Chapter 364 - 129 [A Thousand-mile Journey (1)] (6100)_2
It’s over two thousand kilometers. If we drive non-stop, disregarding fatigue and exhaustion, we could actually make it in a day and a night.
And with Chen Yan’s current physical condition, he could handle driving continuously for a day and a night without any major issues.
But...
It’s unnecessary.
·
They set off from home a bit after 9 a.m., and twenty-something minutes later, they were on the highway.
At this time, there weren’t many cars on the highway. Chen Yan felt a bit more relaxed as he drove.
He was a bit rusty initially, but after driving a few times yesterday, he felt he had regained his touch. Moreover, with his current physical abilities—sharp hearing and vision, and quick reflexes—being rusty was not a problem and could be easily overcome.
Though the comfort of riding in a big G wasn’t great, its high chassis and comfortable view made driving it a good experience.
Chen Yan drove all the way while Gu Qingyi sat in the passenger seat, reclining the seat back a bit to find the most comfortable position. She curled her long legs and held a bag of opened snacks, feeding herself potato chips piece by piece.
In the tea cup holder next to her, there was also a bottle of ice-cold cola.
"We’ll head north, out of our state and into Jiaodong State, then pass through Beijing and continue to the northeast provinces..." Chen Yan said casually as he drove, "If we don’t delay, we should reach Beijing tonight. We can find a hotel there to stay for the night..."
Gu Qingyi was browsing something online on her phone when she suddenly asked, "Can we see the sea in Jiaodong State?"
"Actually, we could drive along the coast all the way. Our state is also coastal; it’s just that Jinling Prefecture is not by the sea."
Gu Qingyi was silent for a moment, then said with a strange tone, "I... want to see the sea in this world."
Chen Yan was taken aback: "There are no seas in the Domain Realm?"
"There are, but they’re not beautiful," Gu Qingyi shook her head.
Chen Yan glanced at Gu Qingyi. Her face was calm, but there seemed to be a hint of rebellion in her eyes.
"We can detour to Rizhao on our way; the beach there is nice and worth seeing."
"Great!" Gu Qingyi’s tone was a bit more excited.
"And we can have seafood BBQ."
"Yes, yes." Gu Qingyi’s emotions elevated even more.
Chen Yan mused for a moment, "By the way, since you’ve been in this world for a few months now and haven’t had the chance to explore, how about we take this opportunity to tour around as we head north? I mean, if you’re not in a hurry."
Gu Qingyi straightened up, turned to look at Chen Yan, and after a while, she suddenly smiled softly, "I’m not in a hurry."
Gu Qingyi seemed to suddenly brighten up. She turned and reached into the backseat, grabbing a bag of fruit that had been washed and brought from home.
This woman leaned back in her seat, elegantly picked up the sun globe grapes one by one with her fingers, peeled them, and popped them into her mouth.
With each grape, she closed her eyes in contentment, savoring it fully.
After eating a few, she carefully peeled one and leaned toward Chen Yan, "Open your mouth."
"Hmm?" Chen Yan was puzzled, instinctively shaking his head, "Oh, no, I don’t... mmm?"
A grape was stuffed into his mouth. Feeling slightly awkward, Chen Yan chewed a few times and gulped it down.
"It’s sweet, isn’t it?" Gu Qingyi smiled at Chen Yan, then sighed, "You won’t find such delicious food once we return."
"Then we just won’t go back," Chen Yan replied reflexively.
After saying this, Gu Qingyi fell silent.
Realizing his slip, Chen Yan quickly said, "I didn’t mean anything by it... I was just thinking, you often mention how bad the Domain Realm is and how great our world is—peaceful, prosperous, with abundant resources, advanced technology, and a comfortable lifestyle.
Since you love it here so much, why not stay and live in this world?"
Gu Qingyi sighed softly, "Chen Yan, you don’t understand."
"...Hmm..." Chen Yan said nothing more.
"I’m the Gu family’s rightful heir," Gu Qingyi said slowly, "My life’s goal is the path of cultivation. Though this world is wonderful and peaceful, the Heavenly Dao suppresses cultivation here, making it impossible."
"I just said that casually; don’t take it to heart," Chen Yan said, wanting to change the topic.
"Actually, I can’t bear to leave either," Gu Qingyi said with a bitter face, "Your world is just too comfortable, with so many delicious foods and drinks..."
Chen Yan sensed Gu Qingyi’s emotions and thought for a moment before saying, "Well, we don’t have to think about all that right now. We just left home, so why not consider this as a trip we’ve embarked on?
As for returning to the Domain Realm, we can worry about that after we’ve enjoyed all the good food and fun places. Let’s save any distress for when the trip is over."
Pausing for a moment, Chen Yan added with a smile, "In theory, even if a person has only one day left to live, if they consider it as ’the start of a new day,’ they’ll feel much better.
Leave the grief of death for nighttime."
Gu Qingyi blinked a few times, looking at Chen Yan, "That actually makes sense. How did you develop this mindset?"
"Not everything is about cultivation," Chen Yan said somewhat helplessly, "I had this mindset as a kid.
As a child, I loved playing and hated writing assignments. After school, I’d play first and not bother with homework at all.