Part 2
Wen Hu wanted to look at Luo Shizhen and Lu Qiujin at the same time, wishing he could turn himself into a two-headed tiger.
He was still checking the Alienation values in his hand. When he looked again, a smile appeared on his face as well:
“27%.”
This was a relatively safe value. At the very least, Lu Qiujin wouldn’t suddenly mutate. Luo Shizhen, who was already able to purify him, could slowly and steadily purify him over the coming days.
After confirming that his love rival was truly fine, Wen Hu no longer wanted to look at him. He focused on squatting and guarding by Luo Shizhenâs side.
Lu Qiujinâs face was still a bit pale, but he forced himself to go and look at Luo Shizhen.
No one stopped himâeven Wen Hu, who had spoken so harshly to him before, moved out of the way.
Cheng Yunshao offered a reminder: “Shizhen is fine; heâs probably just exhausted from purifying you. Fix your wound first, don’t let his efforts go to waste.”
Lu Qiujin nodded in silence.
As a human, his sanity had been almost completely lost by the end, but the “Anomaly Lu Qiujin” had seen everything clearly.
Naturally, he could also see the protective intent his other teammates had just shown himâthis temporary team that didn’t get along but had been brought together only because of Luo Shizhen.
Across his chest, a tiny vine intertwined like stitching thread, re-closing the open heart and lungs.
Lu Qiujin reached out his hand, which was still trembling slightly, either from the effects of the Alienation process or from the aftermath of his fluctuating emotions.
His pale fingertips, covered in many small wounds, wanted to touch Luo Shizhenâs face, but he withdrew them with some cowardice.
He had approached him from the very beginning just to have his Pollution purified.
But now that his wish had truly been granted, Lu Qiujin felt a bit fearful.
He thought of how Luo Shizhen had stood in front of him when he had lost all reason.
He thought of how, when his Alienation value was almost at 100%, Luo Shizhenâwho was always clean and would force himself to bathe and wash his hair no matter how hard training wasâhad disregarded the filth and personally cut open his chest.
He thought of how, after he had regained consciousness, Luo Shizhen stood before him in a mess yet smiled at him with ease and joy.
Lu Qiujin had told himself time and again that it was worth exploiting someoneâs sincerity to gain benefits.
But now, when his goal had truly been achieved, he realized that his wretched self had tainted the clean and pure Luo Shizhen.
And what was most despicable was that he also realized he was… feeling happy about it.
Hua Yi looked down at this scene from above and suddenly spoke:
“I know you lovers have just gone through an Alienation and a purification, and your emotions haven’t calmed down yet. But at a time like this, shouldn’t you call for the medics first?”
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the cave shifted. The expressions of those young Awakeners, whom Hua Yi had judged to be barely usable, all became strange.
There was also a more blunt Atavism-type young Awakener whose eyes were practically spitting sparks of anger.
Hua Yi raised an eyebrow, surprised:
“Is the Purifier and this Wood-system not a couple?”
Sui An didn’t laugh, saying slowly: “They are just classmates.”
He glanced at Hua Yi: “Even if you need remedial classes for your general knowledge, and don’t know that a newly awakened Purifier can purify people other than their lovers, you should remember that my student also told you he has already purified other students.”
Hua Yi: “I see. I thought the mindset of today’s youth was more open.”
He looked at Sui An: “After all, this little student can even accept someone else placing their mental energy on him.”
Sui An let out a laugh. He still had that casual manner, as if nothing in the world could affect his thoughts.
“I know you’re envious that I have such a good student.”
“You haven’t been a teacher; you wouldn’t understand.”
Hua Yi gritted his teeth, angered by the man’s “you haven’t seen the world” attitude.
But it had to be saidâhe truly felt that Sui An was unworthy.
Although he hadn’t interacted with Luo Shizhen for long, and their time together hadn’t been harmoniousâeven described as confrontationalâHua Yi also admitted that Luo Shizhen was a good kid.
He was also a well-behaved student.
He had a stubborn streak that Hua Yi was familiar with, a stubbornness that reminded Hua Yi of his younger self.
But what was different was that his own stubbornness had only brought about a tragic price.
Luo Shizhen was stubborn while working hard to find a way to survive, and in the end, he had actually found it.
Ignoring Hua Yi further, Sui An walked straight over. His mental energy dispersed the people surrounding Luo Shizhen, and he leaned down, picking the boy up directly.
Sui An was very tall and lifted him with ease. His manifested mental energy turned into threads, coiling around various parts of Luo Shizhen, adjusting him into a more comfortable sleeping position.
Luo Shizhen, in his sleep, felt comfortable and moved slightly, burying his face in Sui Anâs chest, blocking out the other light.
He was asleep, not unconscious. In his dazed state, he could recognize from the scent and the threads coiling around him that the person holding him was Sui An.
Luo Shizhen immediately felt even more secure.
During their many previous training sessions, every time he was exhausted from training and couldn’t walk, it was Sui-laoshi who used his ability to bring Luo Shizhen back to the area outside the relief training ground.
The time it took to get there was about ten minutes. Each time, the utterly exhausted Luo Shizhen could comfortably sleep for ten minutes under Sui-laoshiâs protection.
Because he had experienced it many times, Luo Shizhen was practically practiced at letting the threads adjust his posture. His entire body appeared much softer because it was relaxed.
Anyone with eyes could see that Luo Shizhen was sleeping even more soundly and better in Sui Anâs arms.
Hua Yi watched this scene, simply unable to fathom it.
Could it be that this studentâs temper was truly too goodâso good that even someone like Sui An could be tolerated?
Holding Luo Shizhen, Sui An also instructed the other students:
“Help support Lu Qiujin.”
He didn’t specify who should do the supporting, which was enough to show that Sui Anâs time as a teacher at the school hadn’t been in vain.
At the very least, he was very clear that when facing a group of young Awakeners, giving individual orders would instead provoke rebellion.
As expected, Sui An didn’t name anyone, but Cheng Yunshao, Wen Hu, and Qin Yinian all silently reached out to support him.
Lu Qiujin didn’t refuse either.
As they walked, their gazes were fixed on Luo Shizhen, and they didn’t look at one another.
But the atmosphere between them already held the feeling of teammates.
The elders were well aware of this but didn’t expose it.
After all, they had all come through this stage. Young Awakeners were proud and high-spirited, unable to control their desire for territorial occupation, and also had the unique “middle-school syndrome” (chunibyo) bonus of that age.
But apart from a few, no one really wanted to be alone for their whole life.
After awakening, their personalities changed and they developed territorial awareness, but they were still humans after all. Being human required some camaraderie for support.
Sui Anâs pace faltered as he walked. He turned around and said naturally to Hua Yi:
“Captain Hua, my student needs to return to the school for a check-up. The exercise is over. Since your Zhadao happens to be here, Iâll leave this mission to you.”
Hua Yi froze, somewhat incredulous that Sui Anâs skin was actually so thick:
“Your schoolâs exercise mission, and you’re leaving the mess to us outsiders?”
Sui An: “We are all Guardians; why distinguish between ‘you’ and ‘me’?”
“When I came down, I already transferred the mission through Yongzhou. Thank you for your hard work.”
Saying this, he lifted his long legs and left with Luo Shizhen in his arms.
The Zhadao team was left behind.
The adjutant of the Mechanical-sequence opened a holographic screen: “Captain, the Gu mission really has been transferred to us.”
A crew-cut team member looked at the retreating figure in front with some lingering reluctance:
“Captain, are we still going out after them?”
The other team members also had some longing.
Though compared to these young students, they could be called elders.
But in reality, most were under thirty. It was only because of their mission as Guardians that they had already seen too much of life and death at such an age.
Recommended Reads
