Above the Galaxy
Chapter 417 - 267, The Best Scenery of the Year!

Chapter 417: Chapter 267, The Best Scenery of the Year!

The grass grew long, and the orioles flew high amidst green willows and vibrant peach blossoms.

At the Luoxia Lake, visitors swarmed like weaving threads.

Students from prestigious schools cuddled by Luoxia Lake, led by the Imperial First Military Academy, and young men and women experiencing the stirrings of first love gathered here to admire the scenery, take photos, and enjoy spring outings.

Others lay upon the earth under the open sky, clustering in groups of three or five, and with a wooden guitar and a few throats, they could produce beautiful melodies.

Everywhere was picturesque, every glance filled with joy.

Phoenix threw the frisbee in her hand, which Little Fatty eagerly chased, catching it in his mouth and faithfully returning it to the palm of its owner.

When Phoenix threw it again, Little Fatty once more wobbled his chubby body and raced off.

The playful exchange between the dog and its owner was truly delightful.

Not far away, on the grass, a woman with a seductive figure lay on a grey blanket.

Her shoes were set aside, and her tender, white and jade-like feet gently swayed. Each toenail was painted a deep black, mysterious and enticing.

She wore blue skinny jeans and a simple black sleeveless vest. Her slim waist was cinched with a brown leather belt, accentuating her long legs and fuller upper body.

Her rosy navel peeked out, capturing much attention.

She wore black sunglasses on her nose, covering most of her face. Holding a wine glass, she leisurely sipped red wine.

Phoenix threw the frisbee far away, then ran over and plopped down on the blanket, took a big gulp of the wine, and said, "Aren’t you going to move around? Are you not afraid of getting fat?"

Little Fatty, with the frisbee in mouth, came over, placed it by Phoenix’s feet, and nudged her with a paw, urging her to join in the fun.

Phoenix, feeling helpless, waved her hand, and someone came over to carry Little Fatty away.

She had been very busy with public duties recently, representing the Royal Family on various visits and inspections.

Having felt guilty for neglecting her little Bichon Frise, she took advantage of the fair weather today and called Sheng Xinhua to go out and relax.

Little did she expect that the playful dog would not want to stop once it started.

"I’m afraid the places that should slim down wouldn’t, while the places that shouldn’t might just fall off," Sheng Xinhua said with feigned shyness.

Phoenix glanced at her chest and said sarcastically, "Don’t worry. Even if you lose two pounds, it will still be quite substantial."

Sheng Xinhua then giggled flirtatiously, saying, "Are you praising me? Then I’ll unabashedly accept it."

"How do you look like a teacher at all? There are many of your students passing by; aren’t you afraid they might see you?"

"What should a teacher look like? I’m neither a thief nor a robber. Just because I have a prettier face and a more impressive chest... How does that not make me look like a teacher?"

"What if they see me? They would only be proud to have such a beautiful teacher... Are they supposed to be happy with skinny old men or old ladies?"

Phoenix was once again defeated by this woman’s boldness and said aloud, "Alright, alright, I can’t argue with you... No wonder you’re a literature professor at our Imperial First Military Academy, you have such a quick wit..."

"If it comes to quick wit, I’m certainly not as good as you..."

Embarrassed and annoyed, Phoenix’s face blushed like the evening glow and pinched Sheng Xinhua on the arm, cutting her off urgently, "Stop talking... You promised you wouldn’t mention it."

"Alright, alright, I’ll stop..." Sheng Xinhua knew Phoenix was thin-skinned, "It’s just a kiss with Tang Fei... What’s the big deal?"

"I knew it... I shouldn’t have told you," Phoenix reached out to tickle Sheng Xinhua’s armpit, knowing how much the woman hated being tickled.

"Was it you who told me?" Sheng Xinhua raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly, "I guessed it myself, didn’t I? We had an agreement, whoever started dating must report their relationship status, when you hold hands, when you kiss, when you... And you, ungrateful, actually tried to hide it from me."

"Lucky I’m quick-witted and well-informed, I saw through your secret... Just by tricking you into saying it, heh, I was right. You let that little thief Tang Fei take advantage of you, ingesting his countless saliva..."

"Sheng Xinhua..."

Phoenix felt her face burning hot, as if about to catch fire.

This woman had gone mad.

So many people around, and she blurted out everything, even mentioning ingesting someone’s saliva...

How could such words be said?

Could such things really be mentioned in public?

"What’s there to fear?" Sheng Xinhua glared and said, "They don’t know what I’m talking about, do they?"

"I know what you’re talking about..."

"Oh, you dare to do it but fear it being mentioned? Kissing is just kissing; who hasn’t kissed before? Look at those young people... openly embracing and smooching. I’ve already spotted several pairs from here..."

"..."

Sheng Xinhua leaned towards Phoenix, and with her change of position, her ample chest almost tumbled out, revealing swathes of white like a silver moon bursting forth, dazzling to the point of blindness.

"How does it feel? Comfortable? Tasty?"

"Sheng Xinhua, if you keep talking about this... I’ll cut ties with you," Phoenix said, almost in tears.

The woman was crazy, insisting on discussing such intimate topics in this setting...

Couldn’t they wait to talk about it at night?

"Okay, okay, let’s not talk about that," Sheng Xinhua wasn’t worried about upsetting Phoenix, but she didn’t want to overstimulate her friend and cause her to flee.

The wine wasn’t finished yet.

"Why don’t you find out what it’s like for yourself?" Phoenix retorted, "Didn’t you say you’ve seen it all?"

"I’ve seen it on TV and in films, but I’ve never actually done it myself. The moment I saw that lovesick look on your face, I knew you, little hussy, were taken down... Why don’t we give it a try? I hear it’s even more thrilling between women."

"....."

Sheng Xinhua’s long eyelashes fluttered as she asked teasingly, "Has it been over a year since Tang Fei left? Do you miss him?"

Phoenix’s face showed a wistful expression as she said, "One year and three months... He left in early spring last year, and now it’s the season of blooming flowers..."

"Tsk tsk tsk, you’re keeping track so closely? Are you counting each day like a year?"

"Sheng Xinhua...."

"Can’t I say this? You like him, he likes you, you’ve tasted each other’s saliva... What’s that idiom again? Acquire a taste... When something is delicious, everyone who has tried it wants more. What’s wrong with that?"

"How can you talk of such things so crudely?"

"How is it crude? I, a literature professor...must of course speak in a more vivid and direct manner. We’ve been sleeping together for so many years, you know my strengths, I know your depths, why hide anything?"

"..."

Seeing that Phoenix was too shy to speak any further, Sheng Xinhua stopped teasing her and asked, "Did he say when he would come back when he left? It’s been more than a year... Can he still return?"

"Of course he can," Phoenix said confidently. "Even if you don’t believe in Tang Fei... The Great Grandmaster is with him, what problem can’t be solved?"

"That’s true," Sheng Xinhua said, taking a sip of red wine. "Xuanyuan Mingjing, as a Great Grandmaster, willingly accompanied his little apprentice to Ghost Prison... What do you think Shen Xinglan feels? What about the Shen Family?"

"How they feel is their business. What does it have to do with us?"

"Aren’t you curious?" Sheng Xinhua whispered like a curious baby, "Xuanyuan Mingjing values Tang Fei so much that he became his Protector... Doesn’t Shen Xinglan feel jealous?"

"I heard that when Shen Xinglan went to the Blood-colored Glacier and the Immortal Slaying Stage, he went alone, without Xuanyuan Mingjing by his side. Compared to that, their closeness is obvious. Xuanyuan Mingjing seems to prefer Tang Fei a bit more, making Shen Xinglan appear inferior."

Gently brushing her hanging hair aside, Phoenix looked at Sheng Xinhua with tender eyes and said, "The Great Grandmaster protects because Tang Fei needs his company. If Xuanyuan Mingjing isn’t with Shen Xinglan, it’s because Shen Xinglan, with his exceptional talent, needs no one’s company. He can do very well on his own."

Sheng Xinhua’s expression stiffened, then she burst into laughter, pointing at Phoenix and saying, "You’ve prepared the excuses for the outside world too? Such a wife as you, what more could one want? Tang Fei must have saved the Milky Way in his past life, right? Otherwise, how could he receive such intimacy from our Little Princess..."

"The truth is exactly that," Phoenix said seriously. "Shen Xinglan has broken records on his path of cultivation, entering the Grandmaster Realm before twenty, he is the foremost among all under the stars... What need does such a person have for a Protector?"

"Those who don’t know you might think you’re praising Shen Xinglan," Sheng Xinhua said with a smirk. "Those of us who understand you know you’re speaking for your own little lover. ’The tallest tree in the forest bears the brunt of the wind’... Are you afraid too many jealous people will try to strike at him?"

Phoenix knew she couldn’t hide her thoughts from Sheng Xinhua, the reason she spoke these words to her face...

Was simply because she hoped Sheng Xinhua would explain things the same way to others.

If it were her brothers and sisters, or the young prodigies of the nine major families, having a Great Grandmaster as a Protector would naturally be something to proclaim far and wide.

However, Tang Fei’s background was just too weak.

The Great Grandmaster could protect him for a time but not for a lifetime.

You can’t see the heart through the belly, and swords are hard to fend off.

Hence, she hoped that while Tang Fei improved his own strength, he would also maintain the necessary low profile.

Unfortunately, because of the Great Grandmaster’s involvement, he couldn’t keep a low profile even if he wanted to.

With the Great Grandmaster away from White Crane Mountain for a year, hostile nations and evil forces were stirring, and Chen Fenglei had become a lot busier than before.

Many were caught, and many were chopped.

Even her father repeatedly inquired about when the Great Grandmaster would return to the mountain.

The Great Grandmaster was indeed the Empire’s towering white jade pillar, the sea-spanning golden beam.

With him present, the mischievous bowed their heads, and the spirits roamed the night.

Once he left, all manner of ghosts and goblins couldn’t wait to jump out.

"If he was merely outstanding, everyone could turn a blind eye. But a genius... a genius beyond one’s control, who wouldn’t want to quash a miracle?"

Sheng Xinhua let out a soft sigh, "It’s truly not easy for him... If not, he should just come with me to teach at the school? No one would choose to mess with a teacher. After all, a scholar is useful for nothing."

"At the time, that’s indeed what I thought, to have him and Little Fatty settle down in New Star, leading a respectable but risk-free job..."

Phoenix said with a wry smile, "But as you see... life is unpredictable. He still ended up choosing a dangerous path."

Sheng Xinhua patted the back of Phoenix’s hand, consoling her, "Don’t worry, with the Princess’s power and the Great Grandmaster’s prestige... he will surely be safe and sound."

"Let’s hope so," Phoenix nodded.

"Here, let’s drink. To our Little Princess and the dawn of her affections."

"Or to our buxom and shapely Professor Sheng...."

"Hehe, I like that compliment... say it louder, others can’t hear..."

"...."

Their wine glasses clinked together, making a clear sound.

At this moment, a clear voice rang in their ears: "Two beautiful ladies, may I invite you for a drink? Not to waste such a stunning sunset, a perfect moment like this."