I Have A Sword-Chapter 1161: Born Bad

Zhu Xingran's eyes were bloodshot, tears brimming at the edges, and she fought hard to hold them back. After a long moment of silence, Ye Guan sighed softly and asked, "Have you mastered it?"

Zhu Xingran froze. She hadn't expected that question from Ye Guan, and she had no idea how to respond.

"Have you learned it?"

Zhu Xingran stubbornly turned away, refusing to answer.

"Come to the library tonight and find me."

Without another word, he turned around and walked away.

Zhu Xingran watched him leave, her hands clenched tightly. "Aren't you going to scold me?"

Ye Guan stopped in his tracks and turned back to face her.

"I don't have the right to scold you," Ye Guan said gently. "If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't handle it better than you did. In my heart, you're very strong. Really."

With that, he turned around and walked away again.

The tears welling in Zhu Xingran's eyes finally fell down her cheeks.

Little Pagoda's voice suddenly broke the silence. "That girl has some issues."

Ye Guan nodded slightly, seemingly lost in thought. "It's normal to have problems. Honestly, if I had gone through what she had experienced, I wouldn't be any different from her. Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang haven't done anything wrong.

"The problem lies with this generation."

Ye Guan raised his head, looking far into the horizon. "I used to think Qingzhou was the lowest rank in the world, but now I realize I have barely scraped the surface of the vast expanse."

Qingzhou was a paradise compared to this place.

What was true suffering?

It wasn't about the inability to cultivate.

True suffering was when survival alone was a battle.

Was it simply because Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang weren't working hard enough? Of course not. They were working really hard. However, no matter how hard they had been trying to change their fates, they hadn't been able to change anything.

If a society was forcing its people to struggle without hope, then the issue was with society itself rather than the people.

Ye Guan didn't head straight to the library. Instead, he decided to stop by a restaurant for a meal. A shocking sight greeted him upon arrival. A man was sprawled out in a pool of his own blood, and he was convulsing violently.

Ye Guan walked closer and recognized him—the man was the waiter from earlier. It was a grotesque sight. His limbs and tongue were severed, while his eyes were wide with terror.

Ye Guan's expression darkened. Without saying a word, he turned and walked away, the scene haunting him in silence.

Ye Guan instantly saw Zang Gang upon entering the library. She was sitting in a corner of a bookshelf, casually flipping through a book.

He approached her, and his eyes scanned her with a quiet intensity.

Zang Gang glanced up at him and went back to reading. However, her left hand subtly moved behind her back, where she had concealed a knife. Despite that, her face remained calm, almost innocent.

Ye Guan studied her for a long moment before speaking. "Did you kill him?"

Zang Gang looked up at him again and batted her eyelashes, appearing innocent.

Ye Guan stared at her in silence. If this were his first time meeting her, he would be fooled by her appearance. But right now, he could see no trace of malice in her gaze. There was no hatred, no guilt—just a child-like curiosity.

After a long silence, Ye Guan finally asked, "Do you want to learn to read?"

Zang Gang nodded.

"Why do you want to learn how to read?"

Zang Gang hesitated for a moment before looking away.

Ye Guan remained silent as well before taking the book from her hands.

His face darkened immediately when he saw the title—"Anatomy."

It was a book describing the human body.

Ye Guan turned to face Zang Gang, who continued to blink at him with wide, innocent eyes.

"You're reading to learn how to kill, aren't you?" asked Ye Guan with a sigh.

New novel 𝓬hapters are published on ƒreewebɳovel.com.

Zang Gang didn't respond. Instead, she suddenly looked at the back of her hand, where an ant was crawling up her arm. She frowned, but she didn't crush it. Instead, she gently placed the ant on the ground and reached into her pocket to pull out a small piece of bread.

The ant climbed onto the bread and began nibbling on it. After a while, it turned and began crawling away. Zang Gang crouched down and carefully followed the ant.

Ye Guan stood there in confusion.

Soon, Zang Gang followed the ant to a small hole in the corner of the wall. After watching the ant disappear inside, she stood up and walked away. Moments later, she returned with a bowl of boiling water, and without hesitation, she poured the hot liquid into the ant's nest.

Ye Guan's jaw fell to the ground in shock.

Zang Gang silently gathered the book and bowl, turned, and walked away without another glance.

Ye Guan stood rooted to the ground, at a loss for words.

"That little girl really is ruthless," Little Pagoda commented.

Ye Guan didn't respond. He was well aware of how dangerous she could be. After all, the first time they met, she had nearly killed him. He quickly brushed those thoughts away and began tidying the library.

Just as he finished, his vision was suddenly obscured. A strange voice whispered into his ear, "Guess."

"Long Dai." The lady giggled and uncovered Ye Guan's eyes. Then, she pulled out a skewer of meat and handed it to him. "Master, here."

Ye Guan accepted it, taking a bite before smiling. "How's your cultivation going?"

"I've learned everything, Master. When will you teach me new sword techniques?" Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Tomorrow," Ye Guan responded with a chuckle

"Alright!"

Long Dai suddenly handed him a card. "Master, here."

"What's this?"

Long Dai beamed. "This invitation card is for my birthday tomorrow. The party's at the Temple Hall of the Academy. You have to be there."

"Isn't it... inappropriate?"

Long Dai cast a playful look at him. "What's inappropriate about it? You have to be there."

Ye Guan pondered over it. "All right, but you'll have to protect me tomorrow. I'm worried that someone might end up targeting me."

"Pfft! Master, you're such a goofball."

Goofball? Ye Guan sighed, slightly puzzled. What kind of books did this girl read to learn so many strange words from the Milky Way?

After chatting for a while, Long Dai finally left. Ye Guan stood at the door, watching her leave. He sighed softly and remarked, "Master Pagoda, it's hard to get used to a world where there are no enemies targeting me."

"Shameless. You deserve a beating."

Ye Guan laughed heartily.

Ye Guan waited for Zhu Xingran that evening, but she didn't appear. After waiting for a long while, he got ready to rest. Just as he was about to settle down, he glanced outside and noticed a figure standing not far from the door.

The figure belonged to Zhu Xingran.

Ye Guan walked outside, and she silently met his gaze.

"Follow me." Ye Guan said as he turned and headed toward the bamboo forest behind the library.

Zhu Xingran hesitated for a moment before following suit.

Once they reached the forest, Ye Guan turned to her. "How much have you learned?"

"A little."

"Show me."

Zhu Xingran cast a fleeting glance at him, then unsheathed her sword. With a light step of her right foot, she soared into the air, her sword slashing repeatedly. In a flash, several beams of sword light cut through the air, landing meters away.

Just when she was about to stop, her face turned pale.

"Fancy tricks," Ye Guan remarked bluntly.

Zhu Xingran's eyes flashed with anger. "What did you say?"

"I said, it's all fancy tricks."

Zhu Xingran boiled with anger. After days of intense practice, she was proud of what she had achieved. The sword technique she had just displayed felt like a breakthrough. She had expected praise, but instead, she was met with criticism.

Ye Guan looked at her indignant face, shaking his head slightly. "The essence of this technique is to kill with a single strike, but you've turned it into something flashy. It looks good, but its effectiveness is greatly reduced."

Zhu Xingran glared at him. "Then show me."

"Draw your sword."

Without hesitation, Zhu Xingran lunged at his shoulder with her blade. Ye Guan merely tilted slightly, but he dodged her attack with ease. Before she could react, Ye Guan's fingers lightly poked her throat.

Zhu Xingran froze, and her eyes were wide with disbelief.

Ye Guan stepped back, watching her intently. "Want to try again?"

"How... was that possible?"

"Now, do as I say. Close your eyes, focus, and clear your mind. What are you still doing with your eyes open? Close them..."

Zhu Xingran slowly closed her eyes, as instructed.

Ye Guan continued. "Clear your thoughts..."

A long silence passed as she concentrated, and finally, with Ye Guan's guidance, Zhu Xingran drew her sword again. This time, the blade sliced through the air with incredible force, sending a wave of sword energy that shattered a large tree from a distance.

Zhu Xingran stared in shock at her sword, unable to believe what had just happened. "Did I... do that?"

"What do you think?"

Zhu Xingran turned towards Ye Guan, her expression filled with awe. "Who... are you?"

Ye Guan's response was simple. "I'm your father's Brother Ye."

Zhu Xingran stood still, too stunned to speak.

"Hehehe..." A loud, mocking peal of laughter cut through the silence. "Zhu Xingran, I knew you were up to no good, sneaking around like that! You're actually here with a man!"

Ye Guan furrowed his brows, and he turned around to see a fat lady. Her face was flushed with excitement as she yelled, "Zhu Xingran, you're actually with a servant disciple! A servant disciple is perfect for a lowborn like you! What a heavenly match!"

Her voice was so loud it quickly drew attention from the nearby students, who began pointing and whispering at them.

Zhu Xingran's nostrils flared in anger, and her face turned red.

The fat lady's voice only grew louder, "Tsk, tsk, Zhu Xingran1 I never thought you had such bad taste! You're with a servant disciple? I just saw you two hugging and kissing earlier. How disgusting, eugh!"

Zhu Xingran shook with anger. She was furious upon hearing the rumor that the fat lady was attempting to spread.

"Kill her," Ye Guan whispered.

Zhu Xingran froze, stunned by his sudden words.

She looked at Ye Guan, unsure whether he was serious or not.

The fat lady became even more excited upon hearing that. "Go ahead! I beg you to kill me!"

She leaned toward Zhu Xingran, challenging her.

Zhu Xingran grabbed Ye Guan's arm and pulled him away. "Let's go."

Ye Guan glanced back at the fat lady, then turned toward Zhu Xingran. "How come she's always targeting?"

"We're in the same class, but I always outperform her. I don't kiss up to her like everyone else. The main reason is that I don't have any powerful backers. I'm from the Refugee District, so I'm an easy target," Zhu Xingran calmly replied.

Zhu Xingran pondered over something for a moment before adding, "At first, I was confused by her hostility toward me. But now, I realize... some people are just born bad."

"Makes sense."

The fat lady's mocking laughter echoed behind them. She sneered, satisfied with herself.

Just then, she spotted Zang Gang. Seeing that she was a servant disciple as well, she sneered and coldly spat, "Tsk, lowly servant disciple..."

Zang Gang silently glanced at her.