Chapter 235 - 234: Bad Luck

Chapter 235: Chapter 234: Bad Luck

The group moved to the reception hall. As soon as they were seated, Gu Qingyin asked impatiently, "Have you been... to that world?"

Gu Ziqian nodded. "By a stroke of luck, I worked with your master before. I took a wrong turn on the way back and ended up in that world, while he ended up in this one. It took us over a month to switch back."

He smiled, his eyes crinkling. "You left a very deep impression on me."

His words jogged her memory.

During one summer vacation, her master had suddenly become very busy. Every day, he was either in seclusion studying Arrays or out on the back mountain practicing their deployment. She had assumed he’d taken on a difficult commission, so she was considerate and made sure not to disturb him.

It was also during that period that, influenced by her master, she’d also studied Arrays for a while. But she really wasn’t interested and gave up after only a few days.

Not long after, just before the school semester began, her master returned to normal.

Gu Qingyin recalled, murmuring, "I don’t think I spoke to you more than a few times."

"Mm," Gu Ziqian said with a broad grin. "But your cooking... once you’ve had it, you’ll never forget it for the rest of your life."

He had been so swamped with work back then that he wasn’t thinking straight. The color of the food was a clear warning that it was inedible, yet he still put it in his mouth. It wasn’t until he swallowed that he realized the stuff was completely inedible.

Luckily, he had a strong constitution. He only had an upset stomach for a day and was fine after that, without needing a trip to the hospital.

Gu Qingyin’s face flushed with embarrassment. "I’m sorry."

Gu Ziqian waved his hand dismissively. "The day I left, I knew we would meet again." After a pause, he asked, "Your master probably knew it too. Is he doing well?"

Gu Qingyin thought carefully before replying cautiously, "He’s alright." ’He’s dead, sure, but he’s not far from becoming a Ghost Immortal. Aside from cultivating every day, he doesn’t have much else to worry about. So how could that not be considered ’alright’?’

Gu Ziqian seemed to have only asked out of politeness; he didn’t appear to be particularly concerned about the answer.

"Need my help setting up the Space-Time Array?"

Gu Qingyin first shook her head, then nodded. With a smile, she said, "Originally, I was hoping you could help get us into Ai Lao Mountain. I didn’t expect you to be so knowledgeable about the Space-Time Array, too. We’ll probably need your guidance when we’re setting up the Array."

"That’s right!" Dongfang Lingjun said, his face full of anticipation. "I hope you won’t hesitate to share your wisdom then."

Gu Ziqian shook his head and said modestly, "You’re the true master when it comes to Arrays. While I have some insights, ’sharing wisdom’ is too strong a term. At most, we can learn from each other."

Dongfang Lingjun nodded eagerly and asked tentatively, "Shall we begin now, then?"

Gu Ziqian nodded. "We can." As he stood, he suddenly looked over to Huo Yunjing, who had been silent the whole time, and extended an invitation. "Master Huo, would you care to join us?"

Huo Yunjing’s eyes flickered, and he rose as well. "Thank you, Senior."

After taking a couple of steps, Dongfang Lingjun turned and beckoned to Zhang Qiuyan, who had stayed behind. "You come and listen in. How much you absorb is up to you."

Beaming with joy, Zhang Qiuyan jogged over. "Thank you, Master!"

Before long, Gu Qingyin and Huo Xingchen were the only ones left in the reception hall.

The mother and son looked at each other. Huo Xingchen asked hesitantly, "Should we go listen in, too?"

Gu Qingyin’s refusal was blunt. "Nope. My fundamentals are terrible, so I wouldn’t understand anything. I’m not going to put myself through that. You can go if you want."

Huo Xingchen chuckled. "I’m not that interested in Arrays either." He scratched his head. "So, what should we do now?"

Gu Qingyin fell into thought. ’We can’t just leave. It would be a disaster if they needed our help later and couldn’t find us. But just sitting here is so boring...’ Her gaze shifted to the lush green scenery outside.

"Let’s go for a walk in the mountains."

"Okay!"

Holding hands, the two of them strolled leisurely into the mountains.

There wasn’t much in the mountains, just trees and grass with few signs of animal life. Fortunately, they hadn’t walked far when they discovered a mountain stream. Following it uphill and through a patch of woods, the view suddenly opened up before them.

When they saw what was ahead, both Gu Qingyin and Huo Xingchen fell silent. Then, at the same time, they both burst out laughing.

The mountaintop was unexpectedly a campground, complete with a small waterfall nearby. A barbecue was in full swing, and the aroma of grilled meat wafted toward them.

Gu Qingyin swallowed. "Come on. Mom’s taking you to scrounge up some food."

Huo Xingchen nodded vigorously, his eyes practically glowing as he stared at the grilling meat.

Ever since he had arrived here in his current form, the Huo Family had been treating him like a genuine toddler. They wouldn’t let him eat a single unhealthy thing. All his meals were low-salt and low-oil, focusing entirely on a healthy, balanced diet.

Huo Xingchen was going crazy with cravings.

After taking just two steps, Gu Qingyin stopped abruptly and looked at her son, embarrassed. "I forgot my phone. I can’t pay."

Huo Xingchen, who had thought something serious was wrong, breathed a sigh of relief. He raised his chubby little arm. "It’s okay, Mom! I brought my watch! I have money!"

Gu Qingyin burst out laughing and ruffled her son’s hair. "Awesome! Let’s go! Time for some meat!"

Huo Xingchen echoed enthusiastically, "Meat!"

Before they even got close, the group at the BBQ had already noticed them. The mother-son duo was so strikingly beautiful that it was impossible to ignore them; they seemed to have their own halos just standing there.

A few of the young men and women exchanged glances, finally pushing a handsome guy forward to act as their representative.

"Hi!"

The moment the handsome guy spoke, the people behind him erupted in laughter, hooting and jeering playfully.

"I can’t believe Brother Hai has a shy side!"

"Who knew our resident extrovert could turn into a shy introvert on the spot? What’s the story here?"

"Add another one to the ’things I never thought I’d see in my lifetime’ list!"

...

The handsome guy looked completely ill at ease, a blush creeping up his tanned skin. He shot a warning glare back at the pack of "monkeys," then turned back with an embarrassed smile. "They’re always messing around like this. They don’t mean any harm, so please don’t be offended."

Gu Qingyin waved her hands, a forgiving smile on her face. "Not at all, not at all. Um..." She pointed at the grill. "Could we possibly join you? Your barbecue smells too good, and my son can pay!"

The handsome guy was pleasantly surprised. "Of course! We brought way too much food, you don’t need to pay—wait a second!" He glanced down at the little boy, then back at the beautiful young woman who couldn’t have been much older than him, his eyes wide with astonishment. "Son?!"

"Yep!" Gu Qingyin beamed. "Biologically!"

Huo Xingchen puffed out his chest and chimed in with his sweet, childish voice, "Biologically!"

The guy: "Ha... haha."

In short, the mother and son successfully infiltrated the BBQ, and the enthusiastic group of young people piled a large plate high with food for them. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Gu Qingyin and Huo Xingchen thanked everyone and then dug in without any hesitation.

Seeing how much they were enjoying the food, the others gathered around with their own plates, eating and chatting with them.

Through their conversation, Gu Qingyin learned that they were all graduate students from Jing University, studying under the same advisor.

Gu Qingyin gave them a thumbs-up, her face full of admiration. "That’s impressive! You’re all incredibly talented!"

The group of students laughed heartily, accepting the compliment without false modesty. Their straightforwardness was endearing.

Just as the lively chatter and laughter reached its peak, a somewhat grating voice suddenly cut in, "Gu Qingyin! What are you doing here?!"

Gu Qingyin turned to look. It was Lin Xiao! The smile on her face faded. She silently turned back around and muttered listlessly, "What a buzzkill."