My Superpower Is Kind of Cute

Chapter 39: The Second Strike

Qi Yun looked at me and said, “After all, two fists can’t fight four hands, and even a master can be beaten to death by a mob. Having an extra backup is always a good safety net.” I hesitated for a moment and said, “But the strength of those two guilds is questionable…” Whether it was Xu Weijie earlier or Wu Peng and Geng Dong tonight, each claimed to hold a high position in their guild, but when it came down to a fight, they were as useless as shit, making me think that’s just the level of skill everyone in there is at. Qi Yun shook his head. “Let’s not worry about that for now. We’ve only had a superficial understanding of the Original Sin Guild from the start. If we want to gather more intelligence, we’ll have to ask a guild for help. Don’t you have a saying: ‘Know yourself and know your enemy, and you’ll never be defeated in a hundred battles’?” “We’ve got another saying here: ‘Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, flight is the best.’ If I can’t take them on, I can at least avoid them, right?” Qi Yun said softly, “That brings me to my next point—another benefit of joining the guild.” As soon as I heard that, I sensed he wasn’t telling the whole truth, but curiosity got the better of me, and I instinctively asked, “What benefit?” Qi Yun replied nonchalantly, “Even if, hypothetically, joining the guild yields nothing, at least there are other guild members. When faced with a group of enemies, even if I’m not strong enough to beat those Original Sin guys, I’m still confident I can take a few of them down with me before making a run for it.” I looked at him in astonishment. “That’s a dangerous way of thinking.” So, in Qi Yun’s mind, the guild was basically my lifeline. Qi Yun, however, looked completely unconcerned as he watched me, waiting for my response. To be honest, what Qi Yun just said really gave me a lot to think about—though not that last, ridiculous line. I don’t consider myself some kind of do-gooder, but I’m also not the kind of noble moral exemplar who’d sacrifice myself for others or go down with the enemy. I’m pretty torn about that, but I’m actually interested in Qi Yun’s idea of having a backup plan. It’s strange—when Xu Weijie said it earlier, it sounded like he was trying to recruit me, but when Qi Yun said it, I accepted it right away. Maybe it has something to do with my mindset—after all, I’d just narrowly escaped death and was still reeling from the “Qilin Arm” incident, so I didn’t have the mental bandwidth to think about all that. I tentatively asked him, “So which guild do you think would be better for me to join?” Qi Yun shrugged. “It’s up to you. I think they’re pretty much the same—choosing between a rotten apple and a rotten pear. There’s not much to pick and choose from.” “I guess you’re right,” I nodded in agreement, then frowned. “In that case, I’ll just go with the Club.” I was still bitter about the speaker explosion that happened that night. Qi Yun nodded. “Yeah, we know Xu Weijie pretty well. On the surface, he seems pretty honest and down-to-earth, but in reality, he’s a total jerk. We shouldn’t lose out by joining his guild. Plus, Mengmeng, you should join looking just like you do now—that way, you’ll have a trick up your sleeve.” “Mm-hmm,” I agreed with him. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. Since I’ve already transformed anyway, I’ll go see Xu Weijie tomorrow to find out what the membership procedures are. After that, I’ll ask their guild master about the ‘Original Sin’—and avoid it if I can.” In an instant, I’d already mapped out a foolproof plan in my mind. “Mm-hmm.” Qi Yun stroked his chin and nodded to himself, seemingly quite satisfied with his own perspective. “That way, most of the problem will be solved.” I gave him a disapproving look. “Um, are you leaving or not?” “I’m leaving, I’m leaving.” Qi Yun slunk out of my bedroom. That night, I slept exceptionally soundly, feeling incredibly at ease all over. The next day at noon, I woke up with sleep still in my eyes. Under Qi Yun’s astonished gaze, I walked through the living room into the bathroom. When I looked in the mirror, my expression instantly mirrored Qi Yun’s exactly. “I… how did I turn back?” I ran back to the living room, looking completely bewildered. “Didn’t it usually take three or four days to cool down before? This is way too fast!” To go from looking like Wu Dalang back to my original appearance in just one night—that broke my personal record. Qi Yun scrutinized me from head to toe for a while before timidly muttering, “Maybe your body developed antibodies?” I rolled my eyes and said, “So you’re saying merging with you is like getting a shot?” Qi Yun looked somewhat exasperated. “Before, when it took a long time to recover, you were complaining. Now that I’ve recovered in just one night, you’re actually taking even longer to get back to normal. What exactly do you want?” “Yeah, I should be happy to be back to normal.” I slapped my forehead—I’d actually gotten myself all worked up over this. I must be crazy. “Wait, how am I supposed to face Xu Weijie now?” “Just go.” I pointed at Qi Yun’s nose. “Who was it yesterday who told me to come up with a disguise? Don’t you have any backbone?” “Plans don’t always go as expected,” Qi Yun replied lazily. “Why don’t we just do it again? Then you’ll be back to normal.” I shook my head vigorously. “No way. I’m not that bored. Going back to that form doesn’t do me any good at all. I think I’ll put off seeing Xu Weijie for now—there’ll be plenty of chances later anyway.” After a good night’s sleep, looking back on it now, I realized that what Qi Yun had said last night was a bit of a needless worry—and way too much trouble. It turns out that when you’re tired, you’re easily brainwashed. This mindset is just like a wisdom tooth: when it hurts, you’re desperate to see a dentist and get it pulled, but once you’ve endured it for a few days and it’s better, you think getting it pulled is too much of a hassle, so you keep putting it off. Over time, it becomes a cycle—and the thing is, I actually think this mindset is pretty good… Qi Yun let out a soft chuckle—he knows me well—and said, “It’s up to you. I just think you should get this sorted out quickly. After all, nothing good ever happens when you’re with me—I’ve got a rare knack for stirring up trouble.” “Damn it, I know that already! Why are you saying it with such pride? It just makes me so angry!” That afternoon, when I arrived at the lottery shop for work, Qi Yun seemed a bit distracted. I figured he was still dwelling on what happened at lunchtime, so I didn’t pay him much attention. It wasn’t until late afternoon, just before closing time, that Qi Yun came over to me and said in a low voice, “I smell something very unusual.” Feeling guilty, I looked down at my feet in my flip-flops, took a deep sniff, and looked at him in confusion. “There’s no smell. Where’s this scent coming from?” “Is this what you mean?” Qi Yun poked me on the head with his finger. “Is your comprehension as shitty as shit?” I glared at him indignantly. “That’s going too far. Do you think I’ll let you watch a movie tonight when we get home?” That line seemed to have some effect after all. Qi Yun softened his tone and pointed outside the door. “There’s a very powerful spiritual energy not far from here. It’s been here ever since you, Mengmeng, first opened your shop, and it’s still lingering around here.” “Damn.” My head was starting to ache again. “We just finished fighting last night—it hasn’t even been a day, and they’re already back for revenge? If period dramas were filmed at this pace, I could watch three in an hour.” Qi Yun didn’t quite agree with me. “It’s not entirely like that. If they were out for revenge, they would’ve made their move long ago.” “Are you stupid? Would he dare confront me right out in the open like this? He’d definitely have to sneak up on me and then, when no one’s around…” I made a slashing motion across my throat. “No way,” Qi Yun stood by his opinion. “I sense something very familiar in this spiritual energy.” “Should I go to the police station for help right now?” I ignored Qi Yun’s advice and kept muttering to myself. Qi Yun shook his head and retorted, “This is a conflict between us spiritual energy users—how can we drag ordinary Muggles into this?” “Why does that sound so familiar?” I stomped my foot in frustration. “Are you hoping I’ll die so you can inherit this lottery shop?”