Chapter 194 An Inconvenience?
Qiao Jiajin moved forward, his hand reaching to check Luo Eleven’s pulse on his neck. After confirming his death, he hurried to Li Xiangling’s side.
"Kung fu gal..." he called out with concern, "How are you hanging so far?"
"Come on, I'll take you upstairs," Qiao Jiajin said, grabbing hold of Li Xiangling's arm.
"No... don’t..." Li Xiangling forced a weak laugh, "I’ll stay here for now..."
"Huh?" Qiao Jiajin paused, bewildered. "What nonsense are you talking? Are you planning to settle here?"
"Haha..." Li Xiangling chuckled feebly, "I’ve run into a bit of trouble... I’m not in a condition to leave..."
"What?" Qiao Jiajin’s face grew serious as a sense of unease washed over him. After a brief pause, he extended his hand toward her. Just as he was about to reach Li Xiangling, his hand brushed against a jagged piece of wood.
"My luck really is the worst..." Li Xiangling said with a smile. "When the boulder fell, it shattered the table... and the leg just happened to fly straight at me..."
"Do—Don’t joke around..." Qiao Jiajin replied, "You..."
"My right arm’s pinned to the wall..." Li Xiangling moved her body slightly, trying to ease the discomfort. "Even if you pull it out and free me, I’ll probably still die."
"You haven’t even gained your {Reverberation} yet, there’s no way you’re going to die." Qiao Jiajin continued to feel along the table leg, searching for where Li Xiangling was injured. "Kung fu gal, the three of us fought side by side and won spectacularly. If you dare forget that, I won’t forgive you."
"Shan ge... is he alright?" Li Xiangling suddenly asked.
"He's doing fine," Qiao Jiajin nodded. "Buff luo could probably still knock out a bear with one punch..."
But as soon as he said that, he felt something was off. "Damn it, Kung fu gal, stop asking pointless questions. You’re sounding like you’re giving your last words. I’ll get you out of here right now."
Finally, Qiao Jiajin located the injury on Li Xiangling's arm—her right bicep. The table leg was thin and hadn't struck bone, but it had pierced the bicipital muscle.
"Thankfully... it’s not a fatal wound..." Qiao Jiajin sighed in relief. The immediate priority was to treat the injury. "Kung fu gal, where did you say the key is?"
"Don’t waste your energy, Qiao ge, the key’s under the large boulder... we can't move that thing..."
"Boulder...?" Qiao Jiajin turned around, pausing in thought for a moment before walking toward the massive boulder. He slowly placed his hands on it, only to realize they were drenched in Li Xiangling’s blood, making it hard for him to steady his focus.
"Please... let a miracle happen one more time..." he muttered to himself, continuously recalling the state he was previously in.
"There was never any stone here..." Qiao Jiajin chanted quietly.
Unfortunately, the boulder remained unmoved.
"Motherfucker..." Qiao Jiajin broke into a cold sweat. "Damn it! Appear already! That star-like miracle!"
The more force he applied, the further the miracle seemed to slip away from him. A look of despair gradually spread across Qiao Jiajin's face.
Was Li Xiangling about to be left here to die a slow death?
'Don—Don’t let this happen... The thing I hate most in this life is gambling and cheaters... please, don’t let anyone else die because of them..."
As the words left his lips, the boulder trembled, and in an instant, it shattered into countless glowing fragments, scattering like fireflies in the night.
At that very moment, the sound of a massive bell rang out again, and Qiao Jiajin felt a sudden sense of quieting around him. He let out a long breath, his gaze directed downward with the illumination of the white glow, and sure enough, there was a metal key.
He picked up the key and looked around. The faint glow was now illuminating a wooden door not far away.
"Kung fu gal... I'm taking you out of here now," Qiao Jiajin announced.
"Qiao ge..." Li Xiangling gritted her teeth. "Forget it, I’m just an inconvenience now."
"Comrade-in-arms are never an inconvenience ."
It was then that Qiao Jiajin clearly saw her condition. She had indeed taken quite a few wounds, most of them superficial, but the worst injury was her right arm. It appeared that she had been struck while leaping, and her right arm was now raised high, leaving her hanging helplessly from the stone wall.
"But how are you going to get me down...?"
Qiao Jiajin slowly walked over and surveyed the situation. Li Xiangling was about thirty centimeters from the stone wall behind her, and she was almost suspended in midair—the thought of it alone was agonizing.
"I said it before, I’ve practiced Wing Chun," Qiao Jiajin replied.
"Wing Chun...?" Li Xiangling seemed confused. "Does Wing Chun have a technique for this...?"
"No, you misunderstood," Qiao Jiajin moved behind her. With one hand open and the other in a fist, he placed them on the front and back of the table leg. "When I practiced Wing Chun, I discovered something quite interesting."
"If the force is applied just right, I can easily destroy a wooden dummy."
With a sharp twist of his hands, Qiao Jiajin unleashed a burst of explosive force, and the wooden stake behind Li Xiangling snapped instantly.
"Huh?" Li Xiangling didn’t even feel the pain; in the next moment, she dropped from the stone wall, only to be caught effortlessly by Qiao Jiajin.
He gently set her down on the ground before stepping aside to open the wooden door.
Beyond the door were stairs leading upward.
"Let’s go, Kung fu gal."
Li Xiangling gazed into Qiao Jiajin's bright, clear eyes, and a peculiar feeling stirred within her. The intensity of his gaze made her heart race a little faster.
Qi Xia paced back and forth in the hall, his expression a mix of complexity. He had heard every toll of the bell just now.
Why was this bell so loud?
Whose {Reverberation} was it?
Was it Qiao Jiajin’s {Reverberation}?
Why did that stone-obsessed lunatic leave in such a defeated manner?
"Hi Qi Xia." A soft voice called from outside the door.
He turned around and saw Jiang Ruoxue standing there.
Qi Xia remained silent, his face calm as he took a seat.
"Why are you ignoring me again?" Jiang Ruoxue smiled bitterly. "Every time, I’m always being brushed off by you."
"Our paths differ, and thus, we can’t cooperate." Qi Xia shook his head. "Are you here to escort your teammate back home?"
"Nope, I just came to see you." Jiang Ruoxue sat down next to him. "However, considering we've crossed paths several times now, at which moment have I given you the impression that our {paths differ}?"
Qi Xia was about to respond, but upon a moment's reflection, he realized that the situation was indeed intriguing.
The first time Qi Xia met Jiang Ruoxue was during the {Terrestrial Dog} delivery game, where she, as the enemy infiltrator, failed to stir much trouble. Even more curiously, when A'Mu and the others sought to kill him, she used her {Hetu Phala} ability, causing one of the trio to be killed by crashing into the glass in Lawyer Zhang's hand.
In all honesty, it was Jiang Ruoxue who saved him during that moment.
Their second encounter was yesterday. Jiang Ruoxue had repeatedly tried to dissuade Xiao Xiao, that madwoman, but unfortunately, Xiao Xiao was too deranged to listen.
If Jiang Ruoxue hadn’t claimed to be from {Judgment’s Domain}, Qi Xia would have thought of her as just another {participant}, even someone quite likable.
"In the end, you and Xiao Xiao are together," Qi Xia stated. "A normal person wouldn’t be involved with her."
"I never said I was normal." Jiang Ruoxue stretched lazily and replied, "I was indeed here to bring Xiao Xiao and the others back, but now it seems that won’t be possible."
"Because there are too many {Reverberatees}," Jiang Ruoxue said, extending her slender fingers to count. "There should have been five people who triggered their {Reverberation} just now, right? The probability of one of them being Zhang Shan’s {Reverberation} is five out of six; it's too high."
Upon hearing this, Qi Xia grew silent, unable to fathom Jiang Ruoxue’s thoughts.
At that moment, a rustling noise came from the wooden door nearby.