Chapter Thirty-One: Xiao Qing

Chapter Thirty-One: [Xiao Qing]

A sudden and dramatic turn of events swept through the scene, leaving the onlooking students wide-eyed with astonishment—such a delicate and beautiful girl, stepping forward to challenge someone to a duel?

Young Master Ma stared blankly at the girl before him, who called herself Xiao Qing, his mind momentarily going blank. He opened his mouth, incredulity in his voice, “Uh, you… really want to spar with me?”

It must be a joke, everyone around couldn’t help but think.

Yet Chen Xiao, observing the stance Xiao Qing held, felt a shiver of respect in his heart.

After all, he had trained seriously, though not in traditional Chinese martial arts. Still, all combat techniques shared some common ground, and whether it was Taekwondo or Karate, they were all, in a sense, branches derived from Chinese martial arts. Chen Xiao was no novice—he could immediately tell that this girl, Xiao Qing, was no mere pretender.

She seemed to adopt a starting stance almost casually, yet an aura of depth and mastery emerged instantly—rounded and understated, exuding a presence impossible to gauge.

To manage such a natural, flowing starting pose was not something one could achieve without years of diligent training—Chen Xiao admitted to himself that even he could not manage it.

As for Young Master Ma… he was nothing more than a guy flashing the banner of the martial arts club, with no real training to speak of. How could he gauge the depth of her skill? All he could do was marvel instinctively at how striking her stance looked—the more he watched, the more captivating it became.

“You… beauty, you really want to fight me? This isn’t a joke, is it?” Young Master Ma hesitated. He had never even met such a beautiful girl before! With such a beauty, one ought to hold her tenderly and cherish her, not exchange punches and kicks! He quickly racked his brains for a strategy that would save his own dignity while leaving a good impression on this lovely girl.

Xiao Qing was in no hurry. She simply regarded Young Master Ma with calm, unhurried eyes.

“Uh, how about this, beauty? If you’re interested in martial arts, you can join our club! For a girl so devoted to martial arts, I’ll waive your membership fee,” Young Master Ma said, flashing a greedy smile.

“If you defeat me, I’ll join and learn from you,” Xiao Qing replied softly.

“Alright!” Young Master Ma was nearly beside himself with excitement.

Such a dainty girl—what threat could she pose? If he could reel in such a beauty, “teaching” her martial arts would certainly involve a lot of physical contact… what could be better?

“Fine! But if you get hurt, you mustn’t cry,” Young Master Ma said with mock concern. He stretched a bit and, feigning generosity, added, “Don’t worry, I’m always gentle with girls. I’ll go easy on you.”

With that, he stepped back, warmed up with a few moves, and assumed a boxer’s stance, bouncing lightly on his feet.

Those watching compared his posture to Xiao Qing’s—

Even the girls who knew nothing about martial arts could see that Young Master Ma’s stance was anything but proper! His left hand forward, right hand back, feet bouncing, knees slightly bent… this wasn’t martial arts at all; it was obviously a basic kickboxing routine.

“Here I come—watch out,” Young Master Ma said smugly, glancing at the girl in front of him, who looked so delicate she might be blown away by a passing breeze—how could he feel any need for caution?

He threw a left-handed punch, so soft it was more of a caress than an attack.

Seeing his move, Xiao Qing’s brows furrowed, then she suddenly dropped her starting stance, a flash of disappointment in her eyes.

Young Master Ma’s fist was still midair when Xiao Qing’s right hand shot out, lightning-fast, clamping down on his wrist, and then—

A gasp of astonishment.

No one saw exactly what Xiao Qing did, but everyone saw what happened next: with a scream, Young Master Ma was sent flying, arcing over Xiao Qing’s head with a “whoosh,” and crashing down onto the mat below. Fortunately, the floor was padded. He landed sideways, dazed and utterly silent, his eyes squeezing shut as he passed out from the impact.

Everyone: “………………”

(A note from the author: Why use ‘whoosh’? Because I love Stephen Chow, so what? Ha!)

A living man weighing over a hundred pounds was tossed away in an instant, and by a schoolgirl who looked as if a breeze could lift her. Xiao Qing, no matter how you looked at her, did not resemble anyone capable of such a feat. Girls of her build often struggled to lift a sack of rice, let alone throw a grown man!

Only Chen Xiao, watching Xiao Qing, showed little surprise—in fact, his gaze was filled with something strange.

It wasn’t that Chen Xiao was so skilled he could judge her level; rather, it was because… Phoenix! That Phoenix was an esper. And if someone had powers, tossing a grown man—let alone flipping a car—was nothing! Xiao Qing had categorically denied being Phoenix, yet here she was displaying such strength.

What exactly was her connection to Phoenix? Were they, in fact, the same person?

“Sigh, another fraud,” Xiao Qing muttered, disappointment etched on her face. She strolled over to where Young Master Ma lay sprawled on the ground, raised her foot, and, almost casually, gave him a light kick in the small of his back.

Instantly, Young Master Ma’s eyes flew open. He yelped in pain and coughed violently. Meanwhile, Xiao Qing had already reached the edge of the ring, slipped on her shoes, picked up her laptop, and hugged it to her chest. Turning to the crowd, she offered a slight bow, “Sorry to have disturbed everyone.”

With that, she walked calmly toward the exit, as if nothing had happened. As she went, she muttered to herself with a hint of exasperation, “Strange, is there really no one in Gide Academy with real skill… Could that boy surnamed Xu have been lying to me?”

A boy surnamed Xu?

Chen Xiao caught those last words and felt a sudden jolt inside! By now, chaos had erupted in the gym, and Young Master Ma’s lackeys finally snapped to their senses, rushing over and shouting for their “boss.”

Amid the confusion, Chen Xiao slipped away, hurrying after her through the main doors.

He saw Xiao Qing already walking through the gym’s corridor, heading across the academy square. Chen Xiao followed, puzzled, unsure how to approach her.

This girl’s skill was almost inhuman! Could she really be the master Xu Ershao had spoken of, the one who’d taught him martial arts?

Of course, that was one reason, but another, deeper reason Chen Xiao trailed after her was—Phoenix.

Though it seemed a little embarrassing, after having met that mysterious and stunning girl called Phoenix yesterday, Chen Xiao, like many a boy his age, had fallen into a daydream from which he could not extricate himself—not that there was any shame in it.

The two walked, one leading and one following. Chen Xiao watched Xiao Qing’s every step—the way she moved was as if she were treading on clouds, each step so light she seemed almost about to take flight. Her bearing was ethereal; even her walk resembled a dance (no dirty thoughts now).

She walked on and he followed, all the way down to the underground parking garage. Turning a corner beside a car, Xiao Qing took out her keys, finally turned around, and regarded Chen Xiao with calm eyes. He immediately stopped, awkwardly rubbing his nose.

“Haven’t you followed me long enough?” Xiao Qing’s voice was calm. It wasn’t icy, but there was an unmistakable coolness to it.

(Summoning recommendation votes~)