Chapter 12: The Warlord's Order
Seeing the confused look on the fatty's face, Qingyin carefully explained to him, "Warriors who have cultivated battle qi are divided into seven ranks based on their combat strength, from the highest to the lowest: Warlord, Holy Warrior, Sky Warrior, Earth Warrior, Senior Warrior, Intermediate Warrior, and Junior Warrior."
As Qingyin explained, the fatty still couldn't grasp the concept of the ranking system. After blinking his eyes, he asked again, "So what rank are those guards and guardians?"
"Guards belong to the rank of Junior Warriors, while guardians are Intermediate Warriors. One Intermediate Warrior can match up to a hundred ordinary warriors who haven't cultivated battle qi," Qingyin explained to the fatty using a different approach.
"One guardian can match up to a hundred ordinary warriors?" The fatty's eyes started to spin as he quickly calculated.
"What about Warlords? What level can they reach?" The fatty couldn't wait to ask Qingyin, his squinted little eyes gleaming with a greenish hue, like a wild wolf searching for food.
"Warlord... that's close to a myth. A Warlord is said to be able to roam freely among thousands of soldiers. Of course, in history, Warlords..." Qingyin explained to the fatty, her eyes turning towards the direction of He'er, but her eyes remained as clear as ever, without the reverence that others might have.
However, the fatty ignored the rest of Qingyin's words, his expression becoming fanatical and grimacing. Thousands of soldiers, if he became a Warlord, what would he be afraid of? Wouldn't his life be as secure as a fortress then?
"Qingyin, let's go. I want to see He'er. And if possible..." The fatty was obviously hungry and hurriedly pulled Qingyin's hands towards the crowd.
The fatty wasn't tall, so he was quickly swallowed up by the crowd. Without any abilities, the fatty had no advantage, and surrounded by the dense crowd, he had no chance to "greet" the Warlord.
Fortunately for the fatty, Qingyin chose to stay outside, otherwise, he would have been restricted and inconvenienced.
Squeezed by people of various sizes like waves, the fatty's face suddenly showed a sinister smile, like a long-hidden darkness, chilling to behold.
The fatty's right hand reached out unsteadily towards a young man with blue hair on his left, who was quite handsome. It seemed to be a trick the fatty often used in street fights when he was an orphan, known as "Monkey Steals Peach."
A sudden scream of "Ah..." rang out. At the moment of the scream, the young man's face changed, showing anger, pain, and even tears rolling down his eyes. It seemed that he had been grabbed hard.
The young man's gaze fixed on a younger student on his left who was even thinner than him. The younger student initially looked confused, but then burst into laughter when he saw the blue-haired young man clutching his groin tightly like a raped girl, tears hanging from his eyes.
Hearing the younger student's wild and arrogant laughter, the blue-haired young man flew into a rage and forgot about the pain, slapping the younger student across the face while shouting curses: "I'll let you laugh! I'll let you sneak attack me..."
The younger student, whose face was tightly covered by his right hand, could faintly see the clear red fingerprint through the gaps between his fingers.
Anger, like a volcanic eruption, filled the younger student's face. The blue-haired young man's words confused him. "When did I sneak attack you? Where did I sneak attack you?"
Listening to the younger student's words, the blue-haired young man was speechless for a while. The vulgar gesture made it impossible for him to defend himself. By then, he realized something was wrong, but before he could explain, the younger student's fist hit him in the eye.
Their anger erupted instantly. At first, it was a simple street fight, but soon they incorporated battle qi. Due to the crowdedness, it was impossible to avoid affecting others. In an instant, a towering wave of anger erupted among the crowded people.
Those affected sought revenge, and those affected by those seeking revenge also sought revenge... This was what a vicious cycle looked like.
Fighting broke out. There was no room for words at this point. The crowd was filled with the sound of clashing fists and feet, and dazzling battle qi glowing in the brightest colors. Of course, those in the academy had learned some magic and battle qi to varying degrees. Those who studied battle qi had an advantage, while those who studied magic suffered. However, some magic students stubbornly recited their spells. Although most of the spells were interrupted by close-range attacks, one magician still succeeded in casting a spell, unfortunately, he was an Intermediate Magician.
"Hundred-Mile Blaze" was a forbidden spell, but only a Grand Mage could unleash its full power. However, there was a lesser version of this spell called "Hundred-Meter Blaze," perfect for use in group fights.
In an instant, flames roared to life. The crowded people, like ants on a hot pan, started jumping around chaotically. The already crowded area became even more chaotic due to the magic. Shouts of anger, cries of pain, and sounds of fighting filled the air. The crowd at the school gate erupted into chaos.
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Standing far away from the crowd, Qingyin's cheeks turned red. From the moment the fatty entered the crowd, she had seen his every move, including his quick "Monkey Steals Peach" and his escape like a rabbit. Everything was in Qingyin's sight.
Looking at the fatty, who was not far from her and looking smug, Qingyin felt helpless, but her heart was filled with a sweet feeling.
The moment the fat man escaped from the crowd, he didn't rush to stay far away; instead, he hastily pulled her away. If it weren't for the fat man's quick action, she, who might not have reacted in time, would have also been affected. At this moment, even if she were a senior mage, it would be useless; she would have already been caught up in the chaos of the crowd trampling on each other.
Qingyin's melodious voice gently opened, and she closed her eyes to exhale a long breath, but halfway through exhaling, her closed eyes suddenly opened wide, looking at the fat man.
Standing beside the fat man was an old man, a very short one. The old man was dressed quite comically, in bright, colorful clothes like a clown, and he stood beside the fat man, looking so small.
Qingyin's eyebrows tightly furrowed. She didn't recognize that person, but he was definitely not an ordinary one. Mages practice meditation, so their sensory perceptions are much stronger than those of ordinary people. Could a person who a senior mage only notices at close range be ordinary?
Qingyin wanted to warn the fat man, but she suddenly found that she couldn't move. It was a shivering sensation from her soul, making it impossible for her to control her body.
Looking at the old man again, Qingyin realized that the old man facing her made a funny face at her and then turned to look at the fat man with his hands behind his back.
...
"Old man..." The fat man, who had been squinting to watch the spectacle, suddenly found a strangely dressed old man in front of him. The old man was so short that the fat man had to look down to see him.
"Young man, you should be honest," said the clown old man, shaking his head at the fat man, while circling around him as if carefully examining him.
The fat man was also carefully examining the old man. After confirming that the old man in front of him was harmless, the fat man's eyes rotated, and he said boldly, "Old man, go somewhere cool and stay out of my way. Don't disturb me from watching the expert."
"Expert?" The clown old man hesitated for a moment, then seemed to understand and said somewhat surprisedly to the fat man, "So you caused this commotion just to watch an expert?"
The fat man glanced at the old man and then squinted, saying, "Old man, that's an expert. Do you know what an expert is?"
"No," shook the clown old man's head.
"An expert is someone who lives the longest," said the fat man candidly, sharing his opinion with the clown old man.
Upon hearing the fat man's words, the clown old man was first stunned and then burst into laughter: "If living a long time makes someone an expert, then what about me?"
"You?" The fat man spat violently and then said, "If you're an expert, then I'm a recluse."
"How so?" The clown old man looked at the fat man with interest.
"A recluse expert," said the fat man, turning his mouth down towards the clown old man, looking very pleased with himself.
"A recluse expert? Interesting," laughed the clown old man.
"Old man, you should leave quickly. It would be bad if you get caught up in this," the fat man kindly reminded the old man, actually afraid of being exposed by the clown old man.
"Okay. But I have something for you," said the clown old man, taking out an object from his chest and forcing it into the fat man's arms.
The fat man finally reacted. Normally speaking, although the fat man didn't have any abilities, he still weighed over a hundred pounds. Yet now, he couldn't resist the seemingly frail clown old man in front of him.
A token made of polished crystal was shining brilliantly in the fat man's hand. The gloss was very dazzling, making it impossible for the fat man to open his eyes in the sunlight.
At this moment, the fat man didn't rush to look at the token. Instead, he turned his head directly and used his fat left hand to grab Qingyin's arm.
"Run..." The fat man uttered a word and then pulled Qingyin away like a frightened rabbit, running out through the gaps in the crowd.
Fat people have an instinct, an animal-like instinct, which is the ability to sense danger. And this feeling has proven reliable every time it was tested. In fact, this instinct is honed through countless times of being schemed against. When one is schemed against too many times, that feeling turns into an instinct.So when the fat man felt this sensation, the first thing he thought of was to run away.
And at the moment the fat man ran away, an old, confident voice rang out in the chaotic crowd: "That fatso is holding the Warlord Token."
"Warlord Token?" Upon hearing this voice and seeing the constantly flashing gloss in the fat man's hand as he ran forward, the school gate suddenly fell silent.
But amidst the silent atmosphere, the heavy breathing sounds rose one after another. Upon closer inspection, the students' eyes all emitted a greenish glow, like a group of hungry wolves staring at a lamb.
With a "Hura!" sound, a group of people couldn't care less about the commotion and chased after the fat man who had already run far away, while those injured on the ground also stood up quickly like they had taken stimulants, joining the chasing crowd. The severely injured had a temporary rally of strength, struggling to support their bodies and crawl towards the fat man.
The crowd scattered like birds and beasts, and at this moment, only the clown old man was left at the school gate, gazing after the fat man and saying with some surprise, "His reaction was so fast?..."