Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 11

Ying Feng incredulously sized him up from head to toe. Under the mad-dog-like attack of that person just now, Zhu Yue had sustained several injuries, but no matter how one looked at it, he didn’t seem like he would bleed so much.

“Really?” He looked skeptical.

“Really.” Zhu Yue’s voice started soft then grew louder. “What exactly is going on? Why is the blood moving on its own?”

Ying Feng stared at him with a grim expression for a moment and suddenly pulled out his own dagger, swiftly making a cut on Zhu Yue’s fingertip.

“You!” Zhu Yue realized his intention and tried to pull back his hand, but he wasn’t as strong as Ying Feng. He watched helplessly as his blood dripped near Ying Feng’s bloodstain.

The two droplets of blood, though close, didn’t merge, contrasting starkly with the other bloodstains.

Zhu Yue had never expected Ying Feng to experiment on the spot. Panicking, he tried to disguise his true intentions.

“You lied to me,” Ying Feng said coldly.

Zhu Yue’s eyes flickered; his expression puzzled. “How… How could this happen? I don’t know…”

“Tell the truth.” Ying Feng’s grip was so tight it felt like he could crush his bones.

“I… I was knocked out just now. When I woke up, it was like this. I thought the blood on the ground was mine… because I couldn’t have injured that man earlier,” he stammered.

“Who was there just now?”

“Just the two of us… I don’t know what happened after I passed out. I just woke up right before you came.”

Suspicion filled Ying Feng’s eyes, but Zhu Yue remained adamant. Regrettably, when that person saw Ying Feng approaching earlier, he turned and ran, so Ying Feng didn’t even get a good look at him.

“Who attacked you just now?”

Zhu Yue timidly shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know why he targeted you?”

“There have always been many people bullying me in the academy. I dare not look at their faces.”

Zhu Yue mixed truth and falsehood in his words. Even Ying Feng knew that, due to Zhu Yue’s frailty, he had been bullied by seniors since joining the academy. Once, he was cornered and beaten by several students, but he only buried his head between his knees and sat on the ground without fighting back.

It was then that Ying Feng came to his rescue. Since then, Zhu Yue had followed him everywhere. But among the Tianxiu people, one was judged only by their strength. So, Ying Feng’s regard for Zhu Yue was perhaps even less than for Ling Xiao, who constantly provoked him.

Seeing him silent, Zhu Yue timidly asked, “Can you… tell me what’s really going on?”

Ying Feng, now close to the person he was looking for yet still out of reach, was no longer in the mood to entertain him. No matter how much Zhu Yue asked, he remained silent.

The two of them, one knew the truth and was desperate to understand the reasons, the other knew the reasons and was desperate to uncover the truth—both had their secrets, yet neither could get more information out of the other.

Ling Xiao gave a good lesson to the senior student who had dared to target him. Thinking of the other, he rushed back and witnessed the usually arrogant Ying Feng with a hand on Zhu Yue’s shoulder, asking urgently if he was hurt.

This scene was so jarring that he didn’t even want to approach and find out what was happening.

“Ling Xiao, what are you looking at?” Ping Zong happened to pass by, seeing Ling Xiao standing still and gazing into the distance, wondering what had caught his attention.

“Nothing,” Ling Xiao, not wanting Ping Zong to know his current mood, turned away.

Ping Zong felt something was off and noticed Ling Xiao’s bleeding hand. “Oh, how did you get hurt so badly?”

Only then did Ling Xiao remember his bleeding hand, but he couldn’t feel the pain anymore. “Just a minor injury.”

“This is a minor injury to you?” Without waiting for a response, Ping Zong grabbed him. “Come with me to the infirmary.”

Ling Xiao struggled but couldn’t break free. Though Ping Zong appeared not to be very strong, he effectively prevented Ling Xiao from escaping.

In the infirmary, an exasperated Ling Xiao asked, “You’re so strong. Does your Lan Sheng know?”

“He doesn’t need to know. If I asked him to go to the infirmary, he would go obediently.” Ping Zong seemed to be talking about Lan Sheng but was indirectly scolding Ling Xiao.

“I mean seriously. Every time you spar, you always let him win. Is that really a good thing?” Whether it was physical training or combat practice, Ping Zong always perfectly played the role of a sparring partner. Lan Sheng didn’t know, but Ling Xiao had a clear view from the sidelines.

“He has a strong personality. If he loses, he’ll be unhappy, and he might even lose his temper. By then, I’ll have to console him.” Ping Zong thought of something and chuckled. “In this respect, you’re quite similar to him.”

Ling Xiao was unhappy. “When have I ever lost my temper without reason?”

Ping Zong pretended not to hear. “Moreover, letting him win doesn’t hurt me. It makes him happy, so why not?”

“If you two really face off at the coming-of-age ceremony, it’s uncertain who will win or lose.”

“Given Lan Sheng’s character, losing in such a significant event might upset him greatly. Moreover, after he becomes the Qizhu, he will gain my abilities. Having great power has always been his wish, while my desire for it is not as intense as his.”

Ling Xiao heard the carefree tone, as if they weren’t discussing something so significant, but just a trivial matter.

“You’re really magnanimous.” He sincerely admired the person in front of him.

“It’s not about being magnanimous. When you truly like someone, you’ll also have the idea of willingly becoming their Qizi.”

“That’s impossible,” Ling Xiao immediately refuted. “I will never think like that.”

“When in front of someone you truly like, you can yield anything.”

“If I like someone, I must conquer them. Only by gaining power can I better protect them. This doesn’t contradict yielding because of love.”

Ping Zong just chuckled upon hearing. “That’s because you haven’t truly liked someone yet.”

Ling Xiao disagreed. “According to what you said, if Lan Sheng truly liked you, he should willingly be your Qizi for your sake. But from what I know of him, that’s impossible.”

Ping Zong pondered and shook his head. “I don’t doubt his sincerity towards me. But perhaps, as you said, some people are just like that. Even if they truly love someone, they won’t bow their heads for love. I can’t argue with you. Lan Sheng is that kind of person, and you are of the same kind. I was presumptuous.”

“So, you plan to continue to go easy on him until the coming-of-age ceremony?”

Ping Zong was non-committal. “Why not? Since there must be a winner and loser. If he’s not willing to lose, then I’ll bow first.”

The two reached the medical building, surprisingly packed with people.

“What’s going on?” Ling Xiao was taken aback. “A contagious disease?”

The sophisticated term was something he learned from a biology book. Everyone knew that the people of Tianxiu didn’t have contagious diseases or even illnesses. The so-called medical building spent most of its time treating injuries from those who loved to fight.

“The school issued a notice. Everyone needs to come and get a blood draw.”

“A notice? Why didn’t I see it?”

“I wanted to tell you yesterday, but you ran off. Lan Sheng and I already had it done yesterday.”

Ping Zong led him to a temporary blood station where two staff members in white uniforms were drawing blood, with a long line behind.

“This student is injured. Can you please take his blood first?”

Everyone had no objections, and Ling Xiao was moved to the front.

“Fighting again, weren’t you?” To his surprise, there were even teachers from the academy in the front line. Seeing Ling Xiao’s condition, one teased, “You energetic fledglings can’t sit still for a day without causing a ruckus.”

Ling Xiao sheepishly grinned. “Teacher, why are you here for a blood draw?”

“This blood draw is mandatory. All people of Tianxiu must participate,” the staff member drawing his blood replied.

“Where are you from?”

“We are from the Disease Control Center.”

“Oh,” Ling Xiao recognized the name. Its full name was the Tianxiu Mental Disease Control Center. Mental illness was probably the only disease the people of Tianxiu could suffer from.

“Did something happen? Such a large-scale blood draw?”

“We found a new blood-borne disease…”

Ling Xiao’s eyes widened. “So it really is a contagious disease?”

“Don’t worry, this disease is relatively harmless. We’re just doing a check for safety, and also researching its cause.”

Ling Xiao nodded, not quite understanding.

“All done.” The staff member filled a vial with blood and carefully recorded Ling Xiao’s personal information. “You can go and treat your wound now.”

Under Ping Zong’s escort, Ling Xiao returned to the medical room. With Tianxiu’s advanced medical technology and their special constitution, his wound healed in a short time, leaving only a faint scar across his palm.

“See, I told you it was just a minor injury. You made such a big deal out of it.”

“If you talk again, I’ll beat you until you’re severely injured; let’s see if you’ll think I’m overreacting then.”

“Haha, come on. I’ve always wanted to have a real showdown with you to see how deep your hidden strength really is.” Ling Xiao rubbed his hands in anticipation.

Suddenly, a voice interjected. “Fighting is prohibited in the medical building. Do you want me to lock both of you in the intensive care unit?”

Embarrassed, Ling Xiao lowered his fists. He and Ping Zong both respectfully greeted Dr. Yao.

Behind Yao Tai was a fledgling that Ling Xiao had never seen before. With large, curious eyes, the fledgling’s gaze wandered over the two of them, full of wonder.

Yao Tai spoke, but her words were directed at the fledgling behind her. “These are bad examples from the academy. Don’t follow their lead.”

Ling Xiao: 囧*

*A Chinese character that has become an internet phenomenon and is widely used to express embarrassment and gloom because of the character’s resemblance to a sad facial expression.

“This is a new student who just enrolled today,” Yao Tai introduced. “His name is Xing Lou, and he will be your junior.”

“Hello, I’m Ping Zong, a tenth grader.”

“Ling Xiao.”

Xing Lou bowed politely. “Hello, seniors.”

“He looks quite well-behaved.”

“There are too many people here today, and I can’t spare the time.” Yao Tai instructed, “You two take him to the first-year dormitory and help him settle in.”

“No problem,” Ling Xiao replied while shaking his head. “Let’s go.”

“Thank you, seniors.”

On the way, Ling Xiao and Ping Zong showed Xing Lou around, introducing him to the various buildings of the academy. When they reached the main gate of the dormitory area, Ling Xiao said to Ping Zong, “You can go back first. I can take him the rest of the way.”

“Alright.” Ping Zong patted Xing Lou’s head. Though they all appeared to be of the same age, for someone like Xing Lou, who just awakened, the seniors couldn’t help but act like elder siblings. “If you need anything, come find me.”

“Thank you, senior. Goodbye.”

After bidding farewell to Ping Zong, Xing Lou followed Ling Xiao to the first-year dormitory. At the dormitory office, they found out his room number.

“During your time at the base, the staff will give you a card…”

“Is it this one?” Xing Lou pulled out his magnetic card.

“Yes, that card is very important. You use it to make purchases, and your living allowance is regularly deposited into it.” Ling Xiao pointed to Xing Lou’s dorm door. “Another function of it is to unlock the door.”

Xing Lou swiped the card, and the door opened automatically. Every room in the academy, regardless of the grade level, had the same configuration.

“Wow, such a big bed. Does every room have a double bed?”

“Yes, so you don’t roll off while sleeping,” Ling Xiao joked, but Xing Lou took him seriously.

“Really? The academy is so considerate.”

Ling Xiao gave Xing Lou a detailed introduction to everything in the room. “This is the network connection device. Through it, you can access the interactive web. You can also bind it to your terminal, allowing you to surf the web anywhere, anytime.”

Xing Lou nodded and wrote it down.

“And this is a teleportation device. If you buy something online, it’ll be delivered to you through this device. Very convenient.”

“That’s amazing.” Xing Lou carefully touched the exterior of the teleporter. Ling Xiao was amused by his action, but he understood. When he first encountered these things, he too was filled with curiosity and awe, just like Xing Lou.

After Xing Lou got the hang of the basic functionalities, Ling Xiao prepared to leave. “That’s it. Call me if you need anything.”

After exchanging contact information, Xing Lou expressed his gratitude. “Thank you, senior. Please take care of me in the future.”

“You’re too polite,” Ling Xiao replied, patting Xing Lou’s head affectionately.

After seeing Ling Xiao off, the first thing Xing Lou did was to check out the network connection device.

Browsing the web? Sounds interesting.

He followed the method taught by Ling Xiao and connected his terminal.

“AHHHHHHH!!”

A sharp scream alerted Ling Xiao, who was still nearby. He rushed back, kicking open Xing Lou’s door, “What happened?!”

Xing Lou, with innocent wide eyes, said, “There was a spider on the ceiling…”

Ling Xiao looked exasperated. “As a Tianxiu person who fears nothing, how can you be afraid of a spider?”

Xing Lou felt embarrassed by his reaction.

Ling Xiao let it slide. “Where’s the spider now?”

Xing Lou looked up. “I think I scared it away.”

Ling Xiao: “…”

“I’m okay now. Sorry for making you worried,” Xing Lou said.

Ling Xiao waved it off. “Just don’t get scared so easily next time.”

Xing Lou nodded vigorously. “Okay!”

Ling Xiao, still a bit concerned, finally left.

Out of his sight, behind the wall, the first-year student of Bikong Academy, Xing Lou, was curiously examining his hands with a mysterious smile playing on his lips.

“It’s been a long time, world. I’m back.”

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