew you were hiding. And you lied to me about being on a business trip!”
[I really did go on a business trip! And part of the reason was that I hate that guy. He’s so smug!]
The system, a real chatterbox, rambled on and on. She gave a few perfunctory “uh-huhs,” and only after it was satisfied and had stopped did she ask where it had gone on its business trip.
[Of course, I went to headquarters! Our progress has been good, and we received praise!]
[Quick, open the app and look! We were selected for the top ten this time! There’s a reward!]
Xia Anran’s spirits lifted. She opened the app and saw that there was indeed a new icon at the top, similar to the WeChat video call icon. “What’s this?”
She tapped it, and a dialog box popped up, asking if she wanted to start a video call and to select a friend.
“This can’t be a video call with the interstellar era, can it?” She was shocked. My god, the system is being so generous this time. When it came to communication with the interstellar era, this app had always been incredibly stingy, with all sorts of restrictions. It wasn’t until Ye Yuxing had awakened his ability to communicate with her that they had been able to bypass the app’s limitations and have more contact.
[That’s right! Aren’t you happy?]
[But there are limits on the number of times and the duration. Twice a month, fifteen minutes each time.]
As expected, it was still the same old stingy app. Xia Anran had already come to terms with it. She couldn’t ask for a better deal!
She immediately sent a message to Ye Yuxing.
…
At this moment, Ye Yuxing was chatting with Qin Feng. It was a rare day of light in the interstellar era. Although it didn’t have the warm feeling of the sun on your skin that Xia Anran had described, the fact that the sky was no longer pitch black was enough to lift one’s spirits.
“Your psychic power has improved a lot recently,” Qin Feng said, leaning against the window. The interstellar era rarely had light, so most people’s skin was exceptionally pale. When the sky brightened, it looked like white porcelain. His voice was also lazy, his whole person relaxed and unrestrained, with a rare, roguish charm.
Unlike other interstellar people, Ye Yuxing didn’t like the long-awaited daylight. Or rather, he didn’t like anything that was different from the norm. He sat expressionlessly in the shadows, out of the light. Qin Feng looked at his stern face and felt annoyed. In contrast to his cold temperament, Ye Yuxing’s appearance was, objectively speaking, very much in line with the definition of “cute.” His features were not sharp at all, but rather had a childish roundness. His eyes, in particular, were round and bright, a very typical shota look. It was a pity his personality was cold and rigid.
Hearing Qin Feng’s words, Ye Yuxing didn’t even lift his eyes. “The tea Host Anran sent is very effective for me.” His psychic power was about to break through to S-class.
Qin Feng had also come this time to say goodbye. The recent activities of the United Star System and the Beastman race had been keenly noticed by the Interstellar Empire. Although they had not yet taken any action against them, for the sake of caution, the Consul General was preparing to send him to the star sector border to stand guard for a period of time.
“How is the mining of the Aler System coming along?” Ye Yuxing asked.
“It’s even richer than we imagined,” Qin Feng said, raising an eyebrow. “The consuls are all very happy. The mined energy has already been successively tested in the army. The number of people who have awakened their psychic power has already exceeded this.” He held up five fingers.
He had also been busy with this matter recently and hadn’t been back to the 115th Squadron much. He had come today partly to say goodbye and partly because Director Li Sheng had been pestering him about Ye Yuxing’s recent situation. Only then did he remember that he had promised to take good care of him, but the two of them hadn’t seen each other in a long time. He felt a little guilty and had come back to check on him.
They hadn’t chatted for long when Xuan Mo’s communication came in, urging him to set off. “Have you set a time yet? Stop dawdling!” Xuan Mo’s loud voice came through, making Qin Feng’s ears ring. He silently moved the communicator a little further away. “Can’t you lower your voice?”
“I miss you, brother! Hurry up and come over, I’m so bored here. Come and spar with me!” Xuan Mo said, rubbing his hands together, already imagining the scene of beating him up.
Ever since the two nations had started cooperating, as the two top combatants, Xuan Mo and Qin Feng had quickly hit it off, both physically and literally. Xuan Mo had gone from his initial disdain for the weak humans to being greatly shocked by Qin Feng’s strength. Especially after both sides had started using the resources from Earth to enhance their psychic power and Horn Power, the two of them had been secretly competing with each other, sparring whenever they had the chance. With the help of honey recently, Xuan Mo was on the verge of breaking through to 3S-class, so the moment he heard that Qin Feng was also being sent to the border, he had immediately called to urge him.
Qin Feng found his shouting annoying and hung up on him. But the moment he hung up, Astaroth’s communication came in.
Qin Feng: “…” Will this ever end?
Astaroth didn’t contact him often, and he was much more serious and proper than Xuan Mo, so he had to take his call.
The moment it connected, Astaroth’s deep voice came through. “You’re going to the star sector?”
“…” Are there really no secrets in the interstellar era?
Qin Feng smiled and asked in return, “How did you know? How many spies have you planted in our territory?”
Astaroth didn’t answer his question, only saying flatly, “The star sector has not been peaceful recently. I’ve sensed some unidentified creatures approaching the interstellar era. If you’re coming, be prepared for the worst.”
Qin Feng’s expression immediately turned serious. “Unidentified creatures? What do you mean?”
“It’s unclear for now. They are still some distance away from us. This information is a thank-you gift for the United Star System’s care of the Alpha System.”
As one of the few 3S-class powerhouses in the interstellar era, Astaroth’s sensitivity was beyond that of an ordinary person.
A while ago, the United Star System had formally proposed a cooperation with him, but to their surprise, Astaroth, who had always had the same idea, had refused. At that time, he had said a meaningful sentence. “Perhaps this interstellar era is not suitable for us. Instead of changing to fit in, it’s better to find a place that truly belongs to us.” After that, Qin Feng had not had any contact with him.
After telling him this, Astaroth had hung up. Ye Yuxing, on the side, noticed that Qin Feng’s expression was a little off. “What’s wrong?”
Qin Feng rubbed his brow. It was really one thing after another.
Before he could explain, the communicator rang again. This time, it was Ye Yuxing’s. He opened it and saw it was a message from Xia Anran. His eyes instantly lit up, a hint of a smile on his lips, and his tone also became a little lighter. “It’s a message from Host Anran.”
[Host Anran]: Yuxing, we now have the ability to make video calls. Please inform the Consul General. Our two sides can arrange a time for a video conference