Who says those who retire at the speed of light are not heroes?

"You marry me."

The soup that he had just drunk spilled down Lin Cheng's chin. He looked at the calm Ji Zhezhi in front of him with wide eyes, "Huh?"

"We'll get married, and I'll be free forever."

"You mean... fake marriage?"

"Yes."

"No, I will die, I will definitely die." The corners of Lin Cheng's eyes began to twitch.

If Jiang Lingxue knew about this, she would want to kill him, right? Lu Xiaoxiao might also want to take half his life.

"According to the rules of the Utopia, a wedding is considered a wedding after a banquet. There is no need to do anything else. After the wedding, you live your life and I live mine, and we still have nothing to do with each other."

"No, I mean, I will be killed by another woman."

"Forget it then." Ji Zhezhi shook his head, "I just said it casually, don't take it seriously."

Lin Cheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Ji Zhezhi put the spoon to his mouth, but this time it was much hotter than before. Lin Cheng was still dazed, and he muttered in dissatisfaction, "It's so hot."

"I won't blow it for you, blow it yourself." Ji Zhezhi stuffed the spoon into his mouth, let go of his hand, stood up and left.

"Hey, hey, where should I sleep?" Lin Cheng said in an unclear voice, holding a spoon in his mouth.

"Sleep in the yard."

“It’s snowing heavily!”

"Just to clear your head."

268 Qin Wulin

Ji Zhezhi's figure seemed to have truly disappeared in the heavy snow in the courtyard.

Lin Cheng took the spoon out of his mouth, lowered his head and scooped up the sobering soup in small sips with the spoon. It was still late autumn outside, but it was already winter in the paradise. The bowl of soup cooled down very quickly. After a while, Lin Cheng held the bowl and drank the soup in big gulps, then stood up shakily and walked into the courtyard.

Ji Zhezhi was sitting in the pavilion in the courtyard.

"I knew you wouldn't be so cruel." Lin Cheng walked through the snow, came to her side, and sat next to her. Ji Zhezhi was wearing a long cotton skirt. He turned his head to look at her, "Are you cold?"

"not cold."

"Isn't it cold?"

Lin Cheng clearly felt very cold. Ji Zhezhi's dress was so thin. When he reached out and gently grabbed Ji Zhezhi's hand, Ji Zhezhi's hand was already red from the cold.

Ji Zhezhi quickly pulled her white and tender little hand free. Lin Cheng looked at her profile and said, "Go to bed quickly. It's very cold outside."

"I can't sleep, so I'll watch the snow for a while."

"My hands are frozen."

"None of your business." Ji Zhezhi raised his hand and pointed to a room in the courtyard. "Your room is over there. Go to sleep."

Lin Cheng sat there without moving and said, "I will sleep after you go to sleep."

Ji Zhezhi didn't say anything, her cheeks were still cold. She sat there motionless until her lips seemed to turn slightly pale, but she still didn't want to move at all.

"Why don't you just listen?"

Lin Cheng clearly felt that Ji Zhezhi's body was trembling slightly because of the cold.

"Just go to sleep." Ji Zhezhi's voice was still faint.

Lin Cheng was helpless with her. His head was still dizzy. Although the cold seemed to sober him up a little, he had drunk too much today.

"Where is your room?"

Ji Zhezhi pointed to the next room she had pointed out just now. Lin Cheng nodded and said "oh". The next second he stood up and came to Ji Zhezhi. Before Ji Zhezhi could react, Lin Cheng suddenly picked her up from the waist, held her in his arms and walked towards the room.

Ji Zhezhi's white and tender feet began to tap in the air, and he lowered his head and warned, "Let go, or I'll bite you."

"It's cold outside, be obedient."

"I want you to manage."

"Isn't the purpose of a friend to remind the other person when she is being stupid?"

"You are stupid."

Ji Zhezhi finally didn't bite down, and Lin Cheng carried her all the way into the room. The door was opened, and Ji Zhezhi was put on the bed. Lin Cheng sat down on the chair behind him, but he accidentally didn't sit firmly and his butt fell on the ground.

Lin Cheng looked up at Ji Zhezhi who was sitting beside the bed. He was not in a hurry to get up. He just said, "Go to sleep quickly."

"Just go to sleep. I told you to leave me alone."

"No, I want to see you fall asleep before I leave."

Ji Zhezhi was ultimately helpless against him. She took off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, and wrapped herself tightly in the quilt, her eyes fixed on the beams on the ceiling. There was only dim light in the room.

The world is so quiet on a snowy day.

"Turn off the lights." Ji Zhezhi said.

Lin Cheng turned off the lights, and the room fell into darkness. He sat on the ground like an old monk in meditation. Not long after, his head became more and more dizzy, and he fell straight to the ground, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

Ji Zhezhi heard the noise, lifted the quilt, silently sat up from the bed, turned on the light, and looked at Lin Cheng lying unconscious on the ground. She sighed softly, got off the bed, picked up this guy, and walked towards the next room.

....................................

Lin Cheng opened his eyes dazedly.

So thirsty.

He sat up. There was water beside the bed. He took a big sip and looked around. He was sleeping in bed. The light outside the window was still dim. His clothes were all put on properly. He got out of bed and opened the door. Not far in front of him, Ji Zhezhi was sitting under the wintersweet tree, quietly looking at the wintersweet flowers.

It was late winter, and she was wearing a jade-white cheongsam and a furry coat made of some unknown animal fur. Ji Zhezhi turned her head when she heard the door open and said calmly, "We'll have breakfast later."

"How did I get home last night?"

"You fell asleep in my room, I took you back."

"Oh..." Lin Cheng scratched his head. He actually had some blackouts and his memory was not very clear, but he vaguely remembered that Ji Zhezhi seemed to be sulking about something last night. What was it?

"Were you angry last night?" Lin Cheng asked in a daze.

"Why should I be angry?" Ji Zhezhi asked him back.

"Eh, did I remember it wrong?" Lin Cheng muttered to himself, walked to her side, and looked her up and down. This cheongsam should have been tailor-made for her, fitting well against her slender body. Although it did not have the beauty of plumpness and fair skin, it added a bit of freshness and elegance. The jade-white color really suited her.

Breakfast is clear soup noodles.

Ji Qinglan cooked the meal. Aunt Lan really made delicious noodles. Lin Cheng curiously asked about the secret. Aunt Lan smiled and replied that it was just some lard and some homemade soy sauce. Lin Cheng ate until he was full. Ji Qinglan asked Ji Zhezhi to take Lin Cheng for a walk in the paradise. Naturally, the guests had to be treated well.

The snow had stopped. Lin Cheng followed Ji Zhezhi and strolled with Ji Zhezhi in this paradise.

Only then did Lin Cheng suddenly realize that this paradise was much bigger than he had imagined.

The elders who met Ji Zhezhi on the road would greet him with a smile, and Ji Zhezhi would nod slightly in response. Lin Cheng found that this paradise was really interesting. The clothes worn by the people here were of different ages, some were older styles, while others were the colors that are popular in the outside world now. Even the architectural styles were diverse, with ancient small buildings and stacked two-story Western-style buildings.

Lin Cheng and Ji Zhezhi walked around for two hours, but they only covered one-fifth of the town. Ji Zhezhi took Lin Cheng to the market, but what surprised Lin Cheng was that there were several stalls here, displaying some crystal cores of abyss creatures and materials that could be used for alchemy.

"Wait, why are there these things?" Lin Cheng couldn't help but ask curiously.

"The space of the paradise is connected to a forest that doesn't seem to belong to this world. Abyss creatures often appear in that forest. Hunters often go there to hunt some abyss creatures and take back crystal cores or other materials to give to blacksmiths to forge things. Occasionally, iron trees that can be used to forge swords will appear in that forest."

"I see." Lin Cheng nodded gently. He suddenly realized something. If we calculate based on the density of the people they met today and the distance they walked, there should be more than one or two thousand people in the Utopia. So he asked, "How many people are there in the Utopia now?"

"About four thousand five to five thousand."

Lin Cheng was a little surprised. This data was much more than what the alliance had estimated.

If these people were to unite into a resistance force, the alliance's position would be truly precarious.

Lin Cheng and Ji Zhezhi strolled around the market. Ji Zhezhi bought herself a bunch of white flowers. The currency in Utopia was specially minted copper coins. At noon, she and Lin Cheng ate mixed meat at a stall. Lin Cheng ate it all night and couldn't guess what kind of meat it was.

"It's some kind of abyss creature." Ji Zhezhi said calmly, "We call it the Snow Velvet Beast here. We have been dealing with the creatures in that forest for hundreds of years."

"It's quite delicious." Lin Cheng couldn't help but sigh.

Lin Cheng didn't see any cars along the way, but he saw a lot of two-wheeled motorcycles. The paradise is really an interesting place. Many people on the road greeted Ji Zhezhi and were curious about him. But probably because Ji Zhezhi was always quiet and cold, no one came to talk to him.

After a whole day of strolling, Lin Cheng gained a lot of knowledge. In the evening, Ji Zhezhi's mother sent her a message, telling her that it was time to go home for dinner. Lin Cheng and Ji Zhezhi returned home, but when they entered the door, they found that there was an extra person in the courtyard.

It was a man about their age, wearing a black gown, with short hair and a tall stature.

When he saw Ji Zhezhi, the man's eyes lit up slightly and he called softly, "Zhezhi."

"My name is Ji Zhezhi." Ji Zhezhi glanced at him indifferently.

The man's eyes immediately became somewhat helpless, and he sighed softly, "No matter how many times you are always so cold."

Ji Zhezhi ignored his helplessness and just asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I heard that you were back, so I thought of coming to see you. I have a gift for you." The man stood up and took out the gift box on the table. There was a red fruit inside.

Lin Cheng felt that it looked familiar. He seemed to have seen this kind of fruit in the abyss.

"Take it away." Ji Zhezhi said lightly.

"It's just a token of my appreciation. I snatched this fruit from an orange fire snake. I was bitten by it and had to lie in bed for half a month."

"I suggest you stop being so self-touched." Ji Zhezhi never looked at him straight in the eye from beginning to end. The man could only lower his head silently, "Okay, okay, I'm rejected again..."

Ji Zhezhi had already walked past him, but he looked up again, "But I won't give up, Zhezhi. Your martial arts competition will start in two days, and I will definitely beat them all by then."

"Then I won't marry you." Ji Zhezhi walked away.

"If you don't want to get married, then don't get married. It's okay. I can wait until Zhezhi wants to marry me. It's okay."

Lin Cheng has been observing quietly, this guy really looks... full of energy.

It was then that the man noticed Lin Cheng who was following Ji Zhezhi. He smiled and said, "Brother, you are the good friend that Zhezhi met outside, right?"

"Yes, hello, my name is Lin Cheng." Lin Cheng still maintained the most basic politeness.

"Hello, hello. My name is Qin Wulin. I'm Zhezhi's childhood friend. We grew up together."

Qin Wulin looked so enthusiastic that Lin Cheng was a little confused, but he nodded gently. Ji Zhezhi had already walked back to the living room. Qinwu Lin said, "Brother, you are here to visit the paradise, so you can come to the Qin family when you have time. I have hidden a lot of good wine. Zhezhi's friends are my friends."

"...Okay, thank you." Lin Cheng exchanged some pleasantries with him.

269 ​​Does that mean I can still stick out my tongue?

"Why is he here?" Ji Zhezhi looked at Qin Wulin at the dinner table indifferently.

"Xiao Lin has been waiting for you to come back since noon. It's so late now, of course he should stay for dinner." Ji Qinglan looked at the slight dissatisfaction in Ji Zhezhi's eyes and said helplessly.

This is the most basic etiquette.

Ji Zhezhi didn't say anything else, just held the bowl and ate silently. Qin Wulin seemed to talk more, and kept praising Aunt Lan's cooking, saying that it was much more delicious than his mother's. Ji Qinglan's smile was quite amusing.

Of course, she also knew Qin Wutong's mother. This paradise was so small and they all grew up together. If Ji Zhezhi had not been so stubborn as to not want to marry Qin Wulin, Ji Qinglan would have initially thought that Qin Wulin was a good choice. Although this child was a little reckless, he really liked Ji Zhezhi.

Ji Qingpu was a serious elder at the dinner table. There was no wine on the table today. Lin Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, but Qin Wulin cautiously asked, "Uncle Ji, shall we have a drink?"

Ji Qingpu still had a serious expression on his face. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded slightly and looked at Qin Wulin. Qin Wulin, who had received permission, smiled and brought a jar of wine to the table. Ji Qingpu was stunned for a moment, "Is this the good wine your father hid?"

"Yes, I stole it. Uncle Ji, let's have a couple more drinks tonight."

"Aren't you afraid that your father will hang you up and beat you again?"

"Oh, it's happened so many times since I was a child. It's a small matter."

Lin Cheng, who was sitting on the side, couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

"Brother, let's do it together?" Qin Wulin patted Lin Cheng on the shoulder, "It's okay, my father will only beat me if he wants to."

“…” Lin Cheng was speechless.

Before he could even refuse, Qin Wulin had already poured wine into his bowl. Lin Cheng couldn't refuse for a moment, but at this moment, Ji Zhezhi silently picked up the chopsticks, put a piece of food into Lin Cheng's bowl, and said lightly, "Eat the food first. Drinking on an empty stomach will hurt your stomach."

Qin Wulin was stunned for a moment.

After a moment, he looked at Ji Zhezhi aggrievedly, "We have known each other for so many years and you have never picked up a piece of food for me."

"You do not deserve."