LC: Extra 05

Extra 05. Fight

As XiaoYu started spending more time offline, he would exercise and study when QiYao was at work. If QiYao didn’t have to go to work, the two would frequently take walks outside to “bolster XiaoYu’s confidence”.

However, with XiaoYu’s current rate of improvement, QiYao still couldn’t drive XiaoYu anywhere. That’s because XiaoYu was still unable to sit by himself on the passenger’s seat or in the back, especially if he saw someone walking in front of a car. His entire body would shiver and go clammy. Thus, if they needed to go somewhere further than the area around their house, QiYao would tell Lin Qiong to drive them while he sat beside XiaoYu. For now, their main method for overcoming XiaoYu’s trauma was walks around the neighbourhood.

QiYao’s house was situated in a famous rich people’s resident neighbourhood. It’s beautiful. It’s also very quiet. Not only were the houses here all detached mansions, every house had its own garage, enviably private and separated from their neighbours’ garages. The security in this area was also the best of the best. All cars not owned by a resident would be strictly checked upon entering and exiting the area. Hence, it was very rare for cars to be seen coming and going in the area.

Because of that, the couple’s walks frequently take them outside of the area. A few blocks down the road, there was a tiny commercial district. Subsequently, there were more vehicles on the road. At first, XiaoYu couldn’t walk more than a few steps past the area’s gates. The moment he saw a car, his feet would be nailed down to the ground. Thankfully, QiYao kept a tight grip on his hand the entire time. That made XiaoYu feel safe enough that his legs wouldn’t just give out beneath him.

When XiaoYu’s feet refused to walk any further, QiYao would always be by his side. QiYao was even considerate enough to stand before him and block his view of the road so he could slowly recover from the terror that overwhelmed him at the sight of a vehicle.

QiYao’s kindness and thoughtful actions moved XiaoYu. Most people can’t understand just how much this mental trauma could affect him, sometimes he didn’t either. He knew fully well the assumptions other people frequently had about him and their gazes tainted by emotions, be they contempt or pity. However, he never felt any of that from QiYao. The man’s gaze was always filled to the brim with love and understanding.

This made XiaoYu more determined than ever in life. He’ll study harder and faster so he can be of more help to QiYao. He’ll keep convincing himself to push that fear aside, get faster at overcoming his trauma. Those cars are of no threat to him or anyone.

With QiYao at his side providing an endless source of strength and his mind continuously pushing himself, XiaoYu’s feet soon began to move. His legs still quivered as they crossed the street and his eyes would subconsciously dart around until they were confirmed to be extremely safe. But as long as he had QiYao by his side, the XiaoYu walking on the pedestrian walkway was no different from any other normal person.

As such, the couple’s walks started taking them further and further away until they’ve reached the shopping district. And so, the couple’s walks started including the usual foolish acts lovers do. They’d go shopping, buy something, carry each other’s bags and walk home with their hands linked together.

Before, XiaoYu would  just order anything they needed online, especially food. Now that he’d started going on walks outside, QiYao didn’t mind adding another event to their dates. They could go to the supermarket, push a trolley cart together as they picked up their groceries or snacks.

Perhaps it was because their lives were going along way too smoothly. God just had to throw some problems at them.

It was on a day when they were at the market getting some groceries for their dinner. Just as they were going to go pay, XiaoYu suddenly remembered one of their seasonings were almost finished. He told QiYao to wait for him as he went to grab it.

The seasoning and sauces aisle were only a few aisles away from where they were. XiaoYu had ran off so quickly that QiYao didn’t bother saying anything. He waited by their cart and whiled the time away looking at the items on the shelves.

He thought XiaoYu would be back soon, but even when QiYao had looked at every single item on the shelves of this long aisle, XiaoYu was still nowhere to be seen. A bad feeling started growing at the back of his mind. He started off towards where the seasonings aisle was. Before he even reached there, he found quite a few shoppers staring at something. That bad feeling only grew stronger.

Indeed, XiaoYu had encountered an issue. He’d ran off to look for the familiar bottle when he encountered a staff member organising the seasoning aisle’s shelves. XiaoYu didn’t think anything of him at first. He edged around the man, his eyes still scanning the shelves. However, after the staff member had glanced up at XiaoYu who was walking beside him, the man’s gaze was locked onto him.

“It’s you!” The man grabbed XiaoYu by his shirt. How could he ever forget this face?

“Who are you? Please let me go,” XiaoYu asked with a frown. He didn’t know this staff member yet the man was so rude as to immediately get in his face and jerk him up by the front of his shirt. It was clear this man didn’t hold any friendly intentions for him.

“Frick! Who am I? Did you forget about after you killed me?” That’s right. It’s this voice, this face. Chu Ba was even more certain this was that darned priest that wouldn’t be moved at all. Not words. Not money. Nothing.

“I don’t know you. Let go.” Who said XiaoYu didn’t have a temper on him? He just didn’t care to bother with most people. However, this man had incited so much dislike that he wouldn’t even say please anymore. Not only was this stranger rude and crass, he also had a dirty mouth.

“I only killed you once! You actually had someone kill me over and over again until I was Level 1! Just because you’re rich?” shouted the man.

“…” While XiaoYu still didn’t understand what this man was saying, there was a knight in the game called BattleOverlord who had killed him before. The way this man spoke was very similar to how that knight spoke too.

Still, XiaoYu didn’t want to continue having anything to do with this man. In the game, he was just a healer with no skill to fight back with. In reality, there’s no reason for XiaoYu to just let this man continue pulling at his shirt. Since he won’t let go, XiaoYu forcefully smacked the hand away and took a few steps back.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying, but I should’ve never met you before,” XiaoYu said.

“Crap. You think you’re all that just because you’re rich now? You only climbed into the bed of a wealthy man!” scoffed Chu Ba.

After Chu Ba was killed back down to Level 1, he had no interest in playing AO anymore. So, he left the game. However, real life didn’t go well either. First, his girlfriend broke up  with him because she couldn’t stand his crude behaviour anymore. Then, he made a mistake in his work and was demoted to fieldwork. He now had to deliver cargo to all the supermarkets and make sure the company’s products were properly arranged.

It was only on a whim that he took a glance at AO’s forums. When he saw everyone discussing about a wedding in the Heretic Demons, he opened a thread up in boredom. Then, he saw that darned healer. He actually hooked up with the great Guild Leader of the Heretic Demons, the man he looked up to like a god. He wondered before who would want to kill him that badly. If there was anyone in the game he had seriously made enemies of, the only one would be a mere healer he’d killed in a fit of rage who looked like a nobody. After reading through the thread, he was 90% sure they were hired by this LuckyCat healer.

Who knew that in this wide world, he would see someone who looked exactly the same as that healer? It seemed like there were still people who’d actually jump into the game without tweaking their appearances.

Chu Ba’s words made XiaoYu rather uncomfortable. Yes, QiYao was very rich. But he didn’t like him because of his money. The other shoppers started looking over at the commotion. XiaoYu felt like he had no need to continue blabbing on with his man. He was as self-centred in real life as he was in-game. He’s even more vulgar in reality and kept spitting expletives out at XiaoYu. Trying to reason with someone like him would be like trying to reason with a crazy man. It was a waste of his breath.

“I don’t know you,” XiaoYu repeated. “I think you have the wrong man.”

Chu Ba hated seeing other people looking down at him with furrowed brows, just like how XiaoYu was gazing at him right now. In the game, Chu Ba was stronger than the other, but even when he killed the younger man, this healer still gave him that headstrong gaze that made Chu Ba uncomfortable. Who knew he’d be the same in reality? The moment he laid eyes on anyone like that, he immediately yearned to beat them up until they reveal their true distasteful self and beg for mercy.

“Stop pretending, scum,” Chu Ba barked. He didn’t care that they weren’t in a game ungoverned by laws anymore. He threw a punch at the other.

In AO, a player was restricted by their Agility stat. It didn’t matter if one reacted in time. Their body might not respond. In reality, there were no such reactions. As a healthy young man who liked to exercise, XiaoYu instinctively stepped to a side and dodged the attack.

Chu Ba didn’t think his punch would miss. He had put so much force into it that missing his target nearly mad him fall over. His anger burned brighter from this. He turned around, steadied himself and punched at XiaoYu again.

At the sight of someone fighting, mumbles rose from the onlookers yet no one dared to ask them to not fight. The slightly taller man seemed to have a very explosive temper. It would be bad if they got hit in a fight that wasn’t theirs. Had security been informed yet?

XiaoYu continued dodging punch after punch. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to fight back, but the aisle wasn’t that wide. He was also smaller than the other man. If he tried getting close to the other, he might actually be captured or hit. But he won’t run away. He’ll wait for his chance.

Unfortunately, XiaoYu had no more chances to show off. QiYao had waded through the crowd only to see a ferocious man trying to punch his XiaoYu. He strode forward to grab the Chu Ba’s punch by the wrist.

“What are you doing?” QiYao roared.

“Scram. It’s none of your business.” Chu Ba tugged his hand free of QiYao’s grasp.

“…” Since this man was an irrational person, there was no reason for QiYao to waste his time. He merely turned around and told XiaoYu, “Step back.”

“Don’t think you’re some hero!” Chu Ba hated the kind of person who loved to stand out from the crowd too. Every single fricking one of them thought they were the protagonist. They all think they’re the world’s saviour. This time, he directed his punch at QiYao.

To Chu Ba’s surprise, QiYao not only dodged the punch but the other man also gripped his outstretched fist. Then, the world whirled upside down before he felt an intense pain running through his body. A perfect overhand throw.

The people around them couldn’t resist in softly cheering. Was this new handsome man from the police force? That was so swift, so decisive. Such a perfect move could only be seen on television.

“You f-! Mmh!” Chu Ba was interrupted from his attempt to curse out QiYao by a sudden burst of pain. After throwing Chu Ba over his shoulder, QiYao twisted the other’s arm around until it was behind the man. Along the way, Chu Ba’s entire body was flipped over until he was on his stomach on the ground. That manoeuvre pulled at the muscles still aching from the throw just now.  Now, his entire being was in so much pain that he couldn’t speak anymore.

“If you can’t keep a clean mouth, then I have ways to make it clean,” QiYao coldly stated. The harsh air around him made everyone nearby feel a sudden chill. It was best not to anger this man.

Finally, after so long, security arrived. However, they were also shocked silly by QiYao’s air. Didn’t they know they should be heading up to the man instead of cowering at the back of the crowd?

Security was here now and the man beneath him could only moan in pain and nothing else, so QiYao loosened his grasp on Chu Ba and walked back to XiaoYu.

“Are you hurt?” QiYao asked.

“No,” XiaoYu replied, shaking his head. He thought he could only see QiYao in such glory in the game. He didn’t think the other would be a martial artist expert in real life either.

Now that XiaoYu thought of it, of course the other man would be an experienced fighter. QiYao was no longer a five-year-old child. Even back then, he was only injured because he was facing off three opponents by himself. With further training after the incident, he was now a man so strong that Chu Ba wasn’t an opponent he’d be bothered about.

Since they caused a commotion, they naturally were asked to head to the security room so the guards could understand what happened. They looked through the surveillance footage. In there, clear as day, it was shown Chu Ba was the one who caused the fight by grabbing a hold of XiaoYu’s clothes then started punching when he didn’t get his way.

QiYao wasn’t around before so he didn’t know why the two started fighting. Thus, he kept quiet while leaning against the wall. XiaoYu didn’t know what he should say either. From the start to the end, Chu Ba was bursting in anger and didn’t say who he was at all. He didn’t even recognise this man. The guards could only get the story by prying it out of Chu Ba.

“Ugh, why are you kids so impulsive for? It’s just a little fight in a game,” the security guard said after getting a rough understanding of the situation. He patted Chu Ba on the shoulder.

“Hmph. You’d dare to do it yet you don’t have the balls to admit it. Useless boy toy,” Chu Ba muttered. He was still simmering.

“Could we leave now?” QiYao asked the guards.

“Ah, yes. This way, please.” It wasn’t a big issue anyway and the one in the wrong here was this Chu Ba. QiYao was only acting in self-defence. Thus, the guards didn’t dare to keep QiYao and XiaoYu locked up here. It was obvious this was a powerful man. They’ll lock this impulsive Chu Ba first before they try persuading Chu Ba of his wrongs.

Before the couple left, QiYao turned around to look at Chu Ba who was still glaring at them.

“You have it wrong. The one who investigated what you did and decided to kill you back to Level 1 is me. He had nothing to do with it,” QiYao said.

“What?” Chu Ba shouted.

“I am the leader of the Heretic Demons, HereticKing.” With that said, QiYao closed the door and left with XiaoYu.

“!!!” That man was actually HereticKing!

*****

Hand in hand, the two lovers walked home with bags in their hands. XiaoYu kept sneaking glances at QiYao. He wanted to say something, but he didn’t know how.

“Just ask. Tell me what you want to know.” How could XiaoYu’s little glances escape QiYao’s observant eyes?

“Why hire someone to kill him?” XiaoYu didn’t know about this before. Sometimes in the game, he would thank his good luck that he never bumped into that illogical man again.

“Revenge must be served. You think I shouldn’t have done that?”

“No, but I want to know if it ever happens again.” XiaoYu knew he wasn’t a saint. If he was killed in the game, of course he’d want revenge. However, due to the game’s limitations, it was an indisputable fact that AO’s healers would never be able to defeat a knight unless there was a big level gap. As time went on, XiaoYu slowly forgot about the incident.

He just didn’t expect QiYao to secretly enact his revenge for him. He didn’t know he was that well-loved for so long. Would it be ungrateful to be secretly happy about that?

“Mn. If anything happens in the future, I’ll tell you.”

“And…”

“Hm?”

“I don’t like you for your money.” The words Chu Ba chose, “climbed into the bed of a wealthy man”, those were things he didn’t like hearing from Chu Ba’s mouth. XiaoYu looked down and kicked a pebble around.

“I know.” This little fool. Who was the one who insisted on giving him his one gold coin back?

QiYao pulled XiaoYu close and dipped down for a kiss. As he’d thought, for the sake of his own mind, this ditzy little guy was best kept by his side.

Translator’s Note:

Chu Ba = 楚霸 (Chu as in the nation, Ba as in tyrant/overlord)

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