After the college entrance exams ended, Wang Teng returned to Lanqi City.
As soon as he got back, he invited Gu Ming to a graduation dinner.
Nearby, recent high school graduates laughed and chatted, sharing amusing stories from the exams.
Wang Teng had a lot to say as well. He knew Gu Ming wasn’t impressed by the level of competition in the college entrance exams, but in his eyes, their difficulty was no less than any tournant. His Dumb Flower had nearly failed them.
At that mont, Dumb Flower was also chatting with Cyan Treasure.
The forr patted its chubby belly and shook its petals, recounting its exam horror story.
Cyan Treasure flicked its forked tongue, describing the wondrous sight of Halls of the Great Dao popping up everywhere like mushrooms after a rain during the national competition, making the other Pet Beast extrely envious.
Gu Ming ate his al, nodding occasionally. He didn’t say much, simply acting as a silent listener while his friend recounted his battle experiences during the exams.
"You’re at a reunion dinner with Wang Teng. Listening to him reminisce about the past, tears well up in the corners of your eyes. The past is too bitter to recall."
"Wang Teng pours a farewell drink.
"His life is set. He was severely injured on a mission, and his Dumb Flower was afflicted with a deadly poison. The astronomical dical fees wiped out his parents’ savings. Even after it was cured, he had no money left to raise a Pet Beast, so his progress halted at Three-star."
"He looks at the fifty-year-old you, who still has a heart full of passion, and has been accepted into Zhou Capital’s Wenquxing University.
"Besides marveling at your dumb luck, all he can do as an old friend is remind you: be careful on your journey, not ’have a smooth one’."
...
"You’re going far away now. Mom and Dad won’t be around, so you have to learn to take care of yourself."
"And as for Lu You, you need to take good care of her, too.
"She’s socially anxious. If she’s having trouble, she won’t ask for help. She’ll just keep it bottled up and suffer in silence.
"Don’t just focus on your own Cultivation. When the two of you are out there, you need to help each other and look out for one another, you hear ...?"
Before he left, Mrs. Gu’s nagging voice echoed in Gu Ming’s ears. She was afraid his emotional intelligence was so low that he’d end up neglecting his future girlfriend.
In Mrs. Gu’s heart, Lu You was already her pre-approved daughter-in-law.
Even though their families weren’t exactly of equal social standing.
But considering Lu You’s talent and Mouse Treasure’s potential for Evolution, as a future mother-in-law, she couldn’t be more satisfied.
Her only flaw was that she was too introverted. It would be even better if she were a bit more lively.
Still, she couldn’t ask for more.
Mrs. Gu often scrolled through short-form videos and saw that the younger generation’s standards for a significant other were different from the past. They no longer had the attitude of just settling for soone.
If they couldn’t find their ideal partner, they might just stay single for life and spend the rest of their days with their Pet Beasts.
After all, a Pet Beast could act cute, do housework, help with work, wash vegetables, cook, and even help their master shoulder their worries.
Most people weren’t willing to bring ho a high-maintenance partner they’d have to worship.
The nearby Hidden Mist Butterfly gently fluttered its wings, joining Cyan Treasure and Ah Kun in making sounds of farewell.
Gu Ming said with a resigned look, "Alright, alright, I get it."
With her hands on her hips, Mrs. Gu was about to give him a few more pointers to knock so sense into him and stop him from being so clueless.
Suddenly, she saw Lu You’s figure appear in the station in the distance.
She stopped talking, patted him lightly on the shoulder, then walked past Gu Ming and hurried over to Lu You. Grasping her hands, she said with a smile:
"Lu You, I’ll be leaving our Gu Ming in your care from now on!"
"He’s a bit dense and only has Cultivation on his mind. He might speak without thinking, so please be patient with him."
Lu You was completely flustered by the attention. Her pink cheeks flushed red all the way to her ears, and she waved her hands about frantically, her mind a complete blank. She had no idea what Mrs. Gu was talking about.
Watching from behind, Mr. Gu was quite amused. The more he saw, the more satisfied he felt.
...
Gu Ming and Lu You boarded a cabin on the underside of the Flying Humpback Whale. Looking back down at the ground, the towering buildings gradually shrank to the size of toy blocks, and even the rolling mountains transford into inky lines on a ga board.
As they traversed the sky, fierce winds snuck through the Flying Humpback Whale’s open cabin windows.
An Array inside lit up with a faint glow, blocking the raging gales and filtering them into a few gentle wisps of wind that brushed past their temples.
Ever since the Spiritual Qi Revival rewrote the world’s trajectory sixty years ago, and various Pet Beasts beca mainstream, traditional vehicles like trains and airplanes were gradually phased out. Giant Pet Beast shipping companies rose to prominence, monopolizing the travel routes between cities.
These days, ordinary people preferred to travel aboard colossal land-based Pet Beasts.
For example, one could ride a giant serpent with the Spatial Attribute. A Spatial Array carved inside its belly could accommodate hundreds of rows of passenger seats.
Passengers could step inside and travel with the behemoth as it traversed mountains as if on level ground, arriving in another city in as little as half an hour.
Giant Flying Pets like the Flying Humpback Whale, on the other hand, had taken over the role of traditional airplanes, carrying Beastmasters from all over through the clouds.
Of course, Humpback Whales weren’t the only ones capable of passenger flight; giant birds with wingspans that could blot out the sky were also up to the task.
The Humpback Whale Gu Ming had chosen was a comfort-class model. It wasn’t fast, nor was it expensive, making it the top choice for sightseers.
Gu Ming sat by a window, watching the clouds outside stretch and drift like cotton fluff.
This wasn’t his first ti on a flying mount, but his childhood mories of riding giant birds had long been coated in the dust of ti, only to be illuminated once more by the mountain and cloudscapes outside the window.
mories from his childhood, of moving and traveling with his family, also surfaced in his mind, causing Gu Ming to feel a surge of nostalgia.
Beside him, Lu You lightly covered her mouth, her eyes sparkling. It was her first ti seeing such magnificent mountains and rivers.
However, her happiness didn’t last long. A certain person and a certain matter ca to mind, and she lowered her head, seemingly sinking into a state of lancholy, in no mood to enjoy the scenery.
Mouse Treasure sensed its master’s emotions and ca over to comfort her, clapping its little hands.
Cyan Treasure had been chatting with Mouse Treasure, but seeing that sothing was wrong with Lu You, it nudged the reminiscing Gu Ming, drawing his attention to her distress.
Gu Ming assud Lu You was thinking about her family and took the initiative to console her.
"Try to put your family matters aside for now," he said. "Only by going far away now can you earn more money to support them in the future."
’In truth,’ Gu Ming thought, ’Lu You’s family is too stubborn. Their thinking is so old-fashioned, and they only care about imdiate benefits. It’s infuriating.’
But Gu Ming wouldn’t advise Lu You to turn against her family. Instead, he hoped she could break out of her original social sphere and view her family’s needs and ideas from a broader perspective.
Once she understood their superficiality, the frustration of being morally blackmailed would naturally disappear.
Even when it ca to repaying her parents’ kindness for raising her, there were still priorities.
Once Mouse Treasure evolved to Four Five-stars, the money she could earn in a single day would be enough to feed her family for a whole year.
If her family wanted money, she could just send it back. As long as they lived their lives separately, didn’t bother each other, and went their own ways, it would be a win-win for everyone.
But Lu You shook her head.
"It’s not about that," she said in a small voice.
"Oh? Then what is it?"
"Teacher Zhang is gone... what will happen to his family?" Lu You looked hesitant, her voice tinged with sadness.
Gu Ming froze for a mont.
He hadn’t actually thought of that.
But Lu You was right.
Teacher Zhang had gone to check on the competition venue because of their tournant needs.
Regardless of whether they were directly responsible, their consciences would never be clear.
Gu Ming said solemnly, "Don’t worry. I’ll talk to my parents right now.
"And the Ruan Family, I’ll ask them to help take care of things as much as possible, too."
His reliable and firm voice echoed in Lu You’s ears.
Lu You lifted her head slightly and secretly stared at Gu Ming for a mont. Her low spirits quickly lifted, and a warmth spread through her heart.
After sending the ssage, Gu Ming looked up and signaled that everything was taken care of.
Lu You let out a soft "mhm," subconsciously looking out the window, not daring to et his gaze.
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