Chapter 6

1

Shi Xueqi's father stood in front of me, with a beard that mainly covered the scar on his chin. The beard was tied into small braids, which looked funny while resting in front of the lounge door where a big poster hung. The poster read "Master of Humor, Shi Meng".

"Shi Meng, a name that sounds domineering but is actually a master of humor?" I walked over to the poster next to the big words.

The townspeople entered the backstage area to witness everything about Shi Meng. The atmosphere was tense, and their relationship with Shi Meng was very good, so it was certain that they would side with him in this situation.

"Teacher Shi! What's going on?" The townspeople immediately protected Shi Meng, and the younger ones began to unleash their magical powers, revealing all kinds of tools. The older ones stood by Shi Meng, offering him spiritual support.

"Enemy..."

"You're the one looking for trouble!" A man in his twenties, holding a level-three magic sword, was quite powerful among these young people.

"Young man, are you really going to call me 'kid'?"

"Is he being so arrogant?" The young man talked to others, and with a word and a glance, he began to feel scared.

"Don't provoke him, step back." Shi Meng asked the young people to step aside. He understood that these people were not really threatening.

"I am arrogant, but I don't have any malicious intent."

I unfolded the folded part of the poster, and the unfolded poster came to life with funny expressions and dialogue. It was a good performance, and the title of teacher suited him.

"Your malicious intentions were revealed that year. So, what do you want? What are you planning to do to my daughter?"

"Shi Meng...maybe you didn't use this name before, but it doesn't matter. You thought you could continue to live with this name and have a suitable identity. Your...let's not talk about it anymore. Whether everything can be preserved or not depends on your daughter's decision." I smiled and spoke harmoniously.

"Don't expect my daughter to agree to any of your demands!" Shi Meng's humor was not displayed in front of me, as he had no mood to maintain the image of a master of humor. I really wanted to see if he could still be funny even with a knife in his back.

"Dad! It's just a request." Shi Xueqi had been silent all along, but now she finally spoke up.

"Don't agree to any of his requests. He's a strange person."

"Strange? Teacher Shi, am I strange?" I look like a normal person from head to toe, what's strange about me?

"Dad, he's a student in my class! He is..." Shi Xueqi whispered in Shi Meng's ear, "He is Duke Qin's son, and only he has the ability to solve this."

"He's in your class? That's impossible." Shi Meng's magical power temporarily faded away.

"Why is it impossible, dad? Although he's strange and his hair can change color, he is indeed a student in our class."

"Duke Qin's son? Everyone in the entire empire knows that he's only sixteen years old, no, seventeen."

"Yes, he's seventeen." Shi Xueqi was really confused. I am indeed seventeen, and both my behavior and her father's made her feel like we were old acquaintances.

"How could it be, you're Qin Yang, right?"

"It's me. Let's close the door and talk about the things I'm going to say next, Master of Humor." I knocked on the door, indicating that Shi Meng should pay attention because there were too many people here.

Shi Meng took a deep breath, running his little finger along his beard braid. The nervous atmosphere just disappeared, replaced by a relaxed one.

"Thank you all for coming to see my performance today. There are some things I need to take care of, so I'll give you a new performance next time! I promise everyone will have a good laugh."

"But..."

"Put down your sword, kid, and let others talk calmly." Among the older townspeople who had just entered, there was one old man I saw when I first arrived in the town. He was a reasonable person, and during our conversation, I could sense that he had no ill intentions. He was, after all, an experienced elderly person.

After the crowd dispersed, Shi Meng lit a cigarette.

"You can stay."

"Me?" Shi Xueqi was about to leave but was stopped.

"What do you want with my daughter?"

"As long as I don't trouble her, it's up to you, Teacher Shi. The question is, do you agree or not?"

"I'm asking you, what did you mean by your words when you first arrived?" Shi Meng's focus was clearly not on any request Shi Xueqi may have agreed to.

"Eighteen years ago, on the tourist train to the imperial capital, the person who pushed you off, I apologize on behalf of my slightly more violent personality." I tapped my head, indicating 'blame my split personality'.

"Wait, you weren't even born eighteen years ago! Although you look very similar to the person I saw."

"It's time travel, strange, isn't it?"

Shi Meng pondered for a moment and said, "Not strange, perhaps it's destiny."

Yet another person who believes in fate. I thought that once humans possess magic, they would no longer believe in fate, but apparently not.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, you have another condition, regarding the seal of the Judgment Wheel."

"Why are you willing to offer such a condition?" Shi Meng calmed down and looked into my eyes, unable to explain why I was doing this.

"Turning a useful person into one of my own. You've spent eighteen years here, have you forgotten your irritable self on the train?"

Suddenly, the door to the backstage opened, and a woman rushed in.

"Husband!" The moment the woman entered, she grabbed hold of Shi Meng.

"I beg you, don't take my husband away!" The woman begged, her voice choked up like she was crying. She was Shi Xueqi's mother, and she knew that Shi Meng used to be a criminal. She also believed that my arrival was related to his crime.

"Teacher Shi, talk to your wife." I turned and left the backstage, leaving the decision to this elderly couple to think about.

2

I carefully closed the door, and from inside came the sound of low sobbing. What's the point of crying like this when it's not a life or death farewell? This woman really doesn't know why I'm here.

The performance stage was around two hundred square meters, not too small, not too big, a very nice entertainment venue in this small town.

The audience had left, and most of the lights were turned off, leaving only a few on the stage.

Standing on the stage, the echo of one person speaking was quite loud.

I sat idle at the edge of the stage, and Shi Xueqi seemed to be walking aimlessly around the periphery of the stage.

"Hey, Captain." I pointed to the edge next to me with my finger, inviting her to sit.

"What are you doing?"

"Just bored, let's chat."

Shi Xueqi sat next to me, the lights of the stage casting long shadows in front of us, and the sound of janitors sweeping and cleaning echoed in the surroundings.

"What's your relationship with my father?"

"Don't you remember what your father said? Enemies. I pushed him off the train and sealed his magic tools as he ended up in a foreign land. He hates me, it's as simple as that."

"It's been eighteen years, huh?"

"Time travel, you know. This magical era has always been a possibility that people yearn for. Compared to The Human Realm thirteen million years ago, where even gods and demons may not have mastered the ability, if you're lucky, you might come across it. I just happened to come across it."

"How is it possible? Time travel...?"

"It's not strange to a lot of people. Why are you the only one who finds it strange?" I'm really puzzled. I've told most people about it, but no one had a big reaction.

Shi Xueqi has been lost in thought, struggling to put her thoughts into words.

"I've time traveled twice, once 18 years ago and once during the border war 20 years ago. I fought alongside Duton's army on the battlefield."

"Just you?"

"If I wanted, the emperor could skip the four dukes and grant me the title of duke directly, because your father kidnapped the emperor before their confrontation."

"Why me?"

"Do you know which country your father is from?"

"He never said. He hasn't left the town for 18 years. All I know is that he's not from Othrie."

"He's hiding here to avoid punishment. He wants to leave but can't."

"Huh..." Shi Xueqi takes a deep breath. She knows her father has some criminal record, but kidnapping the emperor is on a whole other level. If this accusation were made public, her whole family wouldn't be able to live in this town anymore.

"Your father is in a difficult position now, torn between your safety and the peace he's guarded for 18 years. Whichever option he chooses, it's a mistake." I explain Shi Xueqi's father's dilemma using my fists.

"Why can't you just tell me what Qin Yang wants from you?"

"Because I don't want to."

"You're doing this on purpose! You're trying to kill my father, aren't you?" Shi Xueqi becomes anxious.

"Force, it's not me who's forcing. It's yourself. The conditions were offered to you, and the choice should be yours, but you insisted on letting your father know." I put on an expression that shows this has nothing to do with me, while leaning next to Shi Xueqi.

Shi Xueqi sees what I really want to say in my eyes.

"You want me to choose?"

"This was supposed to be your choice, wasn't it?"

"But this should be my father's..."

"But your parents are really struggling this time. Why not make a sacrifice for once? As a daughter, shouldn't you do something for your parents?"

Shi Xueqi looks at me, seeing the harmony in my aura. She's probably thinking that if I give her favorable conditions now, she has a good chance of being safe. But if the conditions I give her are unfavorable, then the problem is what those conditions are, and there's a chance she'll have to make a decision that will make her suffer beyond words.

Shi Xueqi looks around the auditorium, full of memories. Is the choice really that difficult? Shi Meng has doubts about the conditions given by a stranger, which is normal, but Shi Xueqi is my classmate.

"Okay."

I burst into laughter happily. The class leader has finally agreed.

"What are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing. Wait here for a moment. I'll have Lan send a message to the Duke's Mansion in the capital."

I leave the auditorium. Lan has been standing outside the auditorium the whole time.

"Send a message to the Duke's Mansion in the capital. I can confirm what they need to do now. Verify Shi Meng's identity and background with the people around him, and then provide Shi Xueqi with a complete identity."

Shi Meng's response is no longer important. What comes next is what I really want, the story about the mask and the organization.