A Scare

When the door to the Class Zero classroom was pushed open, Xie Xie was stuffing his third sesame sugar pastry into his mouth.

The morning bell had not rung yet, and the six students were scattered around the classroom. Zhang Yangzi leaned by the window, flipping through a tactical manual, while Wang Jinxi sat beside him, polishing his Bone Dragon Shield Armor. Wei Xiaofeng was sprawled over his desk catching up on sleep. Tang Wulin and Gu Yue sat together at the double desk closest to the podium, one adjusting the clasps on his forging bracers, the other reading. Gu Yue was unusually not reading that battered old tome of hers, but had instead spread open a Class Zero tactical map booklet.

The door had been gently pushed open with a knee, because the person entering had both hands occupied—an ever-present thermos in her left hand, a stack of lesson-plan folders in her right, with an oil-paper package resting on top.

Lu Menge.

Xie Xie nearly choked on his sesame sugar pastry. Zhang Yangzi unconsciously crumpled the corner of his tactical manual. Wei Xiaofeng, who had been catching up on sleep at his desk, was jolted awake by Wang Jinxi's elbow. He raised his head blankly, saw the woman in the white lab coat standing at the podium, and immediately sat up straight.

It was not because she was fierce—she never was. But ever since Class Zero had been formed, Lu Menge had sat on the sidelines for every training class. She only watched, never spoke. Holding her thermos, crossing one leg over the other, her amber fox-like eyes half-lidded and a faint curve on her lips, she looked as if she were watching a particularly entertaining show. When it ended, she would smile and grade everyone, writing the results in a little notebook no one had ever managed to peek into. Xie Xie had privately dubbed that notebook the "Book of Life and Death," because Lu Menge's evaluations were terrifyingly accurate. If she said one of your legs was a fraction of a second slow in exerting force, then that leg would cramp from Wu Changkong's extra training the next day. She had never misjudged once.

Thus, Class Zero had an unspoken consensus: Teacher Lu was scarier than Teacher Wu. Wu Changkong would at least tell you where you had gone wrong. Lu Menge would only watch with a smile, then write a line in her notebook. When Wu Changkong had trained you so hard you could not crawl, she would squat beside you and leisurely tell you, "Your second soul skill activated half a beat too slowly just now. Of course it got interrupted." A gentle blade, fatal in a single stroke.

But today was a morning class, not a combat lesson. What was she doing here?

"Good morning." Lu Menge set the lesson-plan folders on the podium. A small patch of charcoal ash still clung to the hem of her white coat—she had not noticed it herself, but Gu Yue saw it at once. Lu Menge casually placed the oil-paper package on the edge of the podium, and a faint scent of sesame drifted out. Tang Wulin recognized it as the sugar pastries from the breakfast shop behind the academy. He had mentioned to Sister Lu last week that they were delicious.

Little White Tiger jumped down from her shoulder and squatted in the corner of the podium by itself, tail curled over its paws. Its round amber eyes swept across the six faces below before it yawned.

"Today's combat class has been changed. Teacher Wu was called to a meeting at the Academic Affairs Office and will not be back this morning." Lu Menge placed her thermos beside the folders, braced both hands against the podium, and leaned forward slightly. Her fox-like eyes moved from Xie Xie to Zhang Yangzi, from Wang Jinxi to Wei Xiaofeng, then paused briefly on Tang Wulin and Gu Yue. "So Director Long discussed it with me. Starting today, I will officially serve as Class Zero's second instructor."

The classroom fell silent for an entire beat. Then Xie Xie was the first to react. His expression visibly completed a three-stage leap from confusion to terror to wild delight. "Wait, wait, wait, second instructor means that if Teacher Wu isn't around for combat class, you'll lead us?" He sprang straight out of his chair, his voice shooting up several octaves. "That's great! Teacher Lu, I finally won't have to be punished by Teacher Wu into doing handstands while holding a shield—no, no, I mean, welcome, Teacher Lu—"

Lu Menge tilted her head at him, her smile kind and amiable. Only after he finished shouting did she slowly say, "Xie Xie, you kicked open Training Field Number Three's sandbag last week and still haven't reported it for repairs. Go register it at the equipment room after class."

Xie Xie's smile froze on his face. Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi lowered their heads at the same time, their shoulders trembling. Wei Xiaofeng buried his face in his arms and pretended to still be asleep. But Lu Menge did not let him off.

"Wei Xiaofeng, when you used earth element to ambush Xie Xie last time, your Earth Spike was off by fifteen degrees. Teacher Wu told you to go back and work on your precision. Did you practice?"

Wei Xiaofeng raised half his face from his arms and answered in a muffled voice, "I did."

"How many times?"

"...Fifty times."

"Make it a hundred by tomorrow." Lu Menge opened a lesson-plan folder without even looking up. "Gu Yue will help me keep an eye on you."

Gu Yue turned a page in the tactical map booklet and gave a flat "Mm." Wei Xiaofeng's face completely fell.

Tang Wulin and Gu Yue had been exchanging looks ever since Lu Menge entered. Their tacit understanding no longer required words—Gu Yue's brows lifted slightly, meaning, Did you know last night? Tang Wulin gave a subtle shake of his head, meaning, She didn't even tell me. Yet neither of them looked surprised. That was just Sister Lu. She never played by the script, but every time she made a move, she saved the best cards for them.

"That settles the matter of the second instructor." Lu Menge unscrewed her thermos and took a sip, then pulled out a training schedule from the folder and looked it over. "This morning's task is a terrain battle simulation. Three versus three. The map is the simulated forest behind the mountain—you were assigned it by Teacher Wu last week. The teams remain unchanged."

Tang Wulin raised his hand. "Sister Lu—Teacher Lu, how will control of the high ground be assigned in the terrain battle? Teacher Wu said last time that forest terrain requires priority control over the aerial cableway."

Lu Menge glanced at him. He had nearly called her Sister Lu just now—the whole class had heard it. But Lu Menge did not correct him. She merely lifted the curve of her lips slightly and added a line to his plan. "The aerial cableway belongs to Zhang Yangzi today. Your team's task is to force him down from it—use tactics that restrict his field of vision. Gu Yue, you decide the placement of Water-Mirror Reflection."

Gu Yue lifted her eyes from the tactical map booklet and answered evenly, "I've already decided. Three reflection points: the eastern bend of the cableway, the southern entrance to the dense forest, and the canopy directly overhead." Her tone remained characteristically cool, but the hand holding her pen rested on her knee, only inches from Lu Menge's lesson-plan folders. When Lu Menge lowered her hand, her fingertips happened to brush Gu Yue's hair. Gu Yue did not move away.

"Good. Let's go." Lu Menge clapped her hands.

The six members of Class Zero filed out. Tang Wulin was the last to leave. As he passed the podium, Lu Menge stuffed the oil-paper package into his hands.

"Give one to Xie Xie too. He only gnawed on a pastry crust this morning. The sesame sugar filling spilled all over his desk."

Tang Wulin took the oil-paper package and looked down at the creases in it. Last night, while Sister Lu was grilling skewers, she had casually asked him what he wanted to eat. He had said he wanted to try the sesame sugar pastries from the shop behind the academy. This morning, the pastries had appeared on the podium. He tucked the package into his clothes and quickly caught up with the group.

The sunlight on the training field was just right.

Lu Menge stood at the edge of the field, thermos in hand, her white coat streaming behind her in the wind. Her gaze crossed the field and settled on the six teenagers warming up. Tang Wulin was breaking a sugar pastry in half to share with Xie Xie. Gu Yue stood beneath the cableway, looking up at the positions of the reflection points. Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi were already discussing how to use the Dark Phantom Eagle's aerial vision in coordination with Bone Dragon defenses.

She unscrewed her thermos and slowly took a sip. When the Nine-Headed White Tiger became Class Zero's instructor, Director Long's hand had trembled as he signed the approval. Wu Changkong had not objected. He had merely been silent for a few seconds before saying, "She understands every student's weakness better than you do. Including yours." Director Long's pen had paused, but in the end, he signed the approval column anyway.

"Sister Lu—" Tang Wulin ran over from the center of the training field, holding up a small piece of sugar pastry. "Do you want some? It's still warm."

"I've already eaten." Lu Menge tipped her chin toward the training field. "Go get ready. Your task today is to force Zhang Yangzi down from the cableway. If you can't do it, I'll deduct points in my little notebook."

Tang Wulin ran off in a flash.

As Gu Yue passed by her, she slowed for half a beat and said in an extremely low voice, "Last night's skewers—the cumin was too heavy. Use less next time. But the honey corn was delicious."

Lu Menge did not answer. She merely offered her thermos toward Gu Yue. Gu Yue took it, drank a sip, handed it back, then walked toward the training field as if nothing had happened. A faint lip print remained on the rim. Lu Menge looked down at it, smiled, and screwed the lid back on.

Under an ancient tree, Little White Tiger had turned around and was lying in a different direction on a branch, its tail dangling from the limb like a swing. It was waiting for training to begin. The moment Zhang Yangzi's Dark Phantom Eagle dared dive off the cableway, it could give him a good scare first. Sister Lu had said that reasonable interference did not count as breaking the rules. Besides, no one else could see it.