The world's laws were rewritten, and the order was reshuffled.
All abilities granted to mortals were revoked, memories of the existence of "Long Kan" and the bizarre were erased, and the environmental damage and destruction of cities were attributed to a natural disaster in everyone's deep memory.
No one remembered facing a cataclysm; they were simply grateful to have survived. Cities were being rebuilt, roads were busy with construction, and everything was progressing towards a better future.
In the boundless sky, a large, fuzzy ball of light hovered before a patch of clouds. Lu Zhi's voice abruptly emerged from the light, "This is our deal. As the Heavenly Dao, you wouldn't want to renege, would you?"
The balls of light following Lu Zhi all nodded in unison by bobbing up and down. One particular ball of light was the most conspicuous, as it was red.
A muffled thunderclap suddenly resounded through the calm clouds.
The Heavenly Dao, being formless, could only contort the clouds to form one or two characters: "Get Lost."
Abruptly, these balls of light were flung away, leaving only Lu Zhi's receding voice: "Heavenly Dao above, don't forget to read the books I burned for you. If you cause such a huge mess again, no one will clean it up for you..."
The air hung still for a moment, followed by the clouds twisting into an annoyed shape, and after a while, they reformed into the shape of a book...
The story actually began with the nascent Heavenly Dao, like an infant, having no one to teach it how to manage the order of all things, leading to an irrecoverable situation. Fortunately, all this was rectified by Lu Zhi's decisive action.
What Lu Zhi ultimately left for the Heavenly Dao were comprehensive textbooks, containing five thousand years of political science, management science, and more.
The hope was that the gradually maturing Heavenly Dao would learn to apply the new world's laws.
As for the deal between Lu Zhi and the Heavenly Dao, it was to allow the Zodiac animals to have their own true lives.
—
One year later.
Time, neither long nor short, had passed, and humanity had resumed its busy lives of commuting to and from work, toiling for money, and worrying about the necessities of life.
The ruined cities had seen more than half of their construction projects completed within a year.
Although Lu Zhi had fully cleared everyone's memories with the Heavenly Dao, the Heavenly Dao had still retained some people's recollections of the bizarre. However, the bizarre was redefined as ghosts and monsters, and abilities were changed to spiritual energy and cultivation of the Dao.
Most guilds had disbanded, but a minority of individuals with spiritual energy cultivation were a reward granted by the Heavenly Dao for their efforts.
At the entrance of the "Mad Night Guild," Lu Chengxuan was washing a car.
Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded from the entrance: "Brother, I'm back."
Sunlight slanted through the gaps in the trees, falling upon the approaching figure. The handsome face bore a smile as fiery as the sun, just as it always had.
Lu Chengxuan's suppressed memories resurfaced like a galloping horse. The water pipe slipped from his hand, and he rushed forward, embracing Lu Zhi tightly, "Welcome home."
Lu Zhi patted Lu Chengxuan's excited back and said, "Brother, the sun is a bit strong here. Let's go inside first."
Lu Chengxuan only then reacted, noticing a little girl behind Lu Zhi. Seeing the girl's eyes, as clear as moonlight, inspiration struck him: "Yinyue?"
Yinyue shyly asked, "Brother, how does he know my name?"
Lu Chengxuan was surprised, but his memory immediately returned, and he understood that Yinyue was no longer that sprite-like little girl, but a real human being.
Lu Zhi: "This is a bit of a long story..."
Simply put, Lu Zhi had made an agreement with the Heavenly Dao that the Zodiac animals would no longer be deities but would be born as ordinary humans.
Except for Hei Bao Tu, who had gone directly to find his lover, the other Zodiac animals had chosen reincarnation, and only the Dragon God's divine position remained.
With the existence of the underworld, the souls that had turned into the bizarre now had a place to go, and after considering karma, they could enter the Tree of Life and proceed to the path of reincarnation.
Lu Chengxuan picked up the luggage at Lu Zhi's feet and said as he walked inside, "I see. I still have one thing I don't understand."
There was no one in the guild; everyone seemed to be out busy with their own affairs.
Lu Zhi: "Brother, are you asking about Lan Guoguo?"
Lu Chengxuan nodded, "It was only after I saw you that all my memories returned."
Lu Zhi felt his brother had suffered quite a bit. Jiang Nuannuan had already died during her first entry into Long Kan, leaving only an empty shell.
As for why Lan Guoguo had treated Lu Zhi so rudely and disliked him, it was actually due to Lan Guoguo's ability.
Lan Guoguo's ability was to see the branching paths of the world, meaning all the events that occurred in the eleven branched worlds created by Lu Zhi's divinity and the Dragon God were replicas of what would happen in the original world in the future.
"Simply put, Lan Guoguo saw the me in the branched world as the true cause of your death," Lu Zhi sighed. "The God of Prophecy can foretell the future, and Lan Guoguo's ability is similar. She would pretend to be a foreign apostle and try to destroy the divine vessel before the God of Prophecy descended."
Lu Chengxuan pinched his brow and sighed heavily, as if a great weight had been lifted from his heart. He suddenly asked, "And him?"
Lu Zhi understood immediately and smiled, "Yes, we should be seeing each other again soon."
"I came to ask Brother to look after Yinyue for me and find a school for her," Lu Zhi said, touching his nose a bit sheepishly.
Lu Chengxuan was currently the most free he had ever been and agreed without hesitation. Seeing Lu Zhi suddenly pick up his luggage, he asked, "Where are you going?"
Lu Zhi flashed a dazzlingly white smile, "The Academy of Supernatural Management."
In the afternoon, the sun beat down relentlessly.
After a year of revisions, the Academy of Supernatural Management had become the only institution teaching the Dao.
It was the first day of school, and there were many vehicles coming and going at the academy's entrance. The children of many dignitaries had pulled many strings to get themselves admitted.
However, the academy's student selection was rigorous; one had to possess a 'Dao root' before being officially enrolled.
A long queue had formed at the entrance testing for Dao roots.
"It's so hot, can't we queue indoors?"
"Exactly. Look, my makeup is ruined."
"When will it finally be our turn?"
Lu Zhi, carrying his luggage, walked past, listening to the complaints of the students in line. He glanced up at the sun and nodded candidly, "It is indeed quite sunny."
The complaining female students, seeing the handsome and gentle Lu Zhi, blushed and dared not complain further.
Lu Zhi, with his luggage, walked straight towards the entrance. He showed his identification to the gatekeeper security guard and easily entered.
The summer heat was intense, and a gentle breeze rustled the treetops.
Suddenly, Lu Zhi looked towards a nearby tree. A man walking towards him, bathed in sunlight, had a handsome face with silver eyes that, as before, exuded distance and coldness.
Shen Qi took the luggage from Lu Zhi's hand and placed an iced drink against Lu Zhi's cheek. Shen Qi frowned, "Why are you so hot?"
Lu Zhi hissed from the chill, but the dispelled heat made him squint comfortably. He unscrewed the bottle cap and took a gulp, "Not hot. I'm even three minutes early."
Shen Qi said nothing, but opened a parasol, shielding Lu Zhi from most of the direct sunlight.
Lu Zhi looked up at the long path ahead to the campus, then glanced sideways at Shen Qi and suddenly said, "Squat down."
Shen Qi, unsure of the reason, had his umbrella snatched away by Lu Zhi, who said in a very domineering tone, "Hurry up."
Seeing the eagerness in his eyes, Shen Qi understood and squatted down just as Lu Zhi hopped onto his back, saying shamelessly, "Oh, Shen Qi, I'm too tired. Carry me there, won't you?"
This laziness caused Shen Qi's lips to curl uncontrollably, "You're so lazy."
Despite his words, Shen Qi steadily hoisted Lu Zhi onto his back, still carrying Lu Zhi's luggage.
"What do you mean I'm lazy?" Lu Zhi grumbled discontentedly. "I told you I'm coming to school to teach students today, and you clearly promised last night not to mess around. I'm tired, and you have to take full responsibility. I'm just asking you to carry me. Otherwise, should we switch roles?"
Shen Qi lightly patted Lu Zhi's behind and retorted, "Is that so? Who was it that kept yelling and wouldn't let go, like a clamp?"
Lu Zhi's ears instantly turned red, and he stammered, "I didn't! That's not true. You're talking nonsense."
"Oh?" Shen Qi raised an eyebrow, offering no comment, and nodded indulgently, "Yes, you didn't. I'm talking nonsense."
Shen Qi suddenly put Lu Zhi down and, without any warning, kissed him. His silver-gray eyes deeply reflected Lu Zhi's flushed face, "So, my dear divine being, does your backside still hurt?"
Lu Zhi's eyes widened, and he quickly covered Shen Qi's mouth, saying furiously, "Shut up."
If anyone heard, wouldn't they know he was the submissive one?
Shen Qi chuckled softly, embraced Lu Zhi tightly, and whispered, "All of this, it's like a dream. If it truly is a dream, I hope I never wake up."
Lu Zhi paused for a moment, then firmly flicked Shen Qi's forehead, "Does it hurt? If it hurts, it's not a dream. Stop saying such silly things. Our lives together are still long."
Shen Qi smiled and lowered his head to kiss Lu Zhi's lips again.
Yes, their lives together were still long.
As time passed and seasons changed.
A new future awaited them.