Acting

Although he had already sentenced Xia Jie to death in his heart, Lu Zhe also knew that anyone capable of subduing Qiao Qiao was probably no ordinary person.

With Qiao Qiao's strength, she could even fight a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer. Even if she could not win, she would certainly be able to escape.

Yet she had now fallen into the other party's hands. Clearly, the person speaking with him was not someone to be underestimated.

"It seems Mr. Lu really does know the person I mentioned!" Xia Jie said with a slight curl of his lips.

"My name is Nobuhara Haruto. I'm from Japan and a friend of Xia-san! At Xia-san's request, I came here to seek the help of a certain friend!"

A Jujutsu Sorcerer from Japan?

Xia-san? That was Jiang Changqing, right?

Those Japanese always called people "-san." I thought there really was someone named Xia-san looking for me!

He was Jiang Changqing's friend? Hmph!

Lu Zhe narrowed his eyes and almost immediately concluded that the person on the other end was lying.

Jiang Changqing had crossed the ocean to leave China's Jujutsu Society behind. How could he possibly have taken the initiative to befriend a Japanese Jujutsu Sorcerer?

He would have avoided them if he could!

As for asking him for help... setting aside whether Jiang Changqing would seek his help given their relationship—

Even if he truly wanted Lu Zhe's help, would a phone call not have been better than sending someone to pass along a message?

More likely, Japanese Jujutsu Sorcerers had discovered his identity as a member of the Jiang Clan, then tracked him here to investigate the secrets of the Jiang Clan's cursed techniques.

But if that was the reason, then could it be... that Jiang Changqing had met with some misfortune in Japan?

Otherwise, why would Japanese Jujutsu Sorcerers have come here?

This possibility surfaced in Lu Zhe's mind, and his heart suddenly sank to the bottom.

It was not Jiang Changqing he was worried about, but Xia Jie!

After all, before his sister Lu Xiaolei died, she had asked him to look after Xia Jie.

Later, Jiang Changqing had insisted on taking Xia Jie out of China, and Lu Zhe had been unable to stop him.

But before Jiang Changqing left, Lu Zhe had demanded that he call once every year to report on Xia Jie's condition.

If Jiang Changqing had truly run into danger, then what about Xia Jie? Had he fallen into the hands of Japanese Jujutsu Sorcerers?

"Is Jiang Changqing... dead?"

After thinking rapidly, that was Lu Zhe's first question.

"Is Xia Jie with you?"

That was Lu Zhe's second question.

Xia Jie froze when he heard that and said nothing for a moment.

He thought he had misheard.

What had he said wrong?

Why had the other party suddenly guessed that his father might be dead?

And why had he asked whether Xia Jie had fallen into the hands of Japanese Jujutsu Sorcerers?

Lu Zhe's two questions made Xia Jie's mind stall slightly.

Beside him, Qiao Qiao's eyes lit up upon hearing Jiang Changqing's name. Then, when she heard that Jiang Changqing might already be dead, she suddenly became agitated.

"Don't move!" Distracted and upset, Xia Jie slapped Qiao Qiao.

Qiao Qiao did not get angry after being hit. Instead, she shouted at Lu Zhe on the other end of the phone, "Lu Zhe, explain yourself! How could Jiang Changqing be dead?!"

Xia Jie stared at Qiao Qiao in surprise. What's going on now?

Why is this Monster girl reacting even more strongly than I am?

Xia Jie's already muddled brain truly felt insufficient at this point.

With no other choice, he pinched Qiao Qiao's mouth shut again to stop her from speaking.

"Talk later!" Xia Jie stopped Qiao Qiao, then gathered his thoughts and said, "As expected... you know Xia-san! Then you must be Xia-san's friend?"

By this point in his conversation with Lu Zhe, Xia Jie could more or less confirm that the other party was very likely his uncle—the mysterious friend his father had contacted once every year while he was alive.

After all, there probably were not many people who would still ask about him at a time like this.

As for why his father had refused to let him know, it was probably because this uncle's identity was too sensitive, and he had also feared Xia Jie would develop unnecessary thoughts.

Xia Jie did not rush to acknowledge Lu Zhe as his uncle.

For one thing, even if he revealed his identity, Lu Zhe would probably find it hard to believe him.

His story kept changing. Anyone would remain wary.

For another, there were still things he had not figured out. While his identity remained concealed, he could still ask about them.

Sometimes, once one's identity was exposed, it became harder to speak openly.

"If Jiang Changqing told you to find a certain 'friend,' then that person is most likely me!"

Standing in a shadow downstairs, Lu Zhe glanced upward.

The lit room on the fourth floor was where Qiao Qiao was.

"You still haven't answered my questions. Is Jiang Changqing dead? And is Xia Jie with you?"

As Lu Zhe spoke, he concealed his presence and entered the stairwell.

"Xia-san... is not dead. But his condition cannot exactly be called good, which is why he asked me to come here for help." Xia Jie forced himself to calm down before asking, "Why would Lu... -san think Xia-kun was dead?"

"What's so hard to guess?" Lu Zhe replied. "If Jiang Changqing were not dead, then if he had run into any trouble, he could simply call me instead of asking a Japanese Jujutsu Sorcerer like you to find me!"

So that was the reason!

Xia Jie glanced helplessly at Qiao Qiao. He had actually made the same mistake as the Monster girl.

He wondered whether his improvised excuse could earn Lu Zhe's trust.

Lu Zhe's gaze sharpened.

Although he had already suspected that something might have happened to Jiang Changqing, hearing news of him still inevitably shook him.

The image of Jiang Changqing in his youth flashed through Lu Zhe's mind.

What a spirited and charismatic man he had been. The entire Jujutsu Society had regarded him as the representative figure among the new generation of Jujutsu Sorcerers.

Back then, no one had imagined that he would become entangled with Lu Zhe's sister in the future, only to vanish without a trace in the end.

Lu Zhe's feelings toward Jiang Changqing were extremely complicated.

There was admiration for the strong, respect for Jiang Changqing's character, resentment at having his sister taken away, hatred born from his sister's death, the turmoil of seeing through the truth yet finding it hard to let go, and even a trace of sympathy from shared suffering...

All those complicated emotions tangled together, making him unwilling to meet Jiang Changqing. For a time, he had even believed that he did not care whether Jiang Changqing lived or died.

But upon truly hearing news of Jiang Changqing, Lu Zhe realized that he did care.

"How is Jiang Changqing now?" Lu Zhe asked.

"Xia-san was severely injured and has been lying in the intensive care unit." Xia Jie spoke slowly. "He only regained some consciousness in the past few days, and even then, he alternated between waking and falling unconscious."

"He was the one who told us to come here and find you!"

"How was he seriously injured?" Lu Zhe asked.

Xia Jie paused briefly before answering in a low voice, "During last year's Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, Xia-san was unfortunately severely injured while protecting Xia Jie."

"Xia-san's current condition is very bad, which is why he asked me to come here for help!"