Chapter 165 Slap, Slap, Slap

Zhang Ning was genuinely eager to explore the so-called final stop, Jingyi Garden.

According to reports, it was once a private estate belonging to an ancient prince, which had now been developed into a tourist attraction. The reason Zhang Ning had asked his earlier question was that, with the holidays fast approaching, members of the tour group had dropped out one by one, leaving only the club president and a mere handful of people still participating.

Once they checked into Jingyi Garden, Zhang Ning found himself deeply impressed by Fan Yunfei’s resourcefulness and knack for gathering inside information. It turned out that Jingyi Garden welcomed overnight guests; given the vast scale of the estate, paired with an endless array of entertainment options and newly developed tourist attractions, it was impossible to experience everything in a single day. However, staying at the garden for a few days allowed visitors to try it all.

In particular, Jingyi Garden kept a variety of animals and offered numerous interactive programs. Aside from interacting with horses in the stables or playing with cats and dogs, the garden’s unique geographical location had allowed it to "collect" a wide array of rare birds. Beyond the exotic species, common varieties were also fully represented—even down to chubby yellow chickens!

Zhang Ning was quite pleased to have his wish granted and stay at Jingyi Garden. However, because everyone else had gradually dropped out of the trip, he could find no excuse to share a room with his Master. Consequently, he was left all alone in a solitary room, separated from his Master's quarters by an entire long corridor!

Little did Zhang Ning know that this was a deliberate arrangement orchestrated by the "staff" behind the scenes. As Zhang Ning was growing older, they had long since prepared a series of measures and psychological counseling sessions tailored to his adolescent rebellious phase, though they had never expected his rebellion to be so chronically delayed.

Even so, the corresponding arrangements remained indispensable.

Being too far away from his Master, coupled with the occasional vivid dreams that he could barely remember upon waking, left Zhang Ning feeling slightly irritable.

That afternoon, having slept poorly because he had once again dreamed of some vague, elusive thing, Zhang Ning went to bed early with the intention of catching up on a nap.

He had not anticipated that the indoor heating would be a bit too intense, remaining overly warm even in the dead of winter. This left Zhang Ning feeling restless from the inside out, and even as he drifted off to sleep, his brow remained furrowed.

Unbeknownst to Zhang Ning, as he fell asleep this time, something dark flashed briefly across the center of his forehead.

Yet this time, his afternoon slumber was free of the hazy, vexing dreams. Instead, he dreamed of things whose contents were equally indistinct, yet filled him with a sense of pleasant delight.

Having already reached adulthood back on the planet of Water Blue, Zhang Ning felt a familiar sensation in his lower abdomen upon waking. Experienced in these matters, he instinctively lifted the blanket and took a cautious peek underneath, his expression instantly shifting into a mix of amusement and helpless resignation.

He shook his head and muttered, "This body has grown up, too!" His tone carried a rather old-fashioned, world-weary air, as though he were thoroughly accustomed to such occurrences. A moment later, his eyes rolled mischievously, and he stealthily slipped a hand back under the blankets.

At the exact same time.

Chu Hanyu was intercepted in the corridor leading to Zhang Ning’s room. The club president then dragged him out into the spacious courtyard, leaving him utterly bewildered as a string of firecrackers was thrust into his hands.

If his guesses were correct, this club president was none other than the person who had been secretly trying to curry favor with Zhang Ning. What on earth was he suddenly playing at?

Chu Hanyu watched as Fan Yunfei’s smile stiffened slightly. "It's time to set off the firecrackers. Would Mr. Chu care to try?"

In response, he was met only with Chu Hanyu’s retreating back.

Unsure of what expression to wear, Chu Hanyu turned and walked back to his room, having entirely lost the inclination to go looking for his disciple.

Originally, the reason he had intended to seek out Zhang Ning in person rather than using telepathic communication was because Zhang Ning had previously protested against it, expressing his reluctance to have even his sleep-talk overheard clearly by his Master. Thus, displaying a rare and slender thread of privacy awareness, Chu Hanyu had reined in his divine sense, hearing, and other perceptual abilities, thoroughly leaving personal space for Zhang Ning.

As a result, their lifestyle over the past few years had come to resemble that of ordinary people in this world. When it came to such matters, Chu Hanyu always yielded to Zhang Ning's wishes.

"Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop!"

Fan Yunfei ultimately had to set off the string of firecrackers all by himself. Rubbing his stiff, smiling face, he sighed, "Ah, it's really not easy being me!" With that, he cast a helpless glance in the direction of Zhang Ning's room.

"Crack!"

The sound that suddenly rang out inside Zhang Ning's room bore no resemblance whatsoever to the firecrackers outside; it was crisp and sharp, unmistakable even to a casual listener as the sound of a tight slap!

Yet upon closer inspection, the room contained only Zhang Ning, who was lying flat on his back and staring fixedly at the ceiling with wide eyes, completely alone.

As it turned out, this resounding slap had been self-inflicted by Zhang Ning.

With the name he had just cried out echoing in his mind, Zhang Ning remained motionless, staring at the ceiling for the better part of the next hour. If this were a movie, viewers would likely assume someone had accidentally hit the pause button.

In truth, the name Zhang Ning had just blurted out had left his mind entirely blank, paralyzing his body as well. Only after a long while did Zhang Ning slowly raise one hand to cover his eyes.

In an inexplicable tone, he muttered to himself, "Zhang Ning, you need to act like a decent human being! A proper person must understand propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame!"

The next day.

While feeding the chubby yellow chickens, Chu Hanyu occasionally glanced at Zhang Ning and could not help feeling the generational gap of age once more. Clearly, it was Zhang Ning who had been full of enthusiastic excitement yesterday about feeding the animals; how was it that, in the blink of an eye, he had lost all interest, hanging his head and squatting over there?

After a short while, Zhang Ning felt his Master circle around him a few times—albeit in a very wide circle...

His Master had undoubtedly sensed that something was amiss. Zhang Ning had tried not to make it so obvious, but his mind kept dwelling on things, keeping him awake the entire night. While a sleepless night meant absolutely nothing to his now-consummated body of physical refinement, mentally, Zhang Ning felt thoroughly exhausted and profoundly disappointed in himself.

When he looked in the mirror that morning, he could not summon his usual carefree smile, and his forced grin looked utterly hideous. Abandoning all pretense, Zhang Ning had simply given up, grabbing hold of a somewhat clumsy yellow chicken that had lagged behind its peers as soon as he arrived here, squatting down to tease it in hopes of delaying the moment he had to speak with his Master by even a single second.

Yet what must come would eventually arrive.

Hearing the footsteps of his Master approaching, Zhang Ning forced himself to lift his head. "Master."

Chu Hanyu nodded in acknowledgment. Since there were no outsiders around, they retained this address, which felt so out of place in this modern world.

Watching with his own eyes as his Master walked up, Zhang Ning waited for him to speak, but no questions came. Instead, his Master simply circled around Zhang Ning twice, leaving him completely baffled as to what on earth the older man was doing.

He received his answer almost immediately.

A flock of adorable, chattering chicks came running swiftly forward, pecking at the ground and precisely forming a circle around Zhang Ning.

Viewing him from afar, trapped in the center of a swarm of yellow chickens, coupled with Zhang Ning's slightly dazed expression at that moment, he looked utterly adorable—at least in Chu Hanyu's eyes. Still, Chu Hanyu managed to keep from laughing aloud, standing tall and imposing a short distance away just as he always did, though the amusement in his eyes remained undiminished.

...As it turned out, while Zhang Ning hadn't been paying attention, his Master had sprinkled a circle of rice grains all around his feet.