He sat her down in front of him, his gaze fixed on her like a blade. For a long moment, he said nothing—only the sound of his sigh broke the silence.
"I never realized you could be this foolish… this lazy. How could you come this far without even learning to read or write? What a hopeless girl you are."
Hu Feng frowned, her voice trembling but proud.
"I'm not lazy, and I'm not hopeless. Give me a day—no, a few days—and you'll see what I can do."
He raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise.
"Fine. I'll grant you until the next examination. But if you fail… I'll punish you for every single trouble you've caused since the day you stepped into this academy."
Her eyes dimmed with disappointment as she turned away, muttering under her breath,
"As if you haven't punished me enough already…"
He froze. He'd heard her.Before she could take another step, he caught her shoulder and spun her around—rougher than he intended. His voice was firm, yet uncertain.
"I never meant to hurt you in the last test. Protecting that beast was my duty—it left no room for hesitation."
She gave a bitter laugh.
"Hurt me? You've been doing that since the very beginning."
His grip tightened.
"When? Tell me when I ever did that. Is that why you've been avoiding me all this time?"
Her gaze drifted away, her voice soft but laced with pain.
"You're doing it again right now. So why bother pretending?"
He let her go immediately, words of apology forming but never spoken.
She walked toward the door, saying quietly without looking back,
"I'll forgive you for what just happened… but what you did before—neither time nor forgiveness will erase it."
And just like that, she disappeared, leaving him drowning in regret—unsure what he truly regretted at all.
The next morning, Hu Feng darted toward the academy, cheerful as ever, not expecting anyone to be there before her. But she was wrong. Yue was already waiting.
Yue had arrived early, eager to teach her how to read before class began. Hu Feng tried to refuse, smiling brightly at her new friend, but Yue wouldn't take no for an answer.
She took Hu Feng's hands and dragged her inside the classroom, opening a book on the desk.
"I'll read each word slowly," Yue said, "then write it down for you. You'll copy every stroke exactly as I do."
Hu Feng squirmed in her seat.
"You don't have to go through all that trouble, I—"
Before she could finish, Yue had already flipped open another book by mistake. Hu Feng picked it up curiously.
"This writing is so beautiful. Is this yours? Where did you get it?"
Yue's cheeks flushed red as she quickly snatched it away.
"That's… that's my diary, you little troublemaker!"
Hu Feng tilted her head.
"Diary? What's that?"
"It's a book where I write everything I've been through," Yue explained softly. "So I won't forget. My parents say I'm forgetful—they even call me the magical eraser."
Hu Feng sighed wistfully.
"I wish I could forget that easily. But no matter—starting today, I'll write my own memories too… only the happy ones. The sad ones are already carved into my heart."
Yue smiled, moved by her words.
"That's a wonderful reason to learn. Come on, let's start."
But Hu Feng wasn't listening. She had already slipped out, rushing toward her secret place—so fast she nearly bumped into Teacher Li, who stepped aside with an amused smile.
"Don't be late again, you little rascal!" he called after her.
"I could never be late for you, teacher!" she shouted back playfully, passing Wu Xin without even glancing at him. "Wait for me, and don't start class without me!"
She ran until she reached the great tree that stood above a pink cloud north of the kingdom—a place she had always felt connected to, as if it were her long-lost mother.
Pressing her palm to the trunk, she greeted it gently, then began to speak about everything that had happened since she arrived.As she spoke, each word glowed faintly upon the bark, written in light, then faded into the tree as though it were feeding on her memories.
The blossoms above shimmered, changing colors with her every emotion.
When she finally realized how much time had passed, she kissed the trunk lightly and whispered goodbye, promising to return soon.
By the time Hu Feng burst back into the classroom, she was breathless but smiling.Wu Xin's sharp gaze met hers instantly, his tone cutting.
"I didn't expect such obedience from you. You're actually on time—just as you promised Teacher Li."
Her lips curved into a teasing smile.
"I never break a promise—especially to my teacher. He is the kindest one I've ever had, after all."
Li blushed slightly at her words, but Wu Xin wasn't done.
"And when," he asked coldly, "did you ever have another teacher besides him?"
Hu Feng's eyes dimmed, her head lowering.
"A long time ago… I had a teacher. Gentle, kind… sweet in every way. But…"
She paused, lifting her gaze, sorrow clouding her face.
"He accused me of poisoning him. The trust between us vanished… in the blink of an eye."
Teacher Li's smile faded, guilt flickering in his eyes. He cleared his throat, quickly changing the subject.
"You were supposed to study with Yue this morning. Why didn't you? Don't tell me you've gone lazy again, hmm?"
Hu Feng smiled shyly.
"I didn't need to."
Wu Xin crossed his arms, voice sharp.
"So now you break promises as well?"
"I don't break promises," she said calmly. "Nor do I break vows. I simply… learned to read and write last night. Yue didn't give me the chance to tell her."
The classroom went silent. No one believed her—especially Mei Ling, who burst out laughing.
"You liar! I didn't know you were that kind of girl."
Hu Feng turned to her, unbothered.
"I never lie. Unlike you. And yes—I memorized every book in the kingdom last night."
Mei Ling shot up, fuming.
"Arrogant and delusional! Do you expect us to believe that?"
Hu Feng's expression softened with guilt. She looked down and said quietly,
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to lie."
Mei Ling smirked.
"See? I told you she's full of lies!"
But no one in the room believed Mei Ling's accusation. There was too much sincerity in Hu Feng's voice… in her eyes. She looked back up, meeting Mei Ling's glare.
"You're right," she said. "I didn't memorize every book. I was missing one."
Then she turned toward Wu Xin.
"The one that fell asleep in your arms last night."
Wu Xin's eyes narrowed. Slowly, he reached into his robe, pulled out the very same book—and handed it to her, his gaze locking onto hers.
A silent command passed between them.
"Then read."