Love, Gun, Cupid

"no thanks."

Lin Jiade felt a pang of bitterness; he couldn't share Kapok's secrets with others. Jianlan kissed his forehead and went back to work on the 17th floor. A short while later, Dujuan took her place, exclaiming in surprise, "Kapok? That's really wild!"

"You heard us talking?"

"No, it's the energy within you that hasn't yet diminished to nothing that tells me this. I think you already know the secret we've been keeping about the kapok tree... about the fact that the kapok tree has no sexual characteristics."

"So, is Kapok a man or a woman?" Lin Jiade asked.

Du Juan shook her finger: "I don't know. What I can tell is that the kapok tree has undergone systematic transformation, turning itself into a completely different human being... or rather, a kind of device disguised as a human."

"Why do this?"

“There are motivations that can drive a magic researcher to either modify themselves or be modified by themselves. Since Kapok has already revealed herself to you, hasn’t she told you why she has become this way?”

“No, I was startled when you took off your clothes, senior.” Lin Jiade ran his fingers through his hair. “Flat, with the outline of a human body but smooth surface, nothing there. I don’t know how to define Kapok, it’s too strange.”

Jasmine's challenge is race, Gladiolus's challenge is life and death, and Kapok's challenge is gender. It sounds like gender is easier to overcome than race or life and death, and is within the tolerance of social morality. However, Lin Jiade's troubles about gender are actually above race and life and death.

Jasmine is a dragon, Gladiolus is a lich, but at least in appearance and function they are women. As for Kapok, it is neither a man nor a woman nor a second chair. Lin Jiade is troubled about how to view the other.

When Jasmine returned from evening self-study, she was surprised to find that Lin Jiade had already gone to bed. She ate something, read and studied, and an hour later, she crawled into bed. She smelled the scent of kapok on her boyfriend, a scent that permeated Lin Jiade's entire body.

How long has it been and you've already added another one?!

Jealousy made Jasmine open her mouth, her teeth about to land on Lin Jiade's shoulder... She held back, because surrounded by the smell of alcohol, Lin Jiade's face was full of sorrow.

It wasn't until Thursday that Lin Jiade was able to process the shock from the kapok tree. Unfortunately, even the mimosa tree disappeared afterward, preventing Lin Jiade from further investigating the truth.

With a renewed sense of spirit, Lin Jiade and Du Juan, disguised as Jasmine, arrived outside the train station, where Du Juan's sister, Wei Ying, met them. Wei Ying had blonde hair and blue eyes, and her medium-length hair was divided into two sections at the neck, with the ends forming spiral curls that hung down to her chest.

Wei Ying was pretty with fair skin, and her figure was similar to Jasmine's—petite and flat-chested. So even though she was wearing hot pants and a tank top, Lin Jiade didn't have the desire to give her a second glance.

Lin Jiade compared her image with that of Du Juan and found that the only similarity between the two sisters was arrogance. Wei Ying's arrogance was more direct. She used her body language to tell Lin Jiade that she did not want to have too much interaction with him.

So just as she disliked Lin Jiade, Lin Jiade disliked her too. When they walked, the cuckoo kept them apart. On the train, the cuckoo remained in the middle, while the reed warbler only clung to the cuckoo's arm as they spoke.

Du Juan tried hard to find common ground, but the deeper the conversation went, the more Lin Jiade and Wei Ying discovered about their differences. Du Juan covered her forehead and said, "So, what exactly is Jasmine worried about?"

Two hours later, the train arrived at the station. Lin Jiade bought a city bus ticket to the county seat below, and then took a bus from the county seat to the towns below. Civilization was being downgraded in their eyes, while the natural scenery became more and more beautiful. Even in winter, some plants still did not wither, stubbornly resisting the winter.

The warbler, who had been looking grumpy, softened, and the cuckoo seemed to be filled with longing. Lin Jiade asked curiously, "Isn't there such scenery in the celestial realm?"

Du Juan shook her head: "We have transformed our planet. Even the sky is just a simulation of a composite dome. The surface has been completely opened up, and the natural scenery is monopolized by the ruling class, symbolizing their power."

She then turned to the reed warbler and said, "Now you can understand why everyone is willing to come here to find a job. This place is far from the heavens, but we can do whatever we want here and are respected."

"Sister, you can't dream of traveling back to elementary school just because you didn't do well in high school and using the information gap to become the king. Even if you beat the elementary school students, you won't be worthy of respect... um."

Du Juan reached out to tickle the reed warbler—or rather, Lin Jiade saw her infuse the reed warbler with pink energy. The warbler, seemingly oblivious, desperately begged for mercy under its sister's ministrations, revealing its endearing side. Under the spell's influence, they could laugh and play freely without worrying about disturbing others.

Upon arriving at the station, Lin Jiade could already see his parents' silhouettes through the train window, and he excitedly waved to them. Du Juan nudged Wei Ying, who reluctantly cast an invisibility spell, but actually followed behind them to reunite with Lin Jiade's parents.

With the vote count complete and both sides combined, England is predicted to win.

Chapter Six Visiting Relatives

Lin Jiade's parents both worked in the power system, but he didn't know exactly what they did. He only remembered that they became very busy after he went to university.

Sometimes during the phone call, when they said they were doing well here, their tired voices brought tears to Lin Jiade's eyes. Of course they were doing well, just as he was listening to their news without feeling tired or crying. He was deceiving himself, just to maintain the other's happiness.

Parents understand their children better than children understand their parents. Looking at his parents, Lin Jiade noticed their faces were tanned dark by the wind and rain of the outdoors, and their skin was lined with wrinkles bearing the marks of time. He realized then that his parents were beginning to age.

At this moment, their wrinkles curved into joyful angles. Not only because their son had arrived, but also because he had brought his girlfriend. Lin Jiade's slight displeasure at their petty-bourgeois manner was swallowed up by the surging emotions in his heart.

"Uh, this is Jasmine, my...girlfriend," Lin Jiade introduced. "Jasmine, these are my parents."

Du Juan faithfully played the role of Jasmine, clinging to Lin Jiade's arm like a little bird. Lin Jiade gave his parents the "gifts" he had bought—actually magical potions that were good for their health. These things were made by Jasmine under the guidance of Jianlan.

Lin Jiade couldn't let his parents know about magic, but he could use magic to benefit them. Seeing them accept the gift, he breathed a sigh of relief, and he didn't need to say the speech he had prepared.

Lin Jiade first took "Jasmine" to the only hotel in town and booked two rooms. "Jasmine" didn't think much of it. After removing her invisibility, Wei Ying looked at the unsatisfactory surroundings, frowned, but didn't say anything.

"You can wander around for a bit first. After Lin Jiade and I finish dinner, we'll go for a walk in the mountains together," Du Juan said.

"How many people?" Wei Ying asked.

"The two of us, he's going to teach Jasmine... Wait, Weiying, how many times have you blown up the school?"

Wei Ying glanced quickly at Lin Jiade and nudged Du Juan: "Sister, don't talk about this, it's embarrassing!"

"I remember you studied swordsmanship at the education group run by the Tongtian Sect Leader?" Du Juan said.

Wei Ying pouted: "And they're also caught in a market war with Yuanshi Tianzun's education group. Both sides have to prove that they are the ones who understand education the most, so they are stepping up their efforts to arrange for their students."

Swordsmanship is a key program in the Tongtian Sect Leader's educational group; after all, even the chairman himself carries a Qingping Sword, so we sword-wielding students are in for a rough time.

Du Juan laughed and said, "It's worth it. Look, once you graduate, you'll be able to blow up the school."

Wei Ying was a little embarrassed: "That was because I was immature and got excited. Please don't say it anymore, it's really annoying."

You bombed the school in a moment of impulse? Where did you come from, you terrorist?!

Lin Jiade took a step away from Wei Ying. Just kidding, he and this little girl were never compatible to begin with, and she couldn't control her violence. She didn't like him, so Lin Jiade should be thanking his lucky stars.

Wei Ying impatiently flicked her hair curler: "So, what exactly do you want to say?"

“I want you to instruct him in swordsmanship,” Du Juan said, pressing on Lin Jiade’s shoulder. “Your sister wants to write the best novice Cupid thesis in the history of the school, and she’ll have to count on him.”

Wei Ying looked Lin Jiade up and down and shook her head: "It's not that I'm unwilling to teach, but it's too late. The golden age for Homo sapiens to learn knowledge is only a few years. Once it's missed, his life is already set. We can make some minor adjustments, but we can't fundamentally change it."

“That’s what I’m proud of, because I’ve fundamentally changed his life,” Du Juan said.

Wei Ying glanced at Lin Jiade with jealousy and said to her sister, "Is it really necessary to go this far?"

"This is something that makes me happy."

“Alright, for my sister’s sake.” Wei Ying looked at Lin Jiade. “Let’s do a test tonight and see what your abilities are.”

“Wait, what’s my opinion?” Lin Jiade asked.

"My sister is really good at fighting. You're getting a free teacher. What's there to be no more interested in such a great deal?"

"Sister, who exactly is your family?" Wei Ying asked.

Du Juan walked over and gave the jealous Reed Warbler a close hug. Reed Warbler stuck out her tongue at Lin Jiade, making him chuckle. She might be strong enough to destroy the Celestial School with a sword, but her mental state seemed to be equivalent to that of a fourteen or fifteen-year-old human.

"Thank you. I'll have to put in a lot of effort for you during this time," he said.

“Lin Jiade has decent willpower and is among the best in terms of resilience among novice magic researchers. He also has a lot of combat experience; he has fought to the death with advanced magic researchers and top-level sorcerers. The fact that he is still alive and standing here is enough to convince you of his tenacity,” Du Juan said.

“Indeed, he should be proud of this experience,” Wei Ying said.

Having settled things with Wei Ying, Du Juan took Lin Jiade's arm and set off, asking with a smile, "What's your impression of my sister?"

"At first I really didn't like her, and I thought it would be fine to keep my distance when we were on the train, but now my opinion has changed a bit. Although she doesn't like me, she can give relatively objective evaluations of me, and she won't say 'that' or 'that'."

“She is the only one of my younger siblings who survived. Because of this special experience, my parents spoiled her a bit, you could even say they spoiled her too much. When she blew up her alma mater, Mars High School, they only gave her a verbal reprimand once,” Du Juan said.

"It seems she listens to you."

"When our parents went out to work, I took care of her the most. In the anime/manga world, she's a bit of a sister complex."

Lin Jiade nodded: "No wonder you were somewhat hostile towards me."

The town wasn't big, and the two of them quickly arrived at the staff dormitory of Lin Jiade's parents. Du Juan got into character and awkwardly helped Lin Jiade's mother cook, while his father chatted with him casually.

“She’s my junior from school,” Lin Jiade was trying to reconcile the image of Jasmine in her parents’ eyes. “When I saw her, I knew she was the only one for me, so I started pursuing her. At that time, her family had some troubles, which were actually quite tough, but she overcame them. I still receive allowance from her.”

“If you don’t have enough money, ask us,” Lin’s father frowned. “You’re always spending other people’s money. How can you be so shameless? They treat you well, so you have to be wholeheartedly devoted to them in return.”

"Uh-huh."

Lin Jiade outwardly agreed, but inwardly apologized, because his behavior was morally reprehensible in the eyes of ordinary people: including but not limited to dating a minor girl, being kept by her, and quickly cheating on her with a mature lich woman...

"If I told you, I'd probably break your legs," Lin Jiade thought.

Chapter Seven: The New Coach

The meal was a great success for both the host and guests. Du Juan handled Lin Jiade's parents' curiosity perfectly. Despite being too short and slender, which seemed mismatched with Lin Jiade's physique, she successfully reversed her physical disadvantage and left a good impression on them.

"If you like it, we won't say anything." They instructed Lin Jiade, "Treat that girl well, don't waste her money, take good care of her, understand?"

Lin Jiade was somewhat helpless; the emotion of a reunion always quickly faded after a few hours of lecturing. He said, "Between Jasmine and me, who is your child?"

"Of course it's you, but you're all grown up now, a man, so you have to take on more responsibility. Take care of yourself and stay safe."

“Okay, you too,” Lin Jiade said. “No need to see me off, I’ll come back to find you tomorrow.”

He waved goodbye to his parents, who watched him walk quite a distance before returning to his dormitory. Du Juan naturally moved closer, and the two strolled together through the quiet town, experiencing an atmosphere different from the city.

“Here you can see a starry sky that you can no longer see in the city,” Du Juan said, pointing to a brighter star. “It’s very close to the heavens, only 17 parsecs away.”

"So the celestial realm is in such a faraway place?"

The distance beyond his comprehension made Lin Jiade's imagination detach from reality, and he continued, "How long does it take you to travel between the two planets?"

"About 4 hours. On September 9th, the day I met you, I left home in the afternoon, traveled through the teleportation portal to the capital of District 18, completed the entry procedures, and then started wandering around District 18. That evening, I met you, and that's how our story began."

The two returned to the inn. Wei Ying was playing a celestial game console; the game's 3D projection appeared vividly in the air, seemingly a 3D bullet hell game. Seeing the two return, Wei Ying put down the console, spread her wings, pulled out a sword, and solemnly handed it to Lin Jiade, holding it out with both hands.

Seeing the other party's serious attitude, Lin Jiade also raised his hands to take it. He looked at the weapon in his hands. It was about the same length as the sword that had been destroyed, but heavier. Its crimson blade reflected a long, cold light.

"The standard training sword for fencing at Mars High School, I've removed the safety device, and it's actually lethal. Although it's a sword I've used for a year, I've maintained it well," said Wei Ying.

"Thank you."

First came the toy gun that the cuckoo no longer played with, then the practice sword that the reed warbler no longer used. The celestial weapon that outside the system of magic researchers envied fell into his hands, making Lin Jiade feel like he had become a high-quality swill recycling center.

However, the more high-quality swill the better; when it comes to appearances versus substance, substance is of course more important.

"Let's try injecting energy?" said the reed warbler.

"How much?" Lin Jiade asked.

"Inject as much as you can."

It seemed the test had begun. Lin Jiade tried a gentle swing, channeling energy into the blade. A flame appeared on the surface, growing stronger with each infusion of energy. Sweat beaded on Lin Jiade's forehead.

As he reached his limit and donned the mask of pain, Reed Warbler reached out a finger and plucked a flame, licking it from her lips as if it were a marshmallow. A few seconds later, she said, "That's enough."

Lin Jiade gasped, his mind going blank. After pouring all his energy into Wei Ying's weapon, he stumbled backward and plopped down on the bed, finding his clothes soaked with sweat.

"How is it?" Dujuan asked.

“It’s very strange. His foundation was very poor, but someone imprinted swordsmanship into his body using the same method as eating instant noodles. Then, he had a trace of sophisticated and violent sword intent remaining. This sword intent damaged his body because he was incompatible with it,” Wei Ying said.

Lin Jiade felt the same way. The sword intent was Kapok's way of saving her life, but it was given to him to use. He instantly displayed the exquisite swordsmanship of a master-level magic researcher. Soon, he found that he could not control it because his body was so weak.