Ten Day Ultimatum

"Hey! Swindler lad!" Qiao Jiajin called urgently from behind. "Who broke in?"

"I don't know." Qi Xia reached the campus and crouched low, moving quickly.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"How can there be thieves in a place like this?"

Qiao Jiajin was shirtless, his body covered in scars. Only then did Qi Xia notice that not only his arms, but his entire back was inked with tattoos. What puzzled him most was the wound on Qiao Jiajin's lower abdomen. The injury looked fresh, as though inflicted recently—its edges gaping open yet devoid of blood.

Could this be the true cause of Qiao Jiajin's death?

"It’s likely not as simple as a mere {thief}," Qi Xia remarked, collecting his thoughts. "Let’s investigate further first."

With that, he led Qiao Jiajin straight toward the campus gates. Someone was still on duty, but the imposing man standing guard looked groggy, swaying as if he were about to fall asleep.

‘Zhang Shan?’ Qi Xia recognized the sentry but refrained from calling out, choosing instead to remain hidden near the school gate.

"Swindler lad... what are we doing here?" Qiao Jiajin asked.

"I want to catch that trespasser," Qi Xia replied.

By now, flames had already broken out in the rooms of the teaching building, and most people seemed to have woken. A surge of noise filled the air as they argued about the disturbance.

Qi Xia, concealed in the shadows, focused intently on the school’s exit. He had taken a shortcut, certain he could reach the gate faster than the shadowy figure. If no one escaped through here, then the shadow could only be part of {Passage to Heaven}.

"Swindler lad, look at that buff lou." Qiao Jiajin gestured toward Zhang Shan with his chin. "He looks like he’s about to collapse. I’ll go give him a good kick."

"Wai—wait a minute..." Qi Xia stopped him. "What do you mean by 'give him a good kick'?"

"What do I mean?" Qiao Jiajin blinked and explained earnestly, "When I say {give him a good kick}, I mean I will raise my leg, using the strength of my thigh, my knee guiding my calf, and then my foot will strike his rear, causing some injury."

Qi Xia was somewhat baffled. Each time he spoke to [N O V E L I G H T] Qiao Jiajin, he felt as though he were {a scholar encountering a soldier}. "That’s not what I meant. Why do you need to kick him?"

"It’s a challenge to duel," Qiao Jiajin said. "If I kick him, he’ll get angry. When he’s angry, he’ll want to fight me one-on-one. And in that fight, I’ll beat him. That’s my whole plan."

"That’s your so-called {plan}?" Qi Xia shook his head. "If you fight him, things will get complicated. You’ll both likely end up badly injured."

"That so?" Qiao Jiajin looked confused. "You think that buff lou has some real skills?"

"Yes. Not only does he have skills, but he’s a decent person too. I suggest you get to know him," Qi Xia said. "If you two join forces, you could probably take down a {bear} without a scratch."

"Kill a {bear}?" Qiao Jiajin stared at him like he was insane. "Swindler lad, it’s obvious you’ve never been in a real fight. Do you know what a {bear} can do?"

"Oh?" Qi Xia eyed him with amusement. "What can a {bear} do?"

"Let me put it this way." Qiao Jiajin gestured with his hands. "Although I, Boss Qiao, am unbeatable under the heavens, if a bear stood in front of me and challenged me to a one-on-one, I would absolutely, absolutely not even touch a strand of its fur. I would kneel, admit defeat, and wait for death. Any delay would be disrespect."

Qi Xia scratched his head, a helpless look on his face. "{Absolutely, absolutely not even touch a strand of its fur}...? Most people I know talk big but act cowardly. You seem to have developed in the opposite direction... Maybe you should let Lin Qin take a look at you sometime."

"I can’t afford therapy..." Qiao Jiajin muttered. "Do I really look sick?"

The two of them chatted aimlessly, passing the time. Half an hour later, as dawn began to break, no one had been seen leaving the campus.

By now, nearly everyone in the teaching building was awake, making it unlikely a stranger could still be hiding there. If that shadow hadn’t chosen to escape, it could only mean one thing—they belonged to {Passage to Heaven}. But what was their purpose?

This person was highly meticulous—planning an escape route, setting a tripwire before entering. Hardly the actions of a spontaneous pervert, but of someone methodically investigating.

"It seems {Judgment’s Domain} has long infiltrated {Passage to Heaven}," Qi Xia murmured gravely. "But I still can’t understand what these people are after..."

Qi Xia stood, stretching his numb legs from squatting. He turned to Qiao Jiajin. "No need to wait any longer. Let’s go." He knew the trespasser had already missed the best chance to escape. Now that dawn had broken and guards were at the entrance, fleeing was out of the question.

Qiao Jiajin nodded, following Qi Xia back toward the teaching building.

"Swindler lad, shouldn’t we have the don of this place help us bring justice?" Qiao Jiajin rubbed his arm, the early morning chill seeping in. "That little thief broke into our turf—doesn’t that seem bold?"

"Don..." Qi Xia sighed. "Chu Tianqiu is the {leader} here, not the {don}. And besides, this isn’t something he can handle."

"Why not?"

"Because we can’t fully trust him yet." Qi Xia lowered his voice. "It’s possible the one who infiltrated our room is from Chu Tianqiu’s faction."

As the two spoke, they reached the entrance of the teaching building, where Chu Tianqiu was stepping out, draped in a coat.

"Qi Xia? What happened upstairs? It’s all in disarray..." Chu Tianqiu pushed up his glasses in confusion. "Why are you two coming from outside?"

"It’s nothing. I might have just been seeing things and spent too long chasing a shadow." Qi Xia stretched leisurely. "I ended up causing a scene. Sorry for the trouble."

Chu Tianqiu paused, thoughtful, before speaking. "There are indeed many strange things roaming this place at night, but they shouldn’t cause harm."

Qi Xia nodded, understanding that Chu Tianqiu was likely referring to the insects. He didn’t explain further, instead changing the subject: “How come you’re the only one here? Where’s Yun Yao?”

"She hasn’t returned yet." A trace of worry flickered across Chu Tianqiu’s face as he pulled his coat tighter. "They drove out last night to find Xiao Nian and still haven’t come back."

"I see..." Qi Xia’s expression darkened slightly. The map he’d prepared was accurate, so if they couldn’t find Xu Liunian, it could only mean she had been relocated.

Could she be on the outskirts of the city? Could it be she’d stayed at the edge of the city after he rode with her there last time?

Just as Qi Xia was about to relay this to Chu Tianqiu, the deafening roar of an engine blared from behind.

The three of them turned toward the sound. In the distance, a weathered white sedan, headlights blazing, slowly approached.