Xia Xianning, having clarified the truth, had no intention of discussing further. He placed the payment under the teacup and finally warned, “Zhou Junyi, you can think what you want, but don’t try to disturb his life. I’ve said it, you’re not worthy, and you can’t do it.”
Zhou Junyi asked, “Captain Xia, aren’t you going to say how you plan to deal with me?”
Xia Xianning casually stretched his long legs, glanced at Zhou Junyi with a half-smile, “I’ve been wondering who actually cast the peach blossom spell. If it was aimed at me, that’s one thing, but if it was aimed at Luo Yingbai… I’ve sworn that for anyone—”
Xia Xianning paused, his gaze overwhelmingly oppressive, causing Zhou Junyi to involuntarily look away.
Xia Xianning curled his lips and continued, “Anyone who wants to harm him, between the eighteen levels of blood hell and thousands of vengeful ghosts, I will make space for myself.”
Unlike his usual tone of reprimanding subordinates or teaching disciples, his voice was not heavy, and he even wore a slight smile, but the deep meaning of his words was chilling, and his gaze was extremely cold.
Zhou Junyi couldn’t help but straighten his back, and for a moment, a fear of death rose in his heart, and the calm he had maintained from the beginning could no longer be sustained, with a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead and back.
But then, Xia Xianning said, “However, I don’t think that way now.”
Zhou Junyi was stunned. Xia Xianning stood up from the table and said coldly, “Because you don’t have the ability, and you’re not even worth our consideration. You misused spell arts, so bear the consequences yourself.”
He stated, “Privately manufacturing, selling, or purchasing irregular talismans are illegal.”
Later, please go to the special investigation department for investigation, and we will impose fines or detention as appropriate.”
The undisguised disdain in Xia Xianning’s tone made Zhou Junyi feel his face burning, as if he had been slapped—he had gone to great lengths, thinking he was clever, but from beginning to end, they had never thought much of him.
Remembering how Luo Yingbai and Xia Xianning spoke yesterday, Zhou Junyi suddenly felt incredibly envious of these two people. Perhaps this kind of intimate, unguarded trust was what he had always longed for, but whether it was him or Gai Xiao, they had paid such a high price and ultimately gained nothing.
“Captain Xia,” Zhou Junyi suddenly said before Xia Xianning left, “Will you always be good to him?”
Xia Xianning paused for a moment, and Zhou Junyi thought he might say something, but the other person didn’t even turn back and left the tea house after that brief pause.
What he had just told Zhou Junyi was half-true and half-false. Xia Xianning’s meeting with Zhou Junyi was unknown to Luo Yingbai, but he had indeed returned to the school.
This conference was quite large. Besides the scholars exchanging ideas and the helping students, even Xia Xianning’s grandfather, Old Master Xia, had attended.
He had always been interested in traditional Chinese academic knowledge, and this time many experts he had met in his youth were participating in the conference, so he came to T University under the protection of his security personnel.
Xia Xianning dialed Luo Yingbai’s phone.
Chapter 89: Blind Chess
Xia Xianning’s call was quickly answered, with a noisy background, and he was called “senior brother”.
Luo Yingbai’s voice through the phone was softer and calmer, clearly audible even in the chaotic environment.
“Xianning? Wait a moment.”
After a moment, the messy sounds disappeared, and Luo Yingbai said, “What’s up?”
Xia Xianning heard his voice and suddenly felt at ease, saying, “It’s okay, just check if you’ve arrived.”
Luo Yingbai replied, “Mm, there are many people here, it’s quite chaotic, but nothing’s wrong. Grandpa Xia is here too. I saw him surrounded by a group of people earlier, so I didn’t go over to greet him.”
Indeed, with his extraordinary status, Old Master Xia appeared with his security guards, and the entire venue was almost boiling.
Xia Xianning liked the unguarded intimacy when Luo Yingbai referred to his family members. He smiled softly, “If you’re tired, go find your grandfather. He should have a separate rest room with food.”
Luo Yingbai laughed, “That’s exactly what I was planning! By the way, are you coming?”
Xia Xianning responded noncommittally, “We’ll see.”
After a few words, Luo Yingbai heard Fang Wei calling him, so he hurriedly hung up and returned to the venue.
When he ran over, he found many people gathered in one place. Fang Wei was standing slightly on the outskirts with two female classmates, whispering something.
Luo Yingbai asked, “What’s going on here?”
Fang Wei said enthusiastically, “Blind chess! It’s very interesting. I called you to come see. It’s rare for Teacher Han to personally play, and he’s playing against the vice-president of the city chess association.”
Their exchange meeting was held at another new campus of T University, where the most famous feature was a massive art museum that usually hosted many activities. A blind chess competition was taking place in the northwest corner, attracting many onlookers.
However, after Old Master Xia’s appearance, many people gathered around him, and fewer were watching the chess match. Luo Yingbai and Fang Wei, along with two female classmates, squeezed to the front. They saw two players, one with white hair and the other in his early thirties, sitting shoulder to shoulder at opposite ends of a tea table, with a large chessboard placed behind them.
They were playing Chinese chess, with the two players facing away from the chessboard, verbally describing their moves. Two students helped them move the pieces. Many people surrounded them, some watching intently, others whispering.
The players were on a platform, and the audience was kept at a distance, so as long as they didn’t speak too loudly, they wouldn’t disturb the game.
One of the shorter female students, who hadn’t seen the scene before, couldn’t quite understand the chess game but noticed the marble chessboard. She whispered, “This chessboard is so beautiful. It must be very expensive, right?”
Fang Wei laughed, “Ask Yingbai. There’s nothing he doesn’t know.”
Luo Yingbai said, “The chessboard and pieces are probably made of red sandalwood, with raised characters. It’s probably worth around 20,000 yuan.”
As soon as he finished speaking, someone nearby casually interjected, “For Young Master Luo, 20,000 yuan is certainly nothing, but chess is about skill, not the chessboard’s price. You’re missing the point.”
Luo Yingbai and the others turned to look at the speaker, a clean-featured male student. The female student who had asked about the chessboard’s price frowned and looked at him with disgust, whispering, “We’ve run into Xie Su again. How unlucky.”
The Xie Su she mentioned was the male student who had just spoken. He was in the same major as Luo Yingbai but a year ahead. He was also somewhat skilled in blind chess and had apparently come to see if he could become a disciple of the chess association president.
However, he always carried an aloof attitude, as if looking down on everyone, which made him unpopular.
Although Xie Su’s words were directed at Luo Yingbai, the one who originally asked about the price wasn’t him. The female student immediately became unhappy, rolling her eyes and saying, “How right you are, Senior Xie. Too bad I’m just a vulgar person who only knows about money when I can’t understand chess. I’m sure you can live on just chess and books without eating. I hope you win your match and dominate. I’m just afraid that with all your skills, you might not even win at chess, which would be quite embarrassing.”
