Chapter 16.
"Fine," she said sharply, still running. "If you manage to become Wuming's friend, then I will be your friend too."
Wuming glanced at her briefly while moving forward.
My trick… used on me?
He watched her carefully.
She adapts quickly.
Copies just as quickly.
What a copycat.
Behind them, Weiyang laughed.
"Nice one, Wei Zhi!"
He suddenly accelerated and moved ahead of them.
In one motion he stepped directly in front of Wuming.
Wuming instantly stopped and leapt back into the air, landing lightly a few steps away.
Exactly as he expected.
He had already predicted the move.
Weiyang stood calmly now, blocking their path.
Wuming studied him quietly.
He is strong.
Even stronger than he showed earlier.
During their sparring match, Wuming had already noticed something.
Weiyang had been holding back.
"I knew you were holding back," Wuming said.
Weiyang smiled innocently.
"Oh come on," he said. "Both of you knew."
He pointed at them casually.
"I could tell the way you two were analyzing me the whole time."
Wuming stared at him silently.
Then one thought crossed his mind.
Shit.
This much energy.
But he wasn't referring to strength.
It was something else.
His brightness.
Too bright.
Too open.
Too unbroken.
Someone like him could never understand why Wuming and Wei Zhi felt allergic to people.
The three of them continued racing through the enormous corridors of the mansion.
The passageways curved endlessly through the estate, wide and long enough that the corridor itself felt like a training ground. The entire stretch was almost half a kilometer long.
Wuming was still ahead.
Wei Zhi followed close behind him, copying his movements almost perfectly, her hands resting behind her back as she moved swiftly across the polished stone floor.
Behind her ran Xiao Weiyang.
At first he only chased them playfully, but then his speed increased.
His steps became lighter.
Sharper.
Faster.
In the next moment he suddenly accelerated and leapt forward, appearing directly in front of them to block their path.
But Wuming had already predicted it.
The instant Weiyang moved ahead, Wuming pushed off the ground and jumped higher, his body turning slightly in the air as he passed over Weiyang's position.
By the time Weiyang landed—
Wuming had already touched the ground several steps ahead of him.
Still in the lead.
Wei Zhi followed right behind Wuming, adjusting her movement at the last moment and slipping past Weiyang as well.
Weiyang blinked in surprise before quickly turning and running again.
For a brief moment he increased his speed and almost caught up.
Almost.
But Wuming stayed ahead.
Not because he was faster alone.
But because he had already predicted the interception.
As they continued running, Wuming quietly observed Weiyang.
Something felt strange.
Even at this speed, Weiyang's Qi flow was extremely controlled.
His aura was so suppressed that Wuming could barely sense it.
That shouldn't be possible for someone running this fast.
How did he become this strong while keeping his presence so hidden?
Wuming narrowed his eyes slightly.
So he was hiding his strength earlier too.
A faint thought crossed his mind.
What a cunning little fox.
Weiyang, meanwhile, laughed loudly from behind.
"Hey! You two are seriously impossible!"
But his voice was still bright and carefree.
Too bright.
Too open.
Wuming thought quietly as he continued running ahead.
Someone like him…
could never really understand why Wei Zhi and I are allergic to people.
At the same time, Xiao Weiyang was having his own thoughts.
As he continued running behind them, he felt something strange.
It was difficult to describe.
It was as if a dense presence surrounded Wuming.
Something heavy.
Something dangerous.
Not purely dark.
Not purely bright.
Both.
Light and darkness mixed together.
Weiyang frowned slightly as he observed Wuming's back.
Even while running at such speed, Wuming's posture remained calm and controlled.
His long white — silver hair moved with the wind, and under the light of the corridor he looked almost unrealistically beautiful.
But that beauty carried something unsettling.
Something cold.
Something distant.
Weiyang's gaze shifted to Wei Zhi.
She was breathing slightly heavier now from the effort of running, but her steps were still steady as she kept chasing Wuming.
From the way she followed him without hesitation, Weiyang guessed something.
She must be his personal maid.
But the idea didn't sit well with him.
Servant…
And friend?
He didn't like that.
Not at all.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied both of them.
Their eyes.
Those eyes were not normal.
Cold.
Sharp.
Ruthless.
Eyes like people who had already seen too much.
Weiyang felt a quiet discomfort in his chest.
I have never seen eyes like that before.
Not on children.
Maybe on older warriors.
Maybe on people who had fought in real battles.
But not on someone their age.
His thoughts grew quieter as he continued running behind them.
What did they lose…?
What kind of past creates eyes like that?
For a moment, the playful smile on Weiyang's face faded slightly.
But only for a moment.
Then the smile returned again as he increased his speed.
As the three of them continued running through the long corridor, Xiao Weiyang suddenly stopped.
His expression changed slightly.
Then he raised one hand. Making weird signs.
A faint gust of wind moved through the corridor.
"Wind Rustle Formation."
The air around them trembled for a moment.
In the next instant—
Wuming and Wei Zhi both froze in mid-air.
Their bodies were suspended exactly where they had been moving.
Wei Zhi's eyes widened in shock.
Even Wuming's calm expression changed slightly.
Weiyang crossed his arms proudly and smiled.
"This is one of the most basic wind formations my Lao Shi taught me."
He walked slowly toward them.
"But I've mastered it better than anyone else in the whole nation."
Wuming grunted slightly, trying to move.
His muscles tightened.
For a moment it looked like he might actually break free.
Weiyang's smile widened.
"No matter how much you try, you can't move."
He stopped in front of Wuming.
Then, without warning—
He gently lifted Wuming out of the air in a bridal carry.
Wuming's eyes instantly turned cold.
"What are you doing?" his expression seemed to say.
Weiyang ignored the glare completely.
He walked a few steps to the side where a small stone bench sat in the middle of a beautiful inner garden connected to the corridor.
Carefully, he placed Wuming on the bench.
Still frozen.
Still unable to move.
Weiyang smiled brightly.
Then he turned toward Wei Zhi.
She was still suspended in the air, her hands slightly behind her back, trying to break free of the invisible pressure.
Her eyes were sharp as she stared at him.
Weiyang walked closer.
Playfully.
"I told you," he said, smiling.
"I'm your friend. Whatever you say… even until eternity."
Wei Zhi gasped slightly. Her eyes softened but only for a fraction of a second.
Her eyes flashed with irritation.
"Stupid guy," she said coldly.
"Don't promise things you can't fulfill."
"How can you offer me eternity when you only have a few decades to live?"
But Weiyang didn't react to the harshness.
Instead he stepped closer.
Very close.
So close that Wei Zhi's breath caught.
His warm blue eyes looked directly into hers.
His yellow hair moved slightly in the wind, messy but bright.
For a moment she could barely breathe.
"Let me go," she said quietly.
Weiyang tilted his head.
"Say you're my friend."
Wei Zhi closed her eyes.
"Never."
Weiyang sighed dramatically.
Then he leaned forward and rested his head lightly against her shoulder.
Wei Zhi opened her eyes in surprise.
He rubbed his face against the fabric of her clothing like a stubborn child.
"Then I'll just keep pursuing you," he said casually.
Before she could respond, he wrapped one arm around her waist and lifted her down the same way he had lifted Wuming.
Again—
in a bridal carry.
He carried her to the bench and placed her beside Wuming.
Wei Zhi's head accidentally fell onto Wuming's shoulder.
Both of them were still frozen.
Weiyang stepped back proudly, admiring his work.
He was about to say something—
But suddenly a loud bell rang through the mansion.
Weiyang blinked.
"Oh."
He slapped his forehead lightly.
"Oops."
"Master is calling me."
He started running toward the exit of the corridor.
Then he turned back, walking backwards while grinning.
"See you tomorrow!"
"Oh—and don't worry. Your bodies will return to normal in about ten minutes."
He winked.
Then he disappeared down the corridor.
Silence returned.
His footsteps slowly faded into the distance.
Silence returned to the garden corridor.
Wei Zhi's head still rested on Wuming's shoulder.
Neither of them moved.
A minute passed.
Then another.
Suddenly—
Wuming spoke quietly.
"You can get up now."
Wei Zhi lifted her head slightly.
"You too."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then both of them moved at the same time.
Wei Zhi stepped down from the bench as if nothing had ever restrained her.
Wuming stood up calmly beside her.
There was no stiffness in their movements.
No lingering effect.
The wind formation had never truly held them.
Wei Zhi brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
"That formation was weak," she said.
"He only controlled the surface pressure."
Wuming nodded slightly.
"His understanding is incomplete."
Wei Zhi glanced toward the direction Weiyang had left.
"You knew."
"Of course," Wuming replied.
"He wanted to show off."
Wei Zhi sighed softly.
"He thinks he trapped us."
Wuming sat back down on the bench, his expression calm.
"Let him."
Wei Zhi crossed her arms.
"He also carried us like dolls. He's like a little child who's curious to explore more and more."
Wuming's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yes."
"That was annoying."
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then Wei Zhi said quietly,
"He's dangerous."
Wuming looked toward the empty corridor.
"He hides his Qi too well."
Wei Zhi nodded.
"Too well."
Wuming stood up again.
"Come."
They began walking toward his room.
After a few steps, Wei Zhi said softly,
"I'm sorry."
Wuming stopped.
He turned slightly toward her.
"Never apologize for something you couldn't control."
Wei Zhi looked at him silently.
"An apology is nothing more than a label humans use to ease their conscience," Wuming continued calmly.
"Don't feel ashamed of something when you don't even know whether it truly affected someone."
Wei Zhi lowered her gaze for a moment.
Then she nodded.
The two of them continued walking down the quiet corridor.
They walked slowly through the quiet corridor.
For a while neither of them spoke.
Then Wei Zhi said quietly,
"Apologizing doesn't always mean you are wrong and the other person is right."
Wuming glanced at her but stayed silent.
"It simply means you value the relationship more than your ego," she continued. "And that you respect the other person."
Wuming thought about it for a moment.
Then he said calmly,
"Some apologies come too late to matter."
They continued walking.
Both of them were speaking.
Yet in a strange way, they weren't really speaking to each other.
It felt more like they were speaking to something else—old thoughts, old experiences.
After a moment, Wuming asked,
"Are you allergic to people?"
Wei Zhi looked forward as she walked.
"No," she replied.
"I'm allergic to stupid and egotistical people."
She paused for a moment.
"And I prefer my solitude."
Her voice was calm but firm.
"I will only choose others over it when someone becomes sweeter and more pleasant than my solitude."
Wuming listened quietly.
Then a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Fair."
End of 16.
Have a good day.