In the grand lecture hall, every desk was occupied save for one the desk directly in front of Zhuang Hue. Beads of sweat trickled down Zhuang Hue’s forehead as he stared at the empty seat, his heart hammering in his chest. Behind him, Jun Wan sat in a trance, her gaze fixed on her own hands, lost in a whirlpool of deep thought. She briefly glanced toward Han Wuang Shi and Han Lao Fang at the front, then scanned the room. Almost every student was casting frequent, uneasy glances at that vacant desk.

  Suddenly, a thunderous crack echoed through the hall. The Grandmaster had struck a wooden slat against his desk with such force that every student instantly snapped into a posture of rigid discipline. The Grandmaster looked at the empty desk, his eyes burning with a flare of suppressed indignation.

  Han Lao Fang, sitting beside Wuang Shi, muttered with a sneer, "Huh! What else can one expect from a boy like him?"

  Wuang Shi gave no reaction. He sat in stony silence for a moment before abruptly standing up. He reached into his robes, pulled out a letter, placed it on the Grandmaster’s desk, and walked out of the hall. The students watched him in stunned silence until he vanished from sight.

  When the Grandmaster read the letter, he let out a heavy sigh, his eyes filled with a weary concern. He signaled the attendants to take over the class and stepped out with Yung Ke.

  Jun Wan watched the entire exchange, feeling helpless. Meanwhile, Zhuang Hue sat biting his knuckles, thinking, 'Brother... what will become of you? Why must you be so incredibly stubborn?'

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  Once outside, Yung Ke asked, "Grandmaster, may I ask what has happened?"

  The Grandmaster stopped, looking at the letter in his hand. "Han Wuang Shi is proving to be quite full of surprises. He is demanding a self-imposed punishment for the fight he had with Zao yesterday... but he also demands that Zao be punished alongside him."

  He let out a cold sigh. Seeing his disappointment, Yung Ke looked at him questioningly. The Grandmaster continued, his voice deepening with gravity:

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  "I truly do not want this discord within Fukun Xueyuan. If this continues, any hope of closeness between Gu Zong and the Han Clan will become impossible. I do not blame Zao; he is justified in his own way. But the Han brothers are also right in their position. I do not know who to shield both sides are destined to clash."

  "But Master," Yung Ke asked, "After such an offense, how can you justify the Han Clan? And why do you believe there must be a bond between them and Gu Zong?"

  The Grandmaster turned to her. "Because that was the dying wish of Han Wuang Shi’s father, Master Sung Feng. He had promised Zao’s father that one day he would help the Hazu Tai settlement officially become a part of the Lianxiao Clan. But tragedy struck, and he died prematurely. We all know what happened to Zao’s father after that. This is why we must handle this fragile time with the utmost care."

  While the Grandmaster and Yung Ke conversed in the corridors, Wuang Shi’s path led him elsewhere. He was now far beyond the walls of the academy, under the open sky. His stern, forbidden expression remained unchanged, but his eyes searched every corner of the landscape.

  After some distance, he heard the sharp ring of steel the sound of a blade striking stone. Following the noise, he found Gu Zong. The boy was stripped to the waist, immersed in a feverish practice. His powerful, lean muscles glistened with sweat.

  Gu Zong’s focus was entirely on his blade; his eyes were sharper and more intense than the edge of his steel. As he paused to take a long breath, he heard footsteps behind him. Without even a blink, he whirled around with a lightning strike. The sword moved so fast it left a trail of light in the air, clashing violently against another blade. Wuang Shi had blocked the strike.

  Gu Zong didn't stop. He launched a relentless assault one strike, then another, then a thousand more in a matter of heartbeats. His eyes glared at Wuang Shi as if a volcano were erupting within them. Wuang Shi successfully parried every blow, but Gu Zong, pushing far beyond his physical limits, suddenly coughed up blood. He stumbled on the wet stone and plunged into the churning water below.

  Bubbles clouded everything. Gu Zong felt the freezing water pulling him down, his body growing numb. He closed his eyes, surrendering to the cold. But then, he saw a figure descending through the water like a white fish.

  Gu Zong’s long hair drifted across his face, obscuring his vision. The figure reached him and gently brushed the hair away from his eyes. It was Wuang Shi. With his hair flowing in the water and his white robes billowing, he looked almost ethereal like a celestial being.

  Anger flared in Gu Zong’s eyes again. He tried to push him away, but Wuang Shi grabbed his hand and began pulling him toward the surface. As they rose, Gu Zong’s gaze fell upon Wuang Shi’s back. The water had made his white robes translucent. Through the fabric, Gu Zong saw the horrific wounds the lash marks on his back. Some were even beginning to seep a faint trail of blood into the water.

  Before they reached the surface, Gu Zong’s eyes fluttered shut, and he lost consciousness.