Chapter 9

"Ding-ding—"

The school bell rang right on time. Yun Hexian happily finished his journey through a day of "not knowing what he was learning" and prepared to leave the classroom with Pang Xin. As they passed An Qingyu, the latter grabbed Yun Hexian’s arm, pulling him straight back.

Yun Hexian: (??_??)? "Something’s not right, are you a Lamp Realm user or am I?" "You look so scrawny, how do you have so much strength?"

Perhaps Yun Hexian’s expression was too astonished, for An Qingyu seemed to read the unspoken words. "I’m an honorary member of the youth combat club. Can I stay at your place tonight, Brother Bird?"

"I really can't tell you, little Crucian Carp." Once An Qingyu spoke, Yun Hexian knew exactly what he was after. He broke free and said, "Fine, just friends visiting each other's homes." An Qingyu adapted his request with ease.

Yun Hexian couldn't really refuse, especially since just two days ago he had been poking An Qingyu's back with his mechanical pencil.

"What good will following me do? I don’t run into those kinds of things every day," Yun Hexian muttered.

An Qingyu’s ears were sharp; he caught the words and the corner of his mouth curled up even further, though he said quite plainly, "Do you know about the Law of Frequency?"

Yun Hexian: ... "That was my line from this morning!"

"I know, I know." Yun Hexian shoved the notebook Lin Qiye had given him into Pang Xin’s backpack, then grabbed Pang Xin and An Qingyu, one with each hand, and led them out of the classroom.

At the door, Lin Qiye had just stepped out of Class 2, accompanied only by Li Yifei. Jiang Qian, Wang Shao, Liu Yuan, and the others were not with him.

"This is?" Lin Qiye looked at An Qingyu with some confusion, asking Yun Hexian.

Yun Hexian’s eyes darted, and he threw an arm around An Qingyu’s shoulder, saying with a confident look, "This is An Qingyu, the city’s top academic genius. He’s been conquered by the majestic power of your Brother Yun, and he’s decided to dedicate his body to sleeping with me tonight."

An Qingyu: ... He adjusted his glasses, trying to push Yun Hexian’s arm away. But given the strength of the Lamp Realm, and with Yun Hexian braced for it, An Qingyu truly couldn't budge him. The thought of refusing dissipated. An Qingyu stared at the arm draped across his chest, his eyes gradually changing—such great strength, like a steel bar; it was impossible to move. Is this one of those mysterious powers? Could I... cut a piece off?

"Brother Bird... can you give me a piece of your flesh?" An Qingyu leaned close to Yun Hexian’s ear and whispered in an extremely quiet voice.

Yun Hexian: ∑(O_O；) "No, why! Are you going to eat my flesh? You’ve got quite the temper!"

"They..." Li Yifei only saw Yun Hexian finish speaking, then the famous genius An Qingyu stared at Yun Hexian’s arm for a moment before the two started whispering. Immediately after, Yun Hexian looked at An Qingyu with an expression of shock, as if they were discussing some incredible topic.

Li Yifei couldn't help but gossip to Lin Qiye, "Are they together?"

Lin Qiye, who had heard exactly what was said: ... "I don't know about 'together,' but it’s definitely twisted."

"Haha, just kidding." Yun Hexian released An Qingyu and turned to head out. "Let's go, boys, time to go home."

The five walked together. Halfway there, a light rain began to fall. The sky looked dreadfully gloomy and ominous. Lin Qiye hurried upstairs while Yun Hexian opened his door. Opposite him was Pang Xin’s home; the door was also open, and one could hear voices from inside if they were loud enough. There were only two households on this floor, so this small hallway essentially belonged to the two families. In the middle of the hall, neatly tied bundles of flattened cardboard boxes were stacked, looking quite tidy.

"Ah He, it’s damp out; don't forget to close the balcony window," Pang Lifeng’s voice came from the Pang home. "Come over for dinner in a bit, and bring that little Crucian Carp friend Ah Xin mentioned."

An Qingyu, standing at the door: ... *Stare—*

Yun Hexian grinned. "What’s wrong, little Crucian Carp?" "Can you let me see your mysterious ability?" An Qingyu ignored the question and asked instead. "Why are you so persistent?" Yun Hexian shrugged.

Still, there was nothing to hide. He walked into his living room, and as he moved, golden auspicious clouds rose around him.

"Cree—"

A crisp, short crane cry echoed. A golden immortal crane phantom the size of a palm circled him, though Yun Hexian didn't expand it much, keeping it to a radius of about three meters. A gorgeous, chiming melody rang out as he sat on the sofa.

An Qingyu’s eyes brightened, but he restrained himself so Yun Hexian wouldn't notice, saying in a slow, light tone, "So, you really are 'Brother Bird'."

"Thump, thump, thump—"

There was a sound of rushing footsteps from upstairs, followed by a voice Lin Qiye could vaguely hear: "Auntie, I’m going to check on Yun Hexian, I’ll be up in a minute!"

Before the words had faded, Lin Qiye and Zhao Kongcheng appeared at Yun Hexian’s door. Evidently, the movement from Yun Hexian’s Forbidden Artifact had caught the keen senses of Zhao Kongcheng, who had brought Lin Qiye down with him.

Pang Xin came over from across the hall and ushered the two inside, saying in a low voice, "Why did you come down? And Uncle Zhao, why are you here?"

"Don't get me started! You kid, you look all honest and innocent, but you’ve been helping this boy Yun Hexian lie to me, haven't you? After all the trust I put in you, my heart feels betrayed!" Zhao Kongcheng complained.

Lin Qiye ignored them both.He didn't even look at An Qingyu, just stared at Yun Hexian, expressionless, but with a resentful tone: "Brother Yun, you’ve never shown me your Forbidden Ruins.""

Yun Hexian: ... "But you showed An Qingyu first!" Lin Qiye raised his voice.

An Qingyu: ...?

"I’m sorry, Xiao Qi, you’re giving me the illusion that we’re dating. How much plot did I miss? Did I act like a jerk to you before and then get amnesia? Are you taking revenge on me now by getting close to me..." Yun Hexian looked serious.

Lin Qiye: ..."Fine, I was just curious about your Forbidden Ruins, Brother Yun." Lin Qiye, having thinner skin than Yun Hexian, quickly cut him off.

Yun Hexian, still wanting to veer into R-rated territory, smacked his lips in dissatisfaction. Seeing Lin Qiye getting impatient, he changed his tune: "It’s called 'Immortal Crane in the Clouds.' It’s more of a support type. Its specific abilities are roughly healing, 'lock-health,' and defense."

Zhao Kongcheng, who was secretly eavesdropping: ...? "Can you be a bit more specific?"

"You separate healing and 'lock-health'?" An Qingyu sat on the back of the sofa, thoughtful. "It seems the 'lock-health' ability is one you hold in high regard."

"Little Crucian Carp is so smart!" Yun Hexian gave him a thumbs up. "This 'lock-health' refers to a more powerful healing; it can provide a massive amount of vitality and soul power to someone on the verge of death, healing them as if bringing the dead back to life. But it can only be used once a month."

"Vitality and soul power? Then what about those whose lifespans are exhausted?" An Qingyu suddenly thought of a new angle. "Then you..."

He stopped mid-sentence, turning his head to look at Zhao Kongcheng, who was leaning against the wall listening intently. Lin Qiye followed his gaze. Pang Xin was right next to Zhao Kongcheng, keeping an eye on him.

Zhao Kongcheng: ... "Let me formally introduce myself. I’m from an official organization; I’m one of the Night Watchers in Cangnan City..." Zhao Kongcheng leaned in, smiling broadly.Yun Hexian retracted his Forbidden Ruins and raised a hand in a 'stop' gesture. "Come, sit. Pang Xin, get Xiao Qi’s notebook and give it to the little Crucian Carp."

"You got it." Pang Xin went back to his room to fetch his backpack, where the notebook was kept.

An Qingyu sat on the back of the sofa where Yun Hexian was leaning. He tilted his body backward and slid agilely onto the sofa, turning to sit next to Yun Hexian. Zhao Kongcheng sat opposite the two. Lin Qiye hesitated, then sat on Yun Hexian’s other side. Now, the three were facing Zhao Kongcheng as if putting him on trial.

Yun Hexian said, "Uncle Zhao, we already know what you said." An Qingyu: "I didn't know."

"Wait a second." Yun Hexian patted him, then looked at Zhao Kongcheng, "Has Xiao Qi joined you?"

Zhao Kongcheng nodded.

At the same time, Pang Xin brought the notebook and handed it to An Qingyu, closing the door on his way back.

"If Xiao Qi joined you, then I’ll join too," Yun Hexian said with a smile. Although the system hadn't prompted him, Yun Hexian guessed that acting like a "BKing" (a cool, badass character) in front of the protagonist would yield the greatest rewards. More importantly, without the protagonist, he really didn't know where to find other plot characters. If he wanted to unlock new functions later, he couldn't just go and try to act cool in front of Yang Jin—a middle schooler would just think he was a lunatic!

Lin Qiye looked at Yun Hexian, a touch of emotion rising in his heart. He still remembered what Yun Hexian had said this morning—that he had the ability to grow stronger. And now, he was joining a difficult-to-leave organization just for him. As expected, An Qingyu was just a late arrival; he wasn't as important as himself. *When I become strong enough that no one dares to provoke me, and I can protect Auntie and the others, I’ll leave the Night Watchers and must bring Yun Hexian with me.*

"Can I join?" An Qingyu suddenly asked, then looked at Pang Xin. "And Pang Xin, you must have special abilities too, right? Since you don't look surprised at all."

"Uh, healing and detox." Under Yun Hexian’s encouraging gaze, a faint, vibrant green light appeared on Pang Xin’s hand. "The healing can regenerate severed limbs, and the detox can remove non-god-level toxins."

"No wonder you were fine after being hit by the Masked Ghost," Lin Qiye realized.

"Hiss—"

Zhao Kongcheng gasped, grabbing Pang Xin’s arm and shaking it hard. "Join! You must join!" A strong healing talent was rare; having this level of healing was equivalent to having an extra life on the battlefield. If Yun Hexian and Pang Xin didn't join, he’d bring Lin Qiye over to knock on their door every single day!

"What about the little Crucian Carp?" Yun Hexian pressed. An Qingyu tilted his head to look at him, a smile playing on his lips."Uh, do you have a Forbidden Ruins? Or a usable Forbidden Artifact?" Zhao Kongcheng asked with a frown.

A flash of disappointment crossed An Qingyu’s eyes, and he shook his head. "I don't have—"

"He has a Forbidden Artifact." Yun Hexian pulled the Fruit Basket charm off his school uniform zipper and stuffed it into An Qingyu’s hand. "A Fruit Basket, don't know the series, but it generates a random fruit every day. They taste top-notch."

Seeing Zhao Kongcheng was still hesitant, Yun Hexian added, "If you designate a target and throw the fruit, the opponent will be forced to attack the fruit first. Then the fruit explodes with the power of a grenade."

Lin Qiye: ... "You never told me that! And you never gave me one! We’re the neighbors!"

Yun Hexian: ... He didn't know why, but he just felt that An Qingyu was an incredibly important talent. After all, to be the top academic genius in the protagonist’s city—surely he had a role in the plot, right?

Yun Hexian’s intuition had never been wrong. In his previous life, he had used this intuition many times to guess which days his teachers would take attendance, and he never missed one. Whenever he had a strong, panicked desire to go to class, it was always the day they took attendance.

Just like how he really wanted to hug Lin Qiye’s and An Qingyu’s thighs right now. Even though, clearly, he was the strongest one among them all right now!