Chapter 269: The Past

After hearing that, Song Qi's eyes instantly widened, and he quickly covered Chen Jun Nan's mouth.

"Don't say that name!" Song Qi looked at the man in front of him with a shocked expression. "Wait, who are you?"

"What the heck..." Chen Jun Nan impatiently shook off Song Qi's hand. "Why are you covering my mouth? I'm not some character from Hu Lu Wa. Calling your name isn't going to make you disappear."

Qiao Jia Jin felt something was off and said, "Jun Nan, that sounds like Jin Jiao Da Wang."

"Oh? Is it?" Chen Jun Nan thought for a moment. "The line 'If I call your name, will you answer?' isn't that from Hu Lu Wa?"

"Hu... Hu Lu Wa? What's that?" Qiao Jia Jin asked in confusion. "Isn't it from Jin Jiao Da Wang?"

"Hey, Lao Qiao, it's been a while since I gave you a knowledge boost!" Chen Jun Nan laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "Come on, let me tell you about it. Hu Lu Wa is one of our cultural treasures! The story is about..."

"Wait, wait a minute..." Song Qi felt these two were acting strangely. "Is now really the time to discuss Hu Lu Wa and Jin Jiao Da Wang?"

"Oh, right..." Qiao Jia Jin suddenly remembered something. "Earlier, someone said they were looking for me... Explosives Guy, are you looking for me?"

"I..." Song Qi shook his head helplessly. "There's a brother at the Di Yang site who needs help..."

"Damn!" Qiao Jia Jin exclaimed. "Has Deceiver been beaten up?"

Chen Jun Nan was stunned: "What? Did Lao Qi get taken down?"

"No..." Song Qi felt it was hard to communicate with these two. "That brother needs assistance, and he specifically asked for Qiao Jia Jin to help him."

"Alright, I'll head over right now." Qiao Jia Jin nodded and started to move out.

"Hold on a second." Chen Jun Nan grabbed Qiao Jia Jin's arm, thought for a moment, and asked Song Qi, "That kid—did he win or lose?"

"He won," Song Qi replied.

"He won, but still needs help?" Chen Jun Nan stroked his chin.

"That's right." Song Qi nodded.

"I get it." Chen Jun Nan patted Qiao Jia Jin on the shoulder. "Lao Qiao, you and Xiao Chu go grab two burlap sacks."

"Burlap sacks?" Qiao Jia Jin was puzzled. "Why do I have to go? Why don't you?"

"You're not even wearing a shirt—hurry up and get them," Chen Jun Nan sighed.

"Uh..." Qiao Jia Jin looked down and realized he wasn't wearing his top. "Damn..."

As he ran off, Chen Jun Nan called after him: "Lao Qiao, grab a couple of handy weapons while you're at it."

"Ah? Okay, got it!"

Song Qi looked at Chen Jun Nan in confusion and asked, "You... have we met before?"

"Before?" Chen Jun Nan thought for a moment. "No, this is our first time meeting, right?"

"First time...?" Song Qi said doubtfully. "But you just called out my real name... How did you know?"

"I figured it out through divination." Chen Jun Nan said casually. "Young master here did a quick calculation—your five elements lack 'Ming', and your fate involves 'Hui', so you're called Song Ming Hui."

"What does that even mean..." Song Qi felt his head spinning from talking to this guy. "Then how did you know my surname is Song?"

"Because I feel like it." Chen Jun Nan was getting impatient. "Xiao Song, don't ask so many questions. Some things in society are better left alone."

Song Qi still looked at Chen Jun Nan with doubt, thinking this guy was just too weird—he probably wouldn't get any straight answers from him.

In no time, Qiao Jia Jin came back, now dressed, and joined them.

Under his left arm, he carried two iron pipes with fresh breaks, like they'd just been snapped from water pipes. In his right hand, he held two dirty woven bags.

"Jun Nan, I'm here," Qiao Jia Jin said with a smile. "Are we going to knock someone out and carry them away? I picked out two big burlap sacks."

"Size doesn't matter." Chen Jun Nan smiled. "We're going to help him out big time."

Then he turned to Song Qi and asked, "Did that kid say 'Only Qiao Jia Jin should come, no one else'?"

"Not exactly." Song Qi shook his head.

"Then we're good." Chen Jun Nan said. "Lao Qiao, let's go—I'll come with you."

"Sounds good." Qiao Jia Jin nodded.

The two followed Song Qi, who led the way, while they carried the iron pipes and burlap sacks behind him.

Song Qi felt there was something oddly "cat-like" about these two... He just wasn't sure if they'd be willing to join their group.

...

Qi Xia was at his wit's end.

The woman named Qin Ding Dong refused to leave, and her goal from the start was to get close to him.

Qi Xia had imagined countless dangerous scenarios, but he never expected she was after Chen Jun Nan.

This complicated situation was impossible to handle—it was like facing another "Di Yang" level threat...

Who knew what that kid Chen Jun Nan had done back in the day?

Qi Xia could only hope that Chen Jun Nan wouldn't show up, or things would get even worse.

"Seven years..." Qin Ding Dong gritted her teeth. "That bastard has been dodging me for seven years!"

Qi Xia silently rubbed his forehead—he'd heard that line dozens of times already.

To change the subject, he turned to the long-haired man and said,

"Brother, what's your name?"

The long-haired man politely nodded at Qi Xia and replied,

"Bro, I'm Liu Er Shi Yi."

That name struck Qi Xia as odd.

"Liu... Er Shi Yi?" He couldn't understand what kind of parents would choose such a name.

But then he thought about it—the earlier guy was called Song Qi... Maybe none of these were real names?

Their outfits were similar too—could they be part of some organization?

Qi Xia noticed the long-haired man didn't talk much, so he couldn't keep the conversation going. He fell silent, and the atmosphere in the room became even more awkward than during the Di Yang game.

Before long, Song Qi returned.

Liu Er Shi Yi saw Song Qi and quietly nodded, then stepped aside.

Qiao Jia Jin followed, carrying a stick, and cautiously scanned the room.

There were only four people here.

Sheep Head Guy, Leather Jacket Guy, Deceiver, and Pretty Lady.

Qiao Jia Jin felt a bit lost, like he was "holding a pipe and surveying the scene with uncertainty."

Who was he supposed to knock out?

"Lao Qi... Let young master here see what you've got this time..." Chen Jun Nan said as he walked in with the burlap sack and iron pipe, but his voice stopped abruptly after entering.

No one really saw him clearly—they just saw the burlap sack and iron pipe drop to the ground as he bolted away.

"You bastard! Chen Jun Nan!!"

Qin Ding Dong shouted and chased after him. As she passed Qiao Jia Jin, her expression changed, and she suddenly smiled.

"Oh, A Jin, long time no see. You're still so sturdy."

"Ah?" Qiao Jia Jin was stunned. "You're...?"

Qin Ding Dong didn't have time to answer—her expression shifted again: "Chen Jun Nan, you damn coward!"

And with that, she dashed out of the room.

Everyone in the room was left baffled.

"Deceiver... What's going on?" Qiao Jia Jin was confused. "What the heck just ran out?"

"Probably a person." Qi Xia shook his head. "Fist, come over here—I have something to tell you."