Reunion

Madam Su let out a soft sigh. "Su Xue'er likes making friends, and we don't object to that. But I absolutely oppose poor students like you, who try to confess to her in public and cling to her."

Gu Qingshan raised his head. "That was Zhang Ye—"

Madam Su cut him off. "The Zhang Ye incident was arranged by the Bai Family, but so what? The Bai Family has long been fed up with you clinging to Su Xue'er every day."

Her tone grew sterner. "I used to want Xue Er to interact with all sorts of people and see the myriad facets of life. But now, even I can't stand the sight of it."

"What is it that you can't stand?" Gu Qingshan asked.

Madam Su looked at Gu Qingshan, her expression calm.

"My daughter's birthday is next week. Bai Hongyu gave her a holiday island worth eighty million Credit Points. What about you? That pitiful mecha model?"

Her voice was even, devoid of the slightest emotion.

"You eavesdropped on our call?" Gu Qingshan narrowed his eyes for the first time, but still explained, "That wasn't a mecha mo—"

"Stop. Whatever tricks you use, whatever you give her, none of it matters anymore." Madam Su cut him off, her expression indifferent.

She stood up and looked down at the boy.

"I forgot to tell you: my daughter has already awakened the Special Five Elements, and she's about to awaken Wind Spiritual Power."

Gu Qingshan looked up sharply, joy spreading across his face.

Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth were the Positive Five Elements; Wind, Thunder, Light, Darkness, and Sound were the Special Five Elements.

Wind Spiritual Power was excellent, immensely useful—a Transcendence ability that many people dreamed of obtaining.

In his previous life, Su Xue'er had awakened Wind Spiritual Power too, but that had been two years later.

This time, she had awakened it ahead of schedule. That was a good thing.

For those who followed the Five Elements Transcendence path, the earlier they awakened, the greater their potential for growth later on.

Madam Su leaned forward, looking at Gu Qingshan. "What are you so happy about? Haven't you noticed that the distance between you two is growing wider and wider?"

"Without the strength to match, don't pursue what you have no right to obtain. You'll only fall hard—and might even lose your life."

"This is advice from me, the mistress of the Su Family. It is also a warning."

She didn't look at Gu Qingshan again. Turning gracefully, she strode out with light steps.

Now that this little matter was settled, she had to get to the banquet. It was the Su Family's banquet, after all, and they were waiting for the lady of the house to host it.

"Madam Su, please wait."

Gu Qingshan's voice came from behind her.

Madam Su turned around and looked at him coldly.

Gu Qingshan stood up. "There's something I have to tell you."

"Go on."

Gu Qingshan said, "I respect some of your views."

Madam Su looked at him and smiled.

Had the boy backed down?

He seemed like a clever fellow who knew which way the wind was blowing.

That was good, too.

Just as she was thinking this, Gu Qingshan cleared his throat and said solemnly, "Since ancient times, besides the Five Elements Awakening, Martial Dao and Heaven Chosen have also stood alongside it as paths for the heroes of the world."

He swept a hand over himself, and a bow suddenly appeared.

At some point, an arrow had appeared in his hand as well.

Madam Su felt her heart tighten.

Before the boy had come to the island, he'd been searched in secret several times. They had confirmed that he had no weapons on him.

And yet he could produce a bow and arrow from thin air.

It couldn't be a trick. What kind of ability was this?

Could it be a spatial Heaven Chosen Skill?

If so, it was far more valuable than an ordinary ability.

Madam Su gradually understood, and her heart clenched tight.

Some people were keeping watch in the distance, but this boy had conjured a bow and arrow from thin air, and he was so close to her that he could kill her outright.

"What are you trying to say?" Madam Su asked in a low voice.

Before she had finished speaking, her vision blurred. A sharp whistle suddenly rang out.

The arrow was moving so fast that it shrieked as it cut through the air.

What a fast shot!

As the senior lady of the Su Family's First Branch, Madam Su was no ordinary person. She could at least see the arrow fly from Gu Qingshan's longbow.

The arrow traced an arc through the air, swept around the pavilion in a circular path, and finally landed back in Gu Qingshan's hand, steady as could be.

Not a hair's breadth off!

What kind of archery was this?

The underlings rushing over from all sides couldn't help staring, dumbfounded.

Gu Qingshan gave a light shake of both hands, and the longbow and arrow vanished at the same time.

With his hands behind his back, he said softly, "Madam Su, I think there are some things you might want to reconsider."

"Farewell."

He turned and left the pavilion.

Madam Su watched his back for a while, her gaze gradually deepening.

He really is an exceptional young man.

That spatial art aside, even the curved shot he'd just made was something Madam Su had never seen in her life.

The boy had only just graduated from high school!

Madam Su sighed silently.

What a pity...

Su Xue'er's path was set in stone.

At that thought, Madam Su finally couldn't help clapping her hands softly.

"Go," she said, a trace of coldness in her eyes. "Tell the Bai Family and the Nie Family that Gu Qingshan is about to leave Lake Island."

"Yes."

"And one more thing. I don't care what they do, but it mustn't happen anywhere around Lake Island."

"Understood."

After giving those orders, Madam Su finally felt a little better.

She shook her head and muttered to herself, "It wouldn't matter if you got together with any other young lady in the Su Family, but not Xue Er. Absolutely not..."

Night soon fell.

When Gu Qingshan returned to the slums, he discovered that the police had sealed off his house.

Even if the Nie Family had covered up what happened to Fierce Tiger, a single room on the twenty-second floor with a gaping hole in its wall was still far too conspicuous.

Gu Qingshan stood there for a while.

He had already lost his position at the Changning Steel Armor Research Department, and now it seemed he had nowhere to go.

He felt around in his clothes. The key killer Wang Ming had given him was still there, so he turned and headed for that apartment complex.

As he walked down a deserted little alley, Gu Qingshan suddenly lowered his head and looked at his shadow.

The shadow beckoned to him, slipped away from his feet, and ran toward another alley.

"Heaven Chosen Skill..."

Gu Qingshan immediately recognized the unusual ability.

That way of greeting him was quite polite. The shadow had even shown him its ability, making it clear that it meant no harm.

Whatever the case, it was worth taking a look.

Gu Qingshan followed the shadow out of the alley and into a bar on the street corner.

As soon as he went in, the bar's door was shut behind him, and a "Temporarily Closed" sign was hung outside.

Soft, low music. A faint scent of tobacco. Dim lighting.

Two people sat at one end of the bar.

A burly man with slicked-back hair and sunglasses.

A beautiful, slender woman with fiery red hair hanging over her shoulders, now freed of her disguise.

Both looked at Gu Qingshan with friendly smiles.

"Hm? It's you." Gu Qingshan sounded surprised.

His words caught them off guard. The two exchanged a glance, both puzzled.

"Oh, never mind. I just feel like I've seen you somewhere before," Gu Qingshan said, covering smoothly.

At his words, the two opposite him suddenly understood.

The red-haired beauty stood up and held out her hand, introducing herself with an easy confidence. "Hello, I'm Anna, Princess of the Saint Orlanka Empire. You've surely seen me in the news."

Straight to the point, saying exactly what she meant. It really was a familiar style.

The corners of Gu Qingshan's mouth lifted. He reached out, gave her hand a quick shake, and withdrew.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Gu Qingshan," he said.

I remember. She has a thing about cleanliness and hates people touching her skin.

Sure enough, Anna raised her brows in surprise, and her smile grew more genuine. "Student Gu, please sit wherever you like."

Gu Qingshan sat down across from them.

He looked at her again.

I never thought that after all these years, I'd see her again—see her as the young girl she was.

Gu Qingshan felt a pang of emotion.

Anna Medici, Princess of the Saint Orlanka Empire, the Thorn Rose of the Holy Church, wielder of the Flame Death God, a Transcendent who had awakened the Five Elements Fire at birth, and the owner of her most famous title—

the World-Destroying Queen.

She was a rebel against a tragic fate, a beautiful soul who struggled in despair before passing away.

In his previous life, when Gu Qingshan had just entered the Otherworld, she was already a legendary figure renowned in both worlds.

Once, by chance, she had casually saved Gu Qingshan's life.

To her, it had been nothing more than a thoughtless gesture, but Gu Qingshan had always been grateful.

Years later, when Gu Qingshan had risen to the same level as her, he went to find her and repay the debt. "I never leave a debt of gratitude unpaid. Tell me what you need me to do for you."

She had only burst out laughing and said, "All right. If you want to repay me, mix me a good drink."

He really had gone searching for rare drink recipes and honed his bartending skills, hoping to find her again.

But she had already passed away.