Chapter 51: Fifty-one spirits, Ning Li is the best.

All sound from the wind was blocked outside.

It was as if they were in a perfectly silent, private space; for a moment, only the sound of each other’s hurried breathing could be heard.

Ning Li felt the arms holding her trembling ever so slightly from how tightly they clutched her.

What is he so worried about?

She could more or less guess.

Is he afraid he can’t protect her?

Afraid of repeating past mistakes?

Worried the two of them will fall into the same situation as in the second dream?

It’s all right.

They in reality were stronger than Qu Feng and Zhu Gao in the dream, more able to grasp their own fate.

“Are you not going to praise me?”

Ning Li only felt the sky was vast and open, and her heart soared as if it too would fly away.

She’d done what she wanted to do, once again tasting the unique allure of power.

Yin Que’s voice was hoarse, his praise heartfelt, “Ning Li, you’re the best.”

No longer Zhu Gao.

But Ning Li.

Her name.

He praised her over and over again, saying she was incredible, saying she was truly outstanding, asking how she could possibly be so amazing.

Such genuine praise left Ning Li momentarily dazed.

No one had ever praised her so generously and freely.

Not even once.

But these words of admiration flowed so naturally from Yin Que’s lips, without the slightest falsehood, carrying all his sincerity.

He truly thought she was remarkable.

Ning Li’s heart was filled almost to bursting.

Yin Que had once been able to face death with equanimity.

He had never kept a pet, never grown flowers or plants, always alone, with only Pei Yujiu and Ting Rui being the exceptions—his relationships with others neither close nor distant.

No one had ever stepped into his inner world, nor did he feel the need for anyone to see into it.

He never considered death something hard to accept, so five years ago, he calmly perished together with the King of Deformed Species, dust returning to dust, earth to earth.

His life ended at that moment.

No regrets, no resentment, and nothing he couldn’t let go of.

But he had been resurrected.

And so, the trajectory of fate began to shift.

He now had someone he couldn’t let go of.

Just a moment ago, the instant Pei Yujiu was revived, he couldn’t help thinking—if one day he died, what would happen to Ning Li?

She had so many secrets, including the resurrection technique.

If someone discovered her secret, what would she do?

He could not rest easy about her.

So it turned out he could face death so calmly in the past only because he’d had no attachments in his heart.

Up ahead, Pei Yujiu was gradually regaining consciousness.

He lay atop Ting Rui’s back, beginning to mutter unconsciously.

Just now, Ning Li had told him, “Brother, look, there really is Godlight tonight.”

In truth—

No god had ever favored him.

But Ning Li would.

Yin Que started to ask for more details.

“Where did the other three beams go?”

Ning Li recalled, “One revived a domestic hunting dog. One revived a man who drowned and had been dead for a day but not yet buried. The last one… didn’t revive anything.”

That last quota had been reserved for Yin Que.

Whether he used it or not was up to him.

Ning Li had even revived an extra passerby on purpose.

This way, Yin Que and Pei Yujiu were no longer “special.”

Who would have thought that the resurrection technique could be used wholesale one day?

“Will there be any side effects?”

Yin Que was very concerned about this.

Ning Li concentrated, “So far, none. I checked with Xiao Hei too—no negative effects.”

Whatever happens, happens.

The river will flow where the bridge is built.

Half an hour later, the four of them stopped in the empty fields.

The bright moon hung high, the sky clear and the air fresh—it was a fine night.

Pei Yujiu kept muttering about water; Ting Rui took some warm water from the travel bag and fed him.

After most of the bottle, Pei Yujiu finally opened his eyes in a daze.

“Brother.”

He watched him for a while, then Pei Yujiu smiled.

“Ah, it’s you, Ah Rui. Did you die too?”

Ting Rui couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation, “Brother, I’m alive and well.”

Pei Yujiu seemed drunk, his thoughts muddled.

“Ah Rui, you look a lot more mature now.”

At these words, Ting Rui’s eyes turned slightly red.

How could he not mature?

Five years had passed.

In these five years, only he was left to bear everything.

Luckily, Pei Yujiu had been nearly thirty when he died, otherwise after five years, the youngest of them would practically be the oldest now.

The instant he clearly saw Yin Que, Pei Yujiu said in a daze, “Ah Rui, you really are dead, then. Otherwise, why would the Commander be here?”

Ting Rui took a deep breath and explained, “Pei Yujiu, you and the Commander were both revived. Today is God Petition Night in District 200, and it’s just past 9 o’clock. An hour ago, the fireworks in District 200 went off right on time. But tonight, along with the fireworks, the whole district was shrouded in blue light. Or rather, to be precise, in Godlight. The Godlight split into four beams, one of which landed on you. And then, you came back to life. Do you understand?”

Pei Yujiu:

“Huh?”

“Everyone in District 200 went mad tonight. If we stayed to watch the fireworks, we wouldn’t be able to leave, so we had no choice but to escape here.”

Pei Yujiu:

“Huh?”

Ting Rui finished the story in one go, “We were originally going to watch the fireworks and then bury you, but then you came back. Anyway, that’s what happened.”

Pei Yujiu looked at Yin Que.

“Commander, you’re alive too. That’s great.”

He echoed Ting Rui’s words.

Yin Que nodded slightly.

“Next, District 200 will see all kinds of people converge here. We need to leave as soon as possible. If we don’t, it might be too late.”

Ting Rui added considerately, “Yujiu, don’t worry. We’ve already checked on Sister Yu for you—she’s doing fine.”

Pei Yujiu glanced in the direction of Wen Yu’s tombstone, then enjoyed the fireworks for a while longer, finally coming fully back to life. “

All right!”

He did not ask why he, in particular, had been revived.

He didn’t ask if there truly was a Godlight.

In the adult world, there’s no need to pursue every last detail.

What happened in District 200 quickly spread.

There had been tens of thousands who’d witnessed the blue light, and with the hunter’s dog and the drowned man really coming back, District 200’s reputation exploded.

Almost everyone wanted to come and get a bit of that luck.

Ting Rui asked Yin Que, “Commander, where do we go next?”

Yin Que had already decided.

“To the abandoned building where you ran into Qi Si Gui before.”

Pei Yujiu regained his composure in record time.

He looked in Wen Yu’s direction, reluctant to part, but his steps leaving District 200 were firm.

He knew what he was doing, and he knew what he should do.

Pei Yujiu touched his brow and eyes.

“Commander, we went back there later, but found nothing.”

“Let’s check again. Five years have passed—maybe we’ll find something new this time.”

After laying out the plan, Pei Yujiu looked at Ning Li, and, rather boldly, asked, “Commander, who is this?”

Yin Que formally introduced them.

“This is our new teammate, Ning Li.”

Then he turned to Ning Li, introducing the others, “This is Pei Yujiu. That one, you already know—Ting Rui.”

Hearing this, both Pei Yujiu and Ting Rui looked a bit blank.

Clearly, the words “new teammate” carried great weight.

At least, heavier than “sister” or “friend,” even heavier than “girlfriend.”

Because sisters and friends might not be unique, and girlfriends might change, but it had been a very long time since they’d gained a new teammate.

This core squad had always been just the three of them.

At first, only Yin Que and Pei Yujiu, then Ting Rui joined.

After that, there had never been a new member.

Yin Que had once said he didn’t plan to add anyone else.

That meant the trio was already rock-solid, with no need to adapt to anyone new.

But now, they had a new teammate.

A young guide, a freshman at a frontier Guide Academy.

This meant that their secret words would now have a fourth person in on them, and that the three-person dynamic was thoroughly broken.

But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

More teammates was always something to celebrate.

It just came as a bigger shock to Pei Yujiu and Ting Rui.

Because for someone to be recognized as a teammate by Yin Que, they must have something special.

At the very least, it meant Yin Que trusted her greatly.

That was rare.

Qi Yan’s elder sister, Qi Si Gui’s wife—Qi Dian—had spent so much effort and never succeeded, and now someone had.

Pei Yujiu and Ting Rui were tactful, immediately saying, “Welcome, new teammate! Welcome, welcome!”

The team’s atmosphere was relaxed.

With Yin Que there, Ning Li could handle her relationship with the other two with ease.

With introductions made, it was about time to continue on their way.

As they left District 200, a constant stream of people was rushing in.

Along the way, they even heard that top researchers from the nearby Deformed Species Research Institute had come to investigate the blue light, as well as the revived dog and the drowned man.

In the wind.

Among these top researchers was, coincidentally, Yin Que’s biological father.

At that moment, three top researchers were surrounded by layers upon layers of security personnel, tightly guarded inside and out.

At the very center was Yin Bie.

He was clearly the highest-ranking and had the most commanding presence.

After more than ten years, in such a coincidental place, Yin Que saw again the person he’d only seen in childhood.

He and Ning Li and the others were standing on a hillside, and with a slight tilt of the head, they could see the group clearly.

Surrounded by so many sentinels, Yin Bie didn’t look much different from how he was in memory.

Still very young.

Just a few more strands of white in his hair.

He was still meticulous, wholly focused, eyes filled only with his Deformed Species research.

In all the years Yin Que served as commander, he’d never asked about Yin Bie’s whereabouts, never gone to see him.

When his parents split up, they’d agreed never to disturb each other, and that included Yin Que.

As a child, Yin Que hadn’t understood how Yin Bie could go so many years without seeing his own son even once, as if he, his own flesh and blood, didn’t matter at all.

But now, he no longer cared about it.

He’d come to understand that when you really care about someone, you can’t help but go see them; if you don’t, it’s only because you don’t care.

He smiled with calm acceptance, and under Ning Li’s questioning gaze, he turned away with her in perfect composure.

A few hundred meters away, Yin Bie seemed to sense something and looked up.

But he only saw a tall, straight figure—familiar yet strange—just like the one often seen on TV five years ago, but now different.

The aura was the same, but now there was a new, unfamiliar figure by his side.

Yin Bie lost interest and quickly hurried toward the scene of the incident.