Chapter 700 - 595: A Little Psychology Trick
Chapter 700: Chapter 595: A Little Psychology Trick
Jeming and Viola hid behind the long table, with knowing smiles on their faces, but their gaze never left that direction for even a second.
Professor Clark and the female wizard from the Deep Red Royal Court were still conversing.
Their voices were not loud, drowned out by the surrounding crowd’s noise.
However, with Jeming’s hearing, he could clearly understand the content. Although they weren’t discussing anything too shocking, the scene itself was already quite captivating.
"Do you think they might..." Viola lowered her voice, her eyes full of ambiguity.
"Don’t guess randomly." Jeming solemnly stopped her, then couldn’t help leaning in himself, "But I think it’s possible."
The two exchanged glances, simultaneously showing a "you know what I mean" expression.
Viola picked up a drink and pretended to sip, but in reality, the glass was held too high, hiding half her face, leaving only her slyly shifting eyes.
Jeming was holding a platter of fruit, shoving it into his mouth while frantically scanning with his peripheral vision.
"Did you notice, the mentor specially changed his outfit at some point." Jeming secretly transmitted information through his spiritual power, "That magic robe, that hairstyle, that face... he usually doesn’t even bother to shave, but today he cleaned up nicely."
"There’s something going on." Viola stated firmly.
"The evidence is undeniable." Jeming echoed.
Just as they were getting into it, Jeming suddenly felt a chill on his back.
It was an instinctive warning brought by the Body Refining Technique, danger was approaching.
He turned his head reflexively...
Clark had turned around at some point, staring at them expressionlessly.
Those eyes were as calm as a pool of stagnant water, but Jeming clearly read "you two are tired of living" from inside them.
"Run!" Viola reacted faster than him, the spiritual message just transmitted as she dashed three steps away.
But Clark’s movements were faster.
Jeming didn’t even see how he moved, only felt a blur, and then his collar was grabbed by something.
The next second, both he and Viola were like two little chicks picked up, dragged by an invisible force to stand in front of Clark.
"Mentor, we saw nothing!" Viola spoke up first, her voice excessively sincere.
"Yes, we were just passing by!" Jeming quickly followed, "Nice scenery here!"
Clark said nothing.
He just looked at the two and slowly raised his right hand.
Jeming’s face turned green.
The next few dozen seconds were the most unforgettable experience of Jeming’s life.
Clark’s fists weren’t heavy, each punch precisely avoided vital spots, and seemingly caused no damage, but were very painful.
Jeming tried using Body Forging Technique to resist, but Clark’s fist seemed to penetrate all defenses, directly acting on nerve endings.
Viola had it worse.
Her Stealth Skill was useless in this close-range brawl, pinned by one hand of Clark while the other hand kept pounding her head.
"Mentor, I was wrong! I really was wrong!" Viola’s voice changed pitch.
"Hmm, understood." Clark calmly replied, his hand not stopping.
Jeming hugged his head and squatted on the ground, feeling his face swelling.
Just when he thought today would end here, a female voice came from the side, with a hint of helplessness and amusement.
"Clark, that’s enough."
Clark’s fist stopped mid-air.
Jeming looked through his fingers, the female wizard from the Deep Red Royal Court walked over.
She stood beside Clark, one hand on his arm, a gesture that was both natural and intimate.
"Just two kids, was it necessary?" She glared at Clark.
Clark withdrew his fist, speaking plainly, "They were too noisy."
Jeming and Viola both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Get up." She looked down at the two squatting on the ground, her lips carrying a smile.
Those dark red eyes bore no oppressive power of a Seventh Level Wizard, but rather a gentle warmth that made one relax unconsciously.
Jeming and Viola awkwardly stood up.
Jeming touched his swollen cheekbone, sucking in a breath of cold air.
Viola faired worse, with a bruise on her nose.
The female wizard looked at their disheveled state and couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Her laughter was hearty, completely mismatched with the savage flesh aura around her.
"I am Castilo." She extended her hand, first shaking Viola’s, then turning to Jeming, "Are you also a student of Clark? Not bad, reaching the Fifth Level to stand here, stronger than he was back then."
Jeming was stunned for a moment and instinctively looked at Clark.
Clark stood expressionlessly at the side, pretending to look at the distant scenery.
"Senior Castilo." Jeming quickly saluted.
"Don’t call me senior, just call me by name." Castilo waved her hand, her tone casual as if chatting, "I go way back with your mentor."
Jeming and Viola exchanged a glance, both thinking the same thing: way back? That clearly means old flames!
Castilo seemed to read their thoughts and didn’t shy away, openly saying, "Back then, Clark and I studied together. Later, I chose the path of the Deep Red Royal Court, and we parted ways."
She said it lightly, but Jeming could hear the weight in it.
Choosing the Deep Red Royal Court meant leaving Nolun Workshop, even leaving the Star Ring Federation, leaving the familiar system to start from scratch in a completely unfamiliar force.
The path wasn’t easy, but she chose it anyway.
"Why choose the Deep Red Royal Court?" Viola couldn’t help asking.
Castilo smiled, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes: "Because the path of the Flesh Nest suits me better. The alchemy of Nolun Workshop is too conservative. What I want is the ultimate transformation of life, evolution beyond limits."
She paused, looking at Clark, her tone softening a bit: "He understands. So he didn’t stop me."
Jeming was silent.
He suddenly understood, between these two, it wasn’t a sticky love, but a deeper understanding—I know the path you’re on, I won’t stop you, but I wait here for you.
Castilo withdrew her gaze, looking at Jeming and Viola, with a hint of mischief in her eyes: "Did you two enjoy eavesdropping today?"
Jeming and Viola froze simultaneously.
"I’ll deal with you later," Clark’s voice floated over from the side, as flat as commenting on the weather.
Jeming felt his face ache again.
Castilo shook her head with a smile and suddenly wrapped her arm around Clark’s waist.
The movement was crisp and direct, with no awkwardness. Clark’s body stiffened slightly, but he didn’t pull away.
"Come on, let’s chat over there." Castilo said, her tone carrying an irresistible dominion.
Clark frowned, "Here is fine."
"It’s too noisy here."
Castilo didn’t give him a chance to refuse, half-dragging and half-pulling him towards a side room of the banquet hall, designed for wizards to engage in academic exchanges in a completely sealed room.
"Let’s go, let me have a good look at you!"
Clark took a few steps dragged by her, giving Jeming and Viola a backward glance.
Jeming and Viola stood in place, watching the two figures disappear through the side door of the banquet hall.
Castilo walked with ease, her arm always around Clark’s waist, showing no sign of letting go.
Clark walked unwillingly, but didn’t truly resist either.
The side door closed, and the two disappeared from view.
Jeming and Viola exchanged a glance and exhaled simultaneously.
"Does it hurt?" Viola asked.
"It does." Jeming touched his eye socket, "What about you?"
"Hurts more." Viola rubbed her nose, then suddenly laughed, "But from an equivalent exchange perspective, it was worth it."
Jeming also laughed.
He turned to gaze at the tightly closed side door, suddenly feeling a bit emotional: "You think the professor will thank us later?"
Viola squatted next to Jeming without a care, rubbing her bruised nose: "If it were anything else, I’d be sure the professor would see through it, but this... I’m really not sure."
Indeed, the two were proper wizards, how could they have gone through so much trouble just for gossip.
...Although the idea of gossip was there too.
But seeing Professor Clark’s slightly awkward demeanor with Castilo, they decisively acted out this scene.
After being apart for so long, feelings would have slivers of estrangement.
But at such times, a little mutual involvement was enough to quickly eliminate that little bit of unfamiliarity.
Jeming withdrew his gaze and picked up the drink on the table he hadn’t finished.
The taste was sweet and refreshing, with a hint of coolness, different from before.
"Let’s go." he said, "Time to get back to the food."
Viola nodded, following him back to the long table.
The banquet continued, under the splendid dome, countless wizards were conversing, toasting, enjoying this rare gathering.