A Lie That Wasn't True

Zijin finally raised her eyelashes to look at Su Ming, a hint of barely perceptible annoyance in her deep eyes. "But according to common sense... with this intensity of mental interaction, as the subordinate being 'expanded,' you should experience a much stronger mental tearing sensation, and be listless for several days—I thought you would at least sleep until tomorrow morning before you could get up!"

"Hey!" Su Ming couldn't help but protest, "Aren't you satisfied with just beating me with your fists and feet anymore?"

"Hmph!" Zijin said angrily, "If you think that's not enough, I can make up for it with my fists and feet!"

****

When Su Ming finished breakfast, Zijin still had more than half a plate left, clearly indicating a poor appetite. The skeleton servant appeared and took away Su Ming's utensils.

"So," Su Ming wiped his mouth and turned his gaze back to the person opposite him, "What exactly was that last sentence you left unsaid during our conversation last night?" He asked directly.

Zijin put down her utensils, abandoning the idea of eating.

She didn't answer immediately, but silently gazed at Su Ming, her eyes seemingly scrutinizing something. After a long while, she finally made up her mind and spoke, word by word:

"You... you terrify me."

"Fear?" Su Ming's brows furrowed immediately.

"You 'compatriots' who have crossed dimensions," Zijin explained slowly, her tone carrying an indescribable complexity, "Even if you are merely drifting Thought Entity, you see no trace of confusion or cowardice. You are filled with a... heart-stirring desire to explore, like an unceasing spark."

She sighed softly, her silvery eyelashes drooping. "If the dead burn with such fervor, one can only imagine the light and longing in the souls of the living in your homeland."

There are always some souls, born with a burning passion and unwavering dedication, who, with mortal bodies, propel the wheels of civilization across the unknown frontiers. Su Ming nodded in deep agreement, "Yes, my world has never lacked such brilliant explorers."

"I know," Zijin's tone carried a hint of something unusual. "After all, it's a civilization that gave birth to the belief 'If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening.' It's no accident that they can completely overwhelm us, Taya, in terms of technological density." She raised her head, her gaze fixed intently on Su Ming. "Su Ming, with such a group of people, plus the Rift Tribe's ruins as a foundation, plus your unique spatial key..."

She paused slightly, as if gathering her strength, before clearly uttering the conclusion:

"We really can build the ' Bridge of Planes '!"

"Wait." Su Ming suddenly raised his hand, making a stop gesture. A chilling shiver suddenly shot up his spine, and he realized that he had been pushed to a crossroads.

Moreover, it is at the crossroads of a dramatic expansion of the boundaries between two civilizations!

He, Su Ming, may be just a faint firefly in the vast night sky. However, once the relevant information spreads, in an instant, a light as bright as the moon will gather!

Su Ming felt a chill run down his spine. He might be considered a "radical" in terms of his beliefs, but if he were placed in front of "conservative" scientists on Earth, they would only think he was too conservative!

Su Ming was in turmoil and instinctively wanted to get up and go to the deck for some fresh air. However, his arm was suddenly grabbed by Zijin! The girl's fingers were slender, but unusually strong.

"So, tell me!" Zijin's voice carried an unyielding stubbornness, her gaze fixed on Su Ming, "You... really will... ignite this fire that could destroy two worlds?"

"..." Su Ming was speechless for a moment.

So what terrifies scholars to the point of sleeplessness is the sudden vision of realizing the dimensional bridge, and the potential conflict and destruction it might bring.

No! That's not right!

He turned his gaze back to Zijin, who was a top-tier Titled Scholar in this other world!

Even if Zijin held opposing views, she would never lose her composure like this!

The scholar's words flashed through Su Ming's mind: "We really can"—she meant, "We!"

He turned around abruptly, "What you fear... is that you'll join them?"

That's right, this is also a top explorer who cannot be measured by common sense!

Zijin released her grip, took a small step back, and a blush appeared on her fair face.

"I am one of the world's top scholars!" Her voice trembled slightly, "But in the face of your novel technologies, I feel like a newly initiated apprentice, an ignorant illiterate, my understanding constantly being overturned! The technological achievements that Taya is so proud of are utterly vulnerable in the face of your weapons that are outdated half a century ago!"

She took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling slightly, her eyes gleaming with fire.

"I have self-respect too!"

"So—" her voice suddenly rose, "Why refuse to break down this barrier?! I eagerly anticipate the moment when magic and technology collide, merge, and create an unprecedented spectacle!"

If Su Ming was merely a little radical in his views, then the words of Zijin revealed a kind of fanaticism that was willing to give everything, even to the point of being shattered, in order to witness the boundaries of truth being broken and to touch that unknown scene!

But Su Ming had a gut feeling that something was wrong!

He gazed at the girl before him. Diligent in learning and practicing, courageous, resolute, focused—she was truly worthy of being called the finest scholar.

"Do you want me to say, 'Truly worthy of being called Miss Belladonna '?" Su Ming's voice lowered.

He took a step forward, meeting Zijin's eyes, which were shimmering with complex emotions:

So tell me... why did you lie?

****

Three hours later, Su Ming, still sleepy and with a heavy sense of morning grumpiness and resentment, looked at Zijin, who had shaken him awake again.

Although he was okay when he woke up in the morning, the severe mental exhaustion from yesterday's time at the ruins, coupled with the depletion from the night's fusion, quickly overwhelmed him with overwhelming fatigue again.

Zijin was also not in good condition, even more so than Su Ming, so after breakfast, the two went back to their rooms to rest.

"Zijin..." Su Ming rubbed his throbbing temples and sighed deeply, "Could you please not develop this... habit of disturbing people's sleep?"

"I can't sleep," Zijin replied matter-of-factly, even with a hint of innocence, "And—you didn't lock the door!"

Before going to sleep, Su Ming had made a point of carefully checking and confirming that the door was locked! But now was clearly not the time to dwell on that detail.

The azure-colored ornament on Zijin's wrist shimmered with a warm luster in the light streaming through the porthole.

"What are you defending against?" Su Ming asked. "I can recognize such a famous top-tier mental defense item as the ' Spirit Wall Crystal Barrier '."