Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 249 Farewell to Ye Lianka

In the training room.

Yelena's long, light-gold hair was styled into a high bun. Her small, fair face was tense, and her purple pupils were fixed on the front, concentrating all her attention on the sensations in her body and the manipulation of her mental power.

The attacks came from all directions, engulfing her like a tide. She calmly mobilized her mental power to defend herself according to the severity of the blows to different parts of her body.

She defended against wave after wave of attacks flawlessly.

She never let up until her mental energy was completely exhausted.

So focused was she that she didn’t even realize her mental energy was depleted and didn’t signal the other person to stop.

When the next attack came, she was shocked to find that her mental energy was exhausted.

Fortunately, the attackers quickly made a judgment and withdrew most of their attacks.

"Very good." Guan Tong's voice rang out, "Your performance in this final training session was perfect; you didn't miss a single attack."

Yelena was delighted to hear the praise. She wanted to look up and say something, but suddenly a wave of dizziness washed over her, and her vision went black as the world spun around her.

"Stasia?"

As Yelena leaned back, she felt a pair of hands supporting her.

Guan Tong supported her on the back of the head with one hand and placed the other on her shoulder to help her stand up.

"Are you okay?"

"...I'm sorry, I'm fine."

Yelena quickly took a few deep breaths to calm herself. In the past forty minutes, she had been too focused, and with her mental energy completely depleted, she had experienced a brief period of oxygen deprivation.

"Actually, I wanted to say this before, that we don't need to exhaust every last bit of mental energy in every training session," Guan Tong said. "I just didn't say it for fear of discouraging you. Now that this is the last training session, it's fine."

Yelena nodded.

Today is September 26th, which is already the end of September.

She and Sgorchin need to return to Cisya before the next rule is announced, which is before October 1st, so today is their last training session.

She was quite satisfied that, after nearly a month of diligent daily training, she didn't falter in the final round and performed perfectly, earning Guan Tong's approval. This was very important to her.

"With your current skill level, you should be able to easily defend against ordinary sneak attacks and assaults. Combined with other abilities and items, your combat strength should be quite good."

Guan Tong instructed, "However, the upper limit of mental power is fundamental. If the upper limit is not high, no matter how good your skills are, you will still face the situation where the enemy can overcome your skills with brute force. No matter how beautiful the dojo is made in a snail shell, it can't compare to a big courtyard. So after you go back, in addition to skills, you should spend more time trying to improve the upper limit of mental power."

"I understand, thank you teacher."

"Don't mention it. Have a safe trip."

After Guan Tong finished speaking, he was about to leave when Ye Lianka couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, could you say goodbye before you leave?"

"Goodbye?"

Guan Tong thought that what she had just said was enough to say goodbye, but judging from Ye Lianka's expression, she seemed to want to say goodbye in a more formal way rather than so casually.

Although he felt it was unnecessary, he thought that in this post-apocalyptic era, life and death were beyond one's control, and that people might never see each other again after this separation... so he nodded in agreement.

"Okay. When? Should I call a few more classmates?"

Yelena shook her head.

Although it was a bit of a pity, she hadn't made any friends with her classmates in the less than three months she had been at the college.

The only person she was familiar with in the entire academy was Guan Tong.

She gave the time of 10:00 AM the next day, then left the college and returned to her residence.

When she returned, her bodyguard and butler, Scoutin, had already packed her things.

"Your Highness, shall we set off now?"

"No, I'll leave tomorrow."

"tomorrow?"

Si Gaoqin was somewhat surprised because the two of them had discussed this morning that they would leave after finishing the last day of classes today; otherwise, she wouldn't have packed her luggage today.

Why did you suddenly change your mind?
Faced with Scoutin's questioning gaze, Ye Lianka hesitated for a moment before giving an explanation: "I want to say goodbye to my teacher formally."

Is this just goodbye?

"Yes."

"That's good." Sgorchin said to Yelena, "Please allow me to go with you then."

"……Um."

……

The next day.

Guan Tong arrived at the college gate at 10 a.m. and saw Ye Lianka standing with another tall woman under a tree across the road.

Unlike her simple attire in the past, Yelena today wore a luxurious outfit, just like on her first day of school.

The tall, middle-aged woman standing next to her was dressed in a black pantsuit and carrying a suitcase. She seemed ordinary, but Guan Tong got the feeling that she was a "ruthless person".

Perhaps it's because he's experienced a lot, but he's also become more aware of things like "killing intent," which is hard to define. The woman in the suit undoubtedly exuded that kind of aura.

He walked over, and Yelena nodded slightly when she saw him: "Teacher, you've come."

"Hmm. And who is this?"

"Hello, I am Schorchin, our young lady's housekeeper."

"Hello, I am Guan Tong, a lecturer at the academy."

Si Gaoqin sized up Guan Tong. She had actually secretly investigated some of Guan Tong's information and knew some of his basic background.

Now that she has seen him in person, she slowly squinted her eyes.

Just as Guan Tong could vaguely sense the murderous aura emanating from her, she could also sense the malevolent energy emanating from Guan Tong.

Although Guan Tong had a handsome appearance and didn't seem like a ruthless person, Skochin knew almost immediately that Guan Tong was more than just an academy teacher; he must have taken many lives, otherwise he wouldn't possess such an aura. "Teacher, we are setting off back to Cisya today," Yelena said solemnly. "Thank you for your guidance these past few days; I have benefited greatly from it."

Seeing how serious she was, Guan Tong couldn't help but think it was a bit exaggerated, but he still smiled and said, "I didn't contribute much; your own efforts are the most important. I wish you a safe journey, and you can come to Beixing again if you have the chance in the future."

Upon hearing this, Yelena blurted out, "Teacher, after Lecturer Jingyi returns to the academy, you won't be taking on the lecturer position anymore, right? Would you be willing to come to Cissia then?"

Guan Tong and Si Gaoqin were both surprised to hear this, not expecting her to extend such an invitation.

After Yelena finished speaking, her eyes flickered slightly, but she quickly regained her composure and continued, "If you are willing to come, teacher, you can teach at Sisia as a lecturer. I will guarantee you the best treatment."

Sgorchen looked at Yelena silently.

Guan Tong met Ye Lianka's slightly expectant gaze and shook her head slightly: "I'm sorry, Stasia. I don't have that plan for the time being."

Yelena's expression darkened: "Is that so?"

“I will go to Cissia someday, but not to be a lecturer there,” Guan Tong said. “Why… I think you know.”

Ye Lianka was startled.

She remembered Guan Tong saying that she would not let her brother go, so how could she not understand the meaning behind Guan Tong's words?

"Alright, saying goodbye isn't a final farewell, no need to make the atmosphere so heavy," Guan Tong said with a smile.

"……Um."

Yelena nodded, then stared into the void in front of her, raising her hand slightly as if to open her terminal panel.

The next moment, a small hourglass appeared on her snow-white palm.

As soon as the hourglass appeared, before Yelena could speak, Sgorchen's expression changed slightly, and she whispered, "This one—"

Yelena frowned slightly, and Sgorchin immediately stopped talking, but his expression clearly showed his reluctance.

Ye Lianka moved her palm in front of Guan Tong: "Teacher, I would like to give you this prop as a parting gift."

Guan Tong could tell from Si Gaoqin's reaction that the prop was probably quite valuable. He shook his head: "I can't accept something for nothing. I haven't done anything besides what a teacher should do. You should take the prop back."

“No, I hope you will accept it, teacher,” Yelena insisted.

Guan Tong felt somewhat helpless seeing that she wouldn't leave until she packed up her things.

He thought for a moment, then said helplessly, "Alright, I can accept it. But since this is a parting gift, I'll give you one in return."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and took out one of his props from the storage box.

The next moment, an energy bar-like object appeared in his palm.

It was the "Passerby Transformation Device" that he had bought at a bargain price on the market to hide his identity.

The value of this item is hard to say. If there's no need to conceal one's identity, it's worthless. But if there's a need, or if one temporarily needs to change appearance to evade tracking and pursuit, then the value of this item could be astonishingly high.

Guan Tong gave this item to Ye Lianka partly because he himself wouldn't need it much. With the Shadow Armor and the wide-ranging Shadow Domain, he rarely needed to disguise himself as a passerby anymore.

But Yelena is different.

Although she didn't say it, it's clear from every angle that she's someone of extraordinary status, meaning she's likely under a lot of scrutiny in Cissia and is the center of attention. This transformation item might come in handy in that situation.

When Ye Lianka saw that Guan Tong had also taken out a prop as a gift, a faint smile appeared on her face, and she gladly accepted it.

Guan Tong looked at Ye Lianka's smile and thought that, compared to him, she seemed more suited to a nickname like "Ye the Unsmiling." It seemed to be the first time he had seen her smile in months.

Sgorchen was also watching Yelena at this moment, and seeing the smile on her face, he felt very complicated.

After Guan Tong received the hourglass item, she didn't check its effects immediately but put it into the storage box first, as did Ye Lianka.

"Then, let's set off."

"Bon Voyage."

"Goodbye."

Ye Lianka bowed slightly to Guan Tong, and then walked out of the city with Si Gaoqin.

Guan Tong watched silently from behind for a moment, and sighed softly once the two had disappeared from sight.

Humans aren't plants or trees; he'd known Yelena for several months and often trained her, so they were definitely acquaintances. And since he didn't know many people, he paid extra attention to each and every one of them.

Just like Xu Xiaotian and Wang Yan and Chen Na, even if they couldn't offer him much help in terms of benefits, Guan Tong was willing to lend them a hand at crucial moments simply because of their familiarity with each other.

Moreover, Yelena's situation is more complicated.

Because Guan Tong will eventually settle scores with his brother, how will Ye Lianka cope then? Will she stand by and watch her loved ones get hurt just because of her competition with her brother? It's hard to say.

"I hope we won't be hostile to each other next time we meet."

After Guan Tong finished speaking softly, she turned and went back to the academy.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Sgorchin and Yelena were walking down the road when the former couldn't help but say, "Princess, you know you've been acting somewhat emotionally. Putting aside your invitation to him to Sisia, just look at that item you gave him—it was very precious. The one your teacher gave you certainly wasn't that valuable."

"Does exchanging gifts mean that they are equal in value?" Yelena asked.

“Yes.” Skochin replied without hesitation, “Because in this era, a precious item can save lives in critical moments. And what you, Princess, have given is such an item.”

"..."

"Your Highness, look at what he gave you."

Ye Lianka opened the storage box and looked at the details of the [Passerby Transformation Device] that Guan Tong had given her.

After reading it, she couldn't help but laugh.

Schorchin asked in confusion, "What is it?"

Yelena handed her the prop: "Take a look. I think this prop could save a life in a critical moment."

Sgorchin looked at the prop's effect with some skepticism. After reading it, he was first taken aback, then frowned: "If this is the effect, it might actually be of some use to you, Princess."

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(End of this chapter)