Transcending the Magic Era: The Supreme Female Archmage

Chapter 85 The Art of Tumultuous Change

The group strolled along the lakeside until night quietly fell, then reluctantly made their way back. The night was tranquil, dotted with stars, and a cool evening breeze gently blew by, bringing a rare sense of peace.

Chu Qiuchi walked in the middle of the group, looking at his companions walking side by side, and felt a warm feeling in his heart.

At that moment, the theme song of "Princess Pearl" suddenly popped into her mind: "Let us be companions in this mortal world, living freely and unrestrained, galloping on horseback, and sharing the prosperity of the world."

A slight smile played on her lips. Although they could neither ride horses nor gallop at the same time, the feeling of walking side by side and sharing joys and sorrows was exactly the same as the sentiment expressed in the lyrics.

During the days that Chu Qiuchi was in a coma, the atmosphere in the entire team was terribly oppressive. The other members no longer showed any smiles, and the entire camp was shrouded in a low-pressure atmosphere.

Even after she woke up, despite everyone being injured and bedridden, the laughter and chatter never stopped. As she herself joked, she was the soul of the team.

A gentle night breeze stirred the lake, causing ripples, and she suddenly began to hum softly.

"Let us be companions in this mortal world, living freely and unrestrained, galloping on horseback, sharing the splendor of life. Let us drink and sing, expressing the joy in our hearts, and seizing the prime of our youth with fervor."

Her voice was clear and resonant, carrying a free and unrestrained quality, as if flowing from the depths of her heart. For a moment, everyone was stunned, their gazes all falling on her.

In the darkness of night, her singing echoed along the quiet paths of the camp, melodious and free, like an unsuppressible vitality, carrying an indescribable infectiousness that struck straight to the heart.

Chu Yichen was the first to react, his eyes widened, and he grabbed her hand, shouting as he walked away.

"Sis, you can actually sing? I seem to remember when you were 3 years old, you drove away the music teacher that Mom and Dad hired for us! Didn't you sing so off-key back then that it was earth-shattering? We agreed to hold hands and be clowns together, but it turns out you secretly held back!"

Puyang Minghui quickly darted to Chu Qiuchi's other side, grabbed her other hand, and looked on expectantly.

"Qiu Chi, ignore him. Teach me to sing! Once I've learned it, we'll sing it together for everyone!"

Chu Yichen was immediately displeased upon hearing this, and his brows furrowed.

"Sis, I want to learn too! If you can learn it, I definitely can too!!"

Chu Qiuchi was grabbed by the two men on either side, looking at them with a wry smile, and waved his hand.

"Alright, alright, you two stop arguing. I won't teach either of you! It would be too embarrassing for me if you sang badly."

Puyang Minghui immediately put on a pitiful expression and said coquettishly, "Qiuchi~ please teach us! We promise to learn diligently and never embarrass you!"

Not to be outdone, Chu Yichen immediately clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, putting on the appearance of a well-behaved student.

"Sis, please teach me! I swear I'll be much better than I was when I was little!"

Chu Qiuchi couldn't help but laugh as he watched the two of them scrambling for it.

"Alright, alright, seeing how sincere you are, I'll reluctantly teach you. But let me make this clear: if you can't learn it and sing off-key, I won't be responsible!"

"No, no!"

Puyang Minghui and Chu Yichen said in unison, their faces full of eager excitement.

Nalan Xingyao walked a little slower, gazing at the dazzling starry sky ahead with a faint smile on her face.

She didn't join in the commotion, but simply listened quietly to their laughter, her mind unconsciously replaying the lyrics from those songs. That carefree and unrestrained life was precisely the goal they had always longed for and strived to achieve.

Walking at the back, Ji Moyu remained as calm as ever, his steps steady, his face expressionless. But those few lyrics seemed to linger silently in his mind, impossible to shake off.

His gaze swept over the noisy group in front of him, watching their elongated silhouettes against the night. His eyebrows twitched slightly, and a barely perceptible curve appeared at the corners of his usually indifferent mouth.

Chu Qiuchi acted immediately, clearing her throat and adopting a teaching posture, but a sly glint flashed in her eyes.

"Alright, listen carefully, I'm going to teach you now! — Say this after me: You are the best, child! Repeat this sentence over and over again: You are the best, child! Say this after me together: You are the best, child! Repeat this sentence over and over again: You are the best, child… Jump up!"

As Chu Qiuchi sang, he jumped up and down on the spot, gesturing wildly. His whole body seemed to be suddenly filled with electricity, and his exaggerated movements were so funny that they brought a strange sense of rhythm to the scene.

The catchy song "Other People's Children" instantly shattered the carefree atmosphere from before, turning it into a mini "disaster scene."

Chu Yichen silently rubbed his forehead, looking at her with a look of utter despair.

"Sis, are you crazy? You were singing just now, how did your style suddenly change? What kind of weird song is this?"

Puyang Minghui's lips twitched violently as she tried to suppress her laughter but almost couldn't hold it in.

"Qiu Chi, your change of heart is too fast! Weren't we supposed to learn that cool song? What's with this addictive tune that makes me want to punch someone?!"

Chu Qiuchi, however, laughed heartily, jumping and calling out to them without a care in the world.

"Hey, hurry up and keep up with the rhythm! Jump up, learn it! This song is perfect for us, we're so outstanding, we're the legendary 'other people's kids'! The cutest in the world, the most invincible, Thanos-like beings! Hurry up and keep up with my pace, show off our style!"

Chu Yichen was speechless and waved his hand.

"Sis, that's enough, stop jumping! I'm afraid people will think we've gone crazy!"

Nalan Xingyao also covered her mouth and chuckled, her tone full of teasing.

"Qiu Chi, I advise you to calm down. If you jump down again, Yu Ge's icy face will be terrified."

Ji Moyu finally raised her eyes, glanced at Chu Qiuchi indifferently, and spoke in a cold tone.

"I never knew you could be so scary when you go crazy."

Chu Qiuchi immediately stopped what he was doing, a sly glint in his eyes and a playful smile on his lips as he looked at Ji Moyu.

"Little fish, you don't understand, do you? Come on, jump with me! I'll show you what true happiness is!"

Ji Moyu didn't even lift his eyelids, coldly uttering two words.

"no."

Chu Qiuchi was not about to give up so easily, muttering, "What excuse? Jump up now!"

With that, she strode forward aggressively, intending to forcibly grab Ji Moyu's hand. However, before she had taken two steps, her left foot accidentally stepped on her right foot, and she instantly lost her balance.

"Ouch!"

Before anyone could react, there was a loud "thud" as Chu Qiuchi fell heavily to the ground at Ji Moyu's feet, looking disheveled and landing with a solid thud.

The entire scene fell silent instantly, and after a few seconds of deathly stillness—

Puyang Minghui couldn't help but cover her stomach and laugh so hard she couldn't stand up straight.

"Hahaha, Qiu Chi, you're really going all out! This is practically begging to jump on your knees!"

Chu Yichen, who was also struggling to suppress his laughter, finally burst out laughing.

"Sis, I think it's right for Yu-ge not to dance. Your dance is not only mesmerizing, but also quite dangerous!"

Ji Moyu glanced down at Chu Qiuchi, who was lying at her feet, her eyes still calm, but her lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

"Are they planning to kneel and beg me to jump?"

Chu Qiuchi looked up and glared at Ji Moyu, her face flushed red—what a disgrace! With her skills, to fall like this in public was simply an utter disgrace!

"Ji Moyu! You...you actually dare to make sarcastic remarks! And all of you who are laughing at me. What do you know? This is called an artist performing a dramatic life! This kind of depth is something ordinary people can't possibly understand! Humph!"

Upon hearing this, Puyang Minghui and Chu Yichen laughed so hard they couldn't stand up straight, while Nalan Xingyao shook her head and smiled helplessly.

"Qiu Chi, you're really something! Your performance was great. Don't do it again next time, or I'm afraid you'll fall right into the lake and we'll have to go and fish you out."

After they finished laughing, seeing that Chu Qiuchi was still lying on the ground and hadn't gotten up, they all prepared to go forward to help her. But Chu Qiuchi's eyes darted around, and she suddenly grabbed Ji Moyu's ankle, tilting her head back with a righteous and stern expression.

"Don't help me up! You bunch of mortals, you have no taste at all! Little Fish, don't think you can escape. You have to jump today, or I'll stay right in front of you and not get up!"

Ji Moyu glanced down at her, still with that expressionless face, and uttered two words in a flat tone.

"what ever."

Chu Qiuchi was so angry that he gritted his teeth.

"You're completely impervious to reason! You're cold-blooded, heartless, you—"

Before she could finish speaking, Ji Moyu suddenly lifted her foot slightly, as if she was about to move.

"Hey hey hey! No, no, no!"

Chu Qiuchi tightened her arms instantly, clinging tightly to Ji Moyu's ankle, as if afraid he would kick her away at any moment. She quickly looked up, her face full of ingratiating smiles.

"Little Fish, I'm sorry, okay? If you won't jump, then don't jump. Why are you starting to kick? We need to be harmonious. Harmony brings wealth!"

Ji Moyu looked down at the person clinging tightly to his ankle, his brows twitching almost imperceptibly, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. He bent down and extended his hand to Chu Qiuchi, his tone so calm it betrayed no emotion.

"Still not getting up?"

Chu Qiuchi was stunned for a moment, looked up at the hand that was suddenly stretched out in front of him, narrowed his eyes warily, and spoke with suspicion in his tone.

"You...you actually pulled me up? Little Fish, you're not trying to get revenge on me, are you? Tell me, are you planning to push me back down when I stand up?"

Ji Moyu's eyebrows twitched slightly as he looked at her coldly and uttered each word clearly.

"I find you too much of a nuisance."

"you!"

Chu Qiuchi was so angry that she almost let go and threw him back down on the spot. She glared at Ji Moyu for a long time without being able to utter a word. Finally, she grabbed his hand tightly, used it to stand up, and muttered through gritted teeth, "You dog of a man, you're ruthless!!"

Ji Moyu lowered his eyes, looking at her sullen appearance. The corners of his mouth seemed to curl up slightly, but he quickly returned to his indifferent expression, as if the curve just now was just an illusion.

Chu Yichen shook his head helplessly as he watched his older sister's antics.

"Sis, can you please calm down? Before you left, you were nagging me about not taking care of my injury, but you went even crazier than me, jumping and skipping around, and then you took a proper fall! Luckily you fell face down, otherwise you would have gloriously gone back to bed first!"

Chu Qiuchi blushed at his words, immediately became furious, and angrily raised her hand to hit him.

"You brat, you're the one who should lie back down! If you keep talking nonsense, I'll make you experience the ups and downs of art with me!"

Chu Yichen nimbly shrank his neck and dodged with a smile.

"Okay, okay, sister, you're the best artist! Your fall was so spectacular it shook heaven and earth, we mere mortals dare not comment!"

Puyang Minghui, who was laughing so hard she was practically losing her composure, clutched her stomach and gasped for breath, "Qiu Chi, you'd better take it easy! Don't let your injury get worse!"

Nalan Xingyao couldn't help but shake her head, a barely suppressed smile playing on her lips.

"Yeah, Qiuchi, you haven't fully recovered yet. If you fall a second time, there's no guarantee you won't land on your bottom first!"

Chu Qiuchi glared at their words, hands on her hips, and said angrily, "You heartless bunch! I'll say it again—this is called artistic expression. Ups and downs are the true meaning of life, don't you understand?"

Puyang Minghui smiled and waved her hand.

"Very well, you are an artist. We don't understand this kind of profound art. Only you can perform it!"

Chu Qiuchi took a deep breath, put his hands on his hips, and slowly raised his head, assuming a profound expression as he gazed at the starry sky at a 45-degree angle.

"Sigh, being invincible is so lonely!"

Puyang Minghui laughed so hard she squatted down on the ground, panting as she said, "Qiu Chi, are you trying to make us laugh to death so you can enjoy your loneliness all by yourself?!"

Nalan Xingyao smiled and rubbed her forehead.

"Yeah, Qiu Chi, your pretentious act doesn't match the scene of your fall at all. Seriously... I beg you, stop lamenting, my stomach is about to cramp from laughing!"

Ji Moyu stood to the side, glanced at her calmly, and parted his thin lips slightly.

"It is indeed lonely, after all, no one can fall more ridiculously than you."

"Hmph! I won't bother with you ignorant mortals! We'll discuss this again when you can understand the ups and downs of art!"

Chu Qiuchi tilted his head back, shook his messy hair, struck a pose like a "cool artist," and strode confidently toward the camp.

Puyang Minghui, suppressing her laughter until her face turned red, finally couldn't help but chuckle softly, "Qiu Chi's artistic expression is truly unique. Even a fall can be interpreted as a cultural achievement. We mere mortals should refrain from trying to understand the realm of artists, lest we run out of butts to handle."

Nalan Xingyao gently shook her head, a smile playing on her lips.

"We just came out for a walk, how did things veer off course like this?"

Chu Yichen shrugged, looking helpless.

"With my sister in our team, it's destined to be anything but normal."

After saying that, he and the others followed Chu Qiuchi slowly, laughing as they went.

Ji Moyu, who was walking at the back, paused slightly, her gaze falling on the figure striding confidently.

Although Chu Qiuchi put on an arrogant demeanor, her slightly limping gait made it clear at a glance that her injuries had not fully healed.

Ji Moyu's eyes flickered slightly, a hint of tenderness appearing in his deep gaze. He didn't say a word, only gently curving the corners of his lips before quietly following behind.

In the darkness, the laughter and footsteps of the group mingled together, creating a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere. The phrase "ignorant mortals" seemed to still echo in the air, rippling endlessly and spreading out with the gentle breeze by the lake.

At this moment, Chu Qiuchi was unaware that someone else had set their sights on her...