The Card Cultivation System
CCS-197

Xika did the same as before, she raised one of her hands parallel to Han Shan's face, then closed her palm. What happens next is not the same. Instead of breathing difficulties like the two disciples in rank 53 and 54 had experienced, Han Shan's body bent unnaturally.

Han Shan suddenly hugged himself. Then his legs fold suddenly until he falls in a sitting position. Just like Di He, Han Shan also did not understand what was really going on.

"What advice should I make to him?" tanya Xika ignored Han Shan completely.

"Splap the right cheek a hundred times" Huo Bing said.

"And the left cheek a hundred times as well" Heiliao continued. After that, they both did the tos. But it seemed Xika was not satisfied with the idea.

"Isn't that too light? Before he was about to make me lie in bed long enough, shouldn't I also do something, at least, like that?"

"Hmmm......" Huo Bing squinted his eyes. He walked over to Han Shan and each step made Han Shan tremble even more violently. Han Shan only saw Huo Bing's hand growing bigger before the world darkened and he was unconscious.

"If you talk about such a thing, don't be so loud. This child is obviously trash, but the power behind it cannot be underestimated, at least for now. Then about what you said to make him lie in bed long enough......."

THE DUAK!

Huo Bing kicked Han Shan in the head to make sure the man had completely fainted. "That's a good idea," Huo Bing smiled.

"But before that, we have to be careful in our actions. There could be spies nearby," Heiliao took a step forward and gave Di He a smile.

Di He who saw Huo Bing's smile only smiled nervously, "Y-yeah.....?"

Grep's!

Bruk!

Heiliao clasped Di He's shoulder hard and threw him into their room. He entered followed by Xika, Xingli, with Huo Bing the last after the bird made a soundproof barrier around their room and dragged Han Shan into their room.

"Well......"

In He looks confused as well as in pain. He held onto the shoulder Heiliao had gripped before, the pain was not playful. And the expression of pain that was displayed was not a disguise.

"You." Heiliao glanced at Di He coldly. "What's your goal?"

Xika glanced at Heiliao and Di He alternately with a somewhat confused look. He still did not understand why Heiliao treated Di He like that, but he also would not doubt Heiliao's decision.

At He frowned once, "-You mean.....? I-I don't understand what yan-"

BUKS!

Huo Bing stomped on Di He's stomach hard. He raised Di He's chin violently and looked at him with an extremely unfriendly gaze. Suddenly, his face became very friendly. His hands floated and.......

THE PLAQUE!

"Speak." Huo Bing said still with a smile on his face.

"I-i-i"

THE PLAQUE!

"Do you think I don't see a change in your expression? At first you looked at us with your usual gaze, but after seeing Xika fight, you disappeared for a while and reappeared before us with an adoring expression of Xika. You think I didn't see that?"

"........."

"Still won't talk ya....."

The set!

Di He removed his chin from Huo Bing's hand just as roughly. He smiled mockingly, but instead of mocking Huo Bing or the others, his smile was more aimed at himself, as if insulting how stupid he could be caught so quickly.

"Heh. Alright. I didn't expect to be found out so soon. As you wish, I will speak. But before, can you get rid of your legs first?" Di He glanced at Heiliao.

Heiliao pulled her foot after stepping on Di He once again. His sharp gaze could not be separated for a second from Di He, as if he was ready to beat him up in case Di He did anything suspicious.

"Not look at me like that. I'm lazy to run away. Besides, I'm not sure I can escape."

"No need for a lot of nonsense. Just tell me your purpose of approaching us or you can feel a life worse than death."

Di He doesn't look scared. He smiled casually, either because he was confident he could escape or he had given up. Xika decided it was better to be on guard for the worst possible.

"Alright, alright. If you ask one of my goals, I approach you just to observe you. But if you're asking for a bigger purpose I don't know."

"What do you mean bigger goals?" Xika confusion.

"I mean he didn't act alone. His own goal is to observe us, but if the other party's goal, or arguably the party who sent him, he himself does not know." Huo Bing explained.

"Who sent you?"

"The Protectors" said Di He, not trying to cover up.

"Who?"

"Protectors Academy. They're the people with the second position after the Head of the Academy."

"Why are they watching me?"

"I told you, I don't know." said Di He still relaxed.

"Why are you giving up so easily? And why are you acting so relaxed?" Heiliao looked at Di He suspiciously as well as vigilantly.

"Well, what else can I do? You opened my disguise in a landslide." Di He asked back.

Heiliao still looked disbelieving with Di He.

"Then? Why did you accept the mission?"

"Honestly, I'm curious about you guys." Di He was silent to stare at the expressions of Xika and the others, only to get the gazes of a freak, except Xingli of course. "The years of life I have lived are too ordinary, and suddenly you are the unusual.

Kittens locked in the house will even be interested when they see frogs that they have never seen before."

"That still doesn't explain why you're being so calm" Heiilao said, still curiously.

Di He smiled. His life is not exactly long, but if his life is too ordinary it can end in an unusual way, he does not mind.

"Well, I've been following your request. Are you gonna kill me now?"

"Ho? As I recall the academy forbade killing." Huo Bing said interested in not expecting Di He to be that comfortable.

"Indeed right. But there are other rules that everyone knows. Everything can be just not found out. Isn't it?" Di He gave a smile to Huo Bing.

"So? Should we kill him?" xika asked casually.

Honestly, Di He saw Huo Bing and Heiliao as older people, and only from the gaze of the two alone did he know they had killed lives not just once. But Xika and Xingli were different. The gaze that Xika had was not like Huo Bing or Heiliao.

So he was surprised to hear Xika say the word 'kill' so casually like that. Xingli also did not show any reaction. Either the girl was indeed used to murder, or the girl was hiding her fear.

Right now, the entire pair of eyes looked at Huo Bing. He most often brings out devious ideas but rarely cause serious consequences.

"Have all the Protectors gathered together and asked you to be a spy, or just one of them?" Huo Bing did not immediately reply.

"Only one of them. But I'm not sure if I'm the only one sent or if there are others. Well, even though Protector Yan said the four of them agreed that only I was sent."

"Heh," Huo Bing smiled, "Interesting." He turned to Xika, "How do you think Xika is? Is Protector Yan speaking honestly?"

Although Xika had previously asked him, Huo Bing had instead asked back. From the beginning he was not happy to answer Xika's question because he wanted to make Xika think and develop. After all he felt Xika already had an answer to his own question, only that the child was hesitant to say it.

"Hmmm...." Xika frowned, "Honestly or not, we can't kill him, at least for now. That's too risky. If only he had been sent, then his disappearance would have been immediately realized by the Protectors and they knew that their plan was uncovered.

And if there are others, they should also know each other's whereabouts. The loss of any one of them would make the Protectors wary. So we better hold him down first."

Huo Bing smiled, as did Heiliao despite being only faint. Both of them knew Xika had a sharp mind, only that she sometimes hesitated to say it. Huo Bing asked like that earlier to provoke Xika to talk and she was not wrong, Xika did have an answer to her own question.

"So? Are we just gonna lock him up here?" huo Bing asked again.

"No," Xika shook her head. "If he is not seen with us when he has been with us before, it will also arouse suspicion."

"Then what are we going to do?"

Xika thought for a while before turning to Di He.

"I want to propose cooperation with you. We're not gonna kill you. You can continue your mission of watching us, but instead you tell us the purpose of the Guardians watching over us. Hows it? You can tell if there's another condition."

"You mean double agents? Not bad."

"You certainly don't have any other condition because you realize that this is your only hope of life, right?" huo Bing asked with a threatening smile.

"No need," Di He smiled before gazing at the four one-on-one in depth, "You guys are an unusual combination that will always present an unusual thing. That alone is enough to amuse an ordinary life."

"Eh..... Does that mean you agree?" Xika stretched out her hand.

"Yes." Yeah." In He received Xika's helping hand, and cooperation between them was created.