I Am Loaded with Passive Skills - Chapter 2178

Chapter 2053 Chapter 248 Shell

The night was deep, a bright moon hanging like a jade pot high above the sea, its pure light shimmering down, and the ocean shimmered.

Splash!

The cold water, pushed by the night wind, reached

over her ankles. Near the Nanming Sea, Yu Zhiwen strolled barefoot in the shallows. Suddenly, she bent down and reached out to pick up something.

It was a white shell speckled with blue, strikingly beautiful, like a glowing eye.

“For you.”

Yu Zhiwen remembered the first gift she gave, a shell, at the age of six.

She was a daughter of the sea, yearning for freedom and yearning for it.

But she was born on the sacred mountain of Guizhe, where there was no sea, only a lake. She was imprisoned within the magnificent Holy Spirit Lake within the mountains.

Ever since she was old enough to understand, her master, Dao Xuanji, had never once let her descend from the mountain. It was all about cultivation, cultivation, and cultivation; celestial arts, celestial arts, and more celestial arts.

The first time she saw the ocean, Yu Zhiwen didn’t even know it was a sea.

Grandpa Yu said the South Sea was the ocean, our home. But Yu Zhiwen’s memories of home were limited to Guizhe Holy Mountain and the Daoist Ministry. She didn’t recognize the South Sea.

At six, Grandpa Yu took her on her first sneak out of the mountains. She didn’t even realize she was on the mountain; it was a blur; she was on the mountain, then at the seashore.

That night, she was so happy she lost track of time.

And the white shell she had specially picked up had a stunning sky-blue pattern on it, as beautiful as the starry sky.

She gave the best shell as a gift to her master.

But her master knocked the shell away, shattering it to the ground. His face was so dark it looked like ink.

“You sneaked off the mountain?!”

That single question, though a mere question, was like a nightmare to her childhood self.

Yu Zhiwen had forgotten what happened afterward. It seemed there was no reprimand or physical punishment, but it was clear that

sneaking off the mountain was wrong.

No, it wasn’t just sneaking down the mountain; anything that went against Master’s will, anything beyond her control, was wrong.

Master had always been gentle and kind to her, yet she gave off a cold, serious vibe.

She seemed loving, yet also very strict.

She had always given her the best, yet she had broken the most beautiful shell she had given her.

Little Yu Zhiwen couldn’t understand why, and for a moment, she believed she had indeed done something wrong.

Later, when Grandpa Yu wanted to take her down the mountain again, she didn’t dare go.

She went to the Dao Department to ask the seniors there, but few dared to comment on the matter, so she went to her uncle, Dao Qiongcang.

The Dao Palace Master had always been a very interesting person.

Compared to Master’s seriousness, he was very good at joking, and he often made people laugh.

“Your master is wrong.”

“Sometimes, you can actually disobey her.”

“Tell me where the broken shell is, and I’ll secretly find it for you tonight. You probably don’t know, but your uncle is a master of handicrafts, perfect for mending broken hearts…”

Compared to his master, the Dao Palace Master, his uncle, was easier to get along with and less intimidating.

If he asked him about a problem in the art of celestial secrets, he’d usually be able to solve it with a single glance.

But Yu Zhiwen didn’t have the courage to ask his master about it.

After years of living together, his master Dao Xuanji’s cave didn’t feel like home, it didn’t feel warm.

It was the Dao Ministry, on the other hand, that felt like home, with everyone caring about him.

Later, Yu Zhiwen realized that the Dao Ministry wasn’t home either.

It was all fake.

…

The evening breeze blew gently.

The night sky wasn’t gloomy at all, but rather crystal clear. The moonlight shone like a beam of light dedicated only to him.

The light cast long shadows on the beach.

Splash!

The sea gently lapped against him.

Yu Zhiwen clutched the shell in both hands, huddled against his chest. After a long hesitation, he carefully held it forward.

“For you.”

There was no one before him, only the vast ocean.

The whistling evening breeze muffled his whispers, making them impossible to hear.

From behind, a loud shout echoed:

“What did you say?”

Moonlight fell, and beside the elongated shadow on the offshore shallows, a second shadow quickly approached.

Yu Zhiwen hurriedly clenched the shell in his hands and huddled in front of him.

He followed the shadow to the right, transferring the shell from his right hand to his left. Finally, when the shadow was taller than his own, he discreetly hid his left hand behind his waist.

“What are you hiding?”

“Nothing.”

“What are you mumbling about?”

“Nothing.”

Fortunately, the black cloth covered his face, so he couldn’t see his expression.

Fortunately, the cloth was large enough to conceal his panic.

Yu Zhiwen didn’t know where she’d gotten the courage to actually openly declare her feelings, but what made her even more flustered was that she’d tried to take the initiative, and Xu Xiaoshou had actually responded!

So…

what was next?

What should they do next?

Just walk like this, side by side, into the depths of the Southern Ocean?

Why weren’t they talking? It was so quiet. You bumped into me again, were you too close?

Until they reached the depths of the Southern Ocean, until the Eye of the Great Dao was buried at the bottom of the sea, until the two of them returned from the depths of the Southern Ocean, the night had been like a dream, as illusory as the Dao Ministry.

But it seemed different from the Dao Ministry’s illusory nature…

The Dao Ministry could startle people awake, leaving them in a cold sweat.

If this was all a dream, then perhaps it was okay to walk a little further?

“Hmm.”

A chill ran down her cheek.

The finger, still stained with the cold seawater, prodded her.

Yu Zhiwen’s mind went blank, and her cheeks heated up like boiling water, instantly burning even her earlobes.

She jumped away in shock, took several steps away, and nearly fell into the sea:

“Wait a minute!”

“Wait again?”

“Wait, wait a minute!”

“What are you waiting for? You’re the one who walks ten steps first, and I’ll catch up. You keep talking to the air, and I can’t eavesdrop from behind, so I have to guess what you’re saying?”

“Ah…” Yu Zhiwen clenched her fists and cupped her head. The black satin wrapped around her eyes seemed to suffocate her ability to think and express herself.

That wasn’t what she meant.

She just wasn’t mentally prepared yet.

She didn’t know why she needed to be mentally prepared, but she wasn’t, not even for speaking or conversation.

“What are you holding in your hand?”

“No, nothing…”

“You’re like a turtle, your shell is heavy, and you retreat when you’re hit.”

“You’re the turtle!”

And you’re heavy… She muttered silently, no longer able to hear the voices around her. Covering her ears, the whole world was filled with the clattering of deer.

The moonlight was as clear as ever. Even if

the pearly pupils were plucked out, what remained was the cultivator’s spiritual consciousness.

Conversely, when real vision is lost, sometimes the things seen through spiritual consciousness are more real, more tangible.

Yu Zhiwen took two quick steps forward and leaned to the right.

She placed one foot on the shadow beside her and said nonchalantly, “But the Eye of the Great Dao is buried in the Southern Ocean. Doesn’t that mean Ai Cangsheng is completely lost, unable to be resurrected? And you said you could hear Lei Xiaoxiao’s voice in him. What if Lei Xiaoxiao could be resurrected…”

“No way.” Xu Xiaoshou shook his head. “It’s just a regret.”

“Then, then…”

“Then what?”

“What a pity…”

“It’s indeed a pity. She couldn’t say what she wanted to say. She just wanted Ai Cangsheng to live well for her, but Emperor Cangsheng protected all living things. It’s just a coincidence.” Xu Xiaoshou shrugged. “In a novel, they’d be like a pair of star-crossed lovers.”

Yu Zhiwen tensed at this. She raised her left hand, then retracted it, then secretly tried to pull it out again, but ultimately couldn’t pull it out.

“Have you ever seen fireworks?”

Xu Xiaoshou was at ease, sitting down on the rocks by the sea.

He propped himself up with his hands, gazing out at the night sky, letting the sea breeze caress his face, causing his black hair to flutter.

This lazy, comfortable scene had once been his greatest envy from his hospital bed. But after arriving on the Holy Spirit Continent, he’d been on a relentless scramble.

He’d been cultivating his way through the entire process, never finding the time to fulfill his past life’s dream of seeing the ocean again, until today.

“Fireworks…”

Yu Zhiwen muttered the word, echoing the words.

She paused behind Xu Xiaoshou, but actually beside his reef, wrestling with a fierce ideological struggle with the other reef to her left.

Too close…

I’d have to touch it…

But sitting on the other rock would be too far.

She took a step, still heading for the left reef, and heard Xu Xiaoshou exclaim, braving the sea breeze:

“It’s that kind of, whoosh! bang!”

“It’s very beautiful, like ‘the east wind blows a thousand flowers into the night’…”

He frowned again, muttering, “But that doesn’t seem to be how it’s used. It seems to describe lanterns.”

Hua Changdeng?

Yu Zhiwen opened her mouth, unsure why he’d mentioned Senior Hua.

She stopped and approached him, cautiously inching closer, though not daring to get too close. “The east wind also blooms…”

“Bloom at night!”

“At night…”

“The east wind blooms thousands of flowers at night, and blows down stars like rain.” Xu Xiaoshou snapped his fingers, and a beam of spiritual light shone into the night sky.

As the silver candle reached the highest point above the night sea, with a bang, the spiritual light exploded.

A crackling sound…

like a shower of stars blown by the wind, the spiritual light exploded into a myriad of stars, drawing silver-white lines like weeping willows. The brilliance was only momentary, and the points of light soon disappeared into the azure sky.

Beautiful things are all fleeting.

Xu Xiaoshou was about to sigh when he suddenly woke up, realizing something. He turned around and slapped his forehead. “Oh! Sorry! I forgot you couldn’t see… Oh, damn it!”

In fact, you can see…

Yu Zhiwen “retracted her gaze” from the fireworks in the night sky, “looking” at Xu Xiaoshou’s naive expression, the corners of her lips curled up slightly.

She relaxed a little.

His left hand had already been able to dangle from his waist.

He tried to lift it, but couldn’t. Words stuck in his throat, and he didn’t respond. Even she felt impolite, leaving Xu Xiaoshou alone to speak.

“So, if you’ve never even seen fireworks, you’ve definitely never tasted fried dough sticks soaked in egg and soy milk.” Xu Xiaoshou tutted and shook his head. A girl of heaven, destined to never taste the delicacies of the world.

“Fried dough sticks…”

“That kind of, uh, delicious.”

Xu Xiaoshou couldn’t describe to the alien what he was talking about.

He did have “culinary prowess.”

But to see him frying dough sticks in the night, fresh from the eye burial in Nanming, even he found it a little strange. This was the heir of the Five Evil Lords.

“Can you cook?”

“Yes, I can…” Xu Xiaoshou rested his hands on the rocks, feeling the night breeze, feeling so comfortable that he wanted to lie down.

“Is it delicious?”

“Tsk, you’re being a bit dismissive.” He simply lay down and tilted his head to look, puzzled as to why someone would prefer standing when they could sit, but suddenly lost in thought.

From this angle, Yu Zhiwen shone far more dazzlingly than the moon hanging in the horizon against the quiet seaside night.

The sea breeze blew, causing her to stumble back half a step.

But after just half a step, she stood still.

The night stirred her long black hair, and her face, with eyes wrapped in black satin, was like white porcelain jade with a missing corner. At first, it was as clear and pure as a snow lotus, then a faint blush tinged her cheeks, and finally, her ears were completely ripe.

It was as if those pearly pupils were still there, and she could actually see herself staring at her.

But she couldn’t see, so certain of this, Xu Xiaoshou continued to stare.

“Th-th-th-th-then…”

In the quiet night, the waves surged and rolled.

Xu Xiaoshou remained silent, staring recklessly, lost in thought.

“Well, can you do it?”

He blinked and came back to his senses.

This question seemed familiar. Hadn’t I asked it before?

“Now?” Xu Xiaoshou’s face turned strange. “Soy milk? Fried dough sticks?”

“C-can I?”

Yu Zhiwen clutched the hem of her skirt with her right hand, her left hand hidden behind her waist. Her voice trembled, and she no longer knew what she was saying.

It’s possible, of course, but wouldn’t it be a bit too much of a bummer?

Xu Xiaoshou opened his mouth, unable to utter the words. He frowned, thinking again and again, unable to take out the pot.

“Is it difficult, difficult?”

“No need to say it’s difficult. I just… well, just said it casually.”

Yu Zhiwen finally came to her senses and switched her mind to the side, so she couldn’t see Xu Xiaoshou.

But she quickly switched back, knowing that Xu Xiaoshou didn’t know she was watching him, so she watched him with impunity.

The man lying on the reef, his head tilted down and tilted towards her, his posture was ridiculous, yet he seemed to be slumped and comfortable, and extremely serious.

The moonlight fell on him and flowed into his eyes.

All night, from the mouth of the South Sea to its depths and back again, Yu Zhiwen hadn’t raised her head, never once catching a glimpse of the moon.

But in Xu Xiaoshou’s eyes, looking back at her, she saw it: a bright white moonlight, pure and translucent, belonging only to her.

“It’s not difficult,”

Xu Xiaoshou said, forgetting he was still lying on the reef. His mind was already searching through his culinary prowess, searching for elixirs to substitute for flour and the process to make soy milk.   He hadn’t brought a pot either. Fortunately, he was a master alchemist

, so he could just use a furnace. Eggs would remain eggs, but if that didn’t work   , dragon eggs would be fine.   After all, there were always eggs of various rare birds in his inventory. It’s just egg,   soy milk, and fried dough sticks, right? It can be whipped up in half a minute… As he thought about it, he pulled out a large three-legged bathtub.   ”If you want it, it’s available. It’ll take a little time and the process is a bit complicated, but that’s okay. I can make it for you right now.”   Huh?   Make it right now?   And, was this dish made in a bathtub?   Yu Zhiwen finally realized what he was talking about, and Xu Xiaoshou was about to do something stupid again.   But it seemed there was no way to stop him!   Things were taking a strange turn!   Xu Xiaoshou sat up and looked around.   After confirming that there was indeed no one near the Nanming Sea, he dropped his guilty expression. He raised the bathtub, taller than a man, and began to toss in some indecipherable elixirs…   Wait!   Stop!   I didn’t mean that…   Yu Zhiwen panicked, following suit, looking around, as if searching for something that could change the situation.   There was indeed no one around. Only the towering Tianji puppet, Little Star, sat silently nearby. Its hatch was open, allowing him to retreat at any time, close the hatch, and find safety if he wanted to escape.   No!   Seeing Little Star, Yu Zhiwen felt reassured. She wouldn’t run away.   ”This!”   She gathered her courage, clutching something in her hands.   Just like he had practiced several times before, he was very “expert” in handing the thing forward to the person in front of him:   ”For you.”   Xu Xiaoshou was stunned and turned his head.   He was holding the big bathtub with one arm. He hadn’t jumped down from the reef yet, and the big bathtub hadn’t been thrown onto the beach yet. The steps of alchemy were completely wrong. Even if Old Sang came, he would have scolded him for being useless and unable to teach.   ”What?” He was still confused.   Yu Zhiwen spread his hands, and in his palms lay a white moon. That wasn’t a moon, it was white…   ”Shell.”   ”What…” Xu Xiaoshou dropped the bathtub and pointed at himself, a little bit unbelieving, “Me?”   Yu Zhiwen took a deep breath, and her spiritual consciousness looked through the black satin in front of her, and she saw it again.   It was a shell that would not be knocked off.   It was a surprise that she was expecting.   Xu Xiaoshou was still pointing at himself blankly, as if he didn’t recognize this ordinary thing he had picked up from the beach. He was still trying to confirm something: “Give it to me?”   ”Yes!” Yu Zhiwen nodded and smiled sweetly:   ”The shell is for you.”   (End of the book) (End of this chapter)