Teacher, Tsundere Is Out of Style

Situ Xuan was very puzzled. Ever since he had asked for leave and missed that one night of special training, the way Long Xiuyuan looked at him had been more than a little strange.

Various speculations flashed through Situ Xuan's mind.

Long Xiuyuan's flickering gaze, the strange pauses when he spoke, and the sudden increase in intensity during training—these anomalies swirled in his mind like scattered puzzle pieces. As he wiped the sweat from his neck with a towel, he pondered to himself:

"Could it be because of that leave? But knowing his personality, he wouldn't fuss over such a small matter..."

"Or could it be..."

Situ Xuan's pupils constricted slightly. "Did he find out?"

The thought made his spine stiffen. He had never mentioned the matter of channeling the Black Heart Evil Palm into his body to anyone.

The origin of the Black Heart Evil Palm was far too unique, and its method of breakthrough was vastly different from the traditional cultivation of a Soul Master.

If Long Xiuyuan had sensed something amiss...

He immediately dismissed the speculation.

Impossible. No matter how sharp Long Xiuyuan was, he was only a Soul Master at the Soul Ancestor level; he shouldn't be able to detect the presence of the evil energy.

Besides, if he had truly discovered something abnormal, given that guy's style, he would have confronted him directly instead of observing him in secret with such hesitation.

Then, the remaining possibility—

Situ Xuan's gaze drifted involuntarily toward the dormitory building.

"Ha!" He suddenly chuckled, the gloom between his brows vanishing. "So that's it!"

All the clues connected instantly. Long Xiuyuan's change in attitude, that hesitant behavior, and the probing hidden within his training—it was clearly the typical reaction of someone suffering from a broken heart!

His homeroom teacher had definitely been dumped!

It was even possible that his girlfriend had cheated on him!

"So even our 'Devil Coach' has these kinds of troubles..."

A playful smile tugged at the corners of Situ Xuan's mouth. It seemed that his accidental leave that day had happened to coincide with some "special moment."

This realization put Situ Xuan in a great mood. He slung his towel over his shoulder, deciding that the next time Long Xiuyuan gave him that strange look, he would definitely "show some concern" for his coach's love life.

"However..."

As he thought about the intensity Long Xiuyuan had deliberately increased during training, his smile slowly froze. "This guy wouldn't be taking his heartbreak out on the training, would he?"

At night, at the training ground.

Situ Xuan stood in the center of the training ground with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes deep and contemplative—the expression he only wore when pondering the great mysteries of life.

Long Xiuyuan stood not far away, his brow twitching as he thought, Why is this kid so quiet today? Something's not right.

Just as he was about to speak, he saw Situ Xuan suddenly raise a hand and say in a tone bordering on pity:

"Teacher Long."

"..."

Long Xiuyuan's eyelid twitched; he had an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

Situ Xuan took a deep breath, walked slowly toward him, and lifted the corners of his mouth into a smile that looked comforting but was actually full of gossip.

"Life is like that, heartbreak is inevitable."

Long Xiuyuan: "...?"

The air instantly froze.

Seeing no reaction, Situ Xuan assumed he was just putting on a brave face, so he patted his shoulder with even more earnestness: "There are plenty of fish in the sea, why pine for just one flower? Teacher Long, with your qualifications, finding someone better won't be a problem!"

Long Xiuyuan was stunned for a second, then his pupils slowly widened, his fury mixed with a hint of absurdity: "What the hell are you talking about?!"

Situ Xuan calmly withdrew his hand and gave him an "I understand" look: "Don't pretend. You've been so ruthless during training lately, and you're always distracted when you talk. It's obvious you've been dumped."

Long Xiuyuan's brain glitched for a rare moment, then the veins on his forehead bulged, and his voice was squeezed out through gritted teeth: "You... think I've been dumped?"

Situ Xuan nodded, wearing a confident smile that said, Nothing escapes my eyes.

Long Xiuyuan stared at him steadily, then suddenly smiled.

But that smile looked like... a sign of something about to explode.

"Situ Xuan."

"Yeah?"

"Your training volume is doubled today."

"..."

Situ Xuan's smile gradually stiffened.

Long Xiuyuan leisurely flexed his wrists and added: "Oh, right. After training, I want you to immediately engage in live combat sparring."

Situ Xuan's mouth twitched: "Teacher Long, calm down, I was just concerned about you..."

Long Xiuyuan smiled: "Add another five hundred push-ups."

Situ Xuan: "...What the hell?"

Situ Xuan loved the feeling of getting stronger, and he loved the thrill of a hearty, all-out battle.

But that didn't mean he wouldn't get tired or feel pain.

Normal people didn't go looking for abuse when they had nothing better to do!

Situ Xuan slumped against a concrete pillar in the training hall, his muscles feeling as heavy as if they'd been filled with lead.

Sweat soaked through his training gear, forming a small puddle on the floor. He glanced sideways at Long Xiuyuan, who was drinking water not far away, and suddenly felt that the face, usually considered quite handsome, looked exceptionally punchable right now.

"What are you looking at?"

Long Xiuyuan set down his water bottle, the corners of his mouth curling into a smug arc. "Already hitting your limit with just this much training?"

Situ Xuan's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed with difficulty. His throat burned from his heavy, ragged breathing: "Teacher... you are... abusing your power for personal vendettas..."

"I'm only ten years old, for heaven's sake. This is child abuse."

"Nonsense."

Long Xiuyuan walked over with a light, brisk step, his black training pants sporting a matte sheen under the lights. "Teacher is helping you solidify your foundation. Besides, with the way you look, no one at the Federation court would believe you're ten."

As he said this, his eyes flashed with a near-childish, smug radiance that Situ Xuan had never seen before.

Situ Xuan couldn't help but roll his eyes. He tried to move his fingers, intending to give a certain international gesture, only to find that even this simple action made his muscles twitch in protest.

Long Xiuyuan crouched down and suddenly pulled a wallet from his pocket.

Situ Xuan reflexively shrank his neck—he thought the man was pulling out some training device to continue torturing him. Instead, he saw Long Xiuyuan holding a yellowed photograph between his fingertips, waving it in front of Situ Xuan like a trophy.

"See this?"

Long Xiuyuan's voice suddenly sounded as light as a teenager's. "This is a photo of A-Yun and me in the sixth grade."

Situ Xuan squinted. In the photo, two children in school uniforms stood under a cherry blossom tree. The little girl was angrily tugging on the boy's ear, and the boy—though his features were still immature—had those signature sword-like brows and starry eyes. It was clearly a young version of Long Xiuyuan.

"She's pulling your ear, and you're still that happy?" Situ Xuan asked, his voice raspy.

Long Xiuyuan pulled the photo back as if his tail had been stepped on: "What do you know! This is a sign of love!" He then pulled a new photo from his wallet like a magician. "This is a photo of us when we were both admitted to Eastsea Academy."

In this photo, the young girl had blossomed into a graceful beauty and was currently swatting a thick book against Long Xiuyuan's head. The young Long Xiuyuan was grinning like an idiot.

Situ Xuan suddenly felt his eyes stinging. He turned his head away, not wanting to be force-fed any more of this "dog food."

"And this one,"

Long Xiuyuan had fully entered show-off mode. He ruffled Situ Xuan's hair and pulled out a third photo. "When she agreed to my proposal last year..."

In the photo, the gentle woman was shyly extending her hand, letting Long Xiuyuan put the ring on her finger.

Situ Xuan noticed that Long Xiuyuan's hand in the photo was shaking so hard it was a blur.

"So..."

Situ Xuan struggled to digest this information. "Is that why you've been looking at me so strangely lately..."

"Because you brat actually went to do extra training with Wu Zhangkong!"

Long Xiuyuan's expression shifted instantly. Recalling the "truth" he had uncovered not long ago, he shoved the photos back into his wallet with a vicious glare. "My student, Long Xiuyuan's student, doesn't need anyone else to teach him!"

Situ Xuan opened his mouth, suddenly feeling his throat ache even more. He should have realized it sooner; the thought process of this tsundere teacher could never be measured by common sense.

"Teacher..." he raised his hand in a weak surrender. "I was wrong..."

"Wrong about what?"

Long Xiuyuan stood before him with his hands on his hips, his back to the world, casting a grand silhouette under the lights.

"I shouldn't have doubted your relationship status..."

Situ Xuan said sincerely, "And I especially shouldn't have said you were dumped..."

"Anything else?"

"I shouldn't have... privately asked Teacher Wu for a sparring match..."

Long Xiuyuan snorted coldly, crouched down, and suddenly grabbed Situ Xuan's right wrist.

Situ Xuan instinctively tried to pull back, but his aching arm was enveloped by a gentle flow of soul power.

"Listen well,"

Long Xiuyuan said with a stern face while using his healing soul power to soothe the muscle fatigue. "I don't care what secrets your family's martial arts style has, but since you are my student, don't even think about slacking off."

Feeling the warm current in his arm, Situ Xuan suddenly felt his nose sting. He muttered: "Who told you to suddenly increase the training load..."

"It's for your own good!"

Long Xiuyuan slapped the back of his head, though the force was much lighter than usual. "With your current physical strength, ordinary training isn't enough to cut it."

Situ Xuan looked up, meeting Long Xiuyuan's rare, earnest gaze. Those eyes, usually filled with mockery, were now clear enough to reflect his own image.

"Teacher..."

"What?"

"The photo..."

Situ Xuan pointed at the wallet Long Xiuyuan hadn't closed yet. "It fell out..."

Long Xiuyuan scrambled to pick it up, only to hear Situ Xuan's low chuckle: "You and Shiniang make a perfect match."

Moonlight spilled through the glass dome of the training ground, casting its glow upon the master and his disciple.

Long Xiuyuan tucked his wallet away and shot Situ Xuan a glare that was meant to look fierce. "If you've rested enough, get up! I'm taking you back to the dormitory!"

"Eh?" Situ Xuan was pleasantly surprised. "No extra training today?"

Long Xiuyuan turned his back to him to tidy up the training equipment, his voice muffled. "You have class tomorrow... don't go dying in my training ground..."

Situ Xuan leaned against a pillar and slowly stood up. Watching Long Xiuyuan's upright back, he suddenly felt that this night was exceptionally warm.

"Teacher..."

"What is it now?!"

"Tsundere is out of style, you should be careful."

"Get lost! Walk back yourself!"