Chapter 30 Part 2

Tong Yuwu’s face remained impassive, so he jammed his hands in his pockets. “Two students reported that after class ended, you and three others were the only ones left in there.

“After you left, they came back and found the other three sprawled on the floor, out cold.”

He shot her a glance. “Those three got carted off to the Medical Office. They’re in bad shape—without a high-level healing mage, they’ll be laid up in bed for a year, easy.”

Tong Yuwu: “Oh.”

Ming Yi frowned. “That’s all?”

He pressed on. “What happened in the classroom before you bailed? You get into it with those three, or…?” He paused. “I checked the room myself. Your desk has blast marks all over it.

“Refining gone wrong and boom, right?”

Meng Yiran latched onto entirely different details from his spiel.

Why had Tong Yuwu stuck around in the classroom with those three after class? And why had exactly two people swung back right then, only to “discover” the trio injured?

She couldn’t help grinning, flashing her sharp canines as a low hiss rumbled in her throat. She glared at Ming Yi, bristling with suspicion.

Tong Yuwu glanced back at her, then turned to Ming Yi. “Yeah. It failed.”

Ming Yi ran with it. “Failure triggers an explosion, hurts you and the other three?” He burst out laughing, clearly buying none of it, then followed up. “Care to explain the ink splattered everywhere? Or why you, with the lightest injuries, didn’t call for help right away?”

This time, Tong Yuwu’s answer had some meat to it. She admitted plainly, “I dumped the ink.”

Ming Yi blinked in confusion. “Why?”

Tong Yuwu: “Yesterday, he dumped ink on my book. Got it all over my cat.”

Ming Yi’s mouth worked soundlessly for a moment. He glanced sideways at the Little White Cat inside the room, at a loss for words.

After a beat, he let out a soft sigh. “You getting the cold shoulder in class? They bullying you that blatantly?” He asked, “Why not come to me?”

The Little White Cat padded forward, wedging herself between him and Tong Yuwu. She bared her teeth at his feigned concern.

Like hell she bought that the Ming brothers hadn’t seen this coming. If they actually gave a damn about protecting Tong Yuwu, they’d have nipped it in the bud ages ago—instead of swooping in after the mess to play the heroes.

Tong Yuwu stayed silent. Ming Yi knew he’d struck out, ducking his head awkwardly and rubbing the bridge of his nose.

When he looked up again, his smile was back in place. “Alright, that settles it.” He assured Tong Yuwu, “This whole thing’s done. If anyone asks you about it later—me or otherwise—just say you know nothing. They got blasted by the explosion, and since you two don’t get along, you didn’t bother with them.”

Tong Yuwu met his gaze steadily, neither agreeing nor refusing. Her purple eyes were inscrutable in the hazy borderland between dusk and night.

Ming Yi: “Lighten up already.”

He stretched with a lazy yawn. “Truth is, I came looking for you today with good news. This detour just soured the vibe a bit.”

As his words trailed off, he pulled a small box from the pocket at his waist. “Do you remember that Illusion Realm incident? The trial is over, and student Kangsi has received the punishment he deserves—he’s been expelled from the school.

“To offer condolences to the students who got dragged into it, this is the compensation prepared by both the school and Kangsi himself.”

He opened the box, revealing a blue potion and a red one nestled inside.

Ming Yi pointed to the blue one. “This is a Mental Power Recovery Potion from the school—extremely precious. Getting trapped in an Illusion Realm can damage your spiritual power, causing your magic power to regress. As long as the damage isn’t severe, this can heal it or at least ease it.

“The red one is a Healing Potion that Kangsi brewed himself. He’s a very talented devil potion master, so this makes for decent compensation.”

“Coincidentally…” Ming Yi’s lips curved into a smile. “This stuff works both ways—you can drink it or apply it topically.”

“Wasn’t your arm burned? You could slather some of this on it. Hmm… it’s a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but the effect is hundreds of times better than any ordinary burn salve.”

Tong Yuwu took the box and casually set it down on the entryway table.

She eyed Ming Yi, who was still blocking the doorway, and frowned. “Anything else?”

Ming Yi threw up his hands in mock surrender. “No need to be so frosty, Miss Tong.” He continued, “Just one last thing—the absolute last.”

Before Tong Yuwu’s patience could wear thin, he blurted out his question at top speed. “Do you know where Assistant Teacher Meng Yiran is? I swung by her dorm earlier to drop off her share of the compensation, but she wasn’t there.” He narrowed his eyes. “Little Ling Ge said she’d pick it up for her, but I have a feeling she’ll take advantage of Assistant Teacher Meng. What if she pockets one of the potions on the sly, and Meng comes looking for trouble with me?”

A flicker of puzzlement crossed Tong Yuwu’s violet eyes, as if she had no idea why Ming Yi would bring up that person in front of her.

She shook her head. “No idea.”

Ming Yi tilted his head. “Really?”

A punchably smug grin tugged at his lips. “You two seem pretty close. On my way over, I was hoping she might be here in your room. Would’ve saved me a trip.”

The Little White Cat suddenly shivered. She slowly circled behind Tong Yuwu’s legs and bent her head to lick her paws.

“You’re mistaken,” Tong Yuwu said. “I’m not close to her.”

The Little White Cat looked up and let out a meow laced with unclear meaning.

Ming Yi’s eyes went wide. “For real?”

He rubbed his chin. “So her dropping by your classroom during afternoon rounds was just pure coincidence?”

Tong Yuwu shot back, “What else would it be?”

“What else?” Ming Yi said with pointed meaning. “She went there specifically to see you—to stand up for you.”

Tong Yuwu dipped her head slightly, her gaze drifting unfocused, as though deep in thought.

Ming Yi pressed on. “Did I get it wrong? Nah, can’t be.”

He shrugged. “Feels like Assistant Teacher Meng cares about you a lot.”

Tong Yuwu looked up. “You done?”

Ming Yi hastily retreated a full step. “All done.”

He stepped aside. “After you.”

Tong Yuwu gave him a glance.

She shut the door, scooped up the Little White Cat at her feet, and carried her back to the bedroom. Then she grabbed a fresh outfit from the closet, changed into it, and prepared to head out again.

Meng Yiran refused to stay put. She hopped over to the two potions, nudging Tong Yuwu to apply some before leaving, but the Noble Miss ignored her.

Soon the dorm door swung open and clicked shut once more. The Little White Cat stood at the entryway, staring silently at the door panel. Then, very softly, she let out a wistful sigh.

The next day, Meng Yiran went to the Ling family siblings to get the scoop.

Both Ling Ge and Ling Ze held high positions in the Qiuzhi Guild, so their intel was sharper than that of regular students. And since Ling Ge had already promised yesterday to keep tabs on Tong Yuwu for her, they knew exactly what Meng Yiran had come for the moment they saw her.

But Ling Ge didn’t lead with the news. Instead, she asked, “Tong Yuwu didn’t get hurt, did she?”

“She sure did!” Meng Yiran bit out the words, gesturing emphatically with both hands. “Right here on her arm—burned by gods-know-what into a blister the size of a whole chicken egg.” She paused for breath, then went on. “Good thing Ming Yi brought over that Illusion Realm compensation in the nick of time. She applied the ointment last night, and it only cleared up this morning.”

Ling Ge’s mouth twitched. “‘Only’ cleared up this morning… so it’s already healed?”

Meng Yiran nodded. “Yep.”

She still shuddered at the memory. “She toughed out a whole night of agony.”

Ling Ge couldn’t take it anymore. “Enough.”

She drew a deep breath. “Do you know what happened to those three who stayed in the classroom with her that evening?”

Meng Yiran froze for a moment.

Ming Yi had mentioned the matter at the time, but Meng Yiran’s attention had been entirely fixed on Tong Yuwu seemingly getting cornered in the classroom. She’d heard it and promptly forgotten. After a moment’s thought, she said uncertainly, “It seems… pretty serious?”

Ling Ge nodded vigorously. “Very serious. They nearly died on the spot.”

Meng Yiran furrowed her brow lightly. “So what exactly happened back then?”

Ling Ge held nothing back any longer and shared what she knew. “The incident is still under investigation, but as things stand, the school officials are leaning toward classifying it as an accidental explosion. A failed potion refinement caused the blast, injuring those three.”

“An explosion…” Meng Yiran nodded. “Tong Yuwu suffered burns, so that does tie in.”

Ling Ge shot her a glance. “But I dug up another story.”

She drew a deep breath. “All three injured parties were nobility students. One family pulled strings and brought in a top healer for their son. He’s awake now after treatment, and he claims there was no explosion at all—the three of them got hurt entirely because Tong Yuwu attacked them. The rumor is only circulating in a small circle for now, and not many people buy it.”

Meng Yiran let out a laugh. “How is that possible? She’s just one girl—how could she take on three guys and beat them half to death?”

Ling Ge countered, “She could have used magic. No need to get physical.”

“Isn’t that even more ridiculous?” Meng Yiran looked at her. “Tong Yuwu… doesn’t she lack magic aptitude?”

She tsked. “If she could pull that off with magic, the nobility clique wouldn’t be shunning her.”

Ling Ge rubbed her chin, pondering for a moment. “If it wasn’t her personally, then she must have been carrying some powerful magic artifact.”

She reminded Meng Yiran, “Just like in that Illusion Realm incident. Kangsi couldn’t have caused that much chaos on his own—it was all thanks to the artifact.”

Meng Yiran looked a bit lost. “I wouldn’t know about that.”

Ling Ge shrugged. “It’s pretty normal, really. Nobility families always have some hidden depths, no matter the circumstances. I did a little digging—don’t let Miss Tong’s recent generations fool you; they were rolling in wealth back in the day. When they were at their height, the Ming Family ancestors were just some no-name commoners.”

Meng Yiran nodded thoughtfully.

She let out a sigh of relief soon after. “If that’s really the case, then good for her. She’s no fighter—utterly helpless without something for self-defense.”

Ling Ge hummed in agreement. “And after this, no one should dare mess with her for a good long while.”

She grinned. “You don’t know the half of it—those three injured idiots were the biggest troublemakers in the entire First Year, stirring up nonstop mischief. Even the stray dogs on the street can’t stand them. All the First Year students I know are thrilled to hear those three are taking leave to recover.”

Meng Yiran considered another angle. “But if that’s really what happened…”

She gasped. “If Tong Yuwu did hurt them, will she face trial? Get expelled like Kangsi?” She clenched her fist. “I’d bet anything she didn’t strike first. At worst, it was self-defense. To push a sheltered noble miss like her to use a self-defense artifact… I can’t even imagine how dire things got!”

“I wouldn’t know.” Ling Ge spread her hands. “It depends on the school’s stance.”

At the mention of the school, Meng Yiran seemed to glimpse a ray of hope. “From what Ming Yi said yesterday, it looks like they won’t blow it out of proportion.”

“The Ming Family made an exception to let Tong Yuwu enroll in the first place,” Ling Ge said. “They’ll definitely have her back.”

She grabbed Meng Yiran’s hand. “Speaking of that jerk, I almost forgot to tell you something.”

Meng Yiran blinked. “What?”

Ling Ge shot her a resentful glare. “This is all your fault. You’ve been going on about Tong Yuwu nonstop since you got here—nearly made me forget the important stuff.”

Meng Yiran’s cheeks flushed suddenly. “When did I?”

She coughed lightly to cover her embarrassment and changed the subject. “Enough chit-chat. What’s this important matter?”

Ling Ge turned serious. “Yesterday, Ming Yi came by to deliver compensation for the Illusion Realm Incident but couldn’t find you. Our dorms are right next door, so I told him to hand it over to me instead. He refused.”