Chapter 9 Mysterious Beauty

~

"One, two! One, two!"

The hunters chanted as they jogged across the streets of the city, their feet stomping the ground ferociously. They were on a morning drill headed by Chief Hunter Zhang. Most of the time, people would stop to look them in wondermen-it was a rare occurrence for hunters to move about in groups like this.

These hunters were split into ten groups, each having about twenty hunters. They were all vibrant and had a look of determination on their faces.

Qi and his team were at the end of the group, happily jogging behind. They were sweating profusely, their attires soaked in perspiration. Since they were at the end of the group, they escaped the notice of the Chief Hunter. Seizing this opportunity, they dissolved into a deep discussion.

"What's this early morning drill for?" Qi asked, arching his brows.

The others stared at him with a look of pity. It was obvious he was not informed.

"It's a tradition," Zhao said. "Usually before the Baron tournament, every hunter in the kingdom would do morning drills."

"Why is that?" Qi had to ask.

"You should ask our ancestors."

"..."

Qi was momentarily at loss. Although he was a novice, he couldn't bear to be mocked everytime he asked a question. Heaving a sigh, he smiled.

"You're definitely problematic."

"..."

Zhao nearly frowned. How was he problematic? Qi and Regent Dao had the similar minds, no wonder they said corny words.

"When is this Baron tournament?" Qi asked.

"What's up with you and your questions? Do you want to contest?" Long laughed.

Qi wanted to tell Long how bad looking he was but Wukong had already answered his question-he seldom spoke.

"A day after today."

"..."

Qi was mildly shocked. So fast? So the Regent was becoming a baron soon...Qi couldn't help but smile.

"The expedition yesterday was so scary!" Shang said, changing the topic. "I mean, we all saw a zombie attack us from nowhere! What also left me perplexed was the fighting of the Chief Hunter-it was so dope!"

"Yeah!" the five who had been with the Chief Hunter readily agreed.

"We all saw the zombie used the Space Clawing! It almost killed the Chief Hunter without direct contact!"

They were now at another street. This street had storey chinese buildings which were stacked together, making the road very narrow for only pedestrians-carriages couldn't move through the street.

"Sigh...Ours is more problematic than yours," Bao calmly said.

The other five who had been with the Chief Hunter frowned, not wanting to accept the fact.

"We met Evil Spirit Ah Yu who was once a king in the Bronze Age. He could manipulate distance and location!"

Qi, Long, Zhou and Ying nodded calmly.

"If you all had faced this Evil Spirit, I don't think you would still be in this world-the underworld would have been the ideal place for you."

"I love it when they speak big of me," it was Ah Yu speaking to Zhou.

"..."

Zhou almost trembled but did his best to hide it. With a smile, he muttered, "You are of no worth then."

"..."

Ah Yu became silent, not daring to speak again. But then he chuckled dryly, "Hehe!"

"You're so happy this bunch of humans are praising you!"

"How many times will I tell you they are not sim..." Ah Yu held his words and dissolved into a chuckle.

Qi who had been observing Zhou for a long time, suddenly tapped him. Something seemed off with this hunter-something mysterious. Qi didn't know what it was, but he could sense an unusual aura around Zhou.

"Are you alright?"

"..."

Zhou nearly thought Qi knew about the Evil Spirit possession. Composing himself, he smiled wildly.

"I'm great! I'm just still thinking about the expedition."

"It was sure problematic..."

"It was..."

Zhou was in a deep thought, ignoring Ah Yu's chuckling.

Qi was walking when he tripped and fell, crashing to the concrete ground.

Thud!

There was a thud sound. Grunting, he stood up and tugged at his attire. He did this on purpose to drop behind the group of hunters who were jogging ahead. He could see their backs disappear down the street. He smiled wildly, thinking about how funny it would for the Chief Hunter to find him napping at the barrack.

"I'm sure problematic," he dissolved into a laughter, tears forming in his eyes. Being mischievous was how he survived at the Monastery and that was how he planned to survive in this barrack.

Crack!

A piece of wood nearly fell on Qi if he had not moved away in time. Looking up, he saw a girl hanging from the building. Her hands were firmly gripping the edge of the wooden floor in order to prevent her from falling. Then her hands slipped, the girl falling with alacrity.

Pa!

Qi leaped into the air, grabbed the girl and landed on the ground with a thud.

"Are you okay?" Qi asked, staring into her eyes which were filled with fear. Using this moment, he clearly saw the physical features of the girl. She had green, charming eyes, perfect nose structure, red beautiful lips-all on a beautiful, round face. Her hair was brown and curly, reaching to her back. She was donned in a black gothic dress which reached to her feet. She was truly beautiful-the most beautiful girl Qi had ever seen.

"I-I'm fine," she muttered, still confused on how she ended up not falling. Then the realization dawned on her-this hunter had saved her.

"Oh!" Qi arched his brows, clearly hypnotized by this beauty. All this time he had been hugging her close to his body, their chests touching each other.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

They could feel each other's heartbeat. It was an awkward situation for Qi and the girl.

"Uh, thank you," she said, sincerely. It was also obvious she was mildly embarrassed. "Can I have my body back?"

It was then Qi realized he had been holding the girl since. He gently let go of her with a smile. He could see she was an inch taller than him. He could also see her physique more clearly now. Tall, slender, soft...Huh, am I not overthinking? Qi nearly slapped himself.

"I-I-I...I'm Qi! I mean Qi. Qigong. That's my full name but ky friends prefer Qi."

Qi was mildly embarrassed. This was the first time he was actually talking to a girl. All this time, he wore a silly smile.

"Qigong," the girl said.. She was amused with the way Qi presented himself. It was as if he hadn't met a 17-year old girl before.

"..."

Qi's lips twitched when he saw the smile, almost collapsing out of nervousness. Her smile was charming and hypnotizing as well. Then he was impressed the way she pronounced his name-she actually pronounced it in full!

"Call me Daiyu," she said, returning the smile-a beautiful one.

Daiyu...Qi smiled subconsciously. Daiyu was a beautiful chinese name which when translated meant black jade. Looking around, Qi saw that the hunters were long gone.

"I-I need to go catch up with them. Hope we meet again!"

"Wait..." Daiyu called but Qi had already sprinted off, his body becoming a blur.

Daiyu couldn't help but sigh. This hunter who just saved her left a deep impression in her. She had wanted to tell him to meet her this night but he had already left. Qi, she muttered in her mind. Her face then lit up into a beautiful smile. She liked him!

~

The hunters were all back from the morning drill. Immediately they got to the barrack, the chief hunters insisted they train. It was a very frustrating scene for new hunters like Qi.

While the others were lining up to be trained by the various chief hunters, Qi went to wait for Dao at the farthest part of the barrack-a spot Dao always trained Qi.

As he was waiting, his mind flashed back to Daiyu. I can't stop thinking, he smiled. Don't tell me I love her!

"Amitabha," he muttered a prayer only to realize he was no longer a monk but a hunter. He would have prayed to the God of Combats and War to help him suppress this feeling but soon waved the thought aside with fear.

"Thou shalt not take The name of Thy Lord in vain!"

Anytime he thought about this, he couldn't help but quiver. He hadn't seen anyone openly pray to this deity since he arrived in Crosslands. The only time he saw people praying to this deity was at temples where the priests usually perform rituals. To even pray to Gods, one would need to set up a corresponding ritual. And to also set up a corresponding ritual, one need to have a corresponding status! For example, only priests, regents, devils, barons and dukes (and also earls) could perform the corresponding ritual-they had the blessing of God.

Smack!

He felt a moist hand hit his head, jolting him from his thoughts. His eyes regained their lucidity as he stared at Regent Dao who was grinning at him.

"Uh-huh?"

He quickly saluted, "Good day Regent!"

"Sigh... Morning, Qi."

Dao then trained Qi. It lasted for hours before they finally stopped. It was a hard training for Qi but he survived.

Dao walked towards a rock and sat on it, staring at Qi.

"How are you planning towards the Baron tournament?" Qi asked.

Dao chuckled dryly, reminding Qi of the Evil Spirit Ah Yu. This made him cringe.

"There's nothing to worry about."

"You're not bothered?" Qi was shocked. This tournament was one which would claim lives! The five regents from the five regions of Crosslands will definitely participate in it to become the baron. Usually, only one would emerge as the baron while the others would be killed! He feared for Dao's life but here was the same person treating the tournament as a piece of cake. Wouldn't the other regents have the same powers as Dao? What makes him so confident of himself? Then Qi remembered the mystical blade he'd seen earlier-the one which had nullified Feng's powers. He almost thought he got it when something dawned on him-that mystical item was a secret! Dao wouldn't run around in the tournament using the weapon.

"Why should I be bothered? If you think I'm that simple, then you're not informed."

"..."

"I can singlehandedly wiped out all the hunter armies in this continent."

Qi gulped. This regent was sure problematic.

Then they became silent, obviously thinking what to say. Qi's eyes moved towards Dao's and met his cold gaze. This made him gulp in fear.

"What were you thinking about earlier?"

"..."

Qi was momentarily at loss. He had thought the Regent had not notice him earlier!

"The expedition, Regent!" Qi lied. Telling him about Daiyu would be too early and thus, result in problems.

"I hope you're telling the truth," Dao frowned.

"I am."

Dao sighed, "To think you can lie to me means you're definitely not informed."

Here we come, Qi almost rolled his eyes.

"You met with Daiyu."

Dao said-it was a statement, not a question.

"..."

Qi was mildly alarmed when he heard that. To hear that Dao knew who he met made him more afraid of this regent!

"H-how did you know?" Qi couldn't help but ask.

"Why wouldn't I know when something is fishy?"

"How then did you know it was Daiyu?"

Dao chuckled dryly, "I'm the only one who knows her secret."

"What secret?"

"You were hypnotized, weren't you? She was born with supernatural powers."

"..."

"Have you ever heard of supernatural beauty? You were definitely affected by this power."

Qi nearly choked. To hear he had been under a supernatural influence made his stomach burn!

"How do you know so much about her?How do you know her secret?" Qi asked, piquing interest in the matter.

"Why wouldn't I know so much?" Dao widened his eyes. "She's my younger sister."

"..."

Qi couldn't help but shudder. He had found Dao to be mysterious and now he had come across his immediate family member who was the same as he was-mysterious. This was sure problematic.