Qian Yuya's Youth Story Definitely Had a Problem

"Ding~ dong—"

As the school bell rang, the elderly teacher, already past sixty, paused and said, "Let me finish this part before class ends. It won't delay your lunch."

"Tch." Li Ying, sitting beside Qian Yuya, muttered, "It's over, it's over. Half our lunch break is gone."

Qian Yuya nodded in agreement. After a whole morning of classes, she was feeling tired too. National middle school was not all cultural subjects; every student had to undergo Combat Arts drills early in the morning. Many students aspired to enter the Military Academy, so naturally they needed to familiarize themselves with Combat Arts beforehand.

The final class of the morning was history. Their history teacher was an old scholar who had taught for decades. His lessons were boring, and he loved dragging class out, making the students' physical needs surge—many students liked to go take a dump during history lessons.

Most importantly, neither the Cultural Academy nor the Military Academy required history grades, so everyone merely went through the motions and listened half-heartedly.

Qian Yuya was no exception. Her thoughts had long since drifted into the clouds as she pondered what to have for dinner tonight. Thinking of dinner reminded her of Qian Yuliu's strange behavior last night. Qian Yuliu had also felt somewhat unfamiliar to her, as though he had become... become...

A little stupid...

While lost in wild thoughts, Qian Yuya suddenly noticed Fang Wenhua across the classroom looking at her. Their eyes met. Fang Wenhua made a face and raised his brows. Qian Yuya covered her mouth, her eyes curving as she smiled, and Fang Wenhua grinned back.

"Fang Wenhua, is Lie Zong's Three Revivals really that funny?" The history teacher noticed Fang Wenhua's little gesture and suddenly raised his voice.

Fang Wenhua jumped in fright and hurriedly sat properly, shaking his head. "Not funny, not funny."

The history teacher looked at the young students seated below and sighed, poking the blackboard with his chalk. "History may not help you enter the academy you desire, but it can help you understand the course of worldly affairs. In Huiyao Calendar year 422, the traitor Wei Zhi occupied two-thirds of the realm, usurped the throne, and declared the formal fall of the Second Huiyao Dynasty. That same year, Lie Zong proclaimed himself emperor in Jinguang Prefecture. Over the next ten years, he swept aside Wei Zhi and warlords such as Wu Meng, reviving Radiance for the third time. This became known as the Third Huiyao Dynasty. Over more than two thousand years of Huiyao Calendar history, countless natural disasters and man-made calamities have occurred. Yet whenever the world faced collapse, heroes and great men always turned the tide and protected the unity of Radiance. This was the will of the people, and the Heaven's Mandate..."

Suddenly, panicked shouts erupted from the corridor outside. "The Statistics Department has entered the academy!"

"The Statistics Department is here to arrest people!"

"What?" The students in the classroom could no longer sit still. They noisily surged into the corridor. The history teacher did not stop them, merely sighing as he hunched over and tapped the blackboard. "Remember, Radiance is the Heaven's Mandate. The Heaven's Mandate..."

"The Statistics Department came to the school to arrest someone?" Li Ying clutched Qian Yuya's arm, sounding both frightened and curious. "Are there Anti-Light Rebels in the school too? I heard the Statistics Department is full of perverts who kill without batting an eye and especially love torturing prisoners. Would they just... here at school... Ahhh, let's go take a look!"

Though she sounded terrified, Qian Yuya could tell Li Ying was clearly excited. She felt rather speechless—Li Ying's father was the head of Star Engraving Prefecture's Registrar Department, effectively Prefect Ding's steward. She had been pampered since childhood and had never seen the hardships of the world. It was only natural that she was not afraid of the Statistics Department.

Qian Yuya had no interest in such matters, but Li Ying pulled her along, so she could only accompany her to watch from the corridor. Yet before she could get a good look, Qian Yuya heard an angry shout from afar: "Qian Yuliu, you actually dare show your face in front of me!?"

Brother!?

Qian Yuya squeezed through the crowd and looked over. Several people stood on the field. Feng Chuanliu, the usually tall and handsome Combat Arts teacher, seemed like a different person now. His face was twisted with rage as he charged at a Statistics Department youth wearing a black vest. His first move was a Combat Arts palm strike, light and shadow shifting as force tore through the air with a thunderous crack!

Qian Yuya still remembered the first time she had seen Feng Chuanliu—when they had just entered the school, Feng Chuanliu, as their Combat Arts instructor, had demonstrated the destructive power of Combat Arts for them.

With only a light palm strike, Feng Chuanliu had left a deep imprint in a stone!

From then on, no matter how mischievous the students were, they behaved like quails during Combat Arts Class!

Later, they learned that Feng Chuanliu was an outstanding graduate of Star Engraving Military Academy. He was extremely powerful, no weaker than an active-duty officer, and counted among the best fighters in Star Engraving Prefecture!

Yet faced with Feng Chuanliu's full-force, hate-filled strike, the middle school students saw the Statistics Department youth lightly sweep both hands through an arc—

Clang!

The burst of light sounded like steel tearing at steel!

Not only was Feng Chuanliu's attack perfectly deflected, but his right hand was caught under his opponent's control. With a vicious twist, Feng Chuanliu broke into a cold sweat from the pain, turned away, and dropped to one knee!

"Qian... Yuliu! You beast who murdered your benefactor and teacher! If you've got the guts, kill me! Kill me!"

"I am a Statistics Department agent, not some hooligan criminal." The young man restrained Feng Chuanliu, took out handcuffs, and said calmly, "I am merely acting under orders to arrest a suspected Anti-Light Rebel. If you are innocent, the Statistics Department will clear your name."

"Then why did you kill Mr. Lin? Why!?" Feng Chuanliu's face was pressed against the ground as he stared at the young man with hatred, biting his lips until they bled.

The young man did not answer. He directed the other agents to drag Feng Chuanliu back to the vehicle. As the agents hauled Feng Chuanliu away, he suddenly burst into wild laughter. "You murdered your teacher and arrested your classmates, Qian Yuliu! Your end will be a hundred times, a thousand times more miserable than ours! I'll live on! I'll live to see the day you die without even a place to be buried!"

The students in the teaching building buzzed with discussion. Neither the principal nor the teachers stepped forward to stop the Statistics Department, nor did they speak with its agents. They merely stood to the side with dark expressions.

At that moment, the young man turned around and glanced at the students in the teaching building. The entire building immediately fell silent. Though dozens of meters separated them, many students did not even dare look directly at him, quickly averting their eyes to avoid meeting his gaze.

Only Qian Yuya stared straight at the young man until their eyes met. After that brief exchange of looks, the young man turned and got into the vehicle, leaving Star Engraving National Middle School.

"The Statistics Department actually came to the school to arrest someone..."

"Did you hear? That man killed a teacher and then came to arrest his classmates. He's practically a rabbit eating the grass around its own burrow."

"My neighbor was taken by the Statistics Department too and never came home afterward. I heard he died. Looks like Teacher Feng is finished too."

Amid the students' chatter, Qian Yuya returned to the classroom in a daze. At that moment, Fang Wenhua suddenly came closer and whispered, "Yuya, Yuya."

"Yeah?"

"How about I walk you home after school? Look, the Statistics Department is full of lunatics. They already dare come to the school to arrest people. Who knows if they might arrest students too? It'll be safer if we leave together..."

Qian Yuya stopped and glanced sideways at Fang Wenhua, gently spitting out one word. "Get lost."

"What?" Fang Wenhua froze, thinking he had misheard.

"Get lost!" Qian Yuya snapped angrily. She shoved aside the bewildered Fang Wenhua and returned to her seat. Li Ying, who had been following Qian Yuya, glanced at Fang Wenhua and patted his shoulder pityingly. "Think before you speak next time."

Fang Wenhua still could not process it. "What did I say wrong?"

Li Ying ignored him and returned to her seat. She found Qian Yuya facing the window, unable to see her expression, so she carefully asked, "Was that Statistics Department agent someone close to you?"

It was not hard to guess—Qian was hardly a common surname.

Qian Yuya turned around and took out a handkerchief to wipe her right hand. Li Ying saw several deep bite marks on the knuckle of her right thumb, clearly made just now.

"He's my brother," Qian Yuya said calmly. "What do you know about him?"