Chapter 82: The Illusions and the Schoolyard Scuffle

As soon as free activity began during gym class, Mo Qiu swiftly departed from the sports field.

Predictably, she found the overly boisterous atmosphere unbearable; the cheers and screams of the female students around the court were nothing short of an assault on her eardrums.

Mo Qiu had always struggled to comprehend why, despite being the same species, women’s voices were considerably sharper than men’s.

Even after her own body had transformed into that of a woman, she found it impossible to imagine herself emitting sounds akin to theirs.

Another reason, in truth, revolved around Bai Chen.

Every class, that fellow would drag Mo Qiu into the sunlight, compelling her to partake in strenuous physical exercise.

For Mo Qiu, engaging in high-intensity workouts while simultaneously baking under the sun was nothing less than a death sentence.

Thus, the moment free activity commenced in gym class, Mo Qiu fled far away, seizing the chance to escape Bai Chen before he could notice her.

Even if Bai Chen were to intercept her, Mo Qiu could always feign needing to use the restroom to shake him off.

Mo Qiu bypassed the restrooms entirely, making her way to the rear of the building, her lusterless eyes scanning left and right.

‘Where… there it is.’

Behind the building lay an empty patch of ground, neglected due to its insignificance, where some weeds had grown as high as Mo Qiu’s ankles.

Within this weed-choked clearing, a diminutive figure furtively peeked and prodded.

Seemingly unaware it had approached from the wrong direction, the figure’s wiggling backside and faintly fluttering wings were immediately visible to Mo Qiu as she entered from the main side.

Mo Qiu strode over, grasping the miniature goat by the scruff of its neck and orienting its face towards her own.

“You—why did you suddenly run all the way here?”

Had she not glimpsed a familiar black mist on her way to the sports field before class, Mo Qiu would have remained oblivious to Aiqi’s clandestine entry into the school.

“Ahem, do you understand?”

Aiqi declared with utmost seriousness.

“Don’t you humans quite enjoy such activities? I hear they’re a means to enhance manual efficiency.”

“Why would you want to learn something like that?”

However, Aiqi’s timing was impeccable.

Mo Qiu set it down, allowing it to float before her.

“Aiqi, do you know the meaning conveyed by illusions?”

“Huh?” Aiqi froze, bewildered. “What do you mean by that?”

“The literal meaning. It’s said that every illusion carries an underlying message. I’m not very knowledgeable in this area, so I thought I’d ask you.”

“Mo Qiu, you’ve encountered an illusion? Are there humans with such abilities?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Upon hearing Mo Qiu’s words, Aiqi’s expression immediately turned grave.

“There are actually experts like that among the demon hunters? Even I can’t achieve such a feat.”

“Mo Qiu, what exactly did you encounter?”

Mo Qiu pondered for a moment before recounting her two encounters with illusions to Aiqi.

Naturally, she meticulously omitted any details concerning Bai Chen or the mysterious organization.

After listening to her account, Aiqi deliberated for a considerable time before finally speaking:

“Your information is too sparse; it’s difficult for me to make a judgment.”

“…”

“However, illusions, when not artificially created, are often merely images of the past.”

Mo Qiu knew instinctively that Fengling Middle School had appeared in that illusion.

If it truly depicted Fengling City of the past, then what entity had conjured this illusion?

Relying solely on Aiqi would prove insufficient.

Mo Qiu released it, allowing it to depart, while she herself remained crouched in that secluded corner.

When the time was right, she would leave her hiding spot and return to the sports field.

The people on the court had already rotated; those who had initially joined Bai Chen were now resting on the sidelines.

The young woman’s gaze swept across the sports field, particularly lingering on the areas where girls clustered, yet she found no sign of Bai Chen.

‘Could he also have found the field’s commotion unbearable and gone into hiding?’

“Hm, are you looking for Old Bai?”

Old Zhu, who had been chatting, looked utterly dumbfounded when Mo Qiu approached him.

“Haven’t seen him.”

Old Zhu glanced at the others, silently querying their opinions with his eyes.

“He was just with Lin Qiyue, it seemed.”

“They appeared to have gotten into a bit of a disagreement and headed in that direction.”

Following the direction one of them indicated, Mo Qiu walked over unhurriedly.

‘Bai Chen and Lin Qiyue—what an odd pairing!’

‘Could Bai Chen be jealous, unable to stand Lin Qiyue, and planning to drag him to a secluded corner for some schoolyard bullying?

Considering Bai Chen’s personality, he probably wouldn’t do something like that, would he?’

For some inexplicable reason, an image of Bai Chen’s hysterical expression flashed through Mo Qiu’s mind.

The thought that he might be fighting over her made her involuntarily quicken her pace.

‘Such a spectacle couldn’t be missed. A hero of salvation vying with a commoner for a woman—as the object of contention, Mo Qiu’s heart inexplicably began to pound.’

“You little brat, you don’t remember us, do you? We’ve certainly been thinking about you!”

“You four-eyed nerd next to him, scram! We’re only looking for Bai Chen.”

“If you don’t get lost, we’ll beat you up too.”

Upon nearing the spot, she heard unfamiliar voices.

The young woman paused, craning her neck to peer around, her braid falling behind her head.

Several fierce-looking students had surrounded Bai Chen and Lin Qiyue.

Bai Chen’s expression remained relatively calm, but Lin Qiyue was trembling uncontrollably.

‘Some of them look familiar… Ah, I remember now. They were like tools I discarded after using them.’

‘Thanks to their sacrifice, Bai Chen ended up accepting Mo Qiu’s bento. But weren’t they supposed to be attending school?’

The trio were notorious troublemakers in the class, incorrigible and even having harassed Zheng Yuxin after school.

Unaware they had been manipulated by Mo Qiu, they could only unleash their fury upon Bai Chen once they regained their senses.

‘Given Bai Chen’s personality, he wouldn’t resort to violence easily, even if they provoked him, right?’

Mo Qiu crossed her arms, leaning against the wall, intending to seek him out once the confrontation concluded.

‘Just then, that glance during the class meeting… had Bai Chen truly grown suspicious of me?’

Mo Qiu pursed her lips, then pushed off the wall.

Unlike the trembling Lin Qiyue, Bai Chen harbored no fear for these street punk-like students.

He could defeat demons, let alone peers his own age?

However, this was school, and if a real fight broke out, Bai Chen worried he wouldn’t be able to hold back.

Receiving a major demerit from the school would be a significant setback, and he still needed to consider his future.

Bai Chen took a deep breath, then chuckled:

“I say, it’s been so long already, why can’t we just let it go?”

“Pah, what are you to us?!”

Bai Chen truly couldn’t be bothered to tangle with them.

This spot wasn’t far from the sports field; as long as he ran fast enough, they wouldn’t dare make a move with a teacher present.

As for Lin Qiyue, he could only hope the boy was still capable of running.

Just as Bai Chen prepared to make his escape, a voice froze him in his tracks:

“Bai Chen, what are you doing?”

Hearing the young woman’s voice, Bai Chen abruptly turned his head, just in time to see Mo Qiu approaching him.

Compared to the menacing group of ruffians, the young woman’s figure appeared delicate and vulnerable.

“Why are you here?!” Bai Chen instantly grew anxious, hastily pulling her behind him.

“I was looking for you,” Mo Qiu stated, her lusterless eyes fixed on him. “You usually come to find me.”

Bai Chen was suddenly speechless.

After a long moment, he let out a drawn-out sigh, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“I made you worry.”

‘Was it truly my fault?’ Bai Chen licked his dry lips.

‘Unbeknownst to me, Mo Qiu had grown accustomed to being with me during gym class, even coming to seek me out.’

A tremendous sense of responsibility settled upon Bai Chen’s shoulders.

To protect the young woman beside him, he absolutely could not afford to act recklessly.

He had intended to simply take her hand and leave the scene, but his opponents clearly had other ideas.

The leader of the group shouted:

“Hey!”

“Haven’t we met somewhere before? Before he could even finish his sentence, he felt Bai Chen’s gaze, brimming with murderous intent.

He instinctively recoiled a step, but then, reconsidering, he grinned.

“So that’s your girlfriend, huh? She looks like a—”

Bai Chen released Mo Qiu’s hand and slowly stepped forward.

The leader of the trio instructed the others to stand their ground, while he himself advanced with his hands in his pockets, his gait overtly arrogant.

“What, you’re not happy about it? It’s just a woman; they’re all the same, black as crows.

Don’t let their innocent act in front of people fool you; who knows whose she’ll be later.

Apologize.

Hahaha, are you angry?” The trio’s leader sneered, tilting his head. “I said she is, so do you dare lay a hand on me?”

After so many provocations without resorting to violence, even willing to lead his little girlfriend away, Bai Chen had long been branded a coward in their minds.

‘He wouldn’t even dare if I offered him my face!’

When facing Mo Qiu, Bai Chen always allowed his lower house to dominate his upper house.

But this time, the upper house directly overturned the table.

His punch was swift as wind, its force like thunder; even Mo Qiu, standing behind him, only saw a white blur.

The trio’s leader’s distorted grinning face took a direct hit from Bai Chen’s straight punch, his smile twisting as half of his face deflated like a leaky balloon.

“Boss!”

The others cried out in alarm, watching their leader get knocked to the ground with a single punch.

“Bai Chen!!!”

The trio’s leader clutched his face, his fury surging.

His underlings rubbed their hands together, while Bai Chen retracted his fist, his knuckles cracking audibly.

This punch was not for himself, but for Mo Qiu.

Bai Chen could endure pressure, but he would not permit scoundrels to harm those close to him.

‘So what if I get a demerit? Life can’t always be smooth sailing.

As long as the fight feels good, that’s what matters.

Even if it impedes my future entry into society, I can still join the Demon Hunter Guild.’

These few individuals, he was absolutely going to deal with them.

Mo Qiu watched the two fiercely confrontational sides, her eyelids slightly narrowed, as if enjoying an interesting play.

Just then, someone ran out from behind her, shouting at Bai Chen and the others:

“It’s bad! The teacher’s coming!”

At these words, both Bai Chen and the trio froze in their actions.

“Old Zhu?”

Just as Bai Chen wondered why it was him, the other party met his gaze and winked.

Bai Chen’s understanding dawned, and a pleased smile curled on his lips.

‘Truly my good brother, arriving just in time!’

As the trio retreated, Bai Chen grabbed Mo Qiu’s wrist.

“Good opportunity, let’s go.”

Running too fast, the young woman stumbled slightly, her gaze fixed on the ground beneath her feet.

She bit her lip, gradually catching up to Bai Chen’s pace.

‘Good opportunity? What an inexplicable fellow, jumping out to cause trouble for no reason!’

‘Just one punch and it’s over? How boring, I wanted to see rivers of blood!’

After they stopped and Bai Chen thanked Old Zhu, the young woman behind him watched them with resentful eyes, like a little girl whose toy had been snatched away.