Martial High School Black History

Prosperity Residential Complex, Room 502.

Ms. He Yin got off work early and poured the assorted packaged delicacies onto plates one by one, arranging them into an exquisite spread.

Pei Qingying and He Tang arrived right on time.

"Hm? Tangtang, your brother didn't come with you?"

He Yin saw the empty space behind the two girls and felt puzzled.

"No. Did my brother say he was coming to pick us up? I'll call him." As He Tang and Pei Qingying changed into slippers, she pulled out a phone with a rabbit-shaped case.

"No need. Go wash your hands first; we'll eat." He Yin ushered the two of them into the kitchen.

"Shouldn't we wait for Brother Chen?" Pei Qingying asked in confusion.

"Of course not. He has hands and feet. If he wants to eat, he can make something himself."

As she spoke, Ms. He Yin sent her son a message.

"Something to discuss with Uncle. Back in forty minutes." Chen Jue's reply was brief and to the point.

Ms. He Yin let out a sigh of relief. Three seconds later, as though she had drunk some Forget-Brat Milk, she beamed and chatted with the two beautiful girls until heaven and earth turned upside down.

"I heard this year's martial entrance exam system has been reformed... Top martial universities like Divine Capital, Linjiang, and Chang'an have all established specialized programs specifically to recruit those with special physiques whose strength develops later."

He Yin taught liberal arts at Linjiang Martial Arts College. Though she could not squeeze into the upper circles of martial artists, she still occasionally heard windborne rumors of major events.

"Huh? Will that take up the spots of ordinary martial high school students like us?" He Tang asked worriedly, her cheeks puffed out with food.

"Probably not. I heard those special admission spots were added by the local powerful clans themselves, and there are quite a few additional requirements..."

"For example, the specialized-program students recruited by Riverside Martial University must not only possess a Five-Element Bone Structure, but also be willing to cultivate the Linjiang Clan's Little Five-Element Art."

"If they meet both requirements and are admitted to Riverside Martial University, experts from the clan will personally guide them."

Pei Qingying knew some inside details about the special admissions and explained them to the pair.

"Then wasn't Cousin born at the wrong time? I remember Cousin had a Five-Element Bone Structure. Back in martial high school, he got obsessed with online games and ultimately failed to get into a martial university..."

With her rambling, He Tang somehow twisted the topic toward the most popular online game of the day.

"Before that game got its upgrade reset, my son was obsessed with it to death. He often skipped class."

Thinking of her son's cringeworthy, chuunibyou youth, Ms. He could not help smiling.

"I know about this!"

He Tang eagerly raised her hand, gleefully digging up her cousin's black history.

"My brother had an online romance in the game. He called himself 'Cold Young Master of the Imperial Clan,' and his girlfriend was called 'Fallen Angel Princess'... They even got married in the game. Hehehe, it's enough to make someone laugh themselves crazy."

"Cough, cough, cough!~~" Pei Qingying was struck as if by lightning. Her little face instantly flushed red, and she began coughing nonstop.

"Good girl, are you all right?" Ms. He hurriedly reached out and gently patted the girl's back.

It was strange. The girl usually ate with such slow, elegant grace.

Yet today, for some reason, she had choked on a mere spoonful of soup.

"Auntie He, I'm fine. Don't mind me."

After calming herself slightly, Pei Qingying blinked and asked her good friend, "Then why did he stop playing the game later?"

"Oh, I think his girlfriend's parents scolded him into quitting. Pfft, hahaha..."

Ms. He had wanted to keep a straight face, but once she thought of those unbearable incidents from her son's martial high school days, she laughed so hard she could not close her mouth.

"Qingqing, you'd never guess it—the young master's online girlfriend was only twelve back then!"

"When he found out, his sky came crashing down!"

As she spoke, she took out her phone, found a photo she had secretly snapped back then, and showed it to the two girls.

In the photo, the moonlight was hazy.

A delicate-looking teenage boy leaned mournfully against the balcony, reaching out toward the moon on the horizon.

Mm, his sorrow flowed backward into a river—full of that youth-pain literature flavor.

"Hahahaha!!" He Tang clutched her stomach and laughed, her right hand slamming fiercely against the table.

Her aunt had hidden it too well. Her cousin actually had this kind of black history, and she had known absolutely nothing about it.

One adult and one child laughed wildly without end, but Pei Qingying wore a bewildered expression.

Was this really that funny?

Could no one spare a little pity for this pair of ill-fated lovers torn apart by outside forces?

Sure enough, people these days were all too cruel.

"Qingqing... don't you think it's funny?" Seeing that Pei Qingying was not laughing at all, He Yin asked in surprise.

Pei Qingying shook her head. "Brother Chen and his girlfriend were both too pitiful."

In an instant, both He Yin and He Tang stopped laughing. They looked at each other, staring blankly face-to-face.

They had never expected the girl's train of thought to be so different from ordinary people's.

The meal ended in an odd atmosphere.

He Yin had intended to leave the dishes for her son, but Pei Qingying refused to hear otherwise and beat her to washing them clean.

The three sat on the sofa chatting, but after hearing Chen Jue's online romance story, Pei Qingying was clearly not herself.

She kept answering questions irrelevantly, absentminded and distracted.

"Qingqing, are you tired? Why not go home early and get some rest?"

He Yin touched her own forehead with one hand and the girl's forehead with the other, testing her temperature.

Pei Qingying hurriedly shook her head. "Auntie He, I'm fine. I'll wait for Brother Chen to come back, say hello to him, and then leave."

Before she finished speaking, the living room door clicked open.

"Huh? Everyone's here?"

Chen Jue walked into the living room with a smile and set the walnut pastries in his hand on the table.

Just now, he had discussed the details of the killing with his uncle He Yuanshan. During that lengthy conversation, the violent, baleful aura around him had eased somewhat.

"Hm?" Yet the lingering killing intent on Chen Jue still alerted He Yin.

She looked suspiciously at her son and saw in him the shadow of her dead husband returning home bloodstained from field duty years ago.

No...

Her son had not even officially joined the guard. How could he possibly have killed anyone?

It had to be that his martial progress had been too rapid lately, making her imagine things!

Pei Qingying looked at the sunny-faced Chen Jue, and an indescribable emotion appeared in her eyes.

"Brother Chen, let's walk Tangtang home together." Her voice was crisp, like an oriole warbling in April.

Chen Jue paused slightly. The cadence sounded familiar, but he could not recall where he had heard it.

"Let's go, Cousin!" He Tang smacked Chen Jue on the shoulder and ran to the doorway to change shoes.

Ms. He Yin began reluctantly protesting, "You're leaving already? Auntie specially bought those walnut pastries, and you haven't eaten them yet."

"Goodbye, Auntie. We'll eat them on the way." Pei Qingying hugged Ms. He, then gave one walnut pastry each to He Tang and Chen Jue.

"I'm leaving, Mom. Lock the doors and windows, and don't go out." Chen Jue took the walnut pastry from Pei Qingying, held it in his mouth, and headed downstairs in front.

"Tangtang, does your brother have a girlfriend?"

Pei Qingying pulled He Tang along behind Chen Jue, less than ten meters away, and asked softly.

Chen Jue's ear twitched. He heard He Tang whispering behind his back, "My brother's pockets are cleaner than his face. Where would he find a girlfriend?"

Pei Qingying sighed in relief and unconsciously patted her rather unimpressive little chest. "That's good, that's good..."

Chen Jue's face darkened.

What nonsense was this girl talking about?

What did she mean, "That's good"?

Who would have thought that despite being so pretty, the girl's tongue was so venomous!

The three followed the familiar route back to Happiness Estate.

Along the way, they encountered several groups of hurried patrol inspectors, who loudly shouted at them.

Had Chen Jue not been wearing a set of black patrol inspector clothes, the three might well have been seized and thrown into the guard station for violating curfew.

He Yuanshan personally came downstairs to receive them and exchanged a knowing look with Chen Jue.

"A major case happened in Black-Clothed Alley. Three martial high school students with notable backgrounds were killed, and all their valuables were taken."

Seeing the alarm on the two girls' faces, he continued, "This area won't be peaceful lately. Tomorrow, I'll arrange for He Tang to board at school. Student Pei, you should also be careful when traveling to and from school alone."

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle He," Pei Qingying replied politely.

After seeing off the He family father and daughter, the girl turned back to Chen Jue.

"Brother Chen, do you really need money that badly?"

When people were utterly speechless, they really did laugh.

"Is there anyone in this world who doesn't need money?" Chen Jue asked in return.

"There is. For example, me. I don't lack money." Pei Qingying leaned forward slightly, her slender waist bending as her clear, lovely face passed Chen Jue's. She turned back and looked at him earnestly.

"..."

Pei Qingying had a fresh, unworldly oval face that still retained traces of childishness.

As she blinked those innocent, guileless eyes at him, Chen Jue wrote every bit of his speechlessness across his face.

This round went to the girl. She had really shown him up.

A black sedan arrived on schedule through the night.

"Bye-bye, Cold Young Master!" Pei Qingying waved farewell to Chen Jue, a shallow dimple appearing in her smiling cheek.

Chen Jue, who had been waving goodbye to the girl, was struck as if by lightning and froze on the spot.

Aaah! That wicked Ms. He—could you stop telling everyone about your son's black history?!

Don't I have any pride at all?!

Chen Jue went mad where he stood, so embarrassed that he wanted to punch apart the lamp post by the roadside.

But in the end, he held back, because one lamp post cost fifteen thousand.