Firework was confused, but Zu An understood the context. He stepped in and spoke up on her behalf. “Second sister has searched for Hero Yang for many years now, but to no avail. He might be avoiding her intentionally.”
Huang Rong looked at Firework with pity. “Guo’er and Miss Long faced many tribulations before their love finally bore fruit. They don’t want to be interrupted, which is why Guo’er has been avoiding Xiang’er. But if he sees you with your second sister, he should understand that Xiang’er is seeking him not to court him, but for more important business.”
With her sharp wits, it wasn’t too difficult for her to decipher Yang Guo’s intentions. She had refrained from voicing that aloud to spare her daughter’s dignity, hoping that the latter would back down after hitting a wall. She hadn’t expected her daughter to be this obstinate, devoting the golden years of her youth to searching for Yang Guo.
Firework finally grasped what was going on. So I’m just a total simp in this world? Audacious! There is no guy in this world who's worth me simping over!
She turned to Zu An. How does he know the background of this world? Did he arrive here earlier than me?
Huang Rong turned to Zu An. “Polu, I want you to accompany your second sister to Mount Zhongnan’s Tomb of Living Dead[1] to see if Guo’er is there. As long as he’s willing to meet you, I believe he should be willing to offer his Xuan Metal Sword for this plan.”
Zu An nodded. “Is there anything else I should do?”
“Your father and I will be devoting our energy to condensing the Nine Yin Manual and the Book of Wumu. The space within the two godly weapons will be limited, so we’ll have to pick our words carefully,” Huang Rong said with a frown. This was easier said than done.
Guo Jing instructed, “The Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber Plan is confidential. You mustn’t let anyone else know about it.”
Huang Rong added, “Polu, I know you care greatly for your big sister, but you mustn’t let her know about this.”
Zu An was, once again, impressed by how low Huang Rong’s impression of Guo Fu was.
After leaving the hidden chamber, Firework pulled Zu An over to her room. Guo Jing and Huang Rong smiled, heartened by the siblings’ good relationship.
Upon reaching her room, Firework pushed Zu An onto the bed before planting her foot in between his thighs. She looked down on him with a dangerous glint in her eyes.
Zu An remarked, “We're twins in this world. It will be terrible if others see us like that...”
Firework harrumphed. “Cut the crap and tell me what’s going on.”
Zu An carefully moved her foot aside before sitting upright. “Don’t you already know what’s going on?”
“Why did my cultivation suddenly disappear? This body is too weak!” Firework couldn’t get used to the immense nerf she'd suffered.
“You don’t know? This world forbids all supernatural powers.” Zu An was surprised.
“Why is there such a setting?” Firework frowned.
I guess the Deity of Death wasn’t lying to me, after all. The information he revealed to me beforehand is at least worth something. That lifted Zu An’s spirits a little. “It could be to make the trial fairer. We would be slaughted by you otherwise.”
“Do I look that scary to you?” Firework was displeased.
Shouldn’t you have some self-awareness? Zu An thought.
“Hold on. When did you enter this trial?” Firework asked.
“We came in together,” Zu An replied in confusion, intrigued by the intent of her question.
“That can’t be. You know a lot more about this world than I do,” Firework said icily.
Even though they'd been devoured by the white light at the same time, there were plenty of methods in this world to alter the flow of time, meaning Zu An could have spent years in here before her.
“I was lucky. This world has some connection to my previous world,” Zu An replied. I wonder where Tingxue and Isabella are, and what identities they've taken on in this world.
“Oh?” Firework’s eyebrows shot up. “That old scamp Death opened a backdoor for you!”
Zu An found it hard to deny that.
“What’s going on here? They mentioned Mongols, Great Song, and some Yang Guo fellow. Hurry up and fill me in on the details,” Firework urged.
Zu An looked at her weirdly. “Why would I do that?”
Speaking of which, I still have no idea what the condition for clearing this trial is. Do I need to ensure the Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber plan goes smoothly? But Firework appears to be in the same camp as me.
If the plan goes smoothly, will I inherit the Deity of Death’s legacy or will she? Surely we can’t both inherit the legacy, right?
Also, those who failed the trial are doomed to become skulls on the stairs. What if Tingxue and Isabella aren’t in the same faction as me? Will they die if I clear the trial?
Firework clenched her fists, the sounds of her cracking knuckles echoing loudly. “Do you think you can defy me just because this world bans supernatural powers?”
Zu An chuckled. “Why should I obey you when this world bans supernatural powers?”
Bam!
A fist flew into his abdomen, smashing him into the wall.
“You didn’t give a warning! That’s so unsportsmanlike!” Zu An got up and fought back.
He thought he'd have an advantage over Firework, as the latter would likely be unaccustomed to her mortal body given how strong she had been. Given they were the same age and had learned the same martial arts, he, with a man’s physique, was supposed to have the upper hand.
They quickly traded ten blows.
Zu An first started out confident. He possessed a Wonderpoint World’s World Law Beacon, and that granted him a deeper understanding over martial arts and world laws than even those who were far stronger than him. In fact, if they were pulled down to his level, he'd thought that he could rival even universal deities.
But this was the moment he realized he was a frog in a well.
Given his vast knowledge, it only took him the blink of an eye to assimilate all of Guo Polu’s martial arts. He could even exert strength far surpassing that of the original Guo Polu.
But Firework didn’t pale in comparison. Her grasp of martial arts even appeared to be superior!
Zu An struggled right from the start, and several blows even breached his defense and struck him squarely. However, he wasn’t the type to give up easily. He gritted his teeth and continued trading blows with Firework while contemplating her moves.
Some time later, Firework found an opening and pressed his hands down to the bed.
“Do you submit?” Firework asked gleefully.
“I don’t!” Zu An wriggled his body. He was attempting to pincer her with his thighs to flip her over and pin her down.
But Firework easily neutralized his attempts to turn the tables with precise movements. She even found a chance to pin him down completely, stopping him from making any moves.
“You should finally submit now, no?” Firework asked.
Now that she had lost her supernatural powers, her stamina was much lower; just the earlier fight was enough to make her breathless. Now that she had pinned him down, it suddenly struck her just how close they were.
Just then, the door opened. “Xiang’er, Polu, why did mother call... What are you doing?”
1. This is the Ancient Tomb Sect’s base, where Xiaolongnu first met Yang Guo and trained him. ☜