Seventeen

Topic: Killing a fish?

Content: Rumor has it that an hour ago, a bighead fish from the neighboring art academy lost control during practice, flew into the dormitory building, was killed by Youqi, and stewed for Zhou Mu to eat.

1L: Hey, I'm the Fog Whale right here! I didn't lose control — my opponent did and knocked me over there. I'm still alive!

2L: ...LMAO, the rumor mill got busted on the spot.

3L: Bighead fish?? The school clinic's internet is pretty fast, huh??

4L: Since you're here, tell us what happened. It's been ages since Youqi fought anyone. After all these years at Hualing, he's long since established his reputation... Back in the day, some reckless Fierce Beast thought they could take him on, and it proved that even among Fierce Beasts, there are levels. Was this bighead fish situation really that critical? Otherwise, why would Youqi lose it?

5L: Mainly because Youqi's roommate was still there. Unlike the other students who've gotten used to running at the first sign of trouble on campus, I figure he did it for his roommate. The OP has good logic here — Youqi really has been feeding Zhou Mu this whole time @Gui Youqi

6L: Then he could've just grabbed his roommate and run.

7L: Run? Why would our Youqi's roommate need to suffer that? Haven't you seen how well Youqi feeds him? Too bad the roommate doesn't seem to have gained much weight.

8L: Speaking of which, Zhou Xiangxiang seems to have signed up for the Sports Meet. I happened to catch his name on the list, but he hasn't shown up to practice. I think he's just doing it for fun.

9L: Going to the University Games just for fun? How arrogant — that's our Youqi's man for you.

10L: Careful with the memes upstairs, you might get beaten to death.

11L: If I were Youqi, I'd feed him the same way. I'd carry him in my pocket and feed him every day — so soft, so cute, can't bear to eat him right away. Ah, now I'm hungry. Going to order takeout.

...

30L: [Image][Image][Image] My dinner~

31L: [Image] Digging in!

33L: ?? I knew it — every thread that mentions Zhou Mu ends up being people showing off food.

34L: I'm the Fog Whale, seriously no one cares about me? I broke Youqi's face!!

.

Room 1203

Zhou Mu looked at Youqi deeply — a look unlike his usual liveliness.

Youqi couldn't tell whether it was his actions or his words that caused it. Fortunately, that expression on Zhou Mu's face lasted only a moment. Zhou Mu's fingers brushed Youqi's cheek: '...How could I.'

Youqi was about to say more.

'Come inside, let me put some medicine on that.' Zhou Mu turned as he spoke.

Youqi grabbed his hand at once.

'I'll get the medicine.' Zhou Mu pulled his hand free. He looked at his palm — still stained with Youqi's blood, carrying its metallic scent. After a moment's hesitation, he wiped it clean with a towel, then took out the leftover ointment from before.

Seeing this, Youqi touched his own wound and hesitated too. Maybe the timing wasn't right — Zhou Mu's nerves were still rattled.

He propped himself on the windowsill with one hand, shifting from a crouch to a seat, head bowed, letting Zhou Mu dab ointment on his cheek with a cotton swab. Even when it stung, he didn't dare move, afraid of startling Zhou Mu again.

Zhou Mu's movements were still a bit mechanical — applying medicine while lost in thought, wondering how a Fierce Beast like Youqi could have acted so irrationally. When he'd left home for school, he'd hollered that he'd never contact his family again, but now he almost wanted to text his elders back home.

Youqi stayed silent, but he could feel that Zhou Mu's hands held no fear, which put him at ease. As long as he waited for the right moment... Thinking this, even the breeze drifting in through the window seemed to soften.

'Director Cui's here! Director Cui's here!'

Outside came the noisy shouts of students from other dorms, along with the clatter of contraband being hastily hidden.

But Cui Jue didn't seem to have come for an inspection. Soon enough, the door of Room 1203 was knocked on, accompanied by the Door-Protecting Grass grumbling and cursing.

Youqi said, 'Come in.'

Cui Jue poked his head in cautiously, his face sullen from being scolded by the Door-Protecting Grass. 'Quite a commotion earlier, haha. I just had someone send Yu Daoyi to the school clinic — came to check on you two.'

Yu Daoyi was apparently that Fog Whale's name. Since this involved Youqi, it was no surprise Cui Jue was so attentive.

Although Youqi had struck a classmate, the facts proved the classmate had violated school rules first, so Cui Jue naturally wouldn't punish Youqi — he'd even praise him: 'Good thing Youqi stepped in, otherwise it would've startled... all the students.'

And the fact that he could strike and then stop — cultivating a Fierce Beast born with killing intent and tangled in the six desires into such a measured student — Hualing's years of education had truly paid off.

Cui Jue only noticed the wound on Youqi's face as he drew closer, and the ointment still in Zhou Mu's hand.

'What happened to his face? Who bit him?' Cui Jue weighed it in his mind — that Yu kid studied art, there was no way he could've hurt Youqi.

'Teacher Cui, what kind of bite leaves marks like this?' Zhou Mu said, displeased. 'These are all from that little fat fish scraping him. Doesn't this count as serious disciplinary violation? He should be punished, right?'

'Haha, well, let's wait until he wakes up to discuss that.' Cui Jue still found it strange. 'He managed to scrape Youqi and injure him? Youqi, were you already wounded before?'

Youqi thought Cui Jue was being a bit neurotic. 'No.'

Cui Jue laughed sheepishly: 'Oh, good then. I just came to check — I've got other things to do.'

Zhou Mu's eyes lit up, and he chuckled: 'Teacher Cui, aren't you busy hosting the representative teams from other schools for the Sports Meet? We signed up for the team combat event — got any intel for us?'

Cui Jue gazed at the ceiling: 'I'd love to, but apparently the referee they sent this time is a Xiezhi — a fair beast, impartial and incorruptible. I doubt he'll give me the chance to play favorites.'

'Besides, even without intel, I believe you can take the Champion title and bring glory to Hualing.' Cui Jue's encouragement carried a note of entrustment. 'Although this is your first time competing, Zhou Mu only came to Hualing this year — Youqi, you must protect your roommate!'

Perhaps because Zhou Mu was one of the few from the Yao Clan, and his racial traits set him apart, Cui Jue had always looked out for him.

Youqi, seeing that Cui Jue was asking him to look after Zhou Mu, answered earnestly: 'Understood, Teacher. I'll protect him.'

.

Canteen.

Zhou Mu, Youqi, and Tianqi sat together, listening to Tianqi rattle on about the art of governance.

'...See, when our homeroom teacher wants me to do something, it's all "Tianqi this, Tianqi that," but when I send her a WeChat, she doesn't even reply!' Tianqi said, showing Zhou Mu his phone.

'Eighteen sixty-second voice messages — no wonder the teacher ignores you, huh.' Chun Shijiu popped up from behind again. He'd been training his state of mind lately, becoming a ghost — you never knew where he'd be lurking.

Tianqi ducked behind Zhou Mu when he saw him: 'What do you want?!'

'Don't I need to eat too?' Chun Shijiu said breezily, setting his tray down at their table. Seeing Tianqi shielding Zhou Mu was a bit funny — he poked Tianqi's forehead with one finger.

'Careful, or Senior Youqi will beat you up!' Tianqi twisted his head away, knowing to invoke Youqi to scare people.

'The Canteen is a public space — on what grounds would he hit me? I heard you found three other people for the team combat event — why invite Gui Youqi but not me?' Chun Shijiu looked at Zhou Mu with ill intent, knowing full well Zhou Mu was afraid of him.

Zhou Mu threw an arm around Tianqi and leaned against Youqi. Youqi was wearing the white shirt Zhou Mu had given him — according to the campus forum, it made him look less fierce.

Youqi said flatly: 'We're full already.'

Chun Shijiu: '...'

Chun Shijiu cursed and ranted, but for the moment couldn't retort — it was he who had competed with Gui Youqi first.

'Hey, look!' Tianqi struggled free from Zhou Mu's arms, raised a small hand, and pointed out the window at the First Floor Plaza. 'That's the referee team this time. I went to greet them this morning — they were holding flowers, and the moment they came out, they shook them and presented them.'

Didn't expect Hualing to pull this kind of thing too — wait, surely the team leader didn't propose this himself?

Zhou Mu thought this, looked through the window, and saw Cui Jue accompanying a group of referees in round-collared robes and jade belts. The one leading them had a goatee — a refined middle-aged man with an air of majesty that needed no anger.

'See, that's the head referee, Xie Rulin. They say Xiezhi carry the Qilin Bloodline — like a qilin but with one horn. Pure qilin can't be seen anymore; I wonder if we'll get the chance to see Teacher Xie's true form this time — it'd be like witnessing the qilin's bearing firsthand. They say this Xiezhi can tell loyalty from treachery. I always felt that when we presented flowers today, Teacher Xie smiled at me — does he think I'm some kind of righteous official too...' Tianqi's little mouth kept running, but he noticed Zhou Mu staring down below, unconsciously standing up.

He couldn't help stretching his neck a bit — surely Xiao Mu didn't long for the qilin even more than he did?

Youqi, seeing something off in Zhou Mu's expression, asked: 'What's wrong?'

'That one — looks like a senior of mine from before.' Zhou Mu pointed at another person in the referee team. Though he said 'looks like,' his sharp eyes had already confirmed it, and a smile gradually rose to his face.

Cui Jue was also leading the referee team in from the first floor — presumably to host them for a meal.

The person Zhou Mu pointed to stood at the head referee Xie Rulin's side. From his appearance, he looked about twenty-three or twenty-four — dressed in white as pure as snow, eyes cold as winter stars, long ink-black hair bound up with a jade crown, every movement composed and measured, expression cool and aloof with a hint of pride, an otherworldly air, like an immortal banished from heaven.

The moment he stepped into the Canteen, he drew countless gazes.

Zhou Mu was thrilled. He ran two or three steps to the staircase and called out: 'Senior!'

It was the first time Youqi had seen Zhou Mu so delighted — but then again, Zhou Mu had left home to attend Hualing, and at school he had no old acquaintances or fellow townsmen, so it was understandable.

The one called senior looked up, saw it was Zhou Mu, and showed a similar surprise. He turned his head and exchanged a few quiet words with Xie Rulin and Cui Jue, then gracefully lifted his hem and ascended the steps toward Zhou Mu.

'Oh, so that's Xiao Mu's senior.' Tianqi whispered.

When he'd presented flowers that morning, aside from the Xiezhi, this person had left the deepest impression on him.

Tianqi turned to Youqi and said: 'He's so cold and aloof — when we presented flowers, he just stood there coldly without a word. I overheard two teachers gossiping — this one cultivated into a spirit from an antique of the Human Race, that's why he has such style, and he's under national protection!'

'...' Chun Shijiu laughed coldly. 'Heh, he's not also a spirit from a terracotta warrior, is he?'

Style? I call it showing off.

Tianqi was confused: 'What terracotta warrior? Doesn't seem like it, but he does have over a thousand years of history.'

Youqi said nothing, but naturally thought of the time Zhou Mu had tricked Chun Shijiu — could the inspiration for those lines have been this senior?

If so, it seemed they had been close before...

Zhou Mu, seeing his senior had come up, greeted him with a bright smile: 'Long time no see, Senior Cong — you're as elegant as ever.'

The senior nodded and returned the courtesy with cupped hands.

Senior Cong?

Chun Shijiu said coolly: 'Didn't you say he cultivated from an antique? What — a thousand-year-old green onion just pulled from the ground?'

The senior, his immortal air still flowing, said: 'That statement is erroneous. I am the sword "Qingcong" worn by Duke Huan of Qi, which cultivated into spirit, hence my self-given title, "Gongzi Cong."'

But Chun Shijiu grew even more suspicious: '...There's a sword named after a scallion?'

Zhou Mu explained on his behalf, quite proudly: 'Haven't you read anything? "The Cong of Duke Huan, the Que of the Grand Duke, the Lu of King Wen, the Hu of Lord Zhuang, the Ganjiang of Helü, Moye, Juque, Pilü — these are all the fine swords of antiquity."'

The sword worn by Duke Huan of Qi, one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period — not just a thousand-year-old sword, but one of immense historical significance.

But Chun Shijiu, having been tricked by Zhou Mu once before, was full of doubt about anything similar. Zhou Mu explaining on behalf of this show-off made him trust it even less: 'Scam. You two are making this up on the spot.'

As the saying goes, things shouldn't happen more than three times. After Chun Shijiu's third questioning, Gongzi Cong's gaze turned unfriendly.

'What are you doing? I don't care whether you believe me or not — scram!' Gongzi Cong scolded loudly, his immortal air instantly turning to sword qi. When he spoke in a hurry, he slipped into the Qi-state accent passed down for a thousand years — quite persuasive and quite... refined.

Chun Shijiu: '...'