Chapter 434: Chapter 410: That Assassin is Not Too Cold Chapter 434: Chapter 410: That Assassin is Not Too Cold When Xiong Xiong came back, he saw the chipped paint on his relatively new bicycle and almost wanted to cry. He caressed the paint-less patches with heartache. There was nothing to be done–could he actually blame the Big Striped Cat?

However, a few chips in the paint were nothing compared to the bike being stolen. With this thought, Xiong Xiong felt a bit better.

Xiong Xiong’s pursuit was progressing well. Over the weekend, he even asked someone out to the movies. Although it wasn’t one-on-one but part of a group outing, that was progress, wasn’t it?

Zheng Tan, who rarely stayed at home over the weekend, didn’t go to watch over Xiong Xiong’s bike and had a good weekend himself.

That day, Zheng Tan was taking a walk around the school. The weekend had been pleasant at home, and indeed, the atmosphere changed for the better when Little Youzi returned, becoming much livelier. Yet, after two days, Little Youzi had to leave again.

For others, it was a working day, a study day, but Zheng Tan was often bored.

After jogging around the main thoroughfare of the campus, he was meandering back when he heard someone call his name. He turned his head and saw it was Xiao Jiu.

It had been a long time since Zheng Tan had seen Xiao Jiu. Ever since she, like Little Youzi, had started high school, Zheng Tan had barely seen her twice. He also never ran into her when he went to the overpass area. Moreover, Xiao Jiu didn’t go to Chuhua Attached Middle School but to another high school, which was quite far from here–it took half an hour by taxi. Zheng Tan couldn’t just go there on ordinary days.

But today wasn’t a rest day, and at this time, she should have been in class. High school students didn’t have the flexible schedules that university students did. It seemed Xiao Jiu was skipping class again.

Xiao Jiu waved at Zheng Tan and said, “Heitan, let’s have a talk.”

As she often visited this area during middle school, Xiao Jiu was not unfamiliar with Chuhua University’s campus. She knew the crowded spots and the places that were typically deserted at this hour.

Zheng Tan followed Xiao Jiu to a secluded spot. Xiao Jiu sat on the edge of a round flowerbed, and Zheng Tan jumped up beside her, squatting down to wait for her to speak. Xiao Jiu wouldn’t have come over without a good reason, so Zheng Tan was curious about why she was here today.

Indeed, after looking around to make sure no one was nearby, Xiao Jiu said, “Heitan, I’m going to leave.”

Zheng Tan: “?!!”

Xiao Jiu’s learning schedule was indeed different from most people’s. She had a clear goal, knowing what she wanted to do in the future and the skills she needed to learn. Some of the subjects taught at the current school were not very helpful to her, but dropping out was not an option–she still had to learn. However, she had a specialized instructor for guidance.

This time, Xiao Jiu was going to leave with her teacher to study in other places and gain exposure to things that interested her. She didn’t like to waste time; experiences from her early years had a deep impact on her, and the intense study at school now put a lot of pressure on her. She wasn’t a top student and had started school late. She also found it hard to grasp some of the increasingly complex knowledge points, mainly because she wasn’t interested in them. Interest breeds motivation, and Mr. Kun didn’t force her to fully grasp those uninteresting academic theories. Therefore, according to Xiao Jiu’s interests, arrangements were made for her to travel to other provinces and cities to learn and experience things she was keen on. Even though she wouldn’t be attending regular classes, someone would be teaching her on an everyday basis.

Mr. Kun didn’t keep any dead weight around. You could lack a diploma, but not ability. For Xiao Jiu and the like, when people her age with their naivete and freshness would step into society a few years from now, she would already be able to hold her own bit of sky.

Her world was resolutely different from Little Youzi’s, and it was her own choice. Zheng Tan couldn’t refute anything nor would he try to sway Xiao Jiu’s thoughts.

“Now that I’m in my first year of high school, my personal teacher says I have to go out for two years. And when it’s time for the senior year’s college entrance exam, I will have to take it in another province, only to try to get back to a university here afterward…” Xiao Jiu continued.

Gaming the college entrance exam system was not new to Zheng Tan, and he had seen many people use such tactics. Because his home province was a major source of examinees, the annual cutoff scores and competition levels were higher than in most other parts of the country. So, families of students who hover in the lower ranks would find ways to send them to less competitive provinces for the exams. That way, they stood a better chance of getting into top universities.

Clearly, Mr. Kun had also put a lot of thought into Xiao Jiu’s future.

With her departure, Xiao Jiu would be gone for over two years, and during that time, Zheng Tan wouldn’t be able to see her.

Coming over today, Xiao Jiu wanted to have a serious talk with Zheng Tan since they wouldn’t be able to meet once she left. She also planned to visit Little Youzi at the Chuhua Attached Middle School, having already bought candies. She always remembered when Little Youzi gave her candies back in the day. Even though she wasn’t at the Attached Middle School, she knew people there who could look out for Little Youzi, ensuring that her leaving wouldn’t lead to her being ignored.

Listening to Xiao Jiu, Zheng Tan thought: Is this what it means to grow from a little girl to a big sister?

After talking about her own matters, reminiscing about the past and looking forward to the future, Xiao Jiu checked her surroundings once more. Seeing no one approaching, she whispered to Zheng Tan with a gossiping tone, “Heitan, do you know about Mr. Kun’s Thirteen Grand Protectors?”

The Thirteen Grand Protectors?

The term did sound familiar to Zheng Tan. He recalled seeing a big calligraphy in Mr. Kun’s study with the words “Thirteen Grand Protectors” written in a very imposing manner. Zheng Tan remembered wondering why the blind old man hadn’t chosen more powerful phrases or written something cooler like “Endure” or “Kill.”