Chapter 142 – An Zijin: We Need to Have a Good Talk

In the B-5 Zone, within a dilapidated building in the Wasteland Ruins.

At this moment, Su Ming and his group had all gathered here, either standing or sitting around the off-road vehicle and various worn-out pieces of furniture, looking very much like some underground organization holding a meeting—it had that distinct vibe.

Su Ming was bathed in the gaze of almost everyone present, with a few of those gazes filled with Killing Intent, making him involuntarily begin to ponder.

“Why did things turn out this way?”

Su Ming was seriously contemplating this question.

Originally, his return should have been a happy occasion, right?

Although he had brought back two troublesome individuals—one older and one younger—at least Xu Qianqian was beautiful, and Little Hai’er was adorable. Given how shallow Lei Hao, Ye Bai, Jiang Wanyu, and Yao Beibei were, they should have quickly succumbed to such beauty and cuteness, ignoring everything else, shouldn’t they?

Two happy things, double the joy—so why did it end up like this?

“I see.”

Su Ming thought of a reason, raised his head, and looked at everyone.

“You’re all jealous that I could skip class and go have fun instead of being stuck here carrying out dull and boring missions, right?Su Ming’s statement instantly triggered a wave of complaints from the group.

“As if that’s the reason!”

“Have you really not realized the severity of the situation?”

“Please think carefully about your entrance and opening lines, okay?”

“Bad senior, are you playing dumb?”Lei Hao and Ye Bai complained loudly, Jiang Wanyu couldn’t help but complain as well, and even the usually soft-tempered Yao Beibei cast a reproachful look at Su Ming, as if accusing him of his crimes.”

“……”

“……”

On the other side, Xu Qianqian and An Zijin sat facing each other. For some reason, neither had spoken a word since entering.

Moreover, both wore expressionless faces, exuding an icy, unapproachable aura that made Little Hai’er, who was nearby, tremble with fear. She wanted to run away countless times but was stopped by a single glance from Su Ming, causing her to tear up and flee behind a pillar, hiding in the shadows.

Su Ming and the others didn’t dare to look in the direction of Xu Qianqian and An Zijin, feeling as if they were sitting on pins and needles under the chill emanating from the two.

Finally, unable to bear the atmosphere any longer, the more outgoing Jiang Wanyu spoke up first.

“I mean, Senior Su Ming, isn’t it about time you properly explain why, after just one day out, you brought back Senior Xu Qianqian and, on top of that, such an adorable child?”

As she said this, Jiang Wanyu’s eyes sparkled as she looked toward Little Hai’er’s direction, startling the little girl who had just peeked out from behind the stone pillar, causing her to duck back again.

That sight, it must be said, didn’t just captivate Jiang Wanyu—even Lei Hao, Ye Bai, and Yao Beibei were completely smitten.

There was no helping it. Even Su Ming had been stunned and mesmerized when he first saw Little Hai’er, let alone the others, who had all fallen for her beauty.

To some extent, Su Ming’s assumption wasn’t wrong—these people really were shallow.

But in this world, how many people can truly avoid being shallow?

Su Ming cleared his throat and answered Jiang Wanyu’s question.”So didn’t I already explain that I received Senior Xu’s distress signal, rushed over to rescue her, and since she’s currently separated from her team, I had no choice but to bring her back with me?”

Yes, this was the explanation Su Ming had given.

Before entering, Su Ming had already clarified that the reason he left midway was entirely because Xu Qianqian had encountered danger. He had received her distress signal and thus rushed to provide support.

He didn’t mention the Xu Family matters to An Zijin and the others.

The intricate relationships and dark secrets within major Families were something even Su Ming didn’t want to actively engage with, let alone expose his “naive and innocent” companions to such complexities.

This was also Xu Qianqian’s intention.

As the saying goes, “family shames shouldn’t be publicized.” Even if they were revealed to An Zijin and others, it wouldn’t help the situation. Therefore, it was better to conceal what could be concealed, avoiding unnecessary worry and fear among ordinary people.

Of course, Su Ming’s explanation had several noticeable loopholes.

Everyone exchanged glances before simultaneously turning their attention to Su Ming.

“Why did Senior Xu seek help from you specifically?”

Lei Hao’s question carried a slight hint of jealousy.

But the question was reasonable.

After all, Su Ming was just an “ordinary and unremarkable” student, located far away in the B-5 Zone with considerable distance from Xu Qianqian’s position in the B-2 Zone. Rather than seeking help from someone like Su Ming, it would have made more sense to use the standard distress signals issued by the Defense Line.

Su Ming remained unfazed.

“Senior’s team was ambushed, and the teammate carrying the distress signal was instantly eliminated. Left with no other choice, Senior had to seek help from someone familiar like me, despite the distance,” Su Ming explained. “I rushed over in a panic, but soon realized it wouldn’t be fast enough. My ‘abilities’ weren’t sufficient to rescue her from a situation even Senior found helpless. So while hurrying there, I simultaneously sent messages to the Defense Line, requesting them to immediately notify nearby personnel for rescue.”

By the time Su Ming arrived at the scene, Xu Qianqian had already been rescued but was injured.

Therefore, Su Ming had to stay behind to care for Xu Qianqian, only bringing her – now separated from her team – here after her injuries had mostly healed.

This was Su Ming’s explanation.

At first glance, it seemed reasonable enough.

However, those present found it somewhat difficult to accept.

Our classmate Lei Hao naturally needed to be singled out here.

“Senior didn’t seek help from her Family, nor did she directly contact the Defense Line for assistance, but specifically reached out to you?”

Classmate Lei Hao expressed his inability to accept this.

How could he accept it?

Was this reasonable?

It wasn’t reasonable!

In any case, Classmate Lei Hao absolutely refused to acknowledge that in a critical moment, his goddess had thought of Su Ming first.

Naturally, the others felt the same.

“If you received Senior Xu’s distress call, why didn’t you tell us so we could all go together, instead of keeping it from us and going alone?”

Jiang Wanyu looked at him with suspicion.

“Moreover, traveling from the B-5 Zone to the B-2 Zone would take considerable time for a Sorcerer’s physical capabilities, with potential encounters with various powerful Phantom Demons along the way. Such a dangerous undertaking doesn’t seem like something Senior Su Ming would do.”

Yao Beibei also tactfully pointed this out.

But that wasn’t all.

The important thing was…”You went on a rescue mission, fine, but why did you suddenly bring back such a child?” Ye Bai pointed at Little Hai’er, who only dared to peek with one eye timidly from behind the stone pillar, and spoke bluntly, “Though she is indeed adorable, if I’m not mistaken, that should be a Phantom Demon, right?”

Anyone with functioning eyes could tell Little Hai’er’s identity.

No matter how human-like or intelligent she appeared, her beautiful fishtail, aqua-blue hair, and eyes clearly indicated traits no human could possess.

Going out on a rescue was one thing, but returning with such a strange, cute, and soft-looking Phantom Demon Cub?

What on earth happened to connect the two like this?

Everyone was utterly perplexed.

Under these circumstances, Su Ming had no choice but to reveal a bit of the truth.

“That child was just something I stumbled upon by chance.” Su Ming shrugged, speaking in a relaxed tone, “I encountered her while helping Senior Xu Qianqian recover from her injuries. I found her very human-like and adorable, and it just so happened that I’d learned an off-sequence Spirit Art capable of enslaving Phantom Demons, so I used it on her.”

“Then, I brought the child back with me.”

“That’s all there is to it.”

Su Ming’s words left everyone stunned.

“An off-sequence Spirit Art?” Ye Bai exclaimed in surprise.

“You learned an off-sequence Spirit Art?” Lei Hao was also taken aback.

“A Spirit Art that enslaves Phantom Demons?”

“This…” Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei exchanged bewildered glances.

Even An Zijin, who had been locked in a “deep gaze” with Xu Qianqian, reacted to this statement and couldn’t help turning her head.

“Brother Su Ming.” An Zijin hesitated for a moment before asking in astonishment, “Are you referring to that Spell Formula?”

“What’s wrong, Zijin?” Jiang Wanyu quickly inquired, “Do you know about this?”

“Yes.” An Zijin nodded, “Rather than saying I know about it, it’d be more accurate to say I was the one who gave that Spell Formula to Brother Su Ming.”

“Ah, this…” Jiang Wanyu was left speechless.

“Could it be that formula given to little Zijin by that person?” Yao Beibei muttered under her breath.

The two juniors each fell into their own thoughts.

Lei Hao and Ye Bai, however, were simply surprised.

“So Junior An gave an off-sequence Spirit Art to this guy Su Ming?”

“But isn’t it said that off-sequence Spirit Arts are extremely difficult to learn? Even if mastered, they’re troublesome to use and practically useless?”

Lei Hao and Ye Bai voiced their confusion.

This time, however, Su Ming didn’t offer any detailed explanation.

“Maybe I just have a natural talent for learning this kind of Spell Formula?”

Su Ming adopted a casual, almost lucky expression, as if he’d gotten away with something.

Unfortunately, this earned him a response that nearly made him spit blood.

“Talent?”

“You mean talent for luring little girls?”

Lei Hao and Ye Hao’s blunt remarks prompted Su Ming to immediately throw punches at them without hesitation.

The three began roughhousing, causing Little Hai’er behind the stone pillar to cautiously peek out again, watching with curious eyes.

Meanwhile, Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei started whispering among themselves.

“So mysterious… There must be more to this story that we don’t know about.”

“Indeed, Senior must have done something we’re unaware of.”Both of them were in complete agreement on this matter.

In contrast, An Zijin didn’t seem to care about any of it.

There was only one thing that concerned her.

“So, you and Brother Su Ming spent the night together in the wilderness, right?”

An Zijin stared intently at Xu Qianqian.

“Correct.”

Xu Qianqian nodded faintly, her response brief and to the point.

“Under the same roof?”

An Zijin pressed further.

“Yes.”

Xu Qianqian remained composed in her reply.

“Slept together?”

An Zijin clenched her fists.

“No.”

Xu Qianqian denied it.

“Is that so?” An Zijin seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, a smile spreading across her face. “So, nothing happened between the two of you that shouldn’t be shared with others, right?”

Just as Xu Qianqian was about to answer this question, she suddenly recalled the events of the previous night.

Which events?

Naturally, it was the scene where she couldn’t resist the bloodsucking impulse surging within her. She had crawled out of bed in the middle of the night, slipped into Su Ming’s bedding, wrapped her arms around his neck, and murmured in a daze, “Give it to me,” before biting down on him.

And that certain beast, thinking it would be a waste not to take advantage of the situation, had almost slipped his greedy hands into her clothes.

These scenes made Xu Qianqian unconsciously show an awkward expression, her cheeks flushing crimson.

“…”

An Zijin’s smile vanished.

“…”

Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei were utterly shocked.

“Holy shit!”

Ye Bai, witnessing this, could hardly believe his eyes.

“Ah!”

In the distance, Su Ming’s agonized scream echoed.

Lei Hao, enraged beyond reason, seemed to have abandoned any pretense of playful banter with Su Ming. He erupted with full force, delivering a solid punch.

“Meeling?”

Only Little Hai’er, blinking her beautiful large eyes, looked utterly confused.

Xu Qianqian finally snapped back to reality, realizing what a foolish thing she had just done.

“No, I…”

She wanted to say something but didn’t know how to phrase it, stumbling over her words.

Seeing this, everyone else wore expressions of sheer disbelief.

Was this really Xu Qianqian?

The same Xu Qianqian who was always aloof and indifferent to everyone?

No one had ever seen Xu Qianqian so hesitant and flustered before.

Coupled with her earlier flushed cheeks, if nothing had truly happened between them, then there was no justice in this world.

“Holy shit! Are you insane? Why are you hitting so hard!?”

In the distance, Su Ming’s screams continued.

Unfortunately, no one paid him any attention, and no one stopped the tearful Lei Hao from relentlessly pummeling Su Ming.

Not even An Zijin.

“Senior.”

An Zijin’s eyes lost their light.

“I think we need to have a proper talk.”

As she spoke, a dark aura began to emanate from her entire being.

“Oh no… Oh no!”

“Dark Zijin mode is fully activated!”

Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei exclaimed in alarm from the sidelines.

“Um… Junior An, are you sure you just want to have a talk with Senior?”

Even Ye Bai was trembling with fear.

But An Zijin was no longer paying attention to anyone else; her eyes were fixed solely on Xu Qianqian.

That look in her eyes was definitely not just about having a chat.

At the very least, Xu Qianqian could sense Killing Intent.

Not a joking kind of Killing Intent, but the real, genuine kind.

This somewhat dangerous junior seemed genuinely intent on killing her.

Xu Qianqian looked at An Zijin with profound meaning.”Wait…”

Su Ming, who was being chased and beaten by Lei Hao, finally noticed everything and wanted to speak up to stop it, but was pinned down by the enraged Lei Hao.

Just as the atmosphere around An Zijin grew increasingly perilous and Xu Qianqian’s expression turned graver, suddenly…

“Lulu Lululululu”

A burst of singing abruptly emerged.

(End of Chapter)