The Ancient Gods' Whisper

If you've made a mistake, you should stand still and take the punishment. He wasn't the kind to be late, but unforeseen circumstances arose.

However, Su Youzhu didn't say anything to him. She just stood up and stared at him.

She raised one slender, fair finger and poked his chest.

Then, with a bit more pressure, she pressed his abdomen.

Finally, she circled behind him, poking and prodding his back.

Gu Jianlin frowned in confusion: "What are you doing?"

"Every time you suddenly leave my sight and come back, you're always injured."

Su Youzhu lifted her cold, clear eyes, the pure whiteness in her pupils seeming to carry a trace of reproach in the night: "You said you were going to take an independent admission exam, but I always feel like you're sneaking off to investigate Uncle Gu."

Gu Jianlin's heart stirred slightly. Her first reaction was worrying about whether he'd been hurt.

"Let's go."

Su Youzhu didn't say much. She grabbed her school bag and walked to the roadside, ready to hail a cab: "Let's go home first."

Gu Jianlin hesitated for a second and asked, "You're not angry?"

Su Youzhu replied expressionlessly: "I'm not angry."

Truthfully, after spending so much time together, Gu Jianlin had come to understand her a bit.

Her personality profile was becoming more complete.

This girl seemed expressionless, but under his gaze, her cheeks had slightly puffed out.

A little cute.

Gu Jianlin fell into contemplation, unsure how to make it up to her.

"Are you hungry?"

Su Youzhu suddenly asked.

Gu Jianlin froze: "Not hungry."

Su Youzhu nodded, and her icy, snowy face softened slightly. She stared at him and said, "I bought you some Iberian black pork online; it'll take a while to turn it into roasted pork chops. Why not save it as a midnight snack? Tonight, I'll be busy preparing cosplay props—I won't have time to do homework."

Gu Jianlin could tell from her gaze that she was offering him a chance to save face.

"Just this once."

He said, "Otherwise, if your dad finds out, it won't be good."

Su Youzhu's mood lightened instantly when he agreed to help her with homework.

She immediately dragged him into a snack stall, acting like an ordinary couple.

Amid a pile of flavorful street food, they looked left and right.

Eventually, she bought some takoyaki, picked one up with a skewer, and popped it in her mouth, her eyes squinting with satisfaction.

Gu Jianlin watched her pale green hair sway gently in the breeze, catching the light to reflect a dreamy glow.

Like fireflies suspended in the darkness.

At this moment, she truly wasn't angry anymore, her mood relaxed and content.

He suddenly felt an impulse to pat her head.

But then her next words abruptly jolted him awake.

"Which school's independent admission exam are you preparing for?"

Su Youzhu asked casually.

Gu Jianlin remembered this troublesome matter and lied, "Peak City University."

Su Youzhu looked at him skeptically: "With your grades, applying to Peak City University?"

Logically speaking, Gu Jianlin should easily get into places like Qingbei.

Peak City University wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't top-tier.

For someone like Su Youzhu, whose grades were poor but had artistic talent to boost her score, it was a decent choice.

"I'm not all that interested in school; it's just convenient if it's close to home."

"Really? How are the professors there?"

"Uh… All pretty good, I guess. The school has a nice academic atmosphere; there's an archaeology program I really like. The professors there are very dedicated, and the department head is highly respected." He said all of this while lying.

Because in his mind, he pictured Captain Lu's carefree demeanor and Minister Lu's nasal voice.

"Is that so?"

Su Youzhu asked again: "What about the students there?"

Gu Jianlin thought for a moment: "They're all friendly and get along very well."

At this moment, he recalled the trash he'd killed.

Su Youzhu tilted her head at him: "How did your interview go?"

Gu Jianlin thought of himself sitting in a chair, clutching hostages in a downpour, challenging the Judgment Court.

"Very smoothly. They gave me high marks of approval."

Su Youzhu nodded: "What about campus culture?"

Gu Jianlin paused for a second: "Very simple and honest."

Su Youzhu gave him a meaningful look: "Any beautiful upperclassmen there?"

Gu Jianlin thought of the many stunning women in the Ether Association.

Lu Zijin, Lin Wanqiu, Chen Qing.

And as for "upperclassmen."

He only thought of the girl who descended from the sky accompanied by thunder.

"There are."

Gu Jianlin replied.

Su Youzhu withdrew her gaze, lightly remarking: "Then I'm going to apply to Peak City University too."

Gu Jianlin's eye twitched slightly.

Truth be told, the Qilin Immortal Palace was about to manifest, and many people had awakening opportunities.

If Youzhu suddenly entered the Qilin Immortal Palace, then there'd be real trouble.

Because it was confirmed that if it was only consciousness crossing over, that wouldn't be too bad.

But if the physical body crossed over—well, that meant becoming an Independent Awakened.

And it was highly likely she'd die directly inside the Immortal Palace.

In this scenario, the less contact Su Youzhu had with the Transcendents, the safer she'd be.

Back then, Dad was similarly afraid he'd awaken, so he rarely interacted with him.

According to Ether Association's official data, if you wanted to prevent family members from accidentally awakening because of you, the safest approach was to limit time spent together to less than five hours per instance. Anywhere beyond that significantly increased the likelihood of dimensional fluctuations.

Five hours.

At that moment, Gu Jianlin suddenly understood his father's motivations.

He looked at the girl in front of him, just as his father once looked at him.

Maybe there's someone in your life, someone who is so wonderful, like a light glowing in the dark. You'd want to enter her world, share her joys and sorrows, and spend your springs, summers, autumns, and winters with her.

But you only think about it. You never really get close.

Because the scent of blood on you is too heavy.

You were born in Hell—how dare you dream of approaching Heaven?

She's an innocent girl. She'd wait at the school gate for two and a half hours after class, just to keep the promise of celebrating your success and cooking the roasted pork chop you love. Late at night, she'd coyly ask you for tutoring, using her own ways to cheer you up. She'd wear pretty pajamas to keep you focused.

Even when you're late, she doesn't blame you.

She just wants to see if you've been out causing trouble again and gotten yourself injured.

Gu Jianlin felt immense pressure, forcing him to take a step back, then another.

Because at that moment, he suddenly realized one thing.

The Ghost Car Ancestor.

He couldn't get closer to this girl anymore.