My Superpower Is Kind of Cute

Chapter 40: Birds of a Feather

“Mengmeng, calm down,” Qi Yun said softly, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Can’t you be a little more mentally resilient?” “Don’t give me that. People come looking for trouble every other day—it’s a miracle I haven’t developed a nervous breakdown yet.” Qi Yun spoke with absolute conviction, “Look on the bright side. I’ve told you this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. My gut tells me the person who showed up this time has no ill intent.” I gave him a resentful look. “It’s precisely because I trusted your intuition too much before that I ended up in this mess.” Qi Yun pretended not to hear me and put his arm around my shoulder. “Listen to me. Don’t go home yet. Find a way to take a detour and lead this spiritual energy to a secluded, hidden spot.” I raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t that be the perfect spot for them to kill us and cover their tracks?” “Don’t forget, we have the advantage in that kind of terrain. I’m a pro at escaping, and we can use this opportunity to figure out who’s friend and who’s foe. It’s a win-win.” I looked at him suspiciously. I had a feeling this whole plan was a bit fishy, but I couldn’t really argue with it. Suddenly, I realized just how important it was to join the guild—and right then, my tooth started aching again. After weighing the pros and cons, it seemed I had no choice but to trust Qi Yun for now. As long as he could make a clean getaway, it really didn’t matter to me where I ended up. Adopting a “nothing to lose” attitude, I locked up the store, walked out of the lottery shop with feigned composure, and headed to a nearby station to rent a bike with my card. I pedaled leisurely toward my destination—the Artificial Forest Park, three kilometers away. Qi Yun hovered behind me, keeping a close watch on our surroundings, muttering under his breath, “That aura has been following you, Mengmeng, wherever you go.” My heart sank. While waiting for the traffic light to change, I said to Qi Yun, “Why don’t you go check out the situation behind us?” “I’ve already been there. I can’t make anything out—that person is hiding way too well. As soon as I get close, they block their aura, and as soon as I turn back, they release it again. It’s as if they can sense me.” As he said this, Qi Yun’s expression darkened; the situation was clearly much more serious than he’d imagined. I looked utterly despondent; my first thought was to just go home. But the moment I thought of the tail following us, I felt an inexplicable restlessness. For some reason, ever since I’d hopped on my bike and left, my right arm had been twitching uncontrollably, and a vague sense of urgency had taken hold of me. Since things had come to this, I had no choice but to stick to the original plan. After riding for about ten minutes, I arrived at the main gate of the Forest Park. I parked my bike at another rental station, glanced at the scenery inside the park, and muttered with a touch of pathos, “The wind howls, the waters of the Yi River run cold; once the hero departs, he shall never return.” The Forest Park is still in the middle of renovations; the environment and attractions inside are in disarray. There were several excavators parked right at the entrance alone—not even the middle-aged women who usually dance in the square were willing to come here to bust a move. Although it’s called Forest Park, there wasn’t a trace of a forest to be seen—just a small grove of trees. There aren’t many people around here usually; even at peak times—around eight or nine at night—it’s mostly penniless couples coming for a secret rendezvous. But now it’s dinnertime, and I’m certain that, aside from me, no one else would come here at this hour just to feed the mosquitoes. After entering through the main gate, I headed straight for the small grove. Qi Yun whispered in my ear, “They’re still following us. Damn it, they’re provoking us.” Even the usually mild-mannered Qi Yun sounded annoyed; his patience seemed to have reached its limit. I reached a spot with an excellent vantage point—perfect for a getaway and completely deserted—and stopped. I glanced sharply over my shoulder; it was empty, but the sudden silence of the chirping insects and birds signaled that something was off. “This is good enough,” Qi Yun said, satisfied with the surroundings, signaling that I could call the person out to settle this once and for all. I cleared my throat twice, then spoke up loudly, “Come out. You’ve been following me for so long—it’s time to show your face.” No sooner had the words left my mouth than a violent wind swept in, and the sky instantly darkened. From within the woods, a figure was charging toward me at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow. I could clearly sense a powerful malevolence emanating from him—a malevolence that had transformed into a black mist, constantly spreading from his body. My heart nearly leapt out of my mouth, and Qi Yun was also utterly horrified—he hadn’t expected this outcome at all. The man had simply charged at us in silence, giving us absolutely no chance to react. “Damn it, is this what you meant by ‘meeting up’? And what about the ‘advantage of the terrain for an escape’?” A million thoughts raced through my mind, but this time I didn’t feel the same panic as before; instead, I felt a touch of composure… Was this the rhythm of marching boldly to one’s death? “Mistake!” Qi Yun roared, diving into my body without a word. This was the first time I’d ever shamelessly fused with Qi Yun in front of others. As Qi Yun entered my body, my form instantly transformed. As I shrank, the fist that had been aimed at my face swung through empty air. The man looked down at me in surprise, his eyes flashing with uncontrollable excitement, and muttered to himself, “This is interesting.” I took advantage of this opening to roll backward, moving out of range of his punches. Seizing the moment, I got a clear look at the person standing before me. He appeared to be a year or two younger than me, with dark red hair tied back at the nape of his neck. His features were fairly delicate, but the demonic red of his pupils and the malevolence between his brows created a stark contrast. This contrast wasn’t cute at all; on the contrary, it made me feel a bit uneasy. “Mengmeng, let’s get this over with.” Qi Yun frowned and casually swung his right arm, causing the Xuanwu Shield to appear on my arm. Upon seeing the shield in my hand, that person’s expression grew even more excited—so much so that his whole body trembled uncontrollably—and he continued muttering to himself, “Wonderful… it really is…” “Is he crazy?” I felt a bit concerned about that person’s behavior. Qi Yun looked just as puzzled, but given how that person had suddenly attacked him just moments ago, he didn’t hesitate any longer. He raised his shield and charged straight at him. The red-haired man flashed an eerie smile, clenched his right fist—sheathed in a half-finger glove—and met Qi Yun’s shield head-on. “He can fly, right?” That was what I thought a split second before the collision—after all, even Huang Zhenxing hadn’t been able to withstand that shield yesterday. As usual, there was a loud thud. The red-haired man stood rooted to the spot, not budging an inch. I pressed my shield against his fist, and instinctively it felt as if I were pushing against a mountain—the pressure was immense, and I couldn’t budge it. Not only that, but I also felt a wave of intense heat. My mouth went dry, and my whole body felt as if it were about to be baked dry—as if every drop of moisture were being sucked out of me, even through the shield. “What the hell is this?” I silently asked Qi Yun in my mind. “How should I know?” Qi Yun retorted, retreating without hesitation. He glanced back at the spot where I’d been standing—the weeds beneath my feet had withered completely, and it had all happened in the blink of an eye. “Is this going to be a real headache?” “A little,” Qi Yun replied honestly. The red-haired man sensed my distress and, unlike before, didn’t rush to attack. He seemed like a completely different person, letting out a soft chuckle. As he laughed, a tiger’s roar echoed through the air, followed by flashes of lightning and claps of thunder, and his body shone with a blinding white light. “This…” Qi Yun heard the sound and was instantly stunned, unable to compose himself for a long time. Seeing him like this, I felt even more uncertain. “If this really doesn’t work, maybe we should just go find the police. Spiritualists and Muggles are both people—we shouldn’t discriminate based on abilities like this.” “No.” Qi Yun flatly rejected my suggestion, his tone brimming with a mysterious confidence, and said to me, “He’s the same kind of person as you.” “Nonsense. I’m nowhere near as campy as he is.”