Gu Qiancheng’s demeanor was nothing like the rumors about the [Northwest Calamity].
He’d rooted out a high-level military spy from the Northwest Defense Line, slaughtered three hundred thousand Aberrants, rolled up his sleeves ready to brawl with the Deputy Commander after reporting back to headquarters, single-handedly stabilized the situation on the Northwest border… Just hearing about his exploits, it was clear he was an absolute hardliner.
Yet, this legendary tough guy’s behavior upon meeting in person left people utterly speechless—
In the VIP888 suite of Binhai Restaurant, Gu Qiancheng had zero regard for his image: left hand clutching a fat, juicy king crab leg, right hand never straying far from his beloved glass of ice-cold cola, eating with utter relish, even with a bit of sauce smeared at the corner of his mouth.
“Burp~” He let out a loud, satisfied belch, took a long gulp of cola, tossed the gnawed-clean crab shell aside, and with lightning speed snatched up the freshly-served, still-steaming seafood rice.
He started mixing vigorously with his spoon, letting the rice, tender sea intestines, and sauce meld together.
All the while, he complained to Lin Mo, “Junior, so you’ve been living like a celestial here in Binhai…”
Scooping up a big spoonful and shoveling it into his mouth, he inhaled sharply from the heat, making odd “sss-ha, sss-ha” noises, but the satisfaction in his brows never faded.
“So much seafood! You have no idea, Senior here suffered bitter days out in the Northwest!”
As if to swallow his resentment with food, he wolfed down another huge bite, grumbling with his mouth full, “Roujiamo, oil-splashed noodles… Sure, they taste good, but eating them day in, day out—I’ve had enough. Just thinking about it makes me sick.”
Seated beside him, Lin Mo was calmly slicing a perfectly-seared piece of cod with knife and fork.
Gu Qiancheng’s ravenous display and exaggerated complaints didn’t seem to surprise him in the least.
Before the arrival of the “North House’s Highland Flower” Senior Chu You, there were only two legendary figures at North House University: one was Jinghu, admitted out of special consideration by the Swordsman, and the other was Gu Qiancheng.
Lin Mo had heard all sorts of tales about him since his university days.
Sneaking into the girls’ dorm to DJ at midnight, stealing an instructor’s black stockings and wearing them all day, smashing a vending machine just to steal a cola… When it came to Gu Qiancheng, people were far more interested in whether he was out of his mind than in his monstrous Oracle abilities.
“Mmm! This is just too delicious!”
A huge bowl of seafood rice, swept clean in less than three minutes under his whirlwind assault.
Gu Qiancheng wiped his mouth with lingering hunger, showing no sign of putting down his chopsticks, his gaze roaming hungrily across the table.
“Junior, burp~ tell me…” He reached out with his chopsticks to snatch the tenderest slice of steamed spotted garoupa belly, musing out loud, “Do you think someday someone might awaken a truly practical Oracle—one that turns those disgusting Aberrants… into seafood? Tsk, if someone really had that ability, I’d be green with envy!”
Lin Mo only cast him a cool glance, swallowing his mouthful unhurriedly before replying in a faint tone, “Would Senior be interested in tasting seafood made from Special Type-IV Aberrants?”
At those words, Gu Qiancheng’s face froze, his chopsticks pausing mid-air, then a frown slowly creasing his brow as he shot Lin Mo a look of undisguised disgust and complaint: “Can we not bring up such nasty things at the table? It kills my appetite!”
A subtle smirk played at Lin Mo’s lips.
“It’s just a little bodily secretion, isn’t it? The legends you left at North House University are thunderously famous—During the graduation assessment, you beat a Special Type-IV Aberrant to death in close combat. That’s a unique experience, not everyone gets to have it.”
Gu Qiancheng set his chopsticks down and took a long swig of cola, as if trying to wash away unpleasant memories.
He waved his hand with a gloomy tone, “Feces on the wall, solo shit battle, shit or die trying, blood and shit soaked combat… After graduation, I never dared visit the school forum again. Sigh~”
He picked up his chopsticks again, precisely grabbing a golden, crispy salt and pepper mantis shrimp, his tone suddenly turning a bit meaningful.
“But Junior, I remember someone else also dealt with a Special Type-IV Aberrant during the graduation assessment—and you know her very well.”
With Gu Qiancheng’s seemingly offhand comment, a subtle change crept into the relaxed atmosphere of the private suite.
Lin Mo’s chopsticks paused for a moment.
Then, he slowly picked up a slice of abalone, placed it leisurely into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.
After finishing, Lin Mo turned to look at the smiling Gu Qiancheng at his side, his tone flat: “She’s dead.”
After a pause, he added, “I killed her myself.”
Upon hearing this, a fitting trace of regret crossed Gu Qiancheng’s face, and he shook his head with some emotion.
“Junior Chu Qingqian… When she first joined the Swordsman, I even mentored her for a while. For her to die just like that is really such a pity.”
As he spoke, Gu Qiancheng slowly picked up his glass of cola, taking a leisurely sip, his gaze through the glass seeming to scrutinize Lin Mo’s every minute reaction.
“Her Oracle, if I recall correctly, was [Dwelling on the Phoenix Tree], right? Could burn away the soul entirely…”
He set down his glass, his fingertips tapping the table with a soft “thud thud,” “Tsk, tell me—Isn’t it possible that Junior developed and understood her Oracle on a soul-level far deeper than any of us could imagine?”
He leaned forward slightly, staring at Lin Mo, his smile still warm, but a sharp light flickering in his eyes.
“Or perhaps… Junior Chu’s true form is a fox spirit? Don’t most novels say fox spirits have nine lives~”
At this, Lin Mo’s expression didn’t change at all—not even a flicker in his eyes—only in the bottomless depths of his pupils did a faint ripple flicker and vanish almost too quickly to catch.
He calmly turned his head, meeting Gu Qiancheng’s probing, smiling gaze head-on, his voice serious and, even, a touch unequivocal: “Senior has quite an imagination.”
He paused slightly, then enunciated each word, “But I never fail.”
Gu Qiancheng raised an eyebrow at that, drawing out an ambiguous “Oh~,” the tone winding and full of mischief.
In the next instant, his probing look vanished, replaced again by his lazy demeanor.
Then, suddenly, he reached out and draped an arm around Lin Mo’s shoulders, abruptly changing the topic with a cheerful laugh, “Alright, alright, enough about those old stories… I heard there’s a famous Private Sea Hunting Ground here in Binhai, the scenery is gorgeous and the catch is plentiful.”
He gave Lin Mo a firm slap on the shoulder, his tone brimming with enthusiasm, “What do you say, Junior? Free to show Senior a bit of the world tomorrow?”
Faced with Gu Qiancheng’s sudden invitation, Lin Mo didn’t answer immediately.
Just what is this guy playing at?
Lin Mo simply stared at Gu Qiancheng in silence for several seconds, then slowly nodded.
“Alright.”
“Then it’s settled!” Gu Qiancheng’s smile broadened as he spoke, standing up, “Ate too much, I’ll go walk it off.”
Then, under the gaze of everyone in the suite, Gu Qiancheng lazily lifted his foot.
“See you all tomorrow~”.
With a single step, he vanished in the blink of an eye.