"Uncle Jiang, Senior Brother Shi Lei... what time do you usually get here?"
Lin Xiaohe hesitated at the entrance for a moment. Perhaps she found waiting around in silence too awkward, because she edged closer and tried to strike up a conversation with the old man by the gate, who sat as still as a stone statue. She deliberately softened her voice, speaking with a trace of ingratiating tentativeness.
Jiang Ye could not even be bothered to lift his eyelids all the way. He looked hard of hearing and half-blind, as if dozing.
Lin Xiaohe got nowhere and sheepishly returned to her spot, twisting the string of the oil-paper package even tighter as her gaze grew more and more anxious, fixed on the far end of the long street.
Fortunately, she did not have to wait long.
A steady, rhythmic set of footsteps drew nearer, shattering the morning quiet.
Shi Lei appeared at the street corner, jogging all the way as usual. Tiny beads of sweat had formed on his forehead, glimmering faintly in the morning light.
"Good morning, Senior Brother Shi Lei!"
Lin Xiaohe's eyes lit up at once. Her face blossomed into an almost excessively bright smile, like a lark finally welcoming its quarry home. She hurried toward him with light steps.
"Junior Sister Lin?!"
Shi Lei instinctively stopped short. He looked at the young woman blocking his path and frowned almost imperceptibly before quickly returning to an even expression.
His gaze passed over the carefully arranged smile on her face and the steaming oil-paper package in her hands. He showed neither surprise nor the slightest reaction.
"Senior Brother Shi Lei, I got up extra early this morning and made these sesame flatbreads for you myself. They're still hot! Please, try one..."
Lin Xiaohe eagerly held out the package, her eyes full of hope, with even a trace of barely perceptible pleading.
Shi Lei did not take it. Instead, he waved his hand and said evenly, "Thank you for the kind offer, Junior Sister Lin, but I've already had breakfast. I really can't eat any more. Keep them for yourself."
After speaking, he did not even spare another glance at the smile that had frozen on Lin Xiaohe's face or the shock rising in her eyes. He simply stepped around her and continued on without stopping.
When he reached the gate, he paused and respectfully, earnestly clasped his fists to Jiang Ye, who still seemed to be dozing. Only then did he turn and enter the Martial Academy, unhurriedly.
Lin Xiaohe's outstretched hand remained frozen in midair. Wisps of steam rose from the oil-paper package, blurring her face as it drained of color.
She stood rooted to the spot, staring in the direction Shi Lei had disappeared, as if all her strength had been sucked away.
The smile she had forced onto her slightly chubby cheeks was gone, leaving only a bitter ache.
The cold despair of Hu Tian publicly shaking her off and humiliating her the night before had kept her awake all night.
At last, she had figured it out: only the honest, simple-minded Shi Lei was someone she could control.
So she had made sesame flatbreads herself first thing in the morning, hoping to rekindle things with him.
She had imagined all sorts of possibilities.
She had imagined Shi Lei might angrily reprimand her, mock her coldly, or even be overcome with grief...
She had even secretly hoped he would curse her out. At least that would mean he still cared, that she could still stir something in him.
But the one thing she had never expected was this... calm, indifferent rejection, and the distance of someone who barely even saw her.
That utter calm unsettled and hurt her more than any fierce reaction could have.
Because it meant Shi Lei might never forgive her again.
"Hmm. That boy Shi Lei does have some character."
Jiang Ye had seemed to doze through the whole thing, but he had taken it all in. He gave a small nod to himself.
As for Lin Xiaohe, looking so bitter and pitiful, Jiang Ye could not be bothered to give her another glance.
The girl had brought this fate entirely upon herself.
The morning light grew brighter, and more and more disciples arrived at the Martial Academy.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Jiang Ye's seemingly half-lidded eyes shifted. His gaze passed over the crowd and settled on the other end of the long street.
An elegantly decorated carriage bearing the Su Family's insignia approached at an unhurried pace, then slowly came to a stop outside the Martial Academy.
"So that girl Su Yan is still coming to practice martial arts today..."
A flicker of surprise crossed Jiang Ye's mind.
Though he had been on the defensive throughout last night's "battle," the Beauty Drunk had been far too potent. Su Yan had been thoroughly worn out by the time they were done.
He had not expected her to come train the next day after taking such a "heavy blow"...
The carriage curtain lifted, and a graceful figure lightly leaped down.
It was Su Yan.
Today she wore a lake-blue martial outfit made of fine fabric and tailored to fit. The crisp material outlined the young woman's delicate curves just right.
Her features were as exquisite as ever, but as her eyes moved, there was now a hint of mature allure beyond her youthful innocence.
Jiang Ye quickly lowered his head, not daring to look any longer.
Ever since last night, merely seeing Su Yan dressed like that made him imagine the captivating figure beneath her clothes.
After all, he really had seen it.
"Good morning, Uncle Jiang."
Su Yan greeted Jiang Ye as she always did.
A familiar fragrance drifted over. Jiang Ye, who had been about to pretend to doze, felt his old face turn faintly red—an unusual sight. He lifted his head slightly and returned her greeting. "Miss Su, you're here quite early today."
"Mm..."
Su Yan was about to cross the Martial Academy's gate when her eyes met Jiang Ye's aged gaze. Her mind jolted.
A strong sense of incongruity welled up inside her.
Last night's shameful scene surged uncontrollably through her mind. In particular, the gaunt, hard-faced white-haired old man seemed to merge with Jiang Ye before her eyes.
But only for an instant.
Su Yan hurriedly shook her head, forcing the chaotic thoughts from her mind.
"Have I gone mad..."
A faint blush rose on Su Yan's gentle, radiant face.
What was she thinking?
She had actually connected the gatekeeper before her with that white-haired old man...
How absurd was that?
Jiang Ye before her was frail with age, his expression kind.
The white-haired old man, on the other hand, had stood straight as a spear, his bearing sharp as a drawn blade. His stern face had carried a fierce, roguish menace, and his strength—at least at the level of Dark Strength—had been unfathomably deep...
In age, build, temperament, and strength, they were worlds apart. They had absolutely nothing in common.
How could she have come up with such a ridiculous idea?
Last night's shock must have left her unsettled, making her imagine such a laughable resemblance.
She steadied herself, forced herself to calm down, and took another long look at Jiang Ye. Then, her expression complicated, she walked into the Martial Academy.
Jiang Ye watched Su Yan's graceful figure disappear into the distance, his eyes narrowing slightly. A similarly complicated emotion flashed through his aged gaze.
He had no idea what Su Yan was thinking. Otherwise, he would have had to marvel at how terrifying a woman's intuition could be.
Once all the disciples had arrived, Liu Qingshi unusually summoned the disciples of both the Inner Courtyard and the Outer Courtyard.
He was not wearing training clothes today, but a dignified, deep-green robe. His expression was solemn, and he commanded respect without raising his voice.
Liu Qingshi did not speak immediately. The brief silence only made the atmosphere heavier and more oppressive.
Every disciple could feel the invisible pressure emanating from a Transformation Strength expert.
At last, his deep, resonant voice boomed like muffled thunder across the Inner Courtyard's Martial Practice Field. Every word rang clear:
"Zhang Xu, corrupt in mind and vile in conduct, has violated the Martial Academy's ironclad rules!"
"Effective immediately, he is expelled from the Martial Academy!"
"Forever cast out from the sect!"
Before you continue