Stick with me, and you'll go places

Yu Sheng was the only person on the school bus.

Even the driver had gone out for lunch.

Yu Sheng, however, stayed put.

After years in Sin City, he had long since developed the habit of skipping lunch. Given the conditions there, people simply could not afford such extravagance.

Even in the last two years, as his circumstances steadily improved, Yu Sheng had still kept to his old routine.

About half an hour passed.

Three boys and a girl slowly walked out through the school gates, chatting and laughing together.

Judging by how three of them positioned themselves, though, the more handsome boy seemed to be the leader. The other two always unconsciously stayed half a step behind him.

They boarded the bus.

The handsome boy noticed Yu Sheng almost immediately. Wearing a friendly smile, he took two steps forward and said to him, "Hello, I'm Zhao Zicheng, from Ninth Grade Class Three."

"These two are Li Kai and Yang Ruoxin."

"They're my classmates."

"What should I call you?"

Zhao Zicheng seemed to have a naturally gentle air. He looked particularly gentlemanly and apparently came from a fairly well-off family.

The other two showed little interest, especially after glancing at Yu Sheng's frail frame. Any interest they had faded further, and they merely gave him casual nods before sitting farther away.

"Yu Sheng."

Yu Sheng nodded to Zhao Zicheng, then fell silent again.

Zhao Zicheng did not mind. Instead, he took the opportunity to sit beside Yu Sheng.

"I have some inside information."

"This assessment is actually being run by the Ink Pavilion behind the scenes."

"Cities like ours are too remote and sparsely populated. The Ink Pavilion doesn't have much energy to spare for us."

"But after the tragedy in Xinhai City..."

"Elder Sun's idea is to select some talented locals and establish local branches of the Ink Pavilion. Experts will be stationed there initially, and resources will be provided. Once the newcomers have been trained, the experts will withdraw."

"And in the future, our group will train the next generation of Guardians."

"We'll also count as members of the Ink Pavilion."

"That's a very high status."

"So this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Whether we stand out depends entirely on this assessment."

"I know all the strong contenders from the other two schools, and I have a good idea of who will be selected."

"It's impossible for everyone to get ahead."

"What I mean is..."

Zhao Zicheng paused briefly before finally revealing his true purpose, looking sincerely into Yu Sheng's eyes. "It's unrealistic for everyone to stand out."

"So what I'm suggesting is that we choose one person, and the other three support them."

"That will give us a better chance of being selected."

"If I really do secure a place and join the Ink Pavilion, I'll only need to say the word to bring all three of you in."

"After all, Mobei City's future will be in the hands of young people like us."

"Besides, my father is Mobei City's Head of the Guard Department."

Zhao Zicheng dropped another bombshell.

With the Guard Bureau backing him, along with the reasoned arguments he had already made, he was naturally convincing.

After all, just as Zhao Zicheng had said, if his information was accurate, this plan offered the best chance of a mutually beneficial outcome.

Seeing that Yu Sheng was still silent, he continued.

"Yu Sheng, what are you still hesitating over?"

"We young people should forge bravely ahead!"

"On the path of cultivation, we must strive to get ahead of others. If you're timid, you might as well give up on awakening and live as an ordinary person!"

"In the future, we might not even be limited to Mobei City. We could even join the Ink Pavilion headquarters."

"Be at the forefront of the Human Race!"

Zhao Zicheng delivered these words with such fervor that even the two sitting nearby began breathing a little harder, as though the scene he described had appeared in their minds.

"Follow my lead, and you'll go places!"

Having finished, Zhao Zicheng stared fixedly at Yu Sheng.

Yu Sheng suddenly raised his head and gave him a quiet look. "You mean the places in that grand vision you've painted."

In an instant, the fervent atmosphere froze.

The situation even became somewhat awkward.

With a bellyful of rousing words, he suddenly had no idea what to say next.

Yu Sheng, however, suddenly remembered something.

"Your dad is the Head of the Guard Department?"

Zhao Zicheng's eyes lit up. "That's right. The genuine article!"

Yu Sheng nodded. "My father is currently in prison..."

As though he had realized something, a flash of insight crossed Zhao Zicheng's mind. "I understand. If it wasn't a serious crime, I'll talk to my dad when I get home tonight and see whether he can be released early."

But Yu Sheng shook his head. "What I mean is... could you keep him locked up a few more days?"

"Huh?"

Zhao Zicheng went rigid. In the end, he could only force out a smile that was not too unpleasant.

He returned to his seat dejectedly, feeling rather deflated.

Why didn't that work...?

When he watched his father give speeches, his father used similar rhetoric, full of passion and fervor. The people from the Guard Bureau below would all go red in the face, applauding nonstop in excitement.

For a moment, he could not help feeling frustrated.

As for resenting Yu Sheng over this, or becoming his mortal enemy, it was hardly that serious.

They were all students who had yet to leave school. If something this trivial could turn people into mortal enemies, the Human Race would probably have been wiped out decades ago.

Li Kai, however, quietly nudged Zhao Zicheng with his elbow and curled his lip in Yu Sheng's direction.

But Zhao Zicheng still sat there looking rather crestfallen and paid him no attention.

Perhaps, at his age, the grand promises he made truly reflected his thoughts, without any taint. He was simply too naive, and his imaginings were a little too rosy.

Yang Ruoxin glanced curiously at Yu Sheng, then quickly looked away.

It was not that she had developed feelings for him. She simply did not know when someone like him had appeared at their school.

The driver finally finished his lunch.

He returned to the bus and started it.

Zhao Zicheng soon recovered his spirits. All three were somewhat expectant and nervous, constantly whispering to one another on the bus.

Yu Sheng leaned by the window, resting with his eyes closed.

Something worth mentioning was...

Just now, none of that gray energy had emanated from Zhao Zicheng.

Before long, Zhao Zicheng froze for a moment, then stood up on the school bus and walked to a window, continually looking around with a slight frown.

"Are we... leaving the city?"

"Isn't the assessment being held inside the city?"

"But something just happened in Xinhai City. It shouldn't be very safe outside the city right now."

He spoke as though talking to himself.

The driver smiled and said, "There's an old factory just outside the city. It's spacious. Holding it inside the city would be inconvenient."

"Don't worry. With people from the Ink Pavilion there, it's perfectly safe."

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