Dark Night Standoff: Hatred Unhidden, Protection a Mystery

Suotuo City was quieter than usual at night. Lin Zhixia had just finished her evening training and was walking alone along the path outside the academy toward the dormitories, carrying a lantern. Moonlight spilled across the stone path, stretching her shadow long behind her. The Star Guidance Bell at her waist swayed gently with her steps, making faint, scattered chimes.

"Lin Zhixia."

A clear, cold voice suddenly came from behind a tree. Lin Zhixia spun around sharply, the Starfall Bow instantly forming in her hand, its arrowhead aimed directly at the source of the voice—Ye Jin stood beneath a locust tree, his white brocade robe especially conspicuous in the night. He had deliberately hidden the Spirit Hall jade pendant at his waist beneath his clothes, revealing only a faint corner of its pattern.

"Why are you here?" Lin Zhixia asked warily. The Soul Power at her fingertips rippled slightly, ready to fire an arrow at any moment. She thought Ye Jin had come to harass her again as before, but failed to notice that his face was paler than usual. His left hand was concealed behind his back, and a trace of dark red blood seeped from his cuff.

Ye Jin did not approach. He merely stood where he was, his gaze resting on the lantern in her hand. His voice carried a hint of barely perceptible hoarseness. "In tomorrow's Soul Dueling Competition, the Black Blade Team will use Heart Rot Poison. It can numb Soul Power. Be careful."

Lin Zhixia froze—she had not expected Ye Jin to suddenly warn her, much less that he would know the Black Blade Team's trump card. "Why are you telling me this?" Her brows drew tight. "Wasn't the Black Blade Team arranged by you?"

"I arranged them, but I never told them to use poison." Ye Jin's voice grew colder. The pain in his left hand made him clench his fist. "I just want you to understand that Shrek Academy can't protect you. Only by following me can you be safe." He deliberately used an icy tone to hide his true feelings, yet he did not realize his eyes had already betrayed him—there was none of their usual gloominess, only concern he could not conceal.

Lin Zhixia looked at his pale face, then noticed the hand hidden behind his back. A flicker of doubt suddenly rose within her. Just then, hurried footsteps sounded in the distance. Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Xiao Wu appeared at the road entrance—they had seen that Lin Zhixia had not returned late and, worried something had happened to her, had come out specifically to find her.

"Zhi Xia! Watch out!" When Tang San saw Ye Jin, he assumed Ye Jin meant to harm Lin Zhixia. Blue Silver Grass instantly surged from his palm, spreading toward Ye Jin. Dai Mubai also released the White Tiger Spirit, golden light gleaming from his tiger claws as he prepared to charge forward at any moment. Xiao Wu clenched her fists and shifted her feet lightly, ready to use Teleportation.

"Don't come over!" Lin Zhixia shouted urgently, but it was already too late—Ye Jin thought they were about to attack Lin Zhixia and took a fierce step forward, placing himself in front of her. Pale violet Soul Power gathered in his right hand as he prepared to meet their attack. But the moment he exerted himself, the wound on his left hand suddenly tore open. Pain drew a muffled groan from him, and his body swayed slightly.

"Ye Jin, you're hurt?" Lin Zhixia instinctively grabbed his arm, her fingertips touching something warm and wet—it was blood. Only then did she see clearly that a deep wound, so deep the bone was visible, ran across Ye Jin's left hand. The edges of the wound were blackened, clearly showing signs of poisoning.

Tang San and Dai Mubai also stopped, looking at the scene before them in confusion—Ye Jin's posture did not resemble someone trying to hurt Lin Zhixia. Instead, he seemed to be protecting her. Xiao Wu frowned and murmured, "His wound looks like it was cut by a Poison Blade. It's very similar to the weapon used by the people who attacked us last time."

Ye Jin shook off Lin Zhixia's hand and stepped back, putting distance between them once more. The vulnerability in his eyes was instantly replaced by indifference. "It's none of your business." He looked at Tang San, his tone warning. "Tomorrow's match—keep an eye on your teammates. Don't let her die in the Soul Dueling Arena." With that, he turned and left. His steps were somewhat unsteady, but his back remained straight as he disappeared into the night.

Lin Zhixia stood where she was, the warmth of his arm still lingering in her hand. The Star Guidance Bell swayed gently, as though reminding her of what had just happened. Why did he warn me about the Black Blade Team's poison? Why was he injured? Questions swirled through her mind. For the first time, she realized that perhaps she had never truly understood Ye Jin—his hatred was real, but the concern he had shown just now did not seem false either.

"Zhi Xia, are you all right?" Tang San walked to her side and withdrew the Blue Silver Grass. "Did he do anything to you just now?"

Lin Zhixia shook her head, her gaze fixed in the direction Ye Jin had disappeared. Her voice carried a trace of confusion. "He told me the Black Blade Team would use Heart Rot Poison. He also said he never told them to use poison... and he was injured. The wound looked like it had been cut by a Poison Blade."

Dai Mubai frowned deeply. "Would he really be that kind? Maybe he's putting on an act to trick you into lowering your guard!"

"But he had no reason to use his own wound to deceive us." Xiao Wu spoke doubtfully. "I saw his wound bleeding just now, and his Spirit Power Fluctuation was very unstable. It didn't look like an act."

Tang San fell silent for a moment, then looked at the Star Guidance Bell at Lin Zhixia's waist. "No matter what his intentions are, we need to be twice as careful in tomorrow's match. Rongrong has already prepared medicinal herbs for detoxification, and Oscar has made special Detox Sausages. As long as we work together properly, the Black Blade Team's poison should not be able to hurt us."

Lin Zhixia nodded, but she was still unsettled. She recalled the way Ye Jin had stood in front of her, his pale face, and the hand he had hidden behind his back. An absurd thought suddenly emerged in her heart—could Ye Jin have been protecting her in secret all along? But hadn't he always believed the Lin Family to be his enemy?

As the night deepened, Lin Zhixia returned to the dormitory and sat by the window, looking at the Star Guidance Bell in her hand. She did not know what Ye Jin was plotting, nor did she know what secret lay behind that "warning" mixed with hatred. But she knew that tomorrow's Soul Dueling Competition would be far from as simple as it appeared, and the tangled grievances between Ye Jin and her were far from over.

In the distant woods, Ye Jin leaned against a tree trunk and tore open his robe, exposing the wound on his left hand. He took a bottle of Antidote from his robes and poured it over the wound. The intense pain brought cold sweat to his forehead. Earlier, he had gone to find the captain of the Black Blade Team, intending to make them abandon the use of poison. He had not expected the other side to have already been bought over by other forces within Spirit Hall. Not only had they refused, they had also poisoned him. He did not want Lin Zhixia to know any of this, much less see his vulnerable side, so he could only disguise himself with indifference.

"Lin Family... Zhi Xia..." Ye Jin murmured softly, his eyes filled with struggle. Hatred told him to stay away from this girl, yet the love in his heart made him unable to stop himself from approaching her, from protecting her. He did not know where these conflicting emotions would lead him. He only knew that during tomorrow's Soul Dueling Competition, he would watch from the shadows and never allow Lin Zhixia to come to harm—even if she could never know of his protection.