Chapter 34
"Oh yeah?" Weiyang straightened despite his exhaustion. "I still have enough left to prove it."
"You're forcing what's not there," Wuming said, irritation finally slipping into his tone. "I was the one who actually showed you how to do it."
Weiyang scoffed immediately. "Showed? Don't act like I couldn't figure it out myself."
"You didn't," Wuming replied flatly.
Weiyang stepped closer, tired but stubborn. "And you think you're perfect?"
"I'm better."
"That's what you think."
"That's what it is."
They stood there for a second, both breathing unevenly, both clearly at their limit—but neither willing to step back.
Then—
Almost at the same time—
They raised their hands again.
No words.
No agreement.
Just that same quiet refusal to lose.
From behind, Lin Yi watched them with a faint, knowing look, while Yinghua sighed softly against his shoulder and Wei Zhi returned with the extra boxes, already opening one as if she had accepted that this wasn't ending anytime soon.
Yinghua suddenly straightened a little, as if something had just clicked in her mind. "Wait," she said, glancing between the two still training. "We still haven't had Wei Zhi's introduction… or Weiyang's. And yours too, Shifu."
Lin Yi raised a brow slightly. "Mine?"
Yinghua nodded quickly. "Yes. But first—can we get hers?" She pointed toward Wei Zhi. "Then we can calm those two down and ask about Weiyang later."
Lin Yi gave a small, amused nod. "Alright. Go on then. Wei Zhi—tell me about yourself."
Wei Zhi didn't look at him immediately. Her gaze stayed forward for a second before she finally spoke. "Wasn't that already done yesterday? I assumed you knew everything about us… from the way you reacted."
For a moment, both Yinghua and Lin Yi simply looked at her.
Then, almost at the same time, they tilted their heads slightly—like two old hawks observing something familiar.
"…They're exactly the same," Yinghua muttered.
Lin Yi hummed in agreement.
Wei Zhi's expression sharpened instantly. "What does that mean?" she said, a hint of annoyance slipping through. "Don't compare me to some lowhead."
Her eyes flicked toward Weiyang without hesitation.
In the distance, Weiyang sneezed mid-attempt and glared around as if offended by something unseen.
Yinghua sighed dramatically. "Oh come on," she said, leaning closer to Wei Zhi with a grin that clearly meant trouble. "Just tell us about yourself… and how you met Wuming."
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Too much curiosity.
Lin Yi glanced at her and understood immediately.
She wasn't interested in Wei Zhi.
Not really.
She just wanted to know about Wuming.
He didn't say anything, but the faint shift in his gaze said enough.
Wei Zhi noticed it too.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"…You're not asking for me," she said flatly.
Yinghua smiled wider, completely unapologetic. "I'm asking both."
Wei Zhi stared at her for a second longer, then let out a quiet breath, her expression settling back into its usual calm.
"…Fine."
Her gaze drifted forward again, but this time it wasn't unfocused.
It was remembering.
"I met him a few years ago."
A small pause.
"He was already like that."
Her eyes shifted slightly toward Wuming.
"Quiet. Cold. Annoying."
Another pause.
"But…"
She didn't finish the sentence immediately.
Then, simply—
"He didn't talk much. And I didn't ask much."
Yinghua leaned in further. "That's it?"
Wei Zhi gave her a look. "What else do you want?"
"Something interesting," Yinghua said without hesitation.
Wei Zhi's expression didn't change. "…He almost killed someone the first time I saw him."
Yinghua froze.
"…Okay," she said slowly. "That counts."
Lin Yi's gaze sharpened slightly, but he didn't interrupt.
Wei Zhi continued, her tone steady. "It wasn't my business. But I stepped in anyway."
"Why?" Yinghua asked immediately.
Wei Zhi shrugged faintly. "Because he was wrong."
In the distance, Wuming's hand paused for a fraction of a second before continuing again.
Wei Zhi didn't look at him.
"…After that, he didn't leave."
Yinghua blinked. "That's your explanation?"
Wei Zhi glanced at her sideways. "Do you want a longer one?"
"…Yes."
"…No."
Yinghua groaned. "You're impossible."
Lin Yi let out a quiet breath that almost resembled a laugh.
His gaze shifted briefly toward Wuming again.
"…I see."
Yinghua, however, wasn't done. She leaned even closer, lowering her voice slightly as if plotting something. "So you just met him… stopped him from killing someone… and then he stayed?"
Wei Zhi didn't respond.
That silence—
Was the answer.
Yinghua slowly leaned back, eyes widening just a little.
"…That's actually worse than I expected."
Wei Zhi ignored her.
But her gaze, just for a moment—
Shifted again toward Wuming.
Yinghua frowned slightly, still trying to piece it together. "But how could he kill someone?"
Wei Zhi didn't hesitate. "Self-defense, Yinghua."
Yinghua blinked. "And that makes it okay?"
"No," Wei Zhi said simply.
Lin Yi spoke then, his tone calm but precise. "Who was the person he wanted to kill?"
Wei Zhi looked at him, thinking for a moment. "It was… two years ago," she said slowly. "A servant from the Xuan clan. He tried to poison him."
Yinghua leaned forward slightly, listening more carefully now.
Wei Zhi continued, her voice steady as she recalled it. "Yin noticed it. He always drank from a silver-lined cup… and the color changed. He almost drank it, but he stopped."
Her eyes lowered slightly, as if the memory was playing out in front of her.
"The servant panicked. He tried to force it—got physical, tried to make him swallow it."
A brief pause.
"So Wuming took a kunai… and stabbed him in the ribcage."
Yinghua's hand slowly rose to her mouth.
Wei Zhi's expression didn't change. "He wasn't aiming to kill him immediately. It was instinct… he was protecting himself. But the servant was on top of him, so it wasn't exactly… controlled."
For a moment, no one spoke.
Yinghua finally exhaled softly. "Then… what happened?"
Wei Zhi glanced at her. "That's when I stepped in. I pulled Wuming away."
She paused, then added quietly, "I had been watching the whole thing."
Lin Yi's gaze sharpened slightly. "You knew him back then?"
Wei Zhi shook her head. "No. Not at first. I didn't even realize who he was… until I saw his hair."
Her voice lowered just a fraction.
"Long. Silver-white… stained with blood."
Yinghua swallowed.
Wei Zhi continued, more matter-of-fact now. "Lady Yin Fu arrived soon after. She told me to take him away while they dealt with the servant."
Lin Yi's eyes flickered. "So… you were a servant too?"
Wei Zhi looked at him.
Her eyes turned cold—sharp in a way that mirrored his own.
"Not exactly," she said. "I was from a low clan. Lady Yin Fu bought me… to serve Wuming."
Lin Yi held her gaze for a moment, then gave a small nod. "That must've been difficult."
"I don't need your pity."
"I'm not giving you pity."
The air stilled for a second.
Then Wei Zhi exhaled faintly. "Can you stop those two now?"
Lin Yi tilted his head slightly. "You told me about Wuming. Not about yourself."
A faint smile touched his lips.
Wei Zhi looked away. "There's not much to say. I'm alone. My mother is dead… and I don't know anything about the rest."
A pause.
"…Does that fill it in?"
Lin Yi's smile softened just a little. "Yes… princess."
Wei Zhi frowned immediately. "I'm not a princess."
Yinghua, who had been silent till now, glanced at her quietly.
You do have someone, she thought. We're the same.
A small, almost unnoticed smile appeared on her lips.
Lin Yi shifted his gaze. "Yinghua. What about your family?"
Yinghua straightened slightly. "We're… a small clan now. Around fifty people. Twenty children… and thirty elders."
Lin Yi nodded slowly. "I see."
Then, looking at both of them, he said, "I'm sorry—for both of you."
Wei Zhi didn't respond.
Yinghua lowered her gaze slightly.
"It's not pity," Lin Yi continued calmly. "It's acknowledgment. And respect. Lessons repeat… until you learn them yourselves."
He glanced at them again, a faint hint of warmth in his otherwise composed expression. "Princesses."
Yinghua flushed slightly, caught off guard.
Wei Zhi clicked her tongue. "I said I'm not a princess."
Lin Yi shrugged lightly. "It would be a waste to call two capable, intelligent girls 'servants' or 'slaves.' Princesses sounds better."
Wei Zhi looked away. "…Whatever."
Wei Zhi suddenly pushed herself up, brushing her hands lightly against her clothes. "If you're not stopping them," she said flatly, "I will."
Before either Yinghua or Lin Yi could respond, she was already walking toward them.
Her steps were steady.
Her expression unreadable.
By the time Weiyang and Wuming noticed her, it was already too late.
Qi gathered in both her hands—sharp, controlled, precise.
Then—
Slap.
The sound cracked through the air.
Both of them were sent flying.
Weiyang hit the tree first, his back slamming hard against the trunk, the impact forcing the breath out of him. Wuming collided into him mid-air, and in that split second, Weiyang instinctively shifted, pulling him in and taking the full force himself.
A sharp cough escaped him—blood following.
They dropped to the ground in a tangled mess.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then slowly—
Both looked up.
At Wei Zhi.
There was a brief, stunned silence.
"…Witch," they said at the same time.
Wei Zhi didn't even blink.
"We have a class," she snapped. "You stupid dipshit heads."
She pointed toward the others without looking back. "You're not the only students here. We've been waiting."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Now get up. Come here. And sit down."
No hesitation.
No room for argument.
Behind her, Yinghua's mouth had slightly fallen open.
"…I like her," she whispered.
Lin Yi didn't say anything.
But even he looked… mildly surprised.
Twenty minutes later, the forest had quieted again.
The sky above stretched wide and clear, sunlight filtering softly through the trees. Birds moved in flocks across the open blue, their distant calls blending into the calm that had finally settled over the area.
All four of them sat together now.
Well—
Almost peacefully.
Weiyang, however, clearly disagreed with that part.
"You didn't even leave one?" he complained, looking between Yinghua and Wei Zhi with visible betrayal. "Not even a single cookie? Or cake?"
Yinghua didn't look the least bit guilty. "You were busy fighting."
"That's not an excuse," Weiyang shot back. "You could've saved some."
Wei Zhi didn't even glance at him. "You were too busy calling yourself better."
"That doesn't mean I don't need food," he muttered, crossing his arms, clearly still offended.
Nearby, Wuming sat quietly while Lin Yi treated the minor injuries along his arm. Yinghua had moved closer again, helping without being asked, her movements careful but practiced.
Wuming didn't react much.
As usual.
Though the faint stiffness in his posture gave away the fact that the fight had taken more out of him than he showed.
Weiyang, on the other hand, had already been patched up earlier and was now doing absolutely nothing useful.
Except complaining.
"This is discrimination," he continued. "I trained the most and still got nothing."
"You also ate the most yesterday," Wei Zhi replied calmly.
"That's unrelated."
"It's not."
Weiyang opened his mouth to argue again—then paused, glancing sideways toward Wuming.
"…Did you get any?"
Wuming didn't look at him. "No."
Weiyang blinked.
Then pointed immediately. "See? Even he didn't get any."
Wei Zhi finally looked at him. "He didn't ask."
Weiyang frowned. "So I have to ask now?"
"Yes."
"…That's ridiculous."
Yinghua sighed softly, trying not to laugh. "I'll bring more next time."
Weiyang narrowed his eyes slightly. "You better."
A brief silence followed.
The wind moved lightly through the trees.
Wuming shifted his arm slightly as Lin Yi finished wrapping it, his movements calm, precise. Yinghua handed over the last strip of cloth, watching closely to make sure it was secure.
"…Done," Lin Yi said.
Wuming gave a small nod.
Weiyang glanced over again, then looked away quickly, pretending he hadn't been watching.
"…You didn't have to do that," Wuming said quietly.
Weiyang scoffed. "You were about to get slammed. I just moved first."
Wuming's gaze stayed on him for a moment. "…You took the full impact."
"So?" Weiyang shrugged lightly, though the slight stiffness in his posture gave it away. "You'd have done the same."
End of 34