Chapter 61

University Student Ped

“My God!!!!!! The assassin is here, hide!” Scott screamed in Juan’s mind.

Anyone would react like that, right? When the glass in front of them suddenly shatters, and someone pops out to grab them?

Juan had thought the person was either holding a knife or a gun, and that the so-called “hug” was actually an assassination move. When the person grabbed him, he had already braced himself for the fatal blow. However—

Eh?!

It seemed like it was really just a “hug”? The longer he was held, the tighter it became… and it kind of hurt…

And on top of that, his forehead hurt a little too.

While he was feeling a bit dazed, Ped finally released him and noticed the wound on his forehead. It was likely caused by the falling glass shards—shallow and short, but it was bleeding a lot.

There was a long trail of blood across his face, but Juan remained calmly staring at Ped.

It was this expression…

Ped admired the fresh Juan in front of him, and after a moment, he flipped his right hand. A golden plant appeared in his palm, quickly growing and blooming into a golden flower. He brought it close to Juan’s forehead wound, whispering, “Be careful, this might hurt a little.”

As the flower neared the wound, it seemed to sense the blood, and the flower bloomed wide open. The white center of the flower resembled small teeth, and before Juan could react, it bit down on the wound!

“Helenda Flower—the arch-nemesis of the Kemira Flower. Though both have sharp teeth, Helenda is a healing flower. When it bites the wound, it performs both blood clotting and stitching. For travelers who can’t find a doctor, it’s the best healer.”

—Excerpt from Ped’s Magic Book, page 103

The flower bit down hard on Juan, but he still remained expressionless. However, inside his mind, Scott let out a painful “hiss.”

“It hurts! It hurts! Does this flower have teeth? Is it eating me? Ahhhhhh! I’m going to die—”

“Didn’t you already know you were going to die?” Juan calmly replied to the delirious Scott.

“Oh? Right…” Scott’s mind suddenly went quiet.

Meanwhile, Ped, hearing Juan’s response, didn’t stop his actions. He carefully guided the golden flower to continue treating Juan’s forehead wound. The narrow cut healed with visible speed, disappearing entirely, leaving just a trace of blood. Ped gently wiped away the last bit, and the last sign of Juan’s injury vanished.

After inspecting him once more, Ped softly asked, “How’s the body now?”

“Still alive, the host is still here, but not for long,” Juan answered.

Scott: …Though you’re speaking the truth, you really didn’t need to be so direct. It’s a bit cold-blooded!

Ped nodded.

Before they could say more, the door on the other side of the room was suddenly kicked open. Dozens of armed security personnel poured into the room—some men, some women, some fat, some thin. Some were fully armed, while others weren’t, but their presence exuded an undeniable danger.

“Mr. Bricha, the glass in your bedroom was shattered. We suspect an intruder has entered, and I took the liberty of opening your door. Please forgive us for the intrusion,” the hotel manager, who had entered alongside the security personnel, said apologetically.

Unlike the hotel manager, who bowed in deep apology, the security guards who had barged in earlier were on high alert. They stared at the shattered glass and Ped, who had suddenly appeared. Everyone instinctively reached for their weapons.

Seeing the situation, Ped raised an eyebrow and whistled. “I told you I was hired to conduct a security test here—do you believe me?”

No one responded. All eyes remained fixed on him. Ped had no doubt that if he made any move, their powers and weapons would immediately be directed at him without hesitation.

It was then that Juan spoke up: “He is… my… person.”

When it came to their relationship, Juan hesitated slightly. But the result of that hesitation made his words sound somewhat ambiguous.

Ped could clearly feel the hesitation from the security guards after Juan’s words.

However, this explanation…

At that moment, Old Bricha, having glanced at his grandson and then at Ped, waved his hand to the guards. “Scott is right. This person is his friend, and he is also the one I hired to test your hotel’s security system. Your boss is aware of my involvement. I don’t trust anyone else’s assessment, so I will conduct my own test. Clearly, your security system has flaws.”

The hotel manager paused for a moment before bowing deeply. “We are so sorry. Thank you, Mr. Bricha, for your valuable advice. As an apology, we will waive all of your accommodation and dining fees. However, since the glass in this room was broken, young Mr. Bricha will need to change rooms. Don’t worry, everything will be handled by our staff.”

Old Bricha didn’t comment on the suggestion, but nodded at Juan. “Let them give you a new room. Until then, you can rest in my room, and bring your friend along.”

He then had his wheelchair pushed out, with Juan following behind. Ped gave the security guards a lingering, somewhat flirtatious look, and after a moment, lazily followed Juan out of the room.

Old Bricha’s room next door was similar in size to Juan’s room, but the style was entirely different.

Probably considering his age, Juan’s original room had a highly modern design, aligned with the city’s style, while Old Bricha’s room exuded a nostalgic, retro feel, heavy with luxurious design elements, perfectly reflecting his preferences.

“Is it the person in the painting?” Old Bricha asked, studying Ped more closely and turning to Juan, who was standing nearby.

Juan nodded.

“Seems like your friend,” Old Bricha mused. “Is it someone you knew before?”

Indeed, it was exactly that. Thinking this, Juan nodded again.

Old Bricha looked at Juan. “Since it’s an old friend visiting, treat your friend well. I’ll have them prepare a room for him as well. After that, you can spend some time catching up.”

He then glanced at the butler, who understood immediately and took out a white card from his suit pocket, respectfully offering it to Juan with both hands. “This is prepared by the master for you.”

Taking the card, Juan looked puzzled, and Old Bricha explained, “You wanted money, right? There’s plenty of it in there. Buy whatever you want. If it’s not enough, I’ll have someone transfer more to you.”

“Take good care of your friend,” he added, nodding at Ped. The butler helped him leave the room.

“White card… They say to get one of this color, you need to have at least a hundred million in your account,” Scott’s dreamy voice echoed in Juan’s mind. “You really are amazing, getting whatever you want…”

“It’s because of you,” Juan replied directly.

“No, I didn’t have a penny before you came…” Scott’s voice still had that ethereal quality. However, after watching Ped, who seemed excitedly focused on Juan, Scott suddenly shuddered.

“You know I’m here.” Ped spoke directly, his statement certain.

“Mm,” Juan responded, now speaking to him directly.

Since coming here, he had been sensing Ped’s presence. While in Bricha City, he could only sense his rough direction, but now, as their distance narrowed, the sensation became clearer.

Sitting in the restaurant, he knew Ped was behind him.

When getting fitted at the high-end tailor shop, he knew Ped was to his left and slightly in front.

And now, when he sat in the dark room at Menqiu Palace, he could feel Ped right in front of him!

Though sometimes he would sense him slightly to the left or right, Ped was getting closer and closer. The feeling that Ped was approaching, just a step away…

Juan stood up, walked to the window, and drew the curtains aside.

“I told you, whether I’m alive or dead; whether my body is intact or decayed; whether I’m human, beast, or insect, I will find you, again and again. Even without legs, I will crawl toward you with only my hands.”

He stared into Ped’s amber eyes, speaking seriously.

Ped, matching the intensity of his gaze, held eye contact for a long, long time. Eventually, he smiled.

In that instant, all the years of waiting dissolved into nothingness, leaving only a sweetness that was filled with expectation yet still fresh with time.

Their gazes intertwined—one smiling, the other gazing intently. Though they did not speak, there was an intimacy between them that no one else could interrupt.

As the third party between the two, Scott desperately wished he could close his eyes and not see anything. However, since Juan was continuously staring at Ped, he was forced to observe Ped closely.

The more he looked, the more familiar Ped’s face became. Suddenly, Scott shouted, “It’s him! He’s an assassin!”

He had said the same thing when Ped had dropped down from the window, but at that time, it was because of the way Ped appeared—it was so “assassin-like” that he called it out. When Juan explained that Ped was someone he knew, Scott hadn’t paid much attention, but now he was more suspicious.

Alright, he had forced himself to not care, but there were still many questions.

Then, after having to face Ped for a prolonged moment, Scott’s familiarity with Ped’s face grew. It finally clicked—Ped’s face matched a photo he had seen in his past life.

“He’s one of the top ten most powerful ability users in the world! And he’s the only one who openly takes on assassination contracts! I recognize him!”

“In my previous life! My grandfather was assassinated by him, and because of that incident, his photo was published, which is how I saw it!”

Scott was absolutely sure: “His name is S11!”

Juan’s eyes shifted, and with his sharp perception of expressions, Ped immediately asked, “What’s wrong?”

“He says you’re an assassin,” Scott blurted out before he could stop him.

“Hey! Don’t say it’s me! Don’t tell him everything! What if he kills us…” Scott began, but then suddenly remembered something. He glanced at Ped, then at Juan, and stopped shivering.

Right, now Juan was with him! And clearly, Juan and Ped had a very special relationship! These two were so close, so Scott had nothing to fear. What was he so worried about?

Realizing this, Scott froze in place.

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Ped immediately denied the accusation. “I’m just an ordinary university student, working part-time to pay for tuition. Assassin? That’s nonsense!”

Although Ped spoke with righteous indignation, Juan’s mind couldn’t shake the feeling that he was lying.

“You’re currently in university?” Juan asked, focusing on the key part of Ped’s statement.

“Yeah! I’m a student majoring in Classical Literature! I’ve been self-studying for three years and finally passed the entrance exam this year. It wasn’t easy!” Ped said proudly.

Juan nodded. “I’m also a university student, but my major is Ancient Human Art Studies and Appreciation.”

Ped’s eyes lit up, and he immediately grabbed Juan’s hand. “Wow! Our majors are so artistic!”

Scott: …

“Now that I think about it, in my last life, it was around this time that my grandfather was assassinated, though he survived the attack. It was the first time someone took a picture of the assassin. Now, the same person is here. Grandpa wasn’t assassinated, and he even said it was him who came to test the hotel’s security. Doesn’t this mean that things are different in this life?” Scott muttered, sitting quietly in a corner of his mind.

When he thought about it, he realized he wasn’t a very good reincarnated person.

In his last life, he grew up as an ordinary person. It got complicated when he was identified, but in the end, he didn’t even get to touch anything before he died. In this life, although he had returned to a wealthy family, his weak body and his father’s favoritism meant he still hadn’t experienced much.

For example, he knew his grandfather had been assassinated but never knew when. He didn’t even know his grandfather enjoyed collecting art or attended auctions.

Of course, his grandfather never took him to any of those things.

So useless… Scott hugged his legs, thinking.

While he was lost in thought, Juan had already briefly introduced his new body and family to Ped.

“The Bricha family? They’re incredibly wealthy. Me assassinate Old Bricha? And fail? How could that be? If I want to do something, I’ll definitely succeed!” Ped said confidently.

“Cough, cough, of course, I’m not saying I’m an assassin. I’m definitely not an assassin. So that kind of thing could never happen. I came here to help install this in the windows of Old Bricha and Young Bricha’s rooms,” he continued, pulling out two square white objects from his backpack, which looked like plastic items. Juan glanced at them, and then casually waved his hand, shattering them into dust.

Not a speck remained.

“He says I’m S11… Hmm… that was such a long time ago, but I don’t miss it. Yes, I do take on some part-time jobs now, but I use the name Ped for those,” he explained.

“So, everything that happened in the past life, huh? Turns out people can really live their lives over again. Heh, the original owner of this body is really an interesting person!” Ped said, focusing on Juan. It was as though he could see Scott hiding inside him. Ped smiled slightly.