ALL NOVEL Chapter 65: Introduction
Su Luoheng asked, "How's your recovery?"
"Almost there..."
The young man in black pointed to his abdomen and smiled wryly. "The remaining injuries will need time to heal. I forgot to ask earlier, what's your name, little brother?"
"Su Luoheng. And you?"
"I'm Xu Jinyu."
"…"
As Xu Jinyu spoke, he sat down next to Su Luoheng, but his eyes kept drifting toward the sizzling roast chicken on the iron rack.
The two began chatting casually, with pauses between their sentences.
As for the soul tool incident that happened before, both of them acted as if it had never occurred.
After all, if Su Luoheng hadn't stepped in to save him, Xu Jinyu might have already been reincarnated by now.
"…"
Su Luoheng continued focusing on the roast chicken. As he sprinkled the seasoning, the enticing aroma immediately filled the space, and the rich, savory scent spread throughout the area.
"Little bro—"
Before he could finish, Su Luoheng interrupted him, "Just call me Luoheng. 'Little brother' sounds a bit odd."
"Alright, Luoheng it is."
Xu Jinyu smiled and nodded. "I'm older than you, so you can just call me Brother Xu."
"Okay."
With the naming issue sorted out, Xu Jinyu asked the question that had been on his mind.
"Luoheng, why did you come here?"
"This place is full of spirit beasts. What else would I be doing here besides trying to get a spirit ring? I'm not here for a picnic in the spirit beast forest."
Su Luoheng shrugged, sounding a bit exasperated by the question.
"You misunderstood."
Xu Jinyu chuckled and waved his hand. "I mean, isn't it dangerous for you to come to the Jingyang Mountain Range alone?"
"I'm here with my teacher. He said there were suitable spirit beasts in this area."
Xu Jinyu looked around but saw no one in sight.
"Where's your teacher, then?"
"He had something to take care of and left."
Su Luoheng, still focused on the roast chicken, responded absentmindedly.
His mind was entirely on the two roast chickens in front of him. This was his late-night snack, and he couldn't afford to burn it.
When it came to food, no one was more attentive than he was.
"…"
Seeing that Su Luoheng wasn't very interested in talking, Xu Jinyu wisely stopped asking questions.
With nothing else to do by the campfire, he started observing the young man in front of him. Although Xu Jinyu was still weak, his keen eyes could tell that Su Luoheng's strength was far from ordinary.
His gaze shifted back to the roast chicken, and he couldn't help but swallow, quickly forcing his attention elsewhere.
If anyone saw him like this, he'd be embarrassed beyond measure...
As his eyes wandered back to Su Luoheng, he noticed the emblem of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy pinned to his chest.
"You've joined the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy?"
"Yeah." Su Luoheng's expression remained calm as he asked back, "Didn't I mention earlier that I came here for Academy? Is there a problem?"
"No, no problem."
Xu Jinyu's mouth twitched slightly at the response.
At first, he thought the kid was just messing around, but it turned out that he was really attending school in Mingdu, and not just any school—the most prestigious Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.
Who would've thought that the random kid he ran into on the street was one in a hundred—a real prodigy?
The odds of that happening... he felt like he should go buy a lottery ticket.
"What about you?"
Su Luoheng glanced at him and casually asked, "Weren't there a bunch of guards with you? How did you end up getting so badly injured?"
He still vividly remembered the burly man who had killed a Silver Ring Horse with a single palm strike during their last encounter.
"I ran into some trouble, but it's all taken care of now."
Xu Jinyu's words were casual, but a flash of coldness appeared in his eyes.
When he returned to the manor, he was determined to find out who wanted him dead!
Hearing this, Su Luoheng nodded and didn't press further. He turned his attention back to the roasting chicken.
"…"
The two sat in silence by the fire again, just as they had at the start.
After half an hour of roasting, the two chickens were fully cooked, their golden skin crisp and releasing an irresistible aroma that filled the air. The more Xu Jinyu tried to ignore the scent, the more intense it seemed.
He swallowed quietly. Since the assassination attempt that morning, he hadn't had a single bite to eat or drop to drink. The roast chicken was constantly tempting his taste buds, and just as he was debating whether to ask for some, Su Luoheng spoke up and offered.
"Want to have some?"
As he spoke, Su Luoheng handed over an entire roast chicken.
"Thanks!"
Xu Jinyu didn't stand on ceremony. He thanked Su Luoheng and took the chicken, biting into it immediately. His mouth was filled with the delicious taste of tender, crispy meat, and he closed his eyes in satisfaction. There was nothing more satisfying than eating roast chicken when you were starving.
In contrast, Su Luoheng ate much more gracefully. He tore off a drumstick and slowly savored the food.
He had noticed Xu Jinyu eyeing the chicken earlier, and since he had two, he didn't mind sharing one.
…
After a while, the two of them were full and satisfied.
In addition to the chickens, they had also roasted some other food. The late-night meal left both of them feeling content.
Over the course of the meal, their relationship had grown more friendly.
"…"
Once Xu Jinyu seemed to have recovered, Su Luoheng asked, "Brother Xu, what are your plans? Your men are probably looking for you, right?"
"…"
Xu Jinyu's eyes narrowed slightly at the question. In truth, he had been pondering this very issue after finishing the meal.
He did have a way to contact his men, but he didn't dare to use it just yet.
This mission to enter the Fearclaw Soul Guidance Corps' camp had been kept extremely secret, with only a few trusted individuals aware of it. The assassination attempt made it clear that someone in his inner circle had betrayed him, though he still didn't know who.
If he made contact now and something went wrong again…
Should he reach out or not?
It was possible that only one or two people were involved, but he wasn't about to gamble with his life. However, without an escort, there was no guarantee that his journey back to Mingdu would be safe, especially given his current condition.
"…"
Frowning, Xu Jinyu fell deep into thought.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly looked at Su Luoheng, and an idea came to him.
"Luoheng, how about I travel with you?"
"Travel with me?" Su Luoheng was slightly surprised, but after thinking it over, he replied, "It's not up to me; we'll have to wait for my teacher to come back."
"When will your teacher return?"
"I don't know."
"…"
Xu Jinyu looked puzzled, while Su Luoheng's expression was sincere.
For a moment, the two of them stared at each other, and the atmosphere became awkwardly silent.
After a long pause, Xu Jinyu rubbed his forehead, at a loss for words.
Su Luoheng, too, could only shrug helplessly. He truly had no idea when his teacher, Ran Yuming, would return.
Given the situation, Xu Jinyu had no choice but to wait with Su Luoheng, hoping that Ran Yuming would return soon, even though the uncertainty left him feeling frustrated.