At first, Jiang Fei thought of directly complaining to Trainer Mohim. However, she quickly realised that doing so would inevitably implicate Qin Hao. Moreover, if Pei Hong decided to target Qin Hao afterward, his life in the barracks would become extremely difficult. Because of his elder brother's status, Pei Hong possessed a certain amount of influence within the barracks.
Thus, Jiang Fei chose to swallow today's humiliation deep into her heart. She believed that if she compromised, Pei Hong would fear the incident being exposed. Yet, reality proved otherwise. The man was completely fearless hellbent on laying his hands on her. This enraged her to the extreme. Her hatred toward Pei Hong surged to its peak, and now he was even shamelessly offering benefits to Qin Hao.
"I refuse." Qin Hao opened his mouth, speaking firmly.
Jiang Fei's lips curled upward slightly as a strange sense of satisfaction welled up in her heart.
Qin Hao's reply caused Pei Hong's face to darken.
"Boy, do you…"
His words were abruptly interrupted.
"No matter what kind of benefits you offer, my answer will remain the same," Qin Hao said coldly. "A person like you should never go unpunished."
Pei Hong was seething with rage. If not for this brat's interference, Jiang Fei would have already been under his thumb. Given the current disadvantage, he had chosen to step back and offer benefits, hoping to win Qin Hao over. After all, who wouldn't want a capable subordinate? Yet Qin Hao's outright refusal ignited his fury.
"Good, good…" Pei Hong snorted coldly. "I'd like to see who can punish me."
With that, he turned to leave the abandoned garden. At present, he couldn't do anything to Qin Hao, so retreating was the wisest choice. His footsteps came to an half as he saw Qin Hao blocking his path.
"What are you doing?" Pei Hong asked coldly but inwardly he was panicking. If Qin Hao decides to harm him, it wouldn't be difficult right now.
"I can't let you leave like this after what you've done." Qin Hao shook his head.
Jiang Fei felt deeply moved. Even after knowing Pei Hong's powerful background, Qin Hao was still standing up for her, seeking justice on her behalf.
Pei Hong put up a strong front and snorted. "You dare to block me! Wait until tomorrow and see how i deal with you."
Qin Hao's eyelids twitched. "Sigh, i completely offended him." Then he adjusted his voice and spoke, "How about this, apologise to Ms Jiang Fei and today's matter will be over."
His words not only surprised Pei Hong but enraged the second consciousness greatly. "You fool!" it roared. "You claimed someone like him should never go unpunished, and now you think an apology counts as punishment?"
"Of course. If he apologise we can wrap up today's matter cleanly." Qin Hao said as a matter of fact.
Black lines appeared on the second consciousness's forehead. "Do you even realise what he intended to do to that girl? If not for your interference, her life would have been ruined. An apology is far too light." It spoke in anger, voice colder than before.
"But…if i press him too hard, wouldn't i offend him completely? And what if his brother comes for revenge?" Qin Hao spoke with hesitation.
The second consciousness sighed. It finally understood this other self was far too naive. His character needs more polishing and decisiveness. "People like Pei Hong are petty. The moment you intervened, you already offended him. Even if you do nothing, he will still make your life miserable tomorrow."
After a brief pause it said, "kill him."
"What?"
"Yes, kill him here. People like him deserves to be killed." The second consciousness spoke with unconcealed killing intent.
Qin Hao eventually shook his head. "Even if he committed heinous acts, death is too heavy a punishment. I don't want things to escalate further."
The second consciousness snorted disdainful before shutting his mouth. "Suit yourself."
"If I apologise you'll let me go?" Pei Hong asked doubtfully. He thought this kid would humiliate him and demand something extreme but he never expected him to ask just an apology.
"Yes." Qin Hao answered.
Seeing Qin Hao's serious face Pei Hong agreed. "Kid, i'll deal with you tomorrow. Let's see how you act so arrogant then." Inwardly he swore to teach him a lesson.
When Jiang Fei heard that Qin Hao only demanded an apology, disappointment flickered in her heart. Still, she forced herself to accept it. Perhaps this is for the best.
Pei Hong apologised to Jiang Fei and left quickly, before leaving he dragged his unconscious subordinates away. Qin Hao offered to escort Jiang Fei back to the barracks, but she insisted on returning alone. After parting ways, he headed to the training grounds to practice. He was close to mastering all five basic stances.
"After this, I can finally learn that technique," he murmured, excitement coursing through him.
Next morning he went to the training as usual. But, he was feeling distressed because Wang Shou was following him everywhere went. Moreover two more follower popped up over night. The trio acted haughty and arrogant when they were with him which further embarrassed Qin Hao.
"Where is Trainee Jiang Fei?" Trainer Mohim asked when he noticed her absence.
Mei Lan raised her hand. "Instructor, Sister Jiang has been unwell since this morning, so she couldn't attend."
"Alright. Everyone, continue training."
In the evening, the training ended, as usual Qin Hao returned to his barrack.
"Eh? Why my bed is broken?" He saw his bed broken in half. It was in no shape for a person to sit, let alone lie down.
Confused, he went to ask Wang Shou. "I swear I don't know boss, i just came back."
Qin Hao asked a few others but no one knew how it happened. Then he went to the Barrack master who was in charge of Oversees living quarters, tents, furniture, and cleanliness but was denied entry.
Without any choice, Qin Hao threw the broken bed outside ane decided to sleep on the floor.
"Oh i haven't finished my daily secret training." He stood up and went to the training ground. Upon returning he found his blankets were gone too.
"Which thief is doing this? Don't let me catch you…" Qin Hao felt frustrated and angry. "Looks like i will be sleeping on the cold floor tonight." In the end he could only smile bitterly.