nChapter 43: The Pervert and the Message Tree

nTranslator: YH Editor: Pranav

nDuanmu Huanghun woke up in a daze.

nThere appeared to be a commotion around him…

nWhy was he feeling so cold? Why were his hands and feet all soft and his body so sore? Was he sick?

nDuanmu Huanghun opened his eyes with much effort. Through his hazy vision, he saw quite a number of human-shaped figures surrounding him from above.

nCould it be that the senior leadership was here to visit him out of concern for his illness?

nThe sounds around him gradually became more distinct.

n“Wow, what an exhibitionist!”

n“He’s really not wearing any clothes at all! Heavens, our school actually has people like that!”

n“Could he be a rapist? Maybe he was caught in adultery?”

n……

nNot wearing any clothes…feeling cold from head to toe…

nWhen realization dawned upon Duanmu Huanghun, he forced his eyes open. His face was planted on the ground, and he was surrounded by a large number of legs. The cooling sensation all over his body made him freeze in horror. All he wanted to do now was to dig a hole and hide in it.

nToo…too vicious!

nDuanmu Huanghun almost stopped breathing. The unwanted attention made him utterly embarrassed. He had never, in his entire life, experienced such helplessness before. He felt that his life was now dark beyond compare.

nThat nefarious Ai Hui and his partner in crime were simply too ruthless!

nDuanmu Huanghun suddenly remembered that he was wearing an elemental energy mask and was hence unrecognizable. He let out a sigh of relief.

nHe needed to escape, immediately!

nHe could sense that the surrounding crowd was constantly growing larger, but the elemental energy within his body was not responding to his commands. He was filled with regret. Why did he have to pick a fight with Ai Hui when his own strength was sapped?

nHe forcefully activated his natal residence, disregarding the consequent internal injury and the fact that he would need half a month to heal.

nThe onlookers’ vision blurred as the naked figure on the ground vanished.

n“Wow, an expert!”

n“Public decency is dying with each passing day! How can such an expert be so shameless?”

n“We need to lodge a complaint with the administration! That pervert must be caught!”

n…...

nPervert!

nWhen he heard the mob’s angry cries behind him, Duanmu Huanghun spat out a mouthful of hot blood. His internal injury immediately became more severe.

nAi Hui, you’d better watch out!

nDuanmu Huanghun gritted his teeth.

n…...

nVanguard Training Hall.

nAi Hui drew himself up, preparing to listen to Shi Xueman’s description of the target; after all, he had absorbed her Calming Indigo Silk. Even though the sword embryo was to blame, Ai Hui felt truly apologetic. Furthermore, the noodle shop girl did not seem to be capricious and was, in fact, a pretty decent person.

nIf he was in her shoes, he would chop the person who took his eighty million into mincemeat without any hesitation.

nSince it was his mistake, there was nothing more to be said. Ai Hui knew the value of eighty million yuan; he was not some naive kid who knew nothing about the real world.

nThe noodle shop girl’s good temperament was reflected in the fact that she did not get physical, in spite of possessing such power.

nHe was thus very serious about accomplishing his task.

nNoticing Ai Hui’s sincerity, Shi Xueman had a somewhat better impression of him. She began to list down the target’s characteristics, counting the points with her fingers. “He is proficient in close quarters combat, highly experienced in real combat, and has a vicious fighting style.”

nAi Hui instantly knew that this young lady didn’t have much experience. “The information you have given is too general. Do you have his name? Maybe his age? How tall is he? Is he fat, skinny or well-built? Did he have anything unique about him? Perhaps some kind of deformity or disability? What about his hair and skin color?”

nShi Xueman realized that Ai Hui wanted more specific details. She quickly responded, “It was during a blind battle, and he didn’t leave his full name. He is most probably a youngster. His height and build were rather similar to yours. As for other special characteristics…that’s right, he had a lot of strength.”

nAi Hui shook his head. “Still too little information.”

nShi Xueman was slightly anxious. She clenched her teeth and racked her brain. Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she offered, “Oh, and he was very powerful.”

n“How powerful? What was his base level?”

n“Possibly more powerful than me.” She then added, “Not much stronger but not much weaker either.”

nAi Hui nodded and agreed, “That does narrow our search down by quite a bit.”

nHe was not simply shooting his mouth off. The power that she had exhibited earlier had sent a lingering fear crawling up his spine—even someone as arrogant as Duanmu Huanghun was beaten to a pulp.

nHe reflected for a while, before asking prudently, “What’s your base level? It’s fine if you’re not willing to share.”

nShi Xueman replied spontaneously, “I have achieved six palaces.”

n“Absolute arts?”

n“Of course!”

nEven though Ai Hui had already known she was fierce and powerful, discovering her base level still made him involuntarily suck in air through his teeth.

nThis girl...even Fatty would not dare to tell her that the debtor is the boss!

nAi Hui was glad that he had no plans to renege on his debt; otherwise, he might have already ended up in the sewers as a pile of dregs.

nHe sighed lightly, hiding his astonishment. “The target must be a renowned expert, further limiting the scope of our search.”

nLittle did he expect the seemingly ordinary girl from the noodle shop to shake her head and disagree. “No! I am very familiar with all the renowned experts of the Induction Ground, and he is not one of them. The target is definitely a new student, someone who I have not traded blows with before.”

nAi Hui’s mind buzzed; the hidden implications of her words are rather frightening. What did she mean by being “familiar with the renowned experts?” Judging from the phrase ‘not traded blows with before’, they were definitely more than just acquaintances.

nFurthermore, she had said it with absolute certainty. Didn’t that imply that she had sparred with them before?

nAi Hui felt his mouth turn dry. How unlucky must he be to owe someone so powerful eighty million yuan!

nHe took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. “How could any of the new students possibly have such a base level of six palaces?”

n“Why not?” she countered, disagreeing. “For all we know, he could have a strange character and prefers to keep a low-profile. Maybe he enjoys preying on the weak.”

nAi Hui considered the idea for a while. “In other words, the target is a new student, who is actually an expert, with a build similar to mine. Also, his base level might be of six palaces or possibly even higher, knows an absolute art, has a vicious fighting style, and is proficient in blind battling as well as submission moves.”

n“That should be about it!” Shi Xueman was very pleased.

nAlthough he was young, Ai Hui’s maturity, calmness, and attention to detail left her highly satisfied.

nAi Hui decided to first temper her expectations. “I will put my best effort for this task, but luck usually plays a large role in finding someone. I cannot guarantee success.”

n“It’s all right,” Shi Xueman casually replied. “You owe me eighty million yuan anyway, and I’m sure we’ll find plenty of things that you can do to pay off the yearly interest. As for reneging on your debt, nobody in the entire Induction Ground has dared to do such a thing to me before.”

nThe noodle shop girl’s callous words made the hairs on the back of Ai Hui’s neck stand on end.

nAi Hui swallowed hard. “What about the swordplay coaching?”

n“I should be in the city once per fortnight. When the time comes, I’ll look for you here.” Shi Xueman observed her surroundings. “It just so happens that this is also a training hall. I’ll notify you one day in advance. Luckily there’s a message tree too, so keep a look out for it.”

n“Message tree?” Ai Hui had no idea of what she was talking about.

nShi Xueman could tell that Ai Hui was clueless. She pointed at a seemingly unremarkable tree in the corner of the yard and explained, “That is a message tree. The leaves of a message tree are different from those of a normal tree, as every single leaf has the same pattern of veins. When it receives a message, the tree drops one of its leaves with the message written on it. It is a wood elemental technique. Did you not learn this in class?”

nAi Hui was astounded. He had not noticed anything special about that tree despite having swept the courtyard many times.

nShi Xueman walked to the message tree and plucked one of its leaves. She produced a book seemingly out of nowhere.

nShe opened the book and placed the leaf on one its pages, and a warm glow soon enveloped the leaf.

nShi Xueman suddenly cried out in shock.

n