Man on the ark, forced to become king

Once the repairs were complete, the aura vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

"This thing is interesting."

Lin Lu was now truly intrigued. She tapped the shield with her finger, infusing it with a trace of golden power, but sensed nothing.

What is Prajna?

It doesn't matter if he can't tell; isn't there someone we know here?

“Prajna is the ‘ghost’ in the legends of the Eastern Kingdom. You can understand it as something similar to gods like us, but the essence is different.”

"It can devour a person's negative emotions. Its origin is unverifiable, and it is rarely seen."

"This shield is a 'prajna', or rather, a part of prajna."

"Someone melted it into the shield, giving it extraordinary abilities. If I'm not mistaken, the shield, after being infused with Prajna, can absorb the dark side of the wielder's heart and seal it away."

"This thing should exist as a lock. Even if you don't bring it here, it will heal itself, but it may take a long time, unless its owner is willing to unlock its power and let it present its proper form."

"But then the power inside would be... well, it's a very complicated thing. I remember this is that Guard Bureau officer's shield?"

Nian put down her shield and asked curiously. It was clear that although she knew the secret of Prajna, she had never seen it with her own eyes. Her hands kept touching the cold metal.

"It belongs to Hoshiguma."

Hearing her say that, Lin Lu also put his hand on it, but no matter how he probed, he still did not get any feedback. The golden power was flowing inside the shield, and he could not find any trace of the power from before.

Sensing his confusion, Nian chuckled and removed the shield, explaining, "No need to look anymore, you won't find it. The shield is Prajna, and Prajna is the shield itself. How could you possibly find an apple inside an apple?"

"Moreover, this thing can only be used by women. If you want to find its secret, you have to throw the whole thing into the golden tree."

"Only women can use it? Is that sexist?"

Lin Lu was speechless. He had never seen such a strange weapon before. He had seen many weapons with restrictions on use, but this was the first time he had seen one that required a specific gender.

"Since the Prajna itself originates from female ghosts, this involves religious legends from the East, which I'm not entirely clear on. Would you mind if I took it to study for a few days?"

As he spoke, he hid the shield behind his back, clearly excited by the sight of the prey and not planning to return it immediately.

"It's fine to study it for two days, but don't break it."

Seeing how excited Hoshiguma was when she received the new shield, and that she didn't say she was in a hurry to take the Hannya back, Lin Lu naturally had no reason to be in a rush.

However, some necessary reminders are still needed, lest this guy get carried away and break someone else's shield, which would be a real problem.

If it were anything else, even a creation of a god, he could find a way to make a new one to compensate for it. But with Prajna, he really had no way of making a replacement; he couldn't even compensate for it if he wanted to.

"Okay, don't worry, I know what I'm doing!"

Having received permission, Nian grinned and patted his chest to assure her, which made Lin Lu involuntarily glance at him a few more times.

"What are you two doing huddled in the corner? Dinner's ready!"

Melina called from the other side of the table, and Lin Lu looked away and quickly replied, "Coming!"

In the spacious courtyard, Lani, Melina, Xi, Ling and others took their seats around the round table. Wei Yanwu, who was smoking by the courtyard gate, also went over. Chen and Talulah, the two younger ones, sat down on either side of Madam Wenyue.

Theresa walked out of the house carrying two bottles of liquor. Her gaze met Lin Lu's. She raised the bottles in her hands, smiled slightly, and followed behind her, W, who looked drowsy as if she had just woken up. She seemed to be still half asleep, rubbing her eyes, looking completely different from her usual self.

In this way, everyone has arrived.

With so many people sitting around a table, the courtyard was filled with a warm and cozy atmosphere, creating a joyful and harmonious feeling.

Whoosh~bang!

Lin Lu pulled Nian to sit down, and suddenly a series of sparks exploded in the night sky.

The fireworks display in Longmen, having just finished its prelude, officially began at this moment.

In an instant, the night sky seemed to become a natural canvas, with fireworks reflected on it in various shapes and colors, transforming into the outlines of flowers, birds, and animals, creating a lively scene.

Each firework, seemingly carrying people's simplest and most beautiful wishes, intertwines on the same sky, and the flavor of the 'New Year' echoes throughout the city.

With her family by her side, gazing at the night sky, Lin Lu felt a profound sense of peace despite the continuous and somewhat noisy sounds of fireworks, and she drifted off into a daze.

The past and the present overlap at this moment, and a smile naturally appears on my face.

Chapter 200 Different New Year's Eves

"Raise a glass to the bright moon and make three people in the shadows."

In the Grandmaster's Mansion of Yumen City, Chongyue sat alone in the courtyard, with only two small dishes and a pot of strong liquor on the table.

He doesn't usually like drinking. He believes that alcohol and women are harmful to health and can lead to mistakes. Having abandoned his former divine body, he is now just a mortal with limited alcohol tolerance, and he can never drink a thousand cups without getting drunk.

Moreover, even a god cannot always be too heavy to drink. Among the twelve brothers and sisters, even the one who drinks the most and has the best alcohol tolerance will sometimes get drunk.

However, today is an exception.

The vast desert stretches outside Yumen City, and the retreating demons and monsters did not choose to return today, giving this weathered border city a rare moment of peace.

Just a few days ago, Yumen was trapped here and unable to move. The defending general, Zuo Xuanliao, even prepared for the city to be destroyed and for all its inhabitants to die. He sent the soldiers guarding the city to escort the civilians back to their country.

At that time, no one expected that the crisis at Yumen would be resolved in a single day.

...Perhaps it should be said that it was an hour.

From the moment Lin Lu arrived in the city, the golden tree rose from the ground, its light illuminating the earth, until the three-hundred-mile sea of ​​fire burned away the demons, it all took less than an hour.

But once it's solved, it's solved.

Now that Yumen is safe and sound, and with the Spring Festival approaching, those who stayed in the city will naturally have more thoughts on celebrating.

Firstly, to celebrate the enduring strength of Yumen Pass.

Secondly, they wanted to use the festive atmosphere of the New Year to wash away the gloom in the city.

If you were to walk down the street at this time, you would see that Yumen City is exceptionally lively at night, brightly lit, with groups of two or three pedestrians gathered together, chatting and laughing or drinking and making merry, filling up the roadside shops to the brim.

In this vast Yumen Pass, although there are people who live here permanently, there are not many. In addition, Zuo Xuanliao sent many away. Most of those who remain in the city are wandering swordsmen who have stayed again. They have no family or relatives and have no worries. Even those who have brought their families have had their wives, children and elderly relatives sent back to the interior of Yan. Only the young and strong who have not left far away are left.

Therefore, it will be difficult to gather many tables for a family reunion dinner on New Year's Eve.

People who know each other gather together, drink fine wine, and eat a table of food and wine, and that's how the New Year is celebrated. Compared to Longmen, it hasn't lost much of the New Year's atmosphere. The only thing missing is the lively fireworks.

Yumen doesn't have that kind of thing; the desert environment here isn't suitable for setting off fireworks either.

Looking up, all you can see is a seemingly frozen, brilliant starry sky and a shimmering golden tree.

Chongyue could sense the atmosphere at Yumen, but he had no intention of getting involved.

He has lived for so many years, so long, that he has lost count of how many holidays he has experienced, and he no longer has the desire to participate.

Therefore, he only bought two small dishes from the shop, heated up a pot of liquor, and sat alone in the courtyard, enjoying himself.

"It's not three people."

Just as he raised his cup to the moon and sighed, a clear, cold voice sounded behind him. He turned his head slightly and saw that Qiu Bai had arrived at the back at some point.

Logically speaking, given Chongyue's strength and martial arts cultivation, such a mistake should not have occurred, as he was not even aware that someone had come within three feet of him.

However, having drunk some alcohol today, he was inevitably a little tipsy and relaxed, so he didn't hold back.

Stealing a half-day of leisure from a busy life, taking a break now and then, maintaining a balance between work and rest—there's nothing wrong with that.

...It would be even better if Qiu Bai spoke in a more pleasant tone.

"These lines of poetry were written by your younger sister. I borrowed them just to fit the occasion. Why make a fuss about it?"

With a helpless sigh, Chong Yue turned to look at Qiu Bai. It was rare for her not to have a sword in her hand. Her clothes were slightly disheveled, indicating that she had just returned from outside. She was carrying a vermilion food box and a jar of old wine.

"Bought?"

Chongyue felt that something might be wrong. Based on his past understanding of Qiu Bai, she was not the kind of person who would do such a thing. They saw each other every day, and it was already a blessing if she didn't stare at him with that awkward look. Was the sun rising in the west today? She actually bought wine and food?

"It was bought from a restaurant. Today is the New Year, so it should be a little different."

Qiu Bai looked slightly uneasy, as if he wanted to turn his head away, but stopped himself, as if doing so would give him more confidence.

Seeing this, Chongyue couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle, pointing to the stone bench opposite him and saying with a smile, "Sit down."

He knows better than anyone that he's all bark and no bite.

No need to say more, everything is understood without words.

Perhaps today's scene is the first and last time.

He wanted Qiu Bai to go to Longmen to learn swordsmanship from Wei Yanwu. With a famous teacher to guide her, she could avoid many detours. It also meant that she could truly see this prosperous world with her own eyes.

Once you leave, you don't know when you'll return, or even if you'll ever come back.

Once the crisis at Yumen is completely resolved, he will leave the city where he has lived for many years and take a look at the beautiful landscape of Yan Kingdom.

Thus, the world is vast and the road ahead is long; there is no guarantee that we will meet again.

Or perhaps, they will meet again a hundred years later, when everything has changed.

Qiu Bai was unaware of Chong Yue's thoughts. She had never been able to fathom the mind of this teacher who, though not formally a teacher, was in a relationship with him.

I bought wine and food today, not for any particular reason, but just to have a drink together and use the strong liquor to clear my mind.

The young girl's thoughts were confused and at a loss.

Although Yumen was vast, she had nowhere to go and no friends to share drinks with.

So, after wandering the streets for a long time, she returned to this mansion and this small courtyard.