Hidden Assassin 167

After the May Day holiday passed, life seemed to return to its normal track, although some changes were inevitable. Every morning, Jia Ming, the three others, and Xun trained together. The martial arts club members, who had been making a show of themselves from afar, had become much more subdued. Their eyes, as they watched Xun slowly practicing Tai Chi, had taken on a more complex expression. Xu Yiting, after being on leave from school for almost a month, had returned, but she had become even more withdrawn than before. She was gloomy and unpleasant, and although Lingjing and Sha Sha sympathized with her situation, they couldn’t think of much to help her. They would simply greet her when they saw her, and that was about the limit.

As for his relationship with Ya Han, Jia Ming couldn’t think of a good way to deal with it. But it was rumored that after the school anniversary, Ya Han had taken a leave of absence to go home and rest. He couldn’t go to her office after class to banter with her anymore, and Jia Ming felt a slight sense of loss, but there was nothing he could do about it.

On the other hand, the Yongsheng Gang’s efforts to buy the houses were still ongoing. It was rumored that there had been several small-scale conflicts at the street corner. Jia Ming had encountered one with Lingjing and Sha Sha. A small number of residents had signed contracts with the Yongsheng Gang to sell their houses, but most of them were holding out. During this time, James Cook’s people were still secretly watching him.

Since the miracle of creation didn’t have any spare manpower in China, these Yongsheng Gang thugs couldn’t really keep Jia Ming under close surveillance, but they were still a nuisance. If these people belonged to Pei Luo Jia, Jia Ming would have killed them long ago. But he was a man of action, and he didn’t want to stir up trouble. Even with his confidence, Jia Ming didn’t think he could take on an organization all by himself. After making Pei Luo Jia an enemy, he still had Yan Huang Jue Xing (Yan Huang Awakening) as a buffer. Under these circumstances, there was no need to push the miracle of creation to the enemy’s side. Moreover, since James Cook was sent to track down natural evolutionists, he must be a formidable figure in the miracle of creation. Jia Ming had heard of him before he was reborn, but he had never interacted with him. It was wise to remain cautious.

Fang Yusi left Jiang Hai after her performance. She took with her a song that Jia Ming had written for her. It wasn’t “Rotary Wood,” of course. The quality of “Rotary Wood” was higher than that other song. Jia Ming gave it to Dong Danwen, actually as a hint to Fang Yusi: “I don’t like you, stop bothering me.”

The mother and daughter, Marylin and Heidi, left on May 5th. Joseph’s investment in Jiang Hai was always a smokescreen. Now that he had failed to achieve his goal, he naturally had to return to New York after dealing with a few loose ends. Marilyn and Heidi went with him. Despite her reluctance, little Heidi was quite sensible, perhaps a bit too sensible.

“…… I don’t want to leave. But I can’t leave Mommy here to sleep with you… We agreed, when I become a big star, you’ll come and marry me, okay?”

Jia Ming had a feeling of amused exasperation at those words mumbled by the little girl at their farewell. He was only four years older than Heidi, but in his heart, he treated her like a daughter. In terms of Chinese traditional values, having such a beautiful, intelligent, and quirky daughter would probably increase the chances of heart attacks in old age by several times.

After the mother and daughter left, Jia Ming ran into Ya Han again on the morning of May 7th. She had her mature, wavy hair, her old-fashioned wide-rimmed glasses, and her trademark serious expression as she walked out of the parking lot. Jia Ming locked his bicycle in the bike rack and greeted her amiably. Ya Han stopped and stared at him silently.

“How are you?” Jia Ming waved at her with a smile as he approached. Ya Han’s breathing was visibly erratic, her chest heaving up and down. Then, she spoke stiffly.

“I… I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Uh… I thought…”

“It’s not your fault. I just haven’t figured things out… I’m being unreasonable. But I’m tired of your jokes and your facade. I can’t see through you, I don’t know what kind of person you are… Sorry, at school, I’m just your teacher. You have to call me Teacher Zhang.”

With her hands hanging at her sides and her chin slightly raised, Ya Han’s expression was quite stiff. Jia Ming could almost feel her body’s rigidity and tension. He hesitated for a moment before nodding with a smile: “…Good morning, Teacher Zhang.”

“Good morning…” Ya Han uttered those three words in one breath, but the final “good” was slightly muffled. With a pounding heart, she hurried away on her high heels. After rounding the corner, she reached out to wipe the moisture from the corner of her eyes.

She had been thinking about this for four or five days, from rational analysis to emotional desire. The defenses she thought she had built up crumbled the moment she saw him. It was cowardly and pathetic, but perhaps… this was the end of their story…

Ya Han, don’t cry…

*************************************************

“The sun is shining brightly, flowers are smiling at me, the little bird says, early, early, why are you carrying a bomb; I’m going to blow up the school, the teacher doesn’t know, pull the trigger, and I’ll run, boom, the school disappears…”

At noon, humming that song, Jia Ming and Xun sat on a stone bench by the volleyball court, watching a remote-controlled helicopter soar into the sky.

“The right-hand regulator seems a bit unresponsive. But there’s no way around it. Something you make yourself is bound to have some flaws. You just need to understand the principles…”

The reason he sang that particular song was a bit complicated. After all, building this remote-controlled helicopter was actually a way of teaching Xun how to set a bomb. On the other hand, Jia Ming was capable of understanding the operation and principles of various practical machinery. In his view, an assassin’s job was to be well-versed in all kinds of things. He was now cramming Xun with knowledge in this area.

“You have one more month of school left this semester. Make sure you understand all the stuff I’ve told you. During the summer break, try to get some practical experience. From dismantling a motorcycle to a Cadillac… You won’t be going back to Japan until the winter break. By then, you can get some military supplies from the Takamagahara and study them. Tanks, helicopters, fighter jets, you have to understand them all…”

If all the knowledge of mechanical physics were to be classified in detail, it would be vast and extensive. Even if one were to limit it to practical applications, the circle was still too large. In the days since she received Jia Ming’s instructions, Xun had begun to search the library for information in this area. Time was precious. After summarizing what she needed to know, she nodded and left. The remote-controlled helicopter circled around a flagpole. Jia Ming was thinking about what Lingjing had said at lunch.

“I saw Ya Han jie this morning. It was so awkward talking to her… Honestly, I thought she would say something about me and Sha Sha. She didn’t, and it felt so weird. I’ve known Ya Han jie for years, and for the first time, it felt like we were strangers…”

Jia Ming had already experienced similar feelings in the morning. Ya Han’s personality was tough but gentle, but she was a sentimental person. All they could do now was hope that time would help her figure things out and that they could be friends again. With these thoughts in mind, a figure appeared in the distance and walked towards him. It was Dongfang Wan. She looked up at the helicopter in the sky as she approached.

“Did you make that? Why are you suddenly interested in model aircraft?”

“Anything?”

“It’s fine to come chat with me when you see me alone, you know.” Dongfang Wan sat down next to Jia Ming and shrugged. “I accompanied a cousin to school. It’s a bit of a hassle, though. She’s… she’s got eye problems, she’s blind. And her health is weak. She felt a bit uncomfortable after walking for a while, so she went to the infirmary to see Teacher Li. She should be resting now. That’s why I came out…”

“Why are you telling me this…” Jia Ming was about to blurt out the words. It was a common phrase used when they met. But the phrase “blind girl from the Dongfang family” flashed through his mind, and his brow furrowed: “Eye… problems?”

“Yeah. And… ” Dongfang Wan nodded. “I heard her grandmother is from your Huang family’s outer branch. So she’s your relative too. I wonder if you should call her sister or aunt. Haha… It’s a big family. I only learned about this cousin yesterday. She was weak when she was little, and she’s been living in E Mei Shan (Mount Emei) for treatment. This is her first time coming down the mountain. Hey, that makes us relatives too, doesn’t it? I wonder if I’m your sister or aunt… ”

Jia Ming frowned and said nothing. A name was already forming in his mind. What was she doing here…

“I heard she’s going to visit your Huang family tomorrow. She’s been living in the mountains since she was little. She’s never seen the world, so don’t scare her with your sarcasm. By the way, her name is Dongfang Ruo…”

Dongfang Ruo… suddenly, the name jumped out of his memory. He had heard it, though not many times.

It was after the Yuechi family, Takamagahara, and the Dark Lyre had all collapsed. Kelly F. had been traveling around the world to fight Pei Luo Jia. Dongfang Lu had grown into the new head of the Dongfang family and had turned the Dongfang clan into the most important member of Yan Huang Jue Xing (Yan Huang Awakening). As Yan Huang Jue Xing was being suppressed by Pei Luo Jia, there were several bizarre events that had timely saved Yan Huang Jue Xing from potential collapse. A blind woman, known as “Ruo Ruo,” had appeared in the eyes of Pei Luo Jia’s assassins several times.

Jia Ming had not been involved in those operations, but the subsequent investigations into those incidents that had caused Pei Luo Jia significant losses had hit a dead end. There was no reason for them, which was why they were considered bizarre. Several reports had investigated this Ruo Ruo girl, but the information they obtained was simply that she was Dongfang Ruo, frail, and had been living in the mountains of E Mei Shan since she was a child.

However, one investigator had produced a rather startling report. He speculated that Dongfang Ruo was an ability user cultivated by Yan Huang Jue Xing. He had the ability to see through everything, and he might even be a natural evolutionist. This report did not provide any evidence, and the assassin who wrote it did not have much prestige within the organization, so this speculation only passed before Jia Ming’s eyes. He had dismissed it as a fantasy novel.

But now, it seemed that this matter was far from ordinary…

From the unfolding of Pei Luo Jia’s ambitions, to the collapse of the Dark Lyre, Dongfang Ruo’s name did not appear in the darkness’s line of sight. Although the butterfly effect of his rebirth had affected many people, it had mostly spread out in the realm of the dark world. If this Dongfang Ruo was truly frail, a recluse, as peaceful as a nun, why did she suddenly deviate from her historical trajectory? After all, according to Dongfang Wan, this Ruo Ruo cousin had some connection to the Huang family, and Jia Ming had thoroughly investigated everything about the Huang family when he massacred them at the age of twenty. If she had appeared once before, he would never have missed her…

Combining the current situation, and the preparations he had made to deal with James Cook, the purpose of this Ruo Ruo girl’s sudden descent from the mountain was…

He chatted with Dongfang Wan for a while, and the topic naturally turned to Jian Suyan. It seemed that after he saved her, she had begun to worship this fictional perfect woman. As a result of his resentment towards the idea of “flowers stuck in cow dung,” Dongfang Wan’s usual nagging started in Jia Ming’s ear. It was essentially a complaint about how it was almost the 21st century, and how could there still be arranged marriages, how Suyan jie would never look at him, and so on. It was old-fashioned and repetitive. Soon, Jia Ming, bored and amused, maneuvered the helicopter to dive down.

“…You know, a helicopter’s propeller blades are made of thin sheet metal. They’re sharp, like knives. At this speed, I could trim your hair or do a beauty treatment for you. Suyan is my child bride. What does it matter to you? If you keep buzzing like a fly…”

“Humph, I don’t believe you. Go ahead… Wow, Gu Jia Ming, if you dare to touch a single strand of my hair, I’ll kill you, ahhhhh!”

She sounded confident at first, but when she saw the plane diving down without stopping, and remembering this guy’s usual viciousness, Dongfang Wan covered the back of her head and began to run away.

“Heh, you dare not run, be at ease, this time I’ll just cut your hair, I’m very careful, I definitely won’t hurt you…”

“Gu Jia Ming, I’ll get you!”

Running to a distance, Dongfang Wan suddenly picked up a stick from the ground and swung it at the model aircraft. Jia Ming maneuvered the plane to stop for a moment, then circled upwards. One person and one plane were now facing off. Dongfang Wan held the stick, her face full of excitement. “Come on, come down, come down and I’ll smash you!”

“You’ll see.” A model could never be as agile as a person. Jia Ming maneuvered the plane to circle in the air for a moment, just as it was about to dive down, suddenly, it fell straight from the sky. It crashed with a bang in front of Dongfang Wan. Both of them were taken aback by the sudden change. Jia Ming understood that the internal regulator, which had been unreliable, had finally failed. Dongfang Wan, after a moment of stunned silence, burst into laughter and ran over, picking up the broken helicopter. She used a twig to jam the propeller blades and made a few vicious gestures.

“Now it’s mine, mwahahaha…” With a graceful twist of her waist, Dongfang Wan, holding her prize, darted away, running off to some secluded corner to torture the poor plane. Jia Ming rolled his eyes and threw the remote control aside. He was thinking about all the things related to Dongfang Ruo.

About ten minutes later, he was about to get up and leave when he felt a sudden, sharp pain in his head. A soft footstep sounded behind him. Soon, the person was close enough to touch him. The moment his fingers touched his body, he felt another sharp pain in his head.

“I-I’m sorry…” The person hastily withdrew their hand. “My eyes are not very good. Can someone help me?”

Turning around, a delicate girl appeared in front of Jia Ming. She was wearing a white robe, the kind that recluses wear in television shows, loose and comfortable, giving off a sense of coolness. She was wearing blue cloth shoes with yellow flowers on them. The girl had short hair, just reaching her ears. If it weren’t for the curve of her chest, she would look like a boy. Her eyes were looking forward, but her pupils were scattered, without focus or shine. Her lips held a faint smile, both strained and timid.

That was Dongfang Ruo…

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