075 Queen of Spades

The beam of light struck the fan and was instantly deflected, flying off into the distance. A line of exasperation seemed to form across my brow. I couldn't help but wonder: could the bronze fan in Li Xinxin's hand be an ancient artifact?

The Spade suit represents the Temple of Relics, whose powers are all derived from special abilities carried by ancient treasures. For example, the ancient tree grants the power of "life," the ancient ruler bestows "speed," and the ancient jade offers "word-spell" abilities. As for me, my light ability is but a fragment of the ancient mirror's true power, and since I have yet to find the original artifact, I cannot unleash its full potential.

Artifacts are the source of strength for all Spade wielders, granting their users a qualitative leap in power.

"Zijian, just give up," she said. "You can't beat me!"

Seeing that my attacks couldn't break through her defense in the slightest, Li Xinxin bluntly suggested that I surrender.

"I'm a guy—how could I possibly admit defeat to a girl?" I retorted. "What a joke!"

Since my powers weren't working, I lunged forward in a single stride, quickly closing the distance between us. Dropping into a crouch, I bent my knee and aimed a punch straight at her chest, the force of my body lending a whistling momentum to the strike.

Li Xinxin's expression shifted; after all, a blow to the chest was no trivial matter for a girl. She swiftly shrank the fan and blocked my attack, the large fan from before having shielded her so effectively that it left her with a blind spot, giving me the chance to approach.

Her reflexes were lightning-fast. My fist met the fan as if I’d struck a steel plate, sending pain shooting up my hand. As I pulled back, I swept my leg at her lower body, launching another light projectile at the same time—a pincer attack from multiple angles, impossible to block unless her fan could transform into a shield.

Li Xinxin snorted coldly, a gale rising at her feet out of nowhere. A surge of power flung me backwards. As I tumbled through the air, I saw her fan slip from her grasp and dart about, knocking away each beam of light with uncanny agility.

"So powerful?" I thought, flipping mid-air and landing on my feet. Facing Li Xinxin, who had fended off every one of my attacks, my confidence wavered. My current abilities were sorely lacking in offense—most of what I could do was interference or defense, buying time for my teammates.

Just as I hesitated, wondering whether to gamble everything on my last ability, Li Xinxin spoke again.

"Zijian, surrender. You're only half a Spade contractor," she said. "You can't beat a full-fledged Spade like me."

She flashed the Spade card in her hand. From the start, she had used her Spade card, but it had spun so quickly that I couldn't see the exact number. Now I could see it clearly: the Queen of Spades.

No wonder she’d insisted I call her “Your Majesty”—so that was why.

"If you refuse to give up, then I'll just have to make you with my strength!"

Seeing my silence, she launched into a storm of attacks.

"Awaken! Queen of Spades!"

As she awakened, it felt as if a thousand blades were slicing through my body. Thankfully, the pain lasted only a few seconds before I gasped out my surrender, my clothes in tatters.

Li Xinxin flew us back to her dormitory. With her wind powers, flight was a breeze—though it did seem to drain her energy somewhat. She sat on her bed, laughing uproariously.

"Happy now that you've won?" I grumbled.

Jiang Linlin laughed even harder; seeing me make a fool of myself clearly delighted her.

"Xinxin, let's talk outside for a moment," I said, gesturing in a code only she and I understood.

She replied with a secret gesture of her own, then exchanged a few words with Jiang Linlin before following me out. I messaged Lin Wan, asking him to join us, and let Chen Hao know that afternoon training was canceled.

Chen Hao shot back a scornful reply: "Three days of fishing, two days of drying the net."

Still, he had a point. After only one day of training, I was already skipping the second. But I didn’t bother to explain—this wasn’t really his concern.

As Li Xinxin and I left the dormitory, we nearly collided with Han Xue, who was just returning. She eyed the girl beside me with open hostility and asked, "Zijian, who is this?"

"This is my—" I began to introduce Li Xinxin as my close friend, but before I could finish, the tomboy Er Gou slung her arm around me and planted a kiss on my cheek.

I was startled—not just me, but Han Xue’s face flushed bright red.

"Zijian, you’re terrible!" she cried, punching me hard before running off without a backward glance.

"What was that for?" I asked Li Er Gou, exasperated. She seemed determined to cause me trouble.

"I was helping you!" she replied, as if her actions had been entirely justified. "If she gets mad, doesn’t that mean she’s jealous?"

"Well, well, Zijian—someone’s chasing you in college now?" she teased. "Looks like the loser’s finally having his day!"

Her words made me feel a swell of pride.

Of course—after all, I’d slimmed down from over a hundred and seventy pounds to just above a hundred and thirty, transforming from a chubby kid into a handsome youth. Forgive my brief moment of vanity.

Han Xue's outburst was just a minor episode. I doubted she’d hold a grudge—she’d probably forget it after a good night’s sleep.

We made our way to the artificial lake at the center of campus, where a small pavilion sat over the water—the perfect spot for a chat. The weather was fine, the sunlight gentle, and a soft breeze stirring the air.

Lin Wan was already waiting in the pavilion, having folded a paper rose. When he saw us, he stood up at once and offered the rose to Li Xinxin.

"And who might this beautiful young lady be?" he asked, his gaze fixed on her.

I glanced at Li Xinxin again. She had simply let her hair down and put on a white dress—was she really that beautiful? Or had I grown so used to her that I overlooked it? I shook my head. Maybe it was just Lin Wan’s taste.

"Hello, my name is Li—" For once, Li Xinxin dropped her usual brash demeanor, acting the perfect lady.

"Her name is Li Er Gou!" I interjected, determined to expose her true colors.

"My name is Li Xinxin," she corrected, shooting me a glare but keeping her tone soft.

Hearing her introduce herself, Lin Wan’s mouth twitched slightly before he replied, "I'm Lin Wan."

After we sat down, Li Er Gou broke the silence first. "Lin Wan, you’re pretty handy—this rose is well made."

"Well, I heard a beautiful girl would be coming," he said, handing over the paper rose.

Li Er Gou toyed with the rose, clearly pleased; girls always liked such little things.

"Miss Xinxin, you’re not quite how Zijian described you," Lin Wan remarked.

"How so?" she asked.

"He told me you were quite the character."

I shot Lin Wan a look—did he have to tell her everything? At that moment, I felt a sharp pain in my side.