The Sudden Intruder

Xue Wu leaned against the railing as well and let out a long breath. "It's the first day of school. I'm still not quite used to it."

Gu Qingbo gave a quiet "Mm" and stood beside Xue Wu, both hands resting on the railing.

Shui Bing'er stood beside Wu Changkong. Neither of them spoke, but the silence was not awkward. Instead, there was an unspoken understanding between them.

Just then, Shui Yue'er suddenly uttered an "Eh?" and pointed toward the shadow beneath a large willow tree by the lake.

"Is there someone over there?"

Everyone looked in the direction she was pointing.

Two figures could vaguely be seen beneath the willow tree. Judging by their builds, they seemed to be two girls standing very close together in the shadows.

At first, the group thought they were admiring the lake, but they quickly saw clearly.

The two girls were standing face-to-face, their lips pressed together.

Gu Qingbo asked in disbelief, "Are they kissing?"

"Looks like it," Xue Wu said.

"Girls can kiss girls too?" After saying that, Shui Yue'er looked at the other three.

Xue Wu took two steps back. "Why are you looking at me?"

Shui Bing'er glared at her. "I'm your sister."

Gu Qingbo remained silent.

Wu Changkong sensed that the atmosphere had become a little delicate.

"Cough, cough... Stop looking. Let's head back early."

"Th-That's your reaction?"

Shui Yue'er stared at Wu Changkong in disbelief. "They're... they're kissing! Didn't you see?"

"I saw. So what?"

His indifferent attitude left Shui Yue'er speechless.

"It's getting late. We have class tomorrow."

As he spoke, Wu Changkong was already walking toward the dormitory building.

Behind him came Shui Yue'er's hushed whispering with her sister. "Sis, don't you think Changkong is... too calm? Shouldn't a normal person blush and have their heart race after seeing something like that? Why did he look like he was watching two pigeons pecking at rice?"

"How would I know? I'm not a worm in his stomach."

"True. Sis, why are your ears so red?"

"The wind... The wind did it."

Back at the dormitory building, they said goodbye to each other in the corridor.

"I'll wash the handkerchief and give it back to you tomorrow."

"Okay. Good night."

"Good night."

The two doors closed one after the other.

Wu Changkong leaned against his door and let out a long breath.

From waking up to train at dawn, to class placement, sparring, cleaning, eating hot pot, strolling through the night market, buying iron ore, and trying out a job...

Too much had happened over the course of the day.

Yet he did not feel tired at all. Instead, he felt a long-lost sense of fulfillment.

He took off the training clothes soaked with sweat and coal dust, balled them up, and tossed them into the laundry basket by the door before walking into the bathroom bare-chested.

When the hot water poured down over his head, steam filled the tiny bathroom.

Halfway through washing, he suddenly stopped moving.

The water continued to rush, but he distinctly heard a sound coming from outside the bathroom door.

It sounded like the creak of hinges as a door was pushed open.

It was faint, so faint that the sound of the water almost drowned it out, but his senses far surpassed those of an ordinary person.

I clearly locked the door.

Could Shui Yue'er and the others be playing a prank?

With that thought in mind, Wu Changkong turned off the faucet, and the bathroom abruptly fell silent.

He closed his eyes and spread out his spiritual power.

Several seconds later, Wu Changkong detected neither any soul power fluctuations nor any unfamiliar presence.

If someone had truly snuck in, then it could not have been classmates like Shui Bing'er and the others.

They were weaker than him and could never have escaped his detection.

Unless there was no one in the room—or whoever it was was stronger than he was now.

He opened his eyes, grabbed a clean towel from the rack, quickly dried the water from his body, and pulled on his pants.

His right hand clenched loosely. Icy blue light gathered in his palm, and the Skyfrost Sword appeared in his hand.

He pushed open the bathroom door and walked out with his sword in hand.