Light Barrier - Chapter 57: The Past

All good things must come to an end.

The old restaurant in the alley closed, and the lights on the street corner were dim.

“I’m going to visit an old friend.” Mr. Tree opened the car door with a cigar in his mouth and smiled. “It’s only eleven. There’s still some time. Anyone want a ride?”

Everyone quickly shook their heads.

No one was willing to sit in their teacher’s car in the middle of the night and be cut into pieces by the piercing gazes of the people on the streets.

“What a bunch of tasteless young people,” Zhou Jiren muttered as he put on his sunglasses and started the engine alone. He waved his hand and sped off into the night with a roar.

Seeing the supercar disappear from sight, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“I think that Teacher’s taste…” Zhong Wei shook his head and clicked his tongue. “It’s inversely proportional to his strength.”

“It’s indeed a little…” Luo Er sighed softly. “…different.”

“It should be tremendously.” Gu Shen smiled bitterly. “Do you have any idea how painful it was on the way here?”

“If it were me…” Nan Jin, who had been silent, said seriously, “I definitely wouldn’t have gotten into Teacher’s car.”

The four of them leaned against the street railing and looked at each other.

They burst into laughter.

As the laughter in the wind slowly subsided, there was a faint sense of parting melancholy.

“Alright. I’m not like a certain S-grade who has a private plane to pick me up.” Luo Er smiled. “Let’s not dwell on farewells. Take care, everyone.”

Zhong Wei smiled softly. “I’ll send you off, Senior Sister.”

The two figures departed just like that.

Then, as the wind picked up again…

Only two lonely figures remained on the street.

Gu Shen and Nan Jin.

…

“This place isn’t too far from the apartment… I’ll walk back.” Nan Jin slowly walked along the street, her shadow gradually elongating on the wall by the street light in the distance. She looked beside her. “What about you?”

“What a coincidence. That’s my plan too.” Gu Shen smiled. “You don’t know how expensive it is to take a taxi at night in the Azure River District. It’s good to walk back. In fact, if you’re in a hurry, I can run with you.”

Nan Jin smiled silently.

Gu Shen realized that this seemed to be the first time he saw Nan Jin smile tonight.

During tonight’s gathering, she seemed to have something on her mind, so she barely spoke and silently drank alone.

“I’m leaving Azure River tomorrow. I don’t know what my mission is,” Gu Shen said. “Senior Sister Luo is going to Changye, and Senior Brother Zhong should follow… Nan Jin, you haven’t said anything about your plans. What’s next for you?”

Nan Jin had been silent tonight.

No one knew where she was going next.

“I don’t know.” Her answer was very simple. “If not for A-009’s escape, I would no longer be in Azure River. According to my past habits, I would have been carrying out missions continuously.”

“What about now?” Gu Shen asked curiously.

“I wanted to stop and take a break.” Nan Jin’s answer remained short.

“That’s good.” Gu Shen thought for a while. “If you feel tired, have a good rest.”

“I’m not tired.” Nan Jin’s voice sounded a little helpless, even a little irritated.

But Gu Shen didn’t notice.

He scratched his head. “Actually, I can’t really understand why you’re pushing yourself so hard… Although I have missions now, I still want to return to Five Elders Mountains to see the matron and the kids every now and then. Speaking of which, what about your family? If you’re taking a break, do you want to go back and see them?”

Nan Jin’s eyes flickered.

This time, she didn’t say anything.

“Teacher, Senior Sister, and Senior Brother all say that you’re working too hard, so hard that it makes people worry,” Gu Shen continued. “I’m quite curious. Do you have any reason why you’re pushing yourself so hard?”

“…” Nan Jin stopped walking.

Gu Shen was puzzled. Nan Jin waved her hand, and a taxi slowly came to a stop nearby.

“Don’t misunderstand. This taxi is for you,” Nan Jin said softly. “I want to walk back alone. You’re too noisy.”

Gu Shen: “???”

“Good luck with your mission.” Nan Jin pressed Gu Shen’s head under the car door with one hand and said calmly, “Next time we meet, don’t talk so much.”

After sending Gu Shen off, Nan Jin felt the world was quiet.

She let out a long breath and leaned against the street wall beside her, relieved.

It was already late at night.

The corner of the street was shining with dim and mottled lights. The dark silhouettes on the wall had their heads lowered, and the light and shadow seemed to be swaying and shifting. The wind carried a bloody smell.

Nan Jin softly murmured a name, “Cui Zhongcheng…”

…

Nan Jin… is too much. Gu Shen was angry but didn’t dare to say anything about being shoved into a taxi.

In truth, he wasn’t that angry. During dinner, he had noticed a subtle change in Nan Jin’s expression after a certain name was mentioned.

Cui Zhongcheng.

When investigating Han Dang’s files, Gu Shen had actually tried to check the files of others. The files of Senior Sister Luo and Mr. Tree were more confidential than Han Dang’s, but Senior Brother Zhong Wei’s files were accessible.

However, Nan Jin’s files were sealed.

The confidentiality level of her files was extremely high, and with the Deep Sea permissions that Chu Ling could currently unlock, she couldn’t crack it.

This was a noteworthy detail.

The files of Senior Sister Luo and Mr. Tree were classified because of their extremely powerful transcendental power. Although Nan Jin’s strength wasn’t bad, it wasn’t to the extent of using Deep Sea authority to seal her files.

Her past was sealed away by the classified files.

And she… clearly didn’t want to talk about her past.

“Tsk tsk… Every senior brother and sister has a story.” Gu Shen put on his earphones and spoke with emotion. “In novels, people who push themselves this hard are usually carrying an unsolvable blood feud.”

A static noise came from the earphones.

“Maybe she’s simply dedicated to cultivating hard?” Chu Ling completed the connection in a second and reminded him sternly, “Don’t have any bad thoughts about other people’s past experiences!”

“Sorry…” Startled, Gu Shen quickly apologized. “So you’ve been listening all along. Can I have some privacy?”

“I only connect to the surrounding devices when you’re alone.” Chu Ling harrumphed. “Who cares about your privacy?”

“Cough, cough!” Gu Shen lowered his voice and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, “But you came at the right time. I’ve been waiting for you.”