Do You Need Me to Wipe Your Sweat?

News of the lively scene at Supreme Academy soon reached Xue Qinghe's ears.

She herself felt that she might have been paying too much attention to Ye Feiyang—but even so, she could not stop herself from wanting to know everything about him, including his past, his thoughts, and even his daily whereabouts.

By now, Ye Feiyang's information had been compiled into a thick stack and placed on her desk. Whenever she grew tired from handling memorials, she would pick up those reports and read through them again and again, as if doing so could bring her a little closer to him.

"Suspected of poaching the talented students from major academies?" Xue Qinghe looked at the record and could not help but chuckle. "How is that merely a suspicion? It is plainly obvious."

She frowned slightly and secretly wondered, Could he be doing this for the upcoming Soul Master Competition?

With that thought, Xue Qinghe called toward the door, "Someone, bring me two jars of fine wine."

The guard acknowledged the order and withdrew, while she continued staring at Ye Feiyang's records, her expression impossible to read.

Meanwhile, Supreme Academy had become especially lively after the sudden arrival of ten Beast-Ear Girls. Ye Feiyang had originally planned to visit the back mountain of Blue Tyrant Academy again that night to have a chat with Liu Erlong, but endless trivial matters kept him occupied, leaving him no time to get away.

By the time he finished dealing with everything, it was already deep into the night. Worried that showing up then would disturb Liu Erlong's rest, he had no choice but to abandon his original plan.

What he did not know was that Liu Erlong was sitting in her courtyard waiting for him. Even she could not explain what she was expecting; she simply could not stop herself from thinking, What if he really comes?

In the end, she waited until the latter half of the night and still did not see that familiar figure. Disappointed, she could only return to her room.

"I'm already over thirty and still an old virgin. If I don't find a way to settle the major matter of my life soon, what am I supposed to do if I hit menopause in a few years?" Liu Erlong lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep, her heart filled with irritation.

She had never been like this before—she was not even someone who cared much about looks. After all, Yu Xiaogang was not particularly handsome. Yet now, all she could think of was Ye Feiyang's youthful, upright figure, while Yu Xiaogang had long since been thrown to the back of her mind.

Unable to sleep at all, Liu Erlong simply delivered a chop to the back of her own neck, forcibly knocking herself unconscious.

Early the next morning, the arena matches continued as usual, still handled by Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong. Ye Feiyang, meanwhile, dressed neatly and slipped out of the academy in secret—he wanted to take the chance to explore Heaven Dou City properly.

Before he realized it, he had arrived at the entrance of Moonlight Pavilion. Ye Feiyang had not come to learn etiquette or music, but since he was already at the door, it felt like a waste not to go in and make an appearance.

Moonlight Pavilion's owner, Tang Yuehua, was a renowned master of court etiquette throughout the continent and had an excellent relationship with Xue Ye. If he openly poached her people, he would undoubtedly be slapping the royal family in the face.

But would Ye Feiyang be afraid? He had already offended the royal family long ago, so one more offense made little difference.

Wearing a smile, he walked directly into Moonlight Pavilion and headed toward a staff member. She was a young woman, and when she saw such a rare and handsome man suddenly approaching her, she immediately became flustered, her cheeks turning slightly red.

"Miss, could you please inform your master that I would like to see Head of Tang Clan?" Ye Feiyang lowered his voice, smiling gently as he made his polite request.

"Huh? Y-you want to see the head?" The young woman asked in surprise, stammering slightly.

"That's right. I have several hundred-million-gold projects I'd like to discuss properly with Head of Tang Clan," Ye Feiyang said half-jokingly.

How could anyone bear to refuse such a sunny and handsome young man's request? Besides, he had mentioned "several hundred-million-gold projects," which certainly did not sound simple. Blushing, the young woman nodded. "O-okay! Please find somewhere to sit for a moment. I'll go inform her right away!"

After saying that, she took quick little steps and hurried toward the rear courtyard.

Watching her retreating figure, Ye Feiyang secretly laughed to himself. Looks really are a pass everywhere. Men and women alike fall for this.

Not long afterward, the sound of soft footsteps approached. Ye Feiyang looked up and saw a silver-blue-haired woman walking toward him slowly. Her bearing was elegant, her skin fair, and her eyes gentle as water. She wore a proper court-style gown, and her temperament was noble and refined. Having spent years in a place as graceful as Moonlight Pavilion, she carried an otherworldly charm of her own.

More notably, Tang Yuehua's martial soul was the Ruyi Ring. She possessed innate rank-nine Soul Power and even had the innate domain, Nobility Halo. Both her strength and her bearing were extraordinary.

Ye Feiyang smiled as he watched her approach, openly looking her up and down. In the end, he even nodded in satisfaction, making no effort to hide his appreciation.

The smile Tang Yuehua had just raised twitched twice. This man was certainly handsome, but why did he look like some kind of lecher?

She even felt as though she were being ogled, and secretly muttered to herself, Is there something wrong with me? Or did he get hold of some weakness of mine?

The feeling made Tang Yuehua very uncomfortable. Without drawing attention to it, she pulled her clothing tighter around her chest, doing her best to remain calm as she met Ye Feiyang's gaze.

There was no shortage of people coveting her beauty, but no one had ever examined her as blatantly as Ye Feiyang. She even suspected that he might already be judging and commenting on her in his heart.

Tang Yuehua withdrew her smile and decided to show him what she was capable of first, so he would understand that she was not someone to be trifled with. "Ye Feiyang, eighteen years old, a Soul Douluo, headmaster of Supreme Academy, with three disciples. Unknown before the age of eighteen, he only began to emerge a little over two months ago, stirring up quite a commotion in Heaven Dou City..."

As she walked, she calmly recited Ye Feiyang's information, deliberately avoiding the parts related to Tang Hao—that was a secret in her heart and not something she could casually reveal to outsiders.

Ye Feiyang's expression did not change. He lightly applauded. "As expected of an expert skilled at gathering intelligence. Head of Tang Clan truly knows my circumstances well."

"None of this is truly secret." Tang Yuehua spoke indifferently. "News about Headmaster Ye has already spread throughout Heaven Dou City. Anyone with the desire to look into it could find it easily."

Then she changed the subject and asked directly, "Tell me, Headmaster Ye. You did not come all the way to Moonlight Pavilion just to learn etiquette, did you?"

Ye Feiyang grinned, his tone relaxed. "If I said I really came here to learn etiquette, would Head of Tang Clan believe me?"

"Headmaster Ye, please stop joking." Tang Yuehua clearly did not believe him, and she was even somewhat displeased. Did he take Moonlight Pavilion for a place he could casually mock?

She suppressed her anger and thought to herself, No wonder he does not get along with my brother Tang Hao. Someone so frivolous really is hard to like. What a waste of that handsome face.

Ye Feiyang noticed her displeasure and put away his joking tone. "Actually, I know a little about musical theory as well. I heard that Head of Tang Clan is skilled with the harp. Would you be willing to demonstrate a little and let me properly appreciate it?"

Tang Yuehua froze for a moment. Why did the way he said that sound a little like he was being indecent? Yet she could not find any proof to refute him.

"If Headmaster Ye merely wishes to listen to music, I'm afraid you have come to the wrong place." Her voice carried a trace of coldness, though she secretly thought, Does he take Moonlight Pavilion for some pleasure house?

Ye Feiyang hurriedly explained, "Head of Tang Clan misunderstands. I do not simply wish to hear music. I wish to exchange insights on musical theory with you."

Tang Yuehua looked surprised. Exchange insights on musical theory? That was the last thing she had expected.

Seeing her hesitate, Ye Feiyang sincerely added, "My apologies. Calling it an 'exchange' is indeed somewhat presumptuous. How about this? I hope Head of Tang Clan can offer me some guidance. Would you be willing to honor me?"

He knew very well that if Tang Yuehua was unwilling to play voluntarily, he would have to take the initiative. He could not come all this way and leave without making even the slightest impression.

With things said to this point, and because Tang Yuehua was indeed curious about Ye Feiyang's true purpose, she nodded. "Certainly."

Ye Feiyang put on an inscrutable expression as he walked to a nearby instrument rack and selected a guzheng—one of the instruments he had been best at in his previous life.

Tang Yuehua stood quietly nearby, silently observing his movements, wanting to see what he was truly capable of.

Ye Feiyang took a deep breath, gently plucked the strings, and the melody of High Mountain Flowing Water slowly began.

The winding notes and profound artistic mood instantly drew Tang Yuehua into the world of the piece. She gradually became absorbed, even closing her eyes as she completely immersed herself in the music.

The true meaning of High Mountain Flowing Water lay in the difficulty of finding a kindred spirit. Ye Feiyang believed that with Tang Yuehua's attainment in musical theory, she would certainly understand what he wished to convey.

As it happened, Ye Feiyang had learned quite a few instruments in his previous life and had studied classical music extensively. That was why he had this opportunity to shine so brilliantly today.

When the piece ended, Tang Yuehua still had her eyes closed and did not return to herself for a long time. She was clearly still immersed in its artistic realm.

The corners of Ye Feiyang's lips lifted slightly. He stood quietly at the side without disturbing her—he knew that half of his goal had already been achieved.

After quite a while, Tang Yuehua slowly opened her eyes. The image of him as a lecher had already vanished from her gaze, replaced only by resonance with the music and appreciation for Ye Feiyang.

She secretly thought, Perhaps he only looked at me like that because he was appreciating beauty. After all, who does not like beautiful things?

How could someone so sunny and handsome, who could play such an emotional piece, possibly be a lecher? He was even less likely to be a bad person. Perhaps the conflict between her brother Tang Hao and him had been her brother's fault?

One song completely changed Tang Yuehua's mindset, and her attitude toward Ye Feiyang became far warmer.

"Headmaster Ye, forgive Yuehua for failing to see it. I never knew you were also a master of musical theory." After speaking, Tang Yuehua solemnly bowed to Ye Feiyang—this was respect for a fellow artist.

Seeing her reaction, Ye Feiyang secretly rejoiced. Looks like this move was not wasted. The effect is even better than I expected.

"Head of Tang Clan flatters me. I only know a little of the basics," he said modestly.

But Tang Yuehua shook her head, her tone sincere. "You are being too modest. May I ask who composed High Mountain Flowing Water? Could I borrow the score to take a look?"

Without blushing or missing a beat, Ye Feiyang lied, "I composed this piece in a dream and wrote it down from memory after waking up. If Head of Tang Clan is interested, I can copy a version for you now."

His generous manner further increased Tang Yuehua's favorable impression of him. For him to give away such a beautiful composition so freely showed that he was upright in character and definitely not some frivolous man.

Tang Yuehua even felt as if she had found a kindred spirit. First impressions were important, but a reversal like this often left an even deeper memory.

High Mountain Flowing Water had indeed earned Ye Feiyang many points. Tang Yuehua, who had not disliked him much to begin with, was now full of appreciation for him. She even began considering whether she should act as an intermediary and ease the relationship between him and Tang Hao.

If she knew that Tang Hao had already had one leg cut off by Ye Feiyang, and that even the Clear Sky Sect's Inheritance Soul Bone had been taken from him, she wondered whether she would still think that way.

Tang Yuehua had heard the "difficulty of finding a kindred spirit" within the piece and could not help but secretly speculate, Could this eighteen-year-old Soul Douluo truly be so lonely inside? Did he come all the way to Moonlight Pavilion to find me because he wanted to find a kindred spirit?

They had never met before, yet he had specifically asked to see her. Perhaps he had come for her, to exchange insights on musical theory with her.

At that thought, Tang Yuehua's cheeks flushed slightly. "Then I must thank Headmaster Ye."

Ye Feiyang smiled and nodded, then picked up a brush and calmly began writing out the score for High Mountain Flowing Water.

He knew that making Tang Yuehua completely lower her guard would not happen overnight. Like fine wine that needed to be savored slowly, he had to reveal his "charm" bit by bit in order to stir her interest.

He still had quite a few classical pieces from his previous life in mind. Though there were not many, they should be enough to "fish" for someone like Tang Yuehua.

As for young girls like Xiao Wu and the others, he was not mentally prepared for that yet. But for a woman as mature and luscious as a peach like Tang Yuehua, he felt no burden whatsoever.

Ye Feiyang had made up his mind—he would properly experience the beauty of this world and fulfill the unfinished dreams of those who had been left with regrets.

He handed the completed score to Tang Yuehua and said casually, "This piece is a gift for Head of Tang Clan. I still have some matters to attend to, so I will not disturb you any longer. I hope that the next time I come, I will have the honor of hearing you play this piece."

After saying that, he smiled politely, passed Tang Yuehua, and walked straight out of Moonlight Pavilion without a hint of attachment. Sometimes, leaving the right amount unsaid made people remember all the more.

On the way back, Ye Feiyang could not help wondering, How could a graceful and outstanding woman like Tang Yuehua like a rough man like Tang Hao? Is it some kind of sibling fetish? What a waste of such a wonderful woman.

The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. Even more absurd was that a woman like Liu Erlong also liked Tang Hao. The beauty standards of this world really were difficult to understand.

As he passed the imperial palace, Ye Feiyang suddenly had the urge to sneak in and tease Xue Qinghe—Qian Renxue. But after thinking it over, she had two Titled Douluo guarding her. If a misunderstanding arose and caused a major commotion, it would be difficult to clean up. Besides, he did not know the palace layout. What if he got lost? That would be even more embarrassing.

Ye Feiyang shook his head, gave up on the idea, and turned toward Supreme Academy.

To his surprise, the moment he returned to the academy, he saw a familiar figure in the reception hall—Xue Qinghe was sitting upright in a chair, leisurely sipping tea.

Why is this woman here again? Ye Feiyang grumbled inwardly. He had just been considering whether to sneak into the palace to see her, yet she had already come looking for him herself.

Ye Feiyang composed himself, strode into the reception hall, and cupped his hands with a smile. "Brother Qinghe, why didn't you let me know before coming? I could have prepared in advance and avoided neglecting you."

Xue Qinghe looked at him with an ambiguous smile, her tone carrying a trace of probing. "No matter. Judging by Headmaster Ye's appearance, I assume you have just returned from handling some business outside?"

"Hehe, I was simply bored and took a casual stroll around the city," Ye Feiyang replied vaguely, unwilling to say more.

"Oh?" Xue Qinghe raised an eyebrow, her tone teasing. "When I left, I happened to see someone with a figure remarkably similar to yours enter Moonlight Pavilion. I must have been mistaken, though. After all, why would Headmaster Ye go to a place like that?"

The corner of Ye Feiyang's mouth twitched. Did this world have no privacy at all? Why were there spies everywhere? Was the intelligence network really this advanced?

He gave a dry laugh and explained, "Actually, I only went to discuss musical theory with Head of Tang Clan. There was no other meaning behind it."

"I see." Xue Qinghe's voice carried a hint of sarcasm. "I thought Headmaster Ye had gone in search of a kindred spirit."

Ye Feiyang seriously suspected that he was being watched. There was too much hidden in Xue Qinghe's words; she clearly knew what he had done at Moonlight Pavilion.

This passive feeling made him very unhappy. Being watched was one thing, but then being mocked with veiled sarcasm on top of it—no one could stand that.

Ye Feiyang's tone turned colder. "His Highness the Crown Prince, you truly know a great deal."

Xue Qinghe was slightly stunned. He had changed the way he addressed her from "Brother Qinghe" to "His Highness the Crown Prince." That subtle shift inexplicably tightened her heart. Was my tone just now too much? Did I make him unhappy?

After thinking it over, she realized that her words had indeed carried sarcasm. No wonder Ye Feiyang had reacted that way.

Xue Qinghe suppressed the indescribable emotion in her heart, softened her voice, and apologized sincerely. "I'm sorry. I was presumptuous. I should not have spoken to you that way."

Then she changed the subject, taking out the two jars of wine she had prepared in advance. Smiling, she said, "I brought two jars of fine wine this time. I heard that Headmaster Ye is not only outstanding in strength, but also quite skilled with food. May I have the good fortune to taste your cooking?"

Xue Qinghe had deliberately come alone without bringing any attendants because she wanted an opportunity to spend time alone with Ye Feiyang—drinking, chatting, and relaxing together. She did not want that small incident just now to make Ye Feiyang develop a negative impression of her.

Ye Feiyang was indeed somewhat annoyed. Anyone would be unhappy after being watched and subjected to veiled mockery. But he also knew that they were both intelligent people. It was enough to leave things at that; there was no need to keep pressing the matter.

Besides, he had briefly had an illusion just now: why did Xue Qinghe's words seem to carry a faint hint of jealousy?

Since she had already apologized, he could not continue wearing a sour expression. Ye Feiyang nodded, his tone easing. "Of course. Since Brother Qinghe is willing to honor me, I could not ask for more."

He turned and said, "Sit for a moment. I'll go prepare things in the kitchen, and we can have dinner together."

Seeing his tone soften, Xue Qinghe quietly breathed a sigh of relief. "Then I'll trouble Headmaster Ye."

Seeing how reserved she looked, Ye Feiyang could not help but laugh. "I already call you 'Brother Qinghe,' yet you keep calling me 'Headmaster Ye.' That makes me seem ungrateful."

Xue Qinghe hurriedly changed how she addressed him, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Then... then may I call you Yun Zhou?"

Ye Feiyang laughed heartily. "That's more like it. It sounds much closer. Brother Qinghe, wait here. I'll be back soon."

He really had not cooked in a while, so there was no harm in showing off occasionally. He guessed that Xue Qinghe had probably heard about his cooking from Ning Fengzhi, or she would not have specifically asked to taste it.

Ye Feiyang rolled up his sleeves and entered the kitchen. With ten Beast-Ear Girls helping around the academy now, things were much more efficient than before, and the meal would be ready quickly.

More than half an hour later, several fragrant and beautifully prepared dishes were brought to the table one after another. Xue Qinghe was invited to sit, while Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong came running over after catching the scent.

"Teacher, you finally cooked again!" Ning Rongrong ran over excitedly. Looking at the dishes on the table, she was practically drooling. "Do you need me to wipe your sweat?"

Ye Feiyang smiled and shook his head. "No need. Hurry and sit down, all of you. The dishes were just finished, so they're still hot."

Looking at the lively scene before her, Xue Qinghe suddenly felt an inexplicable envy. She had never experienced such a warm atmosphere within the cold imperial palace.