Jing Li turned to look back and saw Gu Tingshen standing before him, though he wasn’t sure when he had arrived.
“Shen-ge?” Jing Li’s face lit up with delight. “Why did you come so suddenly?”
Although he had indeed messaged him earlier to drop by when he had time these few days, he hadn’t expected him to come so quickly.
“Mm, I was inspecting a project nearby, so I came to see you,” Gu Tingshen smiled at him, his eyes brimming with undisguised affection.
Wang Xiaoning quietly observed the newcomer from the side. Seeing the interaction between the two, he couldn’t help but be surprised.
Thanks to the person behind Dark Forest, they knew almost everything about Gu Tingshen’s situation and naturally recognized him, especially since he had deliberately signed with Tusen before.
But from what he knew from the files and their few previous encounters, Gu Tingshen had never been an easily approachable person, let alone one to joke around with others.
Wang Xiaoning was completely taken aback by how close Jing Li and Gu Tingshen seemed. How could this look like someone deliberately approaching the other for ulterior motives?
Especially when they looked at each other just now – that gaze couldn’t possibly be faked.
Perhaps because his gaze lingered on Gu Tingshen for too long, the latter suddenly turned to look at him. Unlike his gentle and affectionate demeanor when facing Jing Li, this gaze was as sharp as a blade, gleaming with cold light.
Even Wang Xiaoning, who rarely showed any reaction even when facing Dark Forest’s leader, was startled by his gaze. He quickly collected himself and politely nodded in greeting.
“Hello, Mr. Gu.”
Gu Tingshen didn’t respond, only coldly looking at him for a few seconds before shifting his gaze back to Jing Li. His eyes immediately softened again.
“How many scenes do you have left?”
“Two more, one in the afternoon and one in the evening,” Jing Li replied with a smile, then added, “Do you want to rest in my room first? We can talk when I’m done.”
“No need, I’ll sit here for a while.”
Hearing this, Jing Li didn’t say more. He asked his assistant to bring a chair for Gu Tingshen and sent him to buy some hot drinks. The two then sat together, watching the filming while waiting for Jing Li’s scenes.
Even sitting quietly like this, they seemed quite content in each other’s company.
Wang Xiaoning sat nearby for a moment, knowing it wasn’t a good time to chat. He excused himself politely and returned to his own spot.
Watching Wang Xiaoning’s retreating figure, Gu Tingshen narrowed his eyes slightly, then turned to ask Jing Li, “Is it him?”
“Mm.” Jing Li also glanced at Wang Xiaoning’s back. “He came to find me last night. I’ll tell you more when we get back to the hotel.”
Gu Tingshen nodded upon hearing this. Although he had many more questions, seeing Jing Li’s somewhat haggard appearance, he suppressed them for now.
Soon, the second scene was finished, and Director Wen came over to greet Gu Tingshen during a break.
The next scene was Jing Li’s. After Director Wen finished talking to him, Jing Li stood up and walked to the set with the director.
With Gu Tingshen’s arrival, time seemed to pass especially quickly. The two scenes were shot consecutively and soon finished.
But outside, the sky had already turned pitch black. Jing Li went to the makeup room to remove his makeup, then returned to the hotel with Gu Tingshen.
“I’ve already had the prepared dinner sent to the room. We can eat as soon as we arrive,” Gu Tingshen said as they walked, handing Jing Li the water cup he was holding. “Drink some hot water to warm up first.”
Jing Li paused as he took the cup, glancing at Gu Tingshen sideways. “A royal feast?”
“What royal feast…” Gu Tingshen looked at him bewildered, then caught his teasing gaze and gradually understood.
Recalling how the hotel manager had fawningly recommended meal sets when he’d asked them to prepare dinner earlier, he couldn’t help but laugh ruefully, rubbing his forehead. “I just told them to take extra care. I didn’t expect it to be so over-the-top.”
This was too foolish!
It wasn’t like they were in some bubbly idol drama. If word got out, people would laugh their heads off.
“I’ll have someone tell them later. This kind of stupidity won’t happen again.”
Jing Li glanced at him with a smile but said nothing more, drinking water as they walked to the hotel.
When they arrived at the room, dinner was indeed ready. It wasn’t as extravagant as lunch, with only seven or eight dishes on the table, all plated exquisitely – just right for two or three people without waste.
After dining together, Jing Li led Gu Tingshen back to his bedroom.
As soon as they entered, he asked, “What was with those messages you sent me last night? Did you dream something again?”
“No,” Gu Tingshen said as he sat down on the sofa with Jing Li. “Last night, I suddenly felt a strange sensation, then a stream of light surged into my body, accompanied by a voice speaking.”
At this point, Gu Tingshen didn’t intend to hide anything anymore. Looking directly at Jing Li, he said, “And this hasn’t happened just once or twice.”
He told Jing Li about the two previous times he’d felt something similar, as well as the dream he had on the plane when they went to Blue Island.
After hearing Gu Tingshen’s account, Jing Li finally confirmed that he might indeed be the Heavenly Dao itself.
As for why he had lost all his memories and powers…
“There’s something I need to tell you that might sound unbelievable, but it’s true,” Jing Li said, looking at Gu Tingshen seriously. “Remember when I said before that you might be an extraordinary figure?”
“And when you asked if anyone could sense others’ oaths, I said only witnesses or the Heavenly Dao had that ability.”
“I wasn’t joking. You might actually be the Heavenly Dao itself. It’s likely that the Dark Forest group has obtained crucial evidence proving your identity and is trying to get close to you to obtain your power.”
“But more importantly, we need to figure out why you’ve lost all memories from before you were born into this world, and why your powers have disappeared along with them.”
Jing Li frowned at Gu Tingshen. “Give me your hand.”
Gu Tingshen looked at him, and though he didn’t understand what Jing Li intended to do, he obediently extended his hand.
“Relax, don’t resist my approach,” Jing Li said, glancing at him as he grasped his wrist. He concentrated a thread of spiritual energy and sent it into Gu Tingshen’s body, intending to circulate it through his meridians. However, as soon as it entered, his spiritual energy was like a drop of water falling into the ocean, instantly absorbed without a trace.
Jing Li raised his eyebrows in surprise, then stubbornly gathered more spiritual energy and sent it into Gu Tingshen’s body. But the result was the same as before – it was completely absorbed the moment it entered.
Moreover, it seemed that no matter how much spiritual energy Jing Li sent into Gu Tingshen’s body, it could all be fully contained without a trace.
Such a vast internal space didn’t seem like someone without cultivation at all. Instead, it was more like a high-level cultivator who had sealed himself off due to insufficient spiritual energy absorption.
Thinking this, Jing Li suddenly remembered the incredibly pure and dense spiritual energy he had seen on Blue Island, almost overflowing from the courtyard.
Could it be related to Gu Tingshen not yet learning how to absorb and condense spiritual energy since arriving in this world?
“Is the situation very tricky?” Gu Tingshen couldn’t help but ask, seeing Jing Li’s furrowed brow.
“Not really,” Jing Li shook his head, then shared his speculation before saying, “If we really want to solve this, we probably have to go back to the Blue Island.”
He then asked Gu Tingshen, “Is anyone there now?”
“No, usually people just go there periodically to clean. But if needed, I can contact the housekeeper now and have him go over.”
“It’s okay if there’s no one, it’s more convenient for us,” Jing Li interrupted. “If I take you there now, will you be scared?”
Gu Tingshen smiled and raised an eyebrow at him. Though he didn’t speak, his expression was clearly affirmative.
Seeing this, Jing Li said no more. He embraced Gu Tingshen and used a teleportation technique to instantly transport them to the outskirts of Blue Island. To prevent anyone from seeing anything extraordinary through surveillance, Jing Li first stopped outside the villa. He then raised his hand to erect a barrier encompassing the entire villa before they stepped through the main gate.
The whole villa was pitch black, devoid of any signs of human presence.
Jing Li found an open space and instructed Gu Tingshen to sit cross-legged. He then taught him the method for breathing and circulating energy and asked him to try drawing spiritual energy into his body.
Gu Tingshen, being naturally intelligent, memorized the instructions after hearing them once. He then began to sense the surrounding spiritual energy as taught.
The moment he mentally recited the first word of the incantation, he instantly felt a cool energy surge into his body. It began to circulate automatically through his meridians. Everywhere it passed felt like bathing in warm spring water, washing away all his fatigue.
The sensation was so wonderful that Gu Tingshen unconsciously became immersed in it, continuing to sense more spiritual energy entering and circulating through his body.
Meanwhile, Jing Li watched as the pure spiritual energy around them surged frantically towards Gu Tingshen, then rushed to be absorbed into his body.
Compared to the tiny amount of spiritual energy Jing Li had sent earlier, the spiritual energy in this villa was vast to an exaggerated degree. Yet even this immense quantity seemed unable to fill Gu Tingshen’s body.
Jing Li observed the surrounding spiritual energy becoming increasingly sparse, but Gu Tingshen remained as steady as a mountain, without even a ripple in his cultivation level.
This capacity for absorption seemed far too incredible.
Jing Li was inwardly astonished, but what happened next shocked him even more.
After the last traces of spiritual energy in the villa were completely absorbed by Gu Tingshen, before Jing Li could give further instructions, the absorbed energy began to gradually seep out from Gu Tingshen’s body.
And it couldn’t be contained at all.
In the end, as much as Gu Tingshen had absorbed earlier, just as much flowed back out. The entire villa was instantly filled again with dense spiritual energy.
Jing Li reached out to check Gu Tingshen’s wrist again, only to find it had returned to the same starved state as before.
“How is this possible?”
Jing Li frowned as he assessed the situation, completely baffled.
This was the first time he had ever seen absorbed spiritual energy spontaneously return to its source, as if the body lacked some crucial component to retain it.
Lacking?
Jing Li was suddenly struck by a thought.
Could it be that Gu Tingshen was truly missing something important, leading to the current situation?
If so, where had the missing piece gone?
He had been in this world for over twenty years. Even if something was lost, the Heavenly Dao’s instincts shouldn’t have allowed him to be completely unaware of it, unless something powerful was blocking that sensation.
Dark Forest!
Jing Li’s eyes widened slightly as he suddenly grasped the key to the mystery.
Over twenty years ago, Dark Forest’s behind-the-scenes leader discovered a loophole and initiated a plan to replace the Heavenly Dao. Gu Tingshen’s birth, and Dark Forest’s current relentless pursuit all fit together.
Thinking back to Dark Forest’s previous certainty about his motives for getting close to Gu Tingshen, Jing Li suspected that Gu Tingshen’s inability to consolidate spiritual energy might also be related to Dark Forest.
In this light, it seemed that the investigation into Dark Forest truly needed to be accelerated.
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