Chapter 6 Li Riyue: “He is my savior.”
Zhao Kongcheng didn’t recognize Lin Qiye, right? He raised his blade, decapitated the Guimian Ren with a single strike, flourished the blade with a twirl, and looked at Lin Qiye.
“Handsome, right?”
Lin Qiye ignored Zhao Kongcheng. His gaze was fixed straight on Li Riyue. He pursed his lips and only spoke after a long time.
“I need to go home, otherwise my aunt and the others will be worried.”
Hearing this, Zhao Kongcheng immediately stepped forward and grabbed Lin Qiye’s shoulder.
“Little friend, aren’t you curious about what these monsters are? And where they come from? Or who we are?”
Lin Qiye glanced at Li Riyue, who stood silently in place, and spoke.
“I’m not curious, because I know that once I know too much, there are only two choices. One is to join you and become someone like you. The other is to become a corpse that can never speak.”
Zhao Kongcheng clicked his tongue and retorted.
“If you refuse us, at most we’ll have you sign a non-disclosure agreement. We aren’t bad people; we don’t just act against ordinary people. Do you see that guy over there? The black bracelets he’s wearing, those are made from our special equipment. They can restrict your kind of superpower.”
Lin Qiye looked over and saw the black bracelets on Li Riyue’s wrists, tightly clinging to his skin on both hands. It was easy to imagine that once put on, they couldn’t be taken off.
“Why is he wearing those? Didn’t he join you?”
“Weren’t you not curious? What? Interested now?”
“…No. I’m going home.”
Zhao Kongcheng still wanted to block him, but Li Riyue spoke up to stop him.
“Let him go. Give me some face, just pretend you never saw him, okay?”
“Are you crazy?! That’s a Divine Proxy! And 003 Michael at that! If we don’t protect someone like this in advance, he will very likely be taken away by the Gushen Jiaohui.”
“I’ll just go find some trouble for the Gushen Jiaohui to deal with. There’s no need to pester him. Let him go, consider it me owing you a favor.”
Zhao Kongcheng looked at Li Riyue. After a long while, he looked at Lin Qiye, let go, and waved his hand at him.
“Go, go, go! I just recognized the wrong person. Maybe because I’m old, I have a bit of presbyopia. You can give me this favor when we find Michael’s Proxy.”
Li Riyue took out the pack of Huanghelou from which two had been smoked, handed one to Zhao Kongcheng, and joked.
“You’re only in your thirties. If you’re old, then I’ve already got half a foot in the grave.”
After speaking, he turned to Lin Qiye and said.
“Go. Take your schoolbag and go. Don’t go out tomorrow; it won’t be peaceful these next two days.”
“…Mhm.”
Lin Qiye picked up his schoolbag from the ground, gave Li Riyue one last look before leaving, and walked back home.
Seeing the person walk far away, Li Riyue also lit one for himself.
Seeing him like this, Zhao Kongcheng glanced in the direction Lin Qiye left and spoke.
“You know him?”
“He is my savior.”
“Savior? You? What did he do? He could actually save your life?”
“I was hit with a type of curse. The rest cannot be said. You’ll know when the time is right.”
“I hate riddlers like you the most. But that’s 003! Even if I covered for you with a lie, the Captain and the others will find out sooner or later.”
“I know. Every day I can keep it hidden is another day gained.”
At this time, Hong Ying ran over. Seeing the two squatting to the side smoking, she looked left and right and asked.
“Where’s that 003 Proxy?”
Zhao Kongcheng: “Didn’t see him. By the time we got here, the person was already gone. So we waited here for you.”
Hong Ying: “There’s actually someone Brother Yue couldn’t catch up to?”
Li Riyue: “I like hearing that. Say it more often in the future, Hong Ying. Although this time was indeed my mistake and I arrived a step too late, there truly aren’t many people I can’t find. Guan Zai is one, Lu Wuwei is the second, the third is Chen Fuzi hiding in the Zhaijie Suo, and now there’s one more—the Proxy of 003.”
Hong Ying: “No way, Brother Yue. You really didn’t find him?”
Li Riyue: “Yeah, it’s really strange. As expected of the Seraph Proxy who controls miracles. Being able to make it so I couldn’t find him is also a kind of miracle, I suppose.”
Zhao Kongcheng silently gave a thumbs up.
Then, the very next day, they saw Lin Qiye at the Office.
Li Riyue and Zhao Kongcheng had come in together. Upon seeing Lin Qiye completely surrounded, and Chen Muye leaning against the wall watching them, the two knew they were done for.
Seeing the two arrive, Chen Muye spoke to Li Riyue.
“Liming, let’s chat alone.”
“I refuse.”
“Refusal is invalid, otherwise I’ll report it to the Commander and have him arrange a mission for you.”
“Stop. What was your previous sentence again?”
“Let’s chat?”
“Chat! We must chat! After all, we two brothers have a great relationship, while my friendship with Zhao Kongcheng is completely fake! Let’s go! Please, after you!”
Under the gazes of the others, Chen Muye and Li Riyue entered the office one after the other.
Lin Qiye tried to use the Fanchen Shenyu to eavesdrop, but the result was easy to guess: Chen Muye specifically used a Forbidden Object to seal off the space inside.
When the two came out, Li Riyue squatted by the door smoking, not saying a word. Chen Muye came out and produced a non-disclosure agreement.
“Didn’t you want to avoid joining us? Then sign this. I won’t disturb your life. From now on, you cannot use your Jinxu, especially not to attack ordinary people, otherwise you will be sent to a prison meant for detaining those with special abilities.”
“Then what about Brother Yue?”
“He will be sent to Shangjing to receive education from his elders.”
“My ass! I’m just going home for a visit. He misses me and wants me to go back so he can see me one last time! Lin Qiye, go home and live a peaceful life. When you get into university, I’ll still be waiting to take your graduation certificate and show it off to the brothers! It’s going to rain in a bit, take an umbrella so you don’t get sick!”
Li Riyue, squatting by the door, retorted.
Subsequently, noticing the gazes of the group, he decisively left.
Zhao Kongcheng closed his eyes, facing Wu Xiangnan’s death stare. He swallowed hard and spoke.
“I’m going to go find him to ask for a cigarette.”
“Don’t go. I have some, just smoke here.”
“His cigarettes are better.”
“Mine aren’t bad either.”
“His are fifty a pack.”
“…Go ahead. Bring one back for me.”
Hearing this, Zhao Kongcheng immediately bolted. Staying here felt like having ants crawling all over his body, it was too uncomfortable.
He searched around before finding Li Riyue squatting beside the Office making a phone call.
Li Riyue had a smile on his face and seemed to be chatting happily. Zhao Kongcheng didn’t interrupt. He fished out the half-empty pack of cigarettes from Li Riyue’s pocket, as well as a new, unopened pack. He decisively took the half-empty pack, stuffed it into his own pocket, then opened the new one and lit a cigarette.
Li Riyue didn’t have the mind to pay attention to him, patiently replying to the person on the phone until Zhao Kongcheng had smoked half his cigarette, only then hanging up.
Li Riyue lit a cigarette, sat on the steps, looked into the distance, and spoke.
“I know, you might think I’m shielding him, letting someone with a Shenxu live an ordinary person’s life. But you guys don’t understand him.
He only has an aunt and a cousin. From the age of seven until now, it has always been his aunt making money to support the entire family. He was blind for ten years and then went into a mental hospital.
Now, it hasn’t even been two days since he got out. Yesterday was his first day of school, and I was the one who dropped him off. I never expected him to experience something like this. Old Zhao, I don’t have the ability to protect him.”
Recalling the reason Hong Ying told him about Lin Qiye’s refusal, Zhao Kongcheng took a drag of his cigarette and spoke.
“He has his own thoughts about the future. Some people can’t see the road ahead clearly, while he only wants to protect his small family. Some people want to become great heroes to protect the entire world, but his family is his entire world. He’s very good. No wonder you didn’t let me stop him. I don’t regret helping you hide it, either.
This time, it was because we didn’t hide well enough; a book at the scene exposed us. The Captain agreed to let him sign the agreement. He can go live the ordinary life he spoke of.”
The two chatted for a bit longer. Just as they were preparing to get up and stretch, they were called to pursue the Guimian Ren.
Zhao Kongcheng, along with Hong Ying and Wen Qimo, went to the old district.
Chen Muye and Wu Xiangnan went to the city center.
Si Xiaonan, Leng Xuan, and Li Riyue went to deal with the straggling Guimian Ren.
Translator’s Note:
- Guan Zai / Lu Wuwei / Chen Fuzi: Li Riyue casually name-drops three of the absolute powerhouses/human ceilings of the Zhan Shen universe as the only people he can’t track down!
- Shangjing (上京): The capital city in this universe, where Ye Fan and the Nightwatchmen Headquarters are located. Li Riyue is definitely not excited about going back there!
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