Chapter 169 - 168: Exchanging Fates

Chapter 169: Chapter 168: Exchanging Fates

Huo Xingye followed Gu Qingyin’s gaze. "Someone you know?"

Huo Xinghai looked over as well. "Huh? Po Ben?"

"You know him too?" Huo Xingye asked, a little surprised. "Who is he?"

"A composer. His music has a very strong personal style, all dark and somber with a hint of madness."

"What’s his full name?" Gu Qingyin suddenly asked.

Huo Xinghai thought for a moment. "I think it’s... Po Ben Kang?"

Kang? Gu Qingyin narrowed her eyes. "Is that the same Kang as in Kangkang’s name?"

Huo Xinghai raised an eyebrow. "Not sure. Maybe they’re from the same family?"

Huo Xingye took out his phone. "I’ll have someone look into it." He asked while typing a message, "Is there a problem?"

Gu Qingyin explained what she had discovered about Kangkang, then said, "That Po Ben Kang from a moment ago... his aura is very similar to Kangkang’s, as if they’re linked. But the aura is very faint, so for now, I can’t tell what effect it has."

Huo Xinghai looked at Gu Qingyin thoughtfully. "Mom, do you have any peace charms on you?"

Gu Qingyin shook her head. "I can make one if needed." She already understood. "You want me to give Kangkang a peace charm to wear?"

Huo Xinghai nodded. "At a time like this, whether one normally believes in these things or not, no one would refuse such a gift, even if just for peace of mind."

Gu Qingyin completely agreed. She turned to leave. "I’m taking a cab back to the hotel. I’ll make it right now."

While Huo Xingchen and the others were still training, Gu Qingyin returned to her hotel room. She laid out paper, a brush, and vermillion ink at the desk and began to draw a talisman.

A peace charm was the most basic kind of talisman, and drawing one was almost effortless for her. Just in case, she also made a small modification. Though it would only work once, it could have a miraculous effect if the timing was right.

After finishing the talismans, Gu Qingyin placed them into five embroidered pouches and then went downstairs to the team’s training room.

The manager saw her and instinctively started to greet her.

Gu Qingyin raised a finger to her lips in a "shush" gesture, signaling for him not to disturb them. She then moved to the side to watch their scrim with the coach.

This wasn’t the first time Gu Qingyin had watched Huo Xingchen and his team play. She had followed their previous competitions, even their livestreamed ranked games.

Although she had never played the game herself, she understood the rules perfectly and had even studied their tactics.

After watching for a while, Gu Qingyin muttered under her breath, "They’re about to win."

Beside her, the coach, who had been frowning deeply, glanced over at her words. He didn’t say anything, but he scoffed internally. ’They’re clearly about to lose. She doesn’t know anything and is just talking nonsense.’

But less than five minutes later, they turned the tables. Huo Xingchen led his teammates on a decisive push straight into the enemy’s main base.

Surprise flashed in the coach’s eyes. ’When did they develop this tactic? It even fooled me.’ Then he looked back at Gu Qingyin with an expression of utter disbelief.

’Huo Xingchen’s mom actually understands the game?!’

As the enemy’s crystal shattered, a smirk played on Huo Xingchen’s lips. His expression held no surprise, only triumphant confidence.

It was proof that their new tactic worked quite well.

The scrim came to a successful conclusion. The coach then led them in a review session that lasted for nearly an hour, with Gu Qingyin listening quietly from the side.

After the review was over, the coach suddenly asked, "Star Mother, is there anything you’d like to say?"

Gu Qingyin was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and shook her head. "The boys all performed very well. I’m just an outsider, so I probably shouldn’t offer any casual opinions."

The coach laughed too. "You’re being too modest. But it is getting a little late now, and you have a match tomorrow morning. It’s time to rest."

The moment he finished speaking, the young men cheered and were about to bolt out the door.

Gu Qingyin quickly said, "Wait, I have gifts for you."

Everyone screeched to a halt, retreating in a surprisingly obedient fashion to stand in a line before Gu Qingyin.

Gu Qingyin couldn’t help but smile. She took out the embroidered pouches, handed one to each of them, and told a small white lie. "I got these from a temple. I hope they bring you good luck."

The young men took the pouches and thanked her all at once, their voices overlapping.

Overwhelmed by the noise, Gu Qingyin made a "time out" gesture. "I also bought you guys some crêpes when I went out. I left them at the front desk, so don’t forget to grab them."

The players exchanged a look and then scrambled to be the first one out the door, as if afraid the crêpes would disappear if they were a second too late.

Even after they had all run out, their voices yelling "thank you" could still be heard echoing back.

Gu Qingyin shook her head with a laugh. ’Ah, youth,’ she thought. ’So full of boundless energy. Even Kangkang, who seems so cool and aloof, gets this rowdy when he’s with his friends.’

The coach and manager chatted with Gu Qingyin for a few more moments before they too left to rest and prepare for the next day.

Soon, only Gu Qingyin and Huo Xingchen were left in the training room.

"Mom, did you figure something out?" Huo Xingchen asked in a conspiratorial whisper. "Is someone going to use a Xuan Technique to attack us?"

Gu Qingyin gave him a sidelong glance. "You didn’t notice anything?"

Huo Xingchen scratched his head. "I knew there was something off about Kangkang, but it’s been there ever since I joined the team. I was on guard for a while, but it never changed, and I couldn’t figure out what it was, so I didn’t dare touch it."

Gu Qingyin also fell into thought. First, the thing on Kangkang definitely wasn’t a curse. Otherwise, after all these years, he would have been long gone. There’s no way it would have remained unchanged.

Second, his aura didn’t feel malicious, just... muddled. It was unclear what had been mixed into it.

"A fate swap." Huo Yunjing, who had appeared out of nowhere, suddenly spoke. "His destiny has been tied to someone else’s. All they are waiting for is the right opportunity to complete the swap."

Realization dawned on Gu Qingyin. "No wonder it felt so muddled. It’s been tainted by someone else’s aura."

Huo Xingchen, however, was both confused and worried. "You can schedule a fate swap in advance? It hasn’t been triggered for so many years, so what exactly is this ’right opportunity’?"

"When he is standing at his absolute peak."

Huo Xingchen’s pupils contracted. "Winning the championship?!"

Gu Qingyin nodded. "That’s the next closest opportunity."

"This thing can be broken, right?" Huo Xingchen was getting genuinely anxious. He might have a withdrawn personality, and Kangkang might seem cold, but they had been through thick and thin together for years. Their bond was real.

"It’s not easy," Huo Yunjing said. "A fate swap must be controlled by someone from behind the scenes. This was set in motion several years ago, so finding them now will be extremely difficult. The person pulling the strings won’t reveal themselves until the swap is complete."

Huo Xingchen’s brow furrowed. "How about I go ask him? He should know if there’s anyone who has it out for him, right?"

Huo Yunjing shook his head again. "It’s not necessarily someone he knows. It could just as easily be a stranger who is jealous of his good fortune and wants to take it for themselves."

Huo Xingchen was dumbfounded. In that case, trying to find the person behind all this would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

"Besides, telling him now won’t change anything, but it will affect his performance in the match."

Just as the father and son were at their wits’ end, Gu Qingyin, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke. "I think I know who it is."