The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 331: Qi Ying

“Qi Ying?” Qilin paused before breaking into a bemused smile. “There is someone like that, but Qi Ying is a fake name. He’s an elder of the Guild, Seven Shadow.”

“What?!” Alcoholic was suddenly angry. “He lied to me! He didn’t even tell me his real name! But I, I admired him so much back then!”

“Wait.” Surnamed Li was confused. “You...admired Elder Seven Shadow?”

“I did. Qi Ying saved my life!”

Qilin was shocked too. “He saved your life? When?”

“Right now, at this moment.” Alcoholic burst out laughing. “Fate sure works in a mysterious way!”

...

F Island, Naldives, eleven o’clock at night.

“Huai Wei, wake up.” Gao Yang gently patted the girl on the face.

She slowly opened her eyes.

“You suddenly fainted for about thirty seconds. You feeling alright?”

Huai Wei sat up, still not fully recovered from the fainting spell. “I...all of a sudden, I felt like I was flying. It was...strange.”

Did her Talent level up?

Seriously, from one touch?

Gao Yang didn’t have the time to think further. He helped Huai Wei up and picked up the bag of snacks and drinks he had dropped on the ground.

“Follow me.”

With Huai Wei in tow, Gao Yang ran to the pier of a recreational area.

Seizing the chance when there was no one else around, he ‘borrowed’ a jet ski and took Huai Wei to X’s place—the private island with the volleyball court.

Huai Wei had never seen such a vehicle. She held onto Gao Yang’s torso tightly and marveled, “Heavens! This is wondrous! It runs on the water!”

“Is this the ocean? It’s my first time seeing the ocean. It’s vast!”

They arrived at X’s private island in less than ten minutes.

Gao Yang parked the jet ski and sat down on the beach loungers under the parasols.

He took a pack of potato chips out of the bag and tore it open. “Here, have some.”

“What is this?” Huai Wei looked at the chips, not recognizing what it was.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s food.”

Huai Wei nodded and reached into the pack of chips, popping a piece into her mouth and chewed on it.

A few seconds later, her eyes lit up. “Hm, it’s good. It’s so, so...” Huai Wei struggled to find the right words to describe it. “It’s such a magical taste. All sweet and crunchy. And there are flavors I don’t know. What is this called?”

Gao Yang chuckled. “Chips.”

“Chips?”

“Made of potatoes.”

“Really? It doesn’t taste like potatoes. How incredible!” Huai Wei was surprised. She took another bite. “Is this made with magic?”

Gao Yang wordlessly took out a box of chocolate sandwich cookies and opened it.

“Cookies! I know what it is!” Huai Wei picked up one and took a small bite. “Hm, chocolate!”

“So you’ve had chocolate.”

“Of course!” Huai Wei said proudly. “Pops bought some for me on my fourteenth birthday...”

Her smile slid off as soon as she thought of her father, and her gaze turned sorrowful again.

“Stop thinking and eat. Once you’ve had some food, I still have many questions to ask you.”

Huai Wei nodded and started eating, her sorrow translating into hunger.

Gao Yang was getting thirsty too. He fished out a can of drink and took a gulp, considering his next moves.

His first thought was to find out more about Huai Wei.

Vermilion Bird was on the Shooting Star Island, some distance away from this place. And Gao Yang and Huai Wei had just gotten discovered by a devourer.

To be on the safe side, it was better to wait until the energy imprint of Medicine C faded from Huai Wei before taking her to the villa Vermilion Bird was staying at. Then they would discuss what to do.

Huai Wei was starving, but she still chewed properly as she ate without making a sound, acting like a proper lady.

After getting half a box of cookies and a pack of chips down her stomach, she was full.

She glanced at the drink in Gao Yang’s hand. “Is that water?”

“Something like that, but there’s flavor.”

Gao Yang picked a random drink and threw it to Huai Wei.

Huai Wei considered the blue pull-tab can in her hand. “How do I open this?”

“See the tab?” Gao Yang pointed it out to her. “Just pull it open.”

Huai Wei did so easily. She said with excitement, “I did it! It’s so interesting!”

Mimicking Gao Yang, she pressed the opening to her lips and tipped her head up for a drink.

“Ack...” She coughed, her brows furrowed. “It tastes...so strange!”

Gao Yang was a little surprised. Shouldn’t drinks be sweet? And no one would find sweetness weird even if they had never tasted it, right?

“Hm, it is strange, but not a bad strange.” Huai Wei licked her lips, savoring the taste. “Yeah, I’ll have another.”

She took another gulp, and this time, she didn’t cough. “Yeah, it’s good!”

Gao Yang curiously found another of the same drink from the bag. When he took a closer look, he gaped. “Ah, sorry! I wasn’t paying attention and didn’t realize that it was beer!”

“Beer?” Huai Wei paused and examined the can in her hand before breaking into a smile. “So this is what beer tastes like!”

She took yet another gulp, her black eyes glinting like she was seeing a whole new world.

Gao Yang asked weakly, “Um, you’re over eighteen, aren’t you?”

“I turned eighteen this year.” She then asked Gao Yang, “What about you, Mr. Qi Ying?”

“I’m about your age,” Gao Yang said vaguely.

“I’ve guessed as much.” Huai Wei smiled. As the sea breeze swept through her hair, her two braids loosened somewhat, and a few strands fell on her fair dainty cheek. There was a purity and innocence to her gaze that set her apart from those living in this era.

“Huai Wei, do you know what year it is?”

“Of course.” Huai Wei didn’t understand why he would ask. “It’s the year of 29.”

Gao Yang hid his shock. The year of 29! So she is from the past century.

Gao Yang thought back to the history of this world. The year of 29 in the old calendar would be 1940.

It seemed that Huai Wei’s Talent not only allowed her to jump through space, but also time! She had the ability to time-travel!

Awakened in 1940, Huai Wei was found out by her father and attacked. In the moment of crisis, her Talent activated and took her through the flow of time, arriving at Naldives in 2018.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?” Huai Wei noticed the look on his face. “By the way, where is this place? I’ve never been here. I’ve never seen the ocean.”

“Huai Wei, I’m going to tell you something. I hope you’ll take it well.” Gao Yang smiled wryly. “It’s the year of 2018 here.”

“2018?” It was a measure of time unfamiliar to Huai Wei.

“Basically, you’re 78 years into the future.”

“What?!” Huai Wei shot to her feet and looked around. “That, that can’t be! How did I end up 78 into the future? I...I must be dreaming...”

She fell back onto the beach lounger and glanced at the can of beer beside her. She picked it up to down it.

Finally, she regained some composure and slowly looked up. “Is this really 78 years later?”

Gao Yang nodded.

Huai Wei stopped talking, reconciling with the reality of her situation.

“Listen to me carefully, Huai Wei.”

Gao Yang patiently explained, “Just like you, I’m an awakener too. And those who attacked you, including your father and the man from earlier, weren’t demons, but a creature known as monsters.”

“As for the reason you came here and the reason I could conjure fire earlier, it’s not because of magic. Those are Talents we have as awakeners.”