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Yuyu: I wonder what Chen Ye's reaction would have been if Da Ming actually brought that to him… Who's curious with me?
SHMOLL: I really hope the dean’s secret is out in the open. Hoping for his double life to continue till the very end~
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Zhao Jiangzhu hastily shut her eyes, her small face burning hot.
With her acupoints sealed, she couldn’t move—her only options were opening and closing her eyes.
So, she squeezed them shut, pretending she was dead.
Da Ming opened his mouth, and before he could stop himself, blurted out, “You… Why haven’t you left?”
He glanced at Zhao Jiangzhu twice before realization struck him.
“Oh! You’re immobilized?”
At his words, Zhao Jiangzhu’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Feeling her gaze on him, Da Ming’s face reddened again.
He hesitated, scratched his head, and muttered, “Too bad, I don’t know how to unseal it.”
His face flushed even deeper, his expression helpless.
“Pfft…”
Leaning against the stone, Zhao Jiangzhu couldn’t help but laugh.
Da Ming’s honest, bewildered look was just too amusing.
Hearing her laughter, Da Ming clenched his fists. His palms were sweating, his heart pounding in panic.
…
Deep in the forest.
The eunuch Zhang Heng’s hands were numb, a thin layer of frost coating the backs of them.
His purple robe had stiffened from the cold.
Across from him, a man in gray stood with an impassive expression, his jade-green eyes locked onto Zhang Heng.
Every move he made carried a chilling internal energy.
With each exchange, his frost-infused strikes transferred their biting cold into Zhang Heng’s body.
A thin sheet of ice instantly formed on Zhang Heng’s skin.
Even the breath the gray-robed man exhaled was deathly cold—if inhaled carelessly, it would disrupt internal energy, injure the lungs, and send its victim into violent coughing fits.
Zhang Heng’s face was pale, his movements restrained.
He practiced the imperial eunuch technique Remnant Sun’s Hollow Canon, which lacked the robust yang energy of ordinary martial arts.
Against an opponent with cold-based internal energy, he was at a natural disadvantage.
And his adversary happened to practice the Profound Ice Demonic Art.
At the same cultivation level, no eunuch who practiced Remnant Sun’s Hollow Canon could stand against it.
If this went on any longer—he would die.
Zhang Heng’s expression darkened, his heart filled with urgency.
Sunset was the time he stabilized his internal energy.
His moment of carelessness had led to Princess Jiangzhu being taken.
If the princess suffered even the slightest injury, he could only atone with his life…
As his mind raced, the gray-robed man suddenly exhaled a thick, white mist.
Zhang Heng struck out with both palms, landing a blow on his opponent’s chest before retreating several yards, barely escaping the freezing air.
The deadly mist gradually dispersed.
The gray-robed man had vanished.
"Not good!"
Zhang Heng’s heart sank. He immediately took off in pursuit, following the direction the tiger had fled.
After running a few hundred meters, he spotted a shirtless woodsman standing on the path.
Beside him lay the lifeless body of a massive, striped tiger.
The ground was slick with blood, the stench spreading far through the forest.
Nearby, leaning against a large stone, was a girl dressed in a blue silk robe embroidered with flowing cloud patterns.
Recognizing the girl, Zhang Heng felt a wave of relief.
His eyes flicked to the woodsman and, after a brief assessment, determined that the man had no martial arts foundation.
Reassured, he stepped forward and landed beside the girl.
“Your Highness, are you alright?”
Zhang Heng, clad in his frost-covered purple robe, appeared at Zhao Jiangzhu’s side.
His pale, beardless face was tinged with an unhealthy flush.
He reached out, tapping several points on her body.
Zhao Jiangzhu immediately felt her limbs lighten, the stiffness disappearing—
Her acupoints were unsealed.
Just then, her bright eyes widened.
Whoosh—
A gleaming iron axe, cold as steel, whistled through the air with tremendous force, aimed straight at Zhang Heng.
Hearing the wind shift, Zhang Heng’s heart nearly leapt from his chest.
He instinctively used his lightness skill to dodge the attack from behind.
But the axe followed him, relentless and precise!
“Wait! He’s one of us!”
In a moment of panic, Zhao Jiangzhu called out.
Her voice was clear and melodious, like a golden oriole singing at dawn.
The instant she spoke, the axe halted.
Its bloodstained blade hovered mere inches from Zhang Heng’s chest.
Had she spoken a second later, he would have been wounded.
Still shaken, Zhang Heng hurriedly stepped back, cold sweat soaking his back.
Finally, he saw clearly—
The attacker was the shirtless woodcutter.
At a closer look, Zhang Heng was stunned.
This man’s muscles were like coiled steel, his frame as powerful as a beast.
His tanned skin gleamed with a faint sheen of blood.
Even just standing there, he exuded an oppressive presence—
Like a lone traveler encountering a starving tiger in the wild.
But then—
Zhang Heng got a good look at the woodcutter’s face.
And the pressure vanished.
That face was… too honest and simple.
The woodcutter still held the iron axe in his hand, watching Zhang Heng warily.
Zhang Heng exhaled, took a step forward, and cupped his hands.
“My thanks, brother, for saving Her Highness.”
Da Ming gave him a flat glance but said nothing.
Leaning against the stone, Zhao Jiangzhu pressed her hands against it and stood up.
Her bright, clear eyes studied Da Ming, a trace of curiosity flickering within them.
Da Ming instinctively looked away.
He glanced at the sky.
The sun was sinking westward.
Time to head home.
Da Ming tucked the axe into his belt and picked up the bundle of firewood.
As he approached the tiger’s body, something seemed to occur to him.
He pulled out his axe and chopped off two of its legs.
Then, after a brief look beneath the tiger, his expression showed a hint of disappointment.
What a shame…
Nothing there.
Otherwise, he could’ve brought it back for his father.
His future father-in-law, Zhang Long, had mentioned that that particular part of the tiger was an incredible tonic.
Tying the tiger legs with his bloodstained shirt, Da Ming hoisted them over his shoulder along with the firewood.
He took two steps forward—then suddenly turned back.
Zhao Jiangzhu was still watching him.
When their eyes met, her face tinged pink.
Then, boldly, she smiled at him.
Her radiant smile bloomed, as pure and fleeting as a night-blooming cereus under the moonlight.
A beauty in full bloom, gone in an instant.
For a moment, Da Ming was dazed.
The wind whispered through the trees, rustling the leaves.
When he finally snapped out of it, a silly, honest grin spread across his face.
Then, without another glance back, he slung the tiger legs over his shoulder and walked north.
…
Zhang Heng watched the woodsman’s figure fade into the distance and sighed.
"What innate strength!"
"No martial foundation, yet he nearly wounded me."
"Even a third-rank martial artist would be powerless against him."
Shaking his head, Zhang Heng lamented,
"What a waste. If he joined the military, he could achieve great things."
"Just being a woodcutter… it’s beneath his talents."
With that, Zhang Heng turned toward Zhao Jiangzhu.
Suddenly, he knelt down and called out—
"Your servant has arrived late to rescue Your Highness—please forgive me!"
…
The sun sets.
The winter sun always sets earlier than in other seasons.
Bare-chested, Da Ming carried two freshly severed tiger legs in his left hand and a bundle of chopped firewood in his right.
He walked along the streets of Yuhang County.
As he passed, countless shopkeepers and passersby turned to look, their gazes drawn to him.
His imposing physique, coupled with the sight of the tiger legs, was simply too striking.
Some timid onlookers trembled at the sight of him, their legs going weak.
But Da Ming was oblivious to the attention, his mind elsewhere.
After walking for a while, he followed the familiar streets until the orphanage came into view.
"Big Brother!!"
A voice filled with excitement rang out.
Da Ming stopped in his tracks and turned his head.
Sun Sheng was running toward him, grinning from ear to ear.
Da Ming’s face lit up with his usual good-natured smile.
"Big Brother, I saw your muscles from a distance and knew right away it was you!"
Sun Sheng patted Da Ming’s solid chest, his eyes gleaming with admiration.
Suddenly, his gaze landed on the tiger legs in Da Ming’s hand. His smile froze.
Pointing at the two severed limbs, he stammered in shock, "Big Brother… these… these are…"
"Tiger legs, freshly chopped. Still warm."
Da Ming chuckled foolishly. "Taking them back for Father to build up his strength."
Sun Sheng: "???"
His jaw dropped, his face full of disbelief.
What?
Big Brother is this strong now?
He can even take down a tiger?!
I’ve been training in the river for two years, reached the second rank in internal strength… and I still can’t kill a tiger!
Sun Sheng froze for a moment before taking a deep breath and exclaiming, "Respect!"
His expression was one of genuine joy.
Of course! This was his Big Brother, after all!
It only made sense that Da Ming was stronger than him, the so-called "White Stripe in the Waves"!
Da Ming’s eyes shifted downward, catching sight of the small bag of green tangerines in Sun Sheng’s hand. His brows furrowed.
"You went to the Red Delight Courtyard again?"
Sun Sheng’s face turned red.
"Stay away from places like that. It’s no good for you," Da Ming scolded.
As he grew older, Da Ming had come to understand many things. He knew now that places like the Yihong Courtyard were not meant for good men.
He would never again say, "I'll go when I have money."
At that moment, Xiao Lian approached, leading three servant girls and over a dozen children.
She cast a glance at Sun Sheng, her expression indifferent.
The orphans, upon seeing Da Ming, immediately swarmed around him.
A few of the young boys caught sight of the tiger legs in his hand and gasped in awe.
They reached out with their small hands, stroking the tiger fur, their eyes gleaming with wonder.