Camus looked very unhappy.
But he seemed to look like this most of the time, so Su Cheng found it hard to tell if he was truly angry.
Just as she was about to take another look, the Blood Mage suddenly rolled over and quickly got out of bed.
It was as if he wanted to keep his distance from her.
"Your curse is likely related to the power of the Goddess of Love's lineage. I need to study it further."
He said calmly, "The God of Joy is a subordinate god to the Goddess of Love—"
Generally speaking, the strongest deities were usually cosmic gods of natural phenomena, such as the two supreme gods who symbolized light and darkness respectively.
Their power was closely connected to the macroscopic laws of the physical world.
Then there were the occupational gods, born alongside the construction of social civilization, associated with the specific activities, crafts, and social structures of humans and other intelligent races.
They were symbols of industries, crafts, or specific social roles, thereby mastering a certain absolute, causality-level power.
But there were usually some conditions required to use it.
And then there were the more abstract conceptual gods.
As incarnations of universal emotions or mental states, beings like the God of Joy derived their power from and influenced the inner worlds and basic cognition of intelligent life.
"...The power of a conceptual god is very complex. If that's the case, there will be more factors influencing your curse."
"Alright," Su Cheng rubbed her forehead wearily. "It's just very troublesome either way, right?"
She had mentally prepared herself for this and didn't think it would be easy to deal with.
"However," Su Cheng suddenly perked up, "I successfully cast blood magic! Can I call myself a Blood Mage from now on?"
"No," Camus said coldly. "That was my mana. Until you can complete a blood spell on your own, you cannot make such a claim."
"Oh, so I need to draw mana from blood the way you guys do, and use that mana to cast blood magic?"
Su Cheng realized. "By the way, do different types of mana conflict with each other in the body?"
He glanced at her. "Then you would need to harmonize them yourself. There are quite a few mages who have died because of this. What, do you really want to learn?"
"I'm a bit curious, but there's too much to do right now," Su Cheng blinked. "Plus, you would definitely be a very fierce teacher. Forget it."
Camus: "..."
Camus: "Did I say I would teach you?"
He straightened his clothes and went downstairs, returned to his seat, pulled out some draft paper, and began writing furiously, looking as if he were completely deaf to his surroundings.
A few minutes later, Su Cheng also strolled over leisurely.
Sasha looked at the two of them with teasing eyes. "Looks like everything went smoothly?"
Su Cheng rolled her eyes at him. "Let me put it this way, it went as smoothly as the second pot of potion, except someone's pettiness is beyond imagination."
The vampire let out a gloating laugh.
Camus pretended not to hear, or perhaps he genuinely didn't hear, and continued to bury himself in his calculations.
"By the way," Su Cheng tilted her head to look at him, "should I also learn some related knowledge? To research it with you?"
The Blood Mage didn't even lift his head. "Suit yourself."
Su Cheng thought for a moment. "How many books do you think I need to read to be able to analyze a curse of this level?"
Hearing this, Camus put down his pen and began to think seriously, probably going through all the relevant books in his head.
A few minutes passed.
Su Cheng: "...Speaking of which, the Occult Department of our school's College of Mysteries also recruits Curse Masters. I even caught a glimpse of it on their freshman admission list."
Camus looked up. "If you are interested, taking about five courses at school should be enough. By enough, I mean you'll at least be able to understand what I'm talking about."
Su Cheng: "Oh, that sounds oka—"
"The school's standards are quite low," he pondered. "The required reading list is probably only around two hundred books, all various revised editions. But they deleted many ancient texts and scrolls, which are hard to measure with a description like 'one book,' so I didn't know how to answer you."
Su Cheng: "?"
Su Cheng: "Are you saying the required reading for five courses is over two hundred books?"
"Yes," the Blood Mage nodded slightly. "You elemental mages probably need to read even more books."
Su Cheng: "..."
She decided to shelve this matter for the time being.
The admission procedures were already completed, so Su Cheng simply went home to let them know. Lin Zhen was overjoyed, wishing he could beat gongs and drums to announce it everywhere.
The Lin family was considered a prominent family in Golden Amber City. Although they were not an aristocratic family with a title, they were still somewhat famous. After all, when it came to wealth, some down-and-out nobles couldn't even compare to them.
But—
"Cross Star! No one in our family has ever been able to attend such a good school!"
While instructing the servants to pack the luggage, Lin Zhen gave her endless instructions.
He told her to act cautiously once she reached the Imperial Capital. Even though the status of a God's Favored was special, the place was a mixed bag with experts as common as clouds, making the situation much more complicated.
Lin Zhen couldn't help but lower his voice. "Although the Northern Continent is under the control of the Holy Church, the Imperial Capital is too chaotic, and there are believers of other factions operating in the dark. I heard some people love to target the Favored of the God of Light. Although you aren't completely one yet, you must be careful."
Su Cheng's heart stirred. "Does Uncle know something?"
The so-called other factions were just a euphemism for believers of the God of Darkness. After all, anyone who wasn't an ally of the God of Darkness would belong to the God of Light's faction and wouldn't need to operate in the dark.
He shook his head. "There is a lot of news in the Chamber of Commerce, both true and false. I have no relatives or friends in the Imperial Capital and can't help you. Just keep it in mind yourself."
Seeing the joy still overflowing from the corners of his eyes and brows, Su Cheng couldn't help but sigh.
In the original novel, when Lin Yun entered Cross Star, this cheap uncle was also happy, but it was a mix of joy and worry because he was afraid Lin Yun would offend the Murong family and the people from Nanhe Academy.
Now, Lin Zhen wasn't thinking about those things at all.
"Also," Lin Zhen looked at her, "how are things between you and His Eminence the Archbishop? Once you go to the Imperial Capital—"
Su Cheng was exasperated. "Didn't you say you wouldn't bring this up again? There are plenty of people in the Imperial Capital. Maybe I'll fall in love with someone else."
After saying this, she couldn't help but smack her own head. That made it sound like she actually liked Zane.
"That's true."
Lin Zhen actually seemed to be convinced.
Su Cheng: "..."
She looked at the busy servants in the room, stated that she didn't want to bring so much luggage, and asked her uncle to exchange all of Murong Yue's compensation gifts for money.
"I'll buy whatever I need over there," Su Cheng looked at the gift list. "I'll just keep these potions for aura cultivation."
She had no attachment to old things; they weren't hers originally anyway, and she just wanted to travel light.
Lin Zhen didn't overthink it, assuming she wanted to keep them to give as gifts. After all, some precious potions were hard to come by in the market even with money. Hearing this, he repeatedly agreed.
As the vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, it was very convenient for him to do these things.
Su Cheng forced herself to stay awake long enough to see her cheap uncle out, then crashed and slept until midnight. Woken up by the chirping of insects outside the window, she got up and cast a Wind Perception.
She heard the evening breeze passing through the gaps in the osmanthus tree, the snapping of leaf veins sounding like cracking ice.
Night dew condensed on the petals, the scales of the koi at the bottom of the fountain brushed against the cobblestones, and earthworms wriggled through the soil beneath the ground.
Two servants emerged from the kitchen, the surging of their blood sounding like a tide. The bending of their knee joints, the churning of their stomachs, and the trembling of their tracheas wove together into a symphony.
Then came a knock at the door.
Those chaotic sounds abruptly vanished, and her perception gathered in that single moment, like countless silk threads being suddenly clutched together.
The door knocker gently tapped against the wooden board.
Su Cheng still had not dispelled her magic; she merely instinctively controlled the wind to flow back, rushing toward the spot outside the door.
There should have been the sounds of a living person. Breathing, blood, and the movements of more bones and tendons.
Yet it was like a silent black hole—there was nothing at all.
"...Sorry."
Until that person made a sound.
His voice was like an aged, strong liquor, deep and mellow. As it rolled past her ear, it sounded like muffled thunder, carrying an irresistible sense of oppression.
Yet the trailing notes seeped with a gentle bluntness, like a blade wrapped in velvet.
"I didn't know you were cultivating."
As his words fell, Su Cheng finally heard the steady heartbeat, like precision gears turning within a chest cavity.
Leather bracers folded with his movements, emitting soft rustles as they rubbed against his muscles.
She began to outline his silhouette in her mind.
Like a ghost from ancient legends, he was being restored into a creature of flesh and blood.
Su Cheng severed the magical connection.
Her brain, previously overwhelmed by a multitude of information, suddenly became sharp.
She quickly realized what was happening, jumped out of bed, stumbled toward the door, and pulled it open.
The black-haired, golden-eyed man stood at the door, stepping on the shattered moonlight scattered across the floor, his tall and imposing figure casting a large shadow.
"I wasn't!"
Su Cheng's knees gave way, and she nearly fell into a deep bow.
The man caught her in one smooth motion, his single palm gripping her shoulder. "Careful."
He barely used any force, as if holding a fragile petal, gently helping her up.
Su Cheng thanked him and looked up to see the book in his hand. "Have you finished reading it?"
"Yes," Kai nodded. "I came to return it to you, and—"
He looked up at the sky. "There is no moon today. You can try cultivating battle aura."
Su Cheng was slightly surprised.
She knew that there were many ways to cultivate battle aura and that different secret manuals had different requirements, but that was the extent of her knowledge.
She wasn't clear on the specific details; after all, Lin Yun's cultivation was taught by the old man in the bracelet.
Su Cheng looked at the room behind her. She had cleaned it during the day, so it was neat and tidy at the moment. She invited the Commander to sit in the study.
They took their seats at the long table one after another. Kai leaned his heavy sword against the wall and casually asked her how much she knew about battle aura.
Su Cheng admitted she knew very little. "Just tell me whatever you think I should know."
He gave a slight nod and provided her with a general overview.
Battle aura originates from the energy of life itself. It can also resonate with natural elements to form different attributes, though various non-attribute battle auras exist as well.
There are many classifications of battle aura. Categorizing by attribute is merely the most common, but there are some more special cases.
"Generally speaking, it is easier for elemental resonators to cultivate battle aura of the same attribute."
He paused here, and Su Cheng could not help but press, "Is there a 'but' coming after that?"
"But if that's the case," Kai smiled, "we would have to go out and find a wind-attribute secret manual to figure out how to cultivate it, because I can only teach you what I know."
Su Cheng thought for a moment. "As long as I can learn it, it should be fine, right? What attribute is your battle aura?"
In the realm of battle aura, she didn't consider herself a genius, so she hadn't seriously entertained the idea of dual cultivating magic and martial arts. Learning it just to strengthen her body would be good enough.
"My battle aura attribute is probably the kind that's very difficult to classify in detail—"
The black-haired man sitting opposite her sighed, a hint of confusion appearing in his beautiful golden eyes. "I just figured it out myself after reading a few secret manuals."
Su Cheng's eyes widened. "Huh?"
Kai looked at the night sky outside the window. "Let's not waste time. We can talk about other things later. First, let's check your compatibility."
Saying this, he reached out his hand to her.
He was only wearing leather bracers. His large palm opened slightly, revealing long, well-defined fingers and clearly discernible lines on his palm.
Out of curiosity, Su Cheng handed her hand to him.
His hand was more than a size larger than hers, carrying a distinct coolness. The joints were covered with well-proportioned muscles, like finely forged cold iron wrapped in snow-white flesh.
The chill seeped into her flesh through her fingertips, and Su Cheng instinctively gave a slight shiver.
That coldness was quickly crushed by his grip. The man closed his fingers, pressing his fingertips against the base of her fingers with a moderate force.
The webbing of his hand locked onto her wrist bone, his thumb pressing against the pale blue vein of her radial artery.
The skin on her wrist was delicate, allowing her to feel that his fingertips were equally smooth.
There were no calluses or scars.
He looked like a battle-hardened swordsman, yet he had a pair of hands that seemed as if they had never been worn down.
If not for the powerful and strong contours, they would look more like the hands of a noble lord.
Su Cheng couldn't help but zone out a little.
Immediately after, an aura that was both cold and hot exploded at her wrist, like needles woven from frost and flames piercing into her veins all at once.
Although it wasn't very painful, it felt incredibly bizarre.
The distracting thoughts in her mind instantly vanished, and she quickly looked down at their overlapping hands.
Sharp veins spread across the back of the man's hand, like undercurrents lurking beneath the ice. "Bear with it for a moment."
Su Cheng actually smiled. "It's fine. Compared to what Camus did before—"
Kai lowered his eyes to look at her, a glint flickering in his cold golden eyes. He seemed to want to say something but ultimately did not speak.
Su Cheng felt the current of air roaming through her arm. It seemed to quickly scatter along her blood vessels, almost entirely dissipating by the time it reached her shoulder.
"Not bad," Kai nodded gladly, a bit more amusement appearing in his eyes. "Since you can absorb it, it means your constitution doesn't reject this 'attribute'."
Su Cheng was quite happy too.
Even though she had missed a lot of information due to skipping chapters and didn't know the other party's true identity, she knew he was quite formidable.
That was what the paragraph comment spoilers had said.
Those comments came from readers who had read the later stages of the book. It was said that more and more big shots appeared later on, so those words should hold some weight.
Therefore, no matter what type it was, the strength of the battle aura he cultivated was undoubtedly unquestionable, and it was much better than her randomly buying a few books outside.
After all, truly powerful battle aura secret manuals were definitely not the ones circulating on the market; most of them were hidden in the secret chambers of ancient academies and aristocratic families.
With her identity as a God's Favored, she could certainly manage to get her hands on such secret manuals, but that might also attract other troubles.
Su Cheng took out Murong Yue's gift list. "There are some items in here meant for cultivating battle aura. Are there any we can use right now?"
Kai took it and gave it a rough glance. "We don't need them at this stage, but there are indeed some good things."
Su Cheng mumbled, "The apology gift from my ex-fiancé, I accepted it. Before he came, he actually thought I was a piece of trash who couldn't cultivate battle aura."
"Hmm?" The man in front of her raised an eyebrow at her words. "Not being able to cultivate battle aura makes someone trash?"
"Right? In some people's minds... that's just how it is."
"Oh. If the person you were engaged to is that kind of man, then breaking off your relationship is a good thing."
He said it with extreme nonchalance.
Su Cheng couldn't help but cast him a sidelong glance.
After all, in a world dominated by the law of the jungle, almost everyone accepted this logic.
Of course, it also depended on your social circle. In the world of ordinary citizens, most people were busy just trying to make a living and had mediocre talents. They had no time to cultivate, or perhaps only managed to grasp the very basics just to keep themselves from getting sick.
However...
Mercenaries were not like that.
So, for a mercenary commander like him to say such a thing was truly quite rare.
Su Cheng fell silent for a few seconds. "You're right... I seem to have been influenced too. I always felt that since I know magic, I'm not a failure, without ever considering that their way of thinking was flawed to begin with. Ah, forget it, I'm inherently a pretty awful person anyway."
Kai had been listening earnestly at first, but upon hearing her last remark, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Awful people usually don't say that about themselves, at least in my experience."
He stood up tall, his broad shoulders almost entirely blocking out the gloomy clouds outside the window. "Find a position you feel comfortable sitting in."
The man slightly raised his hand, pressing his thumb and pinky finger together while leaving the other three fingers standing upright like a claw, their tips slightly curved. "Make this hand gesture."
Su Cheng did as she was told.
Kai leaned over and moved closer, helping her adjust the angle of her fingers. His left hand clasped the crook of her elbow, the hard edges of his bracer pressing into the flesh of her arm.
He gently pinched the young woman's soft fingertips, making them droop further downward. "Don't be so stiff."
The lines of the man's arms were taut, his shoulder armor pressing down on full deltoids. His lean, knotted muscles shifted slightly, exuding a savage sense of power.
His bracers were strapped tightly just above his wrist bones, his veins stretching out like bowstrings.
"Hmm?"
Kai paused his movements and slightly lifted his head to look at her.
Those golden eyes reflected the candlelight in the study, glowing in the dark like the tapetum lucidum in a predator's eyes.
"Are you nervous? Your heart is beating so fast."
