Chapter Thirty-Seven: Live Well

Nangong Yuchen ran wildly, his heart in unbearable pain. On one side was the woman he had loved, both past and present; on the other, his sister, dearer to him than life itself. Faced with such a choice, he could only sever the beautiful past and choose Kexin—and his parents languishing in prison. In his heart, he spoke to himself: "Ningxue, I am truly sorry!"

On the road leading to the academy gates, he saw no sign of Nangong Kexin. His troubled heart birthed new worry, and he quickened his pace, chasing after her.

The gates loomed closer and closer when suddenly, he spotted a delicate figure crouched in a nearby corner, not far from the entrance.

Relief washed over him. He slowed, then walked quickly toward her.

As he drew near, Yuchen noticed his sister's body trembling. Alarmed, he approached and asked, "Ke...xin? What's wrong?"

At the sound of his voice, Nangong Kexin didn’t turn around. Instead, her body shuddered even more violently, as if in panic.

"Kexin?" Yuchen called again, reaching to touch her shoulder. Just then, his expression tightened as he noticed droplets of fresh blood on the ground. Shocked, he blurted out, "Blood... Kexin, what happened to you?"

Without another word, he grasped her crouching form and turned her around.

"Yuchen!" Kexin’s cheeks flushed crimson, her expression flustered. Traces of tears still lingered at the corners of her eyes, but the sorrow from before had vanished, replaced by embarrassment. She stammered, "I... Yuchen, I..."

She struggled to speak, her face growing even redder, the color spreading to the tips of her ears.

Yuchen was frantic. Up close, he saw not only the blood on the ground, but also smears of blood on his sister’s calves and inner thighs. In haste, he wiped away the blood on her calf, worry thick in his voice. "Kexin, how can there be so much blood..."

"Ah!" Before he could finish, Kexin pushed him away forcefully.

Staring at the blood on her brother's hand, her entire face burned, nearly ready to drip blood itself. That was... that kind of blood, and Yuchen had wiped it with his hand...

She had run to the field intending to go to the bathroom, but happened upon Yuchen and Mu Ningxue’s scene. Distraught, she’d forgotten all about it, and after running here in tears, realized too late that the blood had soaked through her underwear. Had she been wearing trousers, it wouldn’t have mattered, but the school uniform was a short skirt. She could do nothing but crouch helplessly on the ground, and then...

"Kexin?" Yuchen was startled by her sudden reaction and looked at her, puzzled.

"I... Yuchen, my... period started... what should I do?" Kexin bit her lip, forcing the words out. Her face was burning hot—she wished the earth would swallow her up.

"Your what?" Yuchen replied reflexively. But as the words left his lips, his eyes widened. He glanced at the blood on his own hand, then at the fresh droplets trailing down his sister’s inner thigh—his face flushed a deep red.

"Why... why didn’t you say so earlier?"

"You... you insisted on wiping it yourself—serves you right!" Kexin’s face was as red as a ripe apple.

"So what do we do now?"

...

The two of them huddled at the school gate, arguing for ages, before finally reaching a decision.

Yuchen quickly took off his white shirt and wrapped it around his sister’s lower body. Then, carrying her, he dashed across the street toward the restroom at a speed of twenty-five meters per second!

Star Academy was located in the most bustling part of District A. At night, the streets were filled with traffic, and the bright lights rivaled day. Yuchen, bare-chested and carrying Kexin through the crowds, drew stares in spite of his speed. Female passersby, in particular, hurled curses: "Pervert! Scoundrel!"

Twenty minutes later, Kexin emerged from the restroom. Seeing her brother, still shirtless and washing his arms, her face turned hot.

"Yuchen, here’s your shirt!"

"Um..." Yuchen took the bloodstained shirt, speechless. "Can I even wear this anymore?"

"Then just throw it away!" She had considered tossing it while in the restroom, but seeing her brother bare-chested, she brought it back out.

"No—let’s take it home and see if it can be washed. Otherwise, I won’t even have my uniform left," Yuchen said, folding it up in resignation.

"So what will you do?" Kexin glanced at his well-toned, bare torso, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"What else can I do?" Yuchen shrugged helplessly, grabbed Kexin’s hand, and they slipped furtively out of the women’s restroom.

This time, Kexin did not resist. Because of what had happened with Mu Ningxue, her feelings toward Yuchen had lost much of their former intensity.

They hailed a taxi outside and sped off toward Creek Garden in District C...

"See, they’ve made up already." Across the street, in the crowd, Mu Lin watched the two get into the car and turned to Anqier. "And Nangong Yuchen is about to awaken!"

"About to?" Anqier looked at her confident face, puzzled. Still, a hint of wariness crept into her voice. "Mu Lin, you haven’t done anything reckless these past few days, have you?"

"Hehe, don’t worry, miss!"

Hearing this, Anqier finally relaxed.

Then Mu Lin said, "Miss, you head back first. I’ll catch up in a moment!" With that, she dashed off toward Star Academy...

On the darkened sports field, Mu Ningxue still stood motionless. Her lonely figure radiated sorrow and despair.

Suddenly, a voice rang out, shattering the silence.

"Guardian of the Night—Mu Ningxue! Are you still grieving?"

"Who’s there?" Ningxue was startled and turned quickly toward the source. When she saw Mu Lin drawing near, her expression grew instantly cold. "You!"

"Yes, it’s me, Mu Lin Bershire." Mu Lin smiled faintly and continued approaching.

"This was all your doing, wasn’t it? You plotted against Yuchen—what are you after?" The chill radiating from Ningxue was palpable. The vulnerability she’d shown before Yuchen was gone, replaced by an icy glare fixed on Mu Lin.

"Hehe..." Mu Lin seemed surprised by the accusation. She covered her mouth and laughed softly. "It was to make Nangong Yuchen stronger, of course!"

"Stronger?" Ningxue scoffed, as if hearing the greatest joke. "Arranging for Zhou Haoran and Kexin to meet, putting Kexin in danger, nearly getting Yuchen killed by Zhou Lingtian, turning me and Yuchen into...?" Her cold eyes shimmered with tears as she roared in fury, "Is this your idea of making Yuchen stronger?"

As she spoke, the ring on her right hand gleamed in the darkness. In the next instant, familiar black and red cubes surged forth.

A chorus of metallic clicks echoed as the cubes gathered, entwined, and formed a shape.

S-ArTNB11-99 Model S—Bombardment Sniper!

"For daring to harm Yuchen, you can die now!" Ningxue gripped the meter-long sniper rifle in one hand and aimed directly at Mu Lin, pulling the trigger.

"Young lady, you really shouldn’t treat your elders this way." Mu Lin Bershire stood calmly, unafraid, as the red energy cannon blasted toward her. She smiled serenely and spoke, "Blow to the farthest reaches, ever-present wind! By the name of the Elemental Envoy, I grant you the power to rend all things—go, Blade of the Hurricane!"

As she finished speaking, a night wind rose on the field, tossing Mu Lin’s hair and swirling her skirt. With the last word, long blades of blue-green wind, each five meters in length, materialized around her.

As the red energy beam neared, Mu Lin swept her hand, sending the blades flying. In an instant, they sliced through the beam, cutting it into fragments that vanished without so much as an explosion.

The night wind blew again, restoring calm to the field.

Opposite, Mu Ningxue’s body trembled violently. Staring at the woman before her in disbelief, she cried, "You... you’re not human! Who are you?"

"Who I am doesn’t matter. What matters is the message I came to deliver tonight." Mu Lin’s smile remained serene. After a pause, she spoke: "Live well, Mu Ningxue. In my eyes, you are far more important than Nangong Kexin."

"...Why?" Ningxue’s voice still trembled. Though she did not understand, she asked instinctively.

"Because..." Mu Lin’s smile faded. She turned and walked away, her final words drifting on the wind.

"I don’t know what will become of Nangong Yuchen after losing Nangong Kexin. So you must live well!"