# 479
Chapter 479 – The Sword Saint’s Pick-Up Lines
On the other side, Zhou Ping, Lin Qiye, and Huang Yuande were sitting together, holding a few leftover bamboo skewers and chatting casually.
Of course, “casually” only applied to Lin Qiye and Huang Yuande.
Zhou Ping gripped his skewers, rigid on his stool. Members of Team 009 kept coming up to talk to him, faces shining with worship and excitement—after all, this was their first time meeting the Sword Saint in person. One even asked for his autograph.
Throughout it all, Zhou Ping was basically a nodding machine. His hands were clamped unnaturally on his thighs, and Lin Qiye could see sweat beading on the backs of them…
Huang Yuande noticed too. Recalling their tea together that afternoon, he seemed to figure something out. He shot Lin Qiye a look, and the two excused themselves to the restroom.
“Captain Lin, the Sword Saint is…” Huang Yuande searched for a tactful word.
“Socially terrified,” Lin Qiye finished.
“No wonder he seemed so aloof when we talked earlier. I thought it was just Sword Saint pride…”
“……”
“By the way, Captain Lin.” Huang Yuande remembered something. “I called Captain Li Hong in Lintang City several times today, but no one answered.”
“On a mission?”
“Possibly. I’ll try again tonight. If I still can’t reach him, take this.” Huang Yuande pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it to Lin Qiye. “I wrote him a letter explaining your situation. Give it to him and he’ll understand.”
“Thanks, Captain Huang.”
“Easy, just a small favor.” Huang Yuande waved. “Li Hong’s a warm guy, gets along with everyone. You’ll like him.”
He thought for a moment.
“Except maybe the Sword Saint…”
Lin Qiye nodded in full agreement.
“About the Sword Saint’s… uh, social terror—any ideas?” Huang Yuande still couldn’t quite accept the new term.
“This training trip was partly meant to help his social skills, but social terror doesn’t flip overnight.” Lin Qiye spoke slowly. “The key isn’t us; it’s him.”
“Himself?” Huang Yuande pondered. “You mean he has to choose to open up?”
“Exactly. If he’s determined to stay shut, outside pressure will only backfire and deepen his fear. He needs a trigger—big or small—that makes him crave connection. Only when his mindset shifts can he start blending into normal society.”
Lin Qiye sighed.
“Our role is just to model behavior. When he finally tries to open up—clueless how—we might become the examples he copies to fit in faster.”
Huang Yuande stared, impressed.
“Didn’t know you studied psychology, Captain Lin.”
“Just read a bit.” Lin Qiye smiled.
Among the notes he’d copied from Doctor Li were several case studies of severe social phobia; everything he’d just said came straight from those pages.
They returned to their seats. Zhou Ping’s color had improved slightly, but he was still tense, head down, methodically devouring skewers. Unnoticed, the empty sticks had piled into a small mountain…
After dinner, they headed back to the hotel. At dawn the next day they set off for Lintang City aboard a private jet.
Lounging on the sofa seat, Lin Qiye watched clouds drift past the window, a vague unease stirring inside.
When they’d left Xining, Huang Yuande still hadn’t reached Li Hong. The man might as well have vanished; even the landline at his station was dead. Team 008 hadn’t returned to base for an entire day…
Could something have happened?
The thought flared and died. Team 008 had a “Boundless” powerhouse and five “Sea” realm experts—top-tier among Night Watch teams across Great Xia. What could go wrong?
As he mused, faint murmurs drifted from the opposite sofa.
Lin Qiye looked up. Zhou Ping was staring at his own toes, muttering.
“Sword Saint, what are you saying?” Lin Qiye asked, curious.
“Practicing pick-up lines for Team 008,” Zhou Ping answered solemnly.
“Pick-up lines?!”
Everyone on the sofa snapped awake; even Baili Pangpang, half-asleep, jolted upright and gaped.
He… actually knows what pick-up lines are?
“…Sword Saint, what have you come up with?” Lin Qiye ventured.
Zhou Ping pondered, then intoned:
“Team 008, listen up: your lives are in our hands. If you don’t send five members to spar with us, we kill the hostages…”
“……”
“Hold on, Sword Saint—we’re just challenging them to practice. Why do you sound like a bandit?” Baili Pangpang couldn’t help but complain.
Zhou Ping blinked. “Isn’t that what you did in Xining? And it worked.”
“We were—anyway, this is different!”
“How? Still a doorstep challenge, right?”
Baili Pangpang was suddenly speechless.
Lin Qiye’s mouth twitched; he sensed Zhou Ping’s social compass veering into strange territory…
He rubbed his temples.
“Sword Saint, human interaction needs courtesy. Aggressive lines like that should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.”
Zhou Ping nodded thoughtfully.
“Since we’re here to ‘kick the dojo,’ shouldn’t we open with something domineering?” Baili Pangpang suggested.
“Opening line?”
“Like… ‘Heavenly Marshal Tian Peng—here to kick the hall!’”
“……” Lin Qiye grimaced. “Honestly, that’s kinda lame.”
“……”
Just then, Zhou Ping’s eyes lit up.
“Night Watch, Nameless Squad—gentlemen, grant us your instruction.”