Alise Arrived
Plight City Military School.
Concealed amidst the towering plateaus, submerged in cascading heatwaves, an institution that spanned over several square miles in the landscape. Few of its buildings breached the threshold of a three-story building in construction as most of its halls, pavilions, and dorms were grounded. Just like the general trend in Plight City, the shady business was buried under the surface of the land.
Around this time of the day, the sun was slowly making its descent behind the mountains of Plight Canyon in the distance, casting its ivory rays upon a traveling group of cultivators who boarded a flat, elongated slab of marble. Similar groups of cultivators blotted the horizon as they approached the school's grounds. Some appeared content, some disquieted, some excited, and some were nonchalant all the while.
Among these groups of cultivators, an inconspicuous bunch of uneven ages had stood subserviently behind a crimson-haired youth with a fierce temperament, he was Richard, accompanied by a number of his peers who happened to join the Military School on the same year. A field day at Plight Canyon was anything but a pleasant experience.
A day of struggle, bloodshed, and survival between the juniors of natives and alien citizens of this planet. One can consider it a smelting trial to groom soldiers, and some may consider it an unnecessary headache. Though neither forces sought to actively murder one another, accidents were inevitable due to the presence of demonic beasts and cultivation resources.
"Your performance was commendable today as well, brother Richard," tweeted one of the ordinary-looking disciples. His clothes were stained in coagulated blood, a powerful stench diffused from his person, but everyone was accustomed to the lingering aroma of the swamp minions by now.
"Yeah…" Richard replied, no one knew what was up in his mind at the moment.
"Is brother thinking about that beauty still? Forget it, I know her kind of a girl. The type to disdain everyone, giving her peers and seniors the cold shoulder ever since her first day in school." Said a female cultivator who seemed to search for favor with Richard.
Richard's status as an indirect disciple for one of the Eight Pillar Elders had his head and shoulders above his peers of juniors. Although he was a first-year student, he enjoyed some second-year student privileges such as attending lectures for the Martial Divide Plane seniors. Still, rumors about Richard and the newly appointed virgin of the first-year class, Xiao Ming, still nestled within the minds of many.
Other than the kids of the orphanage, no one knew the hidden fate behind Xiao Ming's status as a virgin. Everyone thought she would become an authentic daughter for the City Lord once she graduated from Plight City's Military School in three years' time. Following such, many vigorous male disciples attempted to approach her. After countless failures, many began to speculate that only Richard of the first-year class stood any minuscule chance to court her.
However, whenever the female disciples bring Richard's name to Xiao Ming, her eyes drop in temperature with a considerable margin, and she might go out of her way to curse him as a bastard, scumbag, or a load of filth. Just what sort of history did the two share? Did he break her heart in the past? What's up with all this hate? Many speculated and gossipped, much to the point it brought much-undesired attention towards Richard.
"Shut up." Answered Richard to the woman, his teeth joined in a bitter grind the more he thought about it. He can't just deny their past, Xiao Ming's hate was too genuine. Furthermore, he can't explain that hate either, it would indirectly expose the Orphanage's affairs, sentencing himself to an early death.
He can only bear it and hope of receiving the death news of that arrogant bastard.
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"I wonder what time is it outside," Yang Lin muttered to himself in a low voice.
His voice was muted under the shrieking of hot water pouring down over his body. His skin had a stain of wrinkles, steam intensified in the bath chamber, the fog was ever-so-thick he could barely discern the opaque glass sliders containing his figure. A hot shower was indeed one kind of a blessing.
The more he thought back to his senior, Anastasia, he didn't know how to describe her character. He wondered if all women were such a mystery, he was inclined to believe it was indeed so.
Knock knock!
The complex array installed in every room allowed the blockade of sound to travel from the outside and vice versa. However, if someone were to knock on the door, the array will carry the ripples throughout the living quarters. Only once the door is unlocked would sound traverse normally through vibrations unobstructed.
Thus, even though he was basking in the pleasure of hot water, Yang Lin heard the faint knocking noises.
"Alise?"
The young male wondered to himself. Anastasia mentioned that Alise should be arriving this evening, and she would show him around the institutions fashioned towards training. Seems like he had spent at least an hour or two taking a bath, which shocked him silly.
Knock knock!
The sound ringgit about again, and continued to do so within set intervals of a few seconds. Behind the door stood a petite girl adorned with a light figure, ginger hair, and a pair of large glasses occupying her round face.
Knock knock!
Click!
After she knocked on the door twice more, she finally heard the mechanical unlocking, prompting her to blink in surprise. Usually, Anastasia would take way, way longer to finally open the door.
"That was quick, were you already awake, Ann?" The girl chuckled, picking up a purse from the floor as she pushed the door open to get inside. She seemed oddly enthusiastic and bright with her wide smile, gentle humming, and cute dimples situating her cheek.
"Uh, Ann is doing whatever, I guess…" Yang Lin's voice interrupted Alise's humming, causing the latter to stagger in her steps and open her eyes in shock.
Looking ahead, she saw a tall figure. Of course, to Alise, everyone was tall.
What shocked her silly was his steaming, wet body. He seemed to just have left the shower, water trickled down his muscular frame, a white towel draped over his shoulders as he caressed his face dry. Other than that, another towel wrapped tightly over his torso towards his kneecaps.
"E-eh!?" Alise blinked once, twice, and thrice. Her consciousness sank into bewilderment soon after.
"You are?..."