Hearing of Zhang Jixin's miserable ordeal, the three listeners all sucked in a sharp breath.
For a moment, Zheng Qing could not decide whether Zhang Jixin was more pitiful, or his father, already past forty yet still getting beaten, was more pitiful. At the same time, he suddenly felt that his own experience lying in the School Hospital had not been quite so miserable after all.
But since Zhang Jixin had been beaten, what about the others?
He instinctively turned to look at Xiao Xiao and Fatty Xin.
"Don't look at me. I didn't get beaten."
At some point, Fatty Xin had produced a strip of jerky and was chewing it vigorously, apparently to calm his nerves, which made his voice somewhat muffled. "Other than you lot and the professors, nobody knew I went to Black Prison..."
"I wish I'd gotten beaten."
Xiao Xiao let out a heavy sigh, patting the black-covered notebook beneath his hand. A trace of melancholy appeared on his face. "My dad gave me a new notebook instead... I told him I already had one, and he said I could save it for his grandson."
Zheng Qing did not know whether he ought to laugh here, out of respect.
After some thought, he decided to replace the impolite laughter with a question. "Why did he reward you?"
Xiao Xiao gave him a surprised look. "Don't you know? As a recorder, being able to personally witness the great battle between Wizards and Demons, record the fall of an Archwizard, even a Legend, and take part in the ascension of an Ancient One—what an honor that is..."
The smile gradually vanished from Zheng Qing's face. As he watched the expressions of his other two companions, he cautiously probed, "The fall of a Legend... you saw it? You should