Situ Xuan was very puzzled. Ever since he had taken leave and missed one night training session, the way Long Xiuyuan looked at him had become unusually strange.
Countless speculations flashed through Situ Xuan's mind.
Long Xiuyuan's shifting gaze, his strange pauses while speaking, and the sudden increase in force during training—these abnormalities swirled through Situ Xuan's mind like scattered puzzle pieces. As he wiped the sweat from his neck with a towel, he pondered to himself:
Could it be because I took leave that day? But with his personality, he wouldn't hold a grudge over something so trivial...
Or could it be...
Situ Xuan's pupils suddenly contracted slightly. Did he find out?
The thought made his back stiffen. He had never told anyone about drawing Black Heart Malevolent Qi into his body.
The origins of the Black Heart Evil Palm were far too unusual, and its method of breakthrough was entirely different from traditional Soul Master cultivation.
If Long Xiuyuan had noticed some clue...
Then he dismissed the guess.
Impossible. No matter how perceptive Long Xiuyuan was, he was only a Soul Ancestor-level Soul Master. He should not have been able to sense the Malevolent Qi.
Besides, if he had truly discovered something unusual, that guy would have questioned him directly instead of secretly observing him like this, wanting to speak but holding back.
Then the remaining possibility—
Situ Xuan's gaze unconsciously drifted toward the dormitory building.
"Ha!" He suddenly chuckled, and the gloom between his brows vanished. "So that's it!"
All the clues instantly fell into place. Long Xiuyuan's change in attitude, his hesitant behavior, and the probing hidden in his training—those were clearly typical reactions after suffering an emotional setback!
His homeroom teacher had definitely been dumped!
His girlfriend might even have cheated on him!
"So our 'devil coach' has troubles like this too..."
A teasing smile curled at Situ Xuan's lips. It seemed that the leave he had taken by chance that day had happened to coincide with some "special moment."
The realization put Situ Xuan in an excellent mood. He casually slung the towel over his shoulder and decided that the next time Long Xiuyuan gave him that strange look, he would definitely show some proper "concern" for his coach's love life.
"But..."
Then he thought of the deliberately increased force Long Xiuyuan had used during training, and his smile gradually froze. Could this guy be venting all his resentment from being dumped during training?
That night, at the training ground.
Situ Xuan stood in the center of the training ground with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes carrying a hint of profundity—this was the expression he only wore when contemplating major matters in life.
Long Xiuyuan stood not far away, his brow twitching. Why is this brat so quiet today? Something's off.
He had just been about to speak when Situ Xuan suddenly raised a hand and said in an almost sympathetic tone:
"Teacher Long."
"..."
Long Xiuyuan's eyelid twitched. For no reason at all, he had an ominous feeling.
Situ Xuan took a deep breath and slowly walked over to him. The corners of his lips rose slightly, revealing a smile that seemed comforting but was actually full of gossiping intent.
"In life, getting dumped is inevitable."
Long Xiuyuan: "...?"
The air instantly froze.
Seeing no reaction from him, Situ Xuan assumed he was putting on a brave front. He patted Long Xiuyuan's shoulder even more earnestly. "There are plenty of fish in the sea. Why pine after just one flower? Teacher Long, with your qualifications, finding someone better won't be a problem!"
Long Xiuyuan froze for a second. Then his pupils slowly widened, fury carrying a trace of absurdity. "What the hell are you talking about?!"
Situ Xuan calmly withdrew his hand and even gave him an I understand look. "Stop pretending. You've been so heavy-handed during training lately, and you're always absentminded when you talk. You obviously got dumped."
Long Xiuyuan's brain rarely stalled for a moment. Then veins bulged on his forehead, and his voice was practically squeezed through gritted teeth. "You... think I got dumped?"
Situ Xuan nodded, wearing the confident smile of someone convinced that such things could not escape his sharp eyes.
Long Xiuyuan stared at him steadily, then suddenly smiled.
But no matter how one looked at that smile, it seemed like... a sign that something was about to erupt.
"Situ Xuan."
"Hm?"
"Your training load is doubled today."
"..."
Situ Xuan's smile gradually stiffened.
Long Xiuyuan slowly rolled his wrists and added, "Oh, right. After training, you're immediately doing combat sparring."
Situ Xuan's mouth twitched. "Teacher Long, calm down. I was only concerned about you..."
Long Xiuyuan smiled. "Add another five hundred push-ups."
Situ Xuan: "...Fuck?"
Situ Xuan liked the feeling of growing stronger, and he also liked exhilarating battles.
But that did not mean he would not get tired or feel pain.
No normal person liked asking for abuse for no reason!
Situ Xuan slumped against a concrete pillar at the training ground, every muscle in his body as heavy as if filled with lead.
Sweat had soaked through his training uniform and pooled into a small puddle on the ground. He glanced sideways at Long Xiuyuan, who was drinking water not far away, and suddenly felt that his usually fairly handsome face looked especially punchable right now.
"What are you looking at?"
Long Xiuyuan set down his cup, a smug curve appearing on his lips. "You can't handle this little bit of training?"
Situ Xuan's Adam's apple bobbed as he struggled to swallow. His throat burned painfully from his ragged breathing. "Teacher... you're... abusing your authority for personal revenge..."
"I'm only ten. This is child abuse."
"Nonsense."
Long Xiuyuan walked over with light steps, his black training pants giving off a dull sheen beneath the lights. "Your teacher is helping you build a solid foundation. Besides, looking like that, even if you took it to a Federation court, no one would believe you're ten."
As he said this, his eyes gleamed with an almost childish smugness that Situ Xuan had never seen before.
Situ Xuan could not help rolling his eyes. He tried to move his fingers, intending to make an international gesture, only to find that even such a simple movement 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 other man was about to pull out some training equipment to continue torturing him. Instead, Long Xiuyuan held a yellowed photograph between his fingertips and waved it before Situ Xuan's eyes like he was showing it off.
"See this?"
Long Xiuyuan's voice suddenly became as lively as a teenager's. "This is a photo of A-Yun and me in sixth grade."
Situ Xuan narrowed his eyes. In the photograph, two children in school uniforms stood beneath a cherry blossom tree. The little girl was furiously tugging the boy's ear, while the boy whose ear was being pulled—though his features were still childish—had those unmistakable sword-like brows and bright eyes. He was clearly a younger Long Xiuyuan.
"She was pulling your ear, and you're still so happy about it?" Situ Xuan asked hoarsely.
Long Xiuyuan suddenly snatched back the photo like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "What do you know? That's how she shows love!" Then, as though performing a magic trick, he pulled another photo from his wallet. "This is a photo of us getting into Eastsea Academy together."
The girl in this photo had grown into a graceful young woman and was holding a thick book as she smacked Long Xiuyuan on the head with it. The younger Long Xiuyuan was grinning like an idiot.
Situ Xuan suddenly felt his eyes ache. He quietly turned his head away, unwilling to be force-fed romance.
"And this one,"
Long Xiuyuan had completely entered bragging mode. He tugged Situ Xuan's head over and pulled out a third photograph. "When she accepted my proposal last year..."
In the photo, the gentle woman shyly held out her hand as Long Xiuyuan put a ring on her finger.
Situ Xuan noticed that Long Xiuyuan's hand had shaken so badly in the photo that it left an afterimage.
"So..."
Situ Xuan struggled to process all this information. "The strange way you've been looking at me lately..."
"Because you brat actually went to train extra with Wu Zhangkong!"
Long Xiuyuan suddenly changed expression. Remembering the "truth" he had discovered not long ago, he viciously shoved the photos back into his wallet. "My student, Long Xiuyuan's student, doesn't need anyone else teaching him!"
Situ Xuan opened his mouth and suddenly felt his throat hurt even more. He should have known. This tsundere teacher's way of thinking could not be judged by common sense.
"Teacher..." He weakly raised a hand in surrender. "I was wrong..."
"What were you wrong about?"
Long Xiuyuan stood before him with his hands on his hips, his back to the world as the lights cast a grand silhouette around him.
"I shouldn't have doubted your relationship..."
Situ Xuan said sincerely, "And I especially shouldn't have said you got dumped..."
"What else?"
"I shouldn't have... privately gone to spar with Teacher Wu..."
Long Xiuyuan snorted and crouched down, suddenly grabbing Situ Xuan's right wrist.
Situ Xuan instinctively tried to pull away, but a gentle stream of Soul Power wrapped around his aching arm.
"Listen carefully,"
Long Xiuyuan said with a stern face as he used healing Soul Power to ease his muscle fatigue, "I don't care what secrets your family martial art has, but since you're my student, don't even think about slacking off."
Feeling the warm current flowing over his arm, Situ Xuan suddenly felt his nose sting. He muttered, "Who told you to suddenly increase the training load lately..."
"That's for your own good!"
Long Xiuyuan slapped the back of his head, though with far less force than usual. "With your current physical strength, ordinary training isn't nearly enough."
Situ Xuan looked up and met Long Xiuyuan's rare serious gaze. Those eyes, always full of teasing, were now so clear that they reflected his image.
"Teacher..."
"What?"
"The photo..."
Situ Xuan pointed at Long Xiuyuan's still-open wallet. "It fell out..."
Long Xiuyuan hurriedly went to pick it up, only to hear Situ Xuan's low laugh. "You and Madam are a perfect match."
Moonlight streamed through the training ground's glass dome, falling over teacher and student.
Long Xiuyuan put away his wallet and shot Situ Xuan a fierce-looking glare. "If you've rested enough, get up! I'll take you back to the dorm!"
"Huh?" Situ Xuan was pleasantly surprised. "No extra training today?"
Long Xiuyuan turned his back as he organized the training equipment, his voice muffled. "You still have class tomorrow... Don't die in my training ground..."
Situ Xuan slowly stood with the help of the pillar. Looking at Long Xiuyuan's upright back, he suddenly felt that the night was especially warm.
"Teacher..."
"What now?!"
"Tsunderes are out of the meta. Watch yourself."
"Get lost! Walk back yourself!"
Before you continue