The most confusing thing in the world is that even happiness and joy must follow the principle of equivalent exchange.

True happiness comes at a price, just as true success is burdened with a heavy past, and true happiness is hidden in the shadow of unspeakable sadness.

We sing in drunkenness and wake up with headaches, bitter mouths, and exhaustion, we enjoy delicious food and run with gritted teeth to lose increased body fat, we watch the clowns perform burlesque comedy and then endure the endless emptiness after laughing.

Every moment of positive energy will always be accompanied by a corresponding degree of negative energy.

Without difficulties, failures, pain, and sorrows, one would not truly understand success, joy, and happiness.

Eventually, we will discover that it is not the world that suffers – the amount of joy and joy we can feel depends on how much suffering and sorrow we can endure.

It's a tough choice.

But most of the time, life doesn't put the right to make free choices into our own hands.

Just like Zheng Qing.

If he had a choice, he would rather paddle in the freshman competition a few days ago, play soy sauce, mix a ranking that is neither high nor low, get a little bit of no more and no less, and continue his small life with great pleasure.

Instead of carrying the glory of the first place in the freshman competition as it is now, he walked at night in brocade clothes, avoiding the strange and scrutinizing eyes of others like a rat crossing the street, and avoiding their whispered whispers.

At the freshman award ceremony, the uniform shouts of 'cheating' from the audience echoed in his ears for a long time, and every time he thought about it, he was impatient and depressed.

As the saying goes, 'out of sight, out of mind', the young public-funded student simply hid himself in the deepest part of the Shushan Pavilion, intending to use time to erase these embarrassing accusations.

Just like now.

The afternoon magic philosophy class had just ended, and before Lao Yao had even stepped out of the door of West 306 of the teaching building, Zheng Qing had already stuffed his lecture notes and exercises and other school supplies into a gray cloth bag, stood up, and wanted to sneak out before the others could react - this was the only class on Wednesday afternoon, and if he hurried, he would still be able to grab a hidden seat in the depths of the Shushan Pavilion.

It's just that his calculation was broken by Xiao Xiao.

"Don't run yet. Dr. Xiao grabbed the corner of the public scholarship student's robe and whispered, "Wait a minute, I have something to tell you..."

"Can't you go back at night?" Zheng Qing noticed the faint sight around him, and interrupted the doctor a little anxiously.

"No, you can't. Xiao Xiao shook his head firmly, and his hands clenched tighter and tighter: "Wait a while, Blue and Lin Guo will also come, and we will have a meeting in this classroom." ”

While talking, Zhang Jixin and Xin Fatzi also came over with notes and snacks. The four of them gathered in the corner of the classroom, a little alienated from the rest of the class.

Zheng Qing sighed deeply, sat back in his seat, and slammed his head on the desk.

Since last Sunday's freshman competition, there seems to be a bit of a vague gap between many of the students in the class and them. Those who were familiar with each other before, such as Jiang Yu, Li Meng and others, may have been worried that mentioning the matter of hunting would cause them to be congested, so they avoided talking about it, so the relationship became colder.

And those who didn't know each other well before have nothing to say now—there are some people who are trying to find out what rewards they have received for the first place in the freshman competition, what it feels like to be 'dead', whether there is really a way to get rid of the guilt, and get some preferential treatment from the academy.

There are some things that Zheng Qing can't say, some things that Zheng Qing doesn't do, and some things, even if Zheng Qing repeatedly explains and stresses them, those who don't want to believe still still refuse to believe it.

So, in recent days, everyone has been a little lazy and tired of arguing with other people. simply hide in the corner and become a unity, regardless of the idler's right or wrong.

"Your family Elena, I didn't come to class today. Fat Xin held a small bucket of beef jerky, chewing with relish, and pushed the public scholarship student on the table with his elbow.

Because of her courage and trust in the hunting grounds, the Gypsy Witch gradually gained a lot of recognition in the 403 dormitory. Everyone also started to make a little joke about the two of them from time to time.

Zheng Qing's head rolled around his arm and his gaze turned in the other direction.

As he had seen it countless times before, Yelena's seat was empty. The young public scholarship student hadn't seen a gypsy witch since Sunday's freshman competition, and as before, the teachers didn't seem to care about the transfer student's absence, even Lao Yao never urged the two class leaders to look for Yelena.

"I don't know. Zheng Qing replied sullenly, "She hasn't been to the library recently." ”

"Li Meng seems to have something to ask us. Zhang Jixin's gaze noticed two other acquaintances.

Not far away, Li Meng was climbing on Jiang Yu's arm, as if arguing about something, and from time to time he cast his eyes at Zheng Qing and their corner, waving his little arm, looking like he wanted to come over. It's just that Jiang Yu shook his head slightly, and didn't come over, but dragged the little witch out of the classroom.

"What can she do?!In just two days, she has asked me a hundred times where the big black cat is!" Zheng Qing couldn't help but sigh again: "If it weren't for you dragging me, I would have been in a corner of the Shushan Pavilion by now......"

"Running away won't solve the problem, you should learn to ignore the gossip. Xiao Xiao hugged his head, stared at the ceiling, and suddenly opened his mouth to persuade.

"Just like you, the school is full of ups and downs in the love between teachers and students, and there is nothing to do?" Zheng Qing sneered: "If I were Mr. Sima, I would definitely go to the Discipline Department of the School Working Committee and blast you home." ”

Xiao Xiao's face suddenly darkened.

"So, what the hell is that big black cat doing?" On the other side, the fat man who was chewing beef jerky suddenly asked, "Others can't say it, can't we say it too?"

"Yes...... I've told you hundreds of times, the big black cat went to the Silent Forest to grind its paws. Zheng Qing twisted his buttocks to make his body more comfortable, and at the same time muttered lazily: "It's grinding, come back and disembowel you...... See how much oil and water you really have in your stomach. ”

After waiting for about half an hour, the classroom was empty, and the corridor outside was quiet, and the door of classroom 306 was finally pushed open again.

"Sorry!

"We are not to blame...... When we first went to Atlas to find someone, they were doing a service, so we had to wait aside and stay a little longer. ”

Lin Guo jumped in from the outside, and said with a crackling mouth: "Fortunately, I didn't disgrace my life, and I called everyone here...... All members of the Knights of the Guilty Order, participate!"

Behind him, two familiar figures streamed in.

Walking in front was the blue, who was still holding the sword wrapped in layers of cloth, but the sable was no longer in the hood, and his expression was a little more cold.

Walking behind was an acquaintance of Zheng Qing who had not seen him for a long time.

A young monk studying at Atlas Academy, Shi Yuan.

He was wearing a yellow cloth straight jacket, his head was shiny and shiny, and a string of purple-red Buddha beads the size of a dragon's eye hung around his neck, and he smiled like Maitreya.