Chapter 0170 – Behind the Scenes – Absolute Returns

“What brings you here?”

Xu Dalong looked at the girl in front of him, his voice trembled, he never dreamed that he would be here, seeing her again.

“I got an invitation too.”

“How?”

Today’s banquet can only be attended by those who have something to do with the Dragon War.

“Three years ago, I also participated in the ‘Subterranean Dragon Battle’ and even made it to the top eight.”

“What?”

Xu Dalong and those upstarts around him all revealed expressions of surprise.

The “Subterranean Dragon Battle” was held every three years, which meant that she was one of the top eight contestants of the previous competition. According to the usual practice, the celebration banquet of every “Dragon Battle” would invite the previous contestants, especially those who had joined the Martial Arts Alliance.

“To formally introduce myself, my name is Shao Yu, I am the captain of the first squad of the third team of the White Dragon Hall.”

“So, you’re from the Martial Arts Alliance.”

She turned out to be the captain of the White Dragon Hall! At first, when she wore civilian clothes and came to cheer me on, I thought that she was just an ordinary Jianghu warrior girl.

“I didn’t, before, know that.”

“Of course you don’t know, because I didn’t tell you.”

“Why are you supporting me?”

The gazes of the two, met in the air, I could feel, Xu Dalong’s heart’s excitement, he was like a love-struck teenager who met his first love again.

Shao Yu, on the other hand, looked very calm.

“When I saw you, I remembered back then, when I first participated in the ‘Subterranean Dragon Battle’. I also came down from the countryside, didn’t know anything, and didn’t know anyone, much less anyone who knew me. I didn’t even have the money to stay at an inn, so I could only camp out in the mountains and then, come down to participate in the competition.”

She recounted her experience without the slightest bit of shame, which made Xu Dalong appreciate her even more. On her body, a faint fragrance emanated.

“I’ve watched every one of your matches, your sword skills, they’re really great, especially in the final, you were so handsome, my heart was about to jump out, I really wanted to rush to the ring and fight with you.”

Other people who heard these words might think that she was just infected by the wonderful match and wanted to participate in it again. However, Xu Dalong would misunderstand and think that she was saying these words because she liked him.

“You actually defeated Miss Jin, this is definitely the most exciting match in the history of the ‘Subterranean Dragon Battle’.”

Xu Dalong felt like he was about to fly, ever since he won the competition, he had received countless praises and compliments, but at this moment, what he wanted to hear the most, was her praise. The corners of his mouth, couldn’t help but rise slightly.

“I assume you’ll be selected for the ‘Demon Extermination Team’?”

The “Demon Extermination Team” is the elite organization of the Martial Arts Alliance, composed of young masters, and the winners of the previous “Dragon Battle” will be selected to join the “Demon Extermination Team”.

“I can also apply to join the White Dragon Hall.”

Shao Yu’s cheeks, slightly flushed.

“Thank you for your kind words, but it would be best for you to join the ‘Demon Extermination Team’, that’s the shortcut to promotion in the Martial Arts Alliance.”

“Thanks to your encouragement, I won the championship, I want to buy you dinner, I do not know you ……”

Xu Dalong summoned up the courage to say these words.

He had been rejected by women many times, so in his heart, he was filled with apprehension. Fortunately, Shao Yu agreed to his invitation.

“I’m honored to have been invited by the ‘Subterranean War’ champion.”

Xu Dalong was so happy that he was about to go crazy.

Qin Xia Ling and I stood outside the window, watching the scene.

I know that she was recruited by the Divine Fate Society three years ago in the Dragon War. In other words, three years ago, the Divine Fate Society was already active in the martial arts world.

“Their power, more than I thought, is huge.”

I didn’t expect to learn about it, in this way.

“Do you know her?” I asked Qin Xia Ling .

“Captain Shaw? We’ve met a few times.”

“What’s she like?”

“She is cheerful, well-liked and popular. I didn’t expect that she would support your family’s son. What? Are you worried that your family’s male son, will be mesmerized by her and give her all the prize money, to her?”

“Of course I have to worry, I’m his retainer.”

“Can you, please, stop being a guard?” Qin Xiaoling suddenly said.

When she finished, she regretted it. There are some words, once you say them, you can’t take them back, especially those, which you shouldn’t have said in the first place. But she couldn’t care less anymore, and with a brain, she said everything she wanted to say.

“Can you, please, be an ordinary martial artist? You’ve already learned martial arts, you can take the martial arts alliance’s entrance exam, I can help you.”

I was silent, and Qin Xia Ling hurriedly explained, “Don’t misunderstand! I don’t dislike you being a guard, I just think that you should have a better choice.”

Her cheeks, slightly flushed, were worried, that she would hurt my pride.

“I always tell people to live differently.”

“To whom?”

“A stubborn guy who doesn’t like change.”

“Like you?”

I smiled and looked at Xu Dalong again, he was still surrounded by the crowd, but he was distracted, his gaze, always resting on Shao Yu.

The next day, Xu Dalong went to see Shao Yu.

He got up early in the morning, took a shower, combed his hair, changed into several sets of clothes, and worked his ass off, but still said with a stiff upper lip, “I’m not into her, I just want to thank her for supporting me, my heart, it’s pure.”

“You’re going to be a saint if you keep being pure. Just stop smiling, you’re grinning from ear to ear.”

I’m really worried that he’s in so deep that he’ll be devastated once he learns the truth.

Xu Dalong went out cheerfully, but when he came back, he was listless.

“What’s wrong? Bad date?”

“No, we had a great time. She said she likes tea and walks, so we ate, drank tea and walked together.”

“Then why do you have that look on your face?”

Xu Dalong sighed and said, “We were chatting happily, but in my heart, I suddenly had a feeling of uneasiness, I felt that, all of this, it was going too well, and that my destiny, it couldn’t be so good. It was as if I heard, someone whispering in my ear, ‘After good things, there will be bad things.'”

It seems that his sense of crisis has finally awakened. The gears of fate, once they start turning, will involve everyone, all of them.

“You told her how you felt, did you?”

“No, I forced a smile and said goodbye to her.”

“Investigator Xu, as I said before, the path you’ve chosen is one that, even if you’re bruised all over, you still have to go on.”

“You also said that even if I was covered in blood, even if I had trouble with my legs, even if I could only see out of one eye, I would keep going.”

“That’s right, this path, too, means that you have to be on your guard all the time and be skeptical even when dealing with friends. So, with this path, it’s hard to make true friends and find true love.”

Xu Dalong was silent for a moment, and then, said the last thing he wanted to say:

“I think, she is suspicious, she must have a purpose for approaching me. Could she be someone from the Order of Heaven?”

I didn’t answer him, and he looked at me with, in his eyes, a sense of unease.

“Isn’t it?”

“……”

“Really?”

His voice, trembling, though he had long suspected it, he still hoped that it was all, well, just an illusion on his part.

“That’s right, she’s from the Order of Heaven.”

“!”