Beauties in Simulation Cross over into Reality-Chapter 130 - 115: These Two Men Are So Dull...

After Xiao Mo and the other two finished their assessment, they went to a tavern in town to celebrate. The next day, they finally began their journey back to Bailu Academy.

When they traveled to the Academy for the exam, the journey itself was part of the assessment. For that reason, the three of them couldn’t fly and had to rely on horses and carriages.

But now that the exam was over, Xiao Mo and the others could simply fly back to Bailu Academy.

Given their Realms, the journey wouldn’t even take two days in total.

However, Senior Brother Luo and Senior Sister Shang didn’t want to return to the academy so quickly.

They planned to take a different route back, still riding horses and driving a carriage, to experience different local customs and cultures.

Although Xiao Mo wanted to get back to see Ruxue as soon as possible, he didn’t want to spoil Senior Brother Luo and Senior Sister Shang’s fun.

After all, the scholars of Bailu Academy didn’t get to leave the mountain often, and every trip was subject to certain restrictions.

Xiao Mo suggested going back alone, but his senior brother and sister insisted he stay. In the end, he decided to just go along with them.

A few more days wouldn’t make much of a difference anyway.

On the journey back, Xiao Mo did indeed see all sorts of things in the world.

Even the rabbit demon that Senior Brother Luo had once spared secretly came to give him carrots.

Although Senior Brother Luo maintained an icy expression and paid the rabbit no mind, once the rest of them were asleep, he secretly washed the carrots and ate them all.

’What is the root cause of the war between the Human Race and the Demon Race?’

’Can humans and demons truly not coexist?’

Xiao Mo had been pondering these two questions recently.

In the end, the conclusion Xiao Mo reached was hatred.

Legend had it that during the primeval era of Chaos, the Human Race and Demon Race once joined forces to create a new world.

But later, the humans and demons parted ways. Friction between them constantly grew, eventually erupting into the first Great Human-Demon War.

In that great war, both the Human and Demon Races suffered disastrous casualties, and their populations were nearly halved.

After that first Human-Demon War, the conflict between the two sides became nearly irreconcilable, bordering on a blood feud.

Furthermore, demons discovered that absorbing human vital essence and devouring their flesh and blood greatly aided their cultivation. As more and more demons took this shortcut, the humans’ hatred for them naturally grew deeper.

Demons ate humans, and humans relentlessly exterminated demons.

As a result, the friction between the Human and Demon Races became more and more severe, and the hatred ran deeper and deeper.

The Human and Demon Races sitting down for a proper talk?

Almost impossible.

There was only fighting.

Fight until the sky grew dark and the earth fell dim.

Fight until every human and every Demon was exhausted.

Fight until both sides were forced to reconsider the very meaning of war.

Perhaps only then could a brief period of peace be ushered in.

One evening, the three of them took shelter for the night in a cave.

Senior Sister Shang had fallen asleep, her head resting on Xiao Mo’s shoulder. He gently laid her down on a pile of straw they had prepared.

"Junior Brother, with a personality like yours, I truly can’t imagine what you’ll be like when the war between the Human and Demon Races begins and you’re on the battlefield," Luo Yang said with a smile, looking at Xiao Mo.

It wasn’t that Luo Yang never smiled, but he rarely did. And when he did, the corners of his mouth would only lift in a slight curve.

If you hadn’t spent a long time with him, you wouldn’t even notice he was smiling.

"If I have to go, then I have to go." Xiao Mo draped a piece of clothing over Shang Jiuli before sitting down by the campfire with his senior brother. "In a war between two worlds like this, who can be spared?"

"Indeed..." Luo Yang stared at the campfire before them. "Who can be spared?"

Both Luo Yang and Xiao Mo fell into silence.

But there was no awkwardness between them.

Both were lost in their own thoughts.

"Junior Brother," Luo Yang called out to Xiao Mo after a long while.

"Hm?" Xiao Mo looked up at his senior brother, the flickering firelight reflecting on his resolute face.

"You and Junior Sister... don’t die."

Luo Yang poked the flames with a stick, and the CRACKLE of the campfire echoed softly through the cave.

After a long moment, Xiao Mo nodded. "You too, Senior Brother. Don’t die."

"Alright."

In the cave, Shang Jiuli, lying on the pile of straw, pulled the clothing draped over her a little tighter, feeling utterly speechless.

’I thought two grown men like them would talk about something interesting.’

’But here they are, talking about life and death.’

’These two... so boring...’

A smile tugged at the corners of Shang Jiuli’s lips as she thought to herself.

’Oh, whatever. Time to sleep.’

Shang Jiuli gradually drifted off to sleep.

They might have been boring.

But with the two of them keeping watch, she could sleep soundly.

The next morning, the three of them woke up early and continued their journey.

After a total of half a month, Xiao Mo and the others finally returned to the academy.

From leaving Bailu Academy to their return, a total of seventy days had passed.

"I’m going to report the details of our trip to the teacher. You’ve had a long journey, so get some rest."

Luo Yang cupped his fists and bid farewell to Xiao Mo and Shang Jiuli.

"Thank you for your trouble, Senior Brother." Xiao Mo returned the bow and watched Luo Yang leave.

"YAWN... Well, this senior sister is going to get some sleep," Shang Jiuli said, draping a slender hand on Xiao Mo’s shoulder. "Junior Brother, want to come sleep with me?"

Xiao Mo sidestepped away from her and bowed. "That won’t be necessary. Take care, Senior Sister."

"Hmph, stingy."

Shang Jiuli pouted and started walking up the mountain.

However, Shang Jiuli didn’t go straight back to her own courtyard. Instead, she headed for her grandfather’s place.

’The Academy Master asked me to personally deliver a letter to Grandfather, so I need to hand it over.’

Shang Jiuli arrived outside her grandfather’s courtyard.

Just as usual, her grandfather was still there, drinking tea and reading a book.

"Grandfather, here’s the letter from the Palace Master."

Shang Jiuli walked into the courtyard, placed the letter on the table, then sat down on a stone stool and skillfully picked up a teacup to pour herself some tea.

"Mm," Shang Qi said as he took the envelope.

"By the way, Grandfather, why do you have a sound-dampening Array set up in the courtyard?" Shang Jiuli asked curiously.

"Oh, it’s a habit."

With a wave of his hand, Shang Qi dispelled the sound-dampening Array that covered the courtyard.

"While you were away, that Lord of the North Sea has been making quite a racket on a barren mountain north of Bailu Academy. There’s a RUMBLE every day, like she’s trying to smash the mountain open. I had no choice but to set up an Array."

"What’s Miss Bai doing on that barren mountain?" Shang Jiuli asked, confused.

"Who knows..." Shang Qi brushed a fallen leaf from his book. "She said she’s preparing a gift for Xiao Mo."

...

When Xiao Mo returned to his courtyard, he found that Ruxue wasn’t home.

Xiao Mo wasn’t too concerned, though. ’Ruxue probably just went to the town at the foot of the mountain to buy a few things.’

Xiao Mo put his luggage back in his room, then took out some pastries, candied hawthorns, and the Literary Fortune Pearl that he’d bought on the road, planning to give them all to Ruxue.

But just as Xiao Mo was setting out these snacks, he saw a woman covered in dust and grime walking toward him.

Xiao Mo froze for a second, and it took him a good while to recognize her. "Ruxue?"