Two hours later, Li Chang'an and Zhu Zhuqing walked out of Happy World Amusement Park—this time holding hands. It was clear their relationship had taken a step forward.
Just before they left, Li Chang'an had suggested they try out the haunted house. The only condition for entering was to seal one's soul power. Even someone as calm and reserved as Zhu Zhuqing couldn't handle it inside.
From her initial shriek—"Ah!"—to her panicked cries of "What is that!?", to finally clinging onto Li Chang'an's arm and whimpering, "Chang'an, slow down... don't leave me behind…"
As a man known for being both deeply affectionate and hopelessly flirtatious, Li Chang'an played his role to perfection. In fact, his smooth handling was a result of visiting haunted houses dozens of times—he had refined it into an art.
At first, he walked side-by-side with Zhu Zhuqing, keeping a casual distance. But as soon as she started screaming, he naturally leaned closer. Instinctively, Zhu Zhuqing grabbed his arm.
Seizing the moment, Li Chang'an gently patted her back, then smoothly wrapped his arm around her delicate shoulders, softly reassuring her not to be afraid.
At the climax of the haunted house, the dim lights suddenly went out, leaving only a faint glow in one corner. From the shadows emerged a terrifyingly realistic head with bleeding eyes. That was the final straw—Zhu Zhuqing completely panicked and dove into Li Chang'an's embrace.
Li Chang'an didn't hesitate. He wrapped one arm around her and shielded her eyes with the other, comforting her all the way out.
Back in his previous life, haunted houses didn't faze him, and in this life, he was even less impressed.
Li Chang'an wouldn't outright recommend haunted houses as a date idea, but he didn't oppose it either. If you play your cards right, it can definitely bring you closer.
He and Zhu Zhuqing already had a solid foundation—training her in martial soul cultivation, gifting her immortal herbs to enhance her soul power, even helping her acquire spirit beasts—so today's progress felt like a natural development.
Sure enough, once they exited the haunted house and Zhu Zhuqing's nerves settled, she became visibly shy.
She still remembered everything she did inside. It was so embarrassing. But then her mind replayed how gentle Li Chang'an had been during the whole ordeal… and her heart began to flutter uncontrollably.
'What's happening to me...?'
Li Chang'an, knowing when to stop, immediately let go of her hand after leaving and pretended as if nothing had happened. With a cupped hand salute, he apologized repeatedly. "My bad, I went too far."
Zhu Zhuqing quickly shook her head. "No, no… I was the one who leaned on you first. It's not your fault."
Afterward, he brought her to his own hotpot restaurant for dinner. The two of them cooked their food together, chatting while dipping ingredients. Far from awkward, their meal further deepened the atmosphere built at the amusement park.
Finally, Li Chang'an escorted Zhu Zhuqing back to Shrek Academy. As they arrived at the school gates and were about to part, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly turned to face him. Her normally calm lips parted slightly, and she spoke in a rare soft tone:
"Thank you. I really had fun today. This was the happiest I've been in years… I'll be going now."
That many words were already pushing her emotional limits. As soon as she finished, she turned away. What Li Chang'an didn't notice, though, was that the corners of her lips had curled up ever so slightly as she walked away…
By the time everything with Zhu Zhuqing was settled, dusk had already fallen. Without pausing, Li Chang'an used his ultimate Ice ability to clean up quickly, then vanished on the spot.
Next target: Star Dou Great Forest. Gu Yuena.
When he reappeared, he was near the Lake of Life. However, he couldn't teleport directly to the lake itself—Gu Yuena's spiritual power guarded that area, and not even with the help of the Donghuang Bell could he bypass it.
Still, the moment the bell's power surged, Gu Yuena immediately sensed it was him. As soon as Li Chang'an landed, an almost imperceptible barrier shimmered across the forest canopy—and in the next moment, Gu Yuena appeared beside him, dressed in her silver robes, silver hair cascading down like a waterfall.
"What is it?" she asked coolly.
Though her tone was as aloof as ever, her eyes gleamed faintly when they landed on Li Chang'an. After all, when it came to true friends, he was pretty much her only one.
"Today's a human holiday," Li Chang'an said with a grin. "It's meant to be spent with a close friend of the opposite sex, so I came to keep you company."
He chuckled as he pulled out pre-prepared dishes from his Storage Soul Tool.
He had cooked everything beforehand—he was in a bit of a rush today and didn't want to bother cooking on the spot.
Gu Yuena frowned slightly, resisting the urge to say, What do your human holidays have to do with me? But since Li Chang'an said it was about spending time with a female friend, and since he'd come all this way, she couldn't exactly brush him off.
"Here, give it a try. I made this especially for you before I came. Still fresh," Li Chang'an said as he handed her utensils, silently thanking the miracle of his soul tool's time-freezing ability—otherwise, reheated food would've ruined the whole vibe.
After showing her how to eat the dishes, Gu Yuena followed suit. Li Chang'an had brought out two meat dishes and one vegetable. He deliberately ate only a little, leaving enough for her.
After all, he had several dinner appointments tonight—no matter how strong his body was, there was a limit.
"Well?" he asked, grinning as he watched Gu Yuena devour the food, barely pausing between bites.
"It's delicious. Your cooking is still as amazing as ever," she praised as she ate.
"Then how about I come cook for you more often?" he asked, seizing the chance.
"Wouldn't that be a bit much?" Gu Yuena paused, though her eyes revealed a glimmer of anticipation.
Spending time chatting with this guy, eating his food—it wasn't a bad way to kill time.
"Not at all. I'm bored out of my mind most days. Whenever I've got time, I'll cook and bring it over," Li Chang'an said, waving it off casually.
"Well… alright. Thank you," Gu Yuena replied, no longer resisting. Or rather, her straightforward spirit beast nature lacked the human tendency to beat around the bush.
"You've made good progress lately," she observed. "You've already become a spirit Sage."
She could tell at a glance. Not only had Li Chang'an broken through, but his foundation was incredibly solid.
If humans were truly the favored children of the heavens, then this guy was the most spoiled of them all. Maybe his talk about fighting back against the Divine Realm wasn't so far-fetched after all.
"Oh, I'm flattered. How about you—how've you been lately?"
Li Chang'an was already calculating the time in his mind, but outwardly, he maintained a casual, unbothered expression, chatting leisurely with Gu Yuena.
____
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