Chapter 14
On the way to the suburbs.
Su Jiu rested one hand against the bus window, gazing out at the rice paddies, their stalks already turning yellow. For some reason, she felt a strange stirring in her heart as she let her mind go blank.
“Miss, is this your first time seeing a rice paddy?” Bai Qianyu asked with a teasing smile from the seat beside her.
Su Jiu knew she meant no harm, so she only shook her head, her gaze still distant. Her parents in her previous life had been farmers. Rice paddies had been her childhood playground—how could they feel unfamiliar?
Seeing that Su Jiu didn’t want to say more, Bai Qianyu didn’t press her. She took out her phone and began studying the basic bloodline skills for Warriors. She was almost done mastering the one skill everyone shared—Transformation.
By the end of this trip to the back mountain, she’d probably have it completely mastered.
“What’s watching me...?”
As if she’d suddenly noticed something, Su Jiu glanced around, but found nothing. She picked up her phone again and continued looking at it.
Before long, that feeling of being watched with malice returned.
Su Jiu lightly tapped her forehead. Her pupils became vertical slits, and a chill slowly spread from her body.
It didn’t take long for her to use the boost from her Flood Dragon Eyes to find the source of the malice. Her gaze settled on the bag of a twin-tailed girl sitting not far ahead. Without drawing attention to herself, she reached toward her thigh. A glint flashed, and she abruptly stood and headed in that direction.
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing Su Jiu use the Transformation skill, Bai Qianyu looked puzzled and started to ask, but Su Jiu stopped her with a look.
Without a word, Su Jiu came up beside the twin-tailed girl and peered into her bag.
Just as she’d expected, a pair of red eyes stared back at her, brimming with malice. That certainly didn’t look like a contracted beast.
The twin-tailed girl seemed to notice Su Jiu acting strangely. She turned to look at her, a hint of panic on her face.
Then she covered her bag and shouted to everyone around them, “Why are you staring at my bag?!”
Everyone on the bus immediately turned to look. Nearly all of them eyed Su Jiu warily, practically wearing “Is this person a thief?” on their faces.
“What’s in your bag? You know you have to register demon pets if you bring them into the city.” Su Jiu looked straight at the twin-tailed girl and spoke softly.
“I... I don’t have anything!” At that, the girl’s expression immediately turned unnatural, but she raised her chin and insisted.
“You don’t? Then open your bag and let everyone see.” Su Jiu smiled calmly. The dagger in her right hand was ready to strike; the moment she saw the demon, she’d kill it.
Normally, she’d be too lazy to meddle in other people’s business. But that malicious gaze had left her feeling uneasy.
“Come on, young lady. Open it and have a look.”
“Just open it and prove it.”
Many of the adults on the bus were ordinary people without much talent. Although they were Novice Warriors, they were far weaker than the more gifted high school students.
They still felt a natural fear of demons, those mysterious creatures that lived beyond the cities.
“Fine, look all you want.”
Unable to withstand everyone’s shouting, the twin-tailed girl pulled open her bag, exposing its contents to the passengers. Inside was a rather cute-looking Mischievous Monkey, a type of pet that didn’t need to be registered.
When everyone saw that it was just a small, rankless demon beast, they breathed a sigh of relief and turned accusing looks toward Su Jiu.
It’s just a little pet. Why make such a fuss?
“A Mischievous Monkey?”
Su Jiu furrowed her brow slightly. How could that be? What she’d sensed was a gaze full of malice.
Wait...
The Ancient God Cult seemed to like exploiting loopholes in the city’s rules, using harmless animals like this to spy on people.
“Forget it.”
In the end, Su Jiu didn’t strike. The monkey hadn’t actually harmed her, and if she randomly killed someone’s pet, she’d have to pay compensation and might even end up in jail.
Su Jiu returned to her seat. The malicious gaze had disappeared, so she couldn’t be bothered to deal with the twin-tailed girl anymore.
The fresh, sweet scent of citrus blossoms filled the air. Their stop came up soon, and Su Jiu and Bai Qianyu got off the bus. Only then did Bai Qianyu ask, “Did you notice something just now? You even used Transformation.”
“Someone was watching us. I didn’t expect it to be a monkey.” Su Jiu watched the rural bus drive away and spoke softly.
“Watching us? Was it the Lin family?”
Bai Qianyu grew a little nervous. She was afraid that after offending the Lin family, they might come after her at home and hurt her mother, who was still an ordinary person.
“No... Maybe I just imagined it.” Su Jiu suddenly smiled, rose onto her tiptoes, and patted Bai Qianyu on the head. “Don’t worry. I’ve already had my old man talk to the Lin family. They won’t come after you.”
There was definitely something wrong. That gaze had been exactly like the demons inside the space. She’d have to tell the old man to watch out for any moves from the Ancient God Cult.
...
At a certain bus stop, a lone figure stood.
“Sir, I think I’ve been spotted.” The twin-tailed girl from earlier leaned against the bus-stop sign, her face looking rather grim.
The person on the other end of the call clearly hadn’t expected her to say that. After a brief pause, he cursed in a voice that sounded quite young. “You useless piece of trash! You were standing right beside her, using the cult’s skill to control a Mischievous Monkey and keep watch. How did you still get spotted by Bai Ming’s little sister?”
“It wasn’t Bai Qianyu... That person seemed able to sense when she was being watched.” The twin-tailed girl spoke softly.
“Could she be a Battle General-level expert?” the person on the other end continued.
“I don’t think so. She looked like one of her classmates.” The twin-tailed girl answered honestly. She found it hard to believe. She hadn’t let a trace of her aura escape, yet the other person had known she was watching her.
There was silence on the other end. Then he said sternly, “Fine. I’ll find someone else to follow her! Don’t I know what level this school’s students are? A bunch of weaklings who’ve never even been to a demon battlefield.”
“Sir, I...”
The twin-tailed girl clearly wanted to say more. She looked anxious; it had taken a lot of effort, using her looks, to land such an easy surveillance job.
“Enough. By your account, that person must be an adventurer or a soldier at least at the high-tier Warrior level. They’re the only ones with an instinctive sense for danger and malice. But does that sound likely?”
“Use that brain of yours, full of filthy thoughts. Someone like that could get a government job in Huayang City without any trouble. Do you think they’d be Bai Qianyu’s classmate?”
“Beep, beep...” The twin-tailed girl froze, unsure what to do.
At the other end of the call was a neat-looking office. A young man who looked to be about twenty had a blue inverted cross pinned inside the lining over his chest.
He tapped the desk lightly with one finger. A roster lay on it, containing fifty-eight names.
Near the top, the first entry read, “Bai Ming’s younger sister, Bai Qianyu. Suspected to have an SS-rank bloodline as well. Must acquire.” The second read, “Liu Lin, top-tier S-rank bloodline. Must acquire.”
The words “Must acquire” had been written in red ink.
It wasn’t until the twenty-first name that Su Jiu appeared: “Su Jiu, A-rank bloodline.” Clearly, A-rank bloodlines were of little importance to the young man.
“Have you finished grading the assignments? I ordered late-night snacks.” Zhou Qian’s voice suddenly came from outside.
The young man put the roster away in a drawer and gave her a warm smile. “Teacher Zhou, you’re too kind. I’ll treat you to barbecue next time.”