Chapter 242: I'm the Clown Green!

Could he be an exception?

A bug stuck between the real world and the game world?

But if we call him special, why hasn't he brought any extraordinary ability into reality?

This in‑between feeling makes Yang Yixie a bit irritated.

At that moment, he notices a person.

It is a young man carrying a huge travel backpack, looking about the same age as him, perhaps a year or two older.

If the other's constantly looking around hadn't been so conspicuous, he might have ignored him outright.

In fact, the guy has dyed his hair green, a shade that blends perfectly with the surrounding foliage.

Even the elderly couples practicing tai chi nearby can't help glancing sideways, and the runners passing by stifle their laughs at the glaring green.

"Lu Mao Gui?"

A rude thought flashes through Yang Yixie's mind as he watches Lu Mao Gui enter the park and linger at the entrance, looking left and right, his eyes darting about flamboyantly.

He first glances at the group of elders doing tai chi, curls his lip, and mutters something under his breath.

Too old.

Then a fit girl in a sports vest jogs by; his eyes light up briefly, then dim again as he shakes his head.

His partner couldn't be using a voice changer.

Everyone he looks at now seems like a potential partner, yet so far he hasn't seen anyone matching his ideal image.

Then he sees Yang Yixie.

Xi Ren Sheng's gaze sweeps over Yang Yixie's heavy Black-framed Glasses, glides over his plain black hoodie, and finally lands on the canvas bag at his feet filled with celery, potatoes and tomatoes.

He looks like a dutiful early‑riser who buys groceries to cook at home—how could he be a partner?

Xi Ren Sheng shifts his gaze without a hint of regret, continuing to search the park for the next "suspicious target".

Could his partner be late?

Yang Yixie: "......."

His intuition tells Yang Yixie that this green‑haired guy is most likely Xi Ren Sheng.

Putting aside the questionable aesthetics of that green hair that clashes with the surroundings, the fact that it appears here, now, clearly indicates he's looking for someone…

Who else could it be but him?

Yang Yixie silently turns off his phone screen, his mind nearly washed away by the thought, "I actually have to meet this conspicuous package in reality."

Just as he hesitates whether to greet first, the phone in his hand suddenly vibrates.

He opens it and, as expected, it's a message from Xi Ren Sheng.

【Xi Ren Sheng】: I'm at the park entrance! Where are you? What are you wearing? Any distinguishing features?

Yang Yixie reads the message, then glances at the nearby figure who, after not finding anyone, started scratching his ear and chin, his green hair swaying under the sunlight.

Silence.

Maybe pretend not to see him and let him keep searching.

Anyway, he's sitting in such an obvious spot; if he can't be found, that's his own problem.

Fine, better gather intel first.

Yang Yixie takes a deep breath, ultimately putting the bigger picture first, and taps on the screen.

【Look up, the one in front of you wearing Black-framed Glasses.】

Message sent.

He clearly sees Lu Mao Gui freeze for a moment, quickly lower his head to check his phone, then jerk his head up.

Their gazes intersect in the air.

Xi Ren Sheng's expression instantly becomes dramatically vivid; he opens his mouth as if to speak, but no sound comes out, he merely points a finger at Yang Yixie, then at his own phone, his eyes bulging.

Yang Yixie, expressionless, nods at him, confirming.

Xi Ren Sheng stands still for another two seconds, undergoes an intense mental struggle, then walks toward Yang Yixie's bench.

In the park, a few elderly women practicing tai chi pause, curiously watching the green‑haired youth approach the seemingly quiet, well‑behaved glasses‑wearing student.

There's no helping it; Xi Ren Sheng sports a non‑mainstream green hair, his complexion looking especially odd, making the contrast seem like he's about to bully the other.

Xi Ren Sheng, with a look as if he'd seen a ghost, shuffles step by step to Yang Yixie's side, scanning him up and down several times.

He swallows, tentatively saying, "....... Partner?"

Yang Yixie nods, his gaze can't help but glance again at the other's hair, dazzling green in the morning sun, his tone tinged with disdain.

"What's up with your hair? Lu Mao Gui turned into a spirit?"

Xi Ren Sheng freezes for a moment, then, like a cat whose tail was stepped on, straightens instantly.

He thrusts his chest out, his tone proud.

"What Lu Mao Gui! This is a tribute! A tribute to Hiss Laige and Jack!"

Xi Ren Sheng pauses, his voice now tinged with defiance.

"And those two guys—one's hair turned silver after awakening, the other's turned orange—my Aberrant Arts hasn't affected my hair color at all! So I dyed it myself!"

Yang Yixie listens to Xi Ren Sheng's grandiose spiel, his mouth corner twitching involuntarily.

Silver? Orange? How could those be any better than green?

He watches Xi Ren Sheng's smug "I'm sacrificing for team unity" look, momentarily unsure how to judge it.

"....... So you just chose 'Forgiving Green'?" Yang Yixie finally can't hold back.

"It's Clown Green!" Xi Ren Sheng emphasizes.

Yang Yixie, seeing Xi Ren Sheng's "I'm the world's top aesthetic" swagger, decides to drop the argument.

"Never mind that, it's too crowded here; let's move somewhere else to talk."

Yang Yixie said, bending over to lift the canvas bag placed at the bench's edge; the bag was packed with all sorts of vegetables, swollen and full.

However, a hand clad in black fingerless tactical gloves slid in midway, seizing Yang Yixie's wrist.

The force was great; Yang Yixie tried to swing it off, but couldn't break free.

The flamboyant Xi Ren Sheng's smile had completely vanished from his face.

His gaze instantly turned cold; the previously carefree, unrestrained aura was gone, replaced by a heart‑pounding sense of danger.

He tilted his head slightly, studying Yang Yixie.

"Partner… you disappoint me a bit."

His eyes slowly swept over Yang Yixie, finally lingering on the wrist he had seized.

"I didn't feel any energy fluctuation from you…" Xi Ren Sheng's tone turned investigative, "Could it be that you're truly just an ordinary person without awakened Aberrant Arts?"

He increased the pressure on the wrist, his knuckles turning slightly white.

"If you truly are an ordinary person…" Xi Ren Sheng's mouth curled into a slight arc, his eyes turning dangerous.

"You know, ordinary people are fragile when facing us Special Ability Practitioners; I don't even need to employ my real power…"

A playing card whose edges flickered with metallic cold light materialized at his fingertips; the face bore a bizarre clown illustration, reflecting a chilling sheen in the sunlight.

The sharp edge of the playing card pressed against Yang Yixie's neck, the cold sensation gradually spreading.

"Just a light slash," Xi Ren Sheng's voice was low, his eyes fixed on Yang Yixie, "and it'll be over, okay."