"I do not deserve it," Yoriichi replied, pushing the rings gently into her uninjured hand. "The problem you faced tonight... it is due to me entirely. They targeted you to isolate me. This is merely compensation for the trouble I brought to your doorstep. Keep them."
He looked closely at her face. Despite her attempt to look brave, he could see the subtle tightness around her eyes and the slight tremble in her lip.
"Is there still pain?" Yoriichi asked, his tone shifting to a gentle, clinical observation.
Xiao Mei bit her lip and nodded truthfully. "A little... it burns like fire ants."
"The effect is still lingering," Yoriichi muttered to himself. "The herb is low-tier, but highly potent if left untreated. Let us go to the Healing Pavilion now. The medical elders will have a neutralizing salve."
"Okay," Xiao Mei agreed, though she looked slightly guilty for taking up his time. "But you don't need to come, Cousin. We can go by ourselves. We've already bothered you enough."
Yoriichi shook his head, shifting his parcels to secure a better grip.
"At least let me drop you off," Yoriichi insisted, his voice leaving no room for argument. "The night is getting dark, and Bai Shan's faction is currently humiliated. It is unwise to walk the campus unescorted right now."
Understanding the tactical logic, Xiao Mei nodded gratefully.
The group began the slow walk back toward the central academic sector, heading for the glowing green lights of the Healing Pavilion.
As they walked, the tension slowly bled out of the girls, replaced by the familiar, easy camaraderie of clan members.
"How is Xiao Yu doing?" Xiao Mei asked softly, walking close beside him. "We haven't seen her in the classes for weeks. Is her closed-door meditation going well?"
"She is progressing steadily," Yoriichi answered smoothly, careful not to reveal anything unnecessary and creates any tension. "Her foundation required a deep restructuring. She will emerge when she is ready."
He then turned the conversation back to them. "And what of your progress? Are the Outer Academy instructors treating the branch families well?"
"Yes, it's been wonderful!" one of the girls behind Xiao Mei chimed in excitedly. "The ambient worldly energy here is so much thicker than my town. We've all advanced at least four stars since we arrived!"
They chatted lightly for the next twenty minutes, discussing the mundane aspects of academy life—the difficulty of the Huang-Class lectures, the quality of the cafeteria food, and the latest gossip regarding the upcoming Inner Academy Tournament. Yoriichi listened patiently, offering brief, polite responses, enjoying the rare, simple normalcy of the interaction.
Soon, the large, pristine white arches of the Healing Pavilion came into view.
"We are here," Yoriichi announced, stopping at the base of the stairs. He looked at the three uninjured girls. "Please take care of her wound. Have the elders thoroughly flush the meridian pathways near the cut."
"We will, Senior Xiao Ning! Thank you!" they chorused, bowing deeply in respect.
Xiao Mei offered him a final, grateful smile before being ushered up the stairs by her friends.
With his escort duty fulfilled and his shopping completed, Yoriichi turned and began the long walk back to his secluded courtyard. The dinner hour was rapidly approaching, and his physically dense vessel was demanding caloric sustenance.
He navigated the winding, manicured paths of the residential sector, his mind already drifting back to the forging theories Elder Long had discussed. He needed to find a way to mimic the ambient absorption of an Alchemical Array using pure kinetic force and Dou Qi routing.
As he turned the final corner leading to his private courtyard, Yoriichi's footsteps silently halted.
His Transparent World vision flared instantly, detecting a dense, highly organized cluster of Dou Qi signatures waiting directly in front of his wooden gates.
Standing in a rigid, disciplined line were a dozen members of the Jia Nan Law Enforcement Unit, wearing their signature dark-blue uniforms and silver armor plating.
At the very front of the squad stood two highly familiar faces.
It was Captain Lin and Vice-Captain Feng.
Yoriichi noted immediately that their auras had drastically changed since the blood-soaked night in the bamboo forest. They were no longer mid Da Dou Shis. They radiated the heavy, suffocating pressure of peak-tier Da Dou Shis, likely having received a massive influx of academy resources as a reward for surviving the Demon Flame Valley ambush.
However, despite their increased power, their expressions were incredibly complicated. As they saw Yoriichi approaching from the darkness, their faces twisted with a mixture of deep, personal regret and rigid, professional duty.
Yoriichi stopped ten paces away. His crimson eyes swept over the squad. He didn't tense his muscles or reach for his katana. He simply stood there, perfectly calm, his posture relaxed. He understood the situation immediately.
Captain Lin took a heavy step forward, her hand resting awkwardly on the hilt of her lightning saber. She looked at the youth who had stood shoulder-to-shoulder with her against a Dou Wang.
"Xiao Ning," Captain Lin spoke, her voice tight, devoid of its usual fiery confidence. She forced herself to speak the official, mandated script given to her by the disciplinary elders.
"For the crimes of violently assaulting a fellow student, breaking the peace of the commercial district, and extorting academy property in the form of spatial rings..." Lin paused, taking a deep, shuddering breath. "...you are under arrest by order of the Law Enforcement Unit."