Chapter 200 - 199: The Gap Between Father and Son

Chapter 200: Chapter 199: The Gap Between Father and Son

It was just a spar, after all. Gu Ziqian and Huo Yunjing stopped once they had a rough idea of each other’s strength.

The three brothers watching the fight felt it ended too soon, but Gu Qingyin was relieved. If they had kept going, things would have been hard to resolve peacefully.

Gu Ziqian gave Huo Yunjing a critical look. "Not bad. You’re barely worthy of my disciple."

Huo Yunjing smiled good-naturedly.

Gu Ziqian turned to look at Gu Qingyin, and his figure slowly vanished.

Gu Qingyin huffed lightly. She turned around, intending to have Huo Xingchen dismantle the Array. Of course, her goal wasn’t to be lazy, but to teach her son about Arrays.

But when she turned around, where was he? ℯ

Huo Xingchen had already run upstairs to the door of the room dedicated to Gu Ziqian.

He knocked on the door cautiously. "Grandmaster?"

The room was silent. Huo Xingchen knocked again, but there was still no response. His curiosity was killing him, so after hesitating for two seconds, he gently pushed the door open.

"Tsk." A displeased voice came from inside the room. "No response means no. Don’t you even understand something so simple?"

Huo Xingchen smiled sheepishly but still entered the room resolutely. He asked, "Grandmaster, that Ghost Talisman you used just now, can you teach me?"

Gu Ziqian materialized, his gaze gentle as he looked Huo Xingchen up and down. "Frankly, with your aptitude, you probably won’t be able to learn it."

Huo Xingchen’s face fell, but he quickly perked up again and asked, not giving up, "Then... do you have any slightly simpler talismans you can teach me?"

Gu Ziqian couldn’t help but laugh. "Why should I teach you?"

"I’m your grand-disciple!" Huo Xingchen said, full of confidence. "If I’m too weak and get laughed at when I go out, wouldn’t it be you and my mom who lose face?"

Gu Ziqian was unconcerned, but since this was Gu Qingyin’s child, he wasn’t so stingy as to not even give a first-meeting gift. He flicked his finger, and a speck of light entered the space between Huo Xingchen’s eyebrows.

"You can’t learn the Ghost Talisman, but you can study these advanced talismans," Gu Ziqian said lightly. "As long as you can fully digest them, becoming a talisman master of your generation won’t be a problem."

Huo Xingchen’s eyes lit up. He was so excited that he knelt down on the spot and kowtowed to Gu Ziqian.

"Thank you, Grandmaster!"

Gu Ziqian waved his hand dismissively. "Get out. Don’t come back."

Huo Xingchen immediately got up and backed away. "Then I won’t disturb you any longer, Grandmaster. Please rest well."

Just as he got downstairs, Huo Xingchen ran into his two older brothers.

Huo Xinghai tilted his head and looked at him. "What were you up to, skulking around? Mom was just looking for you to dismantle the Array."

Huo Xingchen picked up his pace. "I’m going right now!"

Huo Xinghai was a bit surprised. "What’s gotten into him? He didn’t even talk back?"

Huo Xingye also found it a bit strange. He shook his head. "Don’t worry about it. He can’t hide anything from Mom, anyway."

Huo Xinghai figured that was true. He yawned. "I have an early start tomorrow, so I’m going to bed."

Huo Xingye frowned and advised, "Don’t pack your schedule too tightly. Rest when you need to."

With his back to him, Huo Xinghai waved a hand. "Got it. You too."

In the backyard, Huo Xingchen ran over. "Mom! I’m back!"

Gu Qingyin had almost finished dismantling the Array. She turned, about to scold him, but her gaze fell on the space between his eyebrows, and she couldn’t help but smile. "You certainly know how to seize an opportunity."

Huo Xingchen chuckled sheepishly.

Gu Qingyin lifted her chin. "You’re not needed here anymore. Go back and study. Take it one step at a time, and don’t get bogged down."

"Okay!" Huo Xingchen replied and then ran back to his room like a gust of wind, eager to check the new talisman knowledge in his mind.

On his first pass, he just skimmed it from beginning to end. The more he read, the more profound it seemed. He could understand the beginning, but soon he was only half-comprehending things. By the end, not only was he completely lost, but he had even started to doubt the knowledge he already possessed.

At that moment, Huo Xingchen suddenly realized that at his current level, he should just stick to studying the simpler talismans. Otherwise, it would be too easy to lose his way.

’No wonder Mom told me not to get bogged down...’

Huo Xingchen took a deep breath, adjusted his mindset, and blocked out the latter half of the information. He focused only on the earlier talismans, studying them one by one, striving to fully master each one.

Time passed bit by bit. Suddenly, there was a knock on his door.

Huo Xingchen was jolted back to his senses, only to realize that it was already broad daylight. He had actually been sitting there all night.

When it hit him, Huo Xingchen wanted to cry but had no tears. The crucial point was, he had sat all night and still hadn’t figured out a single talisman.

’How embarrassing. So utterly embarrassing!’

"Xingchen, breakfast is ready." Gu Qingyin knocked again. "After we eat, I’m going to the company with your big brother. Do you want to come?"

Hearing this, Huo Xingchen’s interest was piqued. He called out, "I want to go! I’ll be right down!"

’Today’s trip is most likely to deal with the Peach Blossom Evil. A scene like this is rare—I absolutely can’t miss it!’

By the time Huo Xingchen got downstairs, Huo Xinghai had already left. He had to rush back for makeup and styling before filming a show.

Gu Qingyin and Huo Xingye had also finished eating. The two of them were each holding a cup of coffee—one watching the financial news and the other a brainless variety show. They were coexisting peacefully, a picture of quiet, domestic bliss.

Huo Xingchen smiled, walked over, pulled out a chair, and started eating.

He hadn’t rested all night, so he naturally didn’t look well. Plus, with his fair skin, his dark circles were especially noticeable.

Gu Qingyin glanced at him and frowned. "Were you up all night studying talismans?"

With his mouth full of a crab roe bun, Huo Xingchen could only nod in response.

"I know you’re eager to learn, but this isn’t something that can be accomplished overnight. A balanced approach of work and rest will yield better results," Gu Qingyin earnestly advised. "Try not to stay up all night in the future."

Huo Xingchen swallowed the bun in his mouth and nodded obediently. "It was my first day, so I didn’t have the experience. I got so absorbed that before I knew it, it was morning. It won’t happen again."

Gu Qingyin nodded in satisfaction and went back to watching the variety show.

A short while later, Huo Yunjing came down from upstairs, having changed his clothes.

He usually wore black shirts and black trousers, so seeing him suddenly in white was quite a refreshing sight. It was as if his handsomeness had reached a new peak.

Huo Yunjing had gone into seclusion after his spar with Gu Ziqian last night. But unlike Huo Xingchen, he had gained a great deal overnight. The ghost himself was practically glowing with vitality.

"What made you decide to change clothes?" Gu Qingyin had been staring at Huo Yunjing ever since he appeared, only asking the question when he reached the dining table.

Huo Yunjing smiled. "Why? Does it not look good?"

Gu Qingyin shook her head. "It’s just that you seem..."

"More human," Huo Xingye finished for her.

He was afraid of ghosts and had an almost instinctual feel for the difference between humans and ghosts. In the past, although his father had looked very human, he still gave off a gloomy and chilling vibe. But today, he felt... a little warmer?

"Exactly!" Gu Qingyin slapped the table. "You have some color in your face!"

Huo Xingye and Huo Xingchen looked over together, carefully examining Huo Yunjing’s complexion, and then showed expressions of surprise.

Huo Xingchen asked foolishly, "Dad, are you about to be resurrected?"

Huo Yunjing sat down next to Gu Qingyin and shot him a glare. "I just gained some inspiration from Senior Gu’s Ghost Talisman and improved my disguise, that’s all."

Huo Xingchen still looked impressed. "That’s still amazing."

’Comparing myself to Dad... what a huge gap. Sigh!’

Huo Yunjing: "...Just hurry up and eat."