Who is amidst the clinking of glasses?
Qu Mingzhe headed west.
Something felt off on the way, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
He glanced at the roadside railing, looking down from a great height; it was both very high and very deep.
The Moon-Covering Invigilator remained invisible in mid-air, with Gu Shuoxing beside her.
Curious about the contestant's background, Gu Shuoxing asked directly, "Biyue, do you know her?"
“…This is the eldest son of the Qu family, a prominent business family, named Mingzhe.”
Gu Shuoxing continued, "Since he has money, why does he want to come down here to experience life?"
Biyue replied, "...I don't know."
Gu Shuoxing didn't press her for details, and Bi Yue breathed a sigh of relief.
She said earnestly, "We're about to start, so please be attentive!"
Gu Shuoxing took it seriously and simply said, "Okay."
Qu Mingzhe: "?"
There was probably only Qu Mingzhe on the road, but there were more than one.
There's also Gu Shuoxing's [audience].
Audience members in the front row cannot see Qu Mingzhe, but they can change their positions at will.
Biyue watched as the person in front of her slowly ascended to the next level; those who could enter the illusion were inherently quite talented.
The person in front of Bi Yue was incredibly close. Just as they were about to meet, Gu Shuoxing, who was next to her, stretched and yawned, then asked casually, "Can we begin?"
A hint of helplessness flashed in Biyue's eyes. "Okay."
She was slender and leaped onto the tall stone pillar in front of Qu Mingzhe. The stone pillar appeared out of thin air. In the course of training, the appearance of strange and unusual factors was not a big deal.
Having faced the imposing presence of his father since childhood, Qu Mingzhe was taken aback when he saw the gentle and polite examiner. He then slapped his face, feeling a weariness that had been with him from the very beginning.
"I am Biyue, the proctor for this session. The examiner is Gu XX. I am responsible for maintaining order and balance. Your task is to find the examiner. He will give you some clues. As for the correctness of the clues, that depends on luck."
Bi Yue's mind replayed the scene of her first meeting with Gu Shuoxing.
He said, "Tell the person who came to find me; that is his task."
Gu Shuoxing's eyes flickered, "Do you understand?"
Upon seeing the examiner so quickly find his place, Bi Yue subconsciously glanced at the venue again.
There aren't many jagged rocks here; the landscape is mostly relatively stable.
"Are you sure you want to hide here?" Bi Yue sensed a hint of disbelief in the voice.
The person in front of them clearly had no means to prevent the participants from finding him.
But his eyes held such anticipation.
After Biyue asked this question, Gu Shuoxing generously replied, "Of course, no matter where he goes, he will never be able to find me."
Biyue asked, but it felt like she hadn't.
"...Okay. As you wish."
Gu Shuoxing politely said, "Thank you."
After Biyue finished speaking, she returned to her original position as an invigilator and observed them from the shadows.
After listening to Bi Yue's words, Qu Mingzhe fell silent.
"Was the question setter a bit too arbitrary?!" he thought to himself.
As he thought about it, he tightened his grip on the talisman he was holding in his hand. This talisman was a life-saving charm that his family had bought at a high price.
However, at this point, it's as if it has no place to play its role.
Qu Mingzhe muttered to himself, "Putting aside all other factors, he wasn't in any danger, there were no hidden attacks, he was just looking for someone."
"Perhaps, this is the game that suits him best."
Qu Mingzhe became interested, after all, this was the first time he had encountered an unconventional competition format that was neither physical nor intellectual, and it seemed that he was the only participant at the moment.
It seems that, in some ways, he was even deprived of the opportunity to discuss things with his companions, but from another perspective, he was free.
Gu Shuoxing hid the talisman in his hand. The talisman was originally sold by Xu Huai, who had not yet appeared to take the lead, but he did not know who it was given to.
Strategic thinking is paramount; ensuring one's bottom line is paramount. His bottom line includes not only the talisman created by Senior Brother Xu Huai, but also the underhanded tactics he employed himself.
Xu Huai's attitude was entirely "highest bidder wins," and he insisted on giving the bow to Young Master Qu at a 90-degree angle.
Qu Mingzhe: "...The talisman I got at a high price turned out to be a random passerby's little surprise."
Gu Shuoxing sensed something when he saw Qu Mingzhe arrive.
He secretly did something under his own control.
At this point, Biyue was wondering why Gu Shuoxing was so decisive, never expecting that it was one set of tactics after another.
Luck is one in a million.
However, it just so happened that the two met.
Gu Shuoxing hid in the artificial hill.
He was familiar with the terrain.
Based on his experience in setting up venues and running around, he had a certain probability of knowing the places Young Master Qu frequented.
He will undoubtedly give him some hardship, but nothing fatal.
…Qu Mingzhe walked for a long time.
Ruthless Peak is a series of interconnected mountains, unlike Loyal Heart Peak. Steps are laid out everywhere, with stones scattered and piled up. Looking up, you can see a path leading to the sky.
Two thousand steps, each step a path paved by those who came before. Gu Shuoxing, as the second disciple of the chief disciple of the Ruthless Path, was a participant, but after observing the heroic figure and extraordinary demeanor of Sect Leader Xu Nian, he casually found an excuse to leave.
Next, he was taken here by Biyue as scheduled.
As the examiner Biyue said, "Other examiners will also receive you builders; this is an annual rule. We cannot violate it."
In the blink of an eye, Gu Shuoxing arrived at the venue he had personally designed. The moment a sense of familiarity washed over him, his thoughts immediately began to flow.
"The contestants are in place, and so are the spectators, but his venue cannot be the place where the contestants fight; it also includes other people, his friends. Gu Shuoxing has been around for so long and has done a lot of loyal things. He will never back down because of difficulties."
From the moment he began plotting, he didn't care about the final punishment.
"Young Master Qu, you must win!" Gu Shuoxing was eagerly anticipating who would pass his test, but the game had been going on for quite some time, from the moment he slipped out to when Biyue intercepted him. During this period, Qu Mingzhe was the first to arrive.
Wherever there are people, something will happen.
Since the others are late, we'll start later. As long as the first person doesn't pass, the others will still have a chance.
However, the strength of the person in front of Gu Shuoxing is still unknown.
"An old man who often accompanies me once said that no matter how simple or unreasonable the option may seem, it reveals the heart of the person behind it. The road ahead, from its flatness to its scenic location, all hint that he is waiting for Qu Mingzhe." Qu Mingzhe was curious about Gu Shuoxing, but still couldn't find him, yet he was not discouraged.
"Hide and seek, no time limit, and clues at every step... the minimum guarantee is to let him win?" Qu Mingzhe seemed to have seen this method before, it was very familiar, and the image of a person suddenly appeared in front of him, but he couldn't pronounce it.
These are the people he met at the foot of the mountain.
But the man didn't recognize him.
Qu Mingzhe felt a mix of anticipation and nervousness.
Qu Mingzhe had heard that person say, "He came here just for training, and he will go back soon."
So I simply asked the next question.
"Where is your sect?"
"The Luoshu".
That's what the man said.
Gu Shuoxing had no idea that he and Xiao Qu had such a story. Along the way, he was completely relaxed, like Jiang Taigong fishing, with Qu Mingzhe following closely behind.
Qu Mingzhe followed him with an impression of him like a white moonlight in his heart.
On the artificial hill, white clouds drifted in the sky. The sky was clear and cloudless, with no birds or beasts flying by. There was a pond, and the lake reflected the shadows.
Gu Shuoxing threw a pebble, creating ripples on the water's surface.
Qu Mingzhe looked towards the source of the turbulent waves, and in the next instant, he saw some hair and some clothes peeking out.
Qu Mingzhe: "?!!"
It has been discovered.
Gu Shuoxing stared at the stone pool to the side, idly tossing one pebble after another. He guessed that Qu Mingzhe was in this spot, but didn't want to move.
No one is constantly watching another person, especially when that person is incredibly boring.
"Humans are utterly boring, and terrifyingly so."
He turned around casually, and a young man was right behind him.
Qu Mingzhe quickly reached him from behind, intending to warn him, but Gu Shuoxing noticed him on his own. As a result, both of them were startled at the same time.
"!"
"What are you doing?" Gu Shuoxing's words brought them both to their senses.
"Well, I've found you," Qu Mingzhe said succinctly.
“Oh, then you win,” Gu Shuoxing said directly.
"...Is it really that simple?" Qu Mingzhe asked incredulously.
"So, what do you want?" Gu Shuoxing struck a rather dashing pose, resting his chin on his hands, looking like he was ready to listen to the emperor's opinion.
The eyes are the first window to the heart, and Gu Shuoxing was indeed not lying to him.
It seemed as if he could see through Qu Mingzhe's thoughts at a glance.
Gu Shuoxing figured he wouldn't have to leave anytime soon, so he explained, "I didn't originally intend to arrange anything that would endanger your life. I told you to find me because I wanted to set a trap for you, but I lost interest on the way to doing that. Also, you found me as promised."
"So, you win."
Qu Mingzhe's eyes were slightly red, but he didn't say anything.
The person in front of him inexplicably resembled Gu Shuoxing.
As before, he asked one more question.
"May I have your name?"
Gu Shuoxing was puzzled. "My surname is Gu, and my given name is Shuoxing. Shuo means fire, and Xing means star."
Qu Mingzhe nodded vigorously, his eyes shining.
Gu Shuoxing secretly called Bi Yue over, while outwardly calming down the somewhat agitated contestant in front of him.
He carries the eyes of countless people, and Gu Shuoxing is willing to play childish games with him for the sake of others.
I am also willing to answer his questions.
As Gu Shuoxing was thinking about her answer, the proctor, Biyue, wisely came over. She looked a little sleepy and ended up falling asleep.
She only came back to her senses when Gu Shuoxing called her.
"It's over, it's finished."
Bi Yue arrived very quickly. Qu Mingzhe, seeing that he hadn't said much to her, suddenly spoke up when he saw Bi Yue arrive, "My name is Qu Mingzhe. I hope to see you again next time!"
When Gu Shuoxing saw Bi Yue arrive, he was teleported away by her, but he still listened to what the young contestant had to say.
“He knows him, Qu Mingzhe’s name.”
He knew the name of the guy in front of him from the very beginning of the match.
Biyue gave them a private, pure white space.
"Congratulations, you've cleared the level. After you return, please go to Elder Xingjuan to collect your reward."
"oh."
Qu Mingzhe paused for a moment, then thought of something else, "May I ask you a question?"
"Ask." Bi Yue subconsciously agreed upon hearing the words of the docile young master of the Qu family.
"Do you know where Gu Shuoxing is?" Qu Mingzhe asked, emphasizing each word carefully.
He then added, “I know him, but he doesn’t know me. I want to be friends with him.”
Biyue closed her eyes and teleported away.
But I still told him the answer he wanted.
"Gu Shuoxing is Elder Xingjuan's second disciple. You can find him when you go to receive the award."
After being teleported out, Qu Mingzhe first said "Thank you".
Coming to his senses, his eyes gleamed, and he spontaneously found his way away.
When the proctor, Biyue, reported the progress, she said calmly, "[Tibetan] has passed. This session is now closed."
"Hopefully, the next round goes well."
--complete.
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