Chapter 288

At the end of the drinking, the dozen beers were empty. Gu Hongying leaned back in his chair, his cheeks flushed with the redness of drunkenness, but his eyes were in stark contrast to the clearness of the expression in his eyes.

People with spiritual powers cannot get drunk. The spiritual power will circulate in the body for four or five cycles, and the alcohol will be digested by the spiritual power, unless one deliberately wants to get drunk.

Gu Hongying shook the can in his hand, and the remaining half can of beer swayed and made a sound of water: "What are you staring at me for?"

"You're acting a little strange tonight." Eric leaned against the railing with his legs crossed, his arms hanging in the air, and his whole body leaning back, a dangerous posture. "Next month, there will be no special training."

Although his tone of voice was casual, it was quite certain. His golden hair was bathed in the moonlight, and his extremely bright sapphire eyes made him look stunningly beautiful.

Gu Hongying and Eric were teleported to the same place when they entered school and both ended up in the infirmary. They had a grudge against each other ever since. Even though they later became partners, they were often sullen to each other because they didn't like each other. But in terms of the degree of understanding, Eric knew Gu Hongying the best.

Gu Hongying is usually cheerful and cheerful, with a hint of silliness in his sunny and energetic manner, but when he gets serious, he is completely different from his usual self. He smiled and did not continue the topic.

"I'm thinking about a question..." Gu Hongying continued to shake the half-finished can of beer in his hand, then stared at it with his eyes downcast, as if there was an interesting secret hidden in it, "Do you think that our gathering and forming a team was natural or destined?"

"Why do you have this doubt?" Eric leaned forward slightly, "Because you are the reincarnation of Shirazawa?"

Everyone in their team has their own channel, so everyone knows that Gu Hongying is Bai Ze.

"Maybe?" Gu Hongying didn't confirm or deny it. He said, "Maybe fate is a huge chess game?"

From the moment he received the acceptance letter, from the moment he was thrown into the strange deserted mountain, from the moment he knocked on the door of the small building where Yu Tu was...

Gu Hongying didn't look drunk, but his conversation was rambling, as if he had no focus: "When Sanqing sent me the admission letter, I thought it was a scam. Sanqing got angry and kicked me to the entrance test site. There, I met Buyehou for the first time."

The memories from over a year ago are still as vivid as ever. Gu Hongying clearly remembers the white mist surrounding him. He didn't know where to go in the desolate and dilapidated ruins. The light was dim and the singing was eerie. He pulled aside the dead ivy vines that blocked the road and was caught off guard by the Buyehou. Gu Hongying was stunned on the spot.

He didn't tell anyone that the first feeling he had when he saw Senior Buyehou was not fear but friendliness. The joy that emerged from the depths of his consciousness made him not have any guard against this stranger whom he met for the first time.

Just as he didn't understand why the "mystery of the song in the wild mountain" was inexplicably solved, Gu Hongying didn't understand why a vague expectation arose in his heart when he asked the question "Who are you?"

———What is he expecting?

He doesn't know.

Later, he finally got down from the barren mountain. He knocked on every door in Huailin Town for help, and only Yu Tu chose to help him. When he saw Yu Tu for the first time, Gu Hongying also felt a sense of familiarity, but not as strong as before. He initially attributed this sense of familiarity to Yu Tu's harmless-looking face. Now, looking back, perhaps it was because Tu Tu was related to the senior Marquis Buye, so he also felt familiarity.

"Perhaps at that time, fate had already begun." Gu Hongying took a sip of beer and continued, "If I am the reincarnation of Bai Ze, when the predecessor saw me at that time, was he looking at me, or was he looking through me... at another person?"

Eric frowned and asked in confusion: "Why do you care about this?"

“I don’t know why I care.”

Gu Hongying himself was puzzled, as he had been surrounded by love since he was a child. His parents, elders, friends, and even strangers he met on the street all treated him with kindness. He was sunny, cheerful, enthusiastic and lively, and grew up slowly in love. He was not the kind of person who would worry about such problems. In his eyes, such problems were not as important as the sunshine today.

He said: "Maybe because he is the Marquis of Nevernight? Maybe because he is Tu Tu's elder?"

His tone was hesitant and full of uncertainty. It was obvious that he himself did not believe it, but he could not find a better reason.

Gu Hongying turned around to look at Yu Tu who was already drunk beside him. Yu Tu was very well behaved when drunk. He didn't go crazy or talk nonsense. He just curled up quietly on the sofa.

"Senior Buyehou is a very good person." Gu Hongying said, "Maybe because he is too good, he takes on many problems by himself, and even many dangers are caused by us."

Their weird luck always makes them encounter things beyond their capabilities, so that they cannot solve them on their own. Senior Buyehou was even injured in order to rescue them.

"The senior cares about Tu Tu more than anyone else, otherwise he wouldn't show up so promptly when he was in danger." Gu Hongying chose his words carefully, "Logically speaking, Tu Tu wouldn't be like this now - he lives a very tiring life."

Yu Tu is shy, quiet, gentle and considerate. After her freshman year, under the influence of these people, she became much more confident and cheerful.

Gu Hongying knew that Yu Tu was an orphan who had lived in poor conditions since childhood, until he returned to the Plant Clan and had a powerful elder who doted on him. Logically, Yu Tu should have spread out his branches and leaves in this love, just like a crumpled piece of paper whose wrinkles were slowly smoothed out and returned to its original shape, but he didn't.

Even though he was pouring out so much love, he didn't grow wings in love. Instead, he felt like he was tied up with heavy chains. As a partner who spent every day with her, Gu Hongying was not ignorant.

"You think Tutu carries a lot of things that we don't know, right?" Eric was trained as a family heir since he was a child. Observing people's words and expressions is his basic skill. He said meaningfully, "In fact, everyone has noticed it."

In their daily interactions, they took care of Yu Tu's emotions without leaving any traces, and tried their best not to bring out negative emotions. Eric actually didn't understand sometimes. He occasionally saw deep fatigue and fleeting pain in Yu Tu's eyes, but this shouldn't be.

The care that the Plant Clan takes of their young is obvious to all, and Yu Tu is so special that he will only receive more and more careful care. Such a negative state should not happen to him, not to mention that he is working so hard that it's astonishing, as if there is something invisible chasing him from behind and he can't relax for a moment.

"Why don't you suspect that it's his [talent] that's causing all this trouble?" Hao Zhizhi slowly got up from the other end of the sofa. Her eyes were clear, and she used her spiritual power to sober herself up. "You may not realize how special [Insight into All Things] is."

"I'm worried that he might have used his [talent] to vaguely sense some... fate." Hao Zhizhi paused, "And what he sensed might not be good."

The three of them looked at each other in the air, and no one continued what Hao Zhizhi said. However, the three of them knew in their hearts that if [Insight into All Things] was really as special as Hao Zhizhi guessed, then what Yu Tu sensed was most likely related to the Marquis of Buye.

Blood-related relatives are more likely to catch some signals.

This topic was indeed a bit heavy. Finally, it was Gu Hongying who broke the silence. He tried to smile and said, "No matter what, increasing strength is the best way to solve the problem."

"Yeah..." Hao Zhizhi sighed sadly, and suddenly said, "Lily, you're really not very good at pretending to be asleep."

Yin Li, who was leaning on the chair, slowly opened her eyes. She was still a little drunk, but she looked sober. "I am listening, but I don't want to talk."

Gu Hongying laughed: "Fortunately, Tutu really fell asleep, otherwise the five of us would all be pretending to be drunk, wouldn't that be extremely embarrassing?"

Eric said sincerely, "If you don't speak, no one will think you are dumb."

"Actually... Yu Tu is a bit like my master." Yin Li spoke slowly due to the residual drunkenness, not realizing that her words were ambiguous. "They are both people with strong obsessions... I can feel it."

"Yu Tu is afraid of—" She blinked slowly, finally finding the right words, "losing."

What are you afraid of losing?

The answer seems to be obvious, yet it also seems to be shrouded in mystery.

If they continued talking about this topic, it might involve issues that none of them wanted to touch upon, so the four of them stopped talking tacitly.

Gu Hongying changed the subject abruptly: "How are you going to get home today?"

The answer soon became clear.

Eric's family had someone waiting outside the Chang'an Academy, waiting to take Eric back as soon as the dinner was over. Yin Li said someone would come to pick her up, and so did Hao Zhizhi. As for Yu Tu, Gu Hongying contacted Elder Di Xiu of the Grass Clan—they had added their contact information before.

The lively dinner ended in the night. After saying goodbye, everyone ran in their own directions. Shi Xu and Xie Jianwei came to pick up Yin Li and Hao Zhizhi. Yin Li, who was still a little drunk, widened her eyes and said, "...Teacher?"

Time was as silent as ever, like the ice and snow pouring down from the horizon in the night. She nodded slightly to Yin Li and said, "Let's go."

Yin Li got on her flying sword dazedly. Time's sword was as steady as she was. There was not a breath of wind in the protective shield constructed by spiritual power. Yin Li stood behind her. Perhaps it was because the moonlight was too quiet, Yin Li actually found that there was a lot of frost in Time's long hair. It seemed that she had begun to turn gray like an old woman without realizing it.

…

After watching Shixu lead the people away, Xie Jianwei withdrew her gaze and looked at Hao Zhizhi who was waiting quietly beside her. She smiled and said, "Let's go too."

While constructing the teleportation array, she heard Hao Zhizhi's voice: "Why are you helping me awaken my [Talent]?"

Her question was too direct, but it was not malicious. Xie Jianwei was a little surprised. The spiritual power flowed from her fingertips into the formation in a smooth state: "I thought you wouldn't ask directly."

“I don’t like being kept in the dark,” Hao Zhizhi said.

"It's not that you've been kept in the dark and exaggerated. If you hadn't grown so fast, this problem would have troubled you in your senior year." Xie Jianwei answered her while filling in the details of the formation, "There are six major categories of [talent], but few people know that there is a seventh category outside the six major categories of talent, which is the special category. Before, it was Yu Tu, and now it's you."

"There are very few strange beasts in the world, but almost no strange beasts can survive to adulthood." She put the final stroke on the formation. "In other words, even if they can survive to adulthood, strange beasts will never awaken [their talents] in their lifetime."

Hao Zhizhi pondered Xie Jianwei's words in her heart and immediately realized that she was special: "Because my [talent] is just like Yu Tu's [talent], which is theoretically impossible to exist?"

"I like dealing with smart kids." Xie Jianwei smiled, "Congratulations, you guessed it right."

The teleportation array rippled in front of him. Xie Jianwei pushed Hao Zhizhi into the teleportation array first, and then he stepped in: "Everyone thinks that the [talent] of the Trickster is a lie, but lying is just the instinct of the Trickster."

"The true [talent] of the beast is the spirit of words."

To make the truth become false and the false become true.

…

After sending the four little friends away safely, Gu Hongying finally turned his head and looked at Kuang Mian, who had been following him silently with a hood covering his chin.

"Sir, Mr. Xu—" Gu Hongying said in a long tone, "Why are you still wearing a gray robe at this late hour?"

"You are free to dress as you like, so leave it to your own business." Kuang Mian and Gu Hongying were quite familiar with each other. After all, Gu Hongying had been conducting special training at irregular times and locations over the past six months. As one of the rare people in Guixu who was not socially anxious, he deservedly (was forced to) take part in several of the special training sessions. The two of them hit it off immediately, had similar tastes (crossed out), and soon became familiar with each other.

Gu Hongying: "You are the one who took me to the special training?"

There was a hint of disbelief in his tone. Kuang Mian rolled his eyes in a very un-elderly manner from behind his hood: "What else? Do you think I'm willing to pick you up in the middle of the night?"

Gu Hongying: "How about I go back to the dormitory and take a nap, and we can make an appointment tomorrow?"

"I refuse." Kuang Mian rejected his proposal, "Then I will have to get up early tomorrow, which is too much of a loss."

He now watches the stars at night and sleeps during the day. His whole day and night are reversed and his hair loss increases dramatically. He is as tired as a dead dog every day. After watching the stars at night, he is not allowed to sleep and has to come to pick up people and arrange training - what a hard life it is!

Kuang Mian rummaged in his large black robe for a while and took out a battle array: "You go with me to Guixu for three days. After three days, someone will come to pick you up once they have made all the arrangements."

"That's right!" He said as he threw the array disk into the air and injected spiritual energy into it, "I found the answer to the question you asked me last time."

"Didn't you ask me before why a person's luck would suddenly turn bad without any warning?" He controlled his spiritual power and slowly unfolded the formation. "If one's luck is not borrowed, if one has not done anything against the will of heaven and earth, and if one is even constantly doing good deeds to accumulate merit, yet one's luck is still very bad, even to an absurd degree..."

The formation was formed, and Kuang Mian turned around to look at him. However, because the gray robe covered most of his face, Gu Hongying could not see his expression clearly.

"There is a probability so small that it can be ignored, that is, a major event is bound to happen to that person in the future, and this major event will prepay all his luck in his life." Kuang Mian said meaningfully, "So no matter what he does in the future, he is just 'paying off his debt'."