Late March.
After days of rain, the skies suddenly cleared, ushering summer temperatures into the Jade Capital.
Cicadas had begun singing outside the window, making a racket all day long. Peach often followed the sound to find them.
If the song came from the persimmon tree, she crouched beneath it and stared blankly upward.
Instinct urged her to catch the cicada, but reason held her back. So she often stayed there, staring for half the day.
If the song came from the rosebush, though, she finally had an excuse. She dashed over, caught the cicada, played with it for a while, then carried it to her master to show him. A nod and a little "Mm" from him made her happy, but unfortunately, he often gave her only a glance before ignoring her.
Inside, Ning Qing sat reading while Chen Shu lay beside her, scrolling through videos and eating an ice cream bar.
His feed was nearly half ruined.
He couldn't find a single pretty girl on it anymore.
Fortunately, videos of hoof trimming, old-item restoration, beachcombing, comedy skits, and movie recaps were keeping it afloat. But lately, the platform had been pushing far too many local dining deals. There were more and more ads, too—sometimes every two or three videos. His enthusiasm for scrolling had fallen sharply.
As he scrolled, a familiar face suddenly appeared.
Great Yi Youth Network: "The Sword Sect has a four-thousand-year legacy; the King Court has been the foundation of a nation for a thousand years. Which is stronger? A university thesis by the current Sword Master's final disciple has sent shock waves through Ancient Cultivator academia. Can you make sense of it?"
That was the video's caption.
The video itself showed a tall young woman presenting her thesis. Profound techniques and specialized Sword Cultivation