Volume One: Awakening of the Dragon Soul Chapter 43: The Tears of Li Xiangcao

"Ten thousand gold coins?" Mo Xing exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, that's about a month's tuition for an ordinary student," Zhang Zhihao added.

"Where can I withdraw the money?" Mo Xing asked. "I still owe someone breakfast, but unfortunately, my pockets are empty."

"There's a currency exchange to the right of the school gate," Zhang Zhihao replied. "Or you could just use your magic card to pay—almost every shop in the imperial city supports magic card payments."

"That's right! And students get discounts with magic card payments!" Senior brother Cai Hong chimed in, seeing how lively their conversation was.

"What if I lose my magic card? If someone picks it up, can't they just spend all the money on it?" Mo Xing asked.

"Try not to lose it—it’s a hassle to replace," Senior Cai said. "The magic card is bound to your personal information. No one but you can use it to make payments."

"I see, that's actually quite good," Mo Xing said, suddenly enlightened.

So that's how it worked: magic card payments were just like WeChat Pay in this world! It seemed that the civilization here was quite advanced. He wondered if they had computers and such as well.

"Mo Xing, get ready. In ten days, the academy will send you out to complete a mission," Zhang Zhihao said.

"Eh? What mission?" Mo Xing was completely puzzled.

"Impressive, little junior! Just started school and already getting sent on an external assignment," Senior Cai praised.

"An aid mission. You'll find out when the time comes," Zhang Zhihao continued. "From tomorrow on, come see me whenever you have free time. I'll give you some relevant training."

"Eh? What kind of training?" Mo Xing scratched his head.

"The kind that will improve your chances of survival," Zhang Zhihao replied with a calm smile.

"So... is this external mission that dangerous?" Mo Xing asked.

"Yes," Zhang Zhihao nodded.

"Alright, it's getting late. I'm going to shower and then read for a while," Zhang Zhihao said, patting Mo Xing on the shoulder as he passed by. "Keep at it—many challenges await in the future."

With that, he headed into his bedroom.

"Mianhua, stop lazing around. Get up," Senior Cai said, picking up Xiao Yueying and pinching Mianhua's arm.

"Uh... where am I..." Senior brother Mianhua murmured, sounding like a drunkard.

Mo Xing took a deep breath and silently encouraged himself: "Come on!"

Wednesday morning.

Radiant Wing Teaching Building.

Mo Xing arrived early for Teacher Long Lian's class, but the classroom was already half full. As the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm, but Mo Xing hadn't expected so many new students to arrive even earlier than himself!

He picked a seat near the front, took out a notebook and a pen from his storage bracelet.

That morning, he'd been woken by Senior Mianhua's snoring and saw that the great Zhang Zhihao was also awake, so he asked for some training. The master had said the first day's training would be simple, mostly endurance. Hearing it would be running, Mo Xing agreed, only to be taken on a run around the entire academy.

His exhausted body and numb heels told him he'd run at least half a marathon that morning, leaving him utterly drained and gasping for air. By contrast, Zhang Zhihao merely broke a sweat, his expression still relaxed.

It was tough, but worth it. At least during the run, he got to know many of the school buildings and received encouragement from Zhang Zhihao.

"Ah—" Mo Xing stretched wearily, trying to relieve the fatigue from the morning run, but accidentally knocked his elbow into the head of the person beside him.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to!" Mo Xing quickly bowed his head and apologized.

"It's fine," the other replied softly.

The voice sounded familiar, so Mo Xing looked up—and was surprised to see—

"Li Xiangcao!"

"Idol, long time no see," Li Xiangcao greeted him with a smile.

"Y-yeah, long time no see," Mo Xing replied hurriedly.

Seeing Li Xiangcao stirred complex feelings in Mo Xing. He was grateful to her for inspiring him during the team competition and helping him rally for a comeback; yet he also felt guilty—for that very night in the Divine Armory Tower, he'd helped the campus guards arrest her own brother, Li Qingchi.

"How have you been lately?" Mo Xing asked.

"Alright," Li Xiangcao answered, suddenly lowering her head. "But I haven't seen my brother the last few days. I don't know where he's gone. Even the band can't find him."

"Ah..." Mo Xing fell silent for a moment. Of course, he knew exactly what had happened.

Though the news hadn't officially broken, rumors were already circulating among the students. The truth could not be hidden for long. One day, the fact that Li Qingchi had been arrested would be made public. Honestly, Mo Xing couldn't imagine what Li Xiangcao's expression would be when she heard the news.

She would be devastated. Her beloved brother, it turned out, was a devil who brewed forbidden potions.

He hoped that moment would come as late as possible.

"Idol, could you help me look for him?" Li Xiangcao asked.

"Uh... I... I suppose I could," Mo Xing stammered, snapping back to himself.

"Thank you, Idol!" Li Xiangcao smiled, her smile as radiant as a sunflower, always so bright.

"Uh, you're welcome." Mo Xing gestured to the crowd pouring in through the door. "Let's get to class first."

"Mm." Li Xiangcao nodded.

Mo Xing breathed a sigh of relief and began to listen to the lecture.

A gentle breeze wafted in from the window, causing the girl's hair to flutter and brush softly against the boy's shoulder. The instructor spoke at the front of the classroom, while the students scribbled notes at their desks.

Such beautiful moments in class—he wished they could be frozen in time like a painting.

"Boom—"

The bell rang for the end of class. Students packed up, exchanged farewells, and left the classroom. Mo Xing and Li Xiangcao walked down the stairs together.

"Idol, what was your score on the assessment?" Li Xiangcao suddenly asked.

"Me? Just passing," Mo Xing admitted after a brief pause. "Only six hundred sixty-six."

"No way!" Li Xiangcao exclaimed in surprise.

"Yeah, that's my score." Mo Xing nodded. "I think I told you before, my individual event score wasn't very high."

"It's alright! Idol, you'll always be that shining star!" Li Xiangcao laughed. "I'll always support you! I'll keep cheering for you!"

"Uh... thanks," Mo Xing said, scratching his head in embarrassment.

"By the way, Idol, have you decided who you want as your mentor?" Li Xiangcao asked.

"Not yet. Don't we have to either compete for spots or be chosen by a mentor?" Mo Xing asked in return.

"Either way, I’d love to be in class with you, Idol," Li Xiangcao said with a smile. "It would be so motivating!"

"Uh... thanks for the compliment. Well, I guess we'll see—"

Before Mo Xing could finish, someone blocked his path. He looked up to see a student holding a pile of newspapers.

"Hey, want to buy a newspaper?" the student asked.

"Um..." Mo Xing hesitated.

"No, thank you," Li Xiangcao declined directly.

"Are you sure? Today's headline is explosive!" the student added.

"Really, no thanks," Li Xiangcao said.

"Come on, take a look! There's a report on the forbidden potion incident among the freshmen—care to guess who the culprit is?" the student said with a sly grin.

"Wait—" Mo Xing tried to stop him, but the student had already blurted out the name:

"Li Qingchi!"

Hearing the name, Li Xiangcao froze. Then, in a flash, she snatched the newspaper from his hands. As her eyes swept over the text and photos, her face turned deathly pale.

"Xiangcao..."

Mo Xing’s hand hovered in midair. He hadn’t expected this moment to come so soon. For a girl, this news was tantamount to a death sentence.

"This... how could this be?" Li Xiangcao choked out, trembling. "He... how could he do something like this?"

"That's right—hard to believe, isn't it? Li Qingchi is a two-faced devil!" the student sneered.

"No! He's not that kind of person!"

Li Xiangcao shouted, tears welling in her eyes. She tore the newspaper to shreds and ran off.

"Wait!" Mo Xing called after her.

"What the hell? Is that girl crazy? If she didn’t want it, fine, but she had to rip up my paper?" the newspaper seller grumbled.

"Sorry, sorry, I'll pay for it," Mo Xing said, quickly pulling a few coins from his storage bracelet—the ones he’d exchanged for at the school gate that morning—and stuffing them into the student's hand before running after Li Xiangcao.

"A girl with that kind of temper, and someone actually likes her?" the newspaper seller mused, rubbing his chin. "Come to think of it, that guy looked familiar... I've seen him in the papers..."

"Li Xiangcao!"

Mo Xing chased her all the way to the back hill, where he found her sobbing in a pavilion.

"My brother... how could he be that kind of person?" she sobbed.

"Uh..." Mo Xing didn’t know what to say. He had no handkerchief or tissue to offer her.

"From now on... I'll be all alone..." she wept anew.

"Don't say that—you still have your classmates and friends," Mo Xing said, though his own heart ached.

"I... don’t have any friends at school."

"Well..." Mo Xing hesitated. "You could consider me a friend."

"Huh..."

Li Xiangcao lifted her head, wiping her tears. Her large, bright eyes were tinged with red.

"Idol... do you mean it? You... you really want to be friends with me?"

"Yes, we're friends," Mo Xing nodded, making a gesture. "I swear."

"Mm... thank you, Idol..." Li Xiangcao managed a weak smile.

"Actually, I..."

"What is it?" Mo Xing asked, puzzled, noticing the blush on Li Xiangcao’s cheeks as she leaned in closer.

"I really like you."

Mo Xing was stunned. Their faces were so close he could see the fine down on her skin, smell her faint fragrance. Her eyes were misty and glistening, her breath warm, her lips slightly parted—innocence mingled with allure, making his heart pound.

Are we about to kiss?

No, I can't! I’m a person of principle!

"Hey!"

Mo Xing quickly turned around and saw a familiar figure standing not far away—it was—

Shiyan!

"Let go of Mo Xing!" Shiyan shouted, her eyes blazing with anger.