Daily life of a teacher in the martial arts department

-

With teachers and students leaving the school, most of the shops in the Imperial College cafeteria have closed, except for the fast food stalls on the first floor, which are usually bustling with students. Now, only a small number of teachers and students remain.

For those staying in school, this is basically their only option for summer vacation—except for board game shop owners, for whom money can buy anything.

Ying Qin Guan got his food and casually found a seat.

Less than three minutes after he sat down, Yu Xietian and Shen Xin each sat down next to him with a plate, flanking him from both sides.

Ying Qin Guan paused slightly while eating, squinting as he asked, "What are you two doing here?"

"A new commission has been received."

Shen Xin gave her answer before Yu Xietian, not because she wrote faster than she spoke, but because she anticipated Ying Qin Pass's problem and wrote it down on the blackboard in advance.

"No, no, no, I mean, outsiders are not allowed to enter the Imperial Palace during winter and summer vacations. How did you two get in... and even order food?"

Yu Xietian said proudly, "With my strength, I can come and go freely in the Sword Saint's mansion, let alone the Imperial Palace."

"As for the card, it's Miss Nocturn's. She got me one. Miss Nocturn is definitely my favorite ヾ（≧O≦）〃."

"So what?" Ying Qin Guan said, "You're trying to recruit me again? I'm not interested for now..."

—Because a new game mode has recently come out, he's really into playing cards, but unfortunately, apart from Jiu Yi, no one can keep up with his high-intensity gameplay; they're currently one player short. But that's precisely why he can't leave Jiu Yi, otherwise they'll be two players short.

"Hmm... I'm not panicking."

Shen Xin's eyes darted around, and he raised the blackboard with a grin.

"Would you go on a government-funded trip?"

Ying Qin Guan wasn't surprised that the two knew about the trip, and casually said, "We'll see."

Yu Xietian's heart stirred, and he seduced her with a devilish tone: "I have already obtained some information. Miss Yequ has already handed in her documents. Do you want to know where she went?"

Ying Qin remained unmoved and said, "I don't want to."

Yu Xietian was taken aback and said, "Really? Don't be so stubborn!"

Ying Qin Guan raised his eye and swung his sword, and Yu Xie Tian was defeated.

"You're no good enough, you still have to rely on me."

Shen Xin grinned crookedly and picked up the small blackboard.

"Ying Qin Pass, I got a little information earlier... This trip was applied for by the principal, and he went too. Do you want to know where he went?"

Ying Qin Guan's expression changed slightly, but before he could speak, Shen Xin swiftly raised the small blackboard again.

"The principal has been away on business for the next couple of days, and few people besides us know where he's going. If you miss this opportunity, you'll be spending this trip alone..."

These words successfully ignited Ying Qin Guan's anger. He retorted defiantly, "I'm not even interested in where Night Song is, let alone him! I don't want to know! I can live perfectly well without the Time-Space Killer!"

Shen Xin chuckled, quickly finished his meal, and left the cafeteria with Yu Xietian, only putting up a small blackboard for Ying Qin Guan at the last moment.

"Snow-capped mountains."

Chapter Four: The Snowstorm Manor

"Are you going to the Saint Lotus Mountains?" The gray-haired man took Ying Qin Guan's documents and said, "I thought not many people went there, but it turns out it's almost full... even though there weren't many spots to begin with."

The Empire has provided eight locations. Places like the beach have virtually no limit on the number of people; as many as you want can go. However, there is a limit on the number of people at the snow mountain hotel, since there is only one hotel in the area.

—Ying Qin Guan heard that it was originally a villa built on a whim by a nobleman. Later, the nobleman was rewarded with a peanut for accepting a bribe, and the villa built on the snow mountain was naturally confiscated. Later, it was auctioned off by the court, and a fool took the fall. Fortunately, Bing Ning has a lot of marketing geniuses. With a series of operations, the villa was transformed into a hotel.

Then, this genius went on a marketing spree, touting the mountain resort's wildness (referring to the fact that the villa was completely surrounded by wilderness), its natural ski slopes (because it was located in the snow-capped mountains), its summer retreat (because it was located in the snow-capped mountains), and the promise that "if you don't come, you're not a true ice cream lover," among other things. This gave the mountain hotel a bit of a buzz. Apparently, there was even a ghost story involving a nobleman during that time, but it was later discovered to be malicious marketing hype—at least that's what the owner, kneeling with his hands raised, said when the imperial army arrived with heavy weapons, using a special alien race as their hypothetical enemy.

"The place is indeed the best for escaping the heat, but there aren't many entertainment options. It can't compare to the beach and bikinis..." The gray-haired man shook his head and earnestly advised, "Why don't you make some changes?"

Ying Qin Guan shook his head and said, "No need, this will do."

"Suit yourself." The gray-haired man shrugged and chuckled. "I hope your entertainment plan isn't a snow-covered mountain lodge."

Ying Qin Guan asked in confusion, "What is Blizzard Mountain Villa?"

Before the gray-haired man could answer, the door was pushed open, and a man with a stern face and silver hair calmly walked in.

"The 'locked room mystery' is a common trope in detective novels, where a group of people are gathered in a relatively enclosed environment, unable to contact the outside world due to special circumstances. For example, the only bridge cable might be broken, or the blizzard outside might be too severe, causing them to freeze to death if they went out. Under these constraints, no one can leave this environment. Subsequently, a criminal case occurs within this environment, and the detective conducts a limited search and deduction under these circumstances—this is the 'locked room mystery'."

“So that’s how it is…” Ying Qin Guan suddenly changed his tone, his eyes sharpening, “Of course I already knew, but Mu Nan Dong, you’re really rude, interrupting other people’s conversations like that. I was testing this guy! Let’s see if he knows what he’s doing!”

As he spoke, he pointed to the gray-haired man.

Mu Nandong was already used to being bitten back by Ying Qin Guan. His expression remained unchanged, and his ears automatically filtered Ying Qin Guan's words into "Gaga...Gaga! Gaga gaga!". He didn't stop moving at all, nor did he respond to Ying Qin Guan. He reached out and handed the document to the gray-haired man.

"Um, Teacher Mu... I only accept students from the martial arts department."

"There's no difference. It's the same regardless of the department. In the end, we'll collect them all and categorize them according to where they went. It has nothing to do with which department they belong to." Mu Nandong said coldly, "You're closer, so you can stay here."

“Alright…” The gray-haired man took the document, and even had the leisure to make a sarcastic remark—as a teacher, he naturally couldn’t be as afraid of Mu Nandong as a student.

"But speaking of which, it's quite surprising that you're going on a trip, Professor Mu. I thought you'd definitely stay at the university doing research..."

He glanced at Mu Nandong's file; the other party was also going to... a snow mountain hotel.

"I always feel..."

The gray-haired man glanced at Mu Nandong, whose expression was gloomy, dressed in a black robe, and had the look of a boss.

"The murderer in the snow-covered mansion...already exists."

He looked at Ying Qin Guan with pity. Generally speaking, this kind of simpleton is the first to die in a detective novel.

Ying Qin Guan noticed the other person's gaze and asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Why are you staring at me?"

The gray-haired man kindly reminded him, "I see a dark aura around your forehead..."

Before he could finish speaking, Mu Nandong turned away, coldly tossing out, "Feudal superstition!"

Ying Qin Guan thought Mu Nan Dong's words made perfect sense, and immediately replied in a cold, almost mocking tone:

"Feudal superstition!"

-

"Welcome! What would you like to buy? ...Is this Teacher Ying?"

Ying Qin Guan looked up in shock, took two steps back, glanced at the sign, and only after confirming that it was a convenience store did he walk in again and look at the girl with the bun hairstyle inside.

"Weren't you at the bookstore? How come... you're at the convenience store again?"

The girl with the bun hairstyle laughed and said, "Well... because this is also the owner's business, he said there aren't many people during summer vacation anyway, and those who are still in school during summer vacation probably won't be interested in the leisure books in the bookstore. So he told me to close the bookstore and come to this convenience store..."

"Why doesn't this boss just buy the Royal Academy? He's got properties everywhere..." Ying Qin Guan muttered, casually walking into a convenience store to pick out the snacks he wanted, while asking, "But what about your commission? I remember you're a martial arts student, what about your commission?"

If Ying Qin Guan remembered correctly, this girl with the bun hairstyle was the gray-haired man's student. Some people called her Ahe, but he didn't know her full name.

The girl with the bun hairstyle looked slightly embarrassed. She said, "Um... Royal Academy is a public school, and the boss is a member of the board of directors. Anyway, I'm fine with it."

After saying all that, seemingly to change the subject that made her a little embarrassed, the girl with the bun hairstyle asked, "Is the teacher buying snacks to prepare for the upcoming trip?"

"Hmm." Ying Qin Guan responded, "After all, it's a snow mountain inn, so transportation seems a bit inconvenient. There probably aren't any shops nearby, so why don't we buy some ourselves and take it over?"

"Speaking of this..." The girl with the bun suddenly remembered something, and ran back to the convenience store's staff room, pulling out a Time-Space Killing Card box. "The boss gave this to me, asking me to give it to Teacher Ying or the principal. I was originally planning to give it to Teacher Ying during lunch this afternoon, but since I've run into him now, I'll do it now!"

Ying Qin was overjoyed and accepted the card box. He guessed that the inn also had Time-Space Kill cards, but it was definitely not as complete as the innkeeper's collection. The innkeeper's general cards were ridiculously complete, and he even had all the event boss cards. Why would someone else have a less complete set when you have his?

Although the gameplay experience is actually not much different, the feeling of collecting everything is completely different.

"The boss is so kind," Ying Qin Guan exclaimed. "Please tell him thank you for me..."

Chapter Five: The Main Business

On the day of departure, the group heading to the Snow Mountain Hotel gathered at the Royal Courtyard.

—Speaking of which, the trip to the beach started yesterday. There were so many people, over a hundred in total. Most of the teachers who stayed at the Imperial Academy went.

In comparison, the number of people setting off for the snow mountain hotel today can only be described as tragic.

Ying Qin Guan, Jiu Yi, Mu Nan Dong, Ye Qu... there are only these four people.

It's worth mentioning that Nocturne's whereabouts remain a huge mystery, driving the Imperial Household Agency into a frenzy of discussion these past few days. Everyone's speculating that Nocturne herself is a seasoned riddle teller... no, she's not even a riddle teller. Riddle tellers, at least, provide riddles. But she's simply vanished, offering no explanation whatsoever...

Unexpectedly, she also ended up going to the snow mountain hotel.

Ying Qin Guan genuinely didn't understand why these three guys were going to the Snow Mountain Hotel. Although he figured it wouldn't matter where he went, he was still a little curious. After all, this place certainly wasn't as appealing as a beach or bikinis... But he couldn't bring himself to ask, lest he give Jiu Yi or Mu Nan Dong an opportunity to unleash a combo and embarrass himself in front of Ye Qu.

However, the information from Yorozuya is quite reliable... at least Jiu Yi's itinerary is correct.

-

Jiu Yi couldn't understand why these three wanted to go to the Snow Mountain Hotel. Nocturne was one thing; although she was a goddess-level figure, she was also a bit of a lunatic, and going where she wanted was her own business. But what was wrong with Mu Nandong and Ying Qin Guan that they would want to go there? Although it didn't matter where she went, playing cards while looking at bikinis...

bah bah bah!

Jiu Yi, Jiu Yi, how could you be so depraved? Have you forgotten your vow to dedicate everything to Time and Space Killer? How can you think about women while playing cards? This is blasphemy against Time and Space Killer! Your purity has been greatly reduced!

...Wait a minute, if you can't think about women while playing cards, then if I'm distracted while playing cards when I'm thinking about women, wouldn't that greatly increase the purity of my mindset?!

Holy crap! I'm a fucking genius!

However, to be fair, the Yorozuya's information is still reliable; at least Ying Qin Guan's itinerary was correct. Although I don't know how they figured it out, I certainly can't ask Ying Qin Guan. If someone asks him for a favor or a question, he'll definitely put on an act.

Hmph, I'm not going to ask anyway!

-

The four of them traveled together, even skipping the school bus, and took a taxi to the airport. Nocturne sat in the front, the three men sat in the back, and Ying Qin Guan was sandwiched in the middle. This feeling of being caught in the middle reminded him of when he was on a plane and was surrounded by Ju Qiu Ming and Fu Fei Han on the left and right.

Fortunately, all three of them are slim and tall, so the back row is not crowded at all, and the three of them won't even touch each other.

However, speaking of which, the man with the best physique right now should be Yu Xietian. His waist is so big that even girl groups would be envious. He even hid a soft sword in it.

On the drive, because of the man with a stern face sitting on his left, Ying Qin Guan was like a primary school student who had run into his homeroom teacher on his way home from school and was forced to walk with him. He didn't dare to say a word. Jiu Yi looked out the window, seemingly lost in thought. In the end, it was Ye Qu who cheerfully started the conversation.

"Speaking of which, why did everyone choose to go to the snow mountain hotel? The woman hadn't thought about it at all and decided by flipping a coin at the last minute. What about the three of you?"

Ying Qin Guan and Jiu Yi were immediately in an awkward situation. They had been tricked by Yu Xie Tian and Shen Xin. But they were unaware of it themselves. They couldn't very well say that they were afraid of being lonely and having no one to play cards with after the other left, so they followed him. Who the hell could say that? Could you say that? I certainly couldn't.

—But that's how it is when you're addicted to cards. It's truly a blessing from heaven that two people who are so bad at cards can meet and yet have such a strong addiction.

As Ying Qin Guan and Jiu Yi were pondering, they heard Mu Nan Dong coldly say from the side, "It's important business."

This answer was really pretentious—at least for Ying Qin Guan and Jiu Yi, who, although they had positions and jobs, were no different from idle people in society, the word "serious business" had a kind of hazy, cool feeling of a child's fantasy about adult work—because they basically didn't do any serious business.