Chapter 635: The Short, Dark, and Sturdy Man

Gu Baoshu waved his hand, lowering his voice as he said: "No problem, Brother Qin knows my weaknesses, so..."

Black Skin Hong was speechless.

Gu Baoshu said to Qin Heng: "It’s getting late, I should be going."

Qin Heng instantly said eagerly: "I’ll accompany you a bit of the way."

Gu Baoshu glanced in the direction where the short, stout man had disappeared and nodded indifferently. Qin Heng helped her bid farewell to everyone: "Brother Hong, brothers, you all go have fun later, Qi and I have something to attend to, we’ll join you tomorrow for another game of ball."

Black Skin Hong waved his hand in disappointment: "Alright, we’ll play ball again tomorrow."

He stared at Gu Baoshu intently, only relaxing when she nodded at him, and then turned to celebrate with the others.

Gu Baoshu led Qin Heng out of the field, through several alleys, and after ensuring no one was around, she whistled, quickly summoning a guard.

Gu Baoshu asked: "Where did that short, stout man run off to?"

The guard pointed in a direction: "Looks like he went that way, chasing after something. That man is quick, but unfamiliar with the terrain. Even if he gets caught, he probably won’t suffer much; he seems skilled and quite strong."

Gu Baoshu nodded and took Qin Heng over in that direction.

Qin Heng asked curiously: "Do you know that stout man?"

Gu Baoshu shook her head.

Qin Heng asked: "Then why go looking for him?"

Gu Baoshu said: "Curiosity. Do you think he’ll come again to place bets tomorrow? Will he bet on us to lose again?"

Qin Heng thought for a moment and then laughed: "Who knows. He doesn’t seem very smart. If he took someone’s money and still wants to come back, isn’t he just waiting to be caught?"

Gu Baoshu also laughed.

After walking for a while without seeing anyone, Gu Baoshu said quietly: "After the festival, I’ll be taking Sixteen to the White Crane Academy."

Qin Heng exclaimed in surprise: "Ah, so soon... don’t we still have many major things left undone?"

Gu Baoshu nodded: "I’ll be away for at least a year or two; you must be careful here. There’s one thing I’m not confident about."

Qin Heng asked: "What is it?"

Gu Baoshu said: "Xu Tang, King Jin has him plotting against the Qin Family. This time, since King Jin’s scheme against Sister-in-law has failed, and he was humiliated publicly, he’ll certainly urge action."

Qin Heng rubbed his palms and clenched his fists angrily.

"Didn’t my eldest sister assign people to protect Cousin? Besides, Cousin is just studying hard these days, not going anywhere, there’s no opportunity for them. But you can’t guard against thieves day after day indefinitely."

Just as Gu Baoshu was about to speak, they heard a noise from a nearby alley. She immediately leaped onto the wall to look and shouted: "Stop it, it’s not right for so many to gang up on one!"

Qin Heng jumped nervously: "What’s happening?"

Gu Baoshu said: "Stay put here, the great hero is off to help the weak."

In an instant, she disappeared into the alley, leaving Qin Heng rubbing his ears and scratching his head, not knowing how to find her.

The alleys here were a tangled mess and even from above, the route wasn’t clear on the ground.

Qin Heng had no choice but to stay where he was, waiting for her.

"Her temper is like a firecracker," Qin Heng murmured: "Thinking about her going to school makes me a bit lonely. I guess no one will come calling to make me sneak out and play anymore, leaving me feeling quite lonely."

The waiting time was hard to bear.

After an unknown period, he finally heard a voice calling: "Brother Heng, over here."

Upon hearing this, Qin Heng ran towards the alley entrance and saw Gu Baoshu waiting confidently for him. In his excitement, he blurted out: " Bao..."

Seeing Gu Baoshu glaring at him, he noticed the short, stout man standing beside her, his clothes torn like a large earthen pot.

He hastily changed his words: "...Brother Qi, you weren’t taken advantage of, were you?"

Gu Baoshu, hands behind her back, tilted her chin and said: "No real harm, just some bullies picking on the weak. We always help, not worth mentioning."

The short, stout man laughed: "Brother Qi speaks with such bravado, just my style. Let’s go have a drink."

He then tried to put his arm around Gu Baoshu’s shoulders.

Gu Baoshu checked the sky, stepped aside and said: "No, no, my old mother is worrying at home, I dare not stay long. Brother, you can come watch the ball game tomorrow."

"It’s settled then, next time I’ll bet for your victory."

The short, stout man seemed to have lots of money.

Qin Heng said: "Didn’t you just have a fight with the bookmakers? I doubt they’ll let you bet again."

The short, stout man said angrily: "Humph, let’s see them try. If they don’t take my bets, no one should bet then."

He then said to Gu Baoshu: "I have a brother, also quite young and fair, but covered in impressive tattoos, good at football and wrestling. He wasn’t with me today. If he were, I’d introduce him to you guys."

Gu Baoshu said happily: "If he could join the Hong Team and play with us, that would be wonderful."

The short, stout man muttered: "We’re not from the capital, can we join your games?"

Gu Baoshu considered: "I’m not part of the Hong Team either. The Hong Team has been at the bottom in recent years but asked my brother and me to help play. Strictly speaking, I don’t live around here."

Qin Heng quickly coughed: "Let’s ask Black Skin Hong tomorrow. If it’s possible, invite his friend to play; if not, forget it. When there’s time, we can play a game ourselves."

Gu Baoshu nodded: "That’s also a good idea."

The short, stout man smacked his lips: "We don’t know how long we’ll be here, lost all my silver today. I still need to find my brother to eat and drink. Brothers, see you tomorrow."

Gu Baoshu and Qin Heng bid him goodbye, watching his fleeting figure. Qin Heng asked Gu Baoshu: "What’s his name and what does he do?"

Gu Baoshu shook her head: "I don’t know either. I just saw him being beaten and helped him out. He’s very easygoing, seems to be someone from the martial world, acting like he has friends everywhere."

Qin Heng grimaced for a while before saying: "You don’t know his background and yet you chatted so cheerfully with him, like you were old friends."

Gu Baoshu dismissed it: "Isn’t that how it’s written in the novels? I just followed the script. As for what kind of character he is, we’re just passing acquaintances, doesn’t matter. After Mid-Autumn Festival, I’m leaving the capital, so it’s not like I’ll be planning anything grand with him."

Qin Heng suddenly felt a bit sad and said: "I wish I could go to the White Crane Academy with you. Staying at Imperial College is so dull. I can’t even focus on my studies; I’d rather go out and experience the world with you."