On the stage, Mu Ningxue's gaze immediately locked onto the figure beside Mu Bai. At first glance, he was strikingly handsome. Even someone as cold as her couldn't help showing a hint of surprise.
She had already seen his photo and prepared herself, but she couldn't help reacting this way. He had changed so much!
When it was her turn to speak, Mu Ningxue read the prepared remarks and returned to her seat. The mature woman beside her covered her mouth with a soft laugh and said,
"Ah, Ningxue still can't handle this sort of occasion."
"Sister Yanqiu, I just don't like attracting too much attention."
Mu Yanqiu saw Mu Ningxue shake her head, though her gaze stayed fixed on Cheng Xiaoyu. The corners of her eyes curved slightly as she said softly,
"What do you think? Surprised? When I first saw the photo of Xiaoyu that Xiao Bai sent me, I reacted the same way."
She looked at Cheng Xiaoyu's tall, straight figure and his handsome, resolute face. A trace of warmth flashed in her beautiful eyes as she said gently,
"I heard Xiaoyu started changing after a Life and Death Mission. He must have gone through something incredibly difficult."
At that, Mu Ningxue lowered her eyes and clutched her skirt tightly in both hands, lost in thought.
"Xiaoxue... What's she doing here?"
Cheng Xiaoyu looked up and met Mu Ningxue's eyes. When he saw the beautiful woman beside her wave at him, he smiled and waved back.
"She came back with my sister. She said she didn't want to tell you and wanted to surprise you."
Hearing Mu Bai's words, Cheng Xiaoyu looked faintly exasperated. Sister Yanqiu had definitely been the one to arrange this.
One student after another went up for testing. Most looked relieved, while a few seemed pleasantly surprised—their results had clearly been good.
However, a small number looked utterly devastated. Their final scores were nowhere near passing, and they would no longer be students at Tianlan Magic High School. There was no one else to blame; they simply hadn't worked hard enough.
"Mu Bai, how do you think you did?"
Their names hadn't been called yet, so the two started chatting.
"My sister gave me some cultivation resources. Aside from you, since you awakened a year early, I should have no trouble taking second place."
Mu Bai was confident in himself. With his sister's help, he was sure he could make his father proud in front of his uncle.
Sure enough, when Mu Bai went up for testing, he earned three S's, and even his magic release scored an A. The results immediately drew the attention of all the students and teachers.
This was just as Cheng Xiaoyu had expected. But someone else caught his attention: the nephew of Aunt Mo Qing.
Mo Fan's score was excellent, second only to Mu Bai's, stirring up another wave of commotion.
At last, the examiner called Cheng Xiaoyu's name.
Cheng Xiaoyu stepped forward. Every student in the school turned to look at him, and the girls' expressions instantly changed. They stared at his tall, straight figure with lovestruck eyes.
"Wow, it's the handsome guy from the first day of school. He actually came today!"
"He's in our class. Too bad I don't have his contact information, or maybe we could've had a romantic encounter."
"I heard Cheng Xiaoyu awakened his magic before high school and has been working as a Hunter Magician ever since. He's nothing like the boys at our school."
Amid the many whispers, Cheng Xiaoyu made his way forward. As he passed Mu Yanqiu and Mu Ningxue, the former greeted him openly, while the latter kept her eyes fixed on him, sneaking glances back and forth with him.
From the moment Cheng Xiaoyu stepped forward, Mu Zhuoyun had kept a close eye on them. When he noticed the little glances his own little cotton ball was sneaking, his heart sank. He grunted at the young man, but said nothing.
At the examiner's signal, Cheng Xiaoyu placed his hand on the Star Sense Stone. Dark light immediately spread out from the stone, filling the area around it. It was so intense that it seemed about to spill from the stone, casting its glow across his face.
After easily earning an S, Cheng Xiaoyu followed the examiner to the shadow beneath the stage. He swiftly connected the Shadow Element stars and slipped into the shadows, moving from one side to the other.
Seeing how skillfully he released the magic, the examiner had no reason not to give him an S.
Tang Yue had watched Cheng Xiaoyu's Shadow Element Magic closely and nodded in approval. He was a Hunter Magician who often trained Outside Safe Zone, after all. Shadow Evasion could help him escape danger and dodge attacks at critical moments. He was undoubtedly an excellent Shadow Element Mage.
Xue Musheng didn't care about any of that. All he knew was that his class had produced three outstanding students, and he'd secured both the promotion and the bonus!
Watching Cheng Xiaoyu release his magic, Mu Ningxue felt something tender within her stir. She couldn't help imagining the hardships he'd endured while facing life and death.
After the assessment, Cheng Xiaoyu didn't stay at school. He was heading that way anyway, so he went to pick up his younger sister.
After dinner, he told Ye Xinxia where he was going, then headed to a secluded hill behind town.
Following the small mountain path in the dark, Cheng Xiaoyu walked all the way to the summit. There, he spotted a lovely silhouette seated on a flat rock.
As if she'd heard him approach, Mu Ningxue slowly turned around. When she saw Cheng Xiaoyu, a rare smile appeared on her cool, pretty face.
"Xiaoyu."
"You're sitting right here. Aren't you worried about getting your skirt dirty?"
Cheng Xiaoyu sat beside Mu Ningxue. He caught a faint fragrance and turned to look at her exquisite face, momentarily lost in thought.
"Why... are you looking at me like that?"
Mu Ningxue tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, shifted her gaze away, and asked stiffly,
Cheng Xiaoyu sighed and gazed out at Bo City's nightscape as he slowly said,
"To be honest, most of my memories of you are still of when you had black hair. After you left Bo City for Imperial Capital Academy, we saw each other less and less. You smiled less, too."
Mu Ningxue's delicate body trembled. She stared at Cheng Xiaoyu's distant expression, at a loss for words.
"Do you like my silver hair?"
"My feelings haven't changed."
The two looked at each other, and both smiled.
"People grow and change... I'm no exception."
Mu Ningxue's heart stirred. Lowering her beautiful eyes, she quietly took Cheng Xiaoyu's large hand in hers. Feeling the calluses in his palm, she asked softly,
"Can you tell me about your time as a Hunter Magician?"
The two began sharing what they'd been through lately. Without noticing, they leaned gently against each other.
"By the way, that bow you told me about last time... Is it still affecting your cultivation a lot?"
At that, Mu Ningxue tightened her hold on Cheng Xiaoyu's hand and nodded gravely.
"Don't worry. We'll find a way eventually."
Cheng Xiaoyu had no solution himself, so he could only offer her some reassurance for now.
Mu Ningxue didn't want to dwell on such a heavy subject. She took a Bank Card from her skirt pocket, pressed it into Cheng Xiaoyu's hand, and said,
"There's 500,000 in the account. It's a little something from me for you and Xinxia. I hope you'll accept it."
Cheng Xiaoyu stared at the Bank Card in his hand. First Tang Yue had given him 500,000, and now Mu Ningxue had given him another 500,000. That was already as much as he could earn from several bounties.
Before, he would definitely have refused outright. But after what had happened last time, he didn't feel so resistant anymore...
"Xiaoxue, are you... trying to keep me?"
Hearing Cheng Xiaoyu's teasing, Mu Ningxue's ears turned red. A faint chill seemed to radiate from her body, but she forced herself to meet his playful gaze and answered earnestly,
"I am trying to keep you. Is that a problem?"
She wrapped her arms around Cheng Xiaoyu's, rested her head lightly on his shoulder, and whispered,
"When I take over from Dad someday, I'll support you for the rest of your life."
Cheng Xiaoyu gazed quietly at Mu Ningxue's delicate profile, held her soft, cool hand, and savored the peaceful moment.
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