"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."
Wu Zhangkong's voice was a little softer than before. Xu Xiaoyan stood at the dormitory door and vaguely felt that Teacher Wu's eyes seemed to redden slightly, but she wasn't sure. She only saw Wu Zhangkong's hand linger on Zhong Shenxiu's hair a little longer than usual before slowly withdrawing it.
Xu Xiaoyan's eyes widened.
Before coming to Class Zero, she had done her homework and knew what kind of person Wu Zhangkong was— the Heavenly Frost Sword, Six-Ring Soul Emperor, cold-faced and cold-hearted, known throughout the Eastsea Academy for his strictness and indifference. She had followed him all the way from the teaching office and had personally witnessed Wu Zhangkong's coldness. That coldness was not feigned; it came from his very bones, a kind of alienation and indifference towards the world.
But Wu Zhangkong, standing in front of Zhong Shenxiu at this moment, was a completely different person from before.
Xu Xiaoyan saw Wu Zhangkong's eyes scan Zhong Shenxiu from head to toe, from his hair to his shoulders, from his shoulders to his arms, from his arms to the long sword at his waist, and finally back to Zhong Shenxiu's face. There was concern, relief, and peace of mind in his gaze—and something Xu Xiaoyan couldn't quite understand, like the joy of something lost and then found again.
Xu Xiaoyan didn't know was that before Wu Zhangkong went on vacation, he thought that after Zhong Shenxiu's family found him, they wouldn't be willing to let him go.
That night, he sat alone in his office for a long time. The Heavenly Frost Sword lay quietly on the desk, a thin layer of frost covering its blade. No one knew what he was thinking.
"Teacher, I'm back."
Zhong Shenxiu repeated it again.
This time his voice was a little louder than before, as if he was deliberately making sure Wu Zhangkong could hear every word clearly.
Wu Zhangkong nodded, removed his hand from Zhong Shenxiu's head, and gently patted him on the shoulder.
"It's good that you're back."
Wu Zhangkong said this for the third time, then his gaze fell on the long sword at Zhong Shenxiu's waist, "This past month has not been wasted."
It's not a question, it's a statement.
Wu Zhangkong had already seen the answer from Zhong Shenxiu's posture, breathing rhythm, and the sharpness of his eyes.
Zhong Shenxiu didn't answer, but simply placed his hand on the hilt of the Light-Imperial Ninja Blade and gently gripped it. The movement was very light, but Wu Zhangkong saw it. He saw the wound on Zhong Shenxiu's hand that hadn't fully healed, the new calluses on his knuckles, and the familiar feeling that emanated from his very bones when he gripped the sword—something that couldn't be developed in a month; it was something honed into his bones, stroke by stroke, through countless days and nights of swinging, slashing, and parrying.
Wu Zhangkong's lips curled up slightly.
Xu Xiaoyan stood at the dormitory entrance, watching this scene in the corridor, her mouth slightly open, unable to close for a long time.
She glanced at Wu Zhangkong, then at Zhong Shenxiu, her mind a complete mess.
This cold and aloof Teacher Wu actually smiled? She actually spoke in that tone? She actually ruffled someone's hair?
Zhong Shenxiu turned his gaze and it fell on her.
Those pale gold vertical pupils made Xu Xiaoyan's back tense slightly again. But this time, she didn't shrink back; instead, she straightened her chest and looked directly into those eyes. She hadn't come to Class Zero to just coast along; she had her own goals and her own pride. No matter how intimidating this person's gaze was, she couldn't show weakness here.
Zhong Shenxiu glanced at her, then looked away and said to Wu Zhangkong, "A new classmate?"
Wu Zhangkong nodded. " Xu Xiaoyan, a freshman in Class Zero. Her Martial Soul is the Star Wheel Ice Staff, a control-type martial soul."
Zhong Shenxiu didn't say anything more, but simply nodded Xu Xiaoyan as a greeting.
The movement was small, but Xu Xiaoyan sensed something—not arrogance, nor aloofness, but a natural, unpretentious calmness that neither deliberately sought closeness nor maintained a deliberate distance.
Xu Xiaoyan opened her mouth, wanting to say something more, but Zhong Shenxiu had already turned to talk to Wu Zhangkong about something else. She had no choice but to swallow back the words she was about to say, and stood at the dormitory door, looking at the master and apprentice in the corridor.
Wu Zhangkong was asking Zhong Shenxiu about his situation over the past month.
Zhong Shenxiu's answers were all short, three or five words, and occasionally seven or eight words were considered long. But Wu Zhangkong was not impatient. He listened very carefully, nodding from time to time and asking a question occasionally.
The conversation between the two seemed to be a tacit understanding formed after countless rehearsals: Zhong Shenxiu didn't need to say much, and Wu Zhangkong could understand what was hidden behind every short sentence.
Xu Xiaoyan suddenly realized that this Class Zero was unlike any class she had ever been in before.
It's not a difference in ability, it's a difference in people.
After asking all the questions he needed to, Wu Zhangkong glanced at Zhong Shenxiu one last time and said, "Go and rest first. Classes officially start tomorrow."
Zhong Shenxiu nodded and waved to Wu Zhangkong.
After Wu Zhangkong left, the corridor fell silent.
Zhong Shenxiu stood still, his gaze returning from the stairwell where Wu Zhangkong had disappeared, before turning to look at Xu Xiaoyan beside him.
When he turned his head, he found Xu Xiaoyan staring blankly at him.
His gaze was fixed, as if his soul had been bewitched by something. His mouth was slightly open, his eyes were unblinking, and he stood frozen in place, even his breathing became soft.
Zhong Shenxiu frowned slightly.
He wasn't used to being stared at like that. From childhood, his light golden vertical pupils had been like a natural barrier; most people would glance at him and then look away, and even the few bolder ones would only glance a few more times before giving up. It was rare to see someone staring at him so intently like Xu Xiaoyan.
"What's up?"
Zhong Shenxiu spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it could be heard clearly in the quiet corridor.
Xu Xiaoyan then realized what was happening.
She paused for a moment, then subconsciously raised her hand to touch the corner of her mouth. Only after confirming that she hadn't drooled did she let out a long sigh of relief. The sigh was so loud that it seemed particularly clear in the quiet corridor.
Then her face turned red.
Starting from her cheeks, the fever spread all the way to the tips of her ears, even tinging her neck with a faint pink hue. She stood at the dormitory entrance, her hands unconsciously twisting together, her lips moving, but the sound was barely audible.
"I... my name is Xu Xiaoyan."
Her voice was as soft as noodles just pulled from the water, a stark contrast to her behavior when Wu Zhangkong reminded her.
Zhong Shenxiu looked at her and his light golden vertical pupils narrowed slightly.
He thought of Gu Yue.
It wasn't a specific scene, but a feeling—an instinctive alertness that sent chills down his spine. The way Gu Yue looked at him and the way Xu Xiaoyan looked at him now shared some inexplicable similarities.
The similarity made him feel uncomfortable all over, as if ants were crawling on his back.
He took a half-step back without making a sound.
" Zhong Shenxiu."
Three words.
There were no unnecessary pleasantries, no polite "please give me your guidance," and he didn't even glance at Xu Xiaoyan. He uttered those three words and turned to walk towards his dormitory.
The pace is not slow.
They arrived much faster than before, as if trying to escape some raging flood or ferocious beast.
Then, with a "click," Zhong Shenxiu's door closed.