Chapter 122: Scholar Meets Soldier
"Hey! Swindler!" Qiao Jiajin called out urgently behind him. "Who broke in?"
"I don't know." Qi Xia arrived at the campus plaza, crouching low and moving quickly.
"Is there a thief in this crappy place?"
Qiao Jiajin wasn't wearing a shirt, revealing a body covered in scarred tattoos. Qi Xia noticed that he didn't just have inked arms; his entire back was a mural of tattoos.
What caught his attention, though, was the wound on Qiao Jiajin's lower abdomen.
The wound was very fresh, as if it had been inflicted not long ago. It gaped open but wasn't bleeding. Could this be the true cause of Qiao Jiajin's death?
"It's probably not as simple as a 'thief,'" Qi Xia said, snapping back to reality. "Let's go check it out."
With that, he led Qiao Jiajin directly towards the campus entrance.
Someone was still on guard duty, but the big man looked unsteady, on the verge of falling asleep.
"Zhang Shan?" Qi Xia recognised the guard, but didn't wake him, just hid not far from the school gate.
"Swindler... what are we doing here?" Qiao Jiajin asked.
"I want to catch that ghost," Qi Xia said.
By now, flames were rising from various rooms in the teaching building; it seemed many people had woken up.
A cacophony of noise erupted as everyone discussed the commotion from earlier.
Qi Xia concealed himself, staring intently at the campus exit. He'd taken a shortcut, so he could definitely reach the gate faster than that shadowy figure.
If no one tried to flee through the exit, it could only mean the shadow came from within 'Heaven's Entrance'.
"Swindler, look at that big fella." Qiao Jiajin jutted his chin towards Zhang Shan. "He looks about to fall asleep. I'm gonna go kick his ass."
"Wait, hold on..." Qi Xia grabbed Qiao Jiajin. "What do you mean, 'kick his ass'?"
"What do I mean?" Qiao Jiajin blinked, then explained seriously, "'Kick his ass' means I'll lift my leg, use my thigh for power, drive with my knee and calf, then make contact with his butt using my foot, causing him some injury."
"I..." Qi Xia was a bit stunned. Every conversation with Qiao Jiajin felt like a 'scholar meeting a soldier'—utterly baffling. "I wasn't asking about the mechanics. Why do you want to kick him?"
"To challenge him," Qiao Jiajin said. "I kick him now, he gets mad. He gets mad, he fights me one-on-one. One-on-one, I beat him up. That's my whole plan."
"This qualifies as a 'plan'?" Qi Xia shook his head. "If you start a fight with that guy, things will get messy. You'd both probably end up seriously injured."
"Yeah?" Qiao Jiajin looked at Qi Xia doubtfully. "You're saying that big fella has some skills?"
"Yes, he's not just skilled; he's a decent guy. I suggest you find a chance to get to know him," Qi Xia said. "If you two could team up, you could probably take down 'Xiong' without a scratch."
"Take down 'Xiong'?" Qiao Jiajin gave Qi Xia a look like he was an idiot. "Swindler, looks like you really haven't been in a fight. Do you have any idea what level of opponent 'Xiong' is?"
"Oh?" Qi Xia looked at Qiao Jiajin with interest. "What level is 'Xiong'?"
"Let me put it this way." Qiao Jiajin gestured with his hands. "Even though Qiao Ye here is undefeated across the land, let's say a bear stood in front of me right now wanting to fight. I would absolutely, positively not lay a single finger on it. I would immediately and respectfully kneel, admit defeat, and wait to die. Any delay would just be me not knowing my place."
Qi Xia scratched his head, looking exasperated. "'Absolutely, positively not lay a single finger on it'...? Most people I know talk tough but act cowardly. Your situation seems to be developing in the opposite direction... Get Lin Qin to check you out one day."
"I don't have money to see a shrink..." Qiao Jiajin muttered. "Do I look sick to you?"
They chatted idly for a full half hour until the sky began to lighten, but they never saw anyone leave the campus.
Almost everyone in the teaching building was awake by now; it was nearly impossible to hide a stranger.
If that shadow hadn't chosen to run, it could only mean they were from 'Heaven's Entrance'.
But what was their goal?
This person's mind was meticulous. They'd even planned an escape route and set up ropes before entering. It didn't seem like a spontaneous pervert's actions, but more like a planned reconnaissance.
"So 'Jidao' has already infiltrated 'Heaven's Entrance'," Qi Xia muttered seriously to himself. "But I really can't figure out what these people want..."
Qi Xia stood up, shaking out his numb thighs, and said to Qiao Jiajin, "No need to wait. Let's go."
He knew the person had missed their best chance to escape. With the guards awake and daylight, escape was even more impossible.
Qiao Jiajin nodded, stood up, and followed Qi Xia back to the teaching building.
"Swindler, shouldn't we get the big boss here to sort this out for us?" Qiao Jiajin rubbed his arms; the morning chill was getting to him. "That little thief barged right into our turf. Isn't that a bit disrespectful?"
"Big boss..." Qi Xia sighed helplessly. "Chu Tianqiu is the 'leader' here, not a 'godfather'. Besides, we can't have him handle this."
"Why not?"
"Because we can't fully trust him yet," Qi Xia said in a low voice. "There's a chance the person who broke into our room was one of Chu Tianqiu's people."
As they spoke, they reached the entrance of the teaching building. Chu Tianqiu was walking out, a coat draped over his shoulders.
"Qi Xia? What's all the commotion upstairs?" Chu Tianqiu adjusted his glasses, looking puzzled. "You two are coming in from outside?"
"It's nothing. I might have seen things wrong. Chased a shadow for ages," Qi Xia said, stretching. "Sorry for disturbing everyone."
Chu Tianqiu thought for a moment, then said, "There are indeed many strange things that come out here at night, but they shouldn't harm anyone."
Qi Xia nodded. He knew Chu Tianqiu was referring to the bugs, so he didn't bother to explain, instead changing the subject. "Where's Yun Yao? Just you here?"
"Haven't come back yet." A worried look crossed Chu Tianqiu's face. He pulled the coat tighter around himself. "They drove off last night to find Xiao Nian. Still not back."
"Is that so..." Qi Xia's expression grew heavy too. The map he'd drawn wasn't a problem. If they couldn't find that woman named Xu Liunian, it meant she'd moved.
To the edge of the city, maybe?
After she'd driven him to the city's edge last time, had she stayed there?
Qi Xia was about to tell Chu Tianqiu this when he heard the roar of an engine behind him.
The three of them looked up to see an old white sedan approaching in the distance, its headlights on.