“Huh? It was an accident! Why should I care if you ignored my greeting? You were too busy buried in your book—you’re totally a bookworm! Look at those big glasses on your face. Bet you went nearsighted from reading while walking!”
“What did you say?!” Mo Feng slammed the book shut with a sharp *snap*, his eyes turning sharp and piercing. “Say that again, you savage monkey?”
“Huh? Monkey? Ever seen a monkey with master-level sword skills?” Xue Yu bragged—then froze, a flicker of doubt crossing his mind. *Did I just… mess up?*
“Yes! Right here!” Mo Feng shot back instantly.
“So you’re picking a fight?!” Xue Yu stepped forward, jaw set.
“That line’s mine!” Mo Feng closed the distance without flinching.
“Yours? Why?”
“Because you called me a bookworm!”
“Heh! Aren’t you one? Reading while walking, ignoring greetings—it’s textbook behavior!” Xue Yu stated bluntly.
“Why would I answer a monkey?”
“You—!”
“Heh! Get crushed by me, then crawl home to mommy! Oh—wait. My apologies. You don’t *have* a mother. Cold truth.” Mo Feng sneered, ice in his voice.
Raised by a foster father with no memory of his parents, that jab about having no mother ignited Xue Yu’s rage.
They clashed right there. No winner emerged—their fights always ended mid-swing, interrupted by teachers.
Naturally, neither let go easily. Throughout academy years, duels flared constantly… all ending in draws.
Only at graduation did Xue Yu depart for the battlefield, leaving their unresolved rivalry behind.
“Heh… Mo Feng, that stingy mage… Well. Truth is, he *was* ridiculously talented.”
Xue Yu had long shed childish grudges. Those days meant nothing now.
He was a mature knight. No more petty, schoolyard brawls.
If he met Mo Feng again? He wouldn’t seek conflict.
This time… he might actually need the man’s help.
“Uwaaah!”
A man’s scream jolted Xue Yu back to reality.
Instinctively, his gaze locked onto figures huddled at the street corner.
Curious, he stepped closer.
Before he reached them, the group shifted.
Two thugs wrestled a little girl—she clamped her teeth fiercely on one man’s hand while his partner yanked at her.
In seconds, they dragged away the ragged beggar girl.
“Brat! Got a death wish? Biting my boss?!”
The thug raised his fist, ready to slam down.
“Stop!”
As the punch flew, a slender figure stepped into the girl’s terrified line of sight—blocking her.
The thug’s eyes widened. His full-force punch was locked in an unshakable grip. “Who the hell are you?!”
*Strong knight? Noble?* Fear flickered in his chest.
“Hey! Bullying a beggar girl in broad daylight? Are you even human?” Xue Yu released the fist, gaze cold on the attacker.
“Oh? *You?*” The thug sneered. “Kid, mind your business. Or… you with her?”
He’d expected academy elites or patrolling knights—not this scrawny guy.
“I’m not with her. But I know right from wrong. I know who deserves help.”
Xue Yu was a knight.
Knight’s Code, Article Twenty-Two: Protect the weak. Stand against bullies. Reject cruelty.
Fail this? Unworthy of the title.
“Joking? *We’re* the good guys!” The thug shook off Xue Yu’s hand, voice dripping false righteousness. “We were walking when this beggar lunged and bit my boss! *She’s* the villain you just condemned!”
“Uh…” Xue Yu faltered. The boss’s hand *did* show fresh, bloody teeth marks.
“How about I cover the medical fees?”
He couldn’t let thugs beat a child—even if she started it.
As Second Knight of the Gaelkani Kingdom, decorated and well-funded, coins were trivial.
The thugs stayed silent. The punch-thrower simply held out his palm.
Without hesitation, Xue Yu placed gleaming gold coins into his hand. Duty demanded it.
The thug spun to his boss, bowing eagerly. “Boss! Here!”
They huddled, greedily splitting the “compensation.”
Xue Yu crossed his arms, lips twitching. *Sigh.* He turned.
Behind him sat the trembling girl.
Mud-streaked hair matted her face—but where clean, strands shimmered with beautiful silvery-white light.
