NHWSG chapter 81

In the end, Sheng Zhao won this passionate debate—albeit in his own mind.

But regardless, Xing Yingzhu reluctantly agreed to let him come along, and Sheng Zhao considered this the first step of a long journey, a milestone of partial victory.

As for Xing Yingzhu… he was simply worn down by Sheng Zhao’s persistence. Sheng Zhao was a handful, unable to be scolded into submission. He couldn’t even peel him off to make a rug like he could with other monsters. After giving it some thought, Xing Yingzhu begrudgingly consented, thinking, since he was so clingy and couldn’t spend a moment without him, he might as well take him along.

Sheng Zhao thought that since the Seventh Princess came and went in a hurry, this matter was probably urgent. However, after waiting for two or three days, Xing Yingzhu showed no sign of preparing to leave.

He continued to leisurely go about his days, soaking in baths and watching TV during the day, occasionally teasing Sheng Zhao, and sporadically replying to messages from Mount Longhu. It was as if the Seventh Princess had never come at all.

After waiting for a week, Sheng Zhao couldn’t help but wonder. He thought Xing Yingzhu might still not want to take him along and was employing the tactic of procrastination.

To this, Xing Yingzhu’s response was, “Do you think I need to procrastinate if I don’t want to take you?”

Sheng Zhao: “…”

Indeed, Sheng Zhao had to admit that Xing Yingzhu could disappear from right in front of him, leaving him unable to even touch his shadow.

“Do you think the Abyss of the Forbidden Sea is a place you can just go to?” Xing Yingzhu snorted. “Just wait.”

“Wait for what?” Sheng Zhao asked.

“For the right opportunity,” Xing Yingzhu said.

Sheng Zhao: “…”

—It’s like he didn’t say anything at all!

But since Xing Yingzhu wasn’t in a hurry, Sheng Zhao let go of his worries. As long as he had an idea of what was going on, he didn’t care when they went, how they went, or what they did when they got there.

Xing Yingzhu didn’t want him to be an ignorant cheerleader. During these idle times, he would always pull Sheng Zhao over and start to “train” his “talents.”

Sheng Zhao couldn’t understand this at all. If Xing Yingzhu were teaching him some occult techniques, he wouldn’t find it strange. However, Xing Yingzhu’s method of teaching was very… unconventional.

“What about this one?” Xing Yingzhu said.

As he spoke, he held a stack of already shuffled playing cards in his hand, with the backs facing up, a thin stack.

Most of the cards had already been turned over, scattered on the coffee table, some red and some black, with various suits.

On the coffee table to the left of Sheng Zhao were two small plates, one filled with sugar cubes and the other with a stack of bitter-as-death houttuynia cordata leaves.

“…Red?” Sheng Zhao said uncertainly.

“Are you sure?” Xing Yingzhu said.

“No no no—” Sheng Zhao glanced at his expression, tentatively asking, “Black?”

Xing Yingzhu furrowed his brow slightly and said, “Give a precise color.”

“Black!” Sheng Zhao said. “It’s black!”

This time Xing Yingzhu didn’t ask him again. Instead, he turned over the top card—Five of Hearts.

Sheng Zhao immediately made a bitter face, Xing Yingzhu raised an eyebrow, gestured with his chin, and then wiped off the card and threw it onto the coffee table.

Reluctantly, Sheng Zhao picked a leaf from the plate of houttuynia cordata and stuffed it into his mouth, grimacing from the bitterness, and quickly swallowed it.

Xing Yingzhu, if placed in a school, would be the type of teacher who would be reported to the education bureau eight times a day by students’ parents.

His teaching method was straightforward and brutal: guessing red or black with a deck of cards. Guess right, get a piece of candy and a kiss; guess wrong, eat houttuynia cordata.

According to Xing Yingzhu, houttuynia cordata wouldn’t kill anyone and could even clear heat and remove toxins, so it didn’t matter if Sheng Zhao ate some.

—Seriously, does that sound like human language?

“This is a probability problem!” Sheng Zhao couldn’t bear it anymore, attempting to overthrow the tyranny and rebel like a serf singing a song of revolution. “No matter how you guess, theoretically the probability of red or black appearing is the same!”

Xing Yingzhu glanced at him, Sheng Zhao stood up straight with his chest out, looking defiant, his face showing a look of determination to die, just like the peasant uprising armies in history books.

Xing Yingzhu remained calm and composed, reaching out to pinch his chin and pulling him closer, leaning in to kiss him.

Sheng Zhao: “…”

Does this old monster playing tricks still have any shame?

Nevertheless, he kept grumbling inwardly, but he was indeed honest. His arrogance immediately disappeared, and he reluctantly sat back down.

“Why are you so easygoing today?” Sheng Zhao said. “You didn’t even scold me.”

“If I scold you now, you’ll either be unwilling to accept it or try to act cute and skip class, which will only make your emotions more unstable and be of no benefit to your training.” Xing Yingzhu raised an eyebrow and said with a half-smile, “Do you think I can’t see through your little tricks? Finish your lesson first.”

Sheng Zhao: “…”

Indeed, he was a big old monster who had lived for thousands of years, not stupid at all.

“But this thing can only be guessed.” Sheng Zhao said. “What do you want me to train into?”

“Don’t guess, feel it.” Xing Yingzhu said as he quickly shuffled the cards. “You’ve guessed correctly several times before, but then changed your answer. Haven’t you?”

Sheng Zhao blinked, realizing that was indeed the case.

“Your intuition was right, but you overthought it.” Xing Yingzhu said. “What is intuition? It’s about grasping that mysterious ‘instinct.’ When you get used to it, you’ll be able to gather more information. Just like when you encountered Diao Leyu on a rainy day, try again.”

Despite his mystical explanation, Sheng Zhao still didn’t understand.

Xing Yingzhu sighed and said, “Close your eyes.”

Sheng Zhao obediently complied.

Xing Yingzhu reached out and took off the two necklaces around his neck, casually asking, “In Shanghai, when you met Zhang Kaisheng, was it a red light or a green light?”

“Red light,” Sheng Zhao said.

He remembered it very clearly. At that time, the car had stopped, and he happened to look out and see Zhang Kaisheng.

“When you were at Longhu Mountain, did you pass through a pine forest or a locust tree forest on your way to the Locking Demon Tower?” Xing Yingzhu asked again.

His speech speed increased slightly, and just as Sheng Zhao hesitated, Xing Yingzhu’s tone turned cold, saying, “Can’t remember?”

Sheng Zhao subconsciously shivered and said, “Pine forest.”

Because he suddenly remembered a subtle memory: when he passed through the forest, he made a bending motion and stepped on a pine cone.

Although Xing Yingzhu’s tone quickened, the questions he asked were much gentler. “What did you eat last night?”

“Stewed chicken,” Sheng Zhao said.

“Hmm?” Xing Yingzhu suddenly made a questioning sound, his tone lowered a few degrees as if he had been interrupted, and he casually said, “Who’s downstairs?”

“Lu Xing,” Sheng Zhao said matter-of-factly.

Xing Yingzhu chuckled lightly.

Sheng Zhao opened his eyes and was suddenly stunned.

He saw Xing Yingzhu leaning against the sofa, looking at him with a smile, and seeing his shocked expression, he kindly tilted his head and gestured towards the window.

Sheng Zhao hurriedly scrambled off the sofa, pounced to the window, and leaned out, only to see Lu Xing holding a bag of groceries, just walking past the door from the small road and preparing to enter.

“I told you earlier.” Xing Yingzhu said gently, “Trust your intuition—that’s your greatest weapon.”

Sheng Zhao still couldn’t believe it. In his understanding, it was difficult for him to regard “guessing,” something with such strong randomness, as a skill.

“All things in the world have spirits. If you can communicate with them, you will naturally know many things.” Xing Yingzhu said. “As long as you are strong enough, you can hear more things.”

“So, the Seventh Princess is like that too?” Sheng Zhao paused and whispered, “Are you like that too?”

“The principle is similar, but not everyone is like that.” Xing Yingzhu said. “If other monsters or immortals reach her level, they would have long self-destructed.”

“Why is she fine then?” Sheng Zhao asked.

“She is the one chosen by the mountains and rivers. These things are as simple in her mind as what you see in front of you.” Xing Yingzhu said. “But if others want to do the same, they need to focus and use methods, and the more distant and detailed they look, the more mental effort it requires, which would definitely be different.”

“What about you?” Sheng Zhao asked.

“I can listen to the water, but I cannot observe the mountains,” Xing Yingzhu said lightly. “Alright, stop slacking off, come over here.”

Sheng Zhao glanced at the plate of houttuynia cordata with a bitter face, took three hesitant steps, and finally sat back down opposite Xing Yingzhu.

He initially thought Xing Yingzhuo was just talking big and demanding too much from him with his standards as a monster. But after guessing poker cards with Xing Yingzhu for three days, he indeed felt some subtle improvements, and his accuracy had increased significantly.

After he could consistently guess the red or black, Xing Yingzhu began asking about suits, and when he could accurately guess the suits too, Xing Yingzhu started asking about numbers or wild cards.

After playing poker with him for nearly a month, Sheng Zhao’s eyes sparkled with excitement, dreaming that even his dreams were filled with playing cards.

However, he did find Xing Yingzhuo’s teaching method surprisingly effective. His “intuition” had improved a lot, and he gradually gained control over it.

However, he could still only make simple choices like A or B. Apart from factors he was extremely familiar with, if asked something slightly more complicated, he couldn’t answer.

Regarding this, he expressed his regret, saying, “Ah, it’s a pity. If only I could sense the lottery numbers for the next draw.”

“You can try.” Xing Yingzhu smirked, using a tone reminiscent of a horror movie, “But some wealth is not meant to be accepted, and there’s also fate to consider.”

Sheng Zhao’s back shivered when he heard this, feeling goosebumps rising, wishing he could cover Xing Yingzhuo’s mouth.

“As a person, this is probably your limit,” Xing Yingzhu said without looking up, “But it’s enough. Don’t expect to do anything else. When something happens, just knowing whether it’s dangerous or good is enough, and knowing when to run is essential.”