Master of Nine Stars

That morning, Rong Taotao asked his advisor, Yang Chunxi, for a leave of absence, saying he was going to visit Gao Lingwei. The honorable sister-in-law, a playful smile on her face, readily granted his request.

Afterwards, Rong Taotao went to the school supermarket and bought a few peaches...

Carrying the fruit, a rare commodity in the Snow Realm, Rong Taotao arrived at the school hospital, located in the east-central part of campus. Although the Snow Realm didn’t lack any supplies, things like fruit were ridiculously expensive. ’Oh well, you’re a peach, after all. Being a little pricey is fine~’

The school hospital was bordered by the stables to the south and the student dormitories to the north. In a relatively bustling area, this was the only place that was truly quiet.

Except for the occasional student frantically rushing an injured classmate into the hospital, the place was usually tranquil, even the courtyard in front. It was an ideal place for recuperation.

Walking through the snowy courtyard, where Luminous Lantern Paper Cages drifted, Rong Taotao pushed open the main door of the school hospital. The environment wasn’t entirely unfamiliar to him.

He walked up to the front desk, saw two girls in nurse uniforms, and said, "Hello, seniors."

Most of the workers here were students of Songjiang Soul Martial who were also majoring in nursing.

The interest of one of the young nurses was piqued. She tugged the corner of her colleague’s sleeve. "It’s the Great God from the Junior Class, the night watchman."

"Hello there," the other nurse said, standing up with a smile. "What can I do for you? Where are you hurt?"

Rong Taotao quickly replied, "I’m here to see someone. Around five this morning, Coach Dong brought in an injured person, Gao Lingwei."

"Oh." The senior nurse flipped through a small booklet. "Fourth floor, 401A..."

Seeing the room number, the young nurse looked at him with pity. "Your friend seems to be seriously injured. Patients on the fourth floor aren’t allowed private visits. You need permission from a teacher at or above the department head level."

Rong Taotao pulled two large, red peaches directly from his bag, reached over the high counter, and placed them on the desk. "Is Coach Dong here?"

"Hah, you little rascal." The young nurse shot him a look, picked up the two peaches, and put them back in his bag. "Second floor, turn right, office on the left at the end of the hall. Go on."

"And I’m warning you, don’t try to go up to the fourth floor on your own. If the student guards catch you, you’ll be put in confinement."

"Got it~" Rong Taotao chuckled, grabbing his bag of peaches and leaving.

Following the directions, Rong Taotao arrived at the office at the end of the second-floor hallway. He hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"Come in!" Dong Dongdong’s voice came from inside.

Rong Taotao pushed the door open and saw Dong Dongdong sitting at a desk in a white lab coat. There were also three students in the room, all in white coats, sitting in a row in the corner. They were staring at the papers on their desks, deep in thought. ’Are they taking a test?’

Dong Dongdong pushed up the glasses on his nose. The gold-rimmed spectacles were a perfect match for his scholarly face. "Student Rong Taotao, hello."

"Hello, teacher! Hello! Thank you so much for your help this morning. I’m so grateful." Rong Taotao expressed his thanks repeatedly. As he walked toward Dong Dongdong, he took two large, red peaches from his bag and placed them on the desk.

"Thank you." Unlike the young nurses, Dong Dongdong accepted them. He picked up a peach, weighing it in his hand with a gentle smile, and asked softly, "What is it?"

Rong Taotao said, "I’m here to see Gao Lingwei. I need your permission."

Dong Dongdong picked up a peach, tossed it in his hand, and said casually, "Oh, go ahead. 401A. Just say I sent you."

As he spoke, Dong Dongdong turned his head to the three students facing the wall for their test, a faint smile on his face. "If I see you whispering to each other again, I’ll stab each of you once. Whoever heals themselves first passes the test."

The three students shivered in fear. They buried their heads and wrote furiously, not daring to even breathe too loudly.

Rong Taotao was startled too and hurried away. The gentle, kind, and scholarly image of Dong Dongdong in his mind instantly and utterly collapsed...

’Medical students really are something else. They stab each other for fun?’

With Dong Dongdong’s "imperial edict," Rong Taotao’s path was clear. After being questioned by guards a total of three times, he finally arrived in front of room 401A.

It seemed to be a private room. Peeking through the small window on the door, he saw that the environment inside was excellent. Gao Lingwei was lying on the hospital bed, and sitting beside her was a beautiful young woman.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK~ Rong Taotao knocked, a strange thought popping into his head. ’Was he knocking out someone’s name?’

It couldn’t be helped. Dong Dongdong’s unique method of corporal punishment was still lingering in his mind...

Inside the room, Gan Lin leaned over to look and spotted the little night watchman, Taotao, outside the door.

"Hey! You little punk, look what you’ve done to our Da Wei!" The moment she saw Rong Taotao walk in, Gan Lin shot to her feet and pointed at Gao Lingwei’s gauze-wrapped foot. "Just look! Look at this!"

In reality, Gao Lingwei’s waist, thighs, and calves were also wrapped in bandages, her wounds having been carefully treated. It was just that those areas were hidden under her blue-and-white hospital gown, with only her feet exposed.

"Ah, hehe." Rong Taotao scratched his head in embarrassment and held up the bag. "Want a peach?"

Gan Lin: "..."

"Hehe." Seeing Gan Lin’s speechless expression, Gao Lingwei couldn’t help but laugh, but a twinge of pain in her waist made her brow furrow slightly.

Gan Lin saw Gao Lingwei’s reaction and shot another dissatisfied glare at Rong Taotao. "You just brought a few peaches?"

"Ah, this stuff is what’s truly nourishing~" Rong Taotao said, walking over to Gao Lingwei’s bed. He placed the peaches on the nightstand and, while picking through them, said, "Are you... um, doing okay?"

Rong Taotao always had a ready comeback for Gan Lin, but whenever he spoke to Gao Lingwei, he would stumble over his words, perhaps because his guilty conscience was acting up.

Gao Lingwei hummed in response. "It’s nothing too serious, but I did injure my kidney. Coach Dong said I need to rest quietly for a week. I can’t walk around freely, only cultivate my Soul Power."

"After a week, they’ll decide if I can be discharged based on my recovery."

At the side, Gan Lin was dumbfounded!

’Rong Taotao was the culprit who put Gao Lingwei in the hospital! Her attitude... Does she really not hold a grudge?’

’Are all Heaven-piercing Halberd users battle maniacs? The kind who don’t care about life and death?’

"Oh, okay. I’ll go wash a peach for you." Rong Taotao picked up two peaches and headed for the bathroom.

As the sound of running water came from the bathroom, Gan Lin hurriedly leaned close to Gao Lingwei’s ear. "Da Wei, what’s going on?"

Gao Lingwei: "I lost."

Gan Lin grew anxious. "I know you lost, and then what?"

Gao Lingwei thought for a moment, then said frankly, "I’m keeping my promise. On the way to the hospital with Coach Dong, I seriously considered his previous proposal."

Gan Lin was completely stunned. "This..."

Talking with her best friend, Gao Lingwei’s tone softened. She sighed softly. "He and I are the same kind of person. I once thought that because we were so similar, we wouldn’t be a good match."

"But now, it seems those same qualities are what I appreciate the most. Maybe... I can try giving us a chance."

Gan Lin: "You’re giving him a chance just like that?"

To be honest, Gan Lin had helped Rong Taotao a little before, but for things to have actually reached this stage, she was utterly astonished.

Gao Lingwei nodded lightly. "Yes. I plan to train with him more. Fights with a real sense of life and death will be a great help to my growth."

Hearing this, Gan Lin was on the verge of tears. "Da Wei, can you please not scare me like this? Growth is one thing, but you might not survive every time!"

"Even though we usually train like our lives depend on it, we’re not actually trying to get ourselves killed. That Lotus Petal of his is just too dangerous!"

"Hmm..." Gao Lingwei pondered for a moment, recalling Si Huan Nian’s words from that morning. Even if she desperately wanted to experience a true battle on the edge of life and death, Rong Taotao probably wouldn’t be allowed to participate in any more duels.

Just then, Rong Taotao returned with two washed peaches. He handed one to each of them and, not knowing what to say, randomly tried to start a conversation. "Um... do you peel your peaches? I can do it for you."

Gao Lingwei turned her head and looked directly at Rong Taotao. "Which peach? Its skin, or yours."

Rong Taotao: "..."

Gao Lingwei: "Both."

Under Gao Lingwei’s haunting gaze, Rong Taotao’s scalp tingled. He took the peach back from her hand and said, "Let’s peel its skin first, its skin first..."

Seeing Rong Taotao diligently peeling the fruit, a smile touched Gao Lingwei’s lips. She said softly, "I’m kidding. I’m not a sore loser. I accept the outcome."

Rong Taotao: "Mm-hm."

Gao Lingwei: "But I’m also serious. One day, I will withstand that Lotus Petal of yours and truly defeat you."

With a serious expression, Gao Lingwei repeated herself, "One day."

Rong Taotao, however, suddenly looked up at Gao Lingwei.

Gao Lingwei raised an eyebrow slightly. "What, you don’t believe me?"

Rong Taotao shook his head. "No, it’s just... I’ve said those same words before."

Gao Lingwei was a little curious and asked, "What?"

Rong Taotao lowered his head again, his fingers peeling the fruit, and said softly, "Back then, you were the new student representative, giving a speech on stage. You were so full of life, absolutely radiant."

"After you bowed and left the stage, my classmate, Sun Xingyu, advised me to stop pursuing you. She told me to find someone else to chase after, said... I wasn’t good enough for you."

Gao Lingwei pressed her lips together, watching the boy before her with his head lowered and a serious expression, and seemed to realize something.

Rong Taotao finished peeling half the skin and held the peach up to Gao Lingwei’s eyes. He grinned and said, "I just told her, ’One day.’"

Gao Lingwei quietly gazed at the bright red peach before her. Her eyes moved upward, past the fruit, and met Rong Taotao’s sincere and confident expression.

"Hehe." Gao Lingwei chuckled and murmured softly, "Yes. One day."

"Here." Rong Taotao’s hand moved forward again, bringing the peach to her lips.

Gao Lingwei took a small bite, and her mouth was instantly filled with peach juice.

...