Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Senior Brother’s Secret Thoughts

Two hours later

“Ah, that was an invigorating training session!” Lu Mingfei wiped the sweat from his face with a towel, a look of satisfaction and relief lighting up his features. The sensation of rapid improvement was truly exhilarating, especially the thrill of replicating others’ techniques.

To swiftly turn the abilities of others into one’s own in such a short time—was this not a kind of…

“Lu Mingfei, your basic techniques are nearly mastered. Your progress has been exceptionally quick. I’ll take the initiative to apply for completion with the academy, so our time won’t be delayed.” At this moment, Chu Zihang’s expression seemed even more rigid than usual.

“Huh? Why is that, Senior? I haven’t even seen you use your speech ability yet. You know, you’re our school’s superstar, and I’m your loyal fan. I really want to see you display your true power!” Lu Mingfei grasped his hand earnestly.

“My speech ability is dangerous and can’t be used lightly. That’s the rule—you have to understand.” Chu Zihang quickly withdrew his hand and took a step back.

“Sigh, how can there be such an unreasonable rule?” Lu Mingfei sighed, then sidled up to Chu Zihang and whispered, “Have you ever heard a famous saying?”

“A famous saying?”

“Rules are made to be broken.”

“Never heard of it!”

Chu Zihang replied with lightning speed.

From Lu Mingfei’s reaction just now—becoming even more excited upon hearing the words “high risk”—Chu Zihang became even more convinced that Lu Mingfei’s ability was a replication-type speech ability, and most likely he could copy others’ speech abilities, which was why he could wield different powers.

During the process, even though he wore colored contacts, Chu Zihang still noticed the golden gleam deep in his eyes during training. He must have fully awakened his golden pupils, probably relying on that ability in combat to improve so quickly.

Hmm, suddenly the Monarch’s Flame doesn’t seem so appealing anymore…

Well, at least it’s better than the Kamaitachi.

In a daze, Chu Zihang became aware of a troubling issue: who could possibly defeat Lu Mingfei, who possessed a replication-type speech ability? Who stood a chance?

Those with weaker bloodlines would have their speech abilities and martial arts directly copied, then be bested by him wielding those same powers with a superior bloodline. If both combatants had the same skills but he had the stronger bloodline and stats, victory was only natural.

So does this mean that non-S-rank hybrids stand no chance against him? Even when facing the principal, could he possibly hold his own? Perhaps even defeat the principal by combining other replicated speech abilities with the principal’s own?

Just how many speech abilities could he copy? Was there a cooldown or limit to his replication?

From the recent battle, his ability seemed not only to copy but also to analyze his opponent; otherwise, it would be impossible to match him so quickly. Copying takes time—he couldn’t possibly replicate his fighting technique in an instant.

His initial ability to react to my attacks may not have come from copying my skills, but from seeing through my attack patterns and countering accordingly.

Lu Mingfei’s attacks were awkward at first, which fits my previous suspicion. If this is true, his ability is incredibly powerful and all-encompassing.

“Little Celestial just messaged me.” Lu Mingfei took out his vibrating phone and, looking at the locked screen with her avatar, muttered to himself.

“Hmm?” Chu Zihang’s golden pupils shone a little brighter, his gaze discreetly drifting toward Lu Mingfei’s phone.

He was never a gossip by nature, only occasionally concerned for his junior's safety, worried he might be deceived by some unknown villain. It was only natural to want to be prepared.

After all, Lu Mingfei was an S-rank hybrid. If he lost control over an emotional matter, it could be quite a serious incident.

Having convinced himself, Chu Zihang’s gaze grew bolder.

…

[Missed call, tap to redial]
Little Celestial: Lu Mingfei, how did things go with your hotel issue? Are you alright? If you need help, I can try to do something for you.
[Missed call, tap to redial]
Lu Mingfei: Really, it’s fine. Don’t worry.

After replying, a proud smile appeared on Lu Mingfei’s face. He thought to himself: As expected of my bro—calling once before the message and once after, hanging up before the call connects, not a hint of hesitation. Completely unlike a girl in love.

‘This is kind of interesting…’

Beside him, Chu Zihang covertly watched Lu Mingfei’s expressions and the phone screen, before quietly averting his gaze.

He wasn’t a gossip; he just didn’t want his junior to be hurt by love. If possible, he’d even listen to Lu Mingfei’s romantic troubles and offer advice, helping his adorable junior become a better person.

He wasn’t interested in Lu Mingfei’s story. He was just a good senior, utterly without sentiment.

Really!

Meanwhile, feeling encouraged by his progress, Lu Mingfei clenched his fists silently. Staring at the phone screen, he murmured, “Wait for me. I’ll come find you. I’ll protect you!”

On the other side, having just looked away, Chu Zihang suddenly sensed something and focused on Lu Mingfei again. With a reading ability that surpassed his limits, he instantly deciphered what Lu Mingfei had mouthed, and the corners of his lips shifted imperceptibly.

For the last time, Chu Zihang really wasn’t a gossip, nor did he possess any gossip intuition, and he definitely didn’t unlock lip-reading at the speed of light because of gossip. He was simply concerned about his junior, nothing more.

“Do you like someone?” Chu Zihang suddenly asked, his tone so serious it bordered on interrogation.

“I suppose I do,” Lu Mingfei hesitated, thinking of Furina’s adorable smile, but then answered with relief.

In his view, someone as cold and unfeeling as Chu Zihang probably wouldn’t care much about such things; he was probably just idly curious, so there was no harm in telling him.

Surely no one would have a gossip’s heart beneath such a stoic face, right? Surely not?

“Mm, your bloodline is quite advanced. If you were to pair with another hybrid of similar strength, it’s likely you’d produce a revenant. So, if the one you like isn’t a hybrid, things might end well.” Chu Zihang said this with his usual icy expression.

“Really? That’s wonderful.” Lu Mingfei replied with a relaxed smile.

“As long as you’re aware.” Chu Zihang nodded.

Was he giving Lu Mingfei a genetics lecture?

No, not really. His main aim was actually to ship the couple in his own unique way; he just spoke from such an odd angle that most people wouldn’t notice, nor would they understand.

“Are you and Little Celestial close?”

“She’s my bro.”

“Oh~”

The senior’s voice seemed not quite as cold as usual.