Chapter 16

Youqi's fellow disciples all wore the dumbstruck look of people who'd never seen the world, their brain capacity temporarily insufficient to process the scene before them. These two people, kind of seem like... but also impossible... right?

Cao Xueqin was also speechless. He picked up that tiny piece of Crispy Roll, light and careful, afraid that one bit of force would crush it out of existence.

Forget it. The master-disciple bond is only worth this much.

Just one bite's worth. Cao Xueqin bit down with an 'ah-woo,' the crispy pastry breaking into countless fragments between his teeth, making crunching sounds, revealing the soft, yielding interior in distinct layers.

The crisp, delicate pastry wrapped around bits of ham. One bite first caught the pastry's crunch, then the ham's fragrance burst out forcefully alongside those tender bits popping in his mouth — rich, salty-sweet. This was salt wrapped in sweetness, and sweetness cast by threads of salt.

It was delicious!

Teacher Cao felt he understood why Youqi had never eaten Zhou Mu — wouldn't it be a waste to eat him right away, with such good craftsmanship?

He was clearly thinking about this, but because he'd glanced at Youqi two more times, Youqi immediately sensed the threat, took out utensils, and ate up most of his Crispy Roll.

Teacher Cao: '...'

Such a filial disciple. He could cry.

Crunch crunch crunch.

Youqi bit into it, and the others watched him, swallowing hard.

For Youqi, this was truly a strange, unfamiliar experience — being watched with envy.

It was actually rather satisfying.

After leaving the lab, Zhou Mu mentioned to Youqi his idea of signing up for the Sports Meet to win prize money, looking like he wanted to enter every event, and asked if Youqi wanted to join too.

The Yao Clan University's University Games were really different — not even a Selection Contest. If you had the guts, just sign up. Everyone lived long lives, the territory was vast, and more people meant more rounds.

But as Yan Xingke had warned, these contests were brutal. Ordinary students wanting to participate would first weigh their own capacity to endure.

Youqi said with amusement, 'Are you that hard up for money?'

'I need to earn my own living expenses.' Not knowing how long the standoff with his family would last, Zhou Mu explained.

'Don't you have some kind of Yao Clan subsidy?' Youqi recalled that Zhou Mu seemed to go to Cui Jue's Office often for this matter.

'Uh, that.' Zhou Mu rarely faltered. 'I spend a lot too.'

That wasn't wrong. Zhou Mu's favorite thing was to sweep vending machines clean.

Youqi considered for a moment. 'The combat events have a team competition — five people per team, and it's the one with the richest prize money. If you really want to participate, I'll sign up for this one with you. Forget the others — they'd drain your energy, and they don't suit you. You wouldn't have time to study. If you need money, just go hunt a few more yao beasts.'

Zhou Mu brightened. Youqi knew the area around Hualing far better than he did, and exactly where to hunt. With such an effortless method, of course he wouldn't ask to enter more events.

'You're so good,' Zhou Mu praised. 'For the five-person team event, we still need three more people.'

He immediately started calculating: 'My shixiong Yan said I could find him if I needed anything. Let's bring him along. There's also Xu Tianyi, the upperclassman, we can ask him. The last one...'

...

Zhou Mu: 'Sign your name here, Gui Gui.'

Youqi: 'You're the only one left.'

Gui Gui: '...'

Gui Youqi took the registration form and said in despair, 'Why me? I don't want to join a fighting competition. I'm here to study.'

Why did the combat events have the highest prize money? Because they were the most brutal. Though he was bold by nature, he had a sense of proportion — he didn't want to brawl with experts from other schools.

'Nonsense. I checked — your grades are terrible. Might as well enter and earn some credits.' Zhou Mu had brought Youqi to persuade Gui Youqi to join their team.

Youqi also said, 'What's there to drag your feet about? You don't even have to fight.'

Gui Youqi thought, Nonsense. You bastards just want me to get hurt so you can pick up a few whiskers to take home and eat. It's written all over your faces!

But Gui Youqi looked at Youqi again. Joining the competition meant possibly getting hurt later. Refusing now meant getting hurt immediately.

Gui Youqi could still do that math. With a constipated expression, he said, 'Hmph, fine.'

'Great, we'll definitely carry you to victory. Hey Gui Gui, let me check how your last injury's healing — I've been so worried.' Zhou Mu's tone was as concerned as if he were Gui Youqi's own father.

Gui Youqi: '...'

Gui Youqi was a great evil fish in the sea, and at School he was also a bully. But right now, wanting to lose his temper but wary of Youqi, and not wanting to be eaten, he said awkwardly, 'No need, Gui Gui hasn't fully healed.'

Before Zhou Mu could say anything, a student passing by made a 'yue' sound.

Gui Youqi exploded in rage. A tentacle shot out, wrapped around the student, and he roared, 'What do you mean! You dare mock me! Bully me! Covet me!'

The student: '...??'

Wait, where did the last two come from?

Gui Youqi let out a long howl, about to pummel him. The student clutched his head and shouted, 'Shixiong Gui, I'm not mocking you — I'm Boyu!'

'...On Mount Nengzheng, there is no grass or trees. The Shigao River flows from it, westward into the Ge River. In it there are many Boyu, shaped like zhan fish but with one eye, their sound like retching (ou); when they appear, the world suffers a great drought.'

Gui Youqi clenched his fist and glared at him ferociously for a long moment before tossing him down. 'Get lost.'

The Boyu student: 'Okay, yue.'

%#@* This thing really deserves a beating. Afraid people won't know you're a Boyu?

Gui Youqi turned back still wearing a fierce expression, only to see Zhou Mu still watching him with paternal concern. He immediately felt a chill, and the tentacle he'd extended quickly retracted. 'I have class! See you at the competition!!'

Zhou Mu took the registration form to sign up. The one in charge was Xu Tianyi, the perpetually busy student council officer.

He was part of the team. When Zhou Mu had come to ask, Xu Tianyi had thought, A free win, why not? and agreed offhand. Now, taking the form and seeing that the last name was Gui Youqi's, he couldn't help laughing out loud.

The incident of Gui Youqi being 'beached' at the Canteen had long been known throughout Hualing.

'Is he here to be the cook and the meal?' Xu Tianyi said teasingly. 'Junior, how did you convince Gui Youqi to join the team?'

'Nothing much, just 'You-persuaded' him a bit.' Zhou Mu also laughed. 'Had Youqi convince him.'

Xu Tianyi: '...'

Got it. So that's what 'You-persuasion' means. Worthy disciple of the Lake-Sea Wanderer. Your Chinese is really good.

He entered the form and said, 'The School has opened some areas for participating students to practice. If you want to practice, stay within the designated range, and — be careful. Those Yao Clan members are shameless.'

For example, students practicing sword-riding would deliberately fly low to provoke Xiao Xiao into chasing them from behind.

.

After registering, Zhou Mu attended classes when he had them, and no one saw him go to the practice areas in his spare time.

This wasn't strange. Though Youqi had never registered, no one doubted he could carry four people to Champion. Under such circumstances, it would be stupid for Zhou Mu to go to the chaotic practice grounds.

'Zhou Mu, no disciple of mine has ever placed in the Sports Meet. This time, you must do me proud.' Luo Guanzhong instructed Zhou Mu.

A shixiong shouted, 'Teacher, isn't a Champion from our school practically guaranteed? As long as little shidi doesn't fall out with Youqi.'

Luo Guanzhong: 'Normal. Long divided must unite, long united must divide...'

Zhou Mu: '...'

'Ding.' Zhou Mu looked down at the sound. 'Oh, Teacher, my package arrived. May I leave first?'

Luo Guanzhong waved his hand, gesturing him to go.

Zhou Mu ran to the gate guard to pick up the package. One look at the address and he knew — it was the clothes he'd ordered for Youqi from the Human Race's Lao Cai Feng last time.

Zhou Mu opened it in Room 1203. Inside was a suit, including shirt, tie, and so on. Also a tie (forced out of) Lao Cai Feng as a gift, made from the leftover fabric of the suit. Plus some secondhand items like measuring tapes and scissors.

He cursed the old man on sight: 'Leftover fabric and you only made one tie? Stingy to death!'

Grumbling, he changed into a shirt and held the tie up to compare. Not bad — after all, he'd chosen the fabric and style to his own taste. He'd keep this one for himself. Youqi probably didn't need that many ties anyway, so he'd take this small advantage.

Just as he was thinking this, Youqi pushed the door open and came in.

He saw Zhou Mu wearing a well-tailored shirt, in the middle of tying a tie.

The shirt cinched at the waist, making his figure look slender and sharp. Though Zhou Mu was usually lazy — too lazy to walk after eating — at this moment, his posture was actually excellent, his back straight, not an ounce of excess flesh.

And Youqi noticed the tie in his hand...

Then he looked at the other suit hanging up, clearly a larger size, apparently made of the same fabric.

'You're back, Youqi. Hurry and try it on, the gift's here.' Zhou Mu urged him, seeing him staring at his tie. 'Oh, this is a freebie from the old man. I'm using it myself, that okay?'

Youqi had no objection, and even felt an inexplicable pleasure seeing what looked like a matching set. He picked up the suit, saw Zhou Mu still watching him, and turned toward the bathroom.

'Can't you change out here? So stingy.' Zhou Mu grumbled.

He looked down, planning to take this chance to send a WeChat message cursing Lao Cai Feng. He'd only typed two characters when his right ear twitched slightly.

What sound?

Zhou Mu hooked the bed frame with his hand, his whole body flipping nimbly toward the sound, landing silently by the window. He looked up and out, his round apricot eyes briefly cold and sharp as a blade drawn from its sheath.

He saw sword-qi crisscrossing in the high sky, two sword-riders locked in combat.

Whether they'd gotten carried away or not, they'd actually left the School's designated practice area.

After a violent clash, clouds of dust scattered. One of them was struck down, and in midair transformed back to his original form — so vast it blotted out the sky. Anyone who recognized it could name it: clearly a young fog whale, plummeting toward the dormitory buildings like a cannonball. Given its massive form and falling speed, the pressure was overwhelming.

At the same time, Zhou Mu heard exclamations of 'Holy shit' rising from the dormitory building — clearly others had noticed too. After all, living in Hualing, they'd seen every kind of danger; their alertness was sharp.

If the fog whale were allowed to crash down, Building 5 would probably need to be rebuilt.

So big...

Zhou Mu gripped the window frame tighter. From the corner of his eye, he caught a figure flying out from the balcony next door, charging straight at the fog whale without evasion, and before it could fall further, punched it in the belly.

The fog whale's massive body actually stalled midair!

All the students watching from windows or already fleeing the building went 'Ooo—' — they could see clearly that the one who struck was Youqi.

And Youqi was, unusually, wearing a white shirt. The buttons weren't fully fastened, the tie wasn't on, and the collar fluttered in the wind, brushing against the lower edge of his Mouth Cage.

The fog whale, in pain bordering on madness, wailed and struck back, spewing several arrows condensed from water.

Ordinary large whales can expel about 1,500 liters of air per second. The arrows the fog whale condensed and shot out in pain were even more astonishing in force and speed — so fast that the intense vibration produced an explosive sound tearing through the air!

But Youqi was a Wind Riding beast, and his speed had never disappointed.

Youqi dodged sideways, narrowly avoiding having his shirt torn, but several bloody scratches appeared on his cheek and neck.

Blood awakens a beast's ferocity. Youqi's expression chilled, his eyes darker still. Riding the wind, he seized the fog whale's tail, didn't draw his blade, and with bare hands hurled the massive creature down, slamming it hard into the ground!

Building 5 was saved, but the greenery in front was destroyed, a deep crater smashed into the ground.

'Hooo—' the fog whale student let out a high-pitched but feeble, broken wail.

Youqi's fighting spirit hadn't faded. Seeing the fog whale had lost the ability to move, he turned around, and every student watching within his line of sight stepped back two paces, avoiding his overly sharp aura.

Building 5 seemed untouched, only dust rolling. Youqi leaped, his hand catching the windowsill of Room 1203, flipped up, and crouched at the window — face to face with Zhou Mu standing just inside.

Zhou Mu instinctively stepped back. Beneath Youqi's wind-tangled hair, his eyes were still bright with an uncooled cold intent. The wounds on his cheek had already sent two trails of blood dripping down. Beneath his open collar, the vivid red wounds and dust were even more shocking against the white shirt.

This wasn't the first time Youqi had acted violently in front of Zhou Mu. At the start of the semester, he'd killed a Tiger Hawk right in front of him, and Zhou Mu had been frightened then too. Or — at first, when Youqi was tempted by Zhou Mu's scent, and Zhou Mu had shrunk under his hunting posture. Though they'd recovered later, it was obvious: how could anyone not fear a creature that wanted to eat them?

At this moment, Youqi saw him step back too. His lips moved, wanting to say something but unable to.

Only then did Zhou Mu notice Youqi's shirt was undamaged while those few blood scratches existed. His eyesight was that good — recalling it, he naturally understood why Youqi's dodging trajectory hadn't been perfect. Zhou Mu couldn't help reaching out, using his fingertip to wipe the blood from his face.

Suddenly, Zhou Mu's gaze froze.

He sensed that Youqi had dropped all defenses beneath his palm, stopped circulating spiritual energy, just like the most ordinary beast in the mortal world. And given Zhou Mu's current position, Youqi's vital point was right under his hand.

He couldn't understand — why would anyone expose their vital point like this, when not under threat?

Youqi tilted his head slightly, pressing into his palm, and said softly, '...Don't be afraid of me.'