Because Lin Qiye had some enrollment paperwork to take care of, he arrived at school later than Yun Hexian and Pang Xin.
Fortunately, his Auntie must have spoken to him about them the day before, so when he passed by Class 1, he greeted Pang Xin.
Yun Hexian was busy persistently poking the back of the student sitting in front of him. When he saw Lin Qiye, he merely lifted his chin in a nod, signaling a hello.
Lin Qiye could only pretend not to notice, though he thought to himself: *According to the tropes in novels, isn't Yun Hexian the first sidekick the protagonist is supposed to tame? Why didn't I get placed in Class 1?*
Lin Qiye had been waiting for someone to mock him for being blind, which would lead to a comeback—the classic "ignored by NPCs, then the protagonist slaps their faces" trope. But it had yet to happen.
The oblivious Yun Hexian continued to poke the back of the top student, who was said to have the highest grades in the entire city. The "click-clack" sound of his mechanical pencil echoed.
The top student finally turned around. His gaze was calm, his tone tinged with a hint of impatience as he asked coldly, "Is there something you need?"
Yun Hexian’s sharp eyes caught the name written on the cover of the textbook lying on the desk: An Qingyu.
"Qingyu, old boy, there's a math quiz this morning. Could you pass me a copy of your answer sheet?" Yun Hexian asked, leaning over his desk.
"My name is An Qingyu, not 'Qingyu' [a type of crucian carp]," he first corrected, then sighed, looking as if to say, *why am I wasting my energy on an idiot,* before turning back around.
Yun Hexian: O.o
*Are you going to squeak a yes or no? What’s with just turning around? If you don't say anything, I’ll take it as a yes.*
Feeling perfectly justified, Yun Hexian glanced at Pang Xin. Pang Xin was staring with his mouth agape. He scribbled something on a piece of paper and slid it over to Yun Hexian.
[Brother Yun, you’re incredible. None of us dare to mess with An Qingyu. The way he looks at people is strange; it really creeps me out.]
*What a prickly character setup.*
Yun Hexian stroked his chin. It seemed this kid was no nobody.
"You’re so sturdy; why are you afraid of him?" Yun Hexian asked, speechless. "One push from you and he’d do a backflip."
Pang Xin was a tall guy at 1.88 meters, while An Qingyu was about the same height as Yun Hexian—around 1.78 meters—and even thinner. Pang Xin was built like a boxer; a single shove could send An Qingyu tumbling twice over, yet he was the one who was scared.
An Qingyu tilted his head slightly. "I can hear you."
Pang Xin: ?.??
*Meekness.JPG*
In the end, Yun Hexian didn't get to copy An Qingyu's exam paper because An Qingyu didn't need to take the test; the math teacher had granted him a special exemption.
Fortunately, Pang Xin, a sidekick with mediocre grades, finished his own paper using Yun Hexian’s handwriting first, then swapped with Yun Hexian so he could start writing his own.
An Qingyu: ?.?
*How interesting. It’s like a young master brought a page boy to school.*
Yun Hexian: ?〃????〃?
*Having a sidekick is great, the BKing System is the best!*
...
After the evening self-study session ended, students eager to head home tossed aside their pens and slung their backpacks over their shoulders. Yun Hexian called out warmly, "Little Qingyu, walking home together?"
An Qingyu, not feeling they were that close, twitched the corner of his mouth and politely declined. "No, thanks. I don't live in the Old Town area—'Bird-Brother'."
Yun Hexian: "Holding a grudge, are we? I give you a nickname, and you flip it right back at me?"
"Courtesy demands reciprocity." An Qingyu gave a slight smile, adjusted his glasses—Yun Hexian felt as if he caught a glimpse of a small mole under his eye—and walked away empty-handed.
*Men with moles under their eyes must be smart.*
Yun Hexian had a sudden thought. Still, this guy was indeed handsome, possessing the charm of an intellectual. Perhaps his "sapiosexuality" was acting up again.
Yun Hexian: *Stupid brain, stop it!*
"Pang Xin, Yun Hexian. Did your class run late for evening self-study?" Standing at the door, Lin Qiye, though wearing a black cloth over his eyes, seemed to be looking right at them. He spoke as the two passed by.
"Oh, look at that, sorry to keep you waiting, Little Seven," Yun Hexian said, hooking his arm around Lin Qiye’s shoulder and raising an eyebrow. "Let’s go. And who are these people behind you?"
"I'm Li Yifei. We’re heading the same way, so we’re walking back with Lin Qiye."
"I'm Jiang Qian, the monitor of Class 2."
"I'm..."
A dozen people clamored at once. Anyone passing by would have thought Lin Qiye was bringing a gang to pick a fight.
However, with Pang Xin’s massive frame looming next to Yun Hexian, no one dared to mutter about why he had ignored Lin Qiye earlier, requiring Lin Qiye to initiate the greeting.
"My Auntie entrusted Yun Hexian and Pang Xin to see me home. We live across the hall, so there's no need for everyone to escort me," Lin Qiye said, aware that the scene of so many people following him was too spectacular, and attempted to refuse.
But the effect was negligible.
"We’re going the same way."
"Yeah, yeah, my house is near the Old Town area too."
"Let's go, let's go, don't stand at the gate."
"..."
They swarmed around Lin Qiye, Yun Hexian, and Pang Xin. Fortunately, they didn't intend to escort Lin Qiye all the way to his doorstep. Soon, they began to split off in twos and threes.
The few remaining were going in the same direction. Lin Qiye shifted his shoulder, trying to get Yun Hexian to let go. Yun Hexian was leaning half his weight on him; Yun Hexian felt comfortable, but Lin Qiye felt like he was carrying a sandbag.
"Yun Hexian, could you let go for a second?" Lin Qiye negotiated.
"Call me Brother Yun," Yun Hexian said, tightening his grip on Lin Qiye's shoulder with a raised eyebrow.
Even with his eyes covered, Lin Qiye exuded a sense of refinement and handsomeness. Perhaps due to his experiences, he carried an aura of calm, profound depth.
Hearing Yun Hexian’s request, he helplessly whispered, "Brother Yun—is that okay?"
Yun Hexian patted his shoulder and released him, leaving Lin Qiye feeling as though a giant heavy pack had been lifted.
"Do you guys think... the fog will come back?" Li Yifei asked, sensing the atmosphere was too quiet and looking for a topic.
"Experts say the probability of the fog returning is very small. I forgot the specifics, but there won't be any changes before we die, so don't overthink it," Jiang Qian said, pouting as she adjusted her bag.
"You actually believe the experts? I feel sorry for you," Yun Hexian remarked casually. "Didn't an expert suggest recently that college students should pay to work in order to get internships?"
Jiang Qian went silent for a moment, then weakly defended, "That’s different!"
"What's different about it? They're all experts," Pang Xin immediately echoed Yun Hexian’s sentiment, staring intently at Jiang Qian.
Jiang Qian: "...Brother Yun is right."
Only then did Pang Xin withdraw his gaze.
Lin Qiye: *Does he really have to be that loyal? How come I don't have a sidekick like that?*
He looked thoughtfully at Yun Hexian. *This must be his choice for a first sidekick, right?* Later, once he showcased his outstanding charm at school, he would surely win Yun Hexian over, and he’d get the fighter Pang Xin as a bonus.
The conversation hit a lull again.
One of the three who hadn’t spoken yet said, "Uh, I’m turning here. See you guys later."
"Hey, Wang Shao, doesn't your house sit next to the Old Town area? I heard there’s a psychotic serial killer in the Old Town recently. You’d better be careful," Li Yifei suddenly said.
Wang Shao, who was about to leave, froze and shivered. "Who are you? You scare me right when I'm about to go?"
"I'm not scaring you. My dad told me. It’s said the victims died horribly. Their skin was peeled off; they were all bloody, like they’d been gnawed on alive..." Li Yifei lowered his voice.
After Li Yifei said that, let alone Wang Shao, even Liu Yuan and Jiang Qian felt scared, instinctively moving closer to the tallest person, Pang Xin.
Pang Xin, now the target, shrank back behind Yun Hexian, patting his chest and saying, "Brother Yun, I'll protect you. Oh, and Little Seven, too."
Lin Qiye: "...Thanks. But with Li Yifei talking like that, I don't feel like this was done by a human. What kind of psychopath does that?"
"Don't tell ghost stories in the middle of the night!" Jiang Qian exclaimed in shock.
[Two Masked Ghosts are in the alleyway Wang Shao is about to enter. They came up from the sewers and carry a stench, making them easy to spot.] The BKing System, knowing its host was unaware of the plot, provided a hint.
Yun Hexian’s smiling face remained, but his body grew taut. He stood beside Lin Qiye, his eyes filled with vigilance.
*Masked Ghosts? No idea who these two actually are, but as long as they’re human, they’ll have flaws. They came from the sewers, eh...*
Yun Hexian tried to relax. Inside his school uniform sleeves, layers of blade fragments were coiled around his arms—the indestructible whip-blades.
*Hm?*
Lin Qiye looked at Yun Hexian in surprise. Even with his eyes covered, his perception was fine. It felt as if there were many blades hidden in Yun Hexian's sleeves.
*What kind of ability is this? Does it have something to do with the Angels? Could Yun Hexian be the guide who opens my path to the Mysterious? I’d rather not. Being ordinary is fine.*
"Do you guys smell something?" Yun Hexian leaned against Lin Qiye, frowning slightly, as if he had caught a whiff of something disgusting.
Lin Qiye sniffed but didn't catch anything. *Is this an ability of these special people?*
He felt thoughtful.
Jiang Qian, who was talking to Wang Shao and Li Yifei, paused. Her sense of smell was sensitive, but she hadn't caught any stench...
"Ugh... there really is! It smells like... the sewers..." Jiang Qian said, squatting down to retch.
Following Jiang Qian’s movement, Wang Shao, Liu Yuan, and Li Yifei smelled it too. Li Yifei pointed toward the alley behind Wang Shao. "It seems to be coming from the path you're about to take."
The deep, dark alleyway reeked. Combining this with the serial killer Li Yifei had just mentioned, the disgusting sewage smell seemed to transform into the scent of rotting corpses.
Wang Shao hesitated for a moment and turned back. "I'd better take the long way home." Even if there wasn't a serial killer, he didn't want to face a corpse.
Wang Shao had only taken two steps when two humanoid creatures crawled out of the alley.
Their figures were as robust as grizzly bears, moving on all fours. Their heads were human-like, but they wore pale, twisted ghost faces.
Lashing out two flexible, snake-like red tongues, they charged straight at them!
"Monster! Ahhhhh!!!" Jiang Qian screamed in terror.
*Holy crap!*
Yun Hexian’s heart skipped a beat. He had always thought the Masked Ghosts were a faction wearing ghost masks, opposing the official organization of the Night Watchers.
He never expected they wouldn't be human at all!