The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

Chapter 178 Three People Drinking Together at a Stone Table Late at Night in the Inn

As dusk fell, the group returned to Liuquanju Inn from Yutai Teahouse and had dinner in the lobby on the first floor.

After dinner, everyone felt a bit tired, so they went to the building where they lived in the backyard and went back to their rooms.

They lived on the second floor. The first room was for Nan Tian and Shen Lixi, the second room was for Su An, and the third room was for Luo Yifei and Qi Yuan.

The night was as dark as ink, and the tranquility of Liuquan Inn was occasionally broken by the chirping of insects and the barking of dogs in the distance. After returning to their room, Luo Yifei and Qi Yuan quickly washed up and turned off the lights to rest. In Su An's room, the candlelight flickered, and he sat at the table, flipping through an ancient book until late at night.

The room where Nan Tian and Shen Lixi were staying was unusually quiet. Nan Tian lay on the bed, gazing at the starry sky outside the window, his mind filled with countless thoughts. Shen Lixi, on the other hand, stood by the window, holding a pot of tea, her gaze piercing through the night, looking into the distance.

Luo Yifei lay in bed but couldn't fall asleep. He tried for a long time but still couldn't fall asleep. Seeing that Qi Yuan was sleeping soundly in the next bed, he didn't disturb him and got up to go outside.

Luo Yi was about to go downstairs and sit at the stone table in the courtyard when he passed the first room next to the stairs and saw Shen Lixi standing by the window. So he invited him to come down and have a drink together.

"When you stand by the window drinking tea at night, don't you become more and more awake?" Luo Yifei asked.

Shen Lixi smiled slightly, put down the teapot in his hand, and gently pushed open the window, letting the cool night breeze blow into the room. He replied softly, "Yes, but sometimes being awake is a kind of enjoyment. What about you? Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Luo Yifei shrugged and said, "I don't know either. I just have something on my mind and can't sleep. Come on, let's go downstairs, have a drink, maybe that will help you relax."

The two tiptoed downstairs, careful not to disturb the others. Moonlight bathed the stone table in the courtyard, creating a serene atmosphere. Luo Yifei retrieved a flask of aged wine from the inn's cellar, and the two sat down on the stone benches to drink together.

After a few rounds of drinks, Luo Yifei finally spoke: "You know what? More than a year ago, I didn't really believe Wen Bin's words. However, because I had the opportunity to find you, I still went to Phoenix Forest. My purpose was simple: to find you and bring you back to Earth."

Shen Lixi listened quietly without interrupting.

"To be honest, the past year has been quite surreal for me. But thinking about it carefully, maybe I was just too naive. If we lived in a novel, I probably wouldn't be the protagonist; you would be. Nan Tian, ​​Su An, Qi Yuan, and the others might also be protagonists. You are all more outstanding than me. I should have stayed on Mars instead of going to the oasis to find the Demon King, and I definitely shouldn't have suggested coming to the Illusionary Continent." Luo Yifei paused here.

After listening to Luo Yifei's words, Shen Lixi's eyes revealed a thoughtful look, and then she slowly said, "Luo Yifei, you underestimate yourself. Everyone comes into this world with their own value and mission, and everyone is the protagonist of their own life."

“But we could die at any moment. That Phantom Pavilion Master is far stronger than us. I don’t know why we were able to kill him. Someone like that could easily make us wish we were dead. If this were a game of Werewolf, we would all be ignorant villagers, and we could die at any moment. Without wizards and hunters, we simply cannot survive.” Luo Yifei was a little drunk.

“That analogy is actually quite inappropriate, but if we really use that analogy, we do have wizards and hunters. Don’t forget, Wen Bin has been there from beginning to end. He should be like a wizard, but perhaps to prevent the werewolves from suspecting him, he can’t openly help us. Besides, our ability to travel through time and space time again is inseparable from the support of one person,” Shen Lixi replied.

“Team Leader Zhang,” Luo Yifei blurted out.

“That’s right, Captain Zhang should be a veteran of the Phoenix Team. I think the situation is still under his control. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have approved our operation so easily,” Shen Lixi continued.

“But we’re like blind men, we don’t know anything at all,” Luo Yifei suddenly raised his voice.

“Perhaps it’s because we’re missing a prophet.” Shen Lixi patted Luo Yifei on the back.

At this moment, Luo Yifei was vomiting violently while leaning over the table.

Qi Yuan, who was in the third room upstairs, was about to get up in the middle of the night when he found that Luo Yifei was not in bed, and he immediately woke up. Fortunately, when he opened the door, he saw Luo Yifei and Shen Lixi drinking in the courtyard, so he felt relieved and quietly went downstairs.

When Qi Yuan reached the middle of the courtyard, Luo Yifei had stopped vomiting and said to Shen Lixi, "A prophet, yes, a prophet, we're missing a prophet. But where can we find one?"

At this point, Luo Yifei looked up at Qi Yuan and then said softly, "I want to go back. None of this is my business. I'm tired. Let it end."

Seeing this, Qi Yuan walked to the stone table and gently patted Luo Yifei's shoulder, trying to calm him down. He said gently, "Luo Yifei, you've had too much to drink. We're all adults, and everyone has their own responsibilities and obligations. You don't need to blame yourself; we're all doing our best."

Shen Lixi nodded in agreement with Qi Yuan, and then continued, "Qi Yuan is right. We each have our own role, and we are not alone. We have each other, Captain Zhang, and Wen Bin. We are not villagers, we are warriors, we are explorers. The difficulties and challenges we face are precisely our opportunities to grow."

"Qi Yuan, now you're just like us, you don't belong to this continent either, so why are you able to adapt so quickly?" Luo Yifei suddenly asked.

Upon hearing this, Qi Yuan did not answer directly, but instead picked up the wine jug next to him and started drinking.

Luo Yifei and Shen Lixi just watched him quietly.

"Do you remember the story of Master Qingwei of Mount Shu that I told you?" Qi Yuan asked.

"You mean that chivalrous hero who served his country and its people a hundred years ago on the Floating Life Continent?" Luo Yifei said.

“That’s right, it’s him.” Qi Yuan put down the wine pot, his gaze becoming profound. “Master Qingwei once told me, ‘If the heart is fearless, what is there to fear from wind and rain?’ That’s right, he is not just a legendary figure, he is still alive. He is my master.”

Luo Yifei and Shen Lixi were both shocked to hear this.

"By the way, what about the prophets you were talking about? If you mean those who can divine the secrets of heaven and predict the future, then Master Qingwei could be considered a prophet." Qi Yuan took another sip of wine.

"Eleven years ago, he went to another world. Before he left, he left me with three prophecies. The first was that the path to immortality was about to open and the Heavenly Ladder would appear. Now, this has come true. The second..." Qi Yuan paused here.

"What? Can't I tell you?" Shen Lixi asked.

"Not exactly. The second prophecy is that the Floating Life Continent will regain its spiritual power and then be destroyed. He didn't tell me the third one; he said he could tell me in the Upper Realm if there was a chance." Qi Yuan poured himself another cup.

"The Upper Realm? Does that mean all the continents we're on now belong to the Lower Realm? Then I shouldn't bother with this. Let the people of the Upper Realm handle it," Luo Yifei said.