Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Chapter 1309: Chapter 1308: What Are You Trying to Do?

Although I had no idea what nonsense I spouted ten years ago, at least from Zhao Ling’er, Fang Zheng learned a few things.

I had taken Zhao Ling’er as a disciple and told her we would meet again if fate allowed. Of course, when that would be was not worth discussing now.

Oh, and I should mention, I even taught Zhao Ling’er a few Shaping Type Magic tricks. Especially when Zhao Ling’er was happily casting lightning arcs in front of me, my feelings were so mixed it’s hard to describe... This is totally not the genre!

Weren’t you supposed to learn Thunder Curse, Flame Spell, Guanyin Mantra?

Oh well, a combination of East and West is not bad either.

The Black Miao People had already been dealt with by Fang Zheng and Aika, and Shuiyue Palace was naturally safe. However, it was obvious that Fang Zheng’s matters had not finished, because Zhao Ling’er requested Fang Zheng to take her back to her hometown. What else could Fang Zheng do?

The only thing he could do was agree. After all, considering that he had come here ten years ago, it clearly meant that he had followed the plan and walked through the story again. Since he was going to repeat this storyline, Fang Zheng didn’t mind going along once more. After all, this was a childhood memory, even if many side quests were vague due to time, it was still nice to stroll around.

Granny and other pupils of Shuiyue Palace stayed behind. They didn’t seem eager to join the journey. Fang Zheng had thought about inviting them, but Granny expressed that she was too old to endure another long journey, having exhausted herself traveling from the Miao Territory to here years ago.

Fang Zheng understood this and did not force the elderly to accompany him. To be safe, he placed a barrier outside Shuiyue Palace. Unlike the palace’s original barrier, Fang Zheng cast a spell from the Main World; breaking this barrier was much harder than Li Xiaoyao smashing a statue with a hammer.

After settling affairs at Shuiyue Palace, Fang Zheng left Island of Immortals with Aika and Zhao Ling’er and headed towards Hangzhou.

After all, paradise above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below; visiting this world, one naturally has to stroll around Hangzhou! After Hangzhou, they’ll visit the City of Suzhou! Anyway, they have all the time in the world, no rush.

As for visiting Yihong Courtyard...

Fang Zheng glanced at the two young girls beside him and sighed helplessly.

We’ll see.

To visit Hangzhou, one must visit West Lake. Fang Zheng was very interested in ancient West Lake. Although he had visited Hangzhou before his rebirth, it was entirely commercialized then, unlike the natural and unpolluted scenic spot it is now!

However, Fang Zheng came at a somewhat inopportune time.

”Father, what are those people doing?”

Aika looked curiously at the people muttering on the ground not far away, and Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders.

”They’re sweeping tombs, worshiping ancestors and deceased family members... Oh, right, it’s the Qingming Festival now...”

Watching people lighting incense and offering paper money in the cemetery, Fang Zheng sighed with emotion. Tomb sweeping in modern society isn’t as sincere as it used to be. He remembered when he was a kid they would go to a distant cemetery in the wilderness, a journey of several hours, spending a whole half-day traveling. They would loosen the soil, burn incense and paper money, and make offerings.

After all was done, it would be around noon, and they would eat packed food and chat, like a picnic, before heading back home in the afternoon.

Thinking about it now, tomb sweeping back then, though tiring, had its charm.

But growing up... Just thinking of the gridlock from the cemetery gate to the traffic lights during annual tomb sweeping is enough to give chills. It’s all cremation now, small plots, no chance to dig soil. Often it means queueing for two hours to sweep a half-hour tomb, then retreating like fleeing from the front line.

These are indeed just sorrowful, painful memories.

”Let’s go to West Lake.”

Fang Zheng shook his head, casting aside the painful memories of tomb sweeping, then suggested to the two, to which Zhao Ling’er enthusiastically nodded.

”Sure, Senior Sister, let’s go together. I’ve never been to Hangzhou before.”

”Alright.”

Regarding Zhao Ling’er’s request, Aika did not say much, merely nodded slightly. Truth be told, she was indifferent about this Junior Sister, and in Aika’s eyes, besides Fang Zheng, everyone else was akin to the street passersby, be it Zhao Ling’er or Sajou Ayaka.

But Fang Zheng wished the two could get along, hoping Zhao Ling’er’s kind optimism would rub off on Aika, altering her innate worldview.

Although Fang Zheng knew it was a challenging task, how would he know if he didn’t try?

Fang Zheng himself, dashing and confident, Aika a blonde and blue-eyed beauty, and Zhao Ling’er, not to mention; together with Fang Zheng and Aika’s peculiar clothing, drew attention on the street. However, the locals were somewhat courteous, merely casting curious glances without devolving into scenes of an irksome bully harassing virtuous women as depicted in martial hero novels.

Furthermore, since Zhao Ling’er avoided the sadness of losing her Granny as per the original work, she now seemed livelier than in the game.

”Master, look, they’re selling things over there.”

”Go have a look, I’ll wander here.”

Fang Zheng glanced over, noting it mostly consisted of trinkets he was uninterested in. But since Ling’er was, he wouldn’t prevent her.

”We’ll meet back here later, alright?”

”Okay, Master.”

Hearing Fang Zheng’s response, Ling’er nodded vigorously, then took Aika by the sleeve.

”Senior Sister, let’s go...”

”Wait, I was planning to find a place to finish this part of the code...”

But before Aika could finish, Zhao Ling’er dragged her away, while Fang Zheng smiled at their departing figures, before turning to walk towards the other side of West Lake.

”Hmm... come to think of it, there’s not much fun here, might as well take a selfie.”

Unaware, on a nearby path, two girls in white and green dresses approached.

”Sister, we’ve searched everywhere, can’t find it anywhere.”

The girl in green wiped the sweat from her brow, while the girl in white smiled slightly.

”Of course it’s not so easy, take your time, we’ll find it eventually.”

”If we really could find it... Looking high... Looking high... Ah, Sister, look over there!”

At that moment, the girl in green’s eyes lit up as she pointed towards Fang Zheng, who headed to a nearby pavilion.

”Look, Sister, doesn’t that person look like an expert? Look at his strange clothing, and he’s so tall, taller than everyone else!”

”Oh?”

The girl in white’s eyes also lit up upon seeing Fang Zheng.

”Sister, shall we see if it’s him?”

”Alright.”

Upon hearing the green-clad girl’s words, the white-clad girl nodded and gently moved her hands in a few gestures, then a finger flicked, and a golden light beam shot from her fingertips towards Fang Zheng.

But at that moment, something unexpected happened to the white-clad girl.

The instant the golden beam struck Fang Zheng, the white-clad girl’s vision turned completely dark, engulfed by an endless tide of time. The scene before her shattered into fragments as infinite pasts and futures exploded at once, causing the white-clad girl to let out a pained moan, retreating hastily to cease the spell.

”Sister? What’s wrong?”

Noticing the white-clad girl’s pained expression, the green-clad girl anxiously asked, while the white-clad girl shook her head.

”I-I don’t know... but...”

Even as she spoke, the white-clad girl looked up with lingering fear, only to find Fang Zheng’s figure was gone!

How could this be?!

Seeing this, the white-clad girl was taken aback, but at that moment, a voice emerged from behind them.

”Who are you? What do you want?!”