Chapter 255: The Visit (1/2)

Chapter 255: The Visit

Drinking excessively invariably lead to hang-overs. So it was, when Lan Jue finally regained consciousness in the early morning, he felt like his head was ready to split open.

He didn’t remember how much he’d ultimately had to drink. The night passed in a blur of joy and good tidings. The others were likely suffering as he was.

The first to fall to the alcohol’s charms was the Gourmet himself. Be you a normal man or a paragon, once you let yourself go no amount of special energy was going to neutralize alcohol. He drink’s numbing peace overcame him. But oh had he laughed – real laughter, as though he were trying to make up for so much lost time.

The Driver had also had entirely too much. Once discovering that the Gourmet had reached such heights of power, he knew his threats were nonsense. Pointless nonsense. He decided, then to show his strength and menace through the consumption of liquor. His ferocious coaxing of the Gourmet had ultimately lead to the Paragon’s downfall.

The chef accepted it all, and drank until he was full with mirth and happiness. The Driver was not far behind.

Lan Jue kept them company, and drank as they did. At his level of drinking proficiency he was able to handle the volume – so long as he poured for himself. But he didn’t.

Once the Gourmet was done, the Driver then turned his attention to Lan Jue. It wasn’t long after that the both of them were well sloshed.

He faintly remembered talking a lot with Wendy. She carefully tended to the Driver and the Gourmet, all the while talking through tears and laughter. She’d carefully placed the flowers the Gourmet had given her in a vase, and tended to them like a priceless treasure. She would return to gently stroke the silken petals throughout the night.

Most of their conversation was lost to the drunken haze, but Lan Jue did remember one thing. She said she couldn’t drink, not even one drop. She feared that if she drank and fell asleep, she’d wake up to find it had all been a dream. She wanted to feel, to remember everything. And when her man awoke, not to let him have any regrets.

Lan Jue had called Ke’er and Xiuxiu to come help him home – the first time he’d needed it since coming to the Avenue. He vaguely recalled seeing the gourmet pulling Wendy to the back as he left. As for the Driver, presumably he ended up in his car.

It had indeed been one crazy night! He stumbled from bed and poured himself a glass of water, and although his head was pounding he was in high spirits.

Driving while under the influence was an irresponsible and reckless habit, so he didn’t. Xiuxiu ended up being the one to drive him back to the NEU campus’ West Hill.

As he fitted the golden mask on his face once again, he pondered on whether he could keep a solemn exterior. The happiness he felt had spread to every cell in his body.

ζ

The students knew the moment they saw him that something was different.

What’s going on? They thought. The Prince of Devils is almost warm today.

“Were you drinking, boss?” Lin Guoguo asked quietly.

“Mnh.” He answered. He then turned his eyes towards the rows of students.

Today the students were vibrant and full of energy. They’d practiced all day the day before, and though they spent the night tossing and turning, they awoke excited to continue. They were dedicated to the far beyond ordinary training by this point. Further, waking in the morning and having a needle removed flooded them with that wondrous, warm sensation from before. Though they still didn’t have access to their powers, the sensation and power they obtained from the needle’s removal was beyond description. It was like they could feel themselves growing.

Finally, they felt like this was a serious training, not just torture.

As Lan Jue walked from student to student, pulling needles free, the students eyes lit up as they experienced that sense of release once again. Paired with the strange change in their drillmaster’s aura, they were starting to believe this Prince of Devils may not be so bad after all.

Unfortunately, they were wrong.

“We’re adding fifty percent to the training you did yesterday. If you can’t complete it, you won’t be sleeping.”

Their hell would begin anew. Sweat fell like rain, as the bitter exercises commenced. Now, though, the students were different from when they’d started. They had changed.

They had had their second needle removed. Eventually the third would come out, then all of them. They were like seals locking away parts of their bodies, their spirits. Once they were all gone, what awaited them? What would they find?

Expectation was alive in their hearts, and it was pushing back against excruciating pain of training.

“You go drinking yesterday and don’t invite us!” Chu Cheng viciously gripped Lan Jue by the neck.

Lan Jue, in response, rolled his eyes at his friend. “Let me go, I have something to tell you.”

Chu Cheng huffed. “Hell no. Not unless you bring me some of the stuff you had yesterday.”

“Want me to puke it out for you?” Lan Jue asked.