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墨書 Inktalez
I recognized this person—no, I was far too familiar with him!
A wave of indescribable excitement surged within me, nearly bringing me to tears! It felt as if a long-lost comrade had finally reunited with the Eighth Route Army, as if the Guerrilla Team had returned to headquarters, and my anxious heart could finally find peace!
I gestured to my junior brother, asking how he had arrived. As I leaned in for a better look, I was startled! It wasn't just my junior brother; there were Old Qiao and Cold Bench as well! My goodness, when I saw Cold Bench's face, it felt like I had been transported to another world. My nose tinged with warmth, and tears nearly spilled from my eyes.
Perhaps it was the oppressive presence of Third Granduncle Master that had conditioned me to be on high alert; I instinctively searched for that old fox. I spotted A Chen still sound asleep in his sleeping bag, while Third Granduncle Master and Liuzi leaned against a large cedar tree, their snores echoing in a rhythmic chorus.
I could hardly believe this was real! I pinched my junior brother's leg hard. He glared at me, his mouth twisting in surprise, letting out a yelp. Old Qiao and Cold Bench paused their efforts to move A Li and stared at us in astonishment.
In the next moment, the snoring ceased abruptly. Fourteen eyes met, and everything became clear.
All our careful planning seemed wasted. My junior brother rubbed his thigh while looking at me with the expression of someone who felt betrayed. His face twisted in anger as he nearly spat out the words: " Senior Brother, why did you pinch me?"
I felt both regretful and guilty, but with so many eyes on us, I couldn't just pretend it had been a dream. Without thinking it through, I blurted out, "I was asleep and thought... it was bandits!"
Bandits? Oh no, didn’t that mean I had just exposed my junior brother and the others?
Sure enough, three pairs of eyes now regarded me as if I were a traitor.
Liuzi jumped up from the ground, drawing his machete as he shouted at my junior brother and the others: "Hmph! I've been looking for you guys! And here you come right to me! Perfect timing—saves me some trouble!"
The junior brother was also hot-tempered; he abruptly shoved aside Ze Zhang and jumped in front of Liuzi. "Where the hell did you come from? You have no place to interrupt my conversation!" He suddenly caught sight of Liuzi's swollen chin and smirked, "Oh! Your chin is bigger than an egg. Been playing around, have you?"
Liuzi, who was used to being domineering, couldn't tolerate this insult. He stomped his feet and cursed loudly, swinging his knife toward the junior brother. The junior brother, filled with pent-up anger, thought, "This is just what I needed!" With a flick of his wrist, the Lotus Head Silk shot out and collided with Liuzi's blade with a loud bang, forcing Liuzi back three steps.
"Hmph! All show and no substance?! Old Qiao, I didn't misuse that idiom this time, did I?" The junior brother threw a flirtatious glance at Old Qiao. Liuzi was furious: "You bastard!" He launched a flying kick aimed directly at the junior brother's chest. I couldn't help but shout, "Dodge!"
In the blink of an eye, the junior brother sidestepped, letting Liuzi's kick slide past him. With a forced smile that didn't reach his eyes, he revealed a gleaming dagger in his hand.
Seeing this, Liuzi's face twisted in anger; wasn't that his own trusty weapon? It had been securely fastened to his waist—when had this guy managed to swipe it? Indignant, he reached for his waist only to find nothing there. "You better give it back!"
The junior brother moved quickly again, dodging Liuzi's flying kick and tossing the dagger back to him. "Hmph! Just a piece of junk; I don't want it anyway. But this little thing is quite interesting!" With a wink, he produced a delicate jade earring from his hand.
Now Liuzi was genuinely furious, his face turning a deep shade of red as he ground his teeth in frustration. He looked as if he wanted nothing more than to bite the junior brother into pieces. "You better give it back!" With a swift motion, he hurled the dagger through the air toward the junior brother. If he hadn't dodged quickly enough, his hand would have been pierced.
The dagger flew backward straight toward Old Qiao, but thankfully Cold Bench was quick on his feet and caught the incoming dagger between two fingers just in time. Meanwhile, Liuzi leaped up and firmly grasped the jade earring in his hand.
This was probably the first time Liuzi had faced such humiliation; he trembled uncontrollably and let out a roar as he charged at the junior brother again. The junior brother had also never faced such a setback in all his years on the streets; nearly losing his prized possession made him furious enough to turn pale. Ze Zhang flicked his wrist again and prepared to retaliate.
Seeing that things were spiraling out of control, I quickly got up to grab the junior brother while A Chen jumped up to block Liuzi. At that moment, Third Granduncle Master, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, seemed to have figured out the junior brother's identity and spoke up to smooth things over: "Liuzi! He is your Er Shi Ge."
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone present except for me and Third Granduncle Master froze in surprise; this connection came just in time. Neither the junior brother nor Liuzi could stand each other but still paused their aggression. Both were seething inside as they glared at one another, waiting for one to show a weakness.
Waking up to such a drastic change in circumstances was shocking; what had once been an underdog group—the New School—had suddenly turned the tables into a five-to-three advantage. Those who know how to read the situation are truly wise; Third Granduncle Master certainly understood this principle: "Qiao Master, good to see you again."
Old Qiao raised his hand in a greeting, saying, "Boss Sun, it's a pleasure to meet you!"
Suddenly, I remembered something and quickly slipped over to Old Qiao's side, subtly signaling him with my eyes. "Master Qiao, I’m very sorry about your sister... However, she is only temporarily unconscious and in no danger," I said, glancing at A Li to indicate she was the one I was referring to. "I know you came here to take her away, but I have an unreasonable request... Could you wait until she wakes up? I still have a few words I want to say to her, and after that, I promise not to disturb her again."
Old Qiao was sharp-witted and immediately understood my intention. He pretended to stroke his beard thoughtfully, adopting a brotherly demeanor. "Alright, then Old Man will trust you one more time."
I let out a quiet sigh of relief and eagerly glanced at Cold Bench beside me. To my dismay, he still wore that indifferent expression, showing no excitement at our reunion, leaving me feeling like I had pressed my warm face against a cold wall.
At least I had managed to pass the hurdle regarding A Li's identity.
Just as I felt relieved, my junior brother shouted from behind, "What sister? Old Qiao, when did you have a sister? How come I didn't know about this?"
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