The roar from the well extinguished Bi Luo's courage to speak, and she once again turned her worried gaze toward the continuously raging well.

Qian Jin frowned; he had never seen such a timid woman. Of course, he had also never seen such an arrogant senior.

"Listen," Qian Jin peered down into the well at the two figures, his tone perfectly calm, devoid of any heat. "If you two keep yelling, believe it or not, I'll immediately go grab a few of those heavy stones used for a warrior's arm-strength training? And then I'll toss them all down to greet you? Don't think that just because you've fallen into the well, I won't mind dropping a rock to smash you dead. Fallen into a well? Throwing stones? Yes! Luò jǐng xià shí (Adding insult to injury/Kicking someone when they're down)!"

Qian Jin stroked his chin, looking at the two seniors soaking in the water, and chuckled, "I suddenly realize I have a gift for language. Such a long sentence can actually be simplified to just four characters: Luò jǐng xià shí! Am I not smart?"

The two second-year warrior trainees floated in the water, glancing at each other, daring not to answer Qian Jin's question. For a madman who would throw people down without even asking if they could swim, who could guarantee he wouldn't actually... luò jǐng xià shí! That's right! Who could guarantee he wouldn't kick them while they were down?

"Qian Jin!"

A voice brimming with pride and anger suddenly rang out not far behind Qian Jin.

Zhu Lisi stood with her hands on her hips under the moonlight. Tonight, she had dressed up deliberately—a fiery red, skin-tight outfit sculpted the most perfect, hot figure among her peers. Her long hair fell casually over her shoulders, possessing an indescribable allure.

Zhu Lisi had waited at Qian Jin's dorm for a long time tonight, but she just couldn't wait for him. If she hadn't heard someone scream just now and come over to see what was happening, she might never have waited for the person she needed.

"Zhu Lisi!" Zhu Lisi stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Qian Jin, her beautiful eyes flashing with anger. "Apologize to me right now! I can forgive your rudeness this morning."

Zhu Lisi had never been treated the way she was this morning, no matter how long she'd lived. She had waited specifically for Qian Jin half the day to demand an apology, only to end up waiting for this long.

"You... you..." Qian Jin pointed at Zhu Lisi, hesitated for a moment, and then looked very serious. "Who are you?"

...

Silence descended again by the well. Zhu Lisi's whole body trembled, but it wasn't the trembling of fear; it was the trembling born of fury. Someone had actually seen her this morning and, by evening, was asking who she was! And he asked with such sincerity that she couldn't tell if he was pretending.

"Who am I? I am Zhu Lisi!" A tremulous voice filled with rage penetrated Qian Jin's ears with perfect accuracy.

It wasn't really Qian Jin's fault. This morning, he hadn't looked at her closely, merely glancing briefly. Furthermore, Zhu Lisi had been wearing a magic robe then, whereas now she wore clothing that accentuated her figure. Combined with the fact that Qian Jin hadn't paid her much mind, and the dim light of the evening—he felt he was not at fault for not recognizing her. If he had to remember every person he merely glanced at, he would have nothing left to do but memorize names.

"Oh," Qian Jin put on an expression of 'I remember now,' showing a hint of confusion. "Why should I apologize to you?"

"Why should you apologize to me?" Zhu Lisi’s fingers trembled. She had assumed Qian Jin was deliberately giving her the cold shoulder this morning because he was shy in front of so many people, and that by showing up tonight, he would surely apologize and admit his mistake. Yet, the man showed no sign of reflection whatsoever.

"You don't know either? Then what on earth am I supposed to apologize for?" Qian Jin stopped paying attention to Zhu Lisi. Her proud demeanor suddenly reminded him of another woman. For a fleeting moment, he even felt the images of the two overlap. Though their appearances differed, their shared air of looking down on others, assuming all men should fawn over them because of their beauty, was identical.

"Bi Luo, having the talent for mental power and sensing elements is a very fortunate thing," Qian Jin recalled how, despite all his efforts, he still couldn't feel any magic element, and a trace of envy touched his eyes. "At this time, you should go back to meditating, instead of playing the washerwoman here."

"Do you think she wants to be a washerwoman?" Zhu Lisi’s arrogant voice rang out again. "If she doesn't wash clothes, who will partner with her for the exam? Qian Jin, you want to be friends with a mage? Then you shouldn't waste your time on her. I am the one you should be associating with. Bi Luo, aren't you going to wash the clothes? Be careful, I'll tell all the male second-years not to help you find an exam partner..."

The timid Bi Luo suddenly moved with swiftness. Her body bent down quickly, her hand reaching out to pick up the clothes scattered on the ground.

"Listen," Qian Jin squatted down beside Bi Luo and pulled at a piece of clothing she had grabbed. "For the exam, I can partner with you. School exams are very diverse, after all; there are formats that require cooperation between mages and warriors."

"No..." Bi Luo's voice was timid yet carried a thread of stubbornness. "I want to become the greatest mage. Thank you for your offer, but I don't need pity."

Qian Jin froze slightly as Bi Luo snatched the clothing from his grasp. Watching her small figure gather the laundry from the ground, memories suddenly flashed back to a previous moment—he had said those exact words once himself.

"Thank you for your help, I don't need pity."

"Sometimes, accepting help is also a form of courage. You will understand someday."

An aged voice echoed in Qian Jin's mind. The corpulent figure of Rollin quickly surfaced in his thoughts. This old man, who looked utterly like a greasy merchant, had gently opened the closed heart of the silent, reluctant Qian Jin, helping him grasp the meaning behind the old man's words during his lowest point.

"Is that so?" Qian Jin stood up and scratched his head, looking at Bi Luo's small figure. "Excuse me. I heard someone say that once. 'Sometimes, accepting help is also a form of courage. You will understand someday.'"

Bi Luo, who was picking up clothes, shuddered slightly, remaining frozen in a crouch, staring blankly at the scattered garments on the ground.

"Zhu Lisi!" Seeing Qian Jin walk away, Zhu Lisi stomped her foot fiercely and yelled, "How dare you treat me like that! You will regret this! I will gather every male student in the school to issue challenges to you one after another! Whoever beats you, I will date!"

"Are you done yelling? If you're done, then scram."

An icy voice rolled out from under Bi Luo's large magic hat, utterly devoid of the timid meekness she had shown moments before.

"What did you say? Bi Luo, you..." Zhu Lisi’s shout died halfway through as her body suddenly experienced a violent chill. She saw... she saw Bi Luo, usually so timid and weak, who possessed no magical power, not only stand up from the ground but...

Under the night sky filled with countless stars, Bi Luo's voluminous magic robe moved without conscious effort. A surge of powerful magic erupted violently from beneath the robe, causing the hood to tilt slightly backward, and her long, smooth black hair shot straight up toward the sky.

"Bi Luo? You have the wrong person." The chilling tone beneath the magic hood seemed capable of freezing the air. Zhu Lisi stared into those eyes that seemed imbued with magic as the confident, powerful, and frigid words drifted over again: "I am Huang Quan (Yellow Springs/Underworld)!"

A cold wind swept up from the ground, and the icy well water coated Zhu Lisi’s body, instantly covering her surface with a layer of frost. From a distance, she looked like an ice sculpture.

Single-target spell! Zhu Lisi was frozen mid-spell, staring at Bi Luo—the weakest girl in the second-year mage division—who could actually cast a single-target spell! No magic scroll needed, just a simple incantation, and a single-target spell was cast! Heavens! How did she do it? Wasn't a single-target spell supposed to require a group of mages on a pre-drawn magic circle?

In the moonlight, Bi Luo, who called herself Huang Quan, slowly turned around, her eyes sweeping coldly over the clothes soaking in the tub, as if assessing useless trash.

She slowly raised her head, gazing at the round moon in the sky. Her long black hair floated behind her, stirred by the surge of magic. A hint of emotion finally appeared in her deep eyes. Her fair hand gently rested over her slightly rising chest, near her heart. "Bi Luo, you are tired. Sleep for a while today. When you wake up, the clothes will be washed."

:Bi Luo AND Huang Quan are very important characters. Recommend votes, member clicks...B