Nuoding Academy, Teacher's Dormitory
The cool moonlight washed over the academy like a thin veil of silver.Normally, Eve enjoyed nights like this—the quiet, the stillness, the clarity, but not tonight.
Her brows remained slightly knitted as she leaned against the wooden frame of her window.
'Yu Xiaogang was lucky…,' she thought.'If Tang San hadn't had a detoxification method ready, that fool would've been convulsing until sunrise. Well, that is expected of a Tang Sect disciple… an expert in poison.'
She let out a small exhale.
'Even after waking up, his body kept spasming. That poison was no joke.'
Her eyes narrowed.
'At least Tang San got punished. Trying to poison a teacher in a sparring match—principal had no choice but to act. And that brat even pretended innocence afterward.'
Eve rolled her eyes, smoothing a strand of hair behind her ear.
'Honestly, I even prepared myself for Tang Hao to storm in and smash the academy down. But apparently…'She tapped her chin.'…I didn't actually harm Tang San, so there's nothing for that hammer-wielding maniac to retaliate against.'
A faint smirk tugged at her lips.
'Not that I'm afraid. If Tang Hao dares to come, wouldn't that be a perfect excuse for Qian Renxue to come and pummel him into the ground? Now that would be a sight worth paying for.'
Her gaze drifted to the small table beside her bed.
Three candles flickered softly—yellow roses, jasmine, and a dish of warm essential oil releasing a delicate fragrance.
She had arranged them earlier, right after returning from the principal's office.
She performed a ritual and prayed to Qian Renxue.
Eve clasped her hands together lightly.
'Yet… no response. Nothing at all. Is she ignoring me? Planning something?'
She puffed her cheeks slightly in frustration—
"Still," she whispered to the empty room, "can't blame me for wanting a little reassurance."
Knock.Knock.
The sudden knocking shattered the quiet.
Eve straightened immediately, instincts sharpening.
Her hand subconsciously brushed her space soul guide.
'Who would visit at this hour? Or…'
She placed her hand on the handle—
And slowly pulled it open.
Standing outside was a black-haired woman, elegant and poised, her beauty understated yet striking in the moonlight.
Eve blinked once, then smiled."Wu Meng, how are you?"
Wu Meng's lips curved faintly."Young Master, won't you at least invite me inside?"
Eve's smile stiffened for half a heartbeat.
Then she stepped aside silently.
Wu Meng entered with the same quiet grace she always carried, walking past Eve and stopping beside the window. The moonlight outlined her silhouette, giving her an almost ethereal presence.
Eve crossed her arms."I thought you would be managing everything in the Heaven Dou Empire in my absence."
Wu Meng bowed her head slightly."Yes, that is precisely what I have been doing, Young Master."
She paused, then added lightly,"However, I was already coming to Nuoding City for… certain business. So meeting you was inevitable."
Eve raised an eyebrow."Huh? Something even I wasn't informed of?"
Wu Meng nodded."Yes. And—another thing, Young Master. A message."
She passed her an envelope. Eve opened it and in stark letters it conveyed:
Don't pray to me for unnecessary fights you provoked yourself.
Eve's expression darkened in embarrassment.
Wu Meng's as if forgetting that she had passed on a seemingly important letter to her Young Master said"Young Master, look."
She tilted her head toward the window.
Eve followed her gaze.
Far in the distance—deep within the darkness of the trees—occasional flashes of golden light flickered like lightning veins cutting through night.
The forest trembled faintly with each shimmer.
Eve inhaled.
Her lips parted ever so slightly."…Is he here?"
Wu Meng nodded."Yes. To meet you."
She placed a hand behind her back, posture perfectly straight as her eyes reflected the distant golden glow.
"After all," she whispered, "it has been many years since you last saw him."
Eve said nothing.
Her gaze sharpened like a blade as she stared into the distant darkness where gold light flashed again.
Inside her heart, a ripple of complex emotions stirred—anticipation, irritation, curiosity…
'How much of this event,' Eve thought silently, fingers tightening at her sides,'is being manipulated by you, Renxue?'
----
Across the forest, in a jungle not far from Nuoding Academy, the quiet night had been torn apart.
Dozens of trees lay uprooted, crushed as if a storm had raged through only this small patch of woods—yet the air was unnaturally still.
Two men stood facing one another in the clearing.
Their mere presence warped the surroundings.
One of them radiated a wild, violent aura that made the leaves tremble.His yellow eyes were sharp like a beast's, burning with cold fury. His hair was a disheveled tangle, his beard unshaven, giving him the look of a madman who could kill without hesitation.
It was none other than Tang Hao.
He had come here tonight with one purpose—to teach a lesson to the teacher who dared humiliate his son and put him in a difficult situation..
His grip tightened around his martial soul : The Clear Sky hammer resting in his hand.One movement—one step—and the forest would collapse.
But despite the intent leaking from him like a broken dam…
He did not advance.
Because another man standing across from him blocked his path with nothing but presence.