Chapter Four: The Back Mountain

Gu Xi felt extremely uneasy on her way home.

She couldn’t understand why Gu Cheng was living in their house.

As far as she remembered, she had never even heard of Gu Cheng before.

He had no opinions about what to eat for dinner.

In this household, he was nothing more than a mascot, especially since Gu Xi’s brother had died accidentally from her own misfire.

“We’re home,” Gu Cheng said expressionlessly.

Gu Xi cautiously opened the car door; everything felt painfully familiar.

“Come on, wash your hands quickly and eat,” her mother called out.

Back home, Gu Xi saw her mother bustling about in the kitchen and her father watching TV on the sofa.

Her nose tingled with emotion, as if she was momentarily caught in an illusion that her parents were still alive.

At the dinner table, her father remained silent.

Noticing the tense atmosphere, Gu Cheng tried to break the ice by bringing up the waiver agreement.

Gu Zhenhua glanced at Gu Xi, who kept her head down eating, then put down his chopsticks and said to Gu Cheng,

“Do you think, under the current circumstances, your aunt and I can sign the contract?”

Gu Xi didn’t quite grasp the content of their conversation, but since it seemed necessary to proceed, she decided it was best to say little.

After all, the more you say, the more mistakes you make.

The system for passing tasks had given no prompt.

She waited to see how the story would unfold.

Hearing her father’s words, Gu Cheng, as their mentor, dared not make any rash promises.

“I believe the annual awakening at the academy is still very important. If she really can’t control it, why don’t we accompany her to see Master Chen Kong in the back mountains?”

Gu Cheng was at a loss; after all, if the awakening failed, Gu Xi would be buried—buried in the back mountains of the school.

The curfew on the Floating Island mandated that each family member must have eight hours of rest, which earned them points.

Curfew points could be exchanged for household necessities, like toilet paper, rice, flour, oil, and salt.

They could also be used to draw from the grand awakening skill lottery.

The chance of winning was 0.1%, and failure came with random side effects.

There were four main skill systems for awakening: Fire, Water, Earth, and Metal.

Gu Xi’s father, in his youth, had tried the lottery several times to awaken early, never winning once, and ended up with various ailments.

Her mother, however, had been luckier, following the academy’s normal awakening path. Later, after giving birth to Gu Xi, she stayed on as a teacher at the school, serving as a mentor for her entire career before retiring.

“Gu Xi has been different from others since birth,” her mother said, placing a bowl of soup in front of her.

“Since her awakening day is approaching, it’s better she knows some things,” her mother thought. It was better to tell the truth to a child than to cover one lie with countless others.

If Gu Xi failed her awakening and was erased by the Floating Island, it would be even harder for her to bear.

Gu Xi caught the key words her mother said, took the soup, and lowered her head to sip it.

“What is it?” Gu Xi asked in return.

She suspected the keywords had triggered something.

Just as her mother was about to speak, her father stopped her.

He lit a cigarette and said, “After dinner, let’s go see Master Chen Kong.”

At that moment, a series of rapid clock chimes sounded outside the door.

“Curfew time. We’ll take the back path.”

Gu Cheng knew that if they were caught outside during curfew, his position might be at risk.

Gu Xi, however, was curious about the back mountains.

The first place she had entered in this scenario was the back mountains, and now again.

The group donned black cloaks and hats, quietly slipping out the door.

Reaching the back mountains, Gu Cheng rummaged through some bushes and pulled out a dilapidated wooden boat with a single oar.

The four of them quietly boarded the boat, and the sound of water splashing echoed softly around them.

“Mom, what are we doing in the back mountains?” Gu Xi tried to lower her voice as they traveled.

Her mother, not expecting her to speak, quickly raised a hand to cover Gu Xi’s mouth, signaling silence.

If the Floating Island patrol caught them, not only would Gu Xi be buried, but likely the whole family as well.

Gu Xi nearly suffocated under her mother’s palm, but seeing her mother’s tense expression, she understood she should remain quiet.

After about thirty minutes rowing toward the center of the lake in the back mountains, they spotted a large golden stone lion nearby.

It looked majestic yet oddly eerie.

Gu Xi thought, who keeps just one stone lion? In her experience, stone lions always came in pairs guarding grand gates.

Could it be they were about to meet some kind of monster?

A chill ran down her spine.

Her mother wouldn’t behave like that, normally.

But since this was a game-like world, she had to be cautious.

She glanced at her father and Gu Cheng out of the corner of her eye.

Both men’s eyes still showed kindness.

That calmed her somewhat.

The boat drew near the stone lion.

Gu Cheng held the oar with both hands, bowed his head, and muttered an incantation she couldn’t understand.

With a sudden crack, the solid body of the lion split open down the middle!

Through the gap, Gu Xi saw a secret passage glowing with golden light.

“Come,” Gu Cheng stepped forward to the entrance, then turned back to help Gu Xi and her parents.

They slowly climbed into the passage.

Before them stood a room bathed in golden light, even the ceiling shimmering with it.

Surrounding the room were six small doors, each inscribed with different characters.

“We’re going to see Master Chen Kong. Remember to have Gu Xi sincerely make her wish,” Gu Cheng signed to her parents.

Strangely, Gu Xi could understand the gesture!

Make a wish? What wish? She didn’t know.

She realized she might not be a very studious child.

Most likely, this Floating Island Academy was a place for awakening.

But why did her awakening have to take place in this forbidden back mountain?

Something felt off.

The system hadn’t made a sound yet.

Had she missed a step?

Would she be trapped here forever?

The thought made her increasingly uneasy.

Though the world she had been bound to before was already in ruins, it was still far better than this eerie place.

No, she had to find a way.

Her parents entered a door starting with the character “Chen.”

Gu Xi had no choice but to follow.

Inside, the temperature suddenly became oppressively hot.

“This must be the home of the Flaming Mountain! So hot!” Gu Xi thought but dared not speak aloud.

Looking at her parents, they didn’t seem affected by the heat, not even a bead of sweat.

She looked up to see a massive 20-meter tall statue draped in robes, sitting with its back to them.

Gu Cheng stepped forward and called out, “Master Chen Kong, we have arrived!”

He folded his hands and shouted loudly, as if conducting a solemn ritual.

Slowly, the gigantic robed Buddha statue turned around.

Gu Xi’s heart raced to her throat.

Before her stood Master Chen Kong, whose face bore nothing but a single enormous eye.