Chapter 92: Saving Chief Pei
"Was this left by the person who sent you the love letter?"
Shen Gu’s pupils constricted, his fingers trembling slightly as he held the insignia.
"Is it Pei Yin?" Jian Yu guessed wildly, seeing his wide eyes.
His terrified expression seemed exactly the same as the last time he saw Pei Yin.
’How could she think of Chief Pei?’ Shen Gu was stunned. ’They’re not even remotely related.’
"That’s not it. Chief Pei’s family insignia is an eagle’s head, and his Chief insignia is a Black Eagle. This is a Long Feathered Dove, the insignia of the Feather Clan."
He opened his Star Brain. "It’s probably a prank. Wait, let me check. I have to authenticate the anti-counterfeiting mark first."
When Shen Gu was nervous, he unconsciously became more talkative.
"The first two times, I didn’t see the envelope’s delivery trajectory, so I thought someone had placed it here beforehand."
"You always like to sit here, so everyone subconsciously leaves this spot open for you. I even came half an hour early today to check it over."
"There aren’t many Feather Clan People, so it’s normal that you don’t know about them. The only reason anyone at our academy knows about the race is because of Chief Si Xu."
Shen Gu turned his head, his tone gradually calming as he looked at Jian Yu’s sweet face.
"He’s the F1 they talk about on the forums. F1 is a descendant of the Feather Clan. To be honest, I’ve never seen F1 either. The school beauty and beau rankings are just put together by some shallow students who want to compete with other academies."
Shen Gu’s eyes darted left and right, a little worried someone would rat him out.
He quickly added, "But, Chief Pei and the others are really good-looking, so it’s only natural they’re on the list!"
Jian Yu blinked, eager for the gossip. "Mhm, mhm."
’I have to encourage him. That’s how you get someone to keep spilling the gossip without losing their momentum.’
’Out of the seven in F7, she’d already managed to touch four. What’s one more F1 to the collection!’
’I’ll take him! Take ’em all!’
’The love letter is so creepy.’
’But he’s F1!’
Jian Yu sat primly, her face alight with curiosity. "And then?"
Someone from Lin Yu came over to deliver lunch.
Shen Gu took it, opened it, and placed it in front of her. "You eat first."
The classroom was empty now.
He activated the deodorizing system and turned on the ventilation.
Shen Gu hurried back over. "Eat slower."
Jian Yu was holding her food bowl, eating a bit too quickly, but in a cute way.
She looked like she was in a great hurry to eat, but for no particular reason.
Shen Gu ladled some soup and placed it beside her. "Chief Pei and the others said you have stomach problems. You can’t just take two bites and swallow it all down."
As for himself, he just drank a bottle of nutrient solution for lunch.
Jian Yu gazed at him.
’Looks convenient.’
Shen Gu explained, "It’s disgusting. Tastes terrible. You don’t have spiritual power, so drinking this is no different from drinking fake medicine. Not only will it not fill you up, you might even get diarrhea."
’On second thought, it seems like the research department doesn’t care whether ordinary people starve or not.’
’Is it because ordinary people don’t go to the battlefield?’
Shen Gu’s gaze froze.
The Star Brain’s authentication result was out.
It’s a real insignia!
Shen Gu took a moment to process this himself.
His gaze was hesitant. "The insignia is real, but... I can’t really tell you too much about this. I’m afraid it’ll scare you."
Jian Yu pressed her lips together.
She said hesitantly, "But saying it like that makes it even scarier."
Shen Gu scratched his head. "Then maybe I can tell you a little bit?"
He rarely saw Jian Yu not looking sleepy.
Although, that was also partly because of the exams.
Jian Yu nodded, her eyes shining. "Mhm, mhm."
"Let me think about how to put this." Shen Gu handed the insignia back to her.
"When the Feather Clan gives someone an insignia, it usually has one of two meanings. The first is a blessing, and the second... is a curse. It’s terrifying."
"For instance, for a powerful Awakener at F1’s Level, his curse or blessing can reach you from an incredible distance."
"The Feather Clan’s bloodline is quite pure. You could say that their race’s Soul Beasts are never below Level A. Even when they pair with a Half-awakened, they still produce high-level children."
Shen Gu was getting into the flow of sharing, saying whatever popped into his head.
He lowered his voice.
"Let me tell you an open secret. Both Chief Ling’s and Chairman Xi’s parents married close relatives to keep their bloodlines pure."
"The reason Chief Ling doesn’t get along with his parents is because their families forced them to marry. They fought every day, but weren’t allowed to separate under any circumstances. The family even demanded a second child, promising to let them part ways if they could produce another one just like Chief Ling."
"Chief Ling was Awakened at birth. When he was sixteen, he took over the family and killed all the clan members who opposed his parents’ divorce."
Shen Gu swallowed nervously.
"The crazy thing is, after all that, his parents decided not to separate and even called Chief Ling a lunatic. But Chief Ling didn’t indulge them; he had the Alliance intervene and force the divorce."
"I suspect Chief Ling planned to do that all along. I mean, just listen to his name. Who gives a decent person a name like that?"
’His own name, now *that* was a normal person’s name,’ Shen Gu thought.
Jian Yu pressed her lips together.
’She was once again profoundly aware of how little she actually knew about the story’s plot and characters.’
’The system hadn’t given her the backstories for many of the characters. She felt like a fake fan reading fanfiction.’
Jian Yu couldn’t help but ask, "Is Xi Yu’s situation the same?"
Shen Gu shook his head.
"Chairman Xi’s parents were truly in love, unlike Chief Ling’s. However..."
"Rumor has it that before Chairman Xi was born, at around seven or eight months of pregnancy, the Clan Leader forced his parents to take medicine that would stimulate the fetus’s spiritual power."
"When he was born, his Awakening Level was already Level 3S, but the Clan Leader wasn’t satisfied and kept feeding him medicine to strengthen it. And then, the Clan Leader kicked the bucket."
Shen Gu spread his hands.
"On the first day Chairman Xi was granted an exemption for killing, he decisively sent their old Clan Leader on his way."
He straightened up and returned to the main topic. "Many families have these kinds of messed-up practices, but not the Feather Clan. The Feather Clan’s own bloodline is powerful, plus they have the added bonus of the Clan Leader’s blessing."
Shen Gu, who had just straightened his back, suddenly bent over again.
He sat on his chair, leaning halfway over.
"Twenty-some years ago, the Clan Leader died, and without his powerful blessing, the Feather Clan’s birth rate plummeted... until F1 was born."
’Girls all seem to love hearing gossip about the Chiefs,’ Shen Gu thought, noticing Jian Yu’s flushed cheeks.
He put more effort into his "performance."
"Many of F1’s photos are locked; only the one from the auditorium is still around. The school board had to personally step in to keep it."
"I have it saved. I’ll show you. I look at it often. Just one glance feels like my soul is being purified."
Shen Gu tapped open the photo and projected it for Jian Yu.
Flowing golden hair, white feathers at his side. The background was a vast auditorium, with a crowd below listening to chanted prayers.
His wings were spread, suspending him in mid-air. His pale feet were bare, his slender neck tilted slightly upward. An overwhelming sense of sanctity, nobility, and beauty washed over the viewer.
Jian Yu was starting to feel uncertain.
’She was perfectly capable of getting the best, and she wanted the best.’
’But she felt that someone this good might be out of her league.’
Shen Gu comforted her.
"Yu, you’re so pretty. The insignia must be a blessing. Who could bear to curse you? No one, don’t worry."
"The Feather Clan is a very complicated race; they have a dual nature. Some people worship them, others despise them. I’m too young, so a lot of what I know is just hearsay."
"Senior Lin Yu said the Feather Clan haven’t been back to the Imperial Capital Star for several years. The last time F1 returned was to save Chief Pei."
Jian Yu looked at the love letter. She was just about to open it, but when she heard this, her fingers pulled back.
"Save Chief Pei? What happened to Chief Pei?"