Sherlock Ke: This Had to Be Foreshadowing

He was wrong.

He was really wrong.

He should never have expected anything from Christopher.

When that masked lunatic wrote the script, he had apparently thrown everyone's way of speaking into one giant lottery pool.

Chisa had drawn a Japanese colonel's accent, Jinhsi had drawn Mandarin with a Zhuang accent, and Changli-the most normal, composed, gentle and considerate second senior sister-had somehow drawn a Henan accent.

And she used it for just one word: "zhong."

She didn't overuse it or say any more than necessary. Just that one word, crisp and concise, its essence brought to the fullest.

She spoke normally whenever she should, was gentle when gentleness was called for, and composed when composure was needed. But whenever she had to express agreement, that word would land like a precisely targeted joke bomb, blowing Kexi's newly restored composure to pieces.

"Um... Second Senior Sister," Kexi said with difficulty, his voice hoarse. "Where are you from?"

Changli tilted her head slightly, seemingly unsure why he had suddenly asked, but answered gently, "I grew up in Luo City and didn't come to the mountain to become Master's disciple until I was twelve. Luo City is a small place in Central Province. You probably haven't heard of it, Junior Brother."

Central Province. Zhong.

Kexi closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

All right, case solved.

Christopher was definitely prejudiced against people from certain regions!

He cursed Christopher thoroughly in his heart, but plastered a smile on his face that looked worse than a grimace. "It's nothing. I just think the way you speak, Second Senior Sister... has a special charm."

Changli nodded slightly, a faint smile appearing on her face. "Thank you for the compliment, Junior Brother. I've already sent Yangyang to tidy your room, and a calming soup will be brought there tonight. Rest well. You'll have to get up early for sword practice tomorrow."

Her words were gentle and considerate, every sentence full of concern. Kexi felt warm inside as he listened and was just about to thank her.

"Zhong or not?"

"Zhong, zhong, very zhong." Kexi's mouth twitched.

Changli nodded in satisfaction and turned toward her courtyard, her long pink hair tracing an elegant arc in the morning light.

Her retreating figure was as dignified, gentle, and ethereal as ever, but Kexi knew he would never be able to look at Changli normally again.

Every time he saw her, that robust "zhong" would automatically play on repeat in his head.

Suisui walked over to him, waving her little fan. She covered her mouth with it and leaned close to whisper in his ear, "Well? Don't you think our Mystic Sect is especially distinctive?"

Kexi turned to look at her, his eyes numb from being battered by life time and again. "Sister Suisui, you don't have some hidden accent too, do you?"

Suisui blinked and snapped her fan shut, revealing an enigmatic smile. "Guess."

Kexi decided not to.

He had already endured too much today. One more accent might make him suffer qi deviation on the spot.

Kexi walked on, his head still buzzing.

The scene in Clear Heart Hall replayed over and over in his mind.

Qiuyuan's final words: "Come to your master's room tonight, during the hour of the pig."

He tried to convince himself it was just a simple make-up lesson.

Master had said his jump off the cliff had cost him three days of lessons, and they would make up for them tonight.

A make-up lesson was perfectly proper business.

How could he let his thoughts stray when it came to his aloof sword immortal master?

But there was Qiuyuan's slightly cool hand when she slipped him the medicine, the way her speech had quickened slightly when she said, "Don't let them know, especially Yangyang," and the nearly imperceptible blush on the tips of her ears when she turned away.

Those details had been carved into his mind stroke by stroke, as if with a knife, and no matter how he tried, he couldn't erase them.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was off, yet the more he also felt he was overthinking it.

She was a sword immortal hundreds of years old, pure and unblemished. What storms hadn't she weathered?

How could she possibly have any other thoughts about a rebellious disciple? Impossible, absolutely impossible.

"Bwother Kexi! What awe you thinking about?" Jinhsi suddenly popped up beside him and looked up at his face.

Kexi jumped, nearly springing off the ground. He hastily waved his hands. "Nothing, nothing. I was thinking about tomorrow's sword practice."

"Oh-" Jinhsi drew out the word, I don't bewieve you written all over her face, but she didn't press him.

Night fell.

The night was a little too quiet.

Kexi lay on his bed, hands behind his head, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Too many things were on his mind, like a ball of yarn tangled up by a cat. No matter how he tried, he couldn't sort them out.

He had spent a full day in this script world. He had met Yangyang, Suisui, Chisa, Jinhsi, and Changli, and had met the legendary Master Qiuyuan, who was cold on the outside but... warm on the inside.

Kexi rolled over, buried his face in the pillow, and let out a muffled groan.

No.

No, no, no.

He rolled back over and stared at the ceiling.

What had that bastard Christopher said when he dragged the four of them into this script world?

"Someone wants you dead."

By any normal logic, this should have been a life-or-death situation.

Mountains of blades, seas of fire, survival against all odds, murderous danger at every turn-the kind where a single wrong step could doom him forever.

But the problem was...

Of all the people he had met today, not one had wanted him dead.

Even Qiuyuan-the master he had "drugged"-

Had only slapped him twice, kicked him once, then slipped him a bottle of medicine and told him to come for a make-up lesson tonight.

That was wanting him dead? She was clearly treating him as if he might melt in the palm of her hand!

What the hell was Christopher up to?

He had said someone wanted Kexi dead, but so far, the greatest threats in this world had turned out to be Qiuyuan's slaps and a punishment of three months' confinement.

How was this a death trap? This was clearly-

"A xianxia resort."

Kexi muttered the words to himself, and even he found them absurd as he said them.

But that was the truth.

Everything he had experienced today.

His senior and junior sisters had gathered around him, asking after his well-being, while his master had given him a lesson with both blows and affection. Who would believe he was trapped in a death trap if he told them how he was being treated?

What on earth was Christopher's game?

Had he thrown Kexi in here just to let him experience the happy life of a xianxia harem protagonist?

That lunatic's methods were bizarre, but he wouldn't do something completely meaningless.

And so, Sherlock Ke reached a conclusion.

This had to be foreshadowing.

The problem was, Kexi couldn't see where the foreshadowing was at all.

Things were too comfortable.

Abnormally comfortable.

Comfortable enough to make his skin crawl.

"Ah! Someone cut through this deadlock!"

He groaned, his head aching. Then came the sound of extremely soft footsteps outside the door, followed by two cautious knocks.

"Junior Brother? Are you asleep?"