Chapter 205 – All Up to Something
“This is a prototype of the Reiki Storage Device.”
In the deputy director’s office of the Lianjiang Countermeasure Division, Qiao Muyi held an amethyst necklace in her hands. She looked at the necklace carefully and said, “It’s quite beautiful. For how long can Reiki be stored in it?”
Yu Kuangtu replied, “This necklace can store Reiki in it for at most 30 days. Materials which are truly able to preserve Reiki for long periods of time can only be made through Awakened Abilities. As such, such materials are scarce and they are all supplied to Tianjing. We are already very fortunate that they are willing to give our Lianjiang Countermeasure Division these lower quality products.”
“That also means that these are barely usable products which are worse than sub-par?” Qiao Muyi joked.
“Even if these products are barely usable, I’m afraid that there would not even be much supply for them for the time being. At this point in time, the necklace is still only able to be activated by Reiki. As such, priority for the necklace would be given to the important Practitioners in our Lianjiang Countermeasure Division, and all of you, team leaders, are the top priority.”
Yu Kuangtu glanced at Qiao Muyi and added, “Of course, you would certainly be the first one to receive the necklace; you were the one who convinced Dong Chengling to join our Lianjiang Countermeasure Division.”
“Dong Chengling would still be required to inject Reiki energy into this Reiki Storage Device, through which she would receive ‘coordinates’ for her ‘space teleportation’. Even if very few people are able to benefit, the effective scope is limited to only within the city, and it has to be recharged every 30 days… it is already a blessing to have this device.”
“According to our original agreement, I have granted you the privileges of a tier 3 Practitioner, as the Deputy Director of the Countermeasure Division. You would now be able to unlock all tier 3 Abilities in the Knowledge Web, including the second chapter of ‘The Secret Records of Glorious Xuan’—even I only acquired that ability recently.”
Qiao Muyi smiled gently and said, “Well, at the least, the long time I spent in Tianjing has not gone to waste.”
Yu Kuangtu also replied very understandingly, “It must have been tough on you.”
“Yeah, it was so tiring to promote to tier 2. I heard that my progress rate is amongst the top 5 amongst all the Practitioners, I wonder if it is true,” Qiao Muyi replied.
Yu Kuangtu said, “… I called you over to tell you that the Countermeasure Division would get ourselves ready as soon as possible, but are you really certain that Dong Chengling would remain in Lianjiang? Although the Tianjing Headquarters is not concerned, even contracts may not be useful if other provinces want to poach her over…”
Qiao Muyi replied with certainty, “Don’t worry, Dong Chengling is a woman with strong principles. Her personality is what allows her to overcome any obstacle along her journey of Practice. She would definitely accomplish what she set her mind on, or what she agreed to do. Ordinary benefits and problems which do not involve her principles would not make her change her mind.”
“It sounds like you have become friends with her?” Yu Kuangtu asked. He said, “That’s nice, I wish I could also have a friend who possesses a space-type Awakened Ability.”
Qiao Muyi laughed and said, “Unfortunately, besides a certain guy, Dong Chengling is probably unwilling to be friends with other guys. She is both a very focused and pedantic person. Since there is already someone occupying her heart, she would never let other guys into her life, to avoid any kind of unnecessary misunderstanding.”
Yu Kuangtu also seemed to remember and he said, “A certain guy… Ah. Is it that guy… Tch, what a lucky guy, I almost have the urge to deduct his salary.”
Qiao Muyi continued, “However, differing gender is indeed a barrier to making friends. Deputy Director, you would be interacting with many different Practitioners in the future, so it would be best to solve this problem early. I met a hormone Awakener in Tianjing, and I heard that it only takes a month to make even the fiercest and toughest-looking man into a gorgeous transsexual. Deputy Director, would you like to give it a go? Anyway, you look pretty…”
Before Yu Kuangtu had the chance to erupt in fury, Qiao Muyi smiled and left the office. She took out her mobile phone and looked at the screen. The corners of her mouth turned up subtly.
Yao Fei, who was looking for Yu Kuangtu, saw the expression on Qiao Muyi’s face by chance and instantly experienced goosebumps over her entire body—the last time she had seen such a smile on the face of Team 7’s leader, it was when she was badly ‘bullied’ by her in the locker room.
“Are you trying to get people into trouble again?” Yao Fei questioned with a mighty, cold attitude. However, the next second, Qiao Muyi grabbed her hands and began swinging her arms around. The cold stance of Yao Fei instantly fell through and she said slightly shyly, “Please don’t embarrass me, we are in the Division office.”
“Hehe,” Qiao Muyi remarked as she held the palm against Yao Fei’s face. She smiled and said, “It’s nothing, I’m just giving some advice to a younger sister of mine, as a caring older sister.”
Yao Fei was speechless. She said, “A caring older sister… I’m going to meet the Deputy Director, let go of me.”
The next moment, however, Yao Fei could not help but ask, “How do you still have the time and energy to deal with other matters when work and Practice have already taken up most of your day?”
“That’s because it is interesting,” Qiao Muyi replied as she brimmed with smiles, then walked back to Team 7’s office with light-hearted footsteps.
However, at that moment, a hint of doubt flashed across her mind:
“Why am I concerned about what happens between them? Although Dong Chengling would definitely not leave due to her relationship, I don’t need to do that either…”
“It had to be because it’s interesting, right? Yes, it must be because it’s interesting, what other reason is there?”
——————
“I understand the rationale behind an incomplete Awakening, but why do we have to travel to a neighboring city?” Ren Suo asked.
Ren Suo looked at Gu Yueyan in confusion as they sat on the train heading towards Xiang City.
“It’s because… I like Xiang City more! I will have a higher chance of Awakening there!” Gu Yue replied in a tone of righteousness. She continued, “According to the current theory of Secondary Awakening, it is the most effective when the Awakener is brought to a place where the Awakener feels comfortable!”
Ren Suo pulled the corners of his mouth. He had agreed to Gu Yueyan’s request to assist her in her Secondary Awakening.
He had thought that Gu Yueyan was preparing to slit her wrists or the like. However, instead of methods of Awakening as mentioned in the ‘Nature Exploitation Technique’, the Awakening method which Gu Yueyan wanted to attempt was extremely slow and gradual. She wanted to speed up the process of her Awakening by doing things which she yearned to do, from deep within her heart, but could not at present.
Gu Yueyan said, “Nowadays, most of the people who Awakened all of a sudden were those who Awakened when they were working or playing on a typical day. Only very few people Awakened when they were in a critical situation, and only some suddenly Awakened during the activation of Reiki Treasures. According to research, ‘focus’ and ‘happiness’ are the best catalysts for Awakening.”
“I am usually extremely focused on studying, so I can only find a way for me to Awaken through playing.”
——Gu Yueyan was not talking nonsense; Ren Suo had indeed found related reports in the intranet which concluded that ‘focus’ and ‘happiness’ were the least risky methods of Awakening.
The ‘fun’ that Gu Yueyan proposed was to play outside, but she refused to go shopping in Lianjiang City, insisting on riding a train to the neighboring Xiang City. Although it only took an hour to get there and back, and he could return immediately on the same day… Ren Suo felt that it was very troublesome.
Fortunately for Gu Yueyan as a student, they had finished their examinations and were on their vacation break, so they were allowed to leave the school compound. Of course, most of the students still preferred to stay in school to Practice. Very few of them traveled out of the school although they were allowed to enjoy themselves outside in the city.
However, Ren Suo had already made a deal with Gu Yueyan. He had also become wiser and did not make any highly ambiguous requests like ‘get you to sleep in bed’. Instead, he only requested vaguely: “I hope that you agree to receive a full treatment.”
However, Gu Yueyan seemed to think of something at that point in time as she looked at Ren Suo with a shocked face. She looked as if she was ready to whip out her mobile phone and dial ‘110’ at any moment. It was only after Ren Suo added that he would “let Dong Chengling watch the entire process” that Gu Yueyan let the matter rest.
At that juncture, Gu Yueyan suddenly sat next to Ren Suo to play on her mobile phone. Ren Suo very consciously stood up and proceeded to sit opposite Gu Yueyan.
“What’s the matter?” Gu Yueyan asked. She tilted her head slightly and an innocent smile emerged on her face as she looked at Ren Suo.
“Maintaining a distance from you,” Ren Suo said calmly.
“I’m not wearing my school uniform, though? What are you afraid of?” Gu Yueyan asked.
“Well, I have not taken a bath or taken a dump in three days,” Ren Suo replied.
Gu Yueyan was shocked. She exclaimed, “No way! You have not showered in three days? It’s already summer!”
Ren Suo laughed and said, “Of course not, I was just joking.”
Without giving Gu Yueyan the chance to breathe a sigh of relief, Ren Suo added, “How can I be constipated when I eat fruits everyday?”
Noticing Gu Yueyan’s glance as if she was looking at garbage, Ren Suo laughed and said, “Regardless, you are still a minor. Although we made a deal that I would provide you with any emergency treatment as required today, we should still keep a distance from each other. It is for the benefit of both of us.”
Watching Ren Suo put on his headphones and play games on his mobile phone, Gu Yueyan snorted and looked down at her WeChat on her mobile phone.
Xiao Qiao said: [Good luck, but don’t be taken advantage of, alright.]
Gu Yueyan replied: [Don’t worry! He would not dare to do anything even if he had any bad intentions, I will definitely seize my chance today!”
With a light swipe of her finger, she saw her text conversation with Xiao Qiao over the last few days.
Gu Yueyan had asked: [Sister Qiao, I don’t want Teacher Dong to gradually lose interest in her pursuit of her ideals because of Ren Suo. What should I do to chase this guy away? Should I think of a way to make him unable to remain in the Institution?]
Xiao Qiao had replied: [No, you do not need to deal with Ren Suo at all. Even if Ren Suo is made to leave the Institution, Dong Chengling will continue to chase him to the ends of the earth, as long as she still believes in him. What you have to do is to make Dong Chengling realize that he is not a good person. For example, let her see a photo of you dating Ren Suo… Even if there is no immediate effect, as long as the seeds are planted, it will still take root and grow out, sooner or later…]
Gu Yueyan looked at Ren Suo, who was sitting opposite and watching a video on his mobile phone. She narrowed her eyes.
It was true that she was in a half-awakened state, and the theory of Awakening she talked about was also legitimate—only a perfect reason would let Ren Suo be completely at ease. From her past few interactions with Ren Suo, Gu Yueyan knew that whether or not Ren Suo was wary and on his guard, his guts were as tiny as the beef balls in instant noodles!
Gu Yueyan had deliberately chosen to go to Xiang City for her own sake, and also because she did not intend to cause Ren Suo to lose his job in such a way. By traveling to another city, they would not be seen by anyone they knew, especially since the students of the Heavenly Institution of Lian were on their vacation break. They would be out and about, and the risk of being spotted in Lianjiang City was too great.
However, at the same time, that also meant that Ren Suo would not be able to find any witnesses for him!
There was still a day ahead for her, and Gu Yueyan was confident that she would have an opportunity to snap a ‘misleading’ photo that Dong Chengling would ‘misunderstand’!
‘I will be responsible for clearing any obstacles in Teacher’s path!’ Gu Yueyan thought.