Chapter 56: White Moonlight
Chapter 56: Chapter 56: White Moonlight
Fang Chen had completely entered research mode. Like a possessed professor, he paid no mind to his own body.
He looked at his left hand, which was still seeping blood, and spoke to Xia Chu with burning eyes.
"Come on, Xia Chu, don’t stop. Try it again on my right hand. This time, I will use my True Qi to protect myself the entire time to see if your control power can break through my defense."
Looking at the wet bloodstains on his hand, Xia Chu shook her head repeatedly.
"Let’s forget it, Chen! We’ve already tested the effects! You’ve lost so much blood, and the wound needs to be treated. I’ll bandage you up first!"
"It’s nothing, really," Fang Chen said, flexing his left hand and even forming a fist. "Look, my movement isn’t hindered at all. Although it looks like it’s bleeding, I can barely feel any obvious pain from the wound. Your control seems to cause the blood to seep out rather than violently tearing the flesh.
"This resistance test is crucial. I need to know exactly how effective True Qi defense is when facing such bizarre manipulation-type superpowers."
To help her understand, he continued, "Think about it. What if I encounter an opponent of the same type as you in the Martial Dao exam or out in the real world later on? For instance, if someone comes along with a ’freely manipulate feces’ superpower, wouldn’t I end up shitting myself on the spot? I need to know if I can put up some resistance."
Xia Chu burst into laughter. She covered her nose with a look of disgust. "Ew... Chen, you’re so gross!"
However, she knew Fang Chen made a valid point. This was a resistance test concerning his safety in future real combat, and they couldn’t afford to be careless.
She composed herself, concentrated her mind once more, and attempted to manipulate the blood in Fang Chen’s right hand.
This time, the process was noticeably much more difficult.
Fang Chen could feel the blood in his right arm trying to surge restlessly under the pull of some external force, but the True Qi circulating over the surface of his body acted like a tough barrier, vastly weakening that invisible control power.
The blood flow only sped up slightly, and the capillaries beneath his skin felt a bit swollen and painful, but it was far from reaching the point of bursting out of his body.
The attempt lasted for about a minute. Sweat formed on Xia Chu’s forehead, and she eventually gave up in frustration. "I can’t do it, Chen.
"It feels like your right hand is wrapped in a thick layer of rubber. My power can’t penetrate it to grasp the blood inside."
"Excellent!" Fang Chen said, a bright gleam flaring in his eyes. "This proves that True Qi defense works! While it can’t grant total immunity, it greatly diminishes the effect and precision of the manipulation. However..."
His tone shifted as he looked at her with a solemn expression. "This is only for your current stage. Once your elemental affinity grows stronger and your spiritual power increases significantly in the future, I’m afraid you’ll be able to easily wring out the blood from an enemy’s body from over a dozen meters away."
Xia Chu imagined the scene, her pretty face turning slightly pale. "That sounds... so bloody."
"But this is your trump card!" Fang Chen’s tone was serious. "It is the capital you will rely on to survive and establish yourself in the future. You must familiarize yourself with it and unearth its full potential as soon as possible. After all, the Martial Dao exam is just around the corner, followed by graduation... The outside world is far more complex and dangerous than school."
Hearing this, Xia Chu seemed to suddenly remember something important. The smile faded from her face. Her fingers unconsciously gripped the hem of her dress tightly, and her voice lowered a few pitches. "Chen... what did you mean last time when you said I’d have to take care of myself in the future?"
After asking, she lowered her head slightly, not daring to meet Fang Chen’s eyes.
Fang Chen fell silent for a moment. He cast his gaze toward the flowing river, his voice very soft. "Actually, you already know the answer in your heart, don’t you? Do you remember the agreement we made when we first got together?"
Xia Chu was silent for a while. Her long eyelashes drooped, and her voice carried a barely perceptible tremble. "We’ll break up after graduation, right? Actually... I had mentally prepared myself for this a long time ago. It’s just that... when this day seems to be truly arriving, I still feel a little... unaccustomed to it."
Taking a deep breath, she raised her head, trying hard to make her expression look natural. "Actually, I came to see you this time to say goodbye as well. I’m... not participating in the Martial Dao exam anymore."
Fang Chen didn’t seem surprised; he merely confirmed, "You’ve been recommended for admission to the Magic Academy?"
Xia Chu nodded, her tone lacking much joy. "The Celestial Mist Royal Magic Academy. The academy sent a notice asking me to register and enroll as soon as possible."
Fang Chen tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Congratulations, Miss Xia. You’ll be an esteemed mage from now on."
"...Thank you." Xia Chu thanked him in a low voice, but there was no smile on her face.
She looked at Fang Chen quietly, a faint sliver of hope hidden deep in her eyes. "Chen... do you really not want to ask me to stay?"
Fang Chen looked at her solemnly, his gaze clear and calm. "Xia Chu, the place you are going to is Celestial Mist City, the capital of the Zhao Kingdom, to the best Magic Academy. I, in all likelihood, will be going to a Martial Arts Academy in Cyan Yang City or Jiangyue City. We’ll be separated by thousands of miles. You don’t mean to tell me... you want to be in a long-distance relationship with me?"
Xia Chu’s lips twitched, but she didn’t reply.
Fang Chen continued, his tone carrying a hint of self-mockery. "Secondly, does the Xia family truly think highly of me? I don’t want to be pointed at behind my back one day and called a live-in son-in-law who married above his station into the Xia family, relying on others’ charity to eat."
"Who says you have to marry into my family as a live-in son-in-law!" Xia Chu subconsciously retorted. "You don’t have to!"
Fang Chen looked at her. "You are the only daughter of the Xia family. Would your parents bear to let you marry into an ordinary family with zero background like mine? When that time comes, are you going to fall out with your parents over me and give up everything in the Xia family?"
Xia Chu opened her mouth, but ultimately, no sound came out.
She fell silent once again, her fingers twisting the hem of her dress so tightly that her knuckles turned slightly pale.
After a long while, she finally spoke in a low voice, sounding remarkably lucid and helpless for her age. "Chen, what you’ve said... I’ve actually considered it all. In fact, the conclusions I’ve come to privately are quite similar to yours."
She raised her head and stared straight at Fang Chen with deep bewilderment. "But... what I don’t understand is why you seem... as if you’ve experienced all this before. We’re the exact same age, so why can you see through it so clearly and be so... calm?"
Hearing this, Fang Chen’s thoughts drifted for a fleeting moment, as if traversing time and space to return to his past life.
At this exact same age, he too had a lover whom he met on campus, who had accompanied him along the way, and with whom he almost walked down the aisle.
However, reality ultimately provided a cruel answer—the classic tale of discarding one’s lover the moment they secure a better future.
After graduation, she would discover that the boy who had seemed so incredibly outstanding on campus appeared utterly ordinary out in society.
Out there, men with better family backgrounds, greater potential, and more worldly wisdom could be found everywhere.
When faced with the harsh storms of reality, how much of that love, nurtured in the greenhouse of a school campus, could truly endure?
It was better to be realistic; it was good for both of them.
Seeing that Fang Chen hadn’t spoken for a long time, Xia Chu let out a soft, self-deprecating laugh, breaking the stagnant atmosphere. "Hmph, never mind. But don’t you get too cocky!"
She tried hard to make her tone sound light and cheerful. "We agreed to break up after graduation! There’s still some time left before then! Before that happens, you... you are not allowed to accept the confessions of any of those female students from The Three Greats! Do you hear me?"
Fang Chen played along, nodding cooperatively. "Yes, yes, yes."
"But didn’t you just say that you’re going to report to the Magic Academy soon?" Fang Chen asked.
Xia Chu blinked. "A few days won’t make a difference anyway. I..."
Her voice lowered a bit, carrying a barely perceptible trace of anticipation. "Next month on the 15th is my eighteenth birthday. I... I’m inviting you to come.
"Then, the next day, I will leave Jinchuan City for Celestial Mist City," she continued. "We can consider it as putting a period on our campus romance."
"Mm."
Xia Chu hooked her arm through Fang Chen’s, and they walked slowly.
"Hey, Chen, do I count as that thing you mentioned before... the one... the one that what again?"
"The one that got away?"
"Right, Chen! What exactly is ’the one that got away’? I feel like I’ve never heard any of these phrases you use before."
"Heh, ’the one that got away’ is..."