A shrill scream sent everyone in the courtyard into a sudden panic. Before the lackeys could react, they felt a heavy kick land on their faces, instantly dizzying them and sending them tumbling to the ground, unable to get up for a long while.
The abrupt turn of events left Ji Tongzhou stunned. Before he could even process what was happening, he saw Lei Xiuyuan take down one after another, kicking his lackeys to the ground in the blink of an eye. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words came out.
The next moment, Lei Xiuyuan wiped his hands on his clothes and actually began walking toward him. Lan Ya Junzhu shrieked in fear, shrinking behind Ji Tongzhou and trembling uncontrollably.
Ji Tongzhou stepped in front of her, finally finding his voice. "...What do you think you're doing?"
Lei Xiuyuan ignored him, brushing past his shoulder as if intending to return to his room like nothing had happened.
Ji Tongzhou immediately flared up, shouting, "Stop right there! You just beat people up and now you're acting like nothing happened?!"
Lei Xiuyuan still paid him no mind. Unable to hold back, Ji Tongzhou grabbed his clothes and yanked hard. Unexpectedly, Lei Xiuyuan blocked with a palm strike and kicked the back of his knee, sending him stumbling to the ground instead.
Lan Ya Junzhu gasped and rushed over as if to help him up, but suddenly, she felt a tight grip around her neck—one hand clutching her collar, the other seizing her belt. Before she could even scream, she was flung through the air like a cloud and hurled out of the courtyard, landing hard on the ground, too pained to get up.
"Stop!" Ji Tongzhou scrambled to his feet, glaring furiously. "Fighting between men, and you drag a woman into it? Have you no shame?!"
Lei Xiuyuan glanced at him, wiping his hands on his clothes again as if to rid them of something filthy. "You pick fights with Jiang Li Fei, a girl, every single day. Seems like you're the one with no shame."
Ji Tongzhou was momentarily speechless. In his mind, he had probably never considered that androgynous beggar a girl. Steeling himself, he snapped, "What kind of woman is she?! You go apologize to Lan Ya right now! Otherwise, I won’t let you off today!"
Lei Xiuyuan let out a low, scornful chuckle. This attitude thoroughly enraged the proud young prince. Learning from his earlier mistake, he no longer grabbed from behind but instead circled in front, raising his hand to seize him.
Yet again, Lei Xiuyuan blocked him. With a sharp smack , Ji Tongzhou felt a stinging numbness on his face—Lei Xiuyuan had cleanly slapped him.
That slap ignited his pride and fury. Ji Tongzhou retaliated lightning-fast, grabbing Lei Xiuyuan’s arm and punching him square in the face.
Lei Xiuyuan seemed momentarily dazed by the blow, covering his face with a dark expression. Ji Tongzhou sneered, "Apologize now?"
Before he could finish, a punch landed on his nose in retaliation. Enraged, he kicked out, and soon the two boys were trading blows—first with some semblance of technique, but quickly descending into chaos.
Ji Tongzhou had long forgotten any formal fist techniques he’d learned, clinging onto Lei Xiuyuan stubbornly, refusing to let go no matter how he countered. Lei Xiuyuan, seemingly equally frustrated, finally lost his temper. The two ended up tangled together, turning the courtyard into a mess of crashes and thuds. They fought standing, then against the wall, and finally rolling on the ground—distinguished disciples of the Young Phoenix Academy brawling no differently than common street urchins.Ji Tongzhou had never suffered such humiliation, nor had he ever fought like this before. One moment he was consumed by rage, the next boiling with fervor. Whether the boy opposite him was a beggar or some other kind of monster, he no longer had the mind to figure it out. The only thought left in his heart was to pummel Lei Xiuyuan to the ground. Lan Ya Junzhu, who had been caught in the crossfire, was long forgotten.
He couldn’t even tell whether his own fists had landed more blows on the other boy or vice versa. Lei Xiuyuan’s tenacity took him by surprise. Neither was willing to back down, and the fight only grew fiercer. There seemed to be some commotion in the courtyard, but neither of them paid it any attention.
Suddenly, a cold female voice rang out above them: "So it’s you two causing trouble again."
A bucket of water was promptly dumped over them. Ji Tongzhou shuddered, his wandering soul finally snapping back to the courtyard. Only then did he realize his entire body ached, especially his face—it hurt so badly it felt like his skin might split open. Lei Xiuyuan, who had been grappling with him, wasn’t faring much better either. His face was bruised black and blue, blood from his lips trickling down his neck. His gaze was icy yet filled with disdain, as if a sinister fire lurked beneath the frost. The sight of that look made Ji Tongzhou’s fists itch to strike again.
"Break it up." A hand thrust between them, pushing them apart with a single motion. The two boys staggered back three steps each. Panting, Ji Tongzhou looked up to see the black-veiled woman standing between them. The courtyard was already surrounded by a crowd of onlookers.
The boy whose wrist Lei Xiuyuan had twisted earlier was being helped up, his hand swollen like a purple radish. Lan Ya Junzhu’s clothes were covered in mud, and she was sobbing quietly with her head bowed. His lackeys all had bloody noses, looking utterly dejected... Then, he spotted Jiang Li Fei—watching him from the sidelines. Humiliation and fury surged through Ji Tongzhou’s body once more. He stubbornly lifted his chin, refusing to yield.
"It’s only your third day at the Academy, and you’ve already caused trouble twice," the black-veiled woman said indifferently, her tone devoid of emotion. "Though you didn’t involve Immortal Techniques or Mystic Arts, and thus didn’t violate the disciples’ code, you will still be punished. Neither of you will eat tonight."
"Hmph!" Ji Tongzhou glared viciously at Lei Xiuyuan. At this moment, the person he despised most had shifted from Jiang Li Fei to this filthy beggar. Though he longed to charge back into the fight, he knew the black-veiled woman would stop him again.
He wiped the blood from his lips roughly and strode back to his room, kicking the door open in frustration. Once inside, he slammed it shut with such force that dust rained from the walls.
The black-veiled woman ignored him, first examining the boy with the swollen wrist. "The bone isn’t broken, just dislocated. No need to worry."
She hauled the boy up with one hand, and a pitch-black sword materialized beneath her feet. "Everyone, return to your rooms. And you—" She glanced at Lei Xiuyuan. "You shouldn’t have been so harsh with your fellow disciple."
Lei Xiuyuan smiled faintly, his voice gentle. "Understood."
Though the boy wore a smile, his eyes remained icy... The black-veiled woman said nothing more and departed on her sword. The crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed.Baili Gelin was still in shock. She gently tugged at Li Fei's sleeve and whispered, "You... you live in the same courtyard with someone like him... He must be insane!"
Li Fei didn't respond. Her current state of mind couldn't simply be described as astonished—it was more like her world had been turned upside down. Earlier, while having a meal with Baili Gelin and the others on the northern island, they had barely eaten halfway when someone mentioned a fight breaking out at the Disciple Room. Naturally, none of the children could resist the allure of a spectacle, and they all rushed back. From afar, Li Fei heard the commotion and followed the noise, only to discover it was Lei Xiuyuan fighting Ji Tongzhou.
This Lei Xiuyuan was completely different from the one she remembered. The boy in the fight resembled a ferocious beast—expressionless, his gaze icy, striking with ruthless force. The scene left none of them daring to intervene, and even she felt a faint sense of fear.
How could Lei Xiuyuan be like this? He was supposed to be weak and prone to tears. Even if he were beaten until his nose bled, crying and calling for "Big Sister," it would have been easier for her to accept than this—though she didn't admire a cowardly Lei Xiuyuan, he was still preferable to this stranger.
She recalled Baili Changyue's words: Lei Xiuyuan was dangerous, every move a pretense, and she should be wary of him.
That timid, fragile little boy who had clung to her side all day—it turned out he was truly a facade.
"Xiao Bangchui, you'll sleep with Gelin from now on," Baili Changyue said calmly. "Stay away from him."
Li Fei neither nodded nor shook her head. As she watched Lei Xiuyuan's red-and-white figure walk out of the courtyard, for some reason, she couldn't help but chase after him, oblivious to whatever Gelin and the others shouted behind her.
As if hearing her footsteps, Lei Xiuyuan stopped. He covered his face without turning around and spoke indifferently, "...I'm in a foul mood. If you're here to interrogate me, find some free time another day, and I'll listen to you scold me all day."
Li Fei tilted her head, thinking for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Xiu Yuan, are we still friends?"
Lei Xiuyuan still didn't turn around. His voice was soft and detached, "We were never friends to begin with."
Li Fei frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You're not deaf—don't make me repeat myself." There was a hint of impatience in his tone.
Li Fei fell silent for a moment before saying, "Thank you for your concern last night."
He laughed. "I wasn't concerned about you. You're so easily moved... You didn't eat the candy, did you? No wonder you were still full of energy this morning."
Li Fei shuddered. She remembered Ri Yan's muttered remark—that eating the candy would only make her hungrier, and the person who gave it to her must have had ill intentions. At the time, she hadn't paid it any mind, but now, recalling it, she broke out in a cold sweat. Did he mean to harm her? Using the pretense of concern to set her up? Was it just a momentary prank, or did he have some hidden agenda? Why?
Her heart grew colder by the second. After a long pause, she suddenly spoke, "...What's your goal? Why?"
"No comment." Lei Xiuyuan took a step forward, walking away slowly. Li Fei chased after him, her voice trembling slightly, "Lei Xiuyuan! Don't you owe me an explanation?! I really considered you a friend!"This was the first time she had made friends since she was nearly eleven. Together, they had passed the preliminary and Second Selection, supporting and encouraging each other, and entered the Academy together. Though she didn’t know what the opera lyrics meant by “sharing both joy and sorrow,” she cherished these friends deeply. She wanted to share good things with them and help shoulder their burdens when they faced difficulties—she didn’t want this pure memory tainted by shadows, nor could she bear to believe it was filled with deceit and malice.
His footsteps halted again. This time, he finally turned around, his gaze cold yet mocking. “You want to be friends with that fake weakling because he satisfies your sense of superiority and charity, right? Without a useless coward like me to contrast against, you must feel lost, don’t you?”
“What nonsense are you spouting?” Li Fei snapped. “How laughable! So this is how you’ve always seen me? If you have grievances, why not speak them out openly and honestly? Skulking around with hidden malice—no one looks down on you for being weak, but your hypocrisy is what truly earns contempt!”
Lei Xiuyuan sighed in annoyance. “What kind of person you are has nothing to do with me. I bear no personal grudge against you. I’m merely acting under someone’s—”
He abruptly stopped, then sighed again. “Enough. I’m tired of this. Don’t bother me anymore.”
Li Fei silently watched his retreating figure. Suddenly, she spoke again. “Lei Xiuyuan, those things you told me during the Second Selection—and about Brother Lu—were they true?”
He continued walking without turning, his voice indifferent. “False.”
“…From the moment we met until now, have you ever spoken a single word of truth?”
“Guess.”
Li Fei let out a cold laugh, unable to utter another word. She turned and strode away, her sleeves flicking in anger.
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