"It can't be ruled out that the goddess truly adores this child, Cupid—once we're inside the realm, we'll eventually figure out all these questions." "As far as I can tell, aside from an extra 'daily intimate encounter' buff, my condition hasn't been affected at all. My level remains stable, and my inventory hasn't been sealed." "Since this buff exists, it must have a purpose—perhaps it's weakening me. If the attacks from the followers of the Light God come at night, I'll be in serious danger." For instance, while the outside world is under heavy bombardment, he's having a passionate scene with a woman inside his room—then both of them are reduced to ash. Zhang Yuanqing was thinking this through, never letting his mouth idle, constantly seeking topics to gather information. Through their conversations, he gathered a wealth of useful insights. First, regarding the island's current situation: due to the growing threat from the Light God, the followers of the goddess and her descendants are actively preparing for defense. Ammini's primary task is to lead the craftsmen in producing arrows. Next is the whereabouts of Aphrodite, the goddess, who recently left the island of Paros to seek assistance—most likely to visit her beloved deities. Then comes the number of offspring on the island, the current social hierarchy, and Aphrodite’s personal matters. Aphrodite has a husband, though he has never appeared; the goddess dislikes any mention of him on the island, so Herasini has no clear idea of who he is. She only learned of him through private conversations among the older "slaves." Aphrodite has a formal husband, though—her official spouse. Her actual, publicly acknowledged lover, however, is a powerful war god. This war god is the father of Cupid and has fathered several children with Aphrodite. These children differ from the half-human figures Amini and Herasini; they are all strong and powerful, possessing exceptional martial prowess, and reside on the island of Paros. Of course, beyond this war god, Aphrodite maintains numerous private lovers. The deity embodying love and passion—how could she possibly be a devoted champion of pure, singular love? Zhang Yuanqing sighed with apparent sentiment: "My dearest Hesychia, why does Cupid not admire me? This troubles me deeply." The girl with dark, moss-green hair spoke gently: "Amyni, you are upright and kind, while Cupid is a mischievous rogue who delights in punishing mortals and teasing his siblings. Everyone fears him, yet you are the one who dares to stand up to him, defending the vulnerable among the mortal world—though for this, he holds you in resentment. "Hmph. He must be too unruly to grow into a true champion—this is indeed a curse upon all beings." So it seems, not so promising. My troubles extend beyond the followers of the Light God—there's also Cupid himself on the island. Zhang Yuanqing gritted her teeth. As they walked on, they soon passed through the forest and reached the eastern side of the island. Before Zhang Yuanqing lay a vast and majestic castle perched upon the rocky cliff by the sea. The sound of waves crashing against rocks could be heard clearly even across hundreds of meters. The castle was constructed from massive black stones, featuring watchtowers with circular towers, spire-like clock towers, and tall domed buildings connected by numerous grand columns—extremely reminiscent of ancient Greek architectural styles. Behind the castle stood a series of stone houses built with yellow mud, their walls bearing clear signs of erosion from the sea winds. Through conversations along the way, Zhang Yuanqing had gained a broad understanding of the island of Paphos, the birthplace of the goddess of beauty and her earthly residence. The inhabitants of these mud-walled stone houses were ordinary people who believed in and followed the goddess of beauty. Their daily task was to offer fine wines and delicacies to the goddess and to the divine offspring residing within the castle, while the goddess protected them from storms at sea and from wild beasts. At this moment, the ordinary people, wrapped in animal skins and with dark, sun-browned skin, were carrying timber and iron tools up to the castle. Along the way, many ordinary people in the forest were setting up traps and erecting crossbows, all preparing diligently. These weapons and defenses would suffice against commoners or opponents at the Transcendent Realm, but they were utterly inadequate against the formidable foes from the time of the Saints... Zhang Yuanqing murmured to himself. Not long after, they passed through a dense cluster of stone dwellings and reached the castle perched atop the rocky cliff. As Fang Fu stepped into the castle, Zhang Yuanqing was drawn by a sharp voice of reprimand. "As the bodyguards of Lady Aphrodite, you should possess the sharp talons of eagles, the teeth of tigers, and the strength of elephants—yet your spears are weak and feeble, like those of women!" The woman delivering the scolding had golden hair, a fit and athletic build, and a sun-kissed complexion. She wore a one-piece long robe, holding a straight sword in one hand and a shield in the other. In addition, she was equipped with arm guards and a breastplate—rare among those who wore metal armor. Around her, twenty or so sturdy men, each wielding spears and wearing helmets, lay scattered at various angles. Zhang Yuanqing observed the agile woman, resembling a graceful leopard. After their conversation, he immediately recognized her identity. Menia, one of the offspring of Aphrodite and Ares, and the sister of Cupid. This goddess inherited the strength of Ares, ruling over war and being Aphrodite's most powerful child—her strength in combat is unmatched. "Menia!" she looked at him coldly. "Cupid is looking for you. You'd better go see him right away, before his anger erupts." ... The 14th year of Tianbao, the 6th day of the 11th month. The sky was thick with dark clouds, and the mountain wind whipped against him, nearly sending a person sprawling. Along the winding mountain path, a young scholar rode a lean horse, struggling forward through the swirling dust and stones. On the horse's back were two bamboo baskets—one containing books, the other carrying supplies for his journey. The young man stood tall and upright, unbothered by the wind and sand, while the lean horse behind him repeatedly stamped its feet, struggling to open its eyes, snorting furiously with each gust. War-themed quests are not uncommon among high-tier scholars, given that equipment, mechanisms, and gear are all closely tied to combat. Yet honestly, he regrets his choice of the "An-Shi Rebellion" quest, as beyond the main storyline, he has another side quest: reaching Chang'an! While reaching Chang'an isn't particularly difficult, his level has been capped. He now faces the same predicament as the fallen emperor in the Yuan Shi Tian Zun's quest—his current status is merely extraordinary. Summer Hou Ao Tian can only utilize items and consumables at the extraordinary level. The extraordinary rank for scholars is notoriously weak, often regarded alongside musicians as the "dual weak links" of the scholarly class. On the journey to Chang'an, he is certain to encounter dangers—most likely bandits or mountain outlaws; rebel forces are less likely, as the An-Shi rebels will only defect in three days' time. "My current strength—well, I still have quite a few extraordinary items. Ordinary bandits would just be sent to their graves. The only real concern is if among them there are practitioners of cultivation... " Xue Hou Ao Tian looked worried, pondering whether to resist the bandits. If he resisted, casualties would inevitably occur, leading to a battle to the death—either way, he'd perish unless he had a clear path to victory. In that case, resistance seemed unnecessary. Yet, if he didn't resist, he'd be handing his life over to the enemy, and that left him feeling uncertain. "Perhaps I should learn from the unprincipled Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun—every time I see bandits, I should bow low and kneel, shouting, 'I'm a scholar! I can read and write, I'm fluent in arithmetic—I can serve as a bookkeeper, and I'm quite useful!' " "After all, I'm just a poor scholar. Even if the bandits kill me, they won't gain much—no real benefit at all." Xue Hou Ao Tian mumbled to himself. The mountain wind grew stronger, cutting through his clothes as if with blades. The mountain ridges on either side heaved like waves in the gale, and the sky was thick with dark clouds—though it was only ten in the morning, it felt as though it were night. A heavy rain was imminent. Deep in the wilderness, there was nowhere to find shelter. He could only urge his horse forward. "Plip—" A cold raindrop landed on his face, followed by a steady patter of rain that soon soaked through his outer garment, chilling him to the bone. Xiaohou Aotian, who had rarely endured cold before, shivered involuntarily and urged his thin horse on, charging ahead without knowing how long he had been moving. After what seemed like an eternity, he spotted a red-walled, black-tiled temple standing on a gentle slope beside the mountain path. It stood silently amid the fierce wind and relentless rain, its backdrop the dim sky and the mountains with branches dancing wildly. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to lead his horse toward the somewhat weathered temple. At the temple gate, he found the wooden door half-open, riddled with holes, with neither lanterns nor plaques hanging beneath the eaves—seeming to have been abandoned for years. Xiu Hou Ao Tian exhaled in relief; no one meant safety. He was most afraid of opening the gate and finding a group of mountain bandits sheltering inside under the rain—then it would have been awkward. Peering through the half-open door, he saw the interior dim and quiet, shadowed and hazy. Xiu Hou Ao Tian opened his inventory, pulled out a crimson half-finger glove, and with a soft "hisss," a flame rose ten centimeters high from the palm. Using the warm glow of the flame, he led his horse across the threshold, moving steadily toward the inner sanctum, soon reaching the main hall. The hall was spacious, dusted and draped in cobwebs. Instead of Buddha statues, the base housed a cracked deity figure—indicating this was not a Buddhist temple, but rather a shrine dedicated to a mountain god or city protector. Xiu Hou Ao Tian wandered through the hall, finding no dry timber, so he reached into the bamboo basket on his horse and retrieved half a catty of inferior charcoal The scholar traveling to the capital for the imperial examination in December would inevitably carry some charcoal for warmth, as he might have to spend nights in remote mountain areas. Xue Hou Ao Tian took out his books, page by page, tore them into fragments, and tossed them into the charcoal to ignite and warm himself. The title of "scholar traveling for the examination" meant little to him; he didn't care much for these sage quotations. After about half a moment of warming, the cold drained from his body and his limbs warmed up. He glanced out at the darkened hall, where the rain continued to fall, droplets cascading down the eaves like scattered pearls. The mountain wind carried the rising mist into the hall, making the air damp and chilly. Xue Hou Ao Tian draped his outer robe over the horse's back, using both the horse's body heat and the warmth of the charcoal to dry it. After several hours of continuous mountain travel, he felt a bit weary. With a constitution only slightly stronger than ordinary, Xue Hou Ao Tian yawned and decided to take a short nap, resting to regain his strength before continuing his journey. At that moment, a knock came at the door. "Dong dong~" It broke the Xiahou Aotian furrowed his brow; he hadn't even noticed the footsteps before the sound of the knock came.