The bell for the end of the second afternoon class rang, and the sky gradually darkened into evening.

The light in the small grove was weak, the forest deep and gloomy. As Lê Yu walked through the trees, her steel-soled boots crushed dry branches and leaves with a sharp cracking sound, which wasn't pleasant at all, but instead emphasized the remote quietness of the place.

A place where screaming at the top of your lungs would go unheard.

"Hey, if you really dare to use force, I will definitely shout. Cha Huan hasn't finished work yet, you know."

Shang Lingyi showed no signs of tension, walking briskly as if on an outing while following Niruo. With her hands crossed behind her back, her hair fluttering in the wind, she walked with a sway like a catwalk model, completely unguarded, speaking soft words with a bright smile.

However, Lê Yu and Niruo were slightly shaken—it was true that the Imperial Academy was still under Cha Huan's protection.

Cha Huan's requirements for the sword-fight for dominance were twofold: regardless of day or night, in public view, all swordsmasters and scabbards must abide by the Academy's rules; during the day, if someone calls for help, he will definitely come to aid.

In other words, you can fight with the scabbards, but it's best to do it at night in places without people—if you don't give him this face, then don't blame this invincible old man, who's half a step into the grave, for not giving you face. Whether you're a future emperor or a mad killer from the sky, you'd better roll into the Medical Bureau and lie there for half a month.

It's been previously mentioned that Ming Shuangli once broke the limbs of upper-class students, healed them, and broke them again. Actually, she was most likely learning from Cha Huan's glorious deeds—he once tried breaking all 206 bones of a misbehaving student, sending him to the Medical Bureau so Medical Bureau students could get a live anatomical experience along with a half-month-long joint healing assignment.

Of course, Cha Huan did these things sneakily, unlike Ming Shuangli. Though done sneakily, anyone with insight would just need to check the severity of injuries and conflicts of interest to know it was certainly Cha Huan's work.

Yet no one can do anything about Cha Huan. He's been a martial instructor for over ten years and is also the Academy's principal. Who would want to offend him over a heinous student?

Furthermore, the student wasn't even dead; he just suffered for half a month, with incontinence and full-body paralysis, and incidentally, a few years shaved off due to excessive regeneration. Thanks to the medical treatment, his naked body was viewed by all of the Medical Bureau's students, down to the exact measurements being common knowledge.

For the past decade, the atmosphere at the Imperial Academy has been excellent, significantly due to Cha Huan's 'cruelty'. When dealing with those troublemakers that even school rules couldn't handle, though he wouldn't necessarily break 206 bones, Cha Huan would unquestionably make them suffer mentally and physically, and if necessary, he'd work incognito. Should parents come knocking, all he needs to do is deny everything, and no one in Yanjing could do anything to him.

He practically has no weaknesses, and his only business is building toilets. If you're brave enough, try blowing up the ones he's built.

Even Niruo treats Cha Huan with utmost respect, not daring to offend. If Shang Lingyi truly insists on calling the principal, both Lê Yu and Niruo would have to stop bullying girls.

"Have you heard the story 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf'?" Lê Yu asked with a smile.

Just as he was about to explain, Shang Lingyi nodded, "Yes, I read about it in the 'Bizarre Amusements' section of the third issue of the Dongyang Youth Daily."

Even Niruo added, "Are you referring to the child who often lied to everyone and, when the wolf finally came, no one believed him anymore?"

Though the feeling was somewhat subtle, Lê Yu continued, "Cha Huan has never had a favorable opinion of us scabbards; sure, he'll rescue you once, twice, but a third time? If every time the scabbards fight, someone calls him to mediate, he'll eventually grow tired and ignore someone's calls for help."

"At most, he'd give each scabbard two chances to call for help, maybe just one—life-and-death duels among scabbards are what we are supposed to handle. He might even wish for us to quickly fight out a winner and leave the Academy. How could he be willing to be your shield?"

"You better think it over; using Cha Huan comes with a price."

Lê Yu's last remark caused Shang Lingyi's face to change slightly.

Cha Huan is definitely not the kind of person who would willingly be used as a shield nor an old-fashioned old man. He'd even violate his own rules—a no-holds-barred pragmatist. If someone tries to use him through the rules, once he might count as buying a lesson, but if twice, thrice, or even takes an inch, they'll find themselves beaten on a night with a bagged head.

"So what do you want?" Shang Lingyi suddenly put on a pitiful expression, "As long as you don't kill me, I'll agree to anything, anything you want me to do..."

Lê Yu: "Really? Then why don't you first remove your makeup and show your real face?"

"..." Shang Lingyi raised an eyebrow, "Do you realize that such a request is the greatest insult to a lady?"

"I can't even be sure if you are a lady," Lê Yu said gloomily. "So who exactly are you? I haven't seen the real faces of four scabbards. I know why you're here, so you can't be the Instant Annihilator, Cai Nu, Beast Tamer, or Thousand Faces... Based on your displayed ability, you're most likely the scabbard Thousand Faces, capable of transformation into thousands."

"Why can't I be Shang Lingyi?" Shang Lingyi fiddled with her hair, pretending to be aggrieved, "I'm actually here on someone's behalf to test Teacher Yan Yi, who knew I'd be attacked by you two big guys from both sides..."

"If you were wronged, just call Cha Huan to save you," Lê Yu suddenly remembered something, "By the way, if you're not Shang Lingyi, everything you proposed to Teacher Yan Yi would be null and void. If Cha Huan found out you deceived his precious teachers, do you suppose he'd invite you for vine-fried meat?"

"Or, you could just wait for us to capture you and wash your face, revealing your real appearance in an extremely humiliating posture."

"Come on, I'll give you a chance to scream your lungs out; go ahead."

Shang Lingyi shrugged naturally, smiled, "Then forget it, screaming shrilly isn't very ladylike."

"Besides, should Cha Huan really bring me to the Shang family for confirmation, that would be troublesome..." Shang Lingyi bent down, picking a budding warm yellow flower from the shrubs.

"After all, there is an 'unmasked' Shang Lingyi lying in the Shang family."

At this remark, Lê Yu and Niruo's faces suddenly changed.

Lê Yu looked at Shang Lingyi's face, spoke gravely, "You mean your face is..."

"Of course not," Shang Lingyi, or rather Thousand Faces, replied, "You can't actually use human faces for skin masks. You know, human skin is surprisingly thick. Wearing someone else's face is essentially covering yours with a wool sweater; you'll start sweating very quickly. If worn for long, it can even lead to the rotting of your real face."

"And human faces are difficult to preserve; if treated with nitrification or other protective measures, the face changes color, making it unusable, only good for display."

Although Thousand Faces explained it clearly, Lê Yu and Niruo not only didn't relax but instead both assumed combat stances, muscles tensed, and stared at Thousand Faces intently.

"But you guessed right."

Thousand Faces shrugged, "The real Shang Lingyi's face was indeed peeled off by me."

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