Chapter 355: The Guide

Aunt Tong walked to the center of the room and helped Lao Lv, who was lying on the ground, up.

“Oh yo… Lao Lv, are you okay?” she asked, looking him over with some concern.

“I’m fine, I’m fine…” Lao Lv shook his head. “Don’t let my flab fool you; I can take a beating when it counts.”

“You always have to act tough…” Aunt Tong’s expression was a bit unnatural as she moved closer to him.

Lao Lv noticed her odd behavior and stared into her eyes. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Ah? Nothing… I’m just a little embarrassed to say it…” Aunt Tong furrowed her brow. “It might be my imagination…”

“Your imagination?” Lao Lv sensed something was off. “Xiao Chan, even if it’s just an ‘imagination,’ tell me about it. What happened?”

Aunt Tong hesitated for a while before pulling Lao Lv closer and whispering, “I… I felt that young doctor touching me just now…”

“Ah…?”

Lao Lv looked Aunt Tong over. Though he liked this woman of similar age with her refined air, he wasn’t naive.

Aunt Tong wasn’t particularly attractive, and her figure had started to go soft, so it was hard to believe that the dashing young doctor would behave improperly toward her.

“Xiao Chan, are you sure about this…? Did he really touch you?” Lao Lv asked.

“That’s why I said it might be my imagination…” Aunt Tong shook her head. “It was just for a couple of seconds; I don’t know if it was accidental or intentional…”

Lao Lv nodded after hearing this. “Ah, just two seconds? It’s probably your imagination.”

“Mm…” Aunt Tong replied ambiguously and then hid behind Lao Lv, saying no more.

Han Yi Mo fell silent for a long time before turning to look at Zhao Yi Sheng.

“You… really want to join him…? Your decision now is wrong…”

“Is it?” Zhao Yi Sheng glanced at him with an uneasy expression. “Can you tell? Every choice we make here leads to unknown outcomes. How can you judge what’s right or wrong?”

“Anyway, following them is just wrong…” Han Yi Mo said distractedly, scanning the people in the room. “What will happen if you join the ‘pei jiao’ faction? Especially a ‘pei jiao’ that’s clearly villainous… Even ‘Qi Hei Jian’ won’t spare them. Do you really expect them to lead you to the grand finale?”

“Bullshit grand finale—I think you’ve really lost it.” Zhao Yi Sheng replied. “You’re like a mad gambler, ready to bet everything on Qi Xia. But have you even asked him? Does he want to accept you?”

“He has to accept me.” Han Yi Mo said. “Our ‘identity’ makes us inseparable. He’s the ‘jiu shi zhu,’ and I’m the ‘zhu jiao’!!”

“Can you snap out of it…?” Zhao Yi Sheng frowned. “Don’t you know why Qi Xia abandoned you?”

Seeing Han Yi Mo’s state, Chu Tian Qiu slowly curled his lips into a smile.

This man was crazy enough—perfect.

Only someone this insane could unleash the strongest ‘hui xiang.’ He didn’t need to completely lose his mind like the natives, nor be fully clear-headed like a normal person. Just teetering on the edge of madness would do.

That was the state of a ‘perfect hui xiang zhe.’

A person who could use a flying sword, who could shake the earth.

This ability was like a gift from heaven and today’s biggest gain.

“Han Yi Mo… right?” Chu Tian Qiu said with a smile. “I’ve been listening to you talk, and I feel like you’ve overlooked something.”

“Overlooked something?” Han Yi Mo slowly lifted his head, and their eyes met.

Only then did the others notice that the two shared the same manic gaze.

“That’s right… I’ve never quite understood.” Chu Tian Qiu adjusted his glasses and asked softly, “You’ve said you’re the ‘zhu jiao,’ haven’t you?”

“Yes…” Han Yi Mo nodded. “Haven’t you all realized I’m the ‘zhu jiao’?”

Chu Tian Qiu smiled even more broadly. He took a few steps forward, getting closer to Han Yi Mo, and stared straight at him. “Then what are you afraid of?”

“What?”

“You’re the ‘zhu jiao’—what are you afraid of?” Chu Tian Qiu repeated. “In any book, does the ‘zhu jiao’ need the ‘jiu shi zhu’ to survive? Now’s the time for you to go it alone, right?”

Han Yi Mo blinked slightly, feeling that Chu Tian Qiu’s words made some sense.

“Though we’re all insignificant ‘pei jiao,’ if you join us, we’d basically be the ‘zhu jiao faction,’ wouldn’t we? I’m really curious—in a book’s grand finale, is it more likely for the ‘zhu jiao’ to survive or the ‘jiu shi zhu’?”

Chu Tian Qiu’s series of questions gradually shook Han Yi Mo’s stance.

“You know, that does make sense…” Han Yi Mo nodded. “The ‘jiu shi zhu’ leaves me, and his story ends… The real main plot is mine from here on.”

“Exactly, that’s it.” Chu Tian Qiu nodded. “You don’t need the ‘jiu shi zhu’ anymore. What you need is me. I’m your ‘yin lu ren.’”

“‘Yin lu ren’…?”

“I’ll fully understand your ‘hui xiang’ and help you develop it to the maximum.” Chu Tian Qiu reached out and patted Han Yi Mo’s shoulder. “All you have to do is not overthink it and just follow me.”

“But, but the ‘jiu shi zhu’ he…”

“What if he’s a villain?” Chu Tian Qiu interrupted. “What if this plot is about the ‘jiu shi zhu’ turning against you and fighting you in the end? Would you show him mercy?”

“I…”

Han Yi Mo had never considered this before. That ‘jiu shi zhu’ who had once saved him from trouble… could he turn against him?

Thinking it over, it wasn’t impossible.

Such plots were common in novels.

The ‘zhu jiao’s’ initial ‘mentor’ often turned out to be a villain with their own agenda, betraying at the last moment and going down a completely different path.

But was Qi Xia that kind of person…?

“No rush.” Chu Tian Qiu said with a smile. “I can give you some time to think it over. As long as you’re willing to join ‘Tian Tang Kou,’ the best future will be waiting for you.”

After saying that, he glanced at the people in the room and the mess on the floor, shaking his head helplessly. “Today’s farce is over. I’ll pretend none of this happened. Everyone, just go back to your duties.”

The others fell silent, watching him and pondering their own thoughts.

“Jin Yuan Xun, later help me put the two heads back in place.” Chu Tian Qiu instructed. “Lao Lv and Zhao Yi Sheng, if you have time, bury Chen Jun Nan’s body.”

He paused for a moment, then reassured everyone. “Don’t let these little incidents affect your mood. Remember, ‘Tian Tang Kou’s’ goal is ‘escape.’ In the days ahead, keep gathering game strategies.”

Chu Tian Qiu turned to leave, slipping his hands into his pockets. But as he did, he suddenly felt a hard object in one of them.

He frowned, took it out, and flipped it over in his hand, his expression gradually changing.

It was a shiny, golden yuan bao.

“What…?”

He thought for a moment and casually put the gold yuan bao back in his pocket. As he turned to say something, he noticed Yan Zhi Chun pulling a identical gold yuan bao from her own pocket.

Their eyes met, and Yan Zhi Chun found it amusing, smiling. “Leader, what’s up?”

Chu Tian Qiu glanced at the gold yuan bao in her hand, pondered for a while, and forced out, “Nothing,” before pushing open the classroom door and walking out.