Chapter 122 : Chapter 122
Chapter 122
After successfully shattering Xie Chang’an's defenses, Ji Qing was finally able to head out alone.
To be honest, Ji Qing had not intended to say it that plainly. But who told Xie Chang’an to suddenly reveal that he wanted to go around together with him? Who would want to go around together with him? From the bottom of his heart, Ji Qing could not stand the idea.
Still, that line had worked absurdly well... For some reason, Ji Qing felt a little guilty.
He really wondered whether Xie Chang’an, after dragging himself back to the hotel in a daze, would secretly crouch in some corner and shed a few tiny tears. But the moment he imagined it, Ji Qing felt an incomparable sense of delight. Was this the joy of bullying a child?
“Forget it. Business first.” Ji Qing forcibly shifted his attention elsewhere.
After his conversation with Miao Miaonian, Ji Qing had already confirmed who he needed to find. Although the Miao Family had long since declined, twenty-one years ago it had still been a renowned family in Central City. As both a member of the Federal Council and the Clan Head of the Miao Family at the time, Miao Miaonian's grandfather definitely knew the inside story behind the fall of Licheng.
“Twenty-one years...” Ji Qing could not help sighing.
For the humans of the wasteland, twenty-one years really was far too long. His enemies had already grown old. Their families had already changed. Yet he alone was still living in the very day Licheng fell twenty-one years ago.
How strangely ironic.
With an indifferent expression, Ji Qing brushed aside the loose strands of hair by his ear. But since he had already come this far, then he would personally bring this matter to a close.
Ji Qing could tell that Miao Miaonian did not know Shao Huayu.
After they finished discussing the meeting, Ji Qing once again asked about the relationship between Miao Miaonian and Zhou Que. Although Ji Qing did not particularly want to involve himself in this matter, he still intended to learn more about it for the sake of “making the manga more interesting and earning more Popularity Value.”
It just so happened that Miao Miaonian also wanted to know how Zhou Que was doing.
But when Ji Qing casually mentioned Shao Huayu, Miao Miaonian asked with a confused look, “The Shao Family? I don't know anyone from the Shao Family. Is Zhou Que very close with people from the Shao Family?”
“Hm?” Ji Qing's brows furrowed at once.
Shao Huayu and Zhou Que were close cousins. Based on Ji Qing's understanding of the two of them, they should have known each other since childhood. Could it be that You Xingluo had been mistaken? Absolutely impossible. You Xingluo had no reason to deliberately deceive him, nor was there any reason for You Xingluo to have been deceived by Shao Huayu.
But Miao Miaonian did not seem to be lying.
Ji Qing instantly arrived at an answer. Miao Miaonian had met Zhou Que when they were seven or eight years old, and they had also parted ways at around that age. If Shao Huayu had only come into Zhou Que's life after Zhou Que turned eight, then everything would make sense.
And yet it was still strange...
Why had it happened only after he turned eight? If their parents had been close, they should have known each other since infancy. Could it have been because of the rules of noble families, or some other reason?
The more Ji Qing thought about it, the more wrong it felt.
But since neither Shao Huayu nor Zhou Que had disclosed that blood relationship to the outside world, Ji Qing could hardly announce it on their behalf. So after learning enough useful information from Miao Miaonian, he immediately took his leave.
The current time was 13:27.
Ji Qing hastily finished lunch at a fast-food restaurant he passed along the way. He continued toward his destination, and before long he caught sight of Zhou Que. Zhou Que was leaning against the bar on the second floor of a café, staring blankly at the scenery outside the window.
His short, slightly spiky crimson hair was particularly eye-catching, to the point that quite a few passersby had their gaze drawn toward him.
Ji Qing's guess had come true.
Even before Zhou Que stormed off with a dark expression, Ji Qing had already guessed that Zhou Que would probably go take a look at Huangtie City's entertainment spots. Last night, when everyone had been searching for places in Huangtie City worth checking out, the one complaining that the city was boring to death had been Zhou Que, but the one typing the fastest had also been Zhou Que.
And the café Zhou Que was in happened to sit in Huangtie City's most expensive commercial district.
Ji Qing only needed a little thought to deduce where Zhou Que might end up lingering after he left. After all, not every place of entertainment was suitable for aimless wandering.
When he reached Zhou Que's side, Ji Qing asked, “Can I sit beside you?”
“Who do you think you are?” Zhou Que lifted his head impatiently, but when he realized it was Ji Qing, he dropped his head back onto the table and said, “Do whatever you want.”
Ji Qing sat down naturally. “Are you in a bad mood?”
“Isn't that obvious?” Zhou Que suddenly sighed. “If I'd known, I would have dragged you away with me. Then I wouldn't be stuck here like this.”
“You can still leave now,” Ji Qing said unhurriedly. “You just probably do not want to, right?”
“...”
Zhou Que did not reply.
Ji Qing then smiled. “So you still want to know how he's doing?”
“Go on,” Zhou Que said, turning his head.
Oh my, so that really was it? Ji Qing found it amusing inwardly, but outwardly he remained perfectly calm as he said, “Of course I can tell you. But before that, can you first tell me when you met Shao Huayu?”
“Hm?” A strange look flashed through Zhou Que's eyes.
Why was Ji Qing suddenly asking about that?
“You Xingluo told me that you two are cousins,” Ji Qing explained steadily. “But Miao Miaonian does not know Shao Huayu, so I guessed that you only met Shao Huayu after you and Miao Miaonian had already parted ways.”
“There's something strange about this,” Ji Qing said softly.
Zhou Que's crimson eyes quietly reflected Ji Qing's figure.
Perhaps because the one exposing it was someone he regarded as a friend, his reaction was not as intense as one might have expected. Zhou Que said, “That's normal. Because my parents died early, I only found out at the age of eight that I had cousins. Before that, I was probably an orphan. No... I guess there was not much difference between me and one.”
“Originally, I should have been taken in by relatives on my parents' side, or sent to an orphanage. But unfortunately, while my dad's surname was Zhou, his brothers and sisters were not close to him, so they naturally refused. And then my mother...”
“My mother was just an ordinary person. Her family and friends all lived in other towns...”
Realizing that something was off about the way he had put it, Zhou Que shrugged. “Alright. At least, that was what I had always believed before I met Brother Huayu and the others.”
“That sounds difficult,” Ji Qing said calmly.
“It was fine, I guess.” Zhou Que spoke in an unconcerned tone. “Actually, I'm pretty glad I left the Zhou Family before my Ability awakened. Otherwise, the people from the main family would definitely have annoyed me to death afterward.”
“Did you leave the Zhou Family later?”
“Leave? As if that were possible.” Zhou Que sounded indignant. “As long as my identity as an S-rank Ability User remains, they will never let me go. Right now, I am only able to keep my distance from them openly by using Brother Huayu's name.”
As he spoke, Zhou Que's tone suddenly weakened.
He understood perfectly well that running away was only temporary. But the moment he thought about returning to the Zhou Family and facing those elders he despised, Zhou Que could barely suppress the urge for violence rising inside him. Even if the people who had once bullied and discriminated against him had now turned ingratiating and amiable, he still hated them just the same.
Zhou Que suddenly said, “Ji Qing, you know what?”
“Mm?”
Once he got Ji Qing's response, Zhou Que continued on his own, “There are three S-rank Ability Users in this generation of the Zhou Family. But the other two S-rank Ability Users are both weaker than me.”
“Wow, you're amazing.”
After hearing that, Zhou Que proudly put his hands on his hips. “That's right. I am amazing.”
Even if drawing the supremely fortunate lot called an “S-rank Ability” had been a matter of luck, the final standard by which an Ability User was judged was still strength. Ji Qing more or less understood Zhou Que's original obsession now, as well as the strength-above-all creed he held fast to.
Because Zhou Que had grown up in exactly that kind of environment.
“But that does not seem to have much to do with why you are in such a terrible mood.” Ji Qing suddenly curved his eyes into a faint smile. “By the way, Zhou Que, why are you unwilling to speak with Miao Miaonian yourself?”
“That is the second question already.” Zhou Que shot Ji Qing with an unhappy glare.
But anyone with eyes could see that Zhou Que's mood had improved quite a bit by now. Ji Qing thought with amusement that Zhou Que's reunion with Miao Miaonian had probably stirred up unpleasant memories.
It was just like crows.
At first, people did not dislike crows. It was only after crows gradually became associated with ominous ideas like death and decay that people began to hate them. What Zhou Que hated was not Miao Miaonian himself, but the miserable memories of childhood that surged forth together with Miao Miaonian.
Feigning sorrow, Ji Qing said, “So you do not plan to tell me?”
“You're a little unsettling.”
Ji Qing laughed aloud. “Hahaha, I just found it amusing for a moment.”
“Sometimes I really do not understand the way you people act,” Zhou Que muttered in a strange tone. “Whether it's you, You Xingluo, or Brother Huayu, I really do not understand what any of you are thinking. But forget it... I can just follow along with whatever Brother Huayu and the rest of you do.”
Zhou Que's tone suddenly became a little more at ease.
That was exactly why he had become familiar with Ji Qing, Song Xiaoran, and the others. So long as the result benefited him, the process did not matter.
The more one thought, the easier it was to become miserable.
Having reached that conclusion, Zhou Que continued on his own, “Because it is awkward. Back then, my relationship with him really was good, but now the people I am closest to are Brother Huayu and Sister Huayue. In other words, I should probably thank him for leaving without saying goodbye.”
“If he had not suddenly disappeared, I would not have been able to move in with Brother Huayu and the others so smoothly.”
“And Brother Huayu is amazing. I can learn an incredible amount by staying by his side.” The moment Zhou Que started talking about his two family members, his voice suddenly turned bright. “Sister Huayue too. Even at such a young age, she can already keep many of the older generation in line.”
“...”
Ji Qing listened quietly to Zhou Que's account. He thought with relief that it seemed Zhou Que did not need help.
Compared with Gu Lingxue's family dispute, the problem Zhou Que faced was much simpler. Even without anyone helping him, he would still be able to sort out all the key points himself and walk out of it calmly. Because he had already met people good enough.
Although his habitual avoidance of deep thought was one of his flaws, precisely because of that—they had even less reason to interfere.