Modern world: Arc 2.4

Bai Lixin looked at the painting "Serenity", which Qu Yasong had composed when he was sixteen, and he felt his breath catch and his heart pound.

The picture is of two elderly men smiling at each other outside a lush green field. One of them, dressed in a white suit, sits on a wicker chair outside a flower garden, a vase of fresh flowers on a wicker round table beside him, and on a closer look, you can even see dew drops on it.

And behind him, the other old man in a black suit is draping a blanket over the wicker chair onto the latter's shoulders. The old man in the white suit had his head turned and was smiling at the old man in black, showing only a side view of his face.

There was sunlight tilting down the eaves and hitting the two men's faces. They did not have youthful, handsome faces, but in their wrinkled faces, one could see the feelings that were warmer than even the sunlight; peaceful, serene, and warm.

The painting was a perfect blend of cool and warm tones, with bold and delicate brushwork that showed the owner's dedication.

Bai Lixin covered his mouth, and two lines of tears slowly flowed from his wide-open eyes.

The two people in this picture clearly looked like Lu Xuefei and Luo Qintian in their later years!

And wasn't that background… that roof… the back garden…all part of the manor they had lived in after settling in Country M?

How could Qu Yasong have painted this picture? Is he a transmigrator too? Or is he…?

A bold thought appeared in Bai Lixin's mind, pounding on his reason and feelings. The flow of emotions in this painting could not be portrayed by a bystander.

Neither could the kind of pattern and tacit understanding between him and Luo Qintian be easily drawn by a passerby.

A fragment of the Lord God's soul?

S419m had scanned Luo Qiantan's attributes, and his soul attributes were as high as A-rank in an F-rank world, which in itself was unreasonable. And how did the "Return of the Lord God" mission unlock?

If he thought about it carefully, what did he do in the last world that unlocked this mission inadvertently? The only thing he had done more different from any other realm was to fall in love with Luo Qintian.

Could it be that Luo Qintian's soul was a Lord God soul fragment?

Once this thought arose, it kept reverberating in his mind.

After thinking alone for a long time, Bai Lixin called out in his mind: [S419m!]

He called out a few times but heard no response from S419m, and only then did he remember that he had forcibly severed his mental connection with the system.

[Open contact with the system].

As soon as his words fell, he heard a familiar electrical tone in his mind.

[Ding! Opening the host's spiritual connection with the dimensional system. Ding! Congratulations to the host; the establishment of the spiritual connection is complete. The connection degree is 100%. The host can freely use the dimensional system.]

Just after the system beep and alerts, Bai Lixin heard a cry in his mind: [Lord host, why did you take so long to restart the system? Are you really planning to jump ship?]

Bai Lixin was silent, waiting for S419m to finish crying, then shrugged and said: [I don't care. I've had enough anyway. I've seen so many worlds, and life should be like this. Why should I force it?]

At Bai Lixin's words, S419m started to cry again.

Bai Lixin interrupted him, [Don't cry, it's noisy. I let you out because I wanted you to check on someone for me.]

S419m immediately returned in the most ceremonial tone, [Enlightened Lord host, S419m can investigate anything for you. There is nothing I can't do. Please feel free to use me.]

Bai Lixin knocked on the table, [No need to get suck up to me, I don't eat that. You help me check the spiritual and physical attributes of Su Ruo's boyfriend, Qu Yasong.]

[Yes, Lord Host! Ding! Scanning begins. Ding! The scan is now complete. Qu Yasong's mental attribute is ranked A, and his physical attribute is ranked A.]

Bai Lixin's hand, which was casually tapping on the desk, paused, and slowly shrunk into a fist to clench tightly: [Can you scan all the mental power attributes and physical body attributes in this world in a scattered form?]

[Lord-Host, I can!]

S419m's voice was so resounding that Bai Lixin could picture a small person with his head and fist held high, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud. [Then you can help me scan how many people in this dimensional world have A-rank mental power attributes and how many B-rank ones.]

[Yes! Ding! Scanning started. Ding! The scan is now complete. Lord host, there is only one person with an A-rank spiritual power attribute, and that is Mr. Qu Yasong. There is also one person with B-rank spiritual power; that is you, my great Host!]

S419m was now flattering Bai Lixin's at every opportunity, fearing that he would abandon him if he was not happy.

Bai Lixin's tightly gripped heart lifted and fell. He took a deep breath and exhaled another turbid breath, and said: [Next, you tell me, what exactly is the Lord God soul fragment. I want to know everything! Once I find out or suspect you are lying or hiding anything, you know the consequences.]

S419m's weakness was now in Bai Lixin's hands; how dare it not obey?

If Bai Lixin asked, it would shake out all of its own bottom. Although S419m is an artificial intelligence, it was not human after all, and its thinking was sometimes still stuck in the "cause" and "effect" logic.

So once Bai Lixin, who had been a "grandson" for a thousand years, caught hold of S419m, with their two vastly different IQs, it would never be able to turn the tide again.

[I have no choice, Lord Host.]s419m complained, [The matter has to start from billions of years ago. There were countless worlds in the vast universe. The Lord God was at the centre of the worlds, in charge of the order and cycle of these worlds.][

But there comes a time when the Lord God has to fall into eternal sleep, and he needs a successor. The old Lord God had been in charge for billions of years and had reached the point where he had to slumber. A new Lord God was conceived and born in the vast void, waiting to take over from the old Lord God.]

S419m's voice became indistinct and distant, as if he had fallen into some kind of memory, [The old Lord God had twelve sub-gods under him, and each of these sub-gods was in charge of one twelfth of the vast universe. The Old Lord God, who should have fallen into a deep sleep, was unwilling to give up his eternal life and his immense powers when he was nearing eternal rest. So he united with the Twelve Sub-Gods to intercept and kill the New Lord God not long after his arrival.]

[The New Lord God was birthed from the universe and is the heart of the universe] S419m's voice was sad as never before, [He could not die, or dissipate. He had stronger powers and a longer life than the old Lord God.]

[In order to be able to gain the power of the new Lord God, the old Lord God divided the soul of the new Lord God into several pieces and gave them to his twelve secondary gods. They threw these fragments into the billions of dimensional worlds to be tortured, borrowing the power of the worlds to absorb the new Lord God's power and life force bit by bit. The old Lord God then regained control like this, and became a new pseudo-Lord God.]

When Bai Lixin heard S419m's words, his heart throbbed. How much pain did one have to endure when his soul was divided? The splitting of one's body alone was unbearable, let alone one's soul.

Covering his aching heart, he asked, [What happened afterwards? How did you appear?]

[The Lord God had just been conceived and born from the centre of the universe, and was intercepted by the false sub-gods before his power was fully unleashed. But the Lord God's strength was there after all, and he created the dimensional system without their notice. ]

[The dimensional system can lock onto the general area where the Lord God's soul fragment is located, but it is not yet accurate as to which world. So for billions of years, I have constantly searched for a host, hoping that one could trigger a way to free the Lord God's soul fragments.]

[But unfortunately, all the hosts before you only lasted a few worlds before they could not withstand the malice of the world and were killed. Only you actually traveled through dozens of realms like a fish in water, your spiritual power reached an unprecedented high, and you even rescued the first soul fragment!]

After hearing S419m's words, Bai Lixin could not calm his heart.

Only after a long time did he say, [Then, I think I have found the Lord God's soul fragment in this realm.]

Still immersed in painful memories, S419m froze: [Huh?]

Bai Lixin rubbed his hair, his eyes fixed on the computer screen with the "Serenity" painting and repeated: [I think I found a fragment of the Lord God's soul that you want. Since I am now your saving grace, it's time for us to talk about the quest reward.]

[Er…] s419m's heart seized. Why did he have the feeling of being by a wolf and a sense of shivering running through it?

No way. He is an artificial intelligence, made of nothingness, with no form. How can he get shivers? It must be an illusion, an illusion…

Bai Lixin leaned on crutches and slowly walked into the luxurious private university.

This university was built by Qu Yasong after he returned to China with no expense spared. Its teachers were all at the top of their level, so the tuition fees were not cheap.

However, there are scholarships available every year for those who could win a top ten spot in the school's annual "Heavenly Art Competition."

Su Ruo was a sophomore and took third place in last year's "Heavenly Art Competition."

When Su Ruo and Su Qing's mother died, they did not apply for a new guardian as they had both reached the age of 16.

The government gave them an annual social assistance grant. Their mother was insured during her lifetime, and after her death, the government also provided them with an insurance payment.

After dropping high school, Su Qing seemed to be doing nothing but dance in a bar and "playing" with his life. On the other hand, Su Ruo worked hard to get into the university of his dreams, often taking odd jobs.

To the domineering and philandering Zhao Yunhai, the two are a far cry from each other.

Su Ruo is strong and kind, while Su Qing is vain and depraved. He had seen a lot of people like Su Qing, so he fell in love with the kind-hearted Su Ruo at first sight.

However, he did not know that Su Ruo's tuition fees for his first year of schooling were paid for with Su Qing and Su Ruo's joint property, all their mother's insurance money, and social assistance money.

The family's bank cards were kept by Su Ruo, who would give Su Qing a small amount of money every month, just a few hundred, for living expenses and pocket money.

The insurance money left was initially a large sum, but after paying off their mother's loan for chemotherapy, only half of it was left.

Su Ruo only wanted to study at a private art university, but tuition fees were a problem, and the money he earned from his part-time job could not even cover half of it. So when Su Ruo received his acceptance letter, he had the idea of using his mother's insurance and social assistance money.

Su Qing knew nothing about this. He did love to have fun and knew that Su Ruo did not have the financial means to do so, so he simply decided not to go to university and instead danced in bars to earn money. He even flirted with big spenders when he met them to get a little tip back.

He only had a few hundred a month to live on, which wasn't enough to spend.

But he never flirted with Zhao Yunhai, a regular, because he genuinely liked the man, and being close to him made him more timid.

It's just that he had his heart set on the bright moon, but the moon was illuminating a ditch. Zhao Yunhai recognized Su Qing as a waste, and even if they talked, it was only to get close to Su Ruo.

When it came to Zhou Yunhai and Su Ruo, they were a natural pair. One of them appears innocent on the outside, but on the inside he prefers to avoid harm, gain advantages, and steal from his brother; while the other is a playboy, but he still longs for an innocent lover in his heart.

The new semester's tuition fee was due a week after the start of the school year, and Su Ruo had already given Bai Lixin a bank card to deposit that month's tuition fee before he left.

But Bai Lixin knew that the scholarship money only covered one-half of the tuition fee, and the part-time job money was only enough to cover one-fifth of the balance. As for the extra money, it seems that Su Ruo has touched their joint property again.

Su Qing sat in the classroom with the bank card in his hand. Suddenly, he broke the card with force and threw it into his backpack.

A bank card without internet banking can't be used if it's folded.

Although I can come to class for you, I can't help you re-apply for the bank card, so let me help you figure out the tuition fee issue for now, brother Su Ruo.

Bai Lixin propped his head up and waited boredly for the bell to ring.

After school was over and everyone had left, Bai Lixin stood up slowly with his cane. With his crutches under his armpit and his school bag slung over his other shoulder, he made his way to the chairman's studio.

Qu Yasong had his own studio, which was unknown to Su Ruo while still a freshman. He had accidentally walked into Qu Yasong's separate studio and painted in it, and happened to be caught by Qu Yasong.

Qu Yasong initially wanted to kick him out, but let him stay after seeing what he had painted.

Bai Lixin thought about the scene while walking. He rubbed his chin and thought to himself, "Is Qu Yasong really his lover? To have such a Mary Sue scene?

Following the memories of this world, Bai Lixin finally limped to Qu Yasong's painting room, which was located in a remote area and was really hard to find. He wondered how Su Ruo had stumbled upon it.

He coughed twice and carefully pushed the door open. The moment the door opened, it was as if he had opened the door to a new world.

Although he had seen Qu Yasong's appearance from the world's memories, it was like watching a movie; being there was a completely different feeling from watching from afar.

In the middle of the drawing room, a near-transparent man was carefully drawing something with a brush.

The young man's skin was as white as cream, his flaxen hair fell to his shoulders, and his angelic features were filled with indifference.

The white curtains moved in the breeze, and the reddish sunset leaked in through the window, making the room extraordinarily peaceful and serene.

It was as if Bai Lixin could see white wings dancing behind the man's back, a man as beautiful and pure as an angel.

He paused for a second before knocking gently on the door, interrupting the man's painting.

Qu Yasong's appearance was completely different from Luo Qintian's, who was a strict and majestic man.

Qu Yasong was more like an ethereal immortal. But even though their appearances were different, Bai Lixin still sensed a familiar aura in the air.

When the man heard the knock on the door, his hand paused, and he broke his eyes from the drawing paper to look at the door.

The expression on his face did not move at all when he looked at the door, and his indifferent expression did not change when he saw that the other party was Su Ruo.

He only nodded lightly and said, "You've started school." Then he buried his head in the canvas again.

Bai Lixin nodded and walked in on his own. He had already known from his memories that Qu Yasong was a cold person and was not surprised by his behavior. He slowly paced up behind Qu Yasong to see what he was painting, only to find a blank canvas in front of him, nothing at all.

As his eyes moved down the canvas, to the brush held in the man's long, slender finger, It had no paint.

Bai Lixin was slightly surprised, "What are you painting, Qu Yasong?"

Qu Yasong glanced back at Bai Lixin and said, "I was thinking of what I could paint on this canvas."

"Ah," Bai Lixin drew a chair from the side and placed it next to Qu Yasong, sitting down familiarly and resting his cane on his leg, "Have you thought of anything then?"

Qu Yasong shook his head, "No. Since you are here, you do the painting. "

With that, he handed the brush to Bai Lixin. He had often done this with Su Ruo in the past. When there was no inspiration, Su Ruo always managed to inspire him.

Bai Lixin looked at the outstretched brush and hurriedly waved his hand, laughing, "Not today. I'm not inspired either. I came to see you for something else."

"Eh?" Qu Yasong's usual cold face frowned slightly, "Something else?"

Su Ruo had never told him about anything other than painting.

Bai Lixin smiled brightly and scratched his hair in embarrassment, "It's like this. There's still a week left to pay the tuition fee, but I haven't got it together yet, so I want to borrow some money from you. "

Qu Yasong nodded, not a trace of expression on his face, "That's okay, I'll help you with the advance first."

He thought for a moment and added, "It's okay if you don't pay it back."

Bai Lixin folded his hands and clapped them together, "That would be most appreciated, but I can't take your money for free, let alone not pay you back. How about this: I'll model for you for free. Maybe you'll get inspired as you paint. When I earn some money, I will pay you back immediately. How about that? "

Qu Yasong thought about it and nodded, "Okay, I'll do as you say."

Bai Lixin smiled at that, showing a big smile.

Qu Yasong could not help but frown when he saw it. Today's Su Ruo seemed a little different from his usual self. He was even more moving than usual.

After seeing this infectious smile, Qu Yasong actually unconsciously pulled out a smile so shallow that it was almost invisible.

Both parties agreed, and Bai Lixin went to the back of Qu Yasong's canvas, while Qu Yasong sat down and began to mix the paints. He had been sitting since Bai Lixin came in, still focused on the canvas, and had not even noticed that Bai Lixin had a cast on his leg.

Only when he had finished mixing the paints did Qu Yasong lift his head to look at Bai Lixin, and when he did, a few ripples suddenly flashed through his calm, watery eyes, "What are you doing?"

He saw that Bai Lixin had already stripped naked, leaving only a pair of white underwear. He was sitting on the modeling platform, placing his cane to one side and arching his legs to hug himself into a ball as he smiled and looked ahead.

Hearing Qu Yasong's surprised voice, Bai Lixin turned his head to look at him, smiling naturally, "Modelling for you, what's wrong with that?"

Qu Yasong was speechless.

What's wrong? What was not wrong?