The Crybaby Alpha is Actually Really Cool - Chapter 18

Ruan Qingyao’s movements were being watched by Gao Juntian. Seeing him dawdling there, Gao Juntian chuckled and prepared to sneak a kick at him.

Ruan Qingyao estimated the distance to the mud pit and concluded that he should be able to leap over it directly from where he stood.

After a long internal pep talk, Ruan Qingyao bent his knees, pushed off, and sprang forward.

Just then, Gao Juntian’s sneak attack kick also arrived, but he was a step too slow. He kicked into empty air and, maintaining his split-leg posture, carried himself into the mud pit.

The moment he landed in the pit, there was a loud splash, suggesting a very intimate contact between the two.

Everyone froze for a moment. Someone shouted, “Guys, don’t let him get out!”

Then, they jumped down from above, rushing towards Gao Juntian and pressing the newly risen Gao Juntian back into the mud pit.

“Strike while the iron is hot! Avenge grudges and settle scores!”

One after another, they piled onto Gao Juntian.

Gao Juntian was about to explode with anger.

Ruan Qingyao landed smoothly. Although he stumbled a couple of steps before stabilizing himself, only his shoes and trouser legs were soiled, which he found satisfactory.

“You guys go first. I will definitely be slower,” Ruan Qingyao said to Wen Yuchen and his three roommates.

Given Ruan Qingyao’s delicate demeanor, the others were genuinely worried. Wen Yuchen said, “No need.”

Xu Lingguang maintained his arrogant manner: “Stupid mortals, do not attempt to command this young master. This young master is simply pleased to walk slowly!”

Xiong Yan said, “It’s everyone’s first time. Let’s walk together and look out for each other.”

You Xiaoxi nodded: “+1.”

Cheng Shu patted Ruan Qingyao’s shoulder: “Let’s go. The cross-country training ground is indeed not that easy to traverse.”

Stepping into the dense forest, everything looked identical up, down, left, right, front, and back, making it impossible to find a direction. It was then that everyone remembered that Gao Juntian hadn’t specified the exit, nor had he provided any map or anything of the sort.

“Let’s just walk randomly for now. Enduring it blindly is not the answer. At worst, we’ll walk through the whole damn thing,” Wen Yuchen was the least patient with thinking. Just do it and be done with it.

Cheng Shu nodded: “Let’s go first. Keep an eye on your surroundings. There must be clues.”

The outer area was fine, but after walking a few steps, mosquitoes and other insects were everywhere as if they cost nothing, buzzing incessantly.

Ruan Qingyao rummaged through his box and pulled out an electric mosquito swatter and several head nets. He handed the head nets to his roommates, not forgetting the people traveling with them.

Everyone thanked him and proceeded in the randomly chosen direction.

Ruan Qingyao held onto Cheng Shu’s sleeve with one hand and waved the electric mosquito swatter with the other. The crackling sound was quite rhythmic. The others also waved their arms, driving away the insects trying to land on their faces.

“I’m sorry, I only brought one swatter.” Where are there any mosquitoes or flies in the city now? This one electric mosquito swatter was a non-sale item from a historical display cabinet at a mall, which Mother Ruan had casually thrown in.

“What nonsense are you saying? This isn’t your obligation.” The boy was good in every way, except for this one thing. Cheng Shu didn’t know how to advise him.

Ruan Qingyao curled his lips into a smile, then remembered he was wearing a head net and Cheng Shu couldn’t see his face, “Mhm mhm, I just feel a bit uneasy.”

This was his way of using retreat as an advance, to prevent others from being dissatisfied with him later, preemptively blocking their path. He believed that people complain about inequality, not scarcity. He had encountered many ungrateful people who wanted to steal his things.

Cheng Shu became more worried. It was fine now, but later, after leaving the new recruit ranks and joining a combat team, although everyone served the Empire, the competition among them was fierce. A personality so soft and kind would be severely bullied.

The people who were not from Dormitory 201 immediately expressed their sincere gratitude, saying the head nets were enough.

However, Wen Yuchen still forced a separation. Qingyao would surely bring out all sorts of things later. He didn’t want to hear Qingyao constantly apologizing. Giving the items to them would be a waste.

“Where are you guys going?” Wen Yuchen suddenly stopped and asked.

Everyone was silent. After a moment, someone spoke: “Since we don’t know the right path, let’s explore together.”

“No,” Wen Yuchen’s tone was firm, “We’re not going with you.”

The crowd didn’t understand why Wen Yuchen suddenly said this, “Why?”

“Tsk tsk, you foolish mortals will only drag us down. Why should we help the poor?” Xu Lingguang’s expression was arrogant and extremely punchable.

“Don’t think that just because you’re ranked first now, you’ll be first forever!” A hot-tempered person retorted. While following Dormitory 201 did involve some idea of taking advantage, how could it be spoken out loud? Besides, everyone had only trained for such a short time. The future was still long; fortunes change over time!

“Then don’t f*cking follow us.” Wen Yuchen laid down the law, directly dragging the confused Ruan Qingyao in another direction. The others quickly followed.

After walking quickly for quite some time, putting a great distance between them and the others, the six people finally slowed down. It was only then that Wen Yuchen let go of Ruan Qingyao.

Although what he said just now was arrogant and satisfying, Wen Yuchen didn’t know what to say now. He irritably scratched his hair and looked at Cheng Shu.

Cheng Shu: …

“Qingyao, they are our competitors…”

“Mhm mhm, I know,” Ruan Qingyao’s attention was entirely on his dirty shoes. “I didn’t want to walk with them either, I just felt awkward saying it.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Wiping his shoes clean, Ruan Qingyao said, “I have a slight idea about the direction. What do you all think? As we walked, the density of the insects changed somewhat. I think the direction with the lower insect density might be the way through this patch of woods.”

Hearing this, the five people were collectively confused.

Xiong Yan scratched the back of his head blankly, whispering, “I didn’t notice a change. These mosquitoes are too annoying.”

Ruan Qingyao waved the electric mosquito swatter around in a circle, and the crackling sound instantly changed, “I heard it through the sound. I’m sensitive to sound.”

“Then let’s follow Qingyao,” Cheng Shu decided. He had noticed a slight difference between the trees but hadn’t mentioned it, intending to let everyone train their observation skills.

Ruan Qingyao puffed out his small chest: “I won’t let down your trust!”

All the way, the direction Ruan Qingyao led them was indeed correct. Cheng Shu discovered that when the young man was serious, he was very clever and meticulous.

Emerging from the woods, Ruan Qingyao put his hands on his hips, seeking praise. He didn’t say it directly, but he looked at them with eyes that begged for compliments, making everyone want to indulge him.

Cheng Shu understood this and let out a light laugh: “Qingyao is truly amazing, so meticulous and brilliant.”

Xiong Yan and You Xiaoxi also followed with compliments.

Wen Yuchen had never spoken such words and couldn’t think of anything. Xu Lingguang couldn’t bring himself to do it. The young master was only used to receiving, not giving.

Ruan Qingyao smiled shyly, “Let’s keep going!”

Right after the woods was a grassland. Large and small puddles were hidden beneath the dense grass. If one wasn’t careful, they would get splashed all over. Soiling their clothes was one thing, but there were also broken glass shards and nails in the puddles.

Xu Lingguang got his foot pricked. Fortunately, Ruan Qingyao brought plenty of shoes, or he would have had to wear hole-ridden shoes.

The young master held up his foot, his white, large foot covered in muddy water and bl00d. The pain made Xu Lingguang grimace. He yelled at Wen Yuchen:

“Stupid mortal! What are you standing there for? Hurry up and heal me!”

Wen Yuchen rolled his eyes at him: “I’m out of reserves.”

There was nothing around that could be attacked, so he couldn’t generate healing power.

This was the current inherent flaw in healing. Before going to the battlefield, one had to replenish their reserves. On the battlefield, they could heal while fighting. If they ran out of reserves and had nothing left to fight, they were useless.

“I have medicine here,” Ruan Qingyao quickly pulled out the items and handed them to Xu Lingguang. Seeing Xu Lingguang about to apply it directly, Ruan Qingyao quickly pulled out a bottle of medical alcohol and some water, “Clean it first!”

Xu Lingguang acted as if he were granting a great favor: “Then this young master will permit you to help me clean it.”

Wen Yuchen scoffed, “I’ll do it.”

He directly unscrewed the alcohol bottle and poured it on.

Xu Lingguang: “Aww—”

The pain made his voice crack, “You Wen Dog, I’m not done with you!”

Wen Yuchen rolled his eyes again and poured it a second time.

Xu Lingguang: “Wuu-aww—”

Ruan Qingyao quickly stopped him: “Stop messing around, Lingguang, quickly apply the medicine. We need to hurry.”

Xu Lingguang snorted, “This young master is magnanimous, big enough to sail a boat in. I won’t argue with a dog.”

He opened the transparent crystal bottle Ruan Qingyao gave him, used a cotton swab to lightly dab a little from inside, and applied it to the profusely bleeding wound.

Miraculously, the wound quickly returned to its original state, but the lack of bl00d was still visible.

Ruan Qingyao said, “Lingguang, apply more! Don’t be stingy, there’s plenty.”

Xu Lingguang obediently applied a little more. The color returned to the skin, which even became smoother and carried a slight fragrance.

“Qingyao, your medicine smells really good. The last time I used it, that spot smelled nice for two days,” Xiong Yan said.

“Can I see it?” Cheng Shu asked Ruan Qingyao.

“Of course!” Ruan Qingyao said. “It’s a pity I don’t have an empty container, or I would divide some for everyone to carry.”

Cheng Shu took it from Xu Lingguang, sniffed it carefully, only sensing a comfortable fragrance. He then dabbed a little and put it in his mouth. It seemed a little sweet.

Ruan Qingyao was greatly alarmed: “You can’t eat that!”

“Chengcheng, are you hungry?”

Cheng Shu shook his head, returning the bottle: “Not hungry, just trying it. A tiny bit is fine.”

“Oh, if you’re hungry, just tell me. I have lots of food,” Ruan Qingyao was afraid Cheng Shu would actually eat the stuff. No one knew the exact ingredients. What if it caused harm?

Cheng Shu said, “Let’s keep going. Be careful later.”

Along the way, Cheng Shu asked Ruan Qingyao, “Where did you buy this medicine? It’s quite effective.”

“I don’t know, my mom gave it to me,” Ruan Qingyao felt a slight guilt. He could generously let them use it, but he couldn’t casually reveal his secrets. His family had all instilled in him how incredible this ability was. If bad guys knew about it, he wouldn’t have any peace.

Cheng Shu nodded. He still needed to ask Ruan Sheng. Why did he forget to ask yesterday? He needed to write a memo.