TRWSB – Chapter 68 Zhuang Ling’s Confusion

Zhuang Ling, harboring deep suspicion, walked into the principal’s conference room.

“Mentor Zhuang Ling, what brings you here?” Hu Feng asked.

Zhuang Ling took a deep breath, sat down in front of Hu Feng, and said, “Principal, I have something I need to ask you about.”

Hu Feng nodded and said, “Go ahead.” Tianlan Academy’s recent victory in the Grand Academy Tournament had put him in high spirits, making him smile warmly at everyone.

“Can a mage practice both light and dark magic simultaneously?” Zhuang Ling asked.

Hu Feng’s eyes widened as he stared at Zhuang Ling. “Mentor Zhuang Ling, how could you even think of such a thing? Light and dark magic are completely opposed. If someone were to practice both, they’d have been ruined long ago.”

Zhuang Ling furrowed his brow and said, “Is it truly impossible? Zhuang Hao practices both water and fire magic, and those elements are also diametrically opposed.”

“That’s different. Zhuang Hao is a seven-element mage, with a perfectly balanced five-element alignment in his body. He’s an exception,” Hu Feng explained.

Zhuang Ling squinted his eyes and said, “Principal, are you saying there’s absolutely no one in the world gifted with both light and dark magic?”

Hu Feng nodded. “Such people do exist, but even if they can cultivate, they can only reach the level of a third-tier mage at best. Beyond that, it would lead to disaster.”

“Principal, I’ve heard you’ve been personally mentoring Qi Shaorong for quite some time. Doesn’t Qi Shaorong know light magic?” Zhuang Ling asked bluntly.

Hu Feng stared at Zhuang Ling, dumbfounded. “Mentor Zhuang Ling, what exactly are you thinking?”

Zhuang Ling persisted. “Is it really impossible?”

Hu Feng shook his head. “In the half-month I’ve been mentoring Student Qi, there’s been no sign of him using light magic. Shaorong is already incredibly skilled in dark magic. If he also mastered light magic, he’d truly be defying the heavens.”

With a furrowed brow and a heart full of doubt, Zhuang Ling left, visibly distraught.

Yi Fan watched Zhuang Ling emerge from Hu Feng’s office and couldn’t help but furrow his brows.

After a moment of hesitation, Yi Fan stepped into the principal’s office.

Hu Feng looked at Yi Fan as he entered and asked, “Qianmian, what brings you here? Is there something you need?”

“I have a few questions about magic I’d like to consult you on,” Yi Fan replied.

Hu Feng nodded with a broad smile. “Ask away! As the principal, I’ll do my utmost to help you. Though you and Qi Shaorong are incredibly gifted, you’re still young and lack experience. When it comes to knowledge and insight, this principal far surpasses you two…”

After the Grand Academy Tournament, Yi Fan and Qi Shaorong had become heroes of Tianlan Academy, and Hu Feng practically treated them as treasures.

Yi Fan smiled as Hu Feng boasted for a while and casually asked a few questions about water magic before steering the conversation to his main point. “I just saw Mentor Zhuang Ling.”

Hu Feng gave a knowing smile and said, “What, have you taken a liking to Mentor Zhuang Ling? Our academy has an open culture, and teacher-student relationships aren’t forbidden. Mentor Zhuang Ling is quite popular—several other mentors here are fond of her. If you truly like her, Qianmian, you’d better make your move!”

Yi Fan gave an awkward chuckle and asked, “I wonder what Mentor Zhuang Ling came to see the principal about?”

“Zhuang Ling asked me if Qi Shaorong knows light magic. Honestly, I have no idea what that girl is thinking. A mage practicing both light and dark magic would self-destruct long before reaching the sixth-tier mage level,” Hu Feng said, shaking his head.

Lowering his head, Yi Fan mused silently: Qi Shaorong had previously mentioned that Zhuang Ling seemed to suspect his identity as the infamous Evil Doctor. However, it appears that Qi Shaorong’s displayed talent in dark magic has caused Zhuang Ling to question her suspicions.

For now, it’s best that no one discovers that Qi Shaorong and the Evil Doctor are the same person. Since Zhuang Ling is beginning to doubt her own theory, there’s still room to maneuver.

Seeing Yi Fan lost in thought, Hu Feng asked with some confusion, “Qianmian, what are you thinking about?”

Yi Fan raised his head and replied, “Nothing, really. I was just marveling at Mentor Zhuang Ling’s vivid imagination.”

Hu Feng nodded in agreement.

“Oh, by the way, Principal, the students from Sacred Emperor Academy didn’t perform very well this time,” Yi Fan said casually, now having obtained the answer he wanted.

“That’s an understatement. Of the seven prodigies of the capital, five participated. In the end, Zhuang Hao had his clothes torn off by Shaorong. Even though that rascal Zhuang Hao tricked Shaorong and managed to retain first place, his victory wasn’t exactly honorable. Shen Yuan was eliminated on the first day, which was utterly disgraceful. Qi Shaokang was no match for Shaorong at all—embarrassing, considering he’s supposed to be the older brother. Yi Huo’s performance was mediocre, and Yi Bing was outright crippled. Although Sacred Emperor Academy managed to keep second place, their reputation is in shambles,” Hu Feng said gleefully.

A glimmer of light flashed in Yi Fan’s eyes. “Principal, do you know who sabotaged Yi Bing?”

“Now that’s an interesting question! I’ve heard that Yi Bing marked his section of the Rainbow Stone. The Yi family even mobilized their resources to inspect all the contestants’ Rainbow Stones, but after a thorough check, that piece of the Rainbow Stone wasn’t among them,” Hu Feng said.

Yi Fan squinted slightly. At the time, suspecting there might be an issue with the Rainbow Stone, he had thrown Yi Bing’s portion of it off a cliff, despite feeling it was a bit wasteful.

Yi Fan looked at Hu Feng and said, “So, it seems the culprit can’t be found.”

“Perhaps the culprit is right nearby,” Hu Feng remarked casually.

Yi Fan’s heart skipped a beat, but Hu Feng continued leisurely, “In these prominent families, sibling rivalries are always especially common.”

Yi Fan remained silent. So Hu Feng’s comment about the culprit being nearby was referring to Yi Huo and not him?

Hu Feng glanced at Yi Fan and asked, “Qianmian, are you all right?”

Yi Fan shook his head. “I’m fine.”

Hu Feng then looked at Yi Fan with a glint in his eye and said, “Qianmian, would you like to be my apprentice?”

Startled, Yi Fan asked, “Principal, haven’t you already taken Qi Si-shao as your disciple?”

Hu Feng nodded. “That’s true, but who says I can only have one disciple?”

Yi Fan smiled faintly and addressed him, “Master.”

Hu Feng patted Yi Fan on the shoulder and said cheerfully, “Ah, good disciple!”

“Disciple, have you known Qi Shaorong for a long time?” Hu Feng asked.

Yi Fan nodded. “Yes. Without Qi Shao, there would be no me. Qi Shao, you could say, is my benefactor.”

Back then, Yi Fan had always believed that he was born with average talent—no aptitude for magic and barely passable combat skills. He thought he was destined for a mediocre life until he met Qi Shaorong. Only then did he realize that he did have magic talent and that his combat aptitude wasn’t truly bad. It had been ruined by drugs someone had given him.

As for who in the Yi family resented him enough to plot his downfall, Yi Fan didn’t need to think hard.

When he was young, Yi Xun would often sneer at him, saying venomously that it was because of his lack of ambition and poor aptitude that his mother had died of anger. Yi Fan narrowed his eyes. His mother… had she really died because of him?

“It’s clear that you and Qi Shaorong share a deep connection,” Hu Feng said, rubbing his nose. He couldn’t help but feel that this new disciple of his was unfathomable. If Qi Shaorong hadn’t participated in the tournament, Qianmian likely wouldn’t have risen to prominence either.

Suddenly, Hu Feng mused aloud, “Who would’ve thought that the so-called ‘waste’ of the Qi family would turn out to be such a deeply hidden talent? Speaking of which, the Yi family also has someone unremarkable—Yi Fan! Who knows, maybe he’s another master disguised as a fool. That Yi Fan, if I recall, is right here in our academy.”

Yi Fan: “…”

“Master, you’re really good at joking. Yi Fan could never compare to Qi Shao,” Yi Fan said calmly, though his heart gave a painful twinge.

Hu Feng nodded. “True, indeed. Qi Shaorong’s situation is one of a kind.”

Yi Fan: “…”

At Qi Shaorong’s private residence:

“Young Master, these are the letters you’ve received over the past few days. I’ve already sorted them,” Qi Heng said.

Qi Shaorong glanced at the three piles of varying heights and pointed casually at one. “What’s this stack?”

“Young Master, this pile consists of invitations from the Qi family, asking you to return,” Qi Heng replied.

With a flick of Qi Heng’s finger, a wisp of black flame ignited, consuming the entire stack of letters to ash. “Boring.”

Qi Heng looked at Qi Shaorong and said, “Young Master, it seems the Qi family has set their sights on you.”

Qi Shaorong waved dismissively. “No worries. No matter how far the Qi family stretches their hand, they can’t reach into Tianlan Academy.” For the great families, imperial academies held a special status; no matter how brazen the Qi family members might be, they wouldn’t dare stir up trouble at Tianlan Academy.

“And this stack?” Qi Shaorong asked.

“These are warning letters. They’re from admirers of Zhuang Hao, upset because you insulted him in the secret realm,” Qi Heng explained.

Qi Shaorong looked at the thick pile and remarked, “It seems there are plenty of people in this world as clueless as Yi Chuxue.”

Qi Heng nodded. “Indeed. Quite a few letters in this pile challenge you to duels.”

Qi Shaorong sneered. “Let them come! If they dare, I’ll make sure they regret it.”

Qi Heng: “…”

“And this stack?” Qi Shaorong asked.

A bright smile appeared on Qi Heng’s face. “Young Master, this stack is extraordinary. Care to guess what it is?”

Qi Shaorong tilted his head. “Invitations to dinner?”

“Close, but not quite. These are love letters, Young Master. Many people have taken a liking to you and want to pursue you. Quite a few of them do want to invite you to dinner,” Qi Heng teased.

Qi Shaorong raised an eyebrow. “Love letters, huh? Interesting.”

Since arriving in this world, it was his first time receiving love letters—a whole stack of them at once. Although the pile was thinner than the warning letters written in Zhuang Hao’s defense, it was still a good start.

“Would you like to read them, Young Master?” Qi Heng asked.

“No need. Just knowing that people admire me is enough. I always knew it—someone as dazzling as me couldn’t possibly be without admirers,” Qi Shaorong said smugly.

Qi Heng: “…”

“I’m heading to the library,” Qi Shaorong said, grabbing his coat.

At the top floor of the library, Qi Shaorong ran into Yi Fan. Through their conversation, Qi Shaorong learned about Zhuang Ling’s suspicions.

When he found out that Zhuang Ling had wavered in her belief that he and the mysterious healer were the same person, Qi Shaorong secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Zhuang Ling had said she wouldn’t interfere in his matters with Zhuang Hao, having such a secret in someone else’s hands always felt unsettling. The identity of the evil doctor is so useful that Qi Shaorong is still reluctant to let go .