The two of them sat back down on the scenic viewing bench.
However, Meng Qianyu was in no state of mind to quietly watch the meteor shower now.
Her head was filled with the chaotic scene from earlier.
Just thinking about it made her face flush red again.
They sat there like that for over ten minutes, and the meteor shower's frequency had also diminished compared to before.
Su Yang glanced at the time and spoke up, "Qianyu, it's past one. Should we head back?"
"Oh... okay, sure."
"Let's go then, get in the car."
Hearing the words "get in the car," Meng Qianyu gave a slight tremble.
She hurriedly hopped off the bench, walked to the passenger side, opened the door, and got in.
Su Yang packed up the tripod and camera, then closed the trunk door.
Coming to the rear, he opened the back door and looked in; the somewhat messy back seat had already been tidied up by Meng Qianyu.
He placed the camera and tripod on the seat and was about to get in when, in the distant dark night, that flash of green light flickered again.
Su Yang tilted his head, squinting to see, thinking to himself, 'What on earth is that thing? A wolf? Probably not. Could it be... a strange fire?'
"Brother Su Yang, why aren't you getting in?"
"Oh, wait. I saw that green light again. You wait in the car for a moment; I'll go take a look."
Meng Qianyu, her mind still in disarray, wasn't concerned with fear at the moment and nodded, "Alright, but don't go far. Just take a quick look and come right back."
"Okay."
As he spoke, Su Yang turned on the car's headlights, closed the door, and walked towards the spot where the green light had flashed.
"Why does it feel so much like the 'strange fires' from novels?"
"Could this be some kind of miraculous encounter for me? The strange fire enters my body, and I become a cultivation master from now on?"
Muttering nonsense to himself, Su Yang walked quickly into the darkness.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a black shadow tinged with green light flashed past about several dozen meters ahead and to Su Yang's left.
He quickly focused his eyes and shouted, "Who's there?!"
"Dammit, that felt like a person..."
"No, can't go over. Qianyu is still in the car."
Afraid this eerie thing might be a trick to lure him away, Su Yang didn't advance further. He just stood in place, observing.
After watching for a minute with no reappearance of the green light, although he wasn't afraid, the unknown still involuntarily stirred a trace of unease deep within.
Su Yang stopped looking and turned back towards the car.
After getting back in the car, Meng Qianyu turned her head and asked, "Was there anything?"
"Nothing much. Probably just a wild wolf. Never mind, let's go back to the inn."
"Okay~"
Su Yang stepped on the gas, turned the car around, and drove back the way they came.
After driving for a stretch, he began to feel something following behind the car.
However, the rearview mirror showed only pitch black; nothing could be seen.
Thankfully, this thing hadn't approached to peek while they were chatting in the car earlier, otherwise Su Yang would have definitely dragged this creepy thing out and dealt with it tonight no matter what.
After speeding forward for a distance, Su Yang no longer felt the sensation of being followed.
He let out a breath and sped towards the direction of the ancient town.
......
Over twenty minutes later, Su Yang drove back to the parking lot at the north gate of the ancient town and parked the car.
Then, the two got out and walked side by side back to the inn.
Along the way, Meng Qianyu didn't talk incessantly with Su Yang as before; her mind was still constantly replaying the scenes from earlier.
Unconsciously, they arrived back at the inn's rear courtyard.
Su Yang saw Meng Qianyu to her room door. "Get some sleep soon."
"Mhmm~" Meng Qianyu nodded. "You should rest early too."
"Okay."
"Goodnight, Brother Su Yang~"
"Goodnight."
After bidding each other goodnight, Su Yang quickly returned to his own room.
Tossing his bag on the sofa, he took off his clothes, went into the bathroom, and took a shower.
Ten minutes later, after drying his hair, he entered the bedroom bare-chested, lay down on the bed, and soon fell asleep.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning at 8:30.
Messages in the WeChat group chimed, waking Su Yang.
He rubbed his eyes, sat up, and opened his phone to look.
Liu Bo: @everyone, brothers and sisters, time to get up! We should head out to the next stop.
Ji Bo: Right away, just let me use the bathroom.
Chu Qiunan: I'll take a quick shower, five minutes.
Tang Ziyun: I'm already having tea, hurry up you guys.
Su Qingci: Right away, right away, just changing clothes and I'll be there.
Su Yang: Ten minutes. We'll have breakfast in the ancient town before setting off.
Zhang Ziming: Ok~
Turning off his phone, Su Yang got out of bed, washed up, changed into clean clothes, grabbed his bag, and pushed the door open.
The door to the room next door was slightly ajar. Su Yang walked to the doorway and knocked.
Zhong Qing inside was already gone from the room.
"So fast."
Just as he said that, Pan Ning and Su Qingci came down the stairs together, each carrying a suitcase.
Pan Ning had changed into a black T-shirt, paired with tight-fitting flared jeans.
Su Qingci wore a black beret on her head and a black-and-red off-shoulder short dress.
Seeing them, Su Yang walked over. "Morning~"
"Morning, Brother Su Yang~"
"Sleep well?"
"Very well~"
"That's good."
The three turned and walked towards the courtyard entrance.
"What time did you guys get back last night?" Pan Ning asked.
Su Yang thought for a moment. "Around one-something, I think."
"Did you see the meteor shower?"
"Of course we did! It was beautiful! I took photos. I'll have Qianyu send them to the group later."
"I actually kind of wanted to go with you guys yesterday, but my feet were so sore, I was just too tired," Su Qingci said with some regret.
"What a pity. You have no idea, last night's meteor shower was just incredible, exactly like in the movies, the whole sky was full of them."
Su Qingci looked up longingly, imagining it. "Oh, Brother Su Yang, don't say anymore. The more you talk, the more I regret it."
"You'll regret it even more when you see the photos later."
"Next time there's one, I'm definitely going!"
"Sure, next time we'll all go together."
Chatting, the three arrived at the reception area in the front courtyard.
Tang Ziyun and Zhong Qing were sitting by the tea table, drinking tea and chatting.
Seeing them arrive, the two smiled and greeted, "Morning~"
"Morning. Did you rest well?"
"Not bad. Feet aren't sore anymore~"
"That's good. Conditions will get tougher the further we go, so you better mentally prepare yourselves~"
"No problem!"
They sat chatting, waiting for the others. Over ten minutes later, the rest gradually came from the rear courtyard.
"Morning, brothers and sisters!" Ji Bo and Liu Bo were the first to enter the room.
"Morning."
Following behind were Meng Wenzhou, Zhang Ziming, Meng Qianyu, and Chu Qiunan.
Su Yang glanced at the approaching Meng Qianyu. She had changed clothes again, but the awkward expression from last night was gone from her face; she seemed to have returned to normal.
She ran over to the group with a smiling face to say hello, and the two of them tacitly acted as if nothing had happened.
Su Yang turned his head. "Qianyu, did you transfer last night's photos?"
"They're on my phone."
"Then post them in the group, let the ones who didn't go see~"
"Okay."
As she spoke, Meng Qianyu took out her phone and sent the several photos Su Yang took last night into the group one by one.
After the others saw them, the guys were fine, but the girls were filled with regret.
"It's so beautiful!!"
"Oh my god, it's this gorgeous? I should have gone with you all last night!" Tang Ziyun said regretfully, clutching her phone.
Su Yang smiled. "It's even more beautiful to the naked eye. Next time. Next time there's a meteor shower, we'll all go together."
"Deal!"
As they spoke, the group got up and walked to the front desk to check out.
After saying goodbye to Brother Lao Ma, they wheeled their suitcases out of the inn.
"Let's go~" The girls chirped, pushing their luggage forward at a light jog.
Pan Ning and the boys followed behind.
"Next stop, Ya'an!"
......
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
