As Zuo Lin'an and Xu Youyou headed downstairs, they saw many players who didn't have school uniforms to wear.
Their expressions were frighteningly gloomy.
After experiencing the Scarlet Dream the night before, everyone now knew that violating the school rules would trigger the Death Rule, dragging them into the Scarlet Dream once the lights went out at ten o'clock.
As the importance of the school uniforms became clearer, their hatred for the thief grew more intense.
If they ever found out who was responsible, they would undoubtedly swarm the culprit and beat them to death.
The two boys arrived near the cafeteria and slowed their pace.
“Eat first?” Xu Youyou asked.
Zuo Lin'an thought about it. “Sure, let's eat first. After that, we'll go back to the dorm to rest instead of going to evening self-study.”
“That works, but...” Xu Youyou trailed off.
“But what?” Zuo Lin'an asked.
Xu Youyou chuckled. “But we have helpers tonight.”
Zuo Lin'an shook his head. “That won't do.”
He knew Xu Youyou definitely wanted to steal school uniforms again.
However, after last night's lesson, the players who still had school uniforms must have hidden them well, perhaps even stuffing them into their backpacks to carry around.
Besides, the players hadn't suspected Xu Youyou last night because they had just entered the dungeon and didn't know much. But things were different now.
If the two of them skipped evening self-study and the players' school uniforms went missing again, it would be easy for others to connect it to Xu Youyou slipping away last night and realize they were the culprits.
“Why?” Xu Youyou asked.
Zuo Lin'an said helplessly, “Because it's too obvious. We'll get caught.”
Xu Youyou blinked. “Really?”
Although he felt it wouldn't matter even if they were found out—since neither of them could be killed anyway—after thinking about it, there really was no need.
Since there were cards limiting the number of players who could clear the dungeon, they only needed to keep the cards in their possession.
“Alright then, I'll listen to you.”
As Zuo Lin'an and Xu Youyou walked into the cafeteria one after the other, they heard a familiar voice from behind.
“You two walk so fast. Why don't we eat together?”
Zuo Lin'an turned around to look. The person who had arrived was indeed Gu Hedao.
However, although he had come, he was alone.
Come to think of it, had this guy targeted them?
Actually, that wasn't quite right. Gu Hedao seemed to have targeted him specifically.
Gu Hedao nodded with a smile.
Although he had the appearance of a youth, he carried the ethereal, transcendent air of an old Daoist priest.
Zuo Lin'an was certain that even if this man was in the Xiantian Rank, he would absolutely crush other Xiantian Rank martial artists.
“Eat together?”
Gu Hedao replied, “Yes, the school did say we must eat healthily.”
Zuo Lin'an knew he must have used qinggong to fly over. Eating together was just his way of confirming what was safe to eat and what wasn't.
As for tonight's food...
Zuo Lin'an walked to the counter and checked, only to find that today's food was perfectly fine.
He didn't say anything and simply ordered whatever he liked.
During the meal, Zuo Lin'an expected Gu Hedao to ask more questions about the dungeon.
But to his surprise...
As they chatted, the conversation actually drifted to their personal lives.
“Student Zuo, you seem very easygoing. I imagine your family must be just as easygoing as you are?”
Hearing this question, Zuo Lin'an was taken aback, seemingly not expecting him to ask this.
However, he didn't space out for long.
“My family?”
“I don't have one. I'm an orphan, raised in an orphanage.”
A flash of surprise crossed Gu Hedao's eyes.
An orphanage? It was probably a place that adopted orphans.
Although he had never actually seen such places, he had heard of them. Generally, they only ensured that the children wouldn't starve or freeze to death.
But if the local government didn't provide funding, the children would be abandoned once again.
In other words, Zuo Lin'an's past life must have been quite difficult.
“My apologies, I didn't mean to pry. But you are truly remarkable. Despite the difficult circumstances, you've still grown into such a mature and steady person.”
Zuo Lin'an fell silent.
He thought about how he had taken the lead in tearing down the list at the school gate, throwing it into the river, then lied to deceive these players, and relentlessly hunted them down in the Scarlet Dream.
So, was "mature and steady" really describing him?
Could it be that Gu Hedao had realized his previous actions were all an act?
Was he saying all this now to test them?
This old man is truly terrifying!
But it was fine. Even if Gu Hedao had figured it out, Zuo Lin'an could just play dumb.
Snapping back to reality, Zuo Lin'an showed a slightly disgusted expression.
“The way you talk makes you sound like an old man praising a child.”
Gu Hedao didn't respond, instead turning his gaze to Xu Youyou.
Noticing his gaze, Xu Youyou introduced his situation before the old man could even speak.
“I have an aunt!”
“And my birth mother. It's just that my mom doesn't like seeing people, and she doesn't like to talk.”
Zuo Lin'an thought of Xu Youran, the specter fused with Aunt Mei, who was also Xu Youyou's biological mother.
How should he put it?
She indeed didn't like seeing people, and she didn't like to talk.
Gu Hedao nodded slowly. That meant he had grown up without a father.
His tone carried a hint of apology and regret. “Losing a father at a young age must have indeed been very difficult for your mother...”
Xu Youyou tilted his head to look at him.
“My mother was sold into the mountains by my grandparents. My father and the people in that village were all damn beasts. To save her, my aunt slaughtered the entire village and rescued me.”
Gu Hedao was stunned upon hearing this.
He was shocked by the phrase "slaughtered the entire village," but he didn't say much. After all, this wasn't his world, and he couldn't control such things. Besides, it wasn't Xu Youyou who did it.
Still... selling one's own daughter into the mountains?
Such things often happened in his own world as well, but he hadn't expected them to occur here too.
He turned to look outside. Sitting in the school cafeteria, he could see many tall buildings far beyond the school grounds.
Gu Hedao truly hadn't expected that beneath such prosperity lay the exact same darkness.
At this moment, the way he looked at Zuo Lin'an and Xu Youyou changed slightly.
“Don't you feel hatred?”
Zuo Lin'an and Xu Youyou exchanged a look, both of their expressions filled with confusion.
“Hate what?”
Gu Hedao said, “Hate the injustice of this world. Hate the heavens for making you suffer such lives.”
Zuo Lin'an blinked.
“What kind of life?”
“Even though I've been an orphan since I was little, I had the director and many other kids growing up with me in the orphanage. Plus, the government provided funding, and kind-hearted people frequently made donations.”
“Those who left the orphanage would also occasionally donate money and goods once they started earning. Although I didn't have parents growing up, my life wasn't actually that bad.”
As for psychological issues, he possessed the memories of his past life, so he didn't suffer from any.
Zuo Lin'an didn't actually know what other orphanages were like, but he was certain that the one he had lived in was indeed very good.
Although they all lived together with little freedom or privacy, life was decent. The food was good, they had new clothes, and they didn't miss out on medical care or education.
Rate on N.U.
