Zhang Yu invited Chai An to sit in the inner hall of the training ground. The unconscious He Mu was also carried in and placed in a quiet room next door. Only a small portion of his injuries were physical; more serious was the shock from having his spiritual radiance forcibly scattered. That could only be recovered from slowly on his own.
At Zhang Yu's instruction, Azure Dawn brought up two cups of fine tea brought from the Eastern Court.
Chai An looked at the steaming teacup, then raised his head and said, "Instructor Zhang, do you know why I was expelled from the military?"
Zhang Yu looked at him and said, "I heard that Instructor Chai violated military regulations?"
Chai An fell silent for a moment before saying, "They were right. I killed a squad of soldiers who had abandoned their comrades and fled on their own.
"Later, I learned that those men came from very good families. That was why the positions they received did not match their abilities, and they had taken on responsibilities they should never have borne. They not only dragged down their comrades, but buried themselves as well.
"From then on, I believed that certain people whose talents were insufficient must never be allowed to obtain things beyond their abilities. That was why I came to the Academy to become an instructor. I decided to train students in the harshest manner possible. I believed that only students taught by my methods could be the very best."
At this point, he gave a self-mocking smile. "But now, I feel that I was far too full of myself."
Zhang Yu said, "Instructor Chai, you said earlier that time waits for no one. May I ask why you say that?"
Chai An said, "There is nothing I