The Night the Building Was Surrounded

The moon was dark, the geese flew high—

the spirit fox fled into the night.

Those who sought to chase with lightness skills

were met only with the whistling wind of iron palms.

***

Linghu Ruoxu shouted urgently.

Of the four people in the dormitory, three stood up in unison. Only Xiao Qi was momentarily stunned, probably not having understood his frantic mix of jargon and plain speech.

But she seemed to sense the danger. Her big, dark eyes flashed with panic. With a quick movement, she hid behind Guo Hao, peeking out with just her little head, blinking as she surveyed the situation.

“Third, what exactly is going on? Tell us in detail. What’s this about the dormitory building being surrounded?” Guo Hao asked in a deep voice. Seeing Xiao Qi so frightened, he forced himself to calm down.

“The boss is right,” I echoed. “Third, don’t lose your composure. What exactly is happening? Calm down and explain properly.”

Meanwhile, Second Brother Yang remained silent. He turned and, in one swift move, dashed to the window of the dormitory.

Pressing against the wall, he peered outside. Then, quick as lightning, he pulled the two windows shut and locked them.

“Big Brother, there seems to be a group of people downstairs. I don’t know what they’re up to,” Second Brother said solemnly as he slowly walked back.

“Yes, it’s them!” Linghu finally caught his breath. “When I returned from getting food, I passed by the building and saw many students who don’t live here, gathered in small groups, acting sneaky. I kept alert, pretended to be on the phone, and listened in. I couldn’t hear everything clearly, but from the bits and pieces, it seems they have reliable information that the spirit fox is hiding in this building!”

After hearing this, Guo Hao and I exchanged glances, seeing the same gloom in each other’s eyes.

“Hmm… they said it’s hiding in this building, but they didn’t specify which dorm room, right? Also, Third, did anyone discover you while you were eavesdropping?” I pondered, chewing over Linghu’s words and raising these two points.

Linghu Ruoxu took a breath and answered thoughtfully: “If I remember correctly, they didn’t mention that detail. But whether they actually know is hard to say… Well, it’s not that they caught me eavesdropping, but I did stand there for a while and they glared at me. Thinking quickly, I smiled and said, ‘Sorry, I heard you talking about Linghu and thought you might be referring to me. My surname is Linghu, I’m a freshman in the Huashan specialization at Five Peaks Academy. Were you talking about me?’ Something like that. Anyway, I think I fooled them.”

“Hmm… so, at least the group you saw, Third, they were all male?” I murmured, still pondering how to handle the situation.

“Fourth, how… how did you know?” Linghu Ruoxu asked, startled.

“Nonsense! If there had been a girl there, with how thin-skinned you are, you wouldn’t have had the leisure to joke around and dodge the issue,” I snapped, glaring at him.

I was secretly annoyed: If he hadn’t added that last remark, even if they suspected him, they wouldn’t know who he really was. But now, even though his bravado might have dispelled their doubts, it also tied the ‘Linghu family of Huashan’ to this affair. If someone followed that thread, they might trace it back to this dormitory.

Perhaps seeing my serious and worried expression, Second Brother Yang frowned and said: “Fourth, you don’t have to be so heavy-hearted. As they say, we’ll deal with soldiers as they come, and stop water with earth. With me, Big Brother Guo, and Linghu around, the ordinary riffraff of Tianwu University are nothing to us! Right, Big Brother?”

Big Brother Guo nodded firmly at that. He reached over and patted Xiao Qi’s head to comfort her, then said in a deep voice: “Second Brother is right. Xiao Qi, don’t be afraid. Fourth, you don’t need to worry too much. With the three of us here, even if it comes to a fight, we won’t necessarily lose. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Rest assured!”

Hearing them speak so boldly and carefree, I managed a smile that was still tinged with worry.

Little did I know, Linghu Ruoxu, upon hearing their words, was slightly stunned. The look in his eyes turned sour.

This change did not escape Guo Hao’s and my notice. Seeing him suddenly so hesitant, we both turned to stare at him.

When he realized we were both looking at him, he shrank back even more.

“Third, what’s wrong? Do you have something to say?” Guo Hao asked with a frown.

“I, ah, no… nothing…” Linghu Ruoxu, caught off guard by Guo Hao’s direct question, hastily denied it.

“Third, at this critical moment, if you have something to say, it’s better to just speak up. After all… this concerns Xiao Qi’s… well, just tell us quickly! What’s wrong? What are you afraid of?” I sighed.

Seeing Linghu—normally shy but brave and straightforward—so hesitant, I vaguely guessed there was more to it, and felt the situation was even more troublesome.

“I…” Linghu Ruoxu hesitated, sneaking a glance at Second Brother Yang.

“Third, what are you looking at me for? What is it? Spit it out! I’m really curious what makes you so scared that you’re acting like a coward!” Second Brother Yang, unable to stand being stared at, shouted with displeasure.

“f*ck, I’m not scared! I was considering your feelings, Yang Laoer, that’s why I didn’t mention it!” Linghu Ruoxu, aggravated by the mockery, blurted out angrily. “Damn it, if these old eyes of mine aren’t blind, then I clearly saw before entering the building that the leader of this group is probably… probably… Murong Fan from the Western District!”