Yu Bu'e was in too deep!

With the Demon-Slaying Army and the Night Watchers around, signs of demonic activity were hard to find in the city.

The moment a demon appeared, the Night Watchers would rush to the scene and nip the threat in the bud.

It was like how murders were reported on television every day, yet ordinary people could go their entire lives without ever seeing an actual murderer.

"Holy crap! So this is a demon beast? This is my first time seeing one in real life!"

"It looks pretty fierce. Good thing it's dead, or I'd be scared!"

"It looks about the same as the ones on TV!"

At first, the students simply gathered around to look.

Once someone took the lead, they dared to edge a little closer. The bolder students even reached out to touch it before hastily pulling their hands back.

As though it might spring back to life and bite them at any moment.

When Luo Feixuan saw the crowd gathering, she came over too.

Before she even saw the demon beast, she heard the ridiculous racket coming from inside the crowd.

"Come on, tell me! Is this thing big or what?"

"Big! It's really huge! Yu Bu'e, you're amazing!"

"Hahaha!"

That sounded rather odd to Luo Feixuan.

When she finally saw Yu Bu'e and the demon beast's corpse, she was speechless.

"Our school belle Luo is here too!"

"So what if she's the school belle? She still has to wait in line! Yu Bu'e, it's my turn! Hurry, I want a photo too!"

Yu Bu'e looked up with a radiant smile and waved at Luo Feixuan.

"Luo Feixuan, want a photo together? Five yuan a shot!"

"..."

Luo Feixuan was just about to speak when another girl squeezed in beside Yu Bu'e.

"Yu Bu'e, hurry and let me see how my photo turned out!"

When she saw it, her face fell. "This one looks awful! You even got my double chin-delete it!"

"Five yuan to take a photo, fifty to delete it."

"???"

Watching Yu Bu'e carry the demon beast's corpse all around the school, Luo Feixuan did not interrupt him. She merely watched from a distance.

An irritating voice suddenly sounded behind her.

"All he did was kill a demon beast, right? And he didn't even do it alone! Xuanxuan, see? He's just showing off!"

Luo Feixuan glanced back at Cheng Ruxin, looking a little impatient.

"Do you really think everyone's like you, always desperate for attention? Yu Bu'e must have his reasons for doing this!"

Cheng Ruxin's face flushed red. "I'm telling the truth! You just don't understand him!"

Luo Feixuan could not be bothered to respond. When she turned back toward Yu Bu'e, a faint smile returned to her face.

Cheng Ruxin gazed at her profile, thinking how beautiful her smile was. Unfortunately, he was not the one reflected in her eyes...

Eventually, Yu Bu'e came their way again with the demon beast over his shoulder.

Seeing the two of them, he greeted them with a smile, ready to head to the school gates and return the corpse.

Luo Feixuan took the opportunity to ask with a smile, "Yu Bu'e, why did you bring the demon beast's corpse to school?"

"Huh? No particular reason. I just wanted to show off. Hehe!"

Luo Feixuan's eyes curved into crescents. "You really are one of a kind!"

Cheng Ruxin: "???"

That wasn't what you said earlier!

He turned and walked away, then made a call.

"Hello? Get me a demon beast's corpse. A fresh one! Not a specimen. Deliver it as soon as possible!

"Even if you have to rent one, get it for me!"

Behind the classroom building at Yucheng No. 1 High School, the Tranquil Heart Pavilion adjoined a study corridor. Lush green vines covered its crossbars, lending the passage a secluded, tranquil air.

Every morning, students came here of their own accord to read. At night, boys and girls experiencing their first stirrings of romance would sneak here for secret rendezvous...

A cool breeze brushed through the pavilion. Chen Sinian frowned at Luo Feixuan, who was seated on the bench along its railing.

"Why did you ask me here?"

Luo Feixuan tapped at her phone without looking up. "I heard Xiaosui has already opened ten spirit meridians?"

"Get to the point." Chen Sinian seemed to begrudge every word.

Luo Feixuan raised her head and glanced at him. "If Chen Jiliao asks you about the Meridian-Opening Pill, don't tell him anything. And definitely don't mention Yu Bu'e."

Chen Sinian let out a cold laugh.

"Have you forgotten that I'm part of the Chen Family too? Why should I help you?"

Luo Feixuan was unfazed. "You don't like the Chen Family anyway, do you?"

Chen Sinian's expression remained indifferent.

Just then, the phone in his pocket vibrated.

He pulled it out, saw Chen Jiliao's name on the caller ID, and glanced at Luo Feixuan with a hint of a mocking smile.

"You really do understand that brother of yours!"

Luo Feixuan knitted her brows but said nothing.

Chen Sinian answered the call. The first thing he heard was a phony laugh.

"Sinian! It's me, your cousin Jiliao. I heard Xiaosui opened three spirit meridians in a row with a single Meridian-Opening Pill?"

"If you want something, say it," Chen Sinian said calmly.

The person on the other end fell silent for a moment, then spoke again with a laugh. "Nothing much. I just wanted to ask where you got that Meridian-Opening Pill."

"I don't want to tell you."

With that, he hung up and slipped his phone back into his pocket.

As he was leaving, he paused and said in a low voice, "I'm not helping you. I'm repaying a favor I owe him."

Luo Feixuan smiled, unbothered.

Following the corridor to a corner, he happened to spot Yu Bu'e coming to find her.

"Huh? Chen Sinian, you're here too?" Yu Bu'e looked a little surprised.

"Yeah. Just passing through." Chen Sinian paused, then suddenly added, "Yu Bu'e, a word of advice."

"Huh?"

"Stay away from Luo Feixuan. She'll bring you trouble. Even... danger," Chen Sinian said quietly.

Yu Bu'e was taken aback at first, then realization dawned on him.

Indeed, getting too close to Luo Feixuan would bring him trouble. Cheng Ruxin was a prime example.

Who knew how many boys at school wanted to strangle him? They supplied him with jealousy points every day!

But did he care? That was exactly what he wanted!

"It's fine!" Yu Bu'e smiled. "I'm not scared!"

Chen Sinian glanced at him. On reflection, they were not particularly close, so he could only sigh.

"That's all I have to say."

With that, he strode away.

After a few steps, he stopped and looked back at Yu Bu'e's jaunty retreating figure. Shaking his head with an air of world-weary wisdom, he sighed.

"He really is in too deep..."

Yu Bu'e spotted Luo Feixuan sitting in the pavilion, her supple body resting naturally against the railing, her head tilted slightly as she gazed into the distance.

The gentle breeze stirred her glossy black hair, leaving a loose strand draped across her cheek.

"She really is pretty..." Yu Bu'e murmured.

Suddenly, Luo Feixuan turned toward him, her eyes clear and bright.

The instant she smiled, it was as though a spring breeze had swept across the land, melting all the ice and snow.

"Yu Bu'e, you're here!" Her lovely voice seemed to hold a touch of girlish delight.

Yu Bu'e snapped out of his daze and blushed. He hurried into the pavilion, too embarrassed to meet Luo Feixuan's eyes.

"What's wrong? What were you thinking about?" Luo Feixuan asked curiously.

"Well..." Yu Bu'e thought for a moment. "I think Chen Sinian might like you."

"Pfft..." Luo Feixuan was thoroughly thrown off. "Why would you say that?"

"He told me to stay away from you, or there'd be trouble."

"..." Luo Feixuan understood what had happened. A flicker of complicated emotion crossed her eyes. "And you? What do you think?"

"Ha! I told him I wasn't scared!" Yu Bu'e sat down with a cheerful grin. "I like making people jealous!

"Besides, he misunderstood our relationship in the first place."

"Did he?" Luo Feixuan's voice was soft, its emotion impossible to discern. "I thought you were jealous."

Yu Bu'e looked awkward, suddenly at a loss for an answer.

"All right, I'm just teasing. Chen Sinian is actually my younger cousin," Luo Feixuan explained.

Yu Bu'e looked surprised. "Your cousin? I've never heard anyone mention that. I always thought you two weren't close!

"Besides, his surname is Chen and yours is Luo... shouldn't cousins on your father's side have the same surname?"

"I use my mother's surname." Whatever had come to Luo Feixuan's mind, her once-clear eyes suddenly filled with a sorrow that would not fade.

Sensing the shift in her mood, Yu Bu'e immediately changed the subject.

"By the way, Luo Feixuan, could you help me find a martial art suitable for the qi refining realm?"

Luo Feixuan quickly composed herself and smiled. "You mean a cultivation art for drawing qi into your body?"

"Yeah!"

"I can-if you don't plan on entering the Martial Arts Academy."