Long Yifan stopped in his tracks and turned around slowly.
"I... I’m just walking her out," he said with a smile.
Principal Lan raised an eyebrow. "No need. You’re not going to the training camp, are you?"
Long Yifan gave a little cough. "Principal Lan, it’s important for me to walk her out!"
Then, without waiting for Principal Lan’s scolding, he slipped away.
Principal Lan could only sigh and watch as Gu Jin and Long Yifan left.
Gu Jin didn’t say anything as Long Yifan caught up to her outside the building. She just kept walking toward the bus.
Long Yifan jogged a little to stay beside her.
"Hey, don’t be so cold," he said with a grin. "It’s not like I’m a stranger."
Gu Jin gave him a side glance. "Didn’t I tell you not to follow me?"
"I’m not following. I’m escorting," he said proudly, puffing out his chest like a silly knight.
Gu Jin rolled her eyes but didn’t say more.
They walked in silence for a moment. The wind was light, and the sky was clear. It was a peaceful morning.
As they got closer to the bus, Long Yifan suddenly turned serious.
"Jin’er," he said, stopping her for a second. "Be careful at the training camp. I have a feeling... things won’t be so simple this year."
Gu Jin looked at him. Her eyes were calm, but there was a flicker of interest.
"Did you hear something?"
"There are a total of 33 provinces, as you may know. A competition was conducted between every 5 provinces.
Every province was given a chance to be either the main fighting force in the Alchemy competitions, for which they had to participate in the competition, or they could stay back and be a backup.
The international alchemy competition teams usually consist of 6 people and 3 backups. Backups hardly ever get the chance to perform.
But for the past 10 years, for some reason, backups are able to participate, while the real winners of the provincial competitions have had some accidents.
Do you understand what I mean? So take care, and if possible, don’t make any friends, they will stab you in your back."
Gu Jin’s eyes narrowed a little. She looked at Long Yifan seriously.
"You’re saying someone is hurting the real winners? On purpose?"
Long Yifan nodded. "Yeah. That’s what it looks like."
Gu Jin frowned. "And no one’s done anything about it?"
"They tried," Long Yifan said. "But the people behind it are smart. They hide well. Every time something happens, it looks like an accident."
Gu Jin didn’t say anything for a few seconds. Then she asked, "Why are you telling me this?"
Long Yifan looked down, then said quietly, "Because I don’t want anything to happen to you."
Gu Jin didn’t answer right away. She just looked ahead at the big white bus parked near the gate.
Then she said, "Thanks. I’ll be careful."
Long Yifan smiled a little, but his eyes were still worried. "You’re strong, Jin’er. But even the strongest person can be hurt if they trust the wrong people."
Gu Jin nodded slowly. "I know."
And the best example of it was Luo Meng.
Though he left, he made sure to leave a scar on Gu Jin’s heart.
The one that will help her remember that even after knowing a person for 4 years, one might not know their true heart.
The bus driver opened the door and shouted, "Last call! All students going to the national training camp, get on now!"
Gu Jin walked up the steps of the bus. Before stepping in, she turned her head slightly.
"Go train well, Long Yifan. I’ll be watching your competition too."
Then she disappeared into the bus.
Long Yifan stared at the door after it closed. A small smile tugged at his lips.
"She is watching me..." he said to himself.
Then he turned and walked away, the wind gently blowing his jacket.
The bus was entirely empty as Beijing was the first checkpoint.
Gu Jin walked down the aisle of the empty bus and picked a seat near the window. She sat down, put her bag on the seat next to her, and looked outside.
The trees moved gently in the wind. The sky was a soft blue.
After a few minutes, the door of the bus opened again. A few students walked in, laughing and talking. More came after them, one by one, from different cities.
Some looked excited. Others looked nervous.
Gu Jin didn’t talk to anyone. She just kept watching quietly.
Soon, Han Xiaoyu came running in, carrying two bags and a giant bubble tea. She was one of the provincial winners.
She had a bubbly nature and gave everyone a bubble tea as a friendship token.
"Heyyy! I made it!" she said cheerfully, plopping down next to Gu Jin.
She handed Gu Jin a cold bubble tea. "Here! I got this for you. Don’t worry, it’s not poisoned."
Gu Jin raised an eyebrow but took it anyway. "Thanks."
"I got extras," Han Xiaoyu said, turning in her seat. "Let’s make some friends!"
She stood up and started giving out bubble teas to the people who had just gotten on.
One of the students, a tall boy with sleepy eyes and messy hair, looked confused when she handed him a drink.
"Uh... thanks?" he said, blinking slowly.
"I’m Han Xiaoyu!" she said with a grin. "What’s your name?"
The boy yawned. "Zhou Lei. I’m from Cloud Province. I like naps."
Han Xiaoyu giggled. "Okay, nap, guy. Nice to meet you!"
Zhou Lei gave a lazy thumbs-up and sat near the back.
Next, a serious-looking girl with a black jacket and sharp eyes walked on. Her steps were quiet but firm. She didn’t take the bubble tea.
"I don’t accept gifts from strangers," she said coolly.
Han Xiaoyu blinked. "Oh... okay! What’s your name?"
The girl looked around for a seat before saying, "Lin Yue. Don’t bother me unless it’s important."
She sat down by the window and stared out like she didn’t care about anyone else.
Gu Jin watched silently. Lin Yue felt like someone who didn’t trust people easily.
The next person to step in was a short boy with round glasses and a huge backpack that was almost bigger than him. He was already sweating from carrying it.
"H-hi," he stammered. "Is this the training camp bus?"
"Yes!" Han Xiaoyu said. "I’m Han Xiaoyu! Want a bubble tea?"
The boy smiled nervously and nodded. "Thanks. I’m Bai Yu. I study formulas... a lot."
Han Xiaoyu gasped. "Ooooh! A brainy one!"
Bai Yu turned red and hurried to a seat near the front.
Right behind him, a girl with shiny earrings and fancy clothes stepped in. She looked around like she was judging everything.
"Ugh, this bus is so plain," she muttered.
Han Xiaoyu held out a bubble tea. "Hi! I’m—"
"I’m Zhao Lili," the girl interrupted. "You can call me Lili. My uncle is a senior judge at the Magic Alchemy Association."
Han Xiaoyu blinked. "Cool... Want a drink?"
Zhao Lili sniffed it, then took a small sip. "It’s okay, I guess."
She walked to the middle of the bus and sat down with her arms crossed.
Next came a guy with spiky hair, a loud voice, and a huge wooden sword strapped to his back. He hopped onto the bus like it was a stage.
"Yooo! Time for greatness to arrive!" he shouted.
Han Xiaoyu tilted her head. "Um... and you are?"
"I’m Meng Hao!" he said with a big grin. "I’m here to win, break records, and be awesome!"
Han Xiaoyu laughed. "You’re funny. Here, have a drink."
Meng Hao happily took one and sat near Zhou Lei. He immediately started chatting, but Zhou Lei was already dozing off.
After that, the bus grew quiet again... until a girl in all white stepped in.
She had pale skin, long black hair, and a quiet, graceful air. She didn’t speak but bowed politely to the driver before walking in.
Han Xiaoyu held out a bubble tea, but the girl only smiled softly and shook her head.
"I’m Yun Qing," she said in a soft voice. "But I don’t eat sweets."
Han Xiaoyu smiled back. "That’s okay! Nice to meet you!"
Yun Qing sat two rows behind Gu Jin and took out a small book, flipping it open with gentle fingers.
Gu Jin calmly put away the bubble tea, already spotting the first snake of the group.
The sweet and bubbly girl...she had mixed the bubble tea with a small amount of colorless and odorless poison.
Too bad for her...Gu Jin had a plant poison element, and she saw through the trick at one glance.
Han Xiaoyu, unaware that her mask had already fallen off, smiled at Gu Jin and said,
"I have seen your competition video. You are already at Earth Rank, right?"
Was Han Xiaoyu trying to make everyone against Gu Jin?