Chapter 55 [The Mysterious Girl's Utopia]

Hearing Gu Ye's perfunctory answer, Ning Shijun shook his head helplessly, a flash of knowing amusement in his eyes.

He could tell that this kid was still on guard against him. After all, they hadn't interacted much, and both were meticulous thinkers; such vigilance was only natural.

"Come on, I'll take you somewhere."

"Can I not go?" Gu Ye said weakly.

Ning Shijun turned to look at him, his brow arching slightly, his tone carrying a hint of half-smiling pressure:

"What do you think?"

Gu Ye forced himself to stay calm, squeezing out a fawning smile and saying through gritted teeth:

"I think... maybe I can not go?"

As soon as he finished speaking, his foot had already quietly shifted half a step back, ready to bolt at any second.

"If you run, I'll break your legs. I mean what I say." Ning Shijun's words instantly chilled Gu Ye's impulse to flee.

"Hehe, how could I? Uncle Jun, you have to trust me."

Gu Ye quickly tucked away his little schemes, the smile on his face growing even more radiant as he strode ahead of Ning Shijun to show off his eagerness. "Uncle Jun, where do you want to go? I'll lead the way! There's nowhere in all of Yunlin City I'm not familiar with—every street and alley, I know them like the back of my hand!"

Seeing his opportunistic behavior, Ning Shijun's eyes flashed with an imperceptible smile. He didn't expose him and silently followed behind.

After leaving the school gates, Ning Shijun hailed a taxi. "Driver, to the West District."

"Sure thing."

Gu Ye was stunned to hear this. The West District was the slum of Yunlin City and a gathering place for various gangs.

"What are we going there for?!"

"You'll know when we get there."

The two got out of the car, and a pungent odor mixed with sewage, garbage, and cheap spirits hit them. Gu Ye instinctively frowned and covered his nose.

Ning Shijun, however, seemed completely oblivious, walking straight into the depths of the slums. Gu Ye hesitated for a moment but followed closely, deliberately staying a step behind him, constantly alert to his surroundings.

After a few steps, Ning Shijun suddenly stopped. He turned and pulled a yellowed old photograph from his pocket, handing it to Gu Ye: "For you."

"Huh?" Gu Ye took the photo with a look of confusion. His fingertips touched the rough surface of the paper as he looked down.

When he saw the contents of the photo clearly, his pupils shrank and his expression froze instantly. He looked up in disbelief, pointing at the young man in the photo, his voice trembling slightly:

"Uncle Jun, is... is this really you?"

In the photo, three young figures stood side by side, smiling brightly.

On the left was a young couple with gentle eyes—they were his parents in their youth as he remembered them. The young man on the right had handsome features, wore simple white clothes, and had a warm smile.

Though he looked much younger than now, Gu Ye recognized at a glance that it was Ning Shijun.

The three were standing very close with intimate expressions. It was clear their relationship was extremely close.

Ning Shijun nodded slightly. "Are you surprised?"

Gu Ye felt even more uneasy now. He hadn't expected his parents to know Ning Shijun, and judging by the photo, the three of them were quite familiar.

"Do you believe I won't harm you now?"

"How could that be, Uncle Jun? I never thought that."

Gu Ye quickly hid his shock and put on a grinning face again, scratching his head. "Uncle Jun, I never felt you'd harm me. I have one hundred percent trust in you!"

"As if I don't know you. You've been like a little adult since you were small, cautious toward everyone." Ning Shijun looked at him with amusement, reached out to gently take the photo back, and carefully tucked it into his pocket.

Hearing this, Gu Ye rubbed his head sheepishly. However, he was thinking that while Ning Shijun did indeed know his parents, Gu Ye had never seen him in all these years. To appear right before the College Entrance Examination, and just as a Fissure-level Card Domain invaded reality—all these reasons combined forced him to remain vigilant.

"Let's go, I'll take you inside to see." Ning Shijun led the way into the slums. Along the way, seeing the two of them dressed so well, Gu Ye sensed countless malicious gazes.

But what Ning Shijun did next made Gu Ye see him in a new light.

"Here, child, eat this."

"Let me heal you!"

...

Along the way, Ning Shijun helped countless people in the slums. Gu Ye observed that he only helped the old, weak, sick, and disabled, ignoring everyone else.

After leaving the slums, Ning Shijun looked at Gu Ye with deep meaning and asked cryptically:

"After this journey, do you understand?"

"Uncle Jun, what are you talking about?" Gu Ye looked confused, his expression very natural.

Seeing Gu Ye still acting, Ning Shijun knew it would take time to earn his trust.

"We are the same kind of people. I know you still have misgivings. When you've thought it through, give me your answer."

"Here!" Ning Shijun handed over a card. Gu Ye looked at him in confusion.

Ning Shijun explained: "This is a card your mother entrusted to me for safekeeping. It's time to give it to you. This was one of my purposes for coming to Yunlin City."

Gu Ye reached out and took the card. Seeing this, Ning Shijun turned to leave. Suddenly, Gu Ye asked a question:

"Uncle Jun, what is your realm?"

Ning Shijun stopped and said: "Does doing this kind of thing require a specific realm?"

That one sentence silenced Gu Ye. Ning Shijun walked away, and Gu Ye stared at his disappearing figure.

Gu Ye understood what Ning Shijun meant, but this was a high-martial world where great power reigned. Without strength, things were hard to accomplish!

Gu Ye actually admired Ning Shijun; he was a pioneer.

Some people are as light as a feather, while others are as heavy as Mount Tai.

"Uncle Jun, I'm just a little Bronze, I can't help you with anything," Gu Ye whispered to himself as he stood there.

Gu Ye hailed a taxi and went home.

Lying on the sofa, Gu Ye stared at the card in his hand. Looking at the back, with its mysterious golden patterns, it was a gold-tier card.

His thoughts returned to that warm little home. His parents were ordinary workers who went to work at 8 AM and came home at 9 PM.

Seeing this now, Gu Ye felt his parents weren't that simple. Moreover, they trusted Ning Shijun enough to let him keep such an important card-making material, and now Ning Shijun had returned it.

Gu Ye had two guesses about the gold-tier card. One was that the relationship between Ning Shijun and his parents was truly good enough for Ning Shijun to ignore the temptation of a gold-tier card. If this were true, it would be the best outcome.

The second was that Ning Shijun's strength was so great that he no longer needed gold-tier cards. He might have come to Yunlin City with some purpose, and delivering the card was just a convenience. However, the things he did while leading Gu Ye around were very problematic.

"Sigh, regardless of which it is, I don't seem to have any way to change it!"

"Let's check the Yunlin City news and see if there's any word on Uncle Jun."

Gu Ye opened his phone and found the Yunlin City current affairs section.

#Breaking News: A Fissure-level Card Domain has invaded Yunlin City, drawing Platinum-rank and higher experts from across the Federation. Infighting within the Card Domain is constant, with countless experts dying. Big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimp.#

#Latest Card Domain Progress: A mysterious expert in a trench coat has appeared. Incredibly powerful, he suppressed most Card Masters and made a pact with five Epic-rank experts to explore the Card Domain together. The name of the Card Domain has been revealed: [the utopia of the mysterious girl].#

...

Gu Ye felt clearly that this trench-coated expert might be Ning Shijun, because the first time Gu Ye saw him, he was wearing a gray trench coat.

"It seems Uncle Jun is very strong. Then the second guess is likely correct."

"So what does a little Bronze like me have that's worth his plotting?" It was truly food for thought.