Chapter 13: Teacher Yan

The person Ying Li was most grateful to was his teacher.

His parents never gave him any help; they only dragged him down. But his teacher had given him a great deal of assistance when he was young.

He had awakened as a Sentinel at the age of ten and then enrolled in a Sentinel Academy that provided room and board.

Other Sentinels, in addition to the food and supplements issued by the academy, could also eat nutritional products provided by their parents. His parents, however, only ever came to ask him for food.

When his parents visited him at school, they not only ate his food but also took all the daily necessities the academy issued to them as Sentinels.

Faced with this situation, he could only try to save himself.

He was too young then to leave the city and hunt, so he had to earn living expenses by doing chores for his classmates, just so he could eat his fill.

Then his youngest brother, unable to get food at home, started coming to the school every day to ask him for food.

One time, while he was feeding his brother nutrient paste at the school gate, his teacher passed by and gave him a box of nutrient paste.

He immediately realized that this teacher was a good person.

He began to proactively get close to this teacher, helping him clean his office, organize teaching equipment, and move things.

His efforts were not in vain. His teacher treated him better and better, often giving him boxes of nutrient paste.

The reason Ying Li, in his past life, gave Xiang Ye a box of nutrient paste upon meeting him on the road was because his teacher had once given him one, too.

Over his past years, he had actually given away many boxes of nutrient paste, not just the one to Xiang Ye.

Having once received help from others, he also wanted to help others.

Ying Li’s teacher’s surname was Yan, and his full name was Yan Shucheng.

Teacher Yan was a C-Rank Sentinel. He had started a family with a D-Rank female Guide, and they had three children.

Ninety percent of the people in the Upper City District were ordinary citizens. Here, Sentinels were admired and respected.

Sentinels born into such an environment generally thought highly of themselves, looked down on everyone else, and would never curry favor with others.

He was the sole exception.

He worked hard to help Teacher Yan, finding ways to please him. Over time, Teacher Yan began to treat him as a junior.

When he was twelve, Teacher Yan took him home, treated him to a meal, and even devised an extra training plan for him.

By the time he was sixteen, Teacher Yan was taking him out of the city to hunt.

Ying Li had always remembered this kindness.

In his past life, even after he moved to the Central District, he would make time to visit Teacher Yan in the Upper City District. He had also arranged very good jobs for Teacher Yan’s three children.

His one regret was that Teacher Yan, no matter what, would not accept the money he offered.

So the most he could do was give Teacher Yan some gifts.

When the Beast Tide occurred, Teacher Yan’s family had almost certainly been unable to escape. Thinking about this made Ying Li feel rather distressed.

This was also one of the reasons he wanted to prevent the Beast Tide from happening.

Ying Li bought three thousand Credit Points’ worth of meat, plus fungi and vegetables, and had Xiang Ye make four dishes.

Once Xiang Ye was done, he took the food containers and headed out, going to his teacher’s home.

Teacher Yan’s place was very close to his, the layout of the house being exactly the same. Since today was a rest day, Teacher Yan happened to be home.

Being a teacher at the Sentinel Academy didn’t pay very well, but Teacher Yan occasionally left the city to hunt, so the Yan family’s life was fairly comfortable.

Naturally, that meant it was about the same as Ying Li’s current life, especially since he had three children to raise.

As soon as Ying Li saw Teacher Yan, he greeted him with a smile and offered the dishes Xiang Ye had made.

Teacher Yan’s eyes were full of mirth, but his face showed disapproval. “When you come to see me in the future, don’t bring things. Your finances aren’t strong either.”

“Teacher, I didn’t bring much, just a little food.” Ying Li placed the containers on the Yan family’s table.

Seeing it was just some food, Teacher Yan didn’t refuse further and asked about something else. “Ying Li, did Wu Nian really refuse you?”

Ying Li had already told Teacher Yan about Wu Nian rejecting him. He now affirmed it again. “Yes, he refused me.”

Teacher Yan’s brow furrowed. “What exactly is going on?”

Ying Li knew Wu Nian had refused him because Wu Nian had been reborn, but he certainly couldn’t say that. “I don’t know the reason. Perhaps he found a better option.”

“You’re a B-Rank Sentinel now. How could he possibly have a better option than you?” Teacher Yan was utterly baffled.

Sentinels generally pursued Guides a rank lower than themselves. After all, if the rank difference was too great, the effect of Mental Sea combing would be poor, and establishing a Mental Bond would be very difficult.

After Ying Li had advanced to B-Rank, Teacher Yan, fearing Ying Li might be unfaithful, had even specifically instructed him not to look down on Wu Nian.

He never expected that Ying Li hadn’t looked down on Wu Nian, but Wu Nian had instead started looking down on Ying Li.

Ying Li said nothing.

He knew Wu Nian wanted to find Yu Mingwei.

Sometimes, facing Wu Nian, he just felt helpless.

The things he said, Wu Nian wouldn’t believe. Yet the lies others told Wu Nian, he believed wholeheartedly.

In his past life, he had repeatedly told Wu Nian to stay away from Yu Mingwei. Wu Nian simply wouldn’t listen, even thinking he was jealous of Yu Mingwei and therefore speaking ill of him.

Ying Li knew very well that in this life, with Wu Nian being only D-Rank, Yu Mingwei would never get together with him.

But even if Wu Nian couldn’t be with Yu Mingwei, he was still a Guide. There would always be Sentinels willing to support him; Ying Li didn’t need to worry.

Ying Li moved on to other topics with his teacher, mentioning that he planned to change hunting teams in the future.

Leaving the city to hunt alone was dangerous for a Sentinel, so they generally formed teams to go out.

When he was seventeen, he had joined a hunting team through Teacher Yan’s introduction. But the people in that team bullied him for being young and often shortchanged him when dividing the spoils.

The previous time they encountered danger, they had even abandoned him.

Although his misfortune turned into a blessing and he became a B-Rank Sentinel, he no longer had any goodwill toward that hunting team.

“Changing teams is a good idea,” Teacher Yan sighed. “Old Li’s mindset is off. He always feels like he raised you and doesn’t take you seriously.”

When Ying Li first joined the hunting team, he was young and unfamiliar with the wilderness, just a helper in the group.

But he improved very quickly and had long since become a main force in the team!

Old Li, however, felt that Ying Li was someone he’d brought up and never took Ying Li seriously. The chores in the team were still assigned to Ying Li.

Teacher Yan had thought this was inappropriate for a while, but at the time, Ying Li had no other hunting team to go to, so he hadn’t suggested Ying Li change teams.

Ying Li chatted with Teacher Yan for an hour before taking his leave. He then called a vehicle to head to the shopping mall, intending to buy some things.

As coincidence would have it, just as he got near the mall, he saw Wu Nian.

This was the second time they had met since his rebirth.

Wu Nian wore a hat and mask, a bag in his hand, looking around furtively as if afraid of being seen. He seemed rather sneaky.

When Wu Nian met his gaze, he first glared at him, then ran off.

Ying Li was a bit baffled.

Wu Nian, however, was seething inside.

He had thought that without him as a Guide, Ying Li would be very lost and dejected. After all, at this point in time, Ying Li still liked him.

But no! Ying Li looked to be in great condition, and had even gained some weight!

How could Ying Li not feel the least bit miserable after being rejected by him?

But Ying Li’s future was probably limited now anyway!

Without him, Ying Li had no chance in this life of joining the Yu Family’s hunting team, nor of going to the Central District.

Unable to go to the Central District, without the Yu Family’s help, Ying Li wouldn’t be able to become an A-Rank Sentinel.

Ying Li would likely be stuck in the Upper City District from now on, wearing cheap clothes and eating cheap nutrient paste.

Thinking of this, Wu Nian’s mood improved. But as his gaze fell on the bag he was carrying, his expression soured again.

He had just come of age. After combing a Sentinel’s Mental Sea, he needed at least a full day’s rest before he could comb another’s.

And even then, there was no guarantee Sentinels would seek him out.

So recently, he was only earning a few hundred Credit Points a day on average.

If he hadn’t borrowed some money from classmates, he might not even have food to eat right now.

Wu Nian had long since stopped staying at the eight-hundred-a-night hotel. He had moved to a daily rental room that cost three hundred Credit Points a night and was only three square meters in size.

For meals, he only ate the hundred-Credit-Point combo meal made entirely of fungi.

What he held in his hand was the combo meal he’d just bought.

He carried it in a bag so Ying Li shouldn’t be able to see it, right? If Ying Li saw this, it would be far too humiliating.

Wu Nian cared deeply about face and hid even when buying a cheap combo meal. As for Ying Li…

Ying Li was currently passing by the stall selling the hundred-credit meal and glanced at it a few times.

He had been buying groceries every day recently and was very familiar with the price of mushrooms.

The ingredients used in this combo meal were worth thirty Credit Points at most. The nutrients it contained couldn’t even compare to a box of nutrient paste costing ten Credit Points. He wondered which sucker would actually buy and eat it.

After buying his things, Ying Li returned home to find Xiang Ye had already prepared several more foods. They smelled fragrant.

He almost didn’t want to leave the city again.

On the other side, Teacher Yan opened the food containers Ying Li had given him. Seeing the dishes inside, he was both surprised and delighted.

His income was decent, so his family’s meals were reasonably good.

Normally, in addition to a box of nutrient paste costing twenty Credit Points each, his wife would make a few dishes with fungi.

Even meat and vegetables from the Ecological Zone, his family could afford to eat once a month.

But the food Ying Li had given him was too lavish. Even during the New Year, his family wouldn’t buy this much meat.

“This child…” Teacher Yan’s feelings were complicated.

Back when he first helped Ying Li, he had just used his own pocket money to occasionally buy a box of the cheapest nutrient paste for him.

Yet Ying Li, over the past few years, brought quite a few things every time he visited. The money he’d spent on Ying Li had long since been repaid.

He was a good kid. He really didn’t know why Wu Nian had suddenly turned hostile.

The next morning at breakfast, Ying Li incessantly reminded Xiang Ye, “I bought a lot of nutrient paste and left it at home. You must eat it. If three boxes per meal isn’t enough, eat four or five. The supplements I bought for you, you also need to remember to take. I also bought some ingredients and put them in the fridge, divided by day. Eat one portion every day…”

After finishing his reminders about eating, he started on other things. “Remember to exercise daily. You need to move more to absorb the nutrients… Try not to go out, to avoid being targeted…”

He spoke for a long time before finally stopping, feeling a bit rueful. “I’m talking too much.”

Wu Nian used to hate it most when he nagged like this.

Xiang Ye’s eyes, however, were bright and shining. “Mr. Ying, I’ve remembered everything. I’ll definitely do as you say!”

Seeing him like this, Ying Li stood up, lifted Xiang Ye by the torso with both hands, and hefted him. “I’ve memorized your current weight. When I get back, you’d better have gained a few jin!”

Xiang Ye: “…”