I Am A Killer

Chapter 5 – Conditions

“I see that you have beaten them today but they’ll surely find you afterwards to settle the score. But don’t worry about it, I’ve got you covered!” Yin Xudong broke open a pair of disposable chopsticks and stirred his noodles, boasting to Qin Kexuan as though he had nothing to do with the guy who was just being chased.

Qin Kexuan gave him a look after listening, which he thought was filled with disdain, “Hey, why are you looking at me like that? If it wasn’t for the fact that my old mum threatened me with switching schools if she saw a new wound on me, I wouldn’t have ran!”

Qin Kexuan lifted a noodle gently into her mouth.

Yin Xudong patted his chest, swearing: “I’ve got your back, so you will definitely be able to walk around safely!” He paused for a moment, eyeing Qin Kexuan covertly: “But there’s a condition.”

Qin Kexuan continued eating her noodles.

“The condition is that you have to teach me how to throw a knife. Of course it doesn’t have to be a knife la, using a rock will work as well.”

Qin Kexuan lifted her bowl to drink a mouthful of soup, placed it back down before turning her head to shout at the boss: “Check, please.”

“What? Already done so soon? It’s my treat, my treat. Wait for me, I’m almost done with my food!”

Qin Kexuan paid, ignoring the yelling Yin Xudong and left.

Yin Xudong hurriedly placed 10 dollars underneath the bowl, shouting “Payment!” before rushing out but he had already lost sight of Qin Kexuan’s figure.

Disappointed, a backpack shot behind him, Yin Xudong shrewdly caught it without being pummeled by it. He was pleasantly surprised to see Qin Kexuan behind him, “You were waiting for me?”

Qin Kexuan: “Help me by bringing my backpack home. It’s too troublesome to carry around, need to put it down when beating someone up.”

Yin Xudong was stunned stupid, “What? Now?”

“Yes.”

“What about you then?”

“It’s none of your concern.”

“So you mean you will go shopping, but I have to send your bag home?” Yin Xudong said in disbelief.

“If you do not want to learn knife throwing, you can say no.”

“This…… Of course can la! You play around slowly, I will head home first!” once Yin Xudong heard that Qin Kexuan was willing to teach him, he became so ecstatic that he didn’t put to heart the degrading fact that he was reduced to being an errand boy for an unimpressive neighbor girl.

Having spoken finished, Yin Xudong held onto her bag and ran, as though afraid that Qin Kexuan will snatch it back, vanishing into thin air.

Qin Kexuan continued on her journey to collect information.

Unknowingly an entire afternoon was over, Qin Kexuan gazed at the darkening sky. She would stop for today. She looked up at the setting sun, determining the direction before taking in a deep breath and ran towards the direction of home.

Realizing that running in public under watchful eyes was attracting attention, Qin Kexuan started to pick the dark and deserted alleys.

After making continuous turns in the alleys, she heard sounds of childish laughter and dog’s whimpers from the corner in front. Qin Kexuan reduced her speed, slowly leaning over to see that several kids were using wooden sticks to beat a dusty-grey puppy which was cowering in a corner.

Every single escape attempt made by the puppy was blocked by the children as they surrounded it. It had nowhere to run, howling repeatedly as it was beaten.

Qin Kexuan stood, watching for a short moment before proceeding to move forward. The alley was rather narrow, allowing just a few kids to completely block it.

The kids noticed someone passing by, thinking that it was an adult who came to put a stop to their behavior. After looking behind them, they continued to laugh, and beat the puppy.

Qin Kexuan reached out her hand to pick up a kid by his collar and threw him backwards, picking and throwing them one by one just like pulling sweet potato from the ground. The children were instantly frightened by her aggression, and ran away crying for their mummies.

She continued walking forward for a few steps before stopping to squat next to the shivering puppy and reached out her hand. Warning growls burst from the throat of the panic-stricken puppy, before realizing that she had no intention to hurt it, lying low to whine and lick at its wounds.

Qin Kexuan reached around its neck to rip off a wooden tag, “Zhuo Hongyi’s Beloved Dog – Coco.” She readily threw it aside, “You are free now.”

The doggy stopped its licking, raising its head to peep at her.

Qin Kexuan stood up to continue her interrupted training, vanishing quickly into the crisscrossed alley. The distance from the city center was quite far, once a qinggong[1]-less Qin Kexuan reached home, the sky had turned completely dark.

Entering the house, she saw Jiang Huilin rush towards her. “Xuan Xuan, you finally reached home, quickly come in before scaring us to death! I should call your dad first to tell him that you have returned.” She rushed back in to enter the house.

As Qin Kexuan was standing at the entrance to change her shoes, Qin Pengcheng walked out to say grotesquely: “Bothersome pest!”

She walked pass him without an expression.

Qin Kexuan returned to her room after a bath and change of clothes, planning to practice exercises to build up her internal strength[2]. She heard the sound of Qin Shuhua’s car, then the “thump thump thump” of footsteps and “bang bang” of knocks on the door.

“Enter.”

“XUAN XUAN, COME OUT NOW!! If you don’t give me a good explanation today, I will……” Qin Shuhua sounded really stirred up.

“Shuhua, calm down and stop scaring the child.”

“Huilin, not another word from you!

If I don’t teach her a lesson today, she won’t have any morals! XUAN XUAN! Come out!”

Qin Kexuan opened the door before striding out, “Speak, what’s the matter?”

“Your class advisor called me today to inform that you didn’t attend classes this afternoon, is it true?”

“Yes.”

“And you still came home so late after skipping classes?”

“Yes.”

“So do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“No, then do you have anything else to add? I want to rest soon.”

“You…… you are still unrepentant?!” Qin Shuhua nearly exploded in anger.

Qin Kexuan: “Just say what you mean.” Still not reaching the main point after beating around the bush for so long.

Jiang Huilin trying to appease Qin Shuhua, advised: “Xuan Xuan, just apologize to your father and acknowledge your mistake.”

Qin Kexuan gave her a stare, remaining silent.

Qin Shuhua took a deep breath to control his temper and said: “Why did you not attend class?”

“Couldn’t understand.”

“If you can’t understand then just ask the teacher. Is there a student like you, who skips classes just because she couldn’t understand?”

“Didn’t understand anything.”

“……”

“Idiot!” the hidden Qin Pengcheng laughed in a corner, shrinking back as Jiang Huilin shot him a glare.

Qin Shuhua rubbed his temples, weakly replied: “I know, why don’t I look for a teacher to give you tuition……”

“No need.”

Qin Shuhua: “Then you can’t not go for class ah.”

“I will look for someone to teach me myself.”

“Okay I’m fine with that. But you cannot be like this next time, and don’t come home so late.”

“Okay.”

Hence this matter was resolved without fuss by Qin Kexuan.

She closed the door and sat down cross-legged, releasing her breath. “Come in.”

No movement.

“Don’t let me repeat myself.”

Yin Xudong moved slowly from the balcony, “Fuck, how did you know I was here?”

Qin Kexuan glanced at him contemptuously.

Yin Xudong ran over to her, “What are you doing? Meditating?! Heck, you want to be a nun ah!”

[Forgetting the pain after the wounds have healed.] Qin Kexuan glanced at his neck, his scars were already gone.

Yin Xudong spoke excitedly in a low voice: “Oh, remember that Little Li Flying Dagger[3] move, it’s now time to teach me.”

“I can teach you, but there’s a condition.”

“WHAT?! More conditions?! Didn’t I already help you today by bringing back your school bag? How could you add your own conditions?! This is called labor exploitation!! I OBJECT! I WON’T ACCEPT IT!”

“Then forget it.”

Yin Xudong rolled on the floor, “No! You agreed to teach me!”

“Do you want to know then?”

“……Fine, talk.”

“Teach me from the textbooks.”

“What? You must be joking! Allowing me to teach you?! Stop teasing me, your scores are much better than mine, why would I need to teach you.” Yin Xudong spoke unconcernedly as he reclined.

Qin Kexuan’s glare turned frosty, “Do you believe that I’ll kill you immediately?”

“Oi, don’t think that just because you know Little Li Flying Dagger then can threaten me all day! I……What? Why can’t I move?”

Qin Kexuan retracted her hand, asking: “How about now?”

“You, you, you know dianxue[4]!” Yin Xudong exclaimed, staring incredulously while remaining motionless.

“Any louder, and your head will roll.”

Yin Xudong immediately shut up, waiting for a moment before cautiously whispering: “You really know how to attack the acupoints?”

Qin Kexuan kept silent.

Yin Xudong’s eyes instantly lit up, filled with worship, “Wa! Qin Kexuan! You, you are too amazing! Teach me, teach me!” First the Little Li Flying Dagger, then the Sunflower Dianxue Hand[5]– really too goddamn magnificent!

“So do you think it’s possible?” Qin Kexuan played around with the notion of beheading.

Yin Xudong sighed in disappointment, and then pleaded: “Why ah? Why ah! Don’t tell me can pass to guys not girls or transfer inside but not outside? Then I will take you as my teacher! Teach me la!”

Qin Kexuan cast a sidelong glance at Yi Xudong, slowly saying: “Not possible.” Killers don’t have masters, it had always been an instructor throwing everyone the same weapon, you pass as long as you emerge alive from the training grounds.

Those internal strength cultivation methods were bestowed after she officially became the organization’s killer, they were first taught how to kill before supplementing it with internal strength cultivation.

“Yeah, right. What century is this, still holding onto those never-changing outdated rules of the Pugilistic Realm[6]! As though you are still living in the Martial Arts World[7]!” Yin Xudong muttered resentfully.

Qin Kexuan’s hand grabbed his neck at lightning speed, saying with a cold tone: “Speak! How did you know about the rules of the Pugilistic Realm and Martial Arts?” Applying a little more pressure would cause Yin Xudong’s neck to break in her hands.

Yin Xudong was suddenly grabbed by his neck, unable to move or struggle with the constriction of his throat, breathed out in snatches: “From television, novels, I know la, *cough cough*, let, let go, die, I’m dying……”