Chapter 1125: Ancient Academy Records, Lots of Fun 12

Ling Xiao continued to stand with his hands behind his back, not scolding them just because the imperial offspring had lost miserably.

"This sparring match was intended to let you get to know each other better; you'll be training together from now on, so don't cling to the idea of fixed small teams."

"Furthermore, in the match, both sides have some minor flaws: the imperial members rely too much on magical treasures, lacking sufficient personal cultivation."

"Martial world disciples rely too much on secret techniques, unleashing them right away without a concrete concept of sparring."

Ling Xiao didn't point out any specific person, merely saying that everyone had these flaws, and added: "Of course, this isn't a bad thing; in future matches, these will be your own life-saving charms and killing techniques."

"But the cultivation methods besides secret techniques and magical treasures must also keep up; you can't favor one over the other—both offense and defense are important."

They all clasped their fists in unison, with no further objections: "Yes! Disciples obey!"

Murong Qian again locked eyes with his brother, smiled inexplicably, and said: "Alright, having Master Ling for a day is worth all our teachings combined."

Murong Kun: "She's very formidable, better than us."

Moreover, Ling Xiao doesn't care about the imperial members' status; he isn't as hesitant as they are.

Yet their status and position destined them to be unable to ignore it.

Ling Xiao waved his hand and laughed: "Alright, that's it for today—everyone rest properly this afternoon! Those with injuries, tend to them; those unharmed, look after yourselves!"

"Oh!!! Good!"

Xie Yuancheng, who had thought afternoon rest wasn't allowed, jumped up happily.

He rubbed his starving stomach, poked his head out to see the three teachers off, then immediately trotted away.

Having just run a few steps, he remembered his promise, turned back awkwardly, and quietly tugged at Jin Chen's sleeve.

"Come on, follow me."

Jin Chen raised an eyebrow, letting the little crown prince lead him along.

Tingyang, sharp-eyed, was the first to notice; he was about to shout that he wanted to go along when Wan Zhou covered his mouth.

"Hey, for Jin Chen's happiness, you little follower should just rest properly."

Tingyang suddenly realized, "Their speed is pretty fast!"

"Brothers! From now on we'll be true brothers!" Lan Wuyang and Wan Zhou, who could be said to have become friends through fighting, had already started slinging arms over each other's shoulders, discussing brotherhood: "By the way, your speed is way too fast—how do you manage that?"

Wan Zhou casually sat down, gulped a big mouthful of water, and said: "Eh, my dad is the leader of the Martial Arts Alliance! Since I was little, I felt I wasn't working hard enough—even training nine hours a day wasn't enough; when he got angry he liked to hit me, and I'd run whenever he did."

"Running and running, hey, my dad discovered my talent is running fast! To this day, the martial world calls me Ghost Whirlwind!"

Lan Wuyang exclaimed, "Nine hours?! That's impressive!"

Ling Xiuyu was most interested in Tingyang's bronze walls and iron bars; when Tingyang heard him ask, he rolled up his sleeve to reveal half an arm, which had turned grayish-white skin.

"This is just a coincidence; our Lieyang Mountain Villa disciples all train with fire-forged bodies. I… I was ten? I can't quite recall—while being hunted by enemies, I fell straight into a fire pit."

Xie Beiyao and Ling Xiuyu's smiles faded, they looked somewhat bewildered: "Ah… ah?"

The surroundings fell silent for a moment, then Tingyang laughed: "What the heck! It made me look miserable, but it's fine! I fell into the fire pit, rolled around once, and Jin Chen rescued me—just so the poison and fire poison merged, turning my whole body into zombie skin."

"The martial world calls me a living zombie!"

Xie Beiyao patted his shoulder, sincerely admiring: "Warrior! Our Heavenly Mystery Kingdom's warrior!"

The three girls sat under a tree to rest; hearing their conversation, Jiang Yao awkwardly bit her lip, thinking of Ye Susu's agile martial arts.

"Hey, you wouldn't also have a tragic childhood experience, would you?"

However, the proud little miss of the lord doesn't usually care about others; saying that came across as blatant mockery.

The atmosphere quieted down again.

Tingyang and Wan Zhou's faces visibly looked awful.

Si Ning Youyou looked toward Jiang Yao, her fingertips twitching slightly, but Ye Susu pressed them down.

She frowned, lifted her gaze, only to see Ye Susu shaking her head, not allowing it.

Si Ning put away the poison and continued slowly applying medicine to her ankle.

Ye Susu smiled at Jiang Yao, her laughter giving no hint of joy or anger: "What do you want to hear me say?"

"I… I'm not, I'm just… asking." Jiang Yao realized belatedly she had misspoken; her pretty face flushed red as she held it in, finally managing to utter a sentence after a long while.

"Sorry."

"Alright, I'm not deaf after all." Ye Susu genuinely laughed out loud, tossing her a bottle of powder: "Wipe your wound, miss; I have plenty of secrets, and there'll be plenty of time to learn them later."

"Susy," Si Ning calmly poked her, "my blood got on your clothes—go change."

"Ahhh!" Ye Susu shot off like a spring to the dorm courtyard: "Si Ning, you little brat, watch out next time!!"

Jiang Yao stared, mouth agape: "Why is she so shocked?"

Wan Zhou silently moved away, handing Si Ning a handkerchief to wipe the blood: "Because our Ah Ning's blood contains deadly poison and has no antidote; contact causes mild festering or severe sudden death."

The four imperial princes: "……"

This… this is intense!

——

The small kitchen beside the academy cafeteria, accessed by winding through a narrow alley.

Jin Chen greatly admired it.

Such a remote spot—no wonder bringing the imperial chef here went unnoticed by the teachers.

The table was laden with abundant dishes, all of which Xie Yuancheng loved to eat.

"I'll have it, I'll have it!" Xie Yuancheng lifted a bowl of dish, wiped the bowl with his cufflinks, and handed it to Jin Chen: "This is delicious—you should try it quickly."

Jin Chen pretended not to see the uneven powder, asking: "You're sure there's nothing mischievous in there?"

"Absolutely not!"

Xie Yuancheng thumped his chest in assurance, his refined face full of resolve: "You have to believe me."

Jin Chen nodded, picked up his chopsticks, and took a bite.

"Hmm…" he hesitated a few seconds, then gave his review: "Indeed not bad."

Xie Yuancheng leaned over and asked, "Anything else?"

Jin Chen calmly set down his chopsticks, a smile on his face, "The texture is tender and smooth, the flavor excellent."

"Ah?" Xie Yuancheng frowned, troubled, "No… it's not spicy?"

"Not spicy, little Crown Prince, would you like to try?"

"Strange… could it have failed?" Xie Yuancheng, unwilling to believe it, picked up his chopsticks and took a bite.

"Cough cough cough… cough cough!!"

The moment it entered his mouth he spat it out; Xie Yuancheng was so spicy he jumped up, his tongue tingling, his eye sockets reddening.

"You tricked me again!"

"Hahahaha!"

Jin Chen smiled as he handed over the milk tea, "Little Crown Prince, you're wronging me again."

"This dish has no chili, so why is it spicy?"

"Hng hng ng ng!!" Xie Yuancheng, so spicy he lost the ability to speak, drank a full cup of milk tea with red eyes, the spiciness making his fingers go numb.

"Inside… slurp… inside is a special chili powder from the tribute! How aren't you afraid of the spice? No… slurp, you must have figured it out!"

Xie Yuancheng still had to slurp saliva while speaking, failing again and again! How is Jin Chen so hard to deal with!

"I hate you!"

Xie Yuancheng cried, the corners of his eyes red, his moist little lips going babababa, "Can't you let me bully you just once… slurp… from childhood to now, this Crown Prince has never suffered such a setback!"

Jin Chen pulled him close, his arm loosely encircling his waist, wiping away his tears, "That's my fault."

"Next time, little Crown Prince, if you have a bad idea, just give me a heads‑up—I won't resist at all."

"What… who says things in advance?" Xie Yuancheng pouted, grabbed Jin Chen's arm and bit him again, not caring whether it hurt him.

Jin Chen truly wasn't afraid, leisurely playing with the little Crown Prince's tied‑up black hair, "If it makes you feel better, bite a few more times."

【Gee, I'm afraid I'll make you feel too good.】0731 complaint.

Jin Chen: "……"

Xie Yuancheng didn't even want to eat his meal, he rushed over and started fighting with Jin Chen.