Master of Nine Stars

The cave was in shambles, and Zheng Tianpeng’s team was nowhere to be found.

"Hah... hah..." Leaning on his Long Spear for support, Li Ziyi gasped for breath.

Nearby, Lu Mang sat on the ground, his face a mask of pain. A thin sword had pierced straight through his calf.

Sun Xingyu was rummaging through her backpack for medical supplies. The kits issued by the school contained gauze and antiseptic for dressing wounds.

In truth, there was still one person from Zheng Tianpeng’s team in the cave. But her status was unique, and right now, she stood frozen in place, utterly at a loss for what to do.

That person was Zhou Ting.

Rong Taotao could tell at a glance that Zhou Ting hadn’t joined the fight. There wasn’t a single mark on her to suggest she had.

While Li Ziyi rested and Sun Xingyu bandaged Lu Mang’s wound, the only other person, Zhou Ting, stood far off in a corner, her expression bleak, utterly silent.

"You’re back?" Lu Mang looked up and saw Rong Taotao returning through the entrance. He started to say something else but hissed in pain. "Ssss..."

"Just bear with it," Sun Xingyu said. Her movements were swift and efficient, showing a clear experience that likely came from treating wounds often.

"Hmph." With a cold snort, Li Ziyi looked over at Rong Taotao. "So you decided to come back. Did you deal with those two?"

Rong Taotao nodded. "An acquaintance showed up."

"Who? It wasn’t Xu Taiping, was it?" Sun Xingyu looked up, her face full of urgency. "Are you okay? Did you have to fight all three of them?"

Rong Taotao replied, "No, it wasn’t three against one. Xu Taiping actually took care of one of them..."

Everyone: ???

Rong Taotao said, "There’s something wrong with that guy. He told me to be careful and not get eliminated by anyone else before he gets the chance to eliminate me himself."

Sun Xingyu’s mouth hung open in astonishment. After a long moment, she managed to ask, "Is that... love?"

Rong Taotao: ???

Off to the side, Zhou Ting opened her mouth but didn’t dare to say anything.

Once Sun Xingyu finished bandaging Lu Mang, Rong Taotao gestured toward Zhou Ting. "Xing’Er, you handle this."

After all, Zhou Ting was Sun Xingyu’s roommate.

Sun Xingyu had been avoiding the issue, but now, there was no escaping it.

Had Zhou Ting betrayed them? Of course. She had chosen to join the other team, to stand by Wen Ying’s side.

But during the fight, Zhou Ting hadn’t made a move.

Whether it was due to conflicting emotions or something else, she hadn’t participated. After Wen Ying chased Rong Taotao out of the cave, Zhou Ting had backed away step by step until her back was pressed against the wall, far from the battlefield.

Sun Xingyu looked at Rong Taotao apologetically. "I was the one who set the watch schedule yesterday. This was my mistake."

"That’s not right. It has nothing to do with you," Rong Taotao said quickly. "Things happen. You can never truly know what’s in a person’s heart."

"You... you should go, Zhou Ting," Sun Xingyu said suddenly.

Zhou Ting started, "I..."

Sun Xingyu’s face was resolute. "Take your share of supplies and go. We shouldn’t see each other again."

Zhou Ting’s face fell. She lowered her head, tears welling in her eyes.

Tears streamed down her face. Whether they were of regret or resentment, no one knew. But whatever the reason, her composure finally shattered, and she slid down against the wall to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

Young people, after all, don’t have the shamelessness of adults. Blinded by self-interest, Zhou Ting had been through too many twists and turns that morning. She finally broke.

Sun Xingyu’s expression was full of pity. She hesitated for a long time, then waited until Zhou Ting’s sobs subsided before speaking. "Whatever your reasons were, your actions speak for themselves. Leave this place, Zhou Ting. You have ten seconds, or I’ll make you leave myself."

Seeing Zhou Ting silent and dazed, Sun Xingyu spoke again. "I’m serious. I mean what I say."

"I... I... I’ll just... withdraw. I’ll... withdraw," Zhou Ting whispered.

The next moment, a figure appeared at the mouth of the cave. A soldier in snow camouflage strode inside.

Zhou Ting was fortunate.

The young soldier scooped her up from the ground where she sat, utterly dejected, and carried her out of the cave in his arms.

Looking at the wreckage in the cave, Rong Taotao let out a deep sigh. "The main responsibility lies with me. I shouldn’t have taken that group in yesterday."

"No. You asked for everyone’s opinion. We should all share the responsibility for this," Sun Xingyu said, her expression serious.

She had always been the one who loved to laugh and joke, a sweet smile constantly on her face. But today, after everything that had happened, she seemed like a completely different person.

"The hardest thing to figure out in this world is people’s hearts..." Rong Taotao shook his head, bent down to pick up a thermos, and walked over to Lu Mang, handing it to him.

Rong Taotao said, "Our team had a backstabbing traitor, but luckily, we also gained a loyal teammate."

Lu Mang took the thermos and carefully took a sip of water, but didn’t say anything in response.

Rong Taotao said, "That injury of yours won’t heal anytime soon. But rest assured, I’ll be eliminated long before you are."

Hearing this, Lu Mang lowered the thermos and said faintly, "I wasn’t wrong about you."

This piqued Rong Taotao’s interest. He leaned against the wall and sat down beside Lu Mang. "Like Zhou Ting, you’ve only known us for a few days, and their side had the numbers. Why didn’t you just go with the flow?"

Lu Mang cradled the thermos. Injured and dragging a wounded leg, his chances of survival had plummeted—a fatal disadvantage in this assessment.

Rong Taotao asked, "Why were you so determined? You could have stayed out of it, just like Zhou Ting."

Lu Mang, his face impassive, spoke quietly. "When we first met, you said you were a person of faith."

Rong Taotao raised an eyebrow. "I never said that. I said it was a common belief, widely accepted in Huaxia, that anyone who comes to the northern Snow Realm to become a Soul Martial Artist is a person of faith."

"Mm," Lu Mang said noncommittally. "I looked you up. I found some information about you online. There wasn’t much, but it wasn’t hard to find."

Rong Taotao: "..."

Lu Mang looked up, his expression serious as he faced Rong Taotao. "Sorry, it’s not what you think.

Compared to you as an individual, I have more faith in *her* son. I believe her child ought to possess certain qualities."

"Well, damn. Brutally honest, aren’t you?" Rong Taotao grimaced, then got up and walked straight to the cave entrance. ’Guess I’ll be Little Doorkeeper Taotao for a while.’

’So hurtful.’

’I don’t want to talk to Mango anymore.’

’Might even use my Heaven-piercing Halberd to peel a mango rind...’

Xu Fenghua truly did influence every aspect of Rong Taotao’s education and life.

Lu Mang, dragging an injured leg, his combat effectiveness in freefall, at a time when he most needed help, still dared to speak so honestly.

It was clear that Lu Mang was truly convinced that Rong Taotao possessed certain qualities.

Otherwise, he could have just fed Rong Taotao some flattery. Their relationship might even have been better for it.

Li Ziyi and Sun Xingyu remained silent. The choice to take in Zheng Tianpeng’s team had been a collective one; Rong Taotao had explicitly asked for their opinions.

The same was true for the battle. Before it began, Rong Taotao had again asked for everyone’s opinion.

Just as Sun Xingyu had said, the responsibility was theirs to share.

Fortunately, the "Fruit Platter" foursome had won and were still in the game. And what’s more... they’d acquired a whole floor of supplies!

These piles of military rations, canned food, and crackers... there was enough to last them not just a few days, but more than a month.

Unfortunately, no one was in the mood to loot the packs. Li Ziyi and Sun Xingyu simply gathered the piles of bags and stacked them in a corner.

In the aftermath of the battle, silence descended upon the cave.

Rong Taotao cradled his Heaven-piercing Halberd, leaning against the cave entrance and gazing out at the vast, swirling snow, lost in thought.

It was only their second day.

The students, fresh out of junior high, had never imagined that so much could happen in a single day.

Growth, it seemed, truly came at a cost.

Some were hurt in body, others in heart.

At that thought, Rong Taotao glanced back into the cave. In a corner, Li Ziyi had his arm around a dejected Sun Xingyu, quietly comforting her.

’I hope she can get through this soon,’ he thought. ’After all, for people like them, there’s still a long road ahead.’