Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 442: Past Events

Chapter 442: Chapter 442: Past Events

Just as Lin Xi alluded, Qian Feng didn’t intend to hurt Lu Yi and Jie. She merely wanted to smooth things over, however, Lu Yi’s wallet fell, and a photograph slipped out.

Qian Feng barely cast a glance toward it before extending her hand to summon the photo. The image then flew over and landed in her grasp.

"Impressive, you even managed to take a group photo with Gu Fan and Qian Ye. It seems you all get along quite well." Qian Feng completed her assertion with a chilling smile. "Did you catch that? Qian Ye? And that one called Gu Fan? I know you are nearby. If you don’t reveal yourselves, these two are beyond help."

"Can’t be serious..." Gu Fan muttered under his breath. Seeing as he had no choice, he didn’t hesitate to step forth. Lin Xi sighed heavily, accompanying Gu Fan from their hidden corner.

Upon seeing Gu Fan and Lin Xi reveal themselves so quickly, Qian Feng was taken aback at first. However, she quickly burst into hearty laughter: "No way! Qian Ye, you’ve grown weak since your reincarnation! Going out of your way and risking yourself for the sake of your friends? I have no idea how you managed in this world."

In response to this, Lin Xi disdainfully replied, "You must not grasp the significance of these two people for Gu Fan and me. They are invaluable allies. Without them, we would not have made it this far. So, any person who has helped us in our time of difficulty, we would never abandon them."

"Still the same fool," Qian Feng scoffed sarcastically.

Lin Xi nodded, "Yes, I am that kind of person. The one who will risk my life to save those important to me." After saying this, Lin Xi’s penetrating gaze seemed to tell Qian Feng a silent tale.

In an instant, a nearly forgotten fragment of Qian Feng’s past resurfaced in her mind. It was an echo of a time when Qian Feng and Qian Ye had just escaped, when they mine their newfound freedom, but realized that they lacked the skills to survive. They endured hunger and eked out an existence through begging.

At one point, Qian Feng and Qian Ye were so starved they decided to steal. Qian Feng, being the elder of the two, elected to infiltrate a rich household whilst Qian Ye was entrusted with the lookout duty.

The wealthy family had left their estate and Qian Feng seized this opportunity. She slithered in from the back door, grabbed what she could, and tossed the stolen items over the perimeter wall for Qian Ye to collect.

Qian Ye watched in joy as the pile of food and resources grew. They would not need to bear hunger for a few days. Having clothes to warm and food to fill was a luxury life for them.

Suddenly, a furious voice erupted from inside the wall, "We were only gone momentarily, yet a thief dared to break in? I’ll break your legs."

Upon hearing this, followed by the sound of Qian Feng being beaten and shrieking, Qian Ye panicked. She quickly scooped up the stolen goods and ran, hiding in a corner around the bend to spy on the scene.

Soon, the back door of the wealthy residence swung open and several men, holding Qian Feng by the ear, emerged. They harshly interrogated, "Where is the stuff you stole? What did you do with the items you stole from us? Are there accomplices?"

Qian Feng defiantly refused to answer which infuriated the men further. They proceeded to assault her again.

Witnessing Qian Feng’s brutal beating, Qian Ye, hiding nearby, felt a painful wrench in her heart. Unable to watch Qian Feng suffer alone, she too, rushed out.

"Stop hitting her, stop! Sir, we stole these items from your place, and I am returning it all back to you. Please, stop hitting my sister." Qian Ye practically threw herself in front of her sister, shielding Qian Feng who was littered with bruises of black and blue.

"You think returning our stolen goods deem you free from punishment? Continue the beating." The men clearly had no intention of grant mercy and ruthlessly resumed their violent punishment, directing their blows towards Qian Ye’s fragile body.

After they had vented their rage, they bitterly cussed and walked away.

Qian Ye took lesser beating; she managed to help Qian Feng to her feet, only to hear Qian Feng scold, "You fool, why did you have to return? At most, I was just getting beat, but it could have secured us a month’s worth of food. Now we’ve got a whooping for nothing!"

"You were already so weak from hunger, how could you possibly withstand a beating?" After a pause, Qian Ye managed a laugh. "And who says we returned everything they stole? Look at this."

"A bag of grains, you held out on me." Qian Feng caught view of a sack of grain behind the corner and immediately broke into joyous amazement.

"Well, guess our beating wasn’t for nothing after all." Saying this, Qian Ye slung the grain sack over her shoulder. "We should flee. If they discover this, we might be in for another round of thrashing."

"Haha, let us hurry back then, and recover our strength with this grain." Qian Feng chuckled and nodded, so did Qian Ye. The life might be bitter, but together, they never felt solitary. They were warmed by the imperishable bond they share - a priceless sentiment born out of shared hardships, the most precious wealth they have.

When her reminiscence faded, Qian Feng closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if attempting to quell the turmoil of her inner emotions.

Seeing Qian Feng’s hesitation, Qian Xue, sensing a not-so-good development, hurried to question, "Big sister, you wouldn’t let the past sway you to spare second sister, would you?"

"Of course not!" Qian Feng’s answer was unmistakable, a faint tinge of resentment played in her eyes. "It’s precisely because of this that the betrayal stings even more. Qian Ye, you are the one who fragmented our camaraderie."

In response, Qian Ye shook her head, "Strictly speaking, when I left you, I had no choice. You forced my hand."

Qian Xue coldly huffed, "Second sister, have you forgotten our vows? You made the rules with big sister, yet you were the first to betray those oaths and break the rules. Now, you have the gall to shift the blame on us."

After hearing this, Gu Fan felt a bit uncomfortable, "Listening to their side of the story, it seems you went a bit too far."

"As I said, I had no choice," Lin Xi asserted. Transitioning into battle readiness, her hands began to form seals and distorting illusion enveloped the surroundings - the landscape, buildings, and people alike each twisted and warped.

"An illusion technique?" Qian Feng watched as darkness slowly swallowed the surroundings, seemingly unperturbed.

Qian Xue chimed in, "Second sister, though you are a jack of all trades and master of none, dealing with your myriad tricks does indeed pose quite the headache."

Lin Xi didn’t reply, but prepared to launch a surprise attack amid the illusions. As long as she could take down Qian Xue, Lu Yi and Jie would be able to escape. Meanwhile, defeating Qian Feng without her sidekick would significantly increase their chances of victory.