Chapter 147: Gossip in the Night

Back at the camp, several minutes ago.

"Alright, I'll be gone for a moment." Chen Zifeng said, standing up from the log he was sitting on.

Ma Xiaotao raised an eyebrow. "And where do you think you're going?"

Chen Zifeng snorted, "Pissy break, what else?" he then turned around and left.

Yao Haoxuan stood up and said. "I'll go accompany him, else he gets bit in the ass by a snake or something."

Ma Xiaotao smiled. "Please, and thank you."

Yao Haoxuan bashfully laughed and ran after Chen Zifeng.

Their voices could still be heard from a distance.

"Dude, why are you following me?"

"Who knows. I'll probably do something nefarious~ In this deep dark woods, where no one else can see us~"

"Oh, piss off. We all know that you got a huge crush on the captain."

"W-What?! No I don't!"

"When do you think they'll be back?" Wang Dong'er asked. "Yuhao and his group, I mean. Not those two."

Wang Yan hummed, rubbing his chin in thought. "Shouldn't be too long. They're just gathering intel and probably getting rid of some patrolling bandits, we wouldn't want any survivors and becoming a problem for everyone else in the future."

"Make sense." Wang Dong'er and some of the others nodded in understanding.

Wu Feng furrowed her brows, tilting her head. "Wait, in the information that we got about the bandits, their strongest should be at least a Soul King level, correct?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Ling Luochen casually replied.

Wu Feng blinked. "Well, couldn't Yuhao, senior Xi Xi and Tang Ya just get rid of them on their own?"

Ling Luochen paused, the others turned towards Wu Feng with wide eyes in stunned realization.

"Fuck! That might actually happen!" Ma Xiaotao cursed, scratching her head and letting out a sigh. "Well, let's just hope that they leave some for us, especially for you juniors."

"If you all want to be called true experts, you need to undergo 'blood washing'. Which is simply, murdering someone."

Hearing her blunt words, some of the outer courtyard students, especially Ning Tian and Wu Feng, turned pale. Though the lack of reaction from both Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao was surprising to Ma Xiaotao and the other inner courtyard students.

"In our world of soul masters, fighting is the norm. But unlike the spars you get in the academy, the real world is much, much harsher. The slightest mistake, of hesitation and mercy, would spell your death."

Ma Xiaotao sighed, a look of sadness flickered within her eyes. "Mere words of encouragement are simply not enough for someone to truly put it to practice, which ends up in their death."

Ling Luochen and Gongyang Mo showed sorrowful expressions, all of them reminiscing fellow classmates who felled out of naivety, kindness, hubris, pride, and ego.

Wang Yan sighed, it was a sad reality. Even some of his old classmates had met untimely ends when they froze up in the time of taking a life.

Life is precious, but there are times when one must have the strength and will to take it.

In this world where the strong rules, morality and ethnicity blurred. Good and evil, nothing was ever true.

The only thing that mattered, was one's own life and their loved ones.

Gongyang Mo clapped his hands, bringing everyone's attention to his cheeky smiling face.

"Okay, okay. Enough with all the mellow and frowns, this isn't the time for that~ okay~? Even if we're not in the bandits vicinity, that doesn't mean we have to lower our guards like this~"

Hearing his words, everyone shared a look with each other and smiled. They nodded back towards him and Ma Xiaotao said, "Thanks Mo, I appreciate you for saying that."

Gongyang Mo giggled femininely upon hearing that. "No worries girlfriend, I simply said what was in my mind. How about we talk about something uplifting? Or something juicy? Like~"

He hummed, tapping his chin in contemplation and snapping his fingers towards Wang Dong'er.

"You, what's really going on between you and that hunk Huo Yuhao? It can't simply be 'best friends', right?"

"W-What... What are you taaalkiiing aboooouuut...? I-I'm a guy, why would I like someone who I think about as a brother?" Wang Dong'er turned red, her eyes looking away from everyone else.

She wasn't fooling anyone, especially a certain amount of girls in the group that gave her deadpanned looks. While Xu Sanshi, He Caitou and Ling Luochen gave her strange looks(as they didn't know about her true gender).

As for Ma Xiaotao, she had her suspicions.

Gongyang Mo's teasing smile turned devilish and mischievous, oh he loves a chance to tease someone when he sees it, "Oh? A brother~? My, I didn't think that you were that kinky~ Brother Wang Dong~"

"K-Kinky?! Senior Gongyang, what the heck are you saying!"

"Hey, no kink shaming here. Sea God knows what dirty deeds I've done with my boyfriends~"

"What?!"

This time, everyone turned towards Gongyang Mo in shock, their jaws dropped.

"Hm? What? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, it's just..." Ma Xiaotao had an incredulous look plastered over her face, her hands waving around as she tried to find her words. "Boyfriends? In plural? I didn't even know you dated someone!"

"Oh honey, unlike some people, I go out and have fun. And my sort of fun is sometimes... adulterous, then it's not my fault." Gongyang Mo said, covering his smug smile, his eyes showing disdain and mockery.

Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochen both felt annoyed, their faces twitching. The latter especially felt a little attacked, since she felt as though she's the only person in their group likely to be single for a couple of years.

Ling Luochen shook her head in disbelief. "It's not that I'm, and everyone else here for that matter, surprised of you getting a partner, it's the part of you having multiple of them! Y-You slut!"

"I think the proper term for me is manwhore~"

Ling Luochen turned red, "Augh!"

Meanwhile, a few meters away from the camp.

"Phew! Damn, I've been holding this in for a while." Chen Zifeng sighed in bliss, zipping up his pants.

"Dude, did you really have to go this far just to take a piss?" Yao Haoxuan mumbled from the side, giving him a side eye.

Chen Zifeng smirked, shaking his finger. "Tsk, tsk. A real man's gotta have some etiquette. You don't piss near ladies after all."

Yao Haoxuan blinked, a sort of enlightenment flickered across his eyes. "T-That makes sense! Chen Zifeng, you're a genius!"

Chen Zifeng chuckled, "I know, I know. I've heard it all." he said with a sigh.

Yao Haoxuan's lips twitched. "Humble you are not. It's always so jarring to see you like this when you're not in battle."

Chen Zifeng laughed, hooking an arm around his friend's shoulder. "You know my motto bro; "In battle, I am cold as steel. In battle, I am as unfeeling as the blade." It keeps me sane, y'know."

"Yeah, yeah..."

"Hey, what's with that glum look? Something on your mind?"

Chen Zifeng frowned and made a guess, "...Is it about the captain?"

Yao Haoxuan didn't answer, but his reddened ears were telling enough.

Chen Zifeng sighed, patting his friend's shoulder. "Oh brother, my good brother, what'd I tell you? You should've made a move a long time ago. Now, junior about a few years younger than you, better looking as well, appeared and swept her off her legs."

"You...!" Yao Haoxuan glared at him. "What good brother? Aren't you supposed to be comforting me?"

"There's a time for comfort, and there's a time to face facts." Chen Zifeng shook his head, pity in his eyes.

Sniff*

"I..." Yao Haoxuan looked away, his shoulders trembling. He was very depressed. "I love her so much, man! Ever since I first met her in the outer courtyard..."

Chen Zifeng silently nodded and didn't say anything in response, just letting his bro vent out his emotions.

"I... Could there still be a chance?" Yao Haoxuan whispered.

Chen Zifeng replied after a moment of thinking. "...I don't know man, I don't have any clear answers to that question. After all, I'm not that close to the captain to know her thoughts. What I do know though, is that whatever comes next, whatever your choice might be, determines your future."

"The choices are simple: either you let go, or wait for her to notice you. Pick either choice, the consequences...you can already predict what they may be."

Yao Haoxuan went silent for a moment.

"... I'll wait for a while. If there really is no chance for me to be with her after a while, then I'll give up."

Chen Zifeng nodded slowly, patting him on his shoulder once more. "Atta boy. Some people would blindly continue on chasing after their first love, it's their first love after all, but the ones who are stubborn are dangerous and unappealing."

"After all, if you truly love someone, make them happy. Even if it's at the cost of your heart aching." He ended with a sagely voice.

Yao Haoxuan scoffed and lightly pushed him off. "Alright, I get it. Geez, since when were you such a love guru?"

"Since ya boi here scored himself a date! Oh yeah!"

"Wha, since when-?!"

Suddenly, they felt the earth beneath them trembling.

Chen Zifeng frowned. "What is that? And earthquake?"

Yao Haoxuan tilted his head, confused. "Maybe. Huh. Though thankfully it isn't that strong."

"...I don't know man, something's up."

The whole forest was silent and eerie, both Chen Zifeng and Yao Haoxuan felt beads of cold sweat dripping down their faces. They didn't know, they couldn't understand why but something was terribly wrong here—!

"Well, this is an interesting topic you're having here," A deep and charming voice was heard between them, a devilish smile on his pale wrinkly face. "Mind if I join in?"

A heavy pressure descended upon their shoulders, threatening to crush them to meat paste.

.....

AN: Banana-banana-BANANA-banana-Banana-banana-BANANA-BANANA-Banana-banana-frostybanana❄️

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