“Recovery speed of spiritual pool?” Xiao Hui raised his head.
This was an uncommon indicator, so Xiao Hui’s lack of understanding was normal. Xiao Jingfeng, like a professor on the podium, calmly explained, “This is currently not included in the assessment range of spiritual power levels. Because the recovery speed of most guides is almost the same, generally maintaining between 0.9 to 1.2. But his recovery speed is 7.3, far exceeding the average guide.”
“What about you?” Xiao Hui suddenly asked, “What’s your recovery speed of spiritual power?”
Facing this seemingly simple question, Xiao Jingfeng surprisingly remained silent for a while. After several seconds, he softly said, “0.4.”
This answer made both Xiao Zhenyun and Si Di unexpectedly look at Xiao Jingfeng, who shrugged indifferently, “Well, my weakness is exposed.”
Good thing you still have a weakness, or else all the sentinels would have been wiped out by you…
“Ha.” Xiao Hui suddenly chuckled briefly, his expression somewhat terrifyingly manic. His gaze tore away from Xiao Jingfeng, staring straight at Xiao Zhenyun, “0.4, 7.3, yours is more than 18 times.”
This answer visibly pleased him, “Even an S class guide has shortcomings compared to a C class guide, especially in terms of spiritual power… on the spiritual power level… Higher-level guides are not perfect, and lower-level guides are not worthless.”
He fell into reminiscence, “There are always people telling me, even if you’re a C- class guide, you have strengths compared to others. Like being more attentive, having good math grades, being good at drawing… but what’s the use of these? Ignoring levels in these aspects means nothing. For guides, the only criterion that can evaluate them is spiritual power. Only when C class guides have aspects superior to S class guides on the spiritual power level can it prove the existence of C class guides, prove that we are not worthless trash.”
Xiao Hui looked at Xiao Zhenyun, as if seeking a very important answer from him, “Is it true? Is what he said true?”
“…” Xiao Zhenyun wasn’t sure what answer this highly self-esteem, sensitive, and unpredictable little villain wanted. He couldn’t go along with Xiao Hui’s intentions; he had to refute him, make him angry, and continue on his unrepentant villainous path.
After a brief hesitation, Xiao Zhenyun chose silence and evasion.
Meanwhile, the sensible Si Di thought of a third way to approach the problem. He took the topic into his own hands and directly challenged back, “So what if it’s true, or false? A recovery speed of 7.3, placed on a C class guide, is just pure waste.”
Xiao Zhenyun immediately praised him mentally for his clever retort.
Xiao Nian once again appreciated his reliable ‘dad’ for his quick wit, thinking faster than Xiao Zhenyun, who was more apt at making a mess than success.
Before Si Di’s pleased wolf tail could even begin to wag, Xiao Jingfeng, ahead of Xiao Hui, furrowed his brow. White horse ears emerged from his black hair, standing up like two sharp knives. With a snow-white ponytail released from behind him, Xiao Jingfeng questioned Si Di with displeasure, “What are you saying? Is that what you truly think in your heart? Is that what you think of Zhenyun?”
His three consecutive interrogations grew more severe with each one, catching Si Di off guard with his scolding.
Before any explanation could be made, Xiao Hui’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Since you think high recovery rates on low-level guides are wasteful, it means recovery speed isn’t a useless indicator. On the contrary, it’s quite important.”
He was ecstatic, exuding ‘coolness’ from every pore, as if the one with a recovery speed of 7.3 was not Xiao Zhenyun, but himself.
If Xiao Zhenyun’s guess was correct, Xiao Hui fundamentally wanted to prove that lower-level special individuals have areas where they excel over higher-level special individuals in terms of spiritual power or senses. Even if this proof was meaningless and had no practical use, he was stubbornly seeking this answer.
…Could he really have cleared the level? Did he really manage to hit upon such a strict and bizarre way to raise favorability?
Xiao Zhenyun felt that if he were to take out a medical examination report right now, Xiao Hui would immediately frame it as a certificate of achievement and hang it on the wall.
While Xiao Jingfeng, with a frown, took Si Di aside for a solitary ideological education session, Xiao Zhenyun and Xiao Nian secretly sneaked into the adjacent room to discuss the plot.
“What’s the plan?”
“What plan?” Xiao Nian quickly accessed the world’s source code interface, swiftly searching for the latest situation of the Blaze Team. “With such a resolute villain being persuaded by you, what else can we do? We have to take action ourselves. You go fetch Xiao Hui’s terminal. Once I find out where those Blaze Team members, who managed to escape under Si Chu and Ye Feiran’s efforts, are hiding, you immediately send the location to the professor.”
“…”
Really shady.
Xiao Zhenyun, who wanted to live a few more years, instantly came up with a good idea of shifting the trouble to someone else. “Xiao Nian, I thought of someone who would definitely enjoy doing such chaotic and evil things. Maybe you don’t even need to work day and night coding; he can dig out the whereabouts of those people himself, then join the professor and take over Xiao Hui’s role… This is just the stable outcome; if he performs exceptionally, he might even directly replace the professor.”
Xiao Nian: “…”
“And don’t you think the fundamental reason we entered this town in the first place was for this person?”
Xiao Zhenyun continued, “But until now, we haven’t met him. Xiao Nian, leaving him alone outside to cause trouble is really dangerous.”
The administrator was successfully convinced. He silently deleted the three lines of code he had just typed, and began searching for the whereabouts of the brown-haired drag guy.
As the sky outside gradually darkened, Xiao Zhenyun and Xiao Nian arrived at the town, which was exactly at noon. They had lunch at the Li family’s newlywed home, spent the whole afternoon busy, and now with the sunset rising, this group of intruders who invaded the residence were actually enjoying dinner cooked by Xiao Hui and Xiao Bai themselves.
Xiao Bai still habitually tried to please Si Di, asking him about his taste halfway through cooking, while Xiao Hui actively invited Xiao Zhenyun, the shining star among the C class special individuals, to dine. As for Xiao Jingfeng and Xiao Nian, they were just a package deal.
Si Di repeatedly assured Xiao Jingfeng that his feelings for Xiao Zhenyun were genuine, and there was nothing about Xiao Zhenyun that he looked down upon. He liked the C class guide with paralyzed legs. If he wasn’t paralyzed, he wouldn’t want him. Tomorrow, he would even break Xiao Zhenyun’s prosthetic limbs.
“So, what do you mean by saying it’s a waste to have a high recovery speed on Zhenyun?” Xiao Jingfeng believed in unwavering principles and never compromised on bottom lines. “Without the recovery speed of 7.3 to replenish your spiritual power, do you think your collapsed spiritual domain would recover so quickly? Without Zhenyun, you would still be wearing the restraint ring and lying in the Sentinel Hospital with a mouth brace.”
“Yes, you’re right,” Si Di nodded earnestly, then sent a distress call to Xiao Zhenyun through the spiritual link: Help! Help! Help! Your uncle is too fierce!
Xiao Zhenyun: Is your dad fierce or my uncle?
Si Di: …You still hold grudges? My dad was only against us at first because of ethical concerns, but his opposition was ineffective. I was wholeheartedly eloping with you, this wild man. Later on, was he not good to you? For the three years you were missing, he talked about you all the time, even more than me.
Xiao Zhenyun smiled: Hold on, I’ll call Xiao Nian.
After all, it was because of saving the plot that Si Di suffered this undeserved disaster, and Xiao Nian wasn’t heartless enough to discard someone after using them up. He promptly abandoned the coding interface, dashed over to Xiao Jingfeng, and grabbed his arm, saying, “Uncle, Mom didn’t mean it that way. He’s just worried that Dad always relies on his high recovery speed and excessively overdrafts his spiritual pool for his mental grooming, so he said that. Don’t blame him.”
This twisted explanation could also pass, but Xiao Jingfeng’s attention had evidently been drawn elsewhere: “…Mom?”
Xiao Zhenyun rarely heard Xiao Nian calling him dad, let alone Si Di hearing Xiao Nian calling him mom… It could only be said that this weird nickname was awkward, shocking, and wonderfully addictive. While Xiao Jingfeng was surprised, Xiao Zhenyun and Si Di both turned to look at Xiao Nian. The administrator, who had seen the world, grabbed Xiao Jingfeng with his left hand and Si Di with his right, saying, “Uncle, could you forgive Mom, please?”
Xiao Jingfeng’s horse ears kept shaking, trembling as he said, “Then… Si Di, if it’s a misunderstanding, then I apologize to you. But I hope since you’ve become Zhenyun’s sentinel, you must respect Zhenyun in all aspects.”
Xiao Zhenyun put his arm around Si Di’s shoulder, smiling as he offered them a way out, “Did you hear what Uncle said?”
“I did,” Si Di kissed the back of Xiao Zhenyun’s hand resting on his shoulder.
Xiao Zhenyun: Well done.
Si Di: I’m so wronged, I’m even more wronged than Dou E, look, it’s snowing outside just for me.1‘Dou E’ is the tragic heroine of the classical Chinese play ‘The Injustice to Dou E’, written by Guan Hanqing during the Yuan Dynasty. It is one of the classic works of Chinese drama. The play tells the story of Dou E, a young widow who is wrongfully accused of murder. Despite her innocence, she is sentenced to death. Before her execution, Dou E prophesies three supernatural signs that will occur to prove her innocence: her blood will spill but not touch the ground, a heavy snowfall will cover her body in the middle of summer, and a drought will plague the region for three years.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhenyun turned to look outside. Under the dim streetlights, scattered snowflakes drifted down from the sky. He first paused, then sarcastically remarked through the spiritual link: Of course, it’s winter now. Isn’t it normal for it to snow?
Si Di: Sob sob sob sob.
Tai Ji also paced back and forth in the spiritual domain, occasionally stomping his paws to express his dissatisfaction. Tian Lu, strangely, lifted his head from the fresh green leaves, glanced at Tai Ji, and curved his deer hooves to help the black wolf by lifting his head and calling out, rebuking his owner’s indifference.
Facing the three-court trial, Xiao Zhenyun could only promise: I’ll reward you when we return.
Si Di: Take me to climb mountains in the wilderness, and then have a car sex?
Xiao Zhenyun: …
Xiao Jingfeng didn’t hear this vulgar dialogue. He only visually inspected the relationship between the two and found it quite harmonious. Perhaps it really was just a misunderstanding… He slightly eased his worries and, under the greetings of Xiao Hui and Xiao Bai, went to the restaurant for dinner.
Although Xiao Hui inexplicably started to admire Xiao Zhenyun, he hadn’t completely surrendered. His overall direction still belonged to the professor’s camp. He only expressed at the dinner table that he wouldn’t report Xiao Zhenyun and the others’ whereabouts to the professor. As for the rest… he just wanted to protect Xiao Bai’s safety.
In other words, he was currently a fence-sitter, drifting around. He would still follow the professor’s orders and work for him, but when it came to matters related to Xiao Zhenyun, he would turn a blind eye.
If they were starting to go easy, did Xiao Bai still have a chance to commit suicide to save the fallen sentinel?
Xiao Zhenyun scooped up a spoonful of tofu and looked up to see Xiao Bai being teased by Xiao Jingfeng, laughing heartily. She couldn’t control her volume well, her laughter was loud and a bit strange, every ‘ha’ sounded clear and round, but undeniably, she was an extremely cute little rabbit.
Well, with so many fallen sentinels already saved, one more fallen guide wouldn’t add much to the burden.
The author has something to say:
Hedgehog: Yawn (warming up before preparing to enter the scene)
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
