Chapter 1681 — A Call for Help

"This... all right!" Under Yu Xiaoke's unrelenting stare, Xiao Ken had no choice but to nod. "I'll do my utmost! But Sister Xiaoke, you must be careful! If it can't be done, don't force it!"

"Heh. There is a kind of love called sharing life and death, and a kind of love called casting caution to the winds," Yu Xiaoke said with a smile.

"But Sister Xiaoke, you and that male thief... there's no love between you at all..." Xiao Ken was still trying to talk her round.

"There is a kind of love called love at first sight, and another called the moth to the flame," Yu Xiaoke said. "It was only a brief stirring of the heart, yet it is carved into my bones. The way he shielded me in that moment—I shall never forget it as long as I live!"

"Ah!" Xiao Ken looked at her, at a loss for what to say, and at a loss for how to say it. He knew that whatever he said, Yu Xiaoke would go through with it regardless—so saying anything was useless.

"Don't pull such a long face. With Sister Xiaoke gone, you'll be the big brother of the orphanage from now on. You must look after your little brothers and sisters properly—what sort of sight is this?" Yu Xiaoke laughed. "Don't send Sister Xiaoke off with a worried heart!"

"Mm..." Xiao Ken nodded helplessly. "Then... when are you leaving, Sister Xiaoke?"

"Ten tonight... it's seven now, so I should be on my way," Yu Xiaoke said. "It's a fair distance from here to the XX Detention Center. I have to get there early and make my preparations."

And so Yu Xiaoke left a letter in Xiao Ken's keeping, and departed from the orphanage.

Xiao Ken held Yu Xiaoke's letter. She had told him to give it to the old director only tomorrow—not to hand it over the moment she was gone, for then the old director would go chasing after her, and the whole business would grow even more troublesome.

"What am I to do? What on earth am I to do?" Xiao Ken did not want anything to happen to Yu Xiaoke, but with his abilities there was simply no way he could stop her or help her. He had no martial skill; going along would only make things worse. Yet he could not go troubling the old director either...

Suddenly a light came to Xiao Ken: he thought of someone! Perhaps this person could help Yu Xiaoke! That person was Wei Zhao—the man Xiao Ken had once mistaken for Yu Xiaoke's boyfriend, his Sister Xiaoke's brother-in-law!

But now it seemed that was not the case! Still, that did not matter. What mattered was that Wei Zhao seemed to be highly skilled in martial arts, very formidable indeed—if he would step in to help Sister Xiaoke, then her chances of success should be that much greater!

The key question was: would Wei Zhao be willing to help Yu Xiaoke? Xiao Ken hesitated. He feared that if he asked Wei Zhao for help, Wei Zhao might not only refuse, but might even tip off the police in advance—and then Yu Xiaoke would be in even greater danger!

Still, Xiao Ken reflected: the last time, Yu Xiaoke had been injured by Qiu Lingshan, and it was Wei Zhao who had treated her. If Wei Zhao meant to tell Qiu Lingshan about Yu Xiaoke's affairs, he would have done so long ago—there would have been no waiting until now. So Xiao Ken set his mind at ease again.

He had Wei Zhao's phone number in his keeping; Wei Zhao had left it the last time, and Xiao Ken had kept it ever since against a rainy day. Little had he expected that it would truly come in useful.

Wei Zhao had just driven Tang Yun, Tang Yun's parents, and Xiao Ming back to the Tang family's new house, and then returned by car to the Gu family villa. He was in the middle of recounting to Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu all that had befallen him while he was hidden away at the Tang house, when suddenly his phone rang.

Wei Zhao assumed it was Tang Yun calling, but the number on the screen was utterly unfamiliar—not one stored in his contacts. It was a local landline from Songshan City.

"Hello?" Wei Zhao answered.

"...Hello..." There was a pause on the other end before the word "hello" came out.

"May I ask who's calling? Is something the matter?" The line fell silent, and Wei Zhao felt rather baffled.

In truth, Xiao Ken was also gathering his words. He had made this distress call to Wei Zhao on impulse, but for a moment he had no idea how to explain the matter to him.

"I... I'm Xiao Ken..." Xiao Ken said a little cautiously. "Do... do you remember me?"

"Xiao Ken? Oh, I remember you! You're that boy from the orphanage, aren't you?" Wei Zhao pondered briefly, then recalled Xiao Ken—the boy who rather idolized Yu Xiaoke.

"That's me, that's me!" Hearing that Wei Zhao remembered him, Xiao Ken was suddenly rather delighted. "Do you have time right now...?"

"Now? What's the matter?" Wei Zhao was slightly taken aback. It was already nearly eight in the evening—what could Xiao Ken suddenly want with him at such an hour?

And it was not Yu Xiaoke who was seeking him out, either. As a rule, anything concerning the orphanage would surely come through Yu Xiaoke; that Xiao Ken had suddenly called meant he must be approaching Wei Zhao behind Yu Xiaoke's back. This left Wei Zhao somewhat puzzled.

"Yes, I have something very important to tell you. Can I see you? It's urgent—really urgent!" Xiao Ken said with great certainty.

"All right. Where are you? I'll come to you now." Wei Zhao hesitated only a moment before agreeing. He had a fairly good impression of the boy, so if Xiao Ken needed his help and it was nothing too troublesome, Wei Zhao would still say yes.

"I'm at the orphanage..." Xiao Ken said. "I'll wait for you in the alley by the orphanage gate, then. I'd like to see you alone..."

"Fine, I'll be there shortly." Wei Zhao nodded. Hearing this, he grew all the more certain that Xiao Ken was contacting him behind Yu Xiaoke's back.

After hanging up, Shen Yushu asked, "Arrow Bro, it's so late—you're going out again?"

"Yes, a bit of business. Xiao Ken from the orphanage is looking for me—seems to be something urgent!" Wei Zhao said.

"Oh... then go and come back quickly... Sister Yao and I were just getting to the good part! After your Rising Dragon Fist, what did you do to that blue-haired fellow?" Shen Yushu had heard only half the tale and was rather impatient.

"Haha, I'll tell you the rest when I get back!" Wei Zhao rose with a smile, picked up his car keys, and walked out of the villa.

As for the matter of martial techniques, Wei Zhao intended to consult Uncle Qing. Jiao Yazi knew nothing of such things, and the only person about him he could ask was Uncle Qing—Uncle Qing had once been an Earth Rank expert, and would certainly have some understanding of martial techniques.

In this, too, the fault was his own: he had never before looked into the Earth Rank, nor known that the Earth Rank was a watershed, the true beginning of the road to the higher ranks. He had supposed it was like the Mystic Rank and the Yellow Rank of old—that one simply relied on true qi and the brute force of fist and foot to fight the enemy.

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