Chapter 485: The Second Time

Jing Yuan walked slowly toward the gray‑haired girl.

His steps were unhurried, his white hair fluttered lightly in the wind, and his golden eyes carried a hint of curiosity.

Although he had just endured a fierce battle, his aura had already settled.

Pioneer.

The gray‑haired girl on the Starrail.

Now she appears again.

Interesting.

Jing Yuan slightly lifted the corner of his mouth, about to greet—

A Xing raised her head and gave him a glance.

Then.

She swiftly turned around, with an extremely decisive posture—

Ran.

She sprinted toward some direction, her steps rapid, not looking back, and vanished within seconds at the corner of the ruins.

Only Jing Yuan's raised hand remained, frozen in midair.

Jing Yuan: "…………"

His smile solidified on his face.

(The second time.)

He silently lowered his hand, gazing toward the direction where A Xing disappeared, a complex emotion flickering in his golden eyes.

(Do I just attract dislike like this?)

(Or perhaps… the Pioneer is actually avoiding me?)

He carefully recalled the scene just now.

He clearly hadn't done anything, just walked over, and before he could even speak, the other party ran.

Ran faster than a rabbit.

Jing Yuan couldn't help shaking his head, a helpless wry smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

(Fine.)

He isn't the type to force others.

Since the other side refuses to communicate, then no communication.

Anyway, for him, figuring out the state of this world is the primary Task, no need to waste time on someone who doesn't want to deal with him.

He turned and looked at Bai Hang lying in the corner not far away.

Bai Hang was leaning against the wall, eyes tightly closed, face pale, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Jing Yuan was about to step forward to check her condition—

"Hoo—!!!"

Bai Hang sprang up violently!

The movement was like being electrocuted; the whole body bounced instantly, eyes widened, mouth opened wide enough to fit an egg!

"I—am—still—alive—!!!"

She let out an earth‑shattering shout, then—

"Bang."

And fell straight down again.

Jing Yuan: "…………"

He stepped forward, squatted, and looked at the panting Bai Hang.

Bai Hang's chest rose and fell violently, cold sweat streaming down his forehead, eyes vacant, looking as if just pulled out of water.

"I… I am…"

Her voice faltered, "What… what happened… what is this…"

Jing Yuan slightly lifted the corner of his mouth: "Magic Power Consumption too high, bodily functions temporarily disordered. Rest a while and you'll be fine."

Bai Hang gasped for a long while before gradually calming down.

She tried hard to recall what had just occurred.

She remembered… she was hiding in the corner, secretly watching Jing Yuan and that Berserker fight, A Xing was eating noodles nearby… then someone ambushed… then A Xing produced that damned Salted Fish…

And then there was no after.

Bai Hang's complexion grew even more complicated.

(That Salted Fish…)

She recalled the terrifying stench, the aura that could knock a person unconscious on the spot.

Although she felt nothing after she fainted, the mere fact of fainting proved how dreadful that Salted Fish was.

(A Xing that guy… where on earth did he get such a divine artifact…)

She rubbed her temples and looked at Jing Yuan: "Um… what happened afterward? After I fainted, what about that Berserker?"

Jing Yuan slightly raised an eyebrow and briefly recounted the events.

"After you passed out, that black‑robed attacker was crushed to death by the Berserker with a single kick. Then the Berserker glanced at the Pioneer and left."

Jing Yuan paused, "It should be a Servant of the Assassin class."

Bai Hang was stunned.

The amount of information was a bit much.

She digested it for a while before grasping the main point: "So… the Berserker… came to rescue A Xing?"

Jing Yuan shook his head: "I'm not sure. But judging by the situation, it did indeed leave the battlefield abruptly to save the Pioneer. Otherwise, in its previous frenzy, it wouldn't have so cleanly given up the fight."

Bai Hang fell into contemplation.

That dark‑purple berserk monster, does it know A Xing?

At that moment, Jing Yuan suddenly spoke, his tone as casual as if chatting about the weather:

"Master, are you familiar with that Pioneer?"

Bai Hang's whole body went rigid.

(Damn!)

She instantly realized she had just let something slip, which didn't fit her ordinary high‑school girl identity.

Moreover, she shouldn't have used such a familiar tone toward that ash‑haired girl.

Her mind raced.

Then—

"What Pioneer?"

Bai Hang put on a bewildered expression and scratched her face:

"Her name is A Xing, she's my roommate. We live together, so we've only known each other a few days. She's not very nice, doesn't talk much, spends all day eating and spacing out. What Pioneer? I don't know, never heard of it."

She spoke rapidly, her eyes wandering, trying to keep her tone natural.

Jing Yuan looked at her, a hint of smile flashing in his golden eyes.

(Her... acting is still that bad.)

But he didn't call her out.

He merely gave a slight nod, his tone still calm: "I see."

Bai Hang breathed a silent sigh of relief and quickly changed the subject: "Um... A Xing? Where did she run off to?"

Jing Yuan gestured toward the direction A Xing vanished: "She just left."

Bai Hang: "…"

(She ran off again?!)

She couldn't help but press a hand to her forehead.

After finally meeting her, they hadn't even gotten a word out before she was gone.

This A Xing, how can she run faster than Sai Fei Er?

She sighed, swayed, and stood up.

Jing Yuan reached out and helped her up; after she steadied herself, she looked toward the huge pit not far away.

That was the pit the Berserker created when it crushed the Assassin, about ten meters in diameter, three to four meters deep, with debris at the edge still exhaling a faint purplish‑black smoke.

"So that's... the pit that just formed?"

Jing Yuan nodded: "Yeah."

Bai Hang walked over curiously, stood at the rim and looked down.

The bottom was a mess of rubble, piles of stones, with smoke still rising from some spots.

From the lingering aura one could imagine how powerful that single kick had been.

(So impressive...)

She muttered in awe internally, her gaze sweeping the pit's floor.

Suddenly, a faint flash caught her attention.

Somewhere on the pit floor, beside a piece of rubble, something was reflecting light.

"Hm?"

Bai Hang squinted, trying to see what it was.

But the pit was a bit deep, and from above she couldn't see clearly.

She hesitated, stepped onto a protrusion on the pit wall, and carefully began to climb down.

Jing Yuan stood at the edge, watching her movements, raising an eyebrow slightly.

(Still so reckless.)

He opened his mouth to warn her to be careful, but swallowed the words again.

(Fine, let her go.)

He remained at the rim, his gaze fixed on Bai Hang's figure, ready to intervene the moment she slipped.

Bai Hang used both hands and feet to climb to the bottom, heading toward the flashing spot.

She crouched and pried aside a few pieces of rubble.

Beneath lay a Mystic Card.

The Mystic Card was about palm‑sized, its material like a special plastic, yet smoother than ordinary plastic to the touch.

The front bore a design—

an image of an assassin.