Chapter 5: The Refugee
Xu Qing was a thodical person.
Once he made a choice between "can" and "cannot," he no longer dwelled on it and naturally moved on to the next step.
By the ti Jiang He finished the simple al of congee and side dishes, it was already close to 8 p.m.
Xu Qing paused the pen in his hand, helped clear the food containers and wrappers, setting them aside, and then picked up the dart, weighing it in his hand.
"Right now, you are 1,200 years in the future. Whether you accept this or not, our conversation will proceed on this basis. Do you understand?"
The saying goes, "Take soone’s things and soften your stance; eat soone’s food and watch your words." Jiang He touched her stomach. Although still skeptical of Xu Qing's words, she said nothing more, suppressing her thoughts and nodding, ready to listen.
Xu Qing noted her attitude but paid it no mind. He fiddled with the iron dart in his hand, mulling over his words. "First, this place is completely safe. At least in this room, you are safe. Even if you were to cut down, as long as my body doesn’t rot, you could hide here for about a week—seven days or so—without any incident."
He looked at Jiang He, who showed no reaction and just listened quietly, and continued, "So, stop worrying about your sword... Everything here is unfamiliar to you, like that." Xu Qing tapped the broken television with the dart. "It’s just a device that makes sound, used for... well, for entertainnt. It's harmless. There are many things like it, including this."
He took out his phone and opened a music app, playing a random song. A lodious tune ca from the speaker, making Jiang He’s arm twitch slightly as she stared at the phone in silence.
"I'm telling you this to reassure you. Any strange things I do or actions I take are just that—normal. Don’t misunderstand; I’m not going to do anything to you. I’m just explaining."
Xu Qing gestured to the TV on the table and then turned off the music, leaning back on the sofa with a long exhale and looking at Jiang He. “Got it?”
He wanted to avoid any misunderstandings that could arise from Jiang He’s lack of understanding, as his own safety was at stake.
Jiang He was silent for a mont, then nodded under his gaze.
“Now, about the outside world. This is more complicated. It’s a peaceful world now, where everyone lives in peace, and outside is generally safe—safe for , that is. For you, it’s full of danger.”
“Why?”
“Because you suddenly appeared and might be seen as a threat to others.”
Xu Qing spoke slowly, thinking as he explained, “It’s like... the palace? If you walked in with a sword, you’d definitely be pursued. It’s like that; you’re obviously an outsider.”
As he spoke, he stood up from the sofa, walked to the bedroom, took out his wallet, and placed his ID card in front of the curious Jiang He.
“This is an ID card. Everyone here has one, with a number assigned at birth. If soone commits a cri or does sothing wrong, they can be tracked through this for an arrest warrant. So, there are officers on the streets who periodically check IDs to see if there are any fugitives around.”
“If you don’t have one and get checked, you’ll be taken away for investigation. At that point, everything about you will be exposed, and... who knows what will happen? It probably won’t be good.”
He paused and added, “The laws here are strict, and the officers are formidable. If you injure soone, you will be caught, and resistance is a death sentence. Even carrying a weapon on the street like you do is against the law and would draw attention instantly.”
Xu Qing summarized these points and explained to Jiang He what to watch out for and what absolutely could not be done.
For an ancient person who appeared out of nowhere, the most important thing now was to stay hidden before addressing any other matters. If she drew attention and her identity was exposed, it would create a sensation.
An ancient martial artist co to life.
Jiang He quickly grasped the situation and nodded. “I understand. You an I’m... a refugee.”
“Uh... you could say that, but the consequences are severe.” Xu Qing frowned, thought for a mont, and decided against ntioning scientific experints, instead saying, “It’s more like being an unregistered slave. If you’re caught, it’s very serious.”
Seeing her expression change, he added, “Just an analogy; it’s as serious as that.”
The rain outside began to taper off. It was only a little past eight, and occasionally the sound of chairs moving could be heard from upstairs, while faint car horns echoed from the distant street.
After a brief silence, Xu Qing stood from the sofa and walked to the window. Through it, he could see the dim glow of the streetlights, with neon signs of hotels flashing in the distance, glowing yellow and red.
He lived on the first floor and could only see the imdiate surroundings. Beyond that lay the bustling city, where even a modern person without an ID would struggle to survive, let alone a girl unfamiliar with everything.
Leaving this room would be a death sentence—being taken for research would be just as good as dead.
“After all that, the main point is simple.”
Xu Qing turned back, looking at Jiang He, and said, “You are in a very dangerous situation in this world.”
“eting soone from over 1,200 years ago is... fascinating. So, I’m willing to help you, to do everything I can to help you adapt, hide, and gradually blend in.”
“...How can I trust you?” Jiang He lowered her head. Unlike Xu Qing, she lacked the ability to quickly adapt to this situation and still couldn’t believe she was now... 1,000 years in the future.
Yet, the clothes she wore, the slippers on her feet, the lights overhead, the miraculous bathroom, and the enormous buildings outside, along with those strange moving tal boxes...
Everything she saw was unfamiliar, things she had never even heard of.
Loneliness and fear gripped her like a pair of large hands. She just wanted to go ho, to take her sword and end this surreal dream.
“If you don’t trust , we can part ways here.” Xu Qing walked back from the window, placing the iron dart on the table and pushing it towards her. “Helping you isn’t easy. In today’s world, if you were to display your martial skills publicly, it would go viral online in an instant. There’d be no hiding it, so you need to cooperate. If you don’t trust , there’s nothing I can do.”
Jiang He looked at Xu Qing, contemplating for a long ti, as if weighing the truth and falsehood of his words.
“Chance encounters...”
“You’ll understand when you learn about this world.” Xu Qing said casually.
Out of a hundred people who might co across her, fewer than ten would consider turning her in to the authorities.
Besides, if things worked out well, he might even get to learn her “Supre Sword Technique of the Nine Heavens and Eight Desolations.”
“So... what should I do?”
“Well, um...” Xu Qing hesitated, scratching his head. “The most important thing for now is to hide your identity. The rest, we’ll figure out as we go.”
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