The Smiling Knife-Wielder

The opening segment of "The Sea God Fate" has ended, and the lanterns on the island in the middle of the lake have just turned to their brightest angle.

Lan Muzi and Tang Yinmeng stood on the main floating platform, one on the left and one on the right, guiding the participants to leap into the arena from the lotus leaves on both sides.

Every participant who landed successfully elicited cheers, large or small, from the audience—some landed with graceful movements and without a sound, earning loud and sincere applause.

Someone slipped on the edge of a lotus leaf and almost fell into the water, which elicited good-natured laughter from the audience.

Xie Xie's gaze swept across the arena, and his eyes were drawn to a corner at the back of the audience.

He nudged Tang Wulin with his elbow, lowering his voice but unable to suppress his excitement. "Hey, hey, look who's that? Isn't that Xu Lizhi?"

Xu Xiaoyan, saw the chubby figure next to the refreshment table of the logistics support team.

Xu Lizhi was wearing a clean logistics uniform today, carrying a tray with several plates of tea and snacks neatly arranged on it.

He was walking carefully from the back of the audience seating area toward the VIP seats, his head down, seemingly serving tea and refreshments to the guests from the Tang Sect and the Spirit Pagoda.

Yuanen Yehui's gaze swept over, her brows furrowing slightly. She noticed that Xu Lizhi's route happened to pass by the best viewpoint in the VIP section, from the Spirit Pagoda to the Tang Sect, without missing a single dish of tea or snacks.

Tang Wulin didn't speak, but simply turned the communicator in his hand over, screen down, and placed it on his knee.

Gu Yuena's gaze swept over Xu Lizhi, her silver pupils devoid of any extra emotion.

Xie Xie was the first to speak.

He saw Xu Lizhi holding tea and snacks and instinctively wanted to call him over.

"Xu Lizhi! Hey! Over here--! Give us some!" His voice wasn't particularly loud in the noisy audience, but people sitting in the rows around him heard it.

Several Inner Court disciples nearby joined in the commotion. Xu Lizhi was indeed well-liked within the Inner Court; many people knew him.

He was the food-type Soul Master was always smiling and flipping the wok in the cafeteria, the kind-hearted guy who remembered everyone's taste preferences, and the honest, chubby guy who would just scratch his head and laugh when teased.

Someone shouted, "Chef Xu isn't flipping the wok today, he's serving plates instead!" Everyone around burst into laughter.

Someone gave him a push, not a hard one, just the kind of playful shoving between acquaintances, but the push just happened to send him from beside the tea and snack table into the brightest spot in front of the audience.

The lighting technician was adjusting the lighting and shadows for the lanterns when a spotlight swept across the audience and shone directly on Xu Lizhi.

Under the spotlight, his figure carrying a tray of tea and snacks was clearly visible. He had a round face, a slightly plump figure, and wore his uniform neatly. The tray was as steady as any pot of braised pork he usually carried.

Someone in the audience recognized him and called out "Xu Lizhi" again.

Then comes the second tone, and then the third tone.

First came the Inner Court disciples, then the freshmen from the Outer Court who had eaten his nutritious meals, and then a few male students from the Outer Court who were always eager to watch the drama unfold.

Voices converged from all directions, without malice, only laughing encouragement, "Xu Lizhi! Go up and say a few words!"

"Chef Xu! Aren't you delivering nutritious meals today?!"

"Lizhi! Lizhi!" Some people clapped, and others stomped their feet to the rhythm. The lively atmosphere at the Sea God Fate reached a small climax at this moment.

Everyone's attention was on him. Even the participants who were about to make their next appearance on the main platform stopped in their tracks and watched the scene in the audience with great interest.

On the main stage, several elders of the Sea God Pavilion also noticed the commotion.

Ya Li tilted her head slightly and glanced in Yun Jingheng's direction, then lowered her voice and said something to Cai Yue'er beside her.

Cai Yue'er held a teacup, her glasses reflecting the light, obscuring her expression, but there was a very faint curve at the corner of her mouth.

Yun Ming's gaze swept over Xu Lizhi, lingering for a moment before moving away. It was perfectly normal for a logistics disciple to be jeering at such a lively occasion as the Sea God Fate; there was nothing to pay attention to.

In the VIP section, Zang Xin held a cup of hot tea, raised an eyebrow slightly, and looked at his young disciple, who had been thrust into the spotlight, with great interest.

The Tang Sect disciple next to him asked in a low voice who this person was. Zang Xin shook his head and said he didn't know him, but judging from everyone's reaction, he must be very popular.

On the seat in the Spirit Pagoda, the middle-aged man with a cold face did not smile; his gaze was sharper than anyone else's.

He stared at Xu Lizhi for a few seconds, seemingly trying to find something noteworthy in this young disciple who was being ridiculed, but in the end he withdrew his gaze, picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Lan Muzi and Tang Yinmeng exchanged a glance.

As hosts, they are very familiar with this kind of unexpected situation. Every year at the Sea God Fate, there are one or two audience members who are pushed onto the stage by the cheers. As long as they catch this joke, they can make the atmosphere even more heated.

Lan Muzi waved to the staff member in charge of handing over the microphone, signaling him to pass her the spare microphone.

A staff member jogged to the side of the audience seats and shoved a microphone into Xu Lizhi's hand.

Xu Lizhi paused for a moment, looked down at the microphone in his hand, then at the smiling faces in the audience. He stood there, the lights shining brightly on him, the tea and snacks on the edge of the tray trembling slightly, his hands shaking.

"Xu Lizhi! Confess! Xu Lizhi! Confess!" The cheering continued.

He took a deep breath, gripped the microphone tightly, took two steps forward, and stood at the very front of the audience.

His voice came through the microphone with a slight static, characteristic of amplifiers, but every word was clearly audible.

"I... do have something to say. Not to everyone, but to one person."

There was a moment of silence in the audience, then a scream that was even louder than before erupted.

Lan Muzi's smile deepened, and Tang Yinmeng tilted her head slightly, glancing in Ye Xinglan's direction.

She knew who Xu Lizhi was talking about; anyone in the Inner Court who paid even a little attention knew at least a little bit.

"Then, let's welcome the other main character." Lan Muzi smiled and extended her hand towards Ye Xinglan.

Ye Xinglan knew she was being addressed, so she stood up.

Her movements were steady, without hesitation or awkwardness, and her expression was complex.

She walked along the aisle toward the front of the audience seats and stopped a few steps away from Xu Lizhi.

The two people were about two zhang apart, and the light from the lanterns shone from the side, casting bright and dark shadows on their faces.

Xu Lizhi looked at Ye Xinglan.

His voice came through the microphone with a slight static, characteristic of amplifiers, but each word sounded as if it had been brewing for a long time.

"Sister Xing Lan, I've wanted to tell you these things for a long time."

"Back then, we were in the same class. You were always the last one to leave after training. Every time I went to the training field to deliver supplies, I would leave an extra portion at the locker room door. I didn't dare to give it to you in person, afraid that someone would see it and that I would cause you trouble."

His voice started to tremble slightly, not from nervousness, but from the trembling of something that had been weighing on his voice and was finally being released.

"I know you're a combat type and I'm a food type. I know you'll go very, very far in the future, and I might not even be able to catch up with your back."

"I don't want you to stop. I want to tell you that whether you can see me or not, I've always been watching. Every time you push your limits, every time you draw your sword, every time you get injured and get back up, I've been watching."

"I can't help much. I can only guarantee that there will always be a hot, nutritious meal outside the locker room when you finish training. You don't need to remember that I brought it to you; just eat it."

His voice lowered, and his hand gripping the microphone turned slightly white from the force.

"So, Ye Xinglan, I like you. Not the kind of liking as a friend. It's... it's the kind of liking where I want to stand by your side."

The static from the loudspeaker was still humming.

Amidst the screams and whistles from the audience, an Inner Court disciple shouted "Say yes!" and was then shoved with a laugh by the person next to him.

Xie Xie stared blankly at the others, the baked bun in his hand dangling in mid-air, forgetting to put it in his mouth.

What does this mean? Is Jing Heng's backer about to be broken up?

But Ye Xinglan's expression remained complex, containing only a deep, unspoken emotion.

She took the microphone from Lan Muzi and remained silent for a moment.

"Xu Lizhi." Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried throughout the entire Sea God Lake thanks to the loudspeaker.

The noise in the audience gradually quieted down, and everyone waited for her to say what she was going to say next.

"I remember every single nutritional meal you sent me. You would leave them by the locker room door after training, sometimes still steaming. You never left your name, but I knew it was you."

She paused, her tone flat, but each word seemed weighted in her mind. "You think I'm not responding because I don't know, but I do know."

"I knew from the beginning. But you said you liked watching me push my limits, liked watching me draw my sword, liked watching me get injured and get back up. You've been watching from the sidelines the whole time. But what I want isn't someone who just watches me from the sidelines."

She raised her eyes, her gaze passing over Xu Lizhi, over the breathless faces in the audience, over the warm light of the lanterns and the shimmering silver reflections on the Sea God Lake, and landing on a certain direction on the opposite shore.

That direction had the outline of the Sea God Pavilion, the maple forest path she and he had walked countless times together, and her mutterings whenever she was exhausted from training.

"What I want is someone who will go into battle with me, someone who will be standing beside me before I even draw my sword."

"What I want is someone who, even though they themselves are wounded, will never let me face things alone."

A gasp went up in the audience, followed by a murmur of commotion.

Ye Xinglan's gaze swept over the crowd in the stands, over the faces still whispering in shock, over the warm light of the lanterns and the shimmering silver reflections on the Sea God Lake, and landed precisely in a certain direction.

"Thank you for your kind words, but..."

"I like Yun Jingheng."

The entire Sea God Lake was silent for a full three seconds.

Then Xie Xie's baked bun fell to the ground, and he gasped for breath. Before the scream could escape his throat, Yuanen Yehui covered his mouth.

Tang Wulin blinked, then slowly turned his head to look in Yun Jingheng's direction, his expression changing from shock to a subtle "brother, good luck to you."

Gu Yuena's lips curved slightly. "Wow, that was fast! I thought I'd be the first one."

She glanced at the indignant Xu Xiaoyan without batting an eye, Xu Xiaoyan stirring within her.

Or... should I stand up and loudly declare that I like Yun Jingheng? And stir things up a bit?

Hehe~ Wouldn't that be too mean?

Should we bring Xiao Yan along?

On the main stage, Ya Li's hand, holding a teacup, froze in mid-air. She turned her head to look at Yun Ming, Yun Ming face was expressionless, but one could vaguely see that he couldn't suppress the urge to smile.

Cai Yue'er lowered her head and took a sip of tea.

Yun Jingheng leaned against a pillar next to the lantern control console, still holding the event schedule in his hand.

His finger hovered over the third line of the flowchart, his entire being frozen in an extremely rare, blank state, as if his brain hadn't yet finished processing the input information.

He looked in Ye Xinglan's direction. Across half the lake, the lamplight shone on her, bathing her silhouette in a pale golden glow.

After she finished speaking, she didn't lower her head, blush, or show any hesitation or retreat.

She stood there, straight, open, neither dodging nor flinching.

She said she did it in front of everyone, in front of all the teachers and students of the academy, in front of the distinguished guests of the Tang Sect and Spirit Pagoda, and on the most lively stage of Sea God Fate.

A declaration of love that resonates deeply.

This girl... she's really daring.

The commotion in the audience grew louder and louder. Some people were shouting "Get together!", some were whistling, and some had started shouting in Xu Lizhi's direction, "Brother, don't do anything rash!"

But soon, the jeers and commotion subsided one by one.

Because Xu Lizhi is smiling.

This is not a normal reaction to being rejected after confessing one's feelings.

He was smiling, a smile that seemed like he had suddenly figured something out, or like he had finally let go of something.

The microphone was still in his hand, and his voice came through the loudspeaker, very soft, but every word carried a chilling calmness.

"I knew it. That's good. Now I have nothing to hesitate about."

He looked up, tears still clinging to his face, but his eyes were no longer red.

"Do you know what?" he said.

"I actually came here with two plans. The first plan is that if I succeed in confessing my feelings, I will let go of everything and continue being Xu Lizhi, the one who makes nutritious meals and serves tea to you all."

"Unfortunately, I failed."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Then... let's begin from this moment."

As soon as he finished speaking, hundreds of people present almost simultaneously felt a numbing sensation coming from deep within their meridians.

"C--!"

Yun Jingheng suddenly darted out. He sensed that the Soul Power fluctuations he had read about in the test report, which did not belong to any known toxins, were resonating simultaneously within the bodies of everyone present who had eaten in the cafeteria, received biscuits, and drunk the nutritional meals.

The update button he didn't have time to press that morning now felt like a sword hanging over everyone's heads.

The person holding the knife stood under the spotlight, smiling through tears.