I Am a Rune Engraver, Carrying a Knife Makes Perfect Sense-Chapter 6 - Laugh, Weren’t You Born to Smile?

—

The crowd’s attention shifted entirely to Wang Qingqing. Xu Shen’s awakening had been a brief interlude—though he might have been impressive before, awakening as a Forbidden Body had sealed his fate. To most, he was now irrelevant, destined to live in a world separate from theirs.

In this era, even the weakest awakening usually came with a few meters of talent projection. It gave people a foundation to build upon. But a Forbidden Body? That was practically useless. At best, it allowed for auxiliary runes like a wind rune to fan flames while cooking.

With that, Xu Shen was dismissed from their minds. All eyes were now on Wang Qingqing, the school flower who was not only brilliant in academics but also undefeated in fights throughout her three years of high school. Everyone was eager to see what kind of talent she would awaken.

—

“Her talent has to be amazing,” someone murmured.

“She’s no goddess—didn’t Xu Shen already ruin her? Stop simping,” another sneered.

“You were simping harder than anyone else yesterday. Hypocrite.”

Nearby, Murong Xin stood quietly, her expression calm. A girl beside her whispered, “Do you think Wang Qingqing’s talent will surpass yours?”

Murong Xin shook her head. “What does it matter if it’s stronger or weaker?”

“But she’s overshadowed you for three years! If her talent is worse than yours, wouldn’t that finally give you the upper hand?”

The girl’s words were cut short by Murong Xin’s sharp gaze. She immediately fell silent.

“I don’t envy her, nor do I have any ill intentions,” Murong Xin said calmly. “I simply want to compete with her. Winning would feel satisfying; losing wouldn’t bother me. Keep your petty thoughts to yourself.”

With that, she turned her attention back to Wang Qingqing, who was now stepping onto the platform.

—

“Don’t be nervous, Wang Qingqing,” Principal Ding Wentian said with a warm smile. “You’re the last one, but I’m sure your talent will be exceptional.”

After all, Wang Qingqing’s mother had an extraordinary talent. It was unlikely for her daughter to fall short.

Wang Qingqing nodded and sat on the stone chair. Flames ignited around her, but she remained calm despite the initial discomfort.

From afar, Xu Shen watched with curiosity. He wondered what kind of talent Wang Qingqing would awaken—something like Uncle Wang’s, perhaps?

—

Five minutes passed, and the flames began to die down.

“Huh?” Principal Ding frowned slightly. There was no reaction. Could it be another Forbidden Body?

Xu Shen also furrowed his brow. Something felt off. He glanced at the sky and grabbed a nearby student. “What time is it?”

“Six-thirty,” the student replied after checking his watch.

Xu Shen looked up at the darkened sky and muttered, “Six-thirty? It shouldn’t be this dark...”

Principal Ding seemed to notice it too and stared at the sky in confusion.

BOOM!

Suddenly, an overwhelming wave of black energy erupted from the platform, surging into the heavens like a tidal wave. The chilling aura spread across the area like the onset of winter, freezing everything in its path.

The sky grew even darker.

Principal Ding stumbled back in shock, his face pale. “Impossible!” he exclaimed.

—

Two streaks of light pierced through the darkness and descended onto the field. The crowd gasped as two figures appeared—Wu Yun, the commander of Yuan City’s Xinhuo Guard, and Jiang Youyi, the city’s governor.

“That’s Wu Yun! I’ve seen him on TV!” someone whispered in awe.

“And Jiang Youyi too! What are they doing here?!”

Wu Yun, rugged and battle-hardened with a face full of stubble, exuded a terrifyingly oppressive aura soaked in bloodlust. Jiang Youyi, dressed sharply in a suit and glasses, carried an air of cold authority.

“Principal Ding,” Wu Yun rasped, his voice harsh from years of shouting on battlefields. “Who is this?”

“This is Wang Qingqing, daughter of Squad Leader Wang Bing,” Principal Ding replied nervously.

“A Ghost Attribute... This is only the second time a Ghost Attribute has appeared in Xia Nation,” Jiang Youyi murmured as he adjusted his glasses, his narrow eyes glinting with cold light.

“And this awakening phenomenon... it’s even more terrifying than the last disaster,” Wu Yun added grimly as he gazed at the darkened sky.

“This is serious,” Jiang Youyi said decisively. “I’ll report this to higher authorities immediately. Until further notice... don’t let her leave Yuan City.”

With that, he vanished into thin air.

Their conversation wasn’t loud, but it was enough for the students near the platform to overhear. Panic began to spread through the crowd.

—

A Ghost Attribute!

Fifty years ago, Xia Nation had seen one other Ghost Attribute awakener—a prodigy with unparalleled talent. But that individual had betrayed the nation and unleashed catastrophic destruction upon an entire city. Half the population perished under their hands.

Since then, Ghost Attributes had been regarded as taboo—a curse rather than a blessing.

And now... Wang Qingqing had awakened this forbidden power?

The murmurs reached Xu Shen’s ears as he watched Wang Qingqing from afar. Her face was pale and filled with confusion and fear.

“A Ghost Attribute? How could it be?” she thought desperately. Neither of her parents had this attribute—it shouldn’t have been possible. Talents were typically inherited unless there was an extremely rare mutation.

But the reality was undeniable. She could feel the chilling ghostly energy flowing into her body from the surrounding spiritual energy.

—

Wu Yun stepped forward, his expression unreadable as he reached out toward Wang Qingqing. “Young lady, you’ll need to come with me.”

But before his hand could touch her, a black rusty knife suddenly appeared between them, stopping his fingers mid-air.

Wu Yun’s eyes narrowed as he pinched the blade between two fingers and looked up at its wielder—Xu Shen.

Xu Shen’s cold gaze met Wu Yun’s as he stood protectively in front of Wang Qingqing. Despite his fierce expression, a smile played on his lips.

“She’s just an eighteen-year-old girl who hasn’t done anything wrong,” Xu Shen said softly. “Why do you need to take her away?”

The crowd froze in shock. Had Xu Shen lost his mind? He just drew a knife on Wu Yun—the commander of Yuan City’s Xinhuo Guard and a peak Spirit Passage cultivator!

Wu Yun’s interest was piqued as he studied Xu Shen. Despite having no cultivation and being a Forbidden Body, this boy dared to challenge him?

“What’s your name?” Wu Yun asked with a raspy chuckle.

“Xu Shen.”

“If I insist on taking her away, you can’t stop me,” Wu Yun said calmly.

“I know,” Xu Shen replied evenly. “But I’ll make sure you leave with some injuries.”

“And if you don’t kill me... I’ll make life very difficult for your Xinhuo Guard.”

His tone was deadly serious.

Principal Ding’s face turned ghostly white. “Xu Shen! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!”

“You’re threatening me?” Wu Yun’s expression darkened as a wave of killing intent surged toward Xu Shen like a sea of blood filled with wailing corpses.

SLASH!

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To everyone’s astonishment, Xu Shen twisted his knife and drew blood—a single drop appeared on Wu Yun’s finger where the blade had grazed him.

Wu Yun stared at the tiny wound in disbelief while Xu Shen stood firm despite trembling slightly from the pressure. His protective stance over Wang Qingqing resembled that of a wild beast guarding its territory.

For a moment, Wu Yun was stunned into silence.

Even Principal Ding was dumbfounded. Did that rusty knife just... break through Wu Yun’s defenses?

Wu Yun finally snapped out of it and examined his finger closely. A faint line of blood marked where the knife had struck him.

“I let... a rusty knife... break my defense?” he muttered incredulously.

Suddenly, Wu Yun burst into laughter, clutching his face with one hand. “Xu Shen... hahaha! Good! I’ll remember you!”

With that, he turned and disappeared into the night sky as the darkness lifted and twilight returned.

—

Xu Shen let out a deep breath and flexed his cramping hand. That single strike had nearly pulled every muscle in his arm.

“It’s over,” he said quietly as he led Wang Qingqing away from the crowd. “He won’t take you now.”

“Thank you,” Wang Qingqing said softly, finally accepting her situation with quiet resolve.

As they walked toward the school gates hand-in-hand, someone muttered loudly behind them: “A Forbidden Body trash and a Ghost Attribute disaster... they’ll both end up locked away eventually.”

The speaker was a well-dressed boy with slicked-back hair standing near Liu Jian. Upon hearing this, Liu Jian immediately dragged his scrawny friend away from the boy like he was avoiding a plague.

The boy looked around in confusion. “What are you all afraid of? He’s just a Forbidden Body—what can he do?”

The crowd silently backed away from him as Xu Shen stopped in his tracks and turned to Wang Qingqing with a smile. “Wait here for me.”

Walking toward the boy with an unchanging smile, Xu Shen didn’t say a word before punching him square in the face. Blood sprayed as teeth flew out.

Grabbing the boy by his hair, Xu Shen slammed his head into the ground repeatedly until his face was unrecognizable and bloodied.

“Stop... please...” the boy whimpered through broken teeth and tears.

Xu Shen leaned down with that same chilling smile and whispered mockingly: “Laugh! Why aren’t you laughing? Weren’t you born to smile?”

To everyone watching, Xu Shen’s grin looked less like a smile and more like that of a devil himself.

—