Chapter Twenty-Five: A Trace of Doubt

Qin Shuang had poured her heart into writing down her understanding of swordsmanship and her reflections on martial arts in this notebook, intending to help Xiao Nan carve out a path for himself in technique. Third-rate martial arts universities did not have high requirements and were eager for students, but no matter how eager, each candidate had to possess some skill.

Those with strong spiritual talent could generally enter top academies. Next in line were students with robust blood and innate physique—these made up the main force recruited by first and second-rate martial arts universities. As for those whose spirit and blood were both lacking, there was still a way forward. If, before the college entrance exam, their technique had reached a level of proficiency where their movements flowed naturally and they could gather energy in their strikes, a third-rate university would accept them. Physical strength and spiritual cultivation could be honed later; not everyone needed to be a prodigy—most people were meant to be the backbone of society.

Still, no matter what, one needed to provide the school with a reason for admission.

“So, she’s disappointed in my spiritual discipline and doesn’t think much of my physical talent either. That’s why she’s cobbled together these notes on sword technique, hoping for a miracle cure,” Xiao Nan immediately grasped her intention and joked, “Aren’t you afraid someone else might read these notes?”

The wind through the car window lifted a few strands of Qin Shuang’s hair. She looked straight ahead, her gaze calm, and replied softly, “No one else needs them.”

How confident—how formidable.

Was she mocking him?

Xiao Nan’s heart skipped a beat, and he could no longer laugh. Indeed, those with talent had already mastered these things, and those without had long accepted their limitations, giving up on martial arts exams to focus on academic studies instead. Unlike his former self, who, despite lacking any talent, continued to toil away, refusing to give up. Perhaps that was a virtue: the stubborn persistence of the simple-minded.

Although he was often ridiculed, quitting martial arts had never crossed his mind—perhaps due to his father, Xiao Zhenjiang, but more so because his mother, Tan Qiuyi, was always reminding him. Even if he wanted to give up, he wouldn’t dare.

“What if I can’t master it? You know my coordination is poor—it’s really hard for me to practice swordsmanship,” Xiao Nan probed, still unaccustomed to her forceful arrangements.

“Before the exams, if you don’t reach the standard, just wait for me to come back and teach you a lesson.” Qin Shuang’s icy aura intensified, her brows arching sharply.

Xiao Nan tensed, and memories flickered through his mind: A little girl in a white dress sitting atop a little boy, her small fists raining down until the boy was bruised and bawling.

That couldn’t have been him.

Feigning nonchalance, he turned to look out the window. Ahead, lush greenery, white buildings, and tall towers stretched into view. A clear river wound like a ribbon beneath a stone bridge.

Yuanjiang First High School had arrived.

…

Two hundred meters from the school gate, Qin Shuang stopped the car and said softly, “Get out here and go in by yourself. Don’t push yourself too hard in your spiritual studies. Seek out Teacher Tang Zhixuan for martial arts—I've already spoken to her.”

“You’re not walking me in?” Xiao Nan was puzzled.

Qin Shuang glanced at him strangely, sensing a subtle difference in him. Previously, he’d been like a wooden stump—truly unresponsive. With her spiritual cultivation, she could sense the faint resistance within him, a mix of inferiority and fear. She had always felt helpless about this.

But today, something was different. Though still quiet, Xiao Nan seemed composed and at ease.

He didn’t seem just calm—he was truly at peace, making him much more pleasant to be around.

Was it the kidnapping, the brush with death, that had changed his heart?

She found herself asking, “Are you sure you want me to walk in with you?”

“Heh, you’re busy,” Xiao Nan quickly opened the car door and waved goodbye, silently chastising himself for his foolishness. She was a beauty that countless students at Yuanjiang First High idolized. If others saw him walking in with her, so close, wouldn’t they be eaten alive with envy?

He’d been overthinking and nearly overlooked the most important point.

The ice-cold girl wasn’t as indifferent as she seemed—she was actually rather attentive. Only… she never seemed to smile. Was she a bit stiff-faced?

“Hmph.”

Qin Shuang turned away. The yellow car glided forward like a fish, slipping through the school gates and disappearing from sight.

…

With the blue notebook in hand, Xiao Nan followed the river around the corner and saw the grand archway. The school gate didn’t look like a gate at all, but more like the entrance to a park or a scenic spot. The marble square archway served little purpose as a barrier; it was merely symbolic.

Three wide entrances, with side gates broad enough for vehicles to pass through. Above the main gate, golden characters were carved: “Yuanjiang First High School—Inscribed by Sun Yuanfang.”

Sun Yuanfang was the old principal. Twenty-five years ago, when Yuanjiang established its martial arts school, there was neither money nor people—just a handful of like-minded elders answering the nation’s call. With their own resources and strength, they built a humble martial arts middle school. Over the decades, it had become a landmark of Yuanjiang City; parents took pride in their children attending.

“I heard the old principal is over ninety now and has long since retired. The current Principal Sun is his prized disciple—young and vigorous but of a modest disposition, wholly devoted to martial arts research and indifferent to administration…”

“Perhaps it’s the city’s character. Over the years, even the high school has been deeply shaped by society, leading to several distinct cliques. The relationships are tangled, and Principal Sun can’t be bothered to sort them out.”

Privately, Xiao Nan rather liked this type of principal—at least he wouldn’t meddle unnecessarily. Wasn’t a school just a place to learn? As a martial arts high school, as long as student support was adequate, the faculty competent, and the university admission rate acceptable, that would suffice.

Vice Principal Lin Anguo, however, was different—not only did he have a grand name, but he also had grand ambitions.

…

Passing through the archway, Xiao Nan oriented himself and walked along the clean, broad stone avenue toward the senior third-year, class five building. A feeling both familiar and strange welled up in him—refreshing and new. The people and events his former self had heard of, remembered or forgotten, all seemed to come alive.

It was still early morning, and the school was already bustling with students hurrying in all directions. Some headed for the athletic field to exercise, others for the equipment room to practice with weapons. Most, however, went to their classrooms to study. Academic lessons were important too.

Even martial arts majors received preferential treatment in scoring, but they still needed to pass. If all their academic subjects were failing, no matter how well they scored on martial arts tests, universities wouldn’t accept them. It meant the student was a dullard, incapable of intellectual growth. Such types might get by on talent in the early stages, but later, when martial prowess required insight, they would hit a wall.

Of course, there were also clever students single-mindedly devoted to martial arts, dismissive of culture classes. That wouldn’t work either. If you couldn’t adapt to society or its rules when your future was at stake, you were still a fool, and universities would not accept you.

Xiao Nan’s martial arts results were lacking, but his academic foundation was solid. He didn’t have much need in that area. Heading to the classroom now wasn’t out of love for book learning, but because of the notebook Qin Shuang had given him. He hadn’t had a chance to look at it in the car and wanted to find a quiet place to study it closely.

Not making use of the handwritten notes Miss Qin had painstakingly prepared would be ungrateful. Besides, he was curious about the application of force in this world, wanting to see how it compared to his previous life.

The wisdom of others could refine his own; learning and practice were the only way.

…

After walking over a hundred meters down the tree-lined avenue, the sound of recitation filled his ears. Xiao Nan paused slightly, turning casually to glance back.

From the gate to the teaching building wasn’t far, but he had taken a full three minutes. He sensed a gaze, faint yet persistent, following him. At first, he thought some girl was smitten by his looks and couldn’t help but watch. But soon he realized something was off. The back of his neck felt chilly under that gaze.

This was familiar—much like his first meeting with Gu Junwu. No mistake—someone was watching him, and with ill intent.

Suppressing wild thoughts, Xiao Nan glanced toward the three-story white tower by the gate and spotted two figures.

…

The White Tower was Yuanjiang First High’s Wall of Fame, displaying photos of graduates admitted to prestigious universities, as well as those who had made significant contributions during high school.

The old Xiao Nan had once dreamed of having his photo there, accompanied by a record of his achievements—a source of great pride.

Usually, students gathered in threes and fours to pay their respects to these “departed heroes,” but today it was unusually quiet. There must be a special reason.

“Isn’t that Lin Hao, class monitor of Senior Three, Class Five? And the one standing beside him, hands clasped behind his back, surveying the view from the third floor with such presence—is that…”

Every student passing beneath the tower, male or female, couldn’t help but steal admiring glances, their eyes full of envy and whispered speculation.

Xiao Nan immediately realized the other must be Li Shaohua, another legend of Senior Three at Yuanjiang First High, second only to Qin Shuang in reputation. He was the star student of Senior Three, Class One, rumored to have pushed his physical training to the human limit and likely to make it into a top university this year.

“I’ve hardly interacted with them. We don’t even greet each other. Why are they paying such close attention to me?”

“No, they’re not watching me—they’re interested in Qin Shuang. Maybe they just happened to see me get out of her car and glanced my way. Or perhaps there’s another reason I’m unaware of?”

A sliver of suspicion crossed Xiao Nan’s mind. He frowned, then turned and entered the teaching building.