Chapter 172: Intuition of Danger
Two days later, it was the weekend.
At Jiangcheng Plaza, by the street stalls, Xu Qing stood in a black short-sleeved shirt, his hands behind his back, alternating between clenching them into fists and forming claws. He stood still by the roadside, waiting for soone.
"Fists never leave the hand, tunes never leave the mouth; practicing martial arts requires constant effort." Ever since he started to master the "Tang Shou Quan," Xu Qing had developed the habit of practicing reflexively.
Unable to resist Wang Zijun’s repeated pestering, he was now waiting for that guy. Together, they planned to ask Qin Hao when he got off work, so Wang Zijun could drive them to pick him up.
"Here I co!"
From a distance, Wang Zijun got out of the car, waving excitedly. Beside him was Qin Hao. One tall and skinny, the other short and stout, they made quite a pair. Wang Zijun resembled a bamboo pole, while Qin Hao looked like a wooden stump. They checked for passing cars on the road before jogging over in small steps.
“It’s been over two months, and you’ve gained weight again?” Wang Zijun gave Xu Qing a once-over.
“This is called ‘gains,’ not fat.”
Though not entirely accurate, Xu Qing’s appearance had indeed transford. His energy and spirit seed to have inflated, his eyes radiating vitality, a stark contrast to his forr self during late-night gaming marathons.
Qin Hao, who had seen him a few tis recently, didn’t feel the change as strongly. But he had noticed that getting a girlfriend had made Xu Qing look healthier, even sowhat plumper.
The thought made him a bit sad. After all, in his household, there were only two bachelor n, neither with a partner. The one ti they encountered soone who wasn’t picky, she turned out to be into won.
The three found a spot at the street stall and sat down. Wang Zijun, who wasn’t picky about food, embraced the casualness of roadside barbecue, completely unbothered by the sumr heat.
“What kind of martial art is that? The Sunflower Manual? When did you start learning it?”
As soon as they settled in, Wang Zijun couldn’t hold back his curiosity. For the past two days, he had been glued to Xu Qing’s livestream, watching him play "Red Light, Green Light." Every day at seven, Xu Qing would stand stock still for an hour, barely blinking.
It was... sothing else. It felt like that mont when your buddy suddenly claims he’s mastered so absurd move, and just as you’re about to mock him, he executes it perfectly, complete with sound effects.
Wang Zijun had even tried copying Xu Qing’s bizarre posture, but it was pure tornt: legs, waist, elbows, and arms all aching simultaneously. It seed designed to torture people.
“What Sunflower Manual?” Qin Hao, clueless about their conversation, looked confused.
“This guy’s been practicing so mystical art. The stance...” Wang Zijun struggled to find the words and could only shake his head.
Qin Hao chuckled, glancing at Xu Qing to see if there was any truth to it. If it were anyone else, he’d dismiss it as nonsense, but for Xu Qing? Considering he’d even started making armor, was practicing martial arts really that surprising?
Xu Qing cleared his throat, lowering his voice as if telling a grand tale. “It’s a long story. One morning, I was at the park and saw an old man practicing martial arts. I asked him, ‘Does this really work?’ He said, ‘Of course.’ I said, ‘I don’t believe you.’ He said, ‘Punch once, and you’ll see...’”
“And then you paid him 80,000 yuan in compensation?” Wang Zijun interjected.
“Can you stop ssing around?”
Qin Hao, uninterested in their banter, placed his arm on the table. “Co on, let’s arm wrestle. Show what kind of mystical power you’ve gained.”
“Don’t cry if you lose.”
Xu Qing grabbed a napkin to place on the table, prompting Qin Hao to frown. “Why are you acting so fussy now?”
“The table’s dirty, and my shirt is new. Shut up and get ready!”
As their hands clasped, Qin Hao applied force but found no movent. Frowning, he increased his strength.
Though short and stocky, Qin Hao had a body full of muscle from years of training. Even with so added weight, he was still solid. Xu Qing, on the other hand, had hit the gym briefly during college but had spent most of his ti post-graduation cooped up at ho as an online creator. They weren’t on the sa level. That Qin Hao couldn’t win imdiately was baffling.
“Are you even trying? Use so strength!” Wang Zijun egged them on from the side.
Qin Hao gradually exerted his full power, but Xu Qing’s arm rely trembled slightly without budging.
“Are you two putting on a show?” Wang Zijun was unimpressed.
Before he could finish complaining—
“Bang!”
Xu Qing’s arm was slamd onto the table. He chuckled, rubbing his wrist. “I can’t beat you.”
Qin Hao looked stunned. Even though he’d won, it didn’t feel like a victory. “What kind of miracle pills are you taking?”
“I told you, it’s the old man in the park...”
“Cut the crap!”
“It’s not crap; look at this.” Wang Zijun pulled out his phone and showed Qin Hao a video of Xu Qing practicing. If it weren’t for the moving ga interface and sound effects in the background, the video would look like it was frozen. Xu Qing stood motionless, staring off-screen, while the in-ga character Jingwei lood nacingly in the background.
“Performance art?” Qin Hao remained skeptical about martial arts. Too many so-called masters had been beaten senseless by combat experts.
He couldn’t help but think, I could probably handle it too. What is this, so kind of monkey kung fu?
“Kung fu! Look at that stance—it’s brimming with righteous energy. He must’ve learned it from sowhere...”
While Wang Zijun and Qin Hao continued debating, Xu Qing checked his phone for the ti. It wasn’t seven yet, so Jiang He’s usual livestream battle hadn’t started.
Livestreaming had its perks—whenever Xu Qing wanted to see her while out, he could just open the app and watch her imrsed in duels. He could even chat with her via comnts.
“Did you see how he used a napkin to cover the table? Isn’t that a bit... delicate? It’s definitely the Sunflower Manual!” Wang Zijun seized on what he considered solid evidence.
“Man, I just bought this shirt. Do you know how filthy these tables are?” Xu Qing was exasperated.
The shirt was a surprise purchase from Jiang He. Or maybe not so much a surprise—she’d been out grocery shopping and bumped into Aunt Cheng haggling over clothes at a roadside stall. A “buy one, get one” deal tempted her, and she bought two, one for herself and one for Xu Qing.
“Teach ! I want to learn!” Wang Zijun said eagerly.
“You can’t. It’s too ethereal, and your foundation is weak,” Xu Qing said, shaking his head.
That wasn’t his judgnt—it was what Jiang He had once told him. A weak foundation could lead to disastrous results. To practice safely, one needed to first improve their fitness with regular exercise for a few months, building good habits before diving into martial arts. Wang Zijun didn’t make the cut.
“You could learn it,” Xu Qing said to Qin Hao.
“What nonsense. I’m not interested.” Qin Hao had zero enthusiasm for standing still for an hour. He’d rather do 200 push-ups or spar with soone.
“Are you guys drinking? I can’t drink, but I’ll... grab so for you.”
Qin Hao’s voice faltered mid-sentence. He stood abruptly, his gaze fixed on a group of people who had just sat down not far away. His expression darkened.
Xu Qing raised his head, puzzled by the sudden shift. In that mont, Qin Hao’s stance transford. His left leg slid back slightly, feet crossing in a balanced position. His abdon tightened, his posture leaning forward slightly. Even the muscles in his neck and shoulders visibly tensed.
It was an unmistakable combat-ready stance, so intense that it made Qin Hao seem like an entirely different person—not the usual burly, jovial guy, but a predator poised to strike.
What the hell is he looking at?
Xu Qing subtly followed Qin Hao’s gaze, but saw nothing unusual. When their eyes t, Wang Zijun blinked rapidly, too scared to turn his head to look.
This kind of silent, ready-to-strike aura made the situation feel more serious than anything they’d encountered before.
“Go get it, then,” Qin Hao said, sitting back down while pulling out his phone under the table.
“I’ll go. Sa as always?” Xu Qing asked.
“Yeah,” Wang Zijun replied.
Xu Qing brought back the drinks and sat down. Wang Zijun chattered on about Xu Qing’s armor projects while Qin Hao kept glancing over at the nearby table. After about ten minutes, another group arrived to order food, and Qin Hao’s tense deanor finally eased. With a brief nod to his friends, he got up and walked away casually, only to suddenly lunge forward.
“Holy crap! Do we need to run?” Wang Zijun jumped up and instinctively moved aside, holding a skewer of grilled mushrooms, unsure whether to eat it or put it down.
“Run for what?” Xu Qing asked, standing by him with a paper cup in hand, watching the scene unfold.
“...”
The street stall owner, startled, stood to the side clutching a bottle of chili powder, ready to intervene. Before he could, one of the n pulled out a pair of silver cuffs, causing the owner to quietly retreat.
The whole altercation was over in monts. Qin Hao turned back to them, waving cheerfully, a look of satisfaction on his face. Without a word, he got into a car and left.
“Did he just... score so big points?” Wang Zijun muttered, finally taking a bite of his mushroom skewer, still processing what had just happened.
“Seems like it... Not like in the movies, though. Shouldn’t there have been a dramatic standoff with a shout of ‘Freeze!’ and then a wild chase scene with overturned tables and chaos everywhere?” Xu Qing glanced at the distant table. “This was way sneakier.”
“They just quietly called in backup and nabbed the guy. Better not ss with him.”
“I swear I felt killing intent earlier! That guy Hao—damn, he scared .” Wang Zijun rubbed his neck, still shaken.
It was supposed to be a fun hangout with friends, but Qin Hao’s sudden transformation had thrown him off completely. The way Qin Hao had stood up, brimming with aggression, made him feel like he was looking at a stranger.
That kind of presence wasn’t sothing Wang Zijun could ever match. If Qin Hao had been exposed and that person had tried to run, there was no doubt in Wang Zijun’s mind that Qin Hao would’ve pounced without hesitation.
“I didn’t dare move. My god...” Wang Zijun muttered, still recalling Qin Hao’s earlier stance.
Xu Qing, however, didn’t seem as affected. He was more impressed by the sudden shift in Qin Hao’s deanor. “Looks like he earned so big points for this one. Next ti, we should make him treat us to dinner.”
Maybe it was because of his own martial arts practice that Xu Qing wasn’t as shaken by such changes. He’d felt a similar chill the first ti Jiang He had drawn her sword, even occasionally when she pointed it at him during practice. Over ti, though, he’d grown immune to it.
Still, this sudden reminder of how much people around him were growing and changing left Xu Qing a bit introspective.
Wang Zijun, on the other hand, felt the difference most acutely. Xu Qing had been thriving as a content creator while also mastering martial arts. Qin Hao was a literal protector of the city, soone you’d typically only see on TV. And then there was Wang Zijun himself, still the sa as ever, wandering aimlessly like he had back in college.
With Qin Hao gone, the food they’d ordered seed a bit excessive. Fortunately, Xu Qing’s increased appetite more than made up for it. He ate enough to match Wang Zijun’s consumption twofold, ensuring nothing went to waste.
“You know,” Xu Qing said, holding up the last skewer of pork kidney, “if a pig is weak, does its kidney still count as good for boosting energy?”
Wang Zijun froze, staring at the skewer in his hand. He thought about it for a long mont but couldn’t co up with an answer.
“Also,” Xu Qing said after finishing his drink, “don’t waste money sending gifts during my streams. We’re just doing it for fun, and most of the money goes to the platform anyway. You’re just throwing money away.”
After eating their fill, Xu Qing said his goodbyes to Wang Zijun, grabbed a cab, and headed ho.
Back at ho, Xu Qing opened the door to an unusual sight. Jiang He wasn’t at her usual spot by the computer. Instead, she was lounging on the couch, watching TV. Fresh out of the shower, she was wearing a loose silk pajama set that left her looking effortlessly relaxed.
When she heard him enter, she glanced up at him, her face filled with a rare pout. “You’re late.”
“What’s wrong?” Xu Qing asked, still preoccupied with thoughts of Qin Hao’s earlier actions.
“When you’re not there, no one watches my stream.” Jiang He looked at him pitifully before lowering her head again.
Xu Qing was montarily stunned. Only two days ago, he had reassured her that her audience ca for her gaplay, not to watch him stand motionless like a statue. Yet tonight, the mont he skipped the livestream, her viewership plumted by more than half, with many viewers asking where he was.
“Uh...” Xu Qing rubbed the back of his head, unsure how to respond.
He hadn’t expected that those ridiculous viewers would tune in just for him standing still. But what surprised him even more was Jiang He’s reaction. Was she... sulking?
Xu Qing couldn’t help but grin. He walked over and hugged her from behind. Jiang He leaned her head against his chest and muttered, “Am I only good for breaking bricks?”
She paused for a mont, then suddenly looked up, catching Xu Qing off guard and headbutting his chin.
“Why is your head so hard?” Xu Qing asked, rubbing his jaw in pain.
“You’ve been drinking,” Jiang He said, sniffing slightly.
“Yeah.”
“You sll bad.”
“...Is it that bad?” Xu Qing lifted his shirt to sniff. Beer didn’t have a strong scent, or so he thought.
“I just showered and changed into fresh clothes. Don’t make sll like alcohol.” Jiang He shifted away from him, clearly displeased.
Xu Qing sighed. She wasn’t wrong. The last ti he drank too much during New Year’s, the lingering alcohol sll had clung to the bed for two days. Jiang He had eventually stripped all the bedding and washed it thoroughly.
“Fine, I’ll go shower.”
As he headed to the bathroom, Xu Qing couldn’t help but reflect on how much Jiang He had started to manage his life. It wasn’t through harsh demands—more like subtle nudges. Was this so innate skill won were born with?
When he ca back out, freshly cleaned, Jiang He had already returned to her desk, engrossed in a video editing tutorial. She was using the software Xu Qing had set up for her.
“Today, I saw soone arresting soone else. Their stance was so impressive—relaxed overall but with tension in their neck and shoulders. It was like they were ready to strike at any mont. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like that.”
“Ready to strike?” Jiang He mused, setting down her mouse. Her hands naturally dropped to her sides, and she glanced at Xu Qing from the corner of her eye.
Xu Qing froze. In that brief mont, he felt a palpable sense of danger. His back broke out in a cold sweat, and his heartbeat spiked.
This must be what that black dog felt when it ran away...
“What was that?” Xu Qing stamred, licking his lips nervously. He wanted to hug her but instinctively stepped back instead, plopping down on the couch.
“That’s not quite right. When you first approached , I wasn’t on guard because you just wanted to give an umbrella.”
“...”
Xu Qing replayed countless mories in his head and suddenly felt a chill.
“If you think about it, you haven’t held my hand in a while,” Jiang He remarked casually.
“What?”
Xu Qing turned to look at her, but Jiang He was staring intently at her computer screen, not saying another word.
“Well... okay, let’s fix that,” Xu Qing said, awkwardly reaching out. Recently, he’d been more focused on finding ways to hold her legs, which had indeed made him neglect her hands. He reflected on this lapse in affection as he stood behind her, holding her hands and guiding her through video editing.
“Earlier, was that... killing intent?” he asked.
“No. It’s your own instinctive reaction to danger,” Jiang He replied without looking up.
“Huh?”
“It’s complicated, but basically, being around you makes feel safe. But when I encounter soone like that black fatty earlier, my instincts tell to be cautious.”
“Would he ever hurt you?”
“I don’t know, but I know you wouldn’t.”
“Then why did you scare earlier?” Xu Qing complained.
Jiang He looked puzzled and turned to him. “Didn’t you want to see it?”
They were so close now that Xu Qing could feel her breath against his face—a clean, fragrant scent.
He instinctively followed the breath downward, lowering his head, but Jiang He frowned slightly and pushed him away.
“You still sll like alcohol.”
“You forgot how you forced after drinking?” Xu Qing grumbled, dissatisfied.
“If you can beat , you can force too.”
“...”
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