Chapter 17 - First Place
Happy or unhappy Jiang Luo doesn't know, but it must have been an exciting night.
The evil spirit uses the words Jiang Luo once said to him, and with that one line, he has revealed Chi You's vengeful character.
When it comes to Jiang Luo's own character, Jiang Luo thinks it's a good thing, that he will retaliate when he has an axe to grind, that he will return the favour if someone offends me. But when it comes to Chi You, Jiang Luo would like to sneer three times and curse him for being a small-minded person.
He stood halfway in the water, looking up at Chi You with an expressionless face.
There was a smile on his lips, the curve of which was like a hanging rope, strung high around a man's neck. Half of his perfect face fell into the shadows, the other half was reflected in the moonlight, handsome and handsome, but only creepy.
"Jiang," the evil spirit took an easy step forward, the sound of his leather shoes being sucked away by the damp, loose earth, his voice pleasant and dark with laughter, "you look ... really pathetic now. "
Dressed in an expensive suit, with not a single crease in his jacket, the villain looks like he should not be in the middle of the woods at night, but at a lively banquet where glasses are exchanged.
-or maybe in a cowboy shop.
Jiang Luo thought with malice.
"Thanks to you," Jiang Luo said with a fake smile, "it's all thanks to you, teacher."
Jiang Luo is, as the evil spirits say, pitiful in his present state.
He was soaked to the skin, the water rippling around him in circles against his waist. His dark hair clung to the clothes behind him, snaking into several twists and turns of black silk, his lean form completely unmasked at this time of year.
Anyone else here would have thought that Jiang Luo was the demon that had crawled out of the river to compel people.
Anyone facing the evil spirit in such a wretched and helpless position would have been frightened and desperate, but Jiang Luo is calm, looking into the evil spirit's eyes, and there is a breathtaking courage and unyielding fire.
It was a soul of unparalleled brilliance.
It was such a look that raised the interest of the evil spirit, and even the matter of killing the dark-haired youth became a game that rarely amused him.
With a smile, the evil spirit said, "Thank you is not necessary."
He lowered it, passing the word ambiguously over his lips and tongue, yet it seemed cold and dangerous, "Who made me your suitor."
Jiang Luo's eyebrows jumped, but he saw the drone not far away and his tightly knitted brows loosened as he slowly smiled, "Teacher, did you know that we are broadcasting this competition live?"
The evil spirit but smiled.
It is also true that Chi You is everywhere, and if he wants to know anything, all he has to do is cast the puppet soul refining technique, and both the living and the dead will become his loyal subordinates. Even if he is a cloud of air that no one can see, he can easily get his hands on the information.
Jiang Luo stepped out of the water and into the shadows under the trees. The wet water was dragged along by his feet, and a few drops, even, dripped onto the evil spirit's new shiny leather shoes.
He was so bold that he looked like he was risking his life to anger a hungry beast, and Jiang Luo, with a smile on his face, lifted both of his river-soaked arms and put them on the evil spirit's shoulders. I don't know how the evil spirit managed to do it, but the material on his shoulders was soaked with water from Jiang Luo's arms.
The sound of water dripping down Jiang Luo's coat and hair.
Dark hair stuck to the side of Jiang Luo's face and neck in irregularly sized circles that were as uncomfortable as ants crawling. Jiang Luo's eyes glowed and he smiled as he turned his head sideways and said in the evil spirit's ear, "Behind you, there are two drones."
"They're flying this way, I think some of the contestants are heading this way, it's really dangerous," Jiang Luo's laughed as one of his hands rested gently on Chi You's back, "you'll be seen, won't you?"
"If you're seen by a drone, you're seen by everyone," Jiang Luo said softly, "Spiderman just now, and now you, all in out-of-the-way corners where there are no drone shots. Is the teacher afraid of being seen? Why, is it because you don't want to reveal your strength?"
"Or ... " Jiang Luo lengthened his tone and gloated, "Chi You, who is known for his good reputation, wouldn't want to be seen following a pervert like a peeping Tom behind a student's back? "
The evil ghost's eyes narrowed and he suddenly laughed lowly. He casually reached out and took Jiang Luo's hand that was stabbing him with the dagger, his long, pale palm easily wrapped around Jiang Luo's palm and said as if he was doting, "You're so fierce."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he turned into a hideous black mist, which, from afar, slowly wrapped around the black-haired youth as if he was embracing him against death.
After the black mist had eaten away at the dark-haired youth, it hid itself in the shadows and blended into the night.
The black mist was pervasive and Jiang Luo was forced to close his eyes as his wrist ached and the dagger in his hand was snatched away by another man and an elusive laugh came to his ears, "The second thing your teacher taught you, some words are better left unspoken."
Jiang Luo's heart fluttered as the tip of the sharp dagger was placed frivolously against his brow in the next moment.
The dagger is cold and sharp, and the slightest pressure is enough to pierce Jiang Luo's skin. The invisible evil spirit clutches the dagger and slowly slashes downwards, across the ends of Jiang Luo's eyes, across his cheeks and down to the corners of his lips.
A red mark appears where it was cut, and a tyrannical desire for destruction rises up in Jiang Luo's unyielding and overly beautiful face.
It was the first time the evil spirit had looked so closely at Jiang Luo's appearance.
The murderer undoubtedly has a good skin, which becomes more and more dazzling after killing him. Like a rose planted in Chi You's garden, it bursts into fragrant bloom, announcing its full bloom to everyone with its red petals and its flair.
That look seems to say that all humans who see it must bow down under its beauty.
Beautiful things are always pleasing to the eye, but Chi You prefers them to be moving when they are about to wilt.
His laugh went from low to high as the dagger pressed gently against Jiang Luo's lips, which were incredibly soft compared to the ice-like surface of the blade, even as the dagger pressed down into a depression.
"This mouth ..." said the evil spirit regretfully, "is obviously so pretty, but always says things that make me feel angry."
Jiang Luo closed his eyes, judged the position of Chi You and slammed his fist into it.
The punch naturally fell short.
The fog was invisible, which part of the black fog that wrapped around Jiang Luo was Chi You. Chi You smiled, the laughter in his voice deepening and becoming lower as he slowly said, "Don't rush."
The dagger gently picks up Jiang Luo's upper lip flap.
To keep the dagger from tearing his mouth open, Jiang Luo had to open his lips in response to the force of the dagger.
The tip gently touched the white teeth, the evil spirit thought absently, like flower petals.
Only this person under his knife is not a rose to be plucked, but a big cat that will grab and bite.
Jiang Luo pursed his lips, his long eyelashes twitching, his suppressed brow and lips full of hidden anger.
The tip cuts across the shapely chin to Jiang Luo's throat knot.
The knot in Jiang Luo's throat rolled up and down at the cold, dangerous dagger.
"Oh," said the evil spirit in a daze, "I have a new insight into what you said before about how to put the spider's eggs inside you."
"Maybe going in through your mouth would be a good way to go," he said as he held the dagger down, "they'll slide down through your mouth."
The tip touched the clothing and after a slow pause, there was a "tear" and Jiang Luo's clothing was abruptly cut by the dagger.
From his collarbone to his chest, the gaping hole in his shirt grew larger and larger, and the body of the dark-haired young man emerged from a "Z" mark.
The lean but tight body is white and beautiful, the skin half-hidden in the large, fragmented and tenacious fabric covering it, glowing warmly like jade.
Unfortunately, the black mist wrapped around Jiang Luo, and even the water and moonlight could not peek into the scene.
Chi You looked at him with admiration, "... then into your gut, your abdomen."
As his words grew, the sound of the fabric being torn grew, and finally, the fabric around his waist could take no more, snapping the last threads and crashing into the black mist.
Excellent tough waist showing.
"That sure is a more interesting approach than cutting open your flesh." The evil spirit finally said.
Jiang Luo laughed coldly, his mouth never admitting defeat even at this moment.
"It's not impossible to like me ... but to spy on me and scratch my clothes without my consent," he said, "that's a problem with your character, teacher."
"Like a pervert," Jiang Luo, "who likes perverts?"
Jiang Luo subconsciously ignores the entire 3,000-word review he once skipped work to write for Chi You.
The black mist smiled as the red marks where the dagger had cut Jiang Luo's body slowly emerged, and he took the knife and cut through them again, the fragile skin unable to withstand the torture over and over again, a few tiny drops of blood scrambling to spill from the broken skin.
The tip of the knife traced circles around Jiang Luo's heart as the evil spirit said, "You have misbehaved."
Someone else's voice suddenly came from outside, "Hey, why are there a pair of shoes there? No, aren't those Jiang Luo's shoes?"
The sound of footsteps approached, as did the sound of the drone. The evil spirits looked down and realised that the dark-haired youth was wearing only a layer of wet socks on his feet.
The ankles were bare, green veins surfacing in twos and threes, the ankle bones protruding beautifully from the thinness like a work of art. The dark-haired youth pulled his lips into a smile and said harshly, "Teacher, someone is coming."
Jiang Luo took the opportunity to take his shoes off as soon as he was wrapped in the black mist that Chi You had turned into, and threw them in the direction of the two drones coming over.
A pair of shoes suddenly appeared in the middle of the road, and even if the participants didn't see them, the drone wouldn't have failed to see them. Jiang Luo was expecting to meet someone he didn't know, but by coincidence, it was Lu Youyi.
Jiang Luo's closed eyes tilted slightly at the end, a smile that could not be concealed, "Even if the students can't spot you, there are other powerful people watching behind the drones."
It doesn't matter if those people can't spot Chi You either. Jiang Luo knew that Chi You, the madman, must have had an extraordinary reason for pretending to be weak in the original text, and if he could pretend to be weak for so long, why would he risk revealing himself here?
Sure enough, he was right. After the black mist had frozen for a moment, the evil spirit laughed lightly twice, took the dagger and gently patted the side of Jiang Luo's face, saying affectionately, "This time, I'll let you go for now."
The next moment, the black mist dissipates and Jiang Luo is exposed to the moonlight again.
Lu Youyi, who was crouching on the ground with Sai Liaoer looking at his shoes, stared blankly at his sudden appearance.
Jiang Luo is in rags, his face as black as a pot, his body and the side of his face covered in red knife marks from daggers and dirty muddy stains.
There is something surprisingly beautiful and colourful about such a lycanthropy that is a mix of harshness and vulnerability.
Jiang Luo took a deep breath and suppressed his anger before opening his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Lu Youyi and Sai Liaoer looking at him with their mouths wide open in shock and a chicken leg in each hand.
The pop-ups exploded.
[Crap crap crap who is this handsome guy!
[Aaaahhhh who the hell did this to her clothes? Can't you just rip it all off?
[Battle damaged beauty I lick and lick and tears slip from the corners of my mouth, oooooh is this beauty real]
I'm sorry brothers and sisters I was killed in action first].
[I didn't believe it when my friend shouted at me to come and see Seasons, but now I really smell it, I just want to ask if little brother can give me a contact?
[Be bold, just get high husband]
[I'll ask! Who can resist this!
[Fu Sheng The Immeasurable, is this a test of our daoist hearts? Then please have a little more of this test]
Jiang Luo didn't have to look to see how messed up he was, so he simply looked at Lu Youyi and Sai Liaoer suspiciously, "How did you two get together?"
Jiang Luo is completely overwhelmed by the unpredictable Chi You and fears that Lu Youyi and Sai Liaoer, whom he meets by coincidence, are also one of Chi You's puppets.
Lu Youyi: "Ah, we've been walking together all this time."
Sai Liaoer nods frequently from the sidelines.
"During the race, Sai Liaoer and I happened to share an entrance," Lu Youyi said, scratching his hair, "You know I'm afraid of the dark and Sai Liaoer is a roadie, so we teamed up and went together."
Jiang Luo watched their expressions, Lu Youyi and Sai Liaoer looked natural, their eyes confused, and he dropped his heart, "Do you have clothes?"
Sai Liaoer immediately raised her hand, "I have one, the crooked set."
Jiang Luo's face cleared slightly at the thick accent, "Let me borrow it."
Sai Liaoer pulled his jacket out of his bag and threw it at him, Jiang Luo lifted his arms to catch it, but his shirt was pulled up and his tight waist and stomach caused another outburst.
Jiang Luo put his jacket on and zipped it up again, Lu Youyi asked, " Jiang Luo, why have you become like this?"
[Boing, the little brother's name is Jiang Luo]
[Did you go to school with these two idiots? I see. Bai Hua University.
I looked at the aerial footage, the Bai Hua University people are very good, the last ones are Lu Youyi and Sai Liaoer who are walking together in a team, but they are also medium speed, by the way, is this school admissions by face?
Viewers of Jiang Luo's live stream also rushed to Lu Youyi and Sai Liaoer's studio.
[Kam Kam Kam! Are Beauty and Qi Ye okay? I watched them disappear in the forest after running around, I was scared to death]
[Trash Drones, Trash Race Parties!
[Hmm? How come I don't see Qi Ye?
Below, Jiang Luo and Lu Youyi finally remembered Qi Ye after they had finished asking their questions. He turned around to see that the river forest was dark, and in this situation, even the Gods of Heaven could not remember the way back.
Jiang Luo was silent for a moment and looked up at the drone, "Qi Ye and I met Spiderman, who ran after me and hung him on a spider web, is anyone watching now? If anyone sees it, help let the staff know."
[Received!
[Crouching Crouching is that dangerous?]
It was too dark now and the path was not easy to follow. The three of them found a place to rest and Lu Youyi handed him the food and water in his bag and said sympathetically, "You've had all kinds of bad luck, look, your pack is gone."
Jiang Luo said twice, ripping open the bag of bread and taking a vicious bite, "I wonder why I have to meet all the unlucky things."
Sai Liaoer crouched next to him, nibbling on a chicken leg and said, "When we get through, we'll go and worship the gods."
Lu Youyi rubbed his chin, " There are some temples here in Yun Nan that are very famous, Jiang Luo, go and worship them to see if you can get rid of the bad luck."
The three of them ate and drank, and Lu Youyi lit a fire. When morning dawned, the three woke up one by one and began to make their way to the eye of the formation.
Jiang Luo's goal was clear, he had lost his compass, he didn't even pretend to be there anymore, he just stared at Jin Guang and walked steadfastly past.
At first, Lu Youyi wondered if he was pretending to walk blindly, but when Jiang Luo really led him to the eye of the formation, Lu Youyi was stunned, "Jiang Luo, how did you do that?"
He vaguely felt that the penultimate name on him was really going to be unstable, and was heartbroken and excited, "Crap, are we the first ones to come to the eye of the formation?!"
The staff answered the question, "Yes, you are the first people to arrive."
Lu Youyi and Sai Liaoer let out a cheer as the two perennial bottom feeders jumped on Jiang Luo and kissed him hard on his left and right cheeks, "Damn you're amazing!"
"Oooooooooh first time I've won first place, so excited so excited."
Jiang Luo rolled his eyes, took the flag and led them towards the exit.
The exit is not as busy as Jin Guang, but because there are so many people coming and going at the exit, there is more life than anywhere else. Jiang Luo headed towards the most vibrant part of the village, and before ten o'clock they were finally out of Hu Bu Village.
All three men were in some degree of distress but in good spirits, they were given three lunch boxes and when it was time to collect them, Jiang Luo asked the staff, " Has Qi Ye been saved?"
The staff nodded, "There was nothing wrong with him, after we put him down he went on with the game."
Jiang Luo was relieved to hear that Qi Ye was okay.
They were the first contestants to come out, neatly hogging the top three spots. The three crouched at the junction, picking at their rice while watching who would come out next.
Half an hour later, Qi Ye, sweating and with a stinky face, came out of the junction at a brisk pace.
As soon as Qi Ye came out, the first thing he saw was Jiang Luo. He quickly walked up to Jiang Luo and said with a wrinkled brow, "Are you okay?"
Jiang Luo, still wrapped in Sai Liaoer's jacket, the red marks on his face having subsided, shook his head, "It's fine."
Qi Ye's eyebrows were slightly relieved, and then it seemed like he remembered something, "You're number one?"
Sai Liaoer giggles and picks up, "Jiang is number one, Lu is number two and I am number three."
Qi Ye's face was blue, he never thought he would fall out of the top three after a simple formation-breaking match.
Jiang Luo was not the only one, but where did this second and third place come from? As soon as he looked at them, he knew that they were simply using Jiang Luo to get this place.
He took a deep breath and looked at Jiang Luo with a stern promise: "Next time, I will be number one."
Jiang Luo was baffled, "? You go for it."
After 12 noon, more and more students came out. The last one to come out was Kuang Zheng, who also made it before 1pm.
Immediately after the race time reached 3pm, the staff stopped the clock and declared the race over.
Jiang Luo roughly counted the number of people, compared to the 180 before the competition, the first level of the broken formation eliminated about 50 people, leaving only 130.
After all the schools gathered and found out that Jiang Luo was in the top three of the first level of the competition, Zhuo Zhongqiu gave a thumbs up and raised his smoky voice, "Not bad guys, bully."
Wen Renlian said with a smile, "In previous years, the top three in the first level of the competition have been given a clue about the second level, and this year the top three are all from our school, so we're taking advantage of that."
Lu Youyi leapt to his feet, "When is the next level?"
Wen Renlian said, "Five days later."
The men had been chatting for a while when suddenly a group of people came marching towards them. Kuang Zheng was the first to notice them and stepped forward to block his companions, "Someone."
Jiang Luo looks back.
The group was dressed in uniforms with "Shanhai University" printed on them, led by a boy wearing silver glasses, with a smile tacked on the corners of his mouth, looking like a gentleman.
They walked straight up to Jiang Luo's group, and the boy with the glasses scanned the faces of everyone before settling on Jiang Luo's.
"Hello," the boy said with a smile, "You're Jiang Luo, right, I'm Bai Yefeng, how about making friends?"
He held out his hand.
Jiang Luo looked at him for a moment and shook his hand, "Hello."
Bai Yefeng smiled, nodded towards a few people around, and suddenly said sincerely to Jiang Luo, "When you receive the clues for the next level later, can you sell us a copy?"
The corners of Jiang Luo's mouth curled up, much more enthusiastic than earlier, "You want to buy the clue I have?"
Bai Yefeng nodded and shook his head again as he pointed to Lu Youyi and Sai Liaoer, smiling easily, "It's the three of you who hold the clues."
Wen Renlian whispered in Jiang Luo's ear, "He's fifth in this race, but stronger than fifth. Before the race, both he and Qi Ye were predicted to be the first place reserve."
Oh, so it's another smart and rich high-flyer.
Jiang Luo's smile remained unchanged as he silently doubled the price he had in mind and said, "We can sell, but we'll only sell one copy of the clue."
Bai Yefeng raised an eyebrow and said patiently, "Jiang, we have money."
Jiang Luo said, "What a coincidence, we are not short of money either."
Ge Zhu, who was about to say something, was covered by Ye Xun, who said, "Don't interrupt."
"Ah," Bai Yefeng smiled again, "is it true that they only sell one copy?"
Jiang Luo also laughed, "Right."
Bai Yefeng's eyes narrowed slightly under his lenses and he shrugged, "Fine, one copy then, but I want the clue you have."
Jiang Luo nodded understandingly, "Deal."
Ten minutes later, the top three finishers in the competition were given their clues. Jiang Luo opened his slip of paper and saw a simple line on it: 4-5 rooms.
This sentence was so vague that Jiang Luo read it three times but did not understand it. Lu Youyi and Sai Liaoer were both given clearer information than he was: "In 2012, some of the city's schools were expanded" and "there is an imbalance in the ratio of boys to girls".
The clues they both got at least inferred that the next venue for the game would be at the school the city had once expanded in 2012, but Jiang Luo's message was unsettling.
Zhuo Zhongqiu looked grave, "The first place clue is a top priority, but this year's first place winner gave such a vague clue, it seems the next level is not easy."
Jiang Luo is very open-minded, "The questions are hard, everyone is hard, just get over it."
He handed the clue to Bai Yefeng, who had arrived after hearing the news, and Bai Yefeng frowned, "I got it."
He paid the money and turned around to leave, but before he could take a few steps, Bai Yefeng suddenly turned back to Jiang Luo, smiled and raised his voice, "Jiang Luo..."
This "Jiang Luo" made Jiang Luo's eyebrows jump a few times, and he felt something odd and vaguely familiar.
Bai Yefeng The corners of his mouth lifted as he said meaningfully, "I heard that you had a bad record before and it was a coincidence that you were able to participate in the competition this time ... but to be first in the first level is a remarkable achievement."
He laughed silently and continued, "I think very highly of you and at the second level you will definitely be number one as well, no one here can match you."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the people of Shanhai University exploded, Bai Yefeng should have been exceptionally well liked in the school, and these people spoke in a variety of ways to comfort Bai Yefeng, with vaguely hostile glances directed at Jiang Luo.
In addition to the people of Shanhai University, Jiang Luo also heard whispers from people nearby.
"Isn't that Bai Yefeng from Shanhai University? Why is he saying such things."
"Who is this Jiang Luo? I've never heard of him, Bai Yefeng is no match for him? Qi Ye is no match for him? Which one of the geniuses here is not more famous than him?"
"Fuckin' pissed, did this guy take the back door?"
Jiang Luo's smile slowly faded as he looked soberly at Bai Yefeng.
Bai Yefeng seems to be complimenting him, but in fact he is being pushed into the limelight.
Jiang Luo had only wanted to go through the second level with a low profile and see what Yuan Tianzhu was all about, but when Bai Yefeng said that, it was good to not be targeted, not to mention a low profile.
But why did Bai Yefeng target him?
He had never offended Bai Yefeng, except for the fact that he had just sold him only one lead.
Is it because of this that Jiang Luo is being targeted?
If it were true, Bai Yefeng's heart would be no bigger than a pin, but Jiang Luo had a vague feeling that this was unlikely.
As he watched, Bai Yefeng's mouth curled and she winked at him as she slowly walked away, surrounded by people.
Jiang Luo had a sudden flash of light in his head.
There is only one person who would target him so badly.
He gritted his teeth and read in his mind.
-- Chi You.
Bai Yefeng, could it be Chi You?