As Qin Siyang left the classroom, he happened to run into Ban Dingyuan, who had just come out of another classroom.
Ban Dingyuan was still wearing a baseball cap, dressed like a trendy young man.
The brim was pulled low, hiding his brows and eyes in shadow.
When he saw Qin Siyang, he pushed the cap back, revealing a sunny smile.
"Hello, Classmate Qin!"
"Hello, Senior Ban," Qin Siyang smiled back, then said, "Senior Ban, you're really cautious. You're even wearing a God Hunter item at school?"
"You mean my cap?"
"Mm."
Qin Siyang nodded.
When Ban Dingyuan wore the brim forward, Qin Siyang couldn't see his expression.
Now that he was a Origin Sequence, his eyesight was astonishing. Even if someone's face was in shadow, there was no way he wouldn't be able to see it clearly from this distance.
So he was certain that Ban Dingyuan's cap was an item that concealed the wearer's face.
Ban Dingyuan grinned crookedly, "Can't help it. Too many people have tried to stab me in the back. I'm scared now. If my face is hidden and people can't see my eyes, it's a little safer."
Qin Siyang was slightly startled, "People have already started making moves against you?"
"Started? It started last year. It hasn't stopped since," Ban Dingyuan shrugged, "I've been challenging famous geniuses every day. I've made enemies a long time ago. Getting ambushed is unavoidable."
Qin Siyang had originally planned to find a chance to warn Ban Dingyuan that someone would try to assassinate him, but after talking with him, he realized Ban Dingyuan had already gone through it.
"If challenging people is dangerous, then why do you keep doing it?"
"Because even if I don't challenge anyone, people will still try to kill me."
"Huh?"
"When a tree stands taller than the forest, the wind is bound to break it. If you do well, you take away other people's spotlight and block their path. Of course someone will want to kill you," Ban Dingyuan looked at Qin Siyang and smiled, "Classmate Qin, you're so outstanding. Haven't you ever been the target of an assassination?"
Qin Siyang nodded slightly, thinking of Yamamoto Taro and Chang Tianxiong.
"That's true. The tree may long for calm, but the wind won't stop."
"Exactly. Why did I start challenging people everywhere? Because I realized that even when I hadn't offended anyone, people still wanted me dead. Since that's the case, I might as well go offend a few people. I can improve my combat ability at the same time. Why not?"
After hesitating for a moment, Qin Siyang asked, "The people who targeted you... were any of them students from our Southern Glory?"
Ban Dingyuan laughed exaggeratedly, "Classmate Qin, I always feel like there's something behind your words. Are you trying to ask whether Shi Tao ever harmed me?"
"Uh... more or less. After all, he's always been ranked right behind you."
"Classmate Qin, let me ask you this. Chu Baxing, Hu Chan, Gu Yunpeng, and Zhao Sifang are all behind you. Have they harmed you?"
"No. We get along well."
"Shi Tao and I get along well too."
"But before, I saw Shi Tao fighting your friend in the arena over a black market stall."
"Getting along well is one thing. Competing for resources is another. They don't affect each other. Classmate Qin, we don't have your strength or your luck when it comes to hunting gods. The income from black market stalls is very important to us. We can't just hand over our main source of income because we're friends, can we?"
"I was being a bit 'why don't they eat meat.'"
"Not really. The well-fed don't know the hunger of the starving. That's just human nature. To be honest, anyone who says they don't envy your strength and luck is talking nonsense. But everyone has their own fate. There's nothing I can do."
Qin Siyang smiled again.
Although Ban Dingyuan's name sounded upright and proper, he always spoke in a lively, humorous way.
"Senior Ban, where are you headed? It looks like you're leaving campus."
"Oh, to East Glory University. I'm looking for someone to fight in the combat arena."
"East Glory University again? Didn't you just come back from there last month?"
"Last time I fought the sophomores. This time I'm fighting the juniors. Those foreigners at East Glory are pretty boring. Several of the strong sophomores were all overhyped. They relied on family sponsorship to get all kinds of strange points, ended up near the top of their year in the final rankings, and even made it onto the Wolf Deck. In the end, they were nothing. Hopefully the juniors can surprise me."
"I remember the top-ranked student at East Glory is from the Richard family? Is he no good either?"
"Oh, you mean Mills? He's alright, but only alright. In terms of raw strength, he's not as good as Shi Tao. But that full set of Tier Four items he has is really troublesome. By the way, I heard you've been going up against the Richard family lately?"
Qin Siyang waved his hand, "I'm not worthy of that. It's Principal Zhao who's going up against the Richard family."
"Ah, same thing. Everyone knows you and Principal Zhao wera the same pants."
" —_— "
Ban Dingyuan continued, "I met quite a few members of the Richard family over at East Glory. Every one of them had ulterior motives. They looked like bad news. Even their family head, Ulit, looked like a wolf. Our District Governor Kafu is probably the only good person in their family. I got into some trouble at East Glory before, and he was the one who made a phone call and got me out of it."
"Oh."
"Now that you guys have crippled the Richard family, I think it might be worth talking to District Governor Kafu and asking whether he'd be willing to join us. But then again, District Governor Kafu held Principal Zhao and the Zhao family back in District 7 for so many years. Principal Zhao probably won't let him off... Forget it. I'm definitely on Principal Zhao's side, so I won't say any more."
Qin Siyang glanced at Ban Dingyuan. He talked to himself without caring whether Qin Siyang responded, always looking optimistic, as if everything he had just said was only casual conversation.
"Senior Ban, why do you insist on fighting people from East Glory University? Wouldn't West Glory or Central Glory do?"
"The top students in my year at Central Glory and Western Glory are on pretty good terms with me. We've sparred privately several times already. There's nothing new there."
"Alright."
Ban Dingyuan walked with big strides, his face full of ease, "I have a habit. When I compete with people from east, I treat it mainly as sparring. But when I fight people from other countries, especially those Westerners who like to mock us based on race, I don't hold back."
"A simple sense of patriotism?", Qin Siyang sighed, "Now that the Safe Zones have been established, countries no longer exist. In theory, there shouldn't be national boundaries anymore. But I'm the same as you. I can't help feeling that way."
Ban Dingyuan nodded, "That's normal. The Safe Zones have only existed for ten years. That's nowhere near enough for everyone to truly integrate. Maybe people of every country and ethnicity will get along in the future, but our generation probably won't live to see it. Besides, isn't that why my father gave me this name? He wanted me to beat those foreign barbarians into submission. That's just how it is. Anyway, those foreigners have sent plenty of people after me too."
As they talked, the two of them arrived near the guesthouse.
"Senior Ban, I'm heading back. Have a safe trip."
"Alright. I'll take your good wishes."
"Senior Ban," Qin Siyang pointed at Ban Dingyuan's cap, "don't forget to stay cautious."
Ban Dingyuan laughed, pulled the brim back down over his forehead, hiding his face once more, "I'll remember. Thanks!"
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