Chapter 151: Explaining the Reason

With the situation settled, Shi Ji and the others left the central hall of the Star Alliance building. They were surrounded by murmurs and stares from onlookers. After all, not many would dare to face Blade head-on, let alone fight him. Regardless of Shi Ji’s abilities, his bravery alone was enough to command respect.

Once they stepped outside, Ling Xinyan couldn’t hold back her scolding.

“What were you thinking? You never listen. All you do is cause trouble for me. Do you know how scared I was when I saw it was you fighting Blade? Can’t you stop making people worry?”

Hearing this, Shi Ji burst out laughing.

“Relax, relax. Don’t worry, Xinyan. I didn’t hurt him.”

Ling Xinyan shoved him playfully. “This is no time for jokes! Who cares about him? I was worried about you, you idiot! We’re in a sensitive time right now, if you got hurt because of something like this, what would we do?”

Shi Ji instantly felt a wave of guilt. He had completely missed the point earlier. 

Rubbing the back of his head, he apologized sincerely, “Sorry, Xinyan. I didn’t mean to make you worry.”

Ling Xinyan nodded, softening her tone. 

“Just promise me you won’t do anything reckless like that again. You’re not a kid anymore. You should know when to be careful. If you run into Blade again, don’t act so impulsively. Let Jing Xin handle today’s mess. You don’t need to worry about it.”

All this time, Xing Yuxiu and Chi Yang had been walking behind them, quietly observing the conversation without interrupting. Finally, Chi Yang stepped up, clearly impressed.

“Shi Ji, that was pretty gutsy of you to go up against Blade,” he said, admiration evident in his voice.

Xing Yuxiu, on the other hand, let out a scoff. 

“Hmph! I think this guy must have a death wish. If Blade hadn’t gone easy on him, there’s no way he’d still be here and flirt with Ling Xinyan.”

That last remark made Ling Xinyan blush noticeably, her cheeks flushing with a soft pink hue.

Shi Ji didn’t seem too bothered by their teasing and kept smiling.

“That guy really is annoying. At first, I did want to teach him a lesson. But then I thought about what Xinyan said before and figured she’d be mad, so I dropped it. Yeah, it’s a sensitive time right now, so I can’t act rashly. Besides, he’s still an S-class hero and has some skills. He could be useful. I’ll let it go for now, but after this crisis is over, if he keeps acting like a jerk, you bet I’ll give him a good beating.”

Shi Ji’s words were sincere, but to Xing Yuxiu and Chi Yang, they sounded like a joke. They thought he was just boasting.

Xing Yuxiu, already fed up with Shi Ji’s bragging, couldn’t resist firing back.

“Give me a break. With your strength, you think you can take down Blade? If it came down to a real fight, you’d be on the ground in no time, looking like a swollen pig. What good are these big words? Stop hyping yourself up. You couldn’t even land a single hit on him. Every move of yours got blocked without him even breaking a sweat.”

Chi Yang nodded in agreement, having seen the whole thing unfold. 

“Yeah, Shi Ji, let’s keep things realistic.”

Despite their disbelief, Shi Ji just shrugged. 

“Actually, all my attacks were aimed at his sword.”

He was telling the truth, but of course, this only earned him more ridicule from Xing Yuxiu.

“Right, and I suppose you meant to miss every time too?” Xing Yuxiu sneered.

Meanwhile, Ling Xinyan, who had been quietly listening, was paying close attention to Shi Ji’s words. She knew Shi Ji wasn’t one to make things up. If he said he was targeting Blade’s sword, there was probably more to it. 

Her gaze settled on Shi Ji, a newfound conviction in her expression. After all, this was the same person who had single-handedly taken down the nether-class anomaly, Gesila. It didn’t quite add up that he couldn’t land a hit on Blade. 

Could it be… he was really capable of what he claimed?