Love, Gun, Cupid

Wei Ying blushed slightly: "Hey, don't keep bringing this up! Do you really enjoy having your trivial, insignificant affairs brought up repeatedly? Like when you were in the bath..."

The warbler suddenly choked, her face flushed even more than before. Lin Jiade asked, "What's wrong with me?"

"Don't get so close!"

Wei Ying pushed Lin Jiade aside and ran away through the back door. Lin Jiade gave her a token chase out of the classroom, then went into the restroom and muttered, "It's fine if I ignore her, I don't know her, and I don't like her anyway, just a cocky brat..."

"Forget it, I'll go find her anyway. After all, she came with me, and I have to be responsible for the school; I can't let her blow up my school too."

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Warbler's Teachings (33→32)

When Lin Jiade skipped class and found Weiying, she was looking at snacks at the convenience store at the entrance of the cafeteria. Just as Lin Jiade was about to go over, a woman stopped him and asked for directions. He pointed her in the right direction and came to Weiying's side.

"Who were you talking to just now?" Wei Ying asked.

"She asked a stranger for directions."

"Then she's a bit strange. Would a normal person mobilize their physical energy to ask for directions?"

"?!" Lin Jiade pointed to the convenience store. "What do you want to eat? It's on me!"

He quickly pulled out his phone and called Mu Mian, informing her of the intruder's existence and describing his approximate appearance. Mu Mian immediately shared the information in the discussion group, and soon after, a sentry staking out the train station reported seeing the intruder.

Another spy like Rafaam—this was the consensus among all members of the Kapok team. Just as Lin Jiade was preparing to join Kapok to make the arrest, Wei Ying hooked his foot.

“No, you can’t beat her,” Wei Ying said.

“Then I can buy some time.”

Wei Ying shook her head: "I won't allow it. You are currently my student. If you are defeated, I will also lose face. So I won't allow you to fight in battles you're not sure you can win."

"When can I graduate?" Lin Jiade asked.

"Defeat a powerful opponent."

"Then I'll go and defeat a powerful opponent right now and show you!"

"Before you complete your training, I will not allow you to fight battles you are not confident of winning."

"When can I graduate from my apprenticeship?"

"Go and defeat a powerful opponent."

Lin Jiade spread his hands and looked at the other person. Wei Ying smiled and said, "I was talking about kapok."

"Well, if you're staying with us, I'll have to calculate your living expenses carefully. Considering our friendship, I'll charge you an extra five hundred dinars."

The reed warbler said with some dissatisfaction, "Changzhu... do you have so little confidence in me and in yourself?"

"Mu Mian has the strength of an advanced magic researcher, while I am only a novice magic researcher. She carries a much heavier burden than I do, comes from a better family, and works harder and more diligently than I do. I never thought that I could catch up with her in terms of strength."

"Strange, if you have no desire to become someone superior, how did you embark on this path?"

I was trying to break down my girlfriend's defenses... Lin Jiade found it hard to say this, so he said, "Before meeting Miss Dujuan, I was just an ordinary person."

My desire to become stronger was once to protect those I loved. But Miss Dujuan taught me that becoming stronger isn't just about forging oneself; leveraging the strength of others is also a form of power.

Wei Ying sighed: "I guess what my sister meant by saying that was to prevent you from going astray in your pursuit of becoming stronger, but her words of comfort have actually weakened your motivation to become stronger."

Moreover, when we met, I really wanted to complain: a young, ordinary person who had their left meniscus removed... ugh, what's wrong with your eyes?

When he pointed out Lin Jiade's injuries, the young man's eyes suddenly became terrifying, even startling Wei Ying. She snapped out of her daze, feeling embarrassed that she'd been frightened by a mere mortal like Ququ. If she were to retaliate now, it would make her seem vindictive and petty… She decided to hold back!

Wei Ying made a mental note about Lin Jiade, saying, "Be more confident. You were chosen by your older sister."

Why must I defeat Senior Kapok?

The reed warbler replied, "Because I dislike her. She was once an incredibly sharp sword, but she allowed herself to rust over time, which is a real waste. So, I want you to defeat her, polish away her rust, and make her sharp again."

“If she becomes sharper, will she return to Brilliant City… Oh well, consider this my way of repaying a debt of gratitude,” Lin Jiade said. “If you can truly make her stronger, I’ll do whatever you say.”

"I'm wasting a good piece of material. As for you, is it because of love that you want her to become stronger?"

Lin Jiade shook his head: "I heard some things from her, and then I felt that Senior Kapok had to become stronger so that she could fight against the malice in her life. Fuxing City is where she is escaping. Her home is not here. Everything will eventually have to be resolved in Brilliant City."

Wei Ying nodded and invited Lin Jiade to take a walk on campus—while holding her celestial weapon. She also cast a confusion spell on Lin Jiade for this.

As Lin Jiade walked, he had to concentrate on manipulating the energy to slow its absorption by the celestial weapon. To put it simply, it was like trying to keep a ball from falling while balancing it on his head during a college entrance exam. Even though Lin Jiade had some understanding of energy, it was still a formidable challenge.

"Even you can crush a mortal's sword with your bare hands, so how do swordsmen protect their weapons and make them effective in higher-level combat?"

That is, injecting energy, making the weapon an extension of the body. At the same time, the active energy will form a shield on the body surface, which will increase the speed of wound healing, quickly remove waste, decompose toxins, sustain life in emergencies, and even permanently improve your physical fitness.

If you observe Kapok's battle from an energy perspective, you'll find that her fighting style is remarkably energy-efficient, achieving the desired effect at the lowest possible cost. The energy within her body is tightly locked around her, resulting in minimal loss even during intense combat.

And you, you merely store energy, instead of activating it, and this stored energy keeps dissipating due to your lack of control. And the energy you waste when wielding swords and using spells is so extravagant that it makes one wonder if you are a reincarnation of a celestial being... No, even I wouldn't dare to be so wasteful.

This method is manageable in daily life, but in battle, your energy consumption rate is faster than others. Since your energy reserves are already insufficient, you will always encounter energy shortage problems.

In summary, insufficient energy reserves, inefficient energy utilization, and a single form of energy utilization are the three major obstacles preventing you from becoming stronger. By continuously accumulating energy using the celestial weapon I gave you, you can overcome the first obstacle. As for the remaining two, I will need to push you to improve.

This sermon was completed by Lin Jiade while he walked around the school with his sword. At that time, Lin Jiade's undergarments were so wet that they could be wrung out, and white mist emanated from his body.

The nauseating exhaustion from his fight with Korobochka returned, and he wanted to stop, but the reed warbler relentlessly drove him until he reached his limit, broke through his limit, and unknowingly went further and further away... until his sword was taken away by the reed warbler.

"Alright, go and rest. Replenish your fluids, eat something, and then draw energy from your weapon... Just to avoid any misunderstanding, let me clarify first, this isn't out of concern for you. After all, I need to consider my sister's feelings, so I can't push you too hard."

After tallying the results from both sides, the readers ultimately chose Portugal to win.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Stopping at the Inch

Before this, Lin Jiade wanted to go home to change his clothes, but when Wei Ying told him that there would be another basic training session of the same intensity that evening, he decided to make do.

So he went to the club to dry his clothes and get rid of the smell. To save time, he took a shortcut, first crawling out through a gap in the wall to a field of rapeseed flowers, and then heading south along the wall.

Here, Lin Jiade unexpectedly encountered the woman who had asked him for directions earlier. She also looked at him with surprise, then warily glanced at the reed warbler behind the young man.

"What are the celestial observers doing here?" the woman asked.

After her identity was revealed, Wei Ying adhered to the principle of neutrality, crossed her arms, and indicated that she would not intervene violently in what followed. She replied, "Just to clear my head."

"Very well, I wish you a pleasant mood and a romantic memory in the Empire," the woman said.

“I will,” Wei Ying pointed to Lin Jiade, “but he’s the one looking for you, not me.”

"Looking for me?" The woman pointed to herself.

"Why have you come here?" Lin Jiade asked.

The young man drew the celestial weapon, absorbing its energy. His weary body regained its vitality, and the surging energy within him caused a slight itch and tingling sensation on his skin. At the same time, he activated his soul vision, discovering that the other's soul was a golden mist, within which tiny particles condensed.

Despite Wei Ying's warning that he had no chance against the woman before him, on the contrary, this woman possessed great strength, which meant status, and status meant intelligence.

If we can stall until our gang members arrive to provide backup, and then everyone can work together to subdue her, we might be able to extract some valuable information.

Is this the way to ask someone a question?

The woman's initial gesture surprised Lin Jiade, who said, "A hatter?"

“The people of Kapok have studied me to this extent,” the hatter chuckled. “It’s disgusting to have every detail of me scrutinized by others, especially by men.”

"You hate men?"

"No, I just think that same sexes repel each other. If it were a pretty girl studying me, I would be quite happy to."

Aren't you a woman?!

The world of magic researchers is full of wonders. The hatter is clearly a woman—although she is a bit ugly—but she considers herself a man and likes women… So is she a lesbian or a heterosexual?

Lin Jiade shook his head, clearing his mind of these jumbled thoughts. He raised his sword, assuming an attack stance, while his left hand reached into his pocket, pulled out a revolver, and fired rapidly from his waist. The Hatter had the same idea, except that the end of her mechanical arm transformed directly into a bullet gun.

"Swearing on the court!"

Lin Jiade braced himself against the wall, vaulting over it in one step. The belated volley of bullets covered the area where he had stood. In his spiritual vision, his gaze pierced through the wall, seeing the golden condensed mist rapidly approaching him.

Lin Jiade's strategy was to maintain close combat and prevent his opponent from knocking him out in one blow. The wall provided him with a favorable environment for grappling... until the two were positioned so close together that the Hatter punched a hole through the wall.

After piercing the wall, the hatter's fist instantly transformed into a shotgun, firing at Lin Jiade. Lin Jiade slid to the ground, feeling the hot wind of the iron rain flying over his head, and shouted, "Are you crazy? This is against the law!"

"Didn't Kapok tell you? As long as you pay a fee, this kind of trivial matter won't even leave a record in your file."

The hatter blasted through the wall. Lin Jiade raised his head, turned left, and fired all his bullets in one go. The hatter crossed her arms, and bullets struck her, sending sparks flying. Lin Jiade got up and saw the hatter approaching. The celestial weapon in his hand gleamed, crimson flames clinging to the blade, making the hatter somewhat wary.

"A celestial weapon?" The hatter looked you up and down. "Just who are you?"

The hatter was somewhat hesitant, but her ability to heal herself allowed her to bravely walk towards Lin Jiade. The warbler, watching from a distance, gave a soft snort.

The hatter prepared to taste the crimson flames, but a sharp killing intent from behind made her turn around, a crimson arc of light blooming in the air. She raised her arm, and the crimson arc of light materialized on her arm into a sword blade imbued with crimson light.

The black-clad swordsman also came into the hatter's view. The hatter slid his right arm to parry Kapok's weapon, and threw a left hook straight at Kapok's chin. Kapok twisted her body to dodge, pulled the trigger, and the magic on the blade separated her from the hatter.

Lin Jiade raised his sword, ready to launch a righteous backstab at any moment. Mu Mian made a gesture and said, "No, even if we win, it will be more damaging to my image if two of us fight one."

"She is a hat maker."

“I know, nobody expected that she would come to Fuxing City by train without anyone by herself. On the contrary, it was our actions that were a bit underhanded,” Mu Mian said.

The hatter chuckled: "There's no such thing as a fair fight in these kinds of competitions. I disguised myself, took the train here, and infiltrated the campus. I must say, your team wasn't professional enough, and neither was my infiltration..."

I actually hope you have the numbers against the odds. My body camera will faithfully record this scene and spread it online. Whether you win or lose, you will lose in the end.

Too bad you didn't fall for that trick. Are you going to bring up Saturday's battle now? I don't care.

Kapok nodded. Lin Jiade looked at Reed Warbler and said, "Whose credit do you think it is that you've fought all this time without being disturbed by ordinary people?"

"Thank you."

"You shouldn't be concerned about me, but rather about the upcoming battle. Watch closely how a high-level swordsman fights."

At this moment, several more members of the Kapok team arrived. Like Lin Jiade, Kapok forbade them to make a move, so they stood still by the wall. Wei Ying reached out, and the virtual realm expanded, with the Great Pyramid of Giza and the surrounding yellow sand replacing the normal scenery and appearing before everyone's eyes.

“Pyramids, I hate dry environments.” The hatter struck a pose. “Come on.”

Kapok raised her submachine gun and opened fire, while the Hatter responded with shotguns. The Hatter approached while firing, dodging Kapok's slashes and striking Kapok's cheek with the back of his hand. At that moment, the golden light of the Overtime Magic rose up, blocking the Hatter's attack.

"Using a life-saving move right from the start?"

The hatter leaped back to create distance, intending to stall for the time he was under the spell of overtime magic. Naturally, Kapok wouldn't let her invincible time go to waste. She seized the opportunity to leave several wounds on the hatter, each wound imbued with a bleeding curse. This was Kapok's new change.

The hatter had to use nanomachines to repair her wounds, and parts of her body shrank, a scene faithfully recorded by the cameras in the hands of the gang members.

After the cameraman checked, he gave Mu Mian an OK sign, and Mu Mian immediately stopped chasing him, saying, "I'm not fighting anymore."

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Warbler's New Goal

The hatters clashed their fists together: "Hey, don't be such a spoilsport, this isn't even a warm-up!"

“I never said I wanted to settle things with you today,” Kapok replied.