Chapter 31: They’re Hungry

  “Uh…my fault.” An Jing did not quite know what to say, so he could only apologize. Bai Qinghan responded with a soft “mm.”

  Indeed, Bai Qinghan was not foolish. On the trary, she was extremely bright—perhaps the most gifted among the 108, sed only to An Jing. How could she possibly reveal these secrets carelessly?

  Were it a An Jing, who also khe truth about the Heavenly Will Demonic Sect, she would have kept utterly silent.

  Bai Qinghan had previously thanked An Jing because she sensed, in his manner and mi, a certain ease of trol:

  —He was fully fident that he could subdue me without hurting me.

  —Fighting did not necessarily require killing.

  When An Jing had pnted her on the ground with three solid punches, Bai Qinghan actually felt an unpreted relief. Her instincts had driveo strike lethally because she had been afraid.

  She feared that if she did not kill others, they would kill her instead.

  That chilling notion caused Bai Qinghan to lose all trol.

  Only after this peer of hers beat her so decisively did she finally awaken from that nightmare of “kill or be killed.” She could now spar with others normally.

  After that, Bai Qinghan came looking for An Jing quite often to chat.

  Most of the time, she asked about martial arts topics, particurly how to pull punches and hold back force. She was very curious about this “nohal” fighting style, as if someone who always ate rice had suddenly tasted dumplings and bee enthralled by the difference.

  Sinly An Jing could keep Bai Qinghan in check, and no one else dared spar with her, the others saw nothing strange about these discussions and impromptu sparring sessions. They merely felt it proved how worthy An Jing was of his title “Senior Brother,” a man of both skill and responsibility.

  Except fu Yeqi.

  “Be careful, Big Bro An—who knows what wicked scheme she has in mind!”

  Gu Yeqi enly wary of Bai Qinghan, vihis dangerous girl harbored ill ioward An Jing. In truth, that was how most people viewed Bai Qinghan. They assumed she hung around An Jing so mu order to find a ce to avenge her past defeat.

  They were overthinking things.

  An Jing could not lose anyway!

  So Bai Qinghan took every opportunity to visit An Jing’s group and chat, or even train alongside them. Even though she beloo a different squad, they frequently acted in cert.

  Eventually, even Gu Yeqi resigned herself to Bai Qinghan’s presence. While she still grumbled that this “gloomy,” “quiet,” “por-doll-like,” and “two-faced” girl was definitely up to something, their retionship improved once Bai Qingha Gu Yeqi py around by braiding her long, straight bck hair.

  Such rare, peaceful days flew by.

  During this time, An Jing tinuously tried to visit the “Hanging Fate Valley” to search for the Sword Spirit’s sed fragment.

  Unfortunately, for some reason, the watch at Hanging Fate Manor became much stricter tely. Roaming the manor itself was still acceptable, but leaving was absolutely impossible.

  Both An Jing and the Sword Spirit specuted that perhaps there was turmoil i ’s outside world. Even the manor’s material supplies diminished siderably during this period. An Jing’s food allotment dropped a bit—not that they were withholding it, but they simply did not have more to give.

  That, too, might be an opportunity. An Jiraining.

  He prepared himself, gathering strength and awaiting that critical moment to strike.

  An Jing was fully aware that he could not save everyone who called him “Senior Brother.”

  Many of them had already stepped into the demonic path, letting demons iheir bodies. The madness in their eyes in to see.

  If he were still the person from before meeting the Sword Spirit, he probably would have looked out only for himself. Now, with the Sword Spirit beside him, perhaps he could save glinzu, Gu Yeqi, and maybe more.

  But against dozens of instructors aurers at the Internal Energy level—plus a Deputy Medie Envoy at Internal Fortification—he could not save them all. It was not merely a question of power, but whether a miracle was even possible.

  Still…An Jing inteo do his utmost.

  He would save whomever he could, no matter how many or how few.

  The final days arrived soohan expected.

  One day, Bai Qinghan once again sought out An Jing, who was in the midst of practig coorditacks with his squad.

  “Hey, Qinghan, ’t you see we’re training? Are y to spy on our tactics?”

  Gu Yeqi blocked her with a displeased look. That summed up most of the group’s thoughts. After all, Hanging Fate Manor taught them formation drills and teamwork, presumably intending to assess their results at some point. Each squad had begun training in ear for potential “matches” ahead.

  Although the instructors khe kids were overthinking it, they did nothing to disabuse them. Si made the children strive harder without needing ht, why not let them believe?

  Hehe rivalry among the twelve squads was already in full swing.

  Bai Qinghan was the leader of the third squad, “Zuozi.” In actual bat, having a leader who could charge into the fray gave her teammates reassurance; with such a fierd daring captain, who would not feel safer?

  Gu Yeqi uood that, which was why she was annoyed whenever Bai Qinghan came over during training—probably just to steal Squad Oactics!

  “I only came for Senior Brother.”

  Bai Qinghan merely shook her head slightly at Gu Yeqi, then slipped past the braid-haired girl, who wore a baffled expression. She spoke calmly to An Jing, whose gaze turned serious. “They’re hungry.”

  “Senior Brother, they’re all hungry now.”

  “Now?”

  Unlike Squad One’s other members, who looked pletely puzzled, An Jing’s face turned solemn the instant he heard those words. Frowning, he o Bai Qinghan. “I see.”

  After she left, An Jing cast a wary g the pavilion on one side of the training ground.

  “Keep practig!” he exhaled, then said in a low tone, waving for his squadmates to follow, “No sg. Stay focused!”

  At the Medie Pavilion.

  “This batch is far better quality tha,” remarked the Deputy Medie Envoy, who stood with Instructor Li, looking out over the distant training yard.

  At first ghat field looked ordinary, just tamped earth. But there was more to it: five yers—one of soil, one of crushed stohen soil, then sand, then soil again—tamped firm, known as ‘Five-Layer Earth.’

  It was sturdy, long-sting, and less likely to injure novices who fell. Building a manor and training ground in these remote mountains had take effort on the Heavenly Will Divi’s part.

  Watg the dozens of cotton-armored youths sparring and shouting, the Deputy Medie Envoy—whose face was usually lifeless—could not help letting a slight smile slip. “I wonder how many ‘rades’ will emerge from these materials.”

  “Gathering 108 people uhe Heavenly Gang ahly Fiends, plus the full Twelve Branches and Nine Luminaries, is far better than previous attempts that used only Heavenly Gahly Fiends, or the Sixty Cycles. And they’re all survivors of disasters, not the inferioods purchased from some local gang.”

  Li, the one-eyed instructor, stood behind him, sing the courtyard. His tone brimmed with certainty. “Regardless of those mixed or bizarre Fates, this time we should at least get orue ‘Star Fate’ or ‘Fiend Fate.’”

  “And on top of that, we’ve got those five formal disciples who already awakeheir Heaven-Ordained Fate when we found them… Heh heh, Lord Northern Patron Envoy will certainly be delighted!”

  (End of Chapter)