Chapter 451: The Ten of the Inner Court Land on the Island
"Little junior brother, those little girls come from noble backgrounds. They're all spoiled princesses, not easy to deal with. Are you sure you don't want to reconsider? I get that you're bored and want something to do, but maybe wait until next time, when you're a bit older."
She had met her little junior brother at the central lake in the Forest of Magical Beasts.
There was no way her little junior brother was just a simple Tier 2 Summoner.
Ruoshui didn't doubt at all whether he had the strength to teach those pampered little princesses.
Li Meng fell silent again.
Because he honestly didn't know what to say.
Whether this worked out or not depended entirely on "Senior Sister's" attitude.
And either way, Li Meng didn't really care.
Seeing that her "little junior brother" was silent again,
Ruoshui didn't say anything more either.
She just kept munching on dried fish, enjoying the beautiful lake scenery.
In the distance, there was a giant statue of a woman standing in the lake.
The statue belonged to the founder of the Silent Lake Academy.
The origin of Silent Lake itself was also tied to the statue's owner.
Because the founder of Silent Lake Academy had been a mute woman.
Time passed slowly, day after day.
Since Ruoshui had returned home,
the island in the lake had become livelier.
At least the villa was no longer occupied by only Li Meng.
Silent Lake Academy, Headmaster's Office.
"Silent Lake Academy forbids men from entering, that's the rule. If everyone acted like you, what good would rules be?"
The ranking competition had barely ended before Ruoshui faced trouble.
Ruoshui, sitting behind the desk, looked up at the visitor.
She wore a short sky-blue skirt.
Her long hair was also a shimmering water-blue.
She was "Zhou Zhi," a magic department instructor at Silent Lake Academy.
That blue hair indicated that she had once been one of the Inner Court's Ten.
Only the Ten were qualified to enter the Ice Spirit Cavern.
Ruoshui chuckled and stretched lazily.
"Zhizhi, little junior brother isn't an outsider. Besides, the Education Committee already approved it. What's your rush?"
As she spoke, Ruoshui leaned back,
smiling teasingly at Zhou Zhi sitting before her desk.
"Little junior brother is super cute, you know. Go meet him. You just hate men—what, don't tell me you even hate little kids too."
Ruoshui fully understood why Zhou Zhi was reacting so strongly.
Women usually hated men because of heartbreak.
Women were far more sensitive than men when it came to emotions.
They tended to overthink and were much more fragile.
Zhou Zhi's expression turned cold, her brows furrowing.
Her icy voice echoed through the office.
"Don't let me catch him in the academy. If I do, I won't hesitate to enforce the rules!"
Ruoshui smiled faintly and sat up straight.
"Zhizhi, nobody's forcing you to be a teacher here. Haven't you had enough of being mocked all these years? Turning into a crazy old hag over a man—is love really that hard for you to move past? If our teacher were still alive, she'd be so disappointed. The most talented prodigy of her year, stuck at Tier 8 because of a man. Honestly, I'm too tired to scold your love-crazed brain."
Ruoshui waved her hand impatiently.
"Whether you like it or not, he's my little junior brother. If you dare touch him, I'll personally have you carried out of Silent Lake Academy. Zhizhi, we're not young anymore. I can stay headmaster for life, but you... you don't have to be stuck here. Try stepping out of your shadow. Meet new people. The world is huge. There are plenty of good men out there. Maybe you'll meet someone who truly loves you. Don't waste your whole life on someone who doesn't love you. It's not worth it."
Zhou Zhi's face turned deathly pale.
That memory was a hurdle she could never overcome.
For years, it had tormented her relentlessly.
Zhou Zhi didn't say another word, just turned and left with a cold face.
No way was she going to put on a pleasant face for Ruoshui right now.
If it had been anyone else mentioning that man, she would have exploded in rage already.
Watching Zhou Zhi's departing figure, Ruoshui sighed inwardly.
Love and romance had never meant much to her.
Sure, she'd seen a few men she thought looked good when she was younger.
But it was never about love, just pure appreciation.
As for those who had pursued her, she only ever felt annoyed.
Her life's greatest wish was to reach the peak and challenge the Demon God.
Love would only hold her back.
"Zhizhi, if this is how your life ends up, it's way too pathetic."
Thinking of the man who caused all this, Ruoshui's face turned cold.
That man was a heartless bastard, but no one could deny his talent.
Now he was already a Tier 9, Level 7 Knight.
His Demon Hunting Group had even become a hero squad of the Holy City Alliance.
Though he wasn't exactly popular in the Knights' Temple,
since loyalty was one of the Eleven Knightly Virtues.
But humanity needed strong fighters.
Personal virtue sometimes became a secondary concern.
---
Silent Lake Academy.
Inner Court, Island in the Lake.
"Little martial uncle!"
That morning, Sheng Yulin came running up the lakeshore path in a flurry,
skidding to a stop behind her little martial uncle.
Her chest heaved as she panted heavily.
"Little martial uncle, the Inner Court Ten have landed on the island!"
She really didn't understand why the teacher had assigned little martial uncle as their instructor.
Little martial uncle wasn't just young.
His strength wasn't as high as the Inner Court Ten either.
He had no qualifications to teach them.
But since it was the teacher's decision, Sheng Yulin could only obey.
"No rush. Let them train in the Ice Spirit Cavern for six months first."
Sheng Yulin didn't hurry to leave.
Off to the side, "Little Saint" had already set up a small stool.
Sheng Yulin sat down on the stool beside little martial uncle.
"Little martial uncle, why did the teacher assign you as our instructor?"
Though his seniority was very high,
he was still just a kid.
"I volunteered!"
Upon hearing this, Sheng Yulin felt utterly speechless.
The teacher was too much.
Little martial uncle was just a clueless kid.
How could the teacher let him mess around like this?
"Little martial uncle, the Inner Court Ten are the academy's pride. They're all proud and arrogant. To teach them, you need strength far beyond theirs. Usually, only the teacher personally instructs them—that's why they listen. As for you, little martial uncle... don't come crying later."
Sheng Yulin could already imagine little martial uncle being bullied.
Although... why was she secretly looking forward to it?
Little martial uncle usually acted like he didn't care about anything.
What would he be like once he became an instructor?
Sheng Yulin reached out her hand.
"Little martial uncle, gimme a dried fish!"
Li Meng handed a piece of dried fish to her.
Sheng Yulin's eyes curved into little crescent moons.
She stood up.
"Little martial uncle, I'm off!"
She turned and once again dashed off in a flurry.
Her graceful figure quickly disappeared at the end of the lakeshore path.