“Pfft!” A mouthful of tea sprayed all over the table. Even Xiao Ju’s face flushed red as she fidgeted nervously, tugging at the hem of her shirt and timidly watching a certain handsome older man who was slumped over the table, coughing pitifully. Lian Qiguang had his hands in his pockets, leaning lazily back in his chair, staring expressionlessly at his feet as if his mind had gone completely blank.
“You… what did you just say?” Dean Qing Mu Rong narrowed his small eyes, staring in disbelief at Lian Qiguang, who seemed lost in thought. “He’s… Lian Qiguang???” “Yes! Dean!!” Lian Xiaoju bowed deeply and exclaimed loudly. “I humbly ask the Dean to admit my second older brother to the academy. I beg of you.”
“No, that’s not it!” Qing Mu Rong sat up straight, his eyes scanning Lian Qiguang from head to toe. “Are you really Lian Qiguang?” As the head of the academy, a minor figure like Lian Qiguang was certainly not worth Qing Mu Rong’s attention, but just two days ago, he’d suddenly received a message from his longtime rival, Xiahou Zhong, saying that his eldest grandson’s wife would be visiting the academy in a few days and asking him to look out for her. As for this old rival of his—someone he’d been competing against for hundreds of years—he was, of course, incredibly curious about the woman who had become this old man’s daughter-in-law, which was why he’d personally requested Lian Qiguang’s file. What he saw didn’t look good. He’d been mulling it over for two days—could it be that the old man was just bored out of his mind and playing a prank on him? His eldest grandson, Xiahou Shao Xuan, was the leader of the Blood Wolf Clan, with off-the-charts combat prowess—a single man equivalent to a brigadier general commanding a regiment! How could he possibly have taken a liking to someone like Lian Qiguang—a good-for-nothing with an unattractive appearance, a terrible personality, and who was a complete failure at both psychic abilities and martial arts? But now that he looked at it, he began to wonder—had he pulled up the wrong file a couple of days ago??
Seeming to have grown restless from sitting there, Lian Qiguang snapped his wandering thoughts back to the present, walked over to Lian Xiaozhu, and said expressionlessly, “I’m hungry.”
“Second Brother, just wait a little longer. I’ll take you out to eat once we’re done with the enrollment paperwork,” Lian Xiaozhu said softly, looking up at Lian Qiguang.
“I’m hungry.”
“Second Brother…………”
“I’m hungry.” He held out his hand, his face still expressionless. “Take me out to eat.”
“Second Brother.” Lian Xiaoru took Lian Qiguang’s hand, her delicate brow furrowing. “We have to wait until the paperwork is done before we can eat! Otherwise, Big Brother will scold you.” Looking at Lian Xiaoru’s serious little face, and recalling what Lian Yucheng looked like when he was angry, Lian Qiguang tilted his head blankly. Lian Qiguang = Lian Yucheng’s younger brother. Lian Yucheng’s younger brother = that’s him. As Lian Yucheng’s younger brother = he can’t be killed.
After sorting out the relationships, Lian Qiguang turned his head blankly, staring expressionlessly at Qing Mu Rong, who had been staring at him the whole time and still seemed to be wrestling with something.
“Whoosh!” A dark shadow flashed by, and a black, intricately carved Tang sword with a plain hilt plunged steadily into the table right in front of Qing Mu Rong’s face. “I’m hungry,” Lian Qiguang said expressionlessly, his gaze fixed on Qing Mu Rong, who seemed somewhat startled. Looking at the sword sheath just a few centimeters from his face, Qing Mu Rong’s face froze for a moment. Was he being… threatened??
“Second Brother!!” Lian Xiao Zhu let out a startled scream and lunged forward to grab Lian Qi Guang’s arm. “What are you doing?” “I’m hungry. I want to eat.” Lian Qi Guang stared impassively at Lian Xiao Zhu. “Brother, put the knife away.” Lian Xiaozhu tugged anxiously at Lian Qiguang.
“Lian Qiguang? I seem to recall you’re a freshman in the Rescue Studies program.” After releasing her grasp, Qing Mu Rong relaxed his body, leaning lazily back in his chair as he eyed Lian Qiguang with an inscrutable expression. Faced with Qing Mu Rong’s sudden surge in intensity, Lian Qiguang remained expressionless, not even the corner of his mouth twitching.
“Lian Qiguang, according to the records, you suddenly stopped attending classes less than a year after enrollment, and it’s been half a year now.” Casually flipping through the information on the floating virtual screen before him, Qing Mu Rong narrowed his eyes. “ You’re a complete failure in both psychic abilities and martial arts—you barely met the admission standards for the battlefield rescue specialization in the support category. And even so, your performance at school hasn’t been outstanding; in fact, it’s been lackluster. With a track record like that, what right do you have to demand readmission?”
“That’s not true at all!!” Lian Xiaoju took a step forward, glaring angrily at Qing Mu Rong, her little face flushed bright red—whether from anxiety or anger, it was hard to tell. “My second older brother isn’t a failure! He’s a genius—he has a superpower, and it’s…” “Wood-type,” Lian Qiguang, who had remained silent until then, suddenly spoke up, cutting Lian Xiaoju off. Lian Qiguang stared expressionlessly at Qing Mu Rong and said flatly, “I’m a Wood-type superpower user.” “ “Second brother?” Lian Xiao Zhu turned her head in shock, staring at Lian Qiguang with a look of confusion, seemingly unable to understand why he had kept this a secret.
“You have a superpower too?” Qing Mu Rong looked slightly taken aback, then shifted his gaze to the virtual screen, his fingers swiping rapidly across it. “That’s impossible—it clearly wasn’t listed in your records.” ”
Lian Qiguang held a seed between his fingers; a faint green light swirled in the palm of his hand. The seed slowly cracked open, and green branches and leaves gradually grew in his hand, eventually reaching a size of about two meters. A scarlet flower with fangs peered out and, with a ‘crack!’, bit down on the table in front of Qing Mu Rong.
“……………………………..” Qing Mu Rong
“Wood-type ability??” Qing Mu Rong stared at the man-eating flower before him, which was gnawing on the table and constantly grinding its teeth, a fleeting gleam of curiosity flashing in his eyes. “It has offensive power—it seems to be quite high-level, doesn’t it?”
“But I’m curious.” Qing Mu Rong rested his arm on the table, his hands gently cupping his chin, and narrowed his eyes as he looked at Lian Qiguang. “Since you have an ability, why does your file say you’re completely useless in both combat and physical skills?” “It just activated.” He expressionlessly shrank the man-eating flower to about twenty centimeters and nonchalantly placed it on his head. “Lian Qiguang, please answer truthfully.” Looking at the tiny, snarling carnivorous flower perched on Lian Qiguang’s head, the corner of Qing Mu Rong’s mouth twitched slightly. “Your wood-element ability has considerable offensive power—how could it have just awakened?” “I was injured, and it suddenly awakened.” He pulled two pieces of cake from his spatial pocket, shoved one into his mouth, and expressionlessly handed the other to the carnivorous flower on his head.
“Dean.” Seeing that Qing Mu Rong didn’t seem to understand, Lian Xiao Zhu quickly stepped in as an impromptu translator. “My second older brother was just discharged from the hospital a month ago. I think he means his ability was only triggered then.” “He’s pulling our leg!!” Qing Mu Rong flew into a rage, slamming the table and roaring. “A month—and his ability was already activated, with pretty decent offensive power to boot. Back in my day…” Qing Mu Rong’s words trailed off abruptly.
“I know—you’re just jealous of me.” Lian Qiguang shoveled the last bite of cake into his mouth without a flicker of emotion. Feeling his stomach fill up a bit, his mood improved slightly; at least he turned to face Qing Mu Rong properly. But in Qing Mu Rong’s eyes, this was clearly a provocation and a show-off—the kind that begged to be punched.
“Who’s jealous of you?!!” Qing Mu Rong roared.
“You don’t need to feel inferior. I’m a genius; I won’t mock you.” He stared at Qing Mu Rong impassively.
“You……………” Qing Mu Rong gritted his teeth, pressing one hand firmly against his chest, while constantly reminding himself: “She’s the Marshal’s eldest grandson’s wife, the Lady of the Blood Wolf, and Major General Xiahou’s wife—I can’t hit her!”
“Dean, may I ask if my second brother can be admitted?” Lian Xiao Zhu asked in a low voice.
“Can he or can’t he?” Qing Mu Rong rolled his eyes. If he dared to kick this little brat out, he was certain that by tomorrow, that old man would show up with his army and blow his old pad to smithereens.
“Which department do you want to transfer to?” Qing Mu Rong composed himself and looked calmly at Lian Qiguang. “Command Department? Or….”
“Rescue Department,” he replied, his face expressionless.
“What did you say?” Qing Mu Rong furrowed his brow. “Second Brother, haven’t you always wanted to join the Command Department?” Lian Xiao Zhu tugged at Lian Qi Guang’s hand anxiously. “Besides, you’ve always hated the Rescue Department. Back then, because of that…”
“Rescue Department,” he repeated, his face still expressionless.
“Can I ask why?” Qing Mu Rong looked at Lian Qiguang, his expression unreadable. Lian Qiguang raised his head impassively, gazing into the air above him, his mind wandering.
“………………” Qing Mu Rong
“Lian Qiguang, although I don’t know why you chose the Rescue Department, once you’ve made that choice, there’s no turning back.”
“If you regret it, you’re no genius.”
“………………” Qing Mu Rong
“………………” Lian Xiaoju