The War Recedes

'Ding! Congratulations to the host for capturing one little fangirl.'

Of course, the system wouldn't be so boring; this was all in Ma Feifei's imagination. He happened to glance at how Zhou Zhuling was looking at him, and Ma Feifei felt like he was floating on air.

"A transmigrator's life isn't just about cheat codes, but also an indescribable ability to attract girls!" Ma Feifei counted on his fingers. In the past two months, he had met three girls: there was the mature Gongsun Qiong, the cheerful Zhao Xiaodao, and then Zhou Zhuling, who blushed just from a glance. Most importantly, all three were stunningly beautiful women. Finding even one like them in his past life would have been difficult, yet he had met three at once. If this wasn't a perk of being a transmigrator, Ma Feifei wouldn't believe it himself.

"I wonder what the customs are like in this world. Can men have multiple wives and concubines?" Even though he hadn't successfully wooed any of them yet, it didn't stop Ma Feifei from indulging in pleasant fantasies.

'Oh, there seems to be one more.' Ma Feifei glanced at Yun Qingyang, who was standing beside him, and shook his head. She was at most half a girl, more like a female dragon.

Patting the cash register in front of him, Ma Feifei said, "From now on, this position is yours. You'll be responsible for collecting the fees from customers who read books. The fee is one Spirit Crystal per hour."

"Of course, you can keep all these Spirit Crystals; they are what you deserve. But you must also abide by our agreement: you are not allowed to let any customer take any book from the store. This is the most important rule. Other matters will be handled on a case-by-case basis."

"Also, the bookstore is closed on weekends. But being closed doesn't mean you have a holiday. If I need to go out, you must accompany me and ensure my safety."

Spirit Crystals were truly useless to Ma Feifei. Apart from being exchangeable for a few gold coins, they had no other function. Besides, this bookstore wasn't opened to earn Spirit Crystals.

As for why the system required Spirit Crystals as a fee for reading, Ma Feifei still couldn't figure it out. However, since Spirit Crystals had no use for now, exchanging them for the protection of a Spirit Saint at the eighth stage was a very cost-effective deal.

Yun Qingyang truly embodied the word 'cool'. Ma Feifei had said so much, yet she just stood there quietly, her eyes fixed on the door, her expressionless. Only when Spirit Crystals were mentioned did her gaze shift slightly.

Ma Feifei didn't mind. Silence meant agreement. As for Yun Qingyang's attitude… Hmph, forget silence, even if she acted like a demanding noble, Ma Feifei would still have to serve her well. What? You say I have no principles? No dignity? What a joke. If you could find a descendant of an ancient Frost Giant Dragon at the eighth stage of Spirit Saint, I bet I'd kneel!

Let alone a descendant of a giant dragon, even a human Spirit Saint at the eighth stage was practically extinct on the entire Azure Dragon Continent.

The current Chu Saint of Chu State was over 3,500 years old! Enfeoffed as the Chu Saint, he was second only to the king, revered by the masses. How many people would spend their fortunes just for a glimpse of him? Was it possible? No!

But what was the Chu Saint's cultivation? The sixth stage of Spirit Saint.

According to the cultivation levels, Yun Qingyang was two stages higher than the Chu Saint.

In this world, strength reigned supreme.

Besides, Yun Qingyang was currently an employee of the 'Mysterious Bookstore'.

As the boss, what's wrong with spending some Spirit Crystals on my employee? What's wrong? Is there a problem?

Unfortunately, this employee didn't seem very qualified. She showed no respect towards her boss, standing there coolly with her sword.

"Sigh~" Ma Feifei felt a little hurt. He got up, took his paper and pen, and moved his small stool to the backyard to sunbathe.

Now that he had subordinates, it wasn't appropriate to sit by the door.

The war between Qin and Chu ended. It ended very suddenly. Without a single battle, both sides withdrew hundreds of thousands of troops.

No one knew the specific reason. The only information released by the official channels was that the kings of Qin and Chu had reached an agreement before the war, believing that a conflict would affect the common people of the entire Azure Dragon Continent, and thus decided to retreat.

However, information from countless private channels indicated that internal turmoil had erupted within Qin, forcing Qin Shi Huang to order a retreat and abandon the plan to attack Chu.

For the people of the Azure Dragon Continent, the cessation of hostilities brought a sigh of relief. After all, the world was chaotic enough already; another war between nations would only bring further suffering to the land.

As for Chu State, facing the powerful Qin State, they were more than happy to see them retreat, let alone resist.

It had to be said that this was also the tragedy of Chu State. Nominally still the leader among the five states, Qin had already become the strongest.

This brings us to the king of Qin, Qin Shi Huang! Qin Shi Huang was the second monarch of Qin State. Apart from Qin Taizu, who founded Qin State, he was the only other person to rule Qin.

Well, Qin Shi Huang was the eleventh-generation descendant of Qin Taizu!

The reason Qin Shi Huang was formidable was that he outlived his ten generations of ancestors and his eighteen generations of descendants. With his Spirit Saint cultivation, he was already three thousand years old this year.

He had been on the throne for two thousand years.

Although he had outlived so many ancestors and descendants, Qin State had indeed transformed from the weakest of the five states into the strongest under his leadership.

He was deeply loved by the citizens of Qin.

According to rumors, Qin State wanted to attack Chu because Qin Shi Huang harbored a desire to unify the Azure Dragon Continent. This could hardly be called a rumor; most people on the Azure Dragon Continent knew of Qin Shi Huang's ambition.

Chu State was chosen as the target because the Chu Saint was advanced in age and his strength had greatly diminished. Among the Saints of the various states, the Chu Saint had become the weakest.

Therefore, Qin's retreat this time was definitely not as the official statement claimed, to avoid bloodshed, but because Qin Shi Huang had unavoidable reasons for retreating.

Regardless of the reason, the great war had temporarily ceased.

As the armies departed and news spread, adventurers and merchants from all directions began to flock to Dubian Town again. Dubian Town gradually became crowded once more.

Not only was it home to Nine Heavens Mountain, the holy land of adventurers, but it was also a central hub connecting various countries, a necessary stop for merchants. As long as there was no war, its prosperity was evident.

With the end of the war, the three hundred students from Zhenguan Academy also began to return to the imperial capital one after another, preparing to participate in the annual Dragon Ranking competition.

In Chu State, the Dragon Ranking competition at Zhenguan Academy was considered a grand event, attracting much attention. Every year, important figures from various countries would attend the Dragon Ranking competition, and the King of Chu would personally appear to cheer on the students.

The receding war and the upcoming Dragon Ranking competition swept away the previous oppressive atmosphere in Chu State, making it cheerful.

And at this moment, Yang Chengzhi, whom Ma Feifei had been paying close attention to, had broken through again!