Hei Yanjing was a phantom, a man who could appear and disappear at will. Zhang Qiling wouldn't have been surprised if one day Hei Yanjing showed up as a guest on a program promoting ancient herbal remedies, miraculously regaining his sight after taking medication for his lifelong blindness.
So, when he saw the man who looked like he was sawing wood behind his glasses, Zhang Qiling accepted it with remarkable composure.
But that didn't change his desire to leave. After all, Hei Yanjing's absurdity was as ingrained in his DNA as his phantom-like appearances.
Zhang Qiling was always incredibly fast. At that moment, he was only 0.01 seconds away from successfully escaping the scene when a wicked hand clamped down on his shoulder.
"Mute, leaving without so much as a word? That's rather heartless, isn't it?"
Hei Yanjing extended his other hand, shaking the tin can where he collected money. The coins inside clinked together with a crisp sound.
Judging by the noise, Zhang Qiling boldly deduced that the coins inside wouldn't add up to more than ten yuan. However, there seemed to be a flat, non-metallic object within. He couldn't quite discern its nature.
"An old friend's reunion~" Hei Yanjing thrust the can in front of his eyes. The familiar gold card inside, squeezed among a pile of coins, waved at its former owner.
"You're not going to support my business? Hmm?"
Zhang Qiling met the gaze of the card, which had clearly lost all its wealth and luster. After a moment of silence, he decisively chose to "exchange pleasantries" with Hei Yanjing.
His hand shot out like lightning, reaching for the hand gripping his shoulder. Hei Yanjing immediately let go and retreated. Without even looking, he bent his torso backward, dodging an incoming whip kick.
Hei Yanjing smirked, rubbing his wrist as he got serious. In truth, he had been itching for another fight. Their win-loss record was still at 49.5:50.5, and the thought of it made him incredibly annoyed.
Just as the two were locked in a fierce confrontation, on the verge of an epic battle that would last eight hundred rounds—
The sound of approaching sirens cut through the air. In the blink of an eye, the two "delinquent youths" who were wrestling were surrounded by arriving urban management officers.
Zhang Qiling: ...
"Someone reported illegal street vending here, causing severe disturbance to residents!" The team leader, a man in his forties, displayed his identification. He looked at the two young men before him, who seemed to know nothing but fighting, and wore an expression of disappointment.
He scanned the area, noting that this particular corner was outside the surveillance coverage. He patiently questioned the two youths.
"Do you know where the stall—" He pointed to the conspicuously placed blind musician's erhu stall. The seat was now empty except for an erhu: "Where is the owner of that stall now?"
"Illegal vending, a fine of three hundred yuan!"
After declaring this with full force, the captain suddenly noticed the money can in Hei Yanjing's hand, his expression slowly turning suspicious.
"Wait, what are you holding?"
This was Zhang Qiling's first direct encounter with the authority of the urban management. He was unsure whether to marvel at the bald uncle's swift actions or be shocked by the incredible speed of the urban management in this world.
Suddenly, he felt a weight on his shoulder. Hei Yanjing had leaned against him as if he had no bones.
Looking down, Zhang Qiling was shocked to see that Hei Yanjing had managed to put on an expression of unbearable grief between lowering and raising his head?!
An ominous premonition arose in his heart. Sure enough, he watched as Hei Yanjing suddenly looked at him, pointed a finger, and spoke with a tone that conveyed the tragedy of "brotherly loyalty broken today, bottom lines upheld through a fight."
"Officer!" he shouted at the stunned captain, his voice filled with a thousand twists and turns, capable of moving people to tears.
"To tell you the truth, my brother and I were fighting because of this, ahhhhh!"
"My brother and I have been friends for many years, sharing life and death. Today, we intended to act righteously and bring evildoers to justice. You see, when we encountered this disruptive person, how could we not intervene? But we didn't expect him to slip away so quickly. We rushed after him and only managed to capture this money can he dropped!"
"But my brother—" he said, glancing at the bewildered Zhang Qiling as if feigning sincerity, and then leaned closer to the captain to whisper.
"Officer, I'll tell you a secret, but don't be scared. My brother, don't let his appearance fool you. Actually, his—" Hei Yanjing pointed to his own head, squeezing out a pained expression: "He has a problem!!!"
"Don't you see? Even like this, he can't say a word?"
"It's not that, he just insists on finding that runaway guy to return the money. So, isn't that illegal acquisition? How can I let him do that!"
"Perfect, you've arrived!" He solemnly shoved the money can into the captain's hand, pretending to wipe away a tear.
"The rest is up to you! My brother, alas!"
The captain mechanically glanced at the money can, then at Zhang Qiling. Indeed, the young man who had been so full of energy just moments ago during the fight was now sitting there motionless, as if suffering from a severe case of autism. His expression seemed blank, and a sense of trust instantly bloomed in the captain's heart.
...Poor thing, he's quite good-looking, but his mind is not right. Truly, when heaven opens a window for you, it closes a door!
He patted Hei Yanjing's shoulder: "Alas, it's not easy for you either."
"Let's go, take good care of your brother!"
Hei Yanjing sighed dramatically and sadly pulled Zhang Qiling away from the crowd, his expression resolute under the admiring gazes of the urban management officers.
—What great brotherhood! To have endured years of caring for someone with a mental disability, and to have cared for him so well! He looks just like a normal person! He's practically a candidate for the Top Ten Most Moving Figures on Earth!!
Zhang Qiling: ...
He silently followed Hei Yanjing for two blocks. Finally, in another surveillance blind spot, he showed Hei Yanjing what the combat power of someone with a mental disability looked like.
—
"So..." Wu Tianzhen looked at Zhang Qiling, who had returned late at night with his clothes once again in tatters, his tone growing incredulous.
"You went out this afternoon, and you've been fighting until now?!"
Zhang Qiling remained silent, implicitly admitting it. He was now wearing a hood and sitting on the sofa, clutching the Black Gold Ancient Sword tightly in his arms.
Sounds of rustling came from the kitchen. Hei Yanjing, covered in dirt, swaggered out with a plate of food and flopped onto the sofa like a lord.
He took a bite of the coriander stewed chicken meticulously prepared by Pangzi, let out a "Yuck~", and managed to eat half of it. Then, his eyes fell upon a row of canned coriander on the coffee table.
"Mute, you eat this every day? No wonder you're so withdrawn. Tsk, tsk, tsk~"
"??? Who are you?" Wu Tianzhen was utterly shocked. This inexplicable guy had walked in and made himself right at home. In such a short time, he had already explored the interior structure of Wu Shan Ju.
Seeing this, Hei Yanjing's spirits suddenly lifted. With a flourish, he pulled out a small banner from his clothes. As he unfurled it, several lines of black characters appeared.
"...Blind Massage, Blind Erhu, Blind Didi Rideshare, Blind Scrap Collection, Sunglasses Sales?!!"
Wu Tianzhen read these lines out word by word, his tone gradually becoming confused.
"Blind Didi Rideshare?? Are you serious? No, you're not blind, are you?"
"And sunglasses sales, I don't see any—"
Before he could finish speaking, Hei Yanjing pulled open his leather jacket, revealing it to be adorned with sunglasses, all of the same style, looking incredibly bizarre.
Wu Tianzhen: ?????
Zhang Qiling stared fixedly at the palace drama unfolding on the television, appearing detached from worldly affairs. He adopted a strategy of ignoring Hei Yanjing.
Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps ascending the stairs was heard. It was Pangzi, returning from shopping for new clothes. Zhang Qiling was about to escape Hei Yanjing to greet Pangzi when a dark shadow flashed before his eyes. Hei Yanjing had already darted out the door.
"Thanks~" He arrogantly and naturally took the only leather jacket from the pile of clothes and waved back at Zhang Qiling.
"Don't forget, Mute, the day after tomorrow, okay~"
With that, he vanished without a trace, leaving as mysteriously as he had arrived.
That leather jacket was originally bought for him. Pangzi didn't pay any mind to the strange man. He tossed the pile of hoodies onto the sofa, sat down with a thump, and was about to interrogate Xiao Zhang about his social circle with Wu Tianzhen.
Just then, a familiar "Mute~" was heard. Without turning his head, Zhang Qiling pulled out the gun hidden in the sofa's secret compartment and flicked it over.
Hei Yanjing lazily reached out and caught it.
"Thanks~"
By the time Pangzi turned around, he was gone again.
Wu Tianzhen and Pangzi: No, there must be something wrong with his social circle!!!