Upon returning from the Blood Arena, Ling Feng headed back to the Tianshu East Court and found that Jiang Xiaofan and the others were not there. It seemed that they were still undergoing the grueling training with Devil Instructor Leng Jianfeng.
The current batch of yellow-tier students had been at Tianwei Academy for nearly two months. After six months of training, these new students would face an assessment. Only by passing this assessment could they be promoted to mystical-tier students.
Those who failed the assessment would either have to leave Tianwei Academy or stay for another six months of training.
If they still couldn't pass even after the extra six months, they would have to leave the academy.
Among all the courses, the martial arts assessment was naturally the most crucial. Therefore, Leng Jianfeng was particularly strict to reduce the elimination rate among his students.
Although the yellow-tier students of East Court often called Leng Jianfeng Devil Instructor or Monster Instructor, in their hearts, they were grateful to this demanding instructor.
Ling Feng first enjoyed a refreshing bath to wash away the blood and grime, and then changed into clean clothes before heading to the dining hall.
Thanks to the Eight Desolations Body Refinement Art, his recovery abilities were almost unnaturally fast. He had intended to apply some herbal medicine to treat his wounds but found that after scrubbing off the blood, even the scars had faded away.
His skin beneath the dried blood was as tender as that of a newborn’s, needing no further treatment.
"If everyone practiced body refinement, most Daoist physicians would probably be out of jobs."
Ling Feng shook his head with a smile. Lost in his thoughts, he soon arrived at the dining hall.
After a day of fierce battles, Ling Feng was famished. The aroma of food made his stomach growl loudly.
As he walked into the dining hall, he saw Liu Yunfei arguing with a cook at one of the food counters.
Ling Feng shook his head. These young masters from wealthy families always liked to haggle and be picky about everything.
If it were Jiang Xiaofan, he wouldn't care whether the food was to his taste or not; he'd just eat to fill his stomach.
However, the food in the dining hall, while varied and balanced, didn't exactly taste great.
Ling Feng couldn't help but reminisce about his days at the Wenxian Sect when Su Hongxiu took care of his daily needs.
At least the meals she prepared were very much to his liking.
Ling Feng walked over to the window. Since he needed to get his food anyway, he figured that he might as well see what was happening.
"Brother Liu, what's going on?" Ling Feng casually asked as he approached.
Liu Yunfei, seeing Ling Feng arrive, felt he now had some support. He immediately perked up and righteously said, "Brother Ling, look at this. The food is dirty. It's bad enough that they cut corners normally, but now there's a hair in it! Luckily, I noticed it before I started eating. It's disgusting!"
Ling Feng shrugged. It wasn't that big of a deal, but Liu Yunfei, being from the royal family of Jiangling, was naturally very particular about his food.
Liu Yunfei slammed his tray onto the counter, making a loud clatter as he glared at the cook who had served him. He then scolded, "This plate of food is inedible!"
"Alright, it's a minor issue. Just get another plate," Ling Feng said, shaking his head.
It seemed like Liu Yunfei had been in a bad mood already and was taking it out on the dining hall staff.
"Hmph!" Liu Yunfei took a deep breath, glared at the trembling cook, and said with a huff, "Fine, on Brother Ling's account, I'll let you replace it."
The cook nodded quickly. Most of the students at Tianwei Academy were from noble families or at least sons of wealthy merchants. These common folk wouldn't dare to go against them.
With the situation resolved, Ling Feng turned his attention back to getting his own meal.
Soon, the two of them had gotten their meals and found a seat. Ling Feng then casually asked, "Brother Liu, you don't usually have such a fiery temper. Did something set you off today?"
"Argh..." Liu Yunfei sighed, "It's about my cousin."
Ling Feng was taken aback. Ever since returning from the sword fighting arena of the Central Court sword team, he hadn't seen Qin Wanwan. She hadn't even attended their usual imperial history class, and was apparently taking sick leave.
"Is she sick?" Ling Feng touched his nose, thinking that if Qin Wanwan were truly ill, he could offer his medical skills as a classmate.
Liu Yunfei sighed again, "If it were just an illness, it wouldn't be so bad. She's a martial artist; a minor illness wouldn't keep her down for long."
As he spoke, Liu Yunfei looked at Ling Feng with some frustration and gritted his teeth, saying, "Brother Ling, if you have the time, you should go visit her."
"That might not be appropriate," Ling Feng said, chuckling. He wasn't particularly close to her, so visiting her out of the blue seemed strange.
"No, this is the right time to visit her."
Liu Yunfei hesitated for a moment before finally explaining, "A few days ago, some troublesome guy started pestering my cousin. That's why she's been avoiding coming out."
"Oh? What happened?" Ling Feng pursed his lips as he asked casually.
"You're always busy with the sword team training, so of course, you wouldn't know," Liu Yunfei said while sighing. "It's that scoundrel Mo Lin. He showed up with more than a thousand roses, confessing his love to my cousin in front of everyone."
"Is that so?" Ling Feng shrugged. "A fair lady is a gentleman's desire. Given your cousin's beauty, it's normal for her to have admirers."
"If it were just anyone, it wouldn't matter, but it's Mo Lin!"
Liu Yunfei furrowed his brow before saying, "Two years ago, my cousin and I met that guy. He lusted after her beauty and even tried to do something indecent!"
"How could such a scoundrel be tolerated by the Jiangling royal family?" Ling Feng frowned, clearly disgusted by such lecherous behavior.
"What can we do? Mo Lin is the young prince from the Rongqin royal family!"
Liu Yunfei clenched his fists. "If he were just any noble's son, our Jiangling King family would have already dealt with him. But he's a legitimate member of the royal family—who dares to touch him?
"He bribed my cousin's maid to drug her. If my father hadn't discovered it in time, that despicable man would have succeeded. Now, knowing that my cousin has joined Tianwei Academy, he shamelessly comes to profess his love. Is there anyone more shameless in this world?"
The more Liu Yunfei spoke, the angrier he became. His feelings for Qin Wanwan were a mix of familial affection and something more, so seeing her harassed by such a vile person made it impossible for him to stay calm.
"I understand," Ling Feng said as he nodded slowly. "As the chief of East Court, I should pay her a visit."
"Really? That's great!"
Liu Yunfei immediately brightened up, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
With Ling Feng willing to help, he felt assured that Qin Wanwan would no longer be troubled by that despicable man.
For some reason, Liu Yunfei had unwavering confidence in Ling Feng. It seemed that any problem, once Ling Feng got involved, would be resolved instantly.
He believed that this time would be no different!