I Just Won't Play by the Book - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: The Correct Way to Handle It After Running Into a Tiger
Jiang Beiran knew that the five Sisters, who had taken off their Suits of Blending In, would surely become the brightest stars in the Sect of Returning Hearts once again. So, he took them to a hidden corner after yet another junior Brother crashed into a tree because he was too fascinated with watching them.

“For this quest, Sister Liu, I have deducted one point from you. Do you have any objections?” Jiang Beiran asked after making the Sisters stand in a row.

“No.” Liu Zijin immediately shook her head.

Nodding, Jiang Beiran looked at Fang Qiuyao again and said, “Sister Fang, you have two points deducted. Do you have any objections?”

Fang Qiuyao was surprised for a moment before she shook her head and said, “No… no.”

The three Sisters of the Yu family immediately looked over curiously after hearing this. From what they could recall, other than talking back to the senior Brother at first, Fang Qiuyao did not seem to have done anything out of the ordinary. How could she have done something so serious that she had two points deducted?

‘Something… must have really happened that night!’

The three Yu Sisters clearly remember that, after they had stayed at the inn for one night, Fang Qiuyao suddenly became much more docile. However, they had been afraid to ask something they shouldn’t, so they didn’t say anything the night in the tent when they had all been chatting.

‘But still… I’m really… curious!

The three girls widened their eyes and glanced back and forth between Jiang Beiran and Fang Qiuyao.

“If there is no objection, I will go to the Order of Law Enforcement by myself to report the completion of the quest. You all are dismissed. The evaluation will be sent to your mentor afterward.”

“Yes,” five different voices replied at the same time.

“Very good. I hope you can abide by the agreement. Farewell,” Jiang Beiran said.

After saying that, Jiang Beiran joined his hands together in a salute towards the five girls, and then walked towards the Order of Law Enforcement without looking back.

“Eh… Brother really just left like that?” Yu Guimiao blinked her eyes twice. She had thought that the senior Brother was mean with words but had a soft heart, but she did not expect him to be mean with words and have a heart made of iron.

After hearing that, Liu Zijin said, “After listening to the agreement, you should probably understand by now why Brother is hardly known in the Sect, right?”

The four Sisters nodded their heads in unison after hearing this.

…

“So, we’d better abide by it as well. Brother must be the kind of person who keeps to his word.”

As she said this, Liu Zijin felt a pang of nervousness in her heart. She was worried about the person who had recommended Brother to her as an Iron Seal.

‘If Brother finds out, won’t Sister…’

“But…” Fang Qiuyao bit her lips for a moment before she spoke, saying, “Whether we abide by it or not, Brother he… won’t interact with us anymore, right?”

After hearing this, Liu Zijin smiled wryly and whispered, “Brother just said not to interact with each other if there is no reason to after returning to our own Orders. But what if there is something?”

Fang Qiuyao’s eyes lit up after hearing that and she said, “You’re still the smart one here, Sister Zijin!”

Actually, all the way, Fang Qiuyao wanted to find an opportunity to thank the Brother for saving her life, but every time the words came to her mouth, she swallowed them back. She had originally intended to invite the Brother to have a good meal after returning to the Sect and then formally thank him, but she did not expect him to refuse to interact with her. The anxiousness was almost killing her.

‘Next time… Next time I must say it properly!’ Fang Qiuyao swore in her heart.

…

Meanwhile, Jiang Beiran had just stepped into the Order of Law Enforcement and quickly found the Flower Crown on duty that day.

“Hello, Brother Hong. I’ve come to report my quest,” Jiang Beiran said.

Hong Wenrui looked up, smiled, and said, “Beiran, wait a moment.”

Because they were already very familiar with each other, Hong Wenrui only asked a few questions. He then took out a green Iron Seal and stamped it on Jiang Beiran’s order of authorization.

“There is another matter I need to report to you, Brother,” Jiang Beiran said as Hong Wenrui put away the order.

“Oh? What is it?”

“I found out that the disappearance of children in Jifu Village this time is related to the Temple of the Asura, and I think they may take action in the near future.”

[Chosen Quest completed. Reward: Floating +1]

‘Floating! I’ve finally received this special attribute again. It’s a really good reward!’

While Jiang Beiran was excited inside, Hong Wenrui frowned and said, “The Temple of the Asura? Okay, I understand. I will report this to the Black Flag.”

Jiang Beiran joined his hands together in a salute after hearing this and said, “Thank you, Brother Hong.”

Hong Wenrui immediately returned the salute. “No problem. It is my duty.”

After exchanging courtesies, Jiang Beiran gave another salute and said goodbye. However, he didn’t go back to the Order of Blue Heart directly but left the Sect again.

Now that he no longer had to concern himself with the Sisters, Jiang Beiran leaped up high, his whole body cutting through the sky like a sharp arrow in mid-air. He flew towards the front at an extremely fast speed.

‘Special attribute points are really powerful. Just adding one point makes my ability to adjust myself in the air much stronger.’

With joy, Jiang Beiran continued to accelerate in the direction of Jifu Village.

In just five minutes, Jiang Beiran had landed next to the lair of the gang of thieves he had caught before and arrived at the mountain at the back.

“Shalala…”

Separating a bush, Jiang Beiran observed the traces left nearby.

‘The humidity in these woods is quite high, and the grass on this path is obviously much darker than the rest. This should be the path he often took.’

So, Jiang Beiran then began to advance along the relatively dull grass and followed various other traces and clues.

“Roar!”

Making his way around a large tree, Jiang Beiran was about to continue when he saw a tiger with a white forehead and eyes slanting upwards roaring and walking towards him. Its pupils were already constricting into threads. It stared closely at Jiang Beiran, an alien creature intruding into its territory.

“Go, go, go. Don’t bother me.” Jiang Beiran impatiently made a shooing gesture towards the tiger.

The tiger with a white forehead and eyes slanting upwards was first stunned, then, with hurt pride, it let out an even more powerful roar.

“Roar!!!”

Seeing the tiger make a pose ready to pounce, Jiang Beiran first sighed, then turned his head and stared at it fiercely with both eyes.

“Meow…”

Instantly, the tiger with a white forehead and eyes slanting upwards no longer had an imposing manner. Instead, it shrank its neck back and retreated with all its might.

‘Eh, wait. Usually, tigers quietly make their way around to my back and wait for an opportunity to sneak attack. This fella is a little dumb, eh? Could be that the young leader had kept here to scare anyone from climbing the mountain?’ Jiang Beiran thought.

Thinking that it was very likely, Jiang Beiran immediately chased after it.

The tiger with a white forehead and eyes slanting upwards that was preparing to retreat saw Jiang Beiran coming after it, and instantly puffed up all of its fur, turned around, and ran wildly!

But just as it turned around, it found that Jiang Beiran had already arrived in front of it.

“Ow!!!”

This time it scared the tiger so much that it stood upright, its large eyes full of panic.

“Don’t be afraid. I just have something to ask you,” Jiang Beiran said while taking a step forward, stroking the chin of the tiger. “Come, sit down first. Let’s talk slowly.”

The tiger with a white forehead and eyes slanting upwards did not dare to move at all after being stroked twice across the chin. It just looked straight at Jiang Beiran.

‘Alas, with only one point of Animal Communication, it is really still very difficult to use the skill. This attribute is literally rarer than Floating. I do not know when I will get the next point,’ he thought.

Lamenting in his heart for a while, Jiang Beiran once again gazed at the tiger and strengthened his mental power, saying, “Sit down. I do not want to repeat myself a third time.”

Although the tiger with a white forehead and eyes slanting upwards still could not understand what Jiang Beiran was saying, probably due to its strong desire to live, its hind legs suddenly knelt on the ground. It then touched its front paws together, making a praying gesture at Jiang Beiran.