This Damned Thirst for Survival

Dean Xu had investigated until now, and had a definite answer. He purposely dispersed the others and closed the door again before saying, “You guys guessed right, it was indeed the Chi family and Qi family who moved.”

“Fu Yuaner’s corpse was taken from the tournament by the Chi family, Fu Yuaner was an ordinary person but had a spirit body. Such a corpse is most suitable to be used as a puppet, and there are definitely not many puppets of this quality in the Chi family’s possession,” Dean Xu said seriously, “As for the illusion, only the Qi family’s elders can achieve that level of skill. But unfortunately, although I have concluded that these two families are the ones who did it, I have searched for half a month and found no evidence.”

Dean Xu shook his head and smiled bitterly, “Nowadays, there are three forces in the XuanXue world. On the one hand, there are the six elite schools, and on the other hand, there are the twelve universities. The state stands in the middle, impartial, maintaining the balance between us. When something like this happens, if I’m honest with you, they won’t admit it even if you’re not in trouble, so in the end it’ll have to go away. Unless you can produce evidence, let the state do the talking.”

But therein lies the trouble spot.

The law is all about “suspicion without proof”, but those who study metaphysics are not the same as ordinary people, they always have some mysterious methods. Their methods are so mysterious and unpredictable that it is difficult to leave tangible evidence.

Ye Xun’s brow furrowed, “Dean, why are they coming to kill us?”

Dean Xu sighed and waved his hand, “Then you’ll have to go and ask these two what they think.”

Lu Youyi spat out, “Are they looking at us because they saw someone from our school making a name for themselves at the competition and overpowering someone from their family?”

When he finished, he poked Jiang Luo, “Luo, do you think I’m right?”

Jiang Luo said slowly, “I don’t think what you’re saying can be exactly the same, only unrelated.”

Lu Youyi : “……”

Jiang Luo added: “In fact, when I heard that Qi Ye wouldn’t be there for this test, I always had the feeling that they would do it again.”

After all, Qi’s father was determined to get rid of him.

But Jiang Luo isn’t too worried.

The Chi family is now a little piece of trash in his eyes, and without Chi You there are no more fearful fangs.

As for the Qi family, their weakness is obvious: such a large family has produced a simple sheep like Qi Ye, who is clearly their weakness. Jiang Luo does not want to hurt Qi Ye, but he can use this as a threat to the Qi family.

“That’s what I’m afraid will happen,” Dean Xu said in a deep voice, “I’ll contact the police and have them follow far behind the Angonese to try to keep you safe. Remember, life first, examination second, if you are in danger, don’t hesitate to get in a lifeboat and run.”

The three men looked at each other and nodded.

*

Two days later, Delta Mouth Marina.

Seagulls fly by, the sea is calm and the wind rolls up the quay with a salty smell.

The luxurious and spectacular Angonese is docked on the beach.

The quay was already full of people who looked up in awe at the Angonese in the blazing sun. The dazzling sunlight reflected all colours of brilliance on the clean white body of this work of art, and huge shadows spread over them from the sea. Most of those covered by the shadows were commoners dressed in ordinary, even shabby, clothes, but there were also some rich people dressed in fine and decent clothes.

The crew put the ladder rack in place and shouted, “It’s ready!”

The Angonese has two embarkation ports, one for the commoners leading to the bottom and one for the rich and famous leading to the top. Both embarkation ports are guarded by the crew, while the captain stands at the entrance to the rich passage with a warm smile on his face.

The Angonese is ticketed, but in addition to the tickets, all those boarding the ship are subjected to strict and careful checks to prevent anyone carrying any electronic devices capable of communicating with the outside world and transmitting messages on board.

Yes, the Angonese does not accept guests with technological products.

Such a strange set-up should not have been accepted. But those who came on board acquiesced to this rule, even if they were blasé and wealthy.

It is now time for the guests to board the ship.

The wealthy lined up in twos and threes, and after the crew had checked the tickets on the ground, they were the first to take the luggage away for inspection and carry it to their respective rooms.

The wealthy people whose tickets had been checked then boarded the ship and were checked in detail by another group of people to see if they had any devices on them that could be filmed or recorded.

The Rich Passage is in good order.

In contrast to here, the first level is particularly crowded and noisy at the civilian passageway.

Everyone is sweating and crammed into the crowd with their luggage in hand. The stench of sweat and feet, the cursing of men and the high heels of women make for a distracting prelude.

“It’s so hot,” Zhuo Zhongqiu said, taking off his cap and fanning himself with his backhand, “I’m dying from the hundreds of people crammed on board and they’re checking so carefully.”

“Yes,” Lu Youyi said wanly, “I’m so thirsty my throat is smoking.”

Wen Renlian handed him the water in his hand and laughed, ” Kuang Zheng didn’t sweat a bit, you guys are turning into dry bodies.”

“Is it the same?” Lu Youyi drank half a bottle of water in one gulp, wiped his mouth comfortably and looked at Kuang Zheng with envy and jealousy, ” Kuang Zheng spends his days by the fire, he is used to this kind of temperature. But what I envy most is …… compared to Kuang Zheng.”

His gaze shifted to the sparsely populated passageway of the rich, “Oing, so envious.”

Ye Xun looked down, rubbing the sweat from his head on Xiao Fen’s body as he looked around at the people, “Something is very wrong.”

“They all look poor,” he saw a man blow his nose and wipe his fingers casually on his body, “or at least don’t have the spare cash that would come to buy an expensive boat ticket.”

Regular boat tickets also cost a four-figure sum.

Wen Renlian whispered, “Yes, and the number of ordinary people boarding the ship is several times greater than the rich and famous. They still seem to be so much in demand.”

What was on the cruise ship that made them willing to pay such a “large sum of money” to get on board?

On the Rich Passage.

The men were dressed as gentlemen, the women as glamorous. Everyone was wearing extremely eye-catching watches and jewellery, but even so, there were always a few people who stood out.

The crewman trotted all the way to the ground, came to the guest and bent down and said respectfully, “Guest, please give me your luggage.”

The dark-haired young man in sunglasses handed him the luggage and boat ticket in his hand carelessly, “Be careful.”

The dark-haired young man is dressed in a casual outfit, his bright black hair cascading over his shoulders. Sunglasses cover his eyebrows, but the line of his jaw is graceful and sharp. His lips are the colour of roses and contain a touch of flirtatious elegance.

Now it’s his turn to board, and behind him, Ge Zhu tries hard to look like a rich man.

The two of them walked up the stairs. Ge Zhu whispered, ” Jiang Luo , you look like you’re really rich.”

Two days before boarding the ship, Ge Zhu went to Lu Youyi to learn what it means to be a rich man. But Lu Youyi had no such thing, so he had to learn how to be a rich man from the screen.

However, Ge Zhu was a bit shy when he first saw such a big ship and such a big show.

Jiang Luo turned back, pulled his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose to look at him, and whispered, “Just remember four words – no one in sight.”

Ge Zhu coughed twice, “I try.”

Jiang Luo has never been a rich man either, but he knows Chi You.

Take that Chi You attitude and take away the appearance of gentleness, that arrogance and coldness, and no one will ever suspect him of being who he is.

On board, the captain smiles and reaches out to shake Jiang Luo’s hand, a man who has been out at sea for years and who smells of the sea air left over from years of travel.

“Welcome to our distinguished guests aboard the Angonese,” the Captain shook Ge Zhu’s hand again, “Good morning, Mr Zhong Wei, Mr Lu Qi.”

Jiang Luo smiled and said in a good mood, “Hello, Captain.”

The captain held out his hand to the right, “Please go there for the last check and wish you a pleasant tour in advance.”

Jiang Luo and Ge Zhu walk to the right and enter a beautifully decorated room.

Two crew members were already waiting in the room, they put on their gloves and came to Jiang Luo and the two men, “Sir, I’m going to do one last check for you, please cooperate.”

Jiang Luo nods and opens his hand for the crew to inspect. But the crewman is about to touch him when he stops abruptly and says towards the door, “First mate.”

Jiang Luo turned his head to see a tall man walking leisurely through the door.

The man should be of mixed Chinese and Western descent, with a deep silhouette and dark blonde hair blown by the sea breeze, falling gracefully and loosely around eyes as deep blue as the sea.

The crew walked over and said, “First mate, what can I do for you?”

“I’ll check on this guest,” the first mate intoned, raising his voice, “while you check on the rest of the guests.”

The crew responded with a yes and walked out of the room.

Next to him, Ge Zhu was being checked for pockets on his body and looked up hastily before lowering his head.

The first mate walks up to Jiang Luo, who looks at him inquisitively.

A smile eluded the man’s mouth as he reached out and pulled a pair of white gloves from the box and slowly slipped them on his hands.

White gloves wrapped around his long, slender fingers, and the first mate’s five fingers spread wide to make them fit even better. With a smile, he lifted his head and walked over to Jiang Luo, saying politely, “Guest, I’m going to start checking you out.”

Pleasant tone of voice.

“First, please open your mouth.”

The familiarity of the first officer was so strong that, after a few glances, Jiang Luo decided that he must be Chi You. This guy was not even pretending. Jiang Luo’s brow jumped and his lips opened with a frown.

The white-gloved index finger reaches inside Jiang Luo’s lips and strokes Jiang Luo’s teeth, one by one. His movements are slow and ambiguous, as if he is deliberately slowing down his teasing. After a few moments, Jiang Luo’s lips and teeth become tired and sore, so he takes a step back and tries to close his mouth.

“No oh guest,” the first mate pressed Jiang Luo’s lower teeth down, so forcefully that he propped Jiang Luo’s lips open again, “I haven’t finished checking.”

Jiang Luo’s eyes glowed with fire and he glared at the first mate.

Lips open long enough for his mouth to fucking drool. Jiang Luo is uncomfortable, his eyes sweeping over the first mate’s face, his fists quietly clenching.

The first mate took his time and finally finished examining the inside of his lips. He slowly withdrew his finger from inside and nudged Jiang Luo’s lips as if to linger, praising him, “The guest’s teeth are neat and clean, very beautiful.”

“Thanks,” Jiang Luo sneered as he took the water and rinsed his mouth, “I like my teeth too.”

The first mate took the handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped the crystalline water from between his fingers. He looked at the handkerchief with a pityingly unmistakable expression that surprisingly looked a bit like a ginseng spirit looking at Jiang Luo letting the bath water run.

“So next, I’m going to check your hair.”

The first officer moved a chair in front of Jiang Luo and said courteously, “Please sit down.”

Jiang Luo sat down with a leathery smile and said in a bad tone, “I wish you’d speed up a bit.”

“Yes,” said the first mate, bending over, “I will take your advice.”

The cool touch of the glove brushes against Jiang Luo’s scalp.

The first mate chatted idly, “Where are the guests from?”

Jiang Luo : “I think your code of practice states that you don’t ask customers about their privacy.”

The first mate smothered a laugh, “Sorry.”

Sliding his fingers into the ends of Jiang Luo’s hair, the first mate added, “The guest’s surname is Zhong? That’s a rare surname.”

“That would be your lack of insight,” Jiang Luo asked rhetorically, “What’s your name?”

“Winston.”

“Winston, good, I’ll remember you,” Jiang Luo teased him with a sideways glance, “go on.”

The hair was soon examined and Jiang Luo regained his feet and opened his arms.

The first mate examined the side of his waist to both arms, gradually sliding down to his wrists. The white-gloved hands work their way down the backs of the hands and gently insert themselves into the guest’s fingers.

The dark haired guest smirked, the heat between his lips sweeping dangerously across the first mate’s chin, “First mate, you seem to be harassing me.”

The first mate gave a look of surprise, “What makes a guest think that?”

He is taller than Jiang Luo and his arms are longer than Jiang Luo’s. The white gloves touch Jiang Luo’s fingertips with ease, touching lightly on the rounded nails before retracting extremely quickly.

“The proportions are perfect too,” the first mate didn’t mince words in praise, “you are the most beautiful of all the guests I’ve seen boarding today.”

Jiang Luo lowered his hand, his nails scratching blood from the back of the first mate’s hand as he said, teasingly, “I’ve heard that a lot, and your compliments are so tedious that it’s hard for me to say ‘thank you for the compliment’.”

“Is that so?” The first mate sighed sadly, “I’ll need to think of some more novel compliments then.”

He said, “Guest, please turn around.”

Jiang Luo turned around.

Alongside Ge Zhu, who had reached the final stage, he looked up at Jiang Luo , incredibly puzzled, “Jiang …… Zhong Wei , why are you so slow?”

Jiang Luo said, “That’s probably because the one who examined me has a handicap.”

The impatience in his tone was not disguised in any way, the arrogance and insolence of a rich man on full display. Such a capricious look would have made his hands tremble with fear if he had been examined by a real crew member.

But the first mate’s hand was steady, even extraordinarily scrupulous in not missing every unchecked spot, literally checking from hairline to tooth, from fingertip to toe.

By the time Jiang Luo had been thoroughly examined, Ge Zhu had been sitting around for several minutes in a daze.

The first mate handed Jiang Luo’s jacket over with a perfect smile, “The inspection is over, thank you for your cooperation. You will go out and turn right, just keep walking to your room.”

Jiang Luo, with his jacket on, gives him a nonchalant look and turns to walk out with Ge Zhu.

Ge Zhu was about to go to the right when he saw Jiang Luo go to the left. He followed him, puzzled, and wondered, “Why are you going this way?”

Jiang Luo said, “I’ll find the captain.”

The captain was still standing at the entrance to the passage, and when he saw Jiang Luo and Ge Zhu coming, he saw a glint of surprise in his eyes and came forward and said, “May I help you two guests?”

“There is one thing,” Jiang Luo said, “Captain, I have a complaint to make to you about a crew member.”

The captain was even more surprised and he shuffled off, “Go ahead.”

“The first mate on this ship, a man called Winston,” Jiang Luo pulled up a smile that was anything but nice, “I want to file a complaint against him for sexual harassment of me. I hope you will do justice to it, my only request, tell this Winston to get his ass in the shit and stay out of my face.”

Captain: “…… is.”