Master of Nine Stars

"Oh." A layer of Shuangxue appeared on Si Huan Nian's hand, cleaning her fair fingers. She turned and walked back inside, saying, "Go get cleaned up first."

"Okay." Rong Taotao entered the dorm room, dropped his backpack, and grabbed a change of clothes before heading into the bathroom.

Si Huan Nian plopped down on the sofa, spreading her arms across the backrest. She watched Rong Taotao with curiosity, feeling like something was off...

But what was it exactly?

He hadn't gotten taller or shorter, though he was a bit thinner. His hair had grown a lot and was a mess... Oh, his spirit!

His spirit was gone.

A young man of sixteen or seventeen, a genius from the Junior Class, the undisputed number one in the Outer Region—yet that vibrant, spirited look of his had vanished. The light that should have been in his bright eyes was gone.

'What happened?'

'Did Xia Fangran and Li Lie beat him into this state?'

'No, that's not right. Neither Xia Fangran nor Li Lie are as ruthless as I am...'

'Besides, Rong Taotao doesn't look dejected, like someone whose confidence has been shattered. This is...'

'How could his whole demeanor change so drastically in just two and a half months?'

'If it wasn't the teachers who broke him, then the only other possibility is... the army?'

'Yes, with Gao Lingwei there, they must have gone on multiple missions with the Twelfth Squad. This is probably the result of being forged by military life.'

In such a short time, only the Snow Burning Army could turn a spirited, proud young man into a Warrior with a restrained edge.

"Tsk." At this thought, Si Huan Nian clicked her tongue, thoroughly displeased. She leaned over, picked up her phone from the coffee table, and tapped the screen a few times. "Rong Yang, don't you think you've gone too far?"

It was Rong Yang who had originally taken the initiative to add Si Huan Nian on WeChat. As Rong Taotao's older brother, he had added all the teachers at Yang Chunxi's suggestion.

The first time they'd added each other, the two had only exchanged a few polite words. She never expected their second conversation would be her calling him out.

Rong Taotao really was lucky. Although he had grown up without his parents' company, in his life at the school...

...renowned teachers like Xia Fangran, Yang Chunxi, and Si Huan Nian practically treated him like their own child.

Si Huan Nian's interrogation was definitely crossing a line. At the end of the day, she was just a teacher. How his older brother chose to raise him was family business.

But Si Huan Nian asked anyway, and she was very direct about it.

Of course, Si Huan Nian knew how busy Rong Yang's missions kept him, so he might not see the message right away. She continued tapping on the screen, "What have you done to that kid?

He still has the National Competition to attend and a long apprenticeship ahead of him, and you send me back a stoic soldier?"

To Si Huan Nian's surprise, Rong Yang replied almost immediately. It seemed he was on a break too.

Rong Yang: "My apologies, Coach Si. I wasn't paying enough attention to him.

I had complete faith in Coach Xia and Coach Li, so I didn't ask too many questions. By the time I saw him again, it was already too late.

The school's training methods are indeed questionable, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. He's still young; he should bounce back quickly. I'll have to trouble you, Coach Si."

Si Huan Nian's eyebrow twitched as she read the text on her phone. Her fingers tapped the screen again. "What kind of training method?"

Rong Yang: "Qianshan Pass, Assessment Gorge 0."

Si Huan Nian: ???

'That legendary assessment site?'

Her eyes widened slightly as a realization suddenly dawned on her.

She had assumed Li Lie was accompanying them because Xia Fangran and Rong Taotao had been hunted by the Frost Beauty and Xiao Ziru in the Snowfield last time, which was why Principal Mei had insisted on Li Lie going along.

But now it seemed that while Principal Mei might have had that concern, his main reason was to have Li Lie strictly supervise their training process in Gorge 0 at Qianshan Pass!

Si Huan Nian quickly typed, "How many times were they assessed in the gorge?"

Rong Yang: "It wasn't an assessment. It was training. They trained there for two and a half months. I'm counting on you, Coach Si. Please talk to Rong Taotao and help him."

Two! And! A! Half! Months!

'They were training the entire time they were gone?'

'Never mind a kid, you can't even put a mentally stable adult through that kind of torture!?'

'Isn't this just like pulling up a seedling to make it grow faster!?'

'Has Mei Hongyu lost his mind? Or does he think the son of a Soul General deserves this kind of trial?'

Given Mei Hongyu's position and perspective, Si Huan Nian knew her place; she had no right to question him.

Deep down, Si Huan Nian knew that Rong Taotao had the potential to become a Soul General. Back when he was seriously injured and hospitalized, she had stood vigil in his room and made a silent vow to protect him for a few years, to ensure he could grow up safely.

Si Huan Nian had always thought her own demands on Rong Taotao were strict enough, but now, compared to Mei Hongyu's training methods... her own approach seemed far too gentle.

Seeing a few more messages pop up from Rong Yang, Si Huan Nian couldn't be bothered to reply. She tossed her phone aside, leaned back, and sank into the sofa.

A short while later, Rong Taotao emerged, having changed into a standard school outfit of long pants and a t-shirt. He was rubbing his messy, wet hair with a towel.

The instincts honed on the battlefield were no joke. Even though Rong Taotao was looking down while drying his hair, he immediately sensed a gaze locked onto him.

Rong Taotao looked up and saw Si Huan Nian with her legs crossed, leaning back against the sofa with her arms spread across the backrest, tilting her head as she stared at him.

Uh...

'What a pose.'

Si Huan Nian tilted her head toward the teapot on the coffee table. "Pour me some tea."

Still rubbing his hair, Rong Taotao walked over to the sofa and plopped down. "I just got back and you're already ordering me around."

Si Huan Nian: "Because I want to."

Rong Taotao: "..."

'This woman is so rude!'

'You may want to, but do I?'

And so, the unwilling Rong Taotao poured Si Huan Nian a cup of tea. Feeling the temperature of the cup with his fingers, he said, "It's cold."

"It's fine. I'd just have to blow on it to cool it down if it were hot anyway," Si Huan Nian said nonchalantly. She didn't take the tea, however, instead saying, "Have a taste. The school handed it out a few days ago."

Rong Taotao glanced at the light-colored tea, took a sip without ceremony, and smacked his lips. "A little bitter. What kind of tea is it?"

The words had barely left his mouth when Rong Taotao suddenly jerked his head to the side. A swift straight punch from Si Huan Nian grazed past his ear.

Rong Taotao jumped in fright. "What are you doing?"

As he spoke, Rong Taotao quickly ducked, dodging another one of Si Huan Nian's strikes.

His evasive movement was very similar to a boxer's dodge. Of course, Rong Taotao had never practiced boxing, but on second thought, all techniques likely share the same fundamental principles.

After that, Rong Taotao's dodges were extremely fluid as he quickly twisted and leaned back, but Si Huan Nian didn't press the attack.

"Not bad. Good reflexes." Si Huan Nian took the teacup from Rong Taotao's hand. "And you didn't spill the water."

Rong Taotao gave Si Huan Nian a pained look. Anyone who knew what was happening would say she was boxing, but anyone who didn't would think she was practicing drifting.

Si Huan Nian pursed her lips. "I was hoping you'd spill the water so I could make you mop the floor."

Rong Taotao: ???

'This woman is just looking for trouble!'

Rong Taotao was not happy. He snatched two pieces of candy from her coffee table and walked toward his own desk.

"Oh dear~ The water spilled," a voice suddenly said from behind him.

Rong Taotao turned to look and saw Si Huan Nian holding an empty teacup, staring at a puddle on the floor with a regretful expression.

"Hah..." Rong Taotao heaved a deep sigh, giving Si Huan Nian a resentful look.

"How did it spill?" Si Huan Nian tilted her head and looked at Rong Taotao. "Good thing my dear disciple is back, or I would have had to clean it up myself again."

Rong Taotao pressed his lips together and gave Si Huan Nian a classic, forced smile.

Seeing that familiar smile, Si Huan Nian's heart stirred. She tilted her head toward the bathroom. "The mop is in there."

As Rong Taotao headed to the bathroom to get the mop, he heard Si Huan Nian's voice, "Good, you're obedient. I'll take you out for Pine Soul First Grade tonight."

Rong Taotao jabbed the mop into the puddle. "The kind of Pine Soul First Grade where I order a plate and you eat a plate?"

After just a few rounds of banter, the sullen Rong Taotao was back to his old self, and the corners of Si Huan Nian's mouth curved up slightly.

She propped her feet up on the coffee table, giving Rong Taotao room to mop. "This is also a good chance to fix your hair. Who cut it? It looks like a dog chewed on it."

Rong Taotao: "Da Wei cut it with a knife."

Si Huan Nian: "..."

As he mopped the floor, Rong Taotao mumbled, "The Cloud Dog was sulking at Da Wei for days because of the haircut."

Si Huan Nian: "Heh."

...

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