The Yan brothers encountered the Little Prince on the street and spent half the day with him, and it wasnât long before everyone in the Academy who should know, knew about it.
There was no helping it, Xiao Yeyang was a notable figure in the Academy; every move he made attracted attention. Moreover, he wasnât exactly approachableâin fact, he had quite a temper. Within the Academy, there were very few who caught his eye, even among the sons of Beijing aristocratic families, who found it difficult to please or get close to him.
Now that the Yan brothers had suddenly emerged, they naturally caught everyoneâs attention.
Curious individuals quickly inquired and soon learned that the Yan Family came from a humble background, with only a single Fifth-rank Prefectural Governor in the entire clan, which surprised many.
âWhat is so special about the Yan brothers that they caught the eye of the Little Prince?â
People discussed among themselves in private.
On their part, Yan Wentao, Yan Wenkai, and their group parted ways with the Little Prince and returned to their dormitory. As they walked into the courtyard, they saw fellow students, who previously had been indifferent, now smiling and greeting them.
Yan Wenkai sneered inwardly, but he still courteously returned the greetings, then quickly pulled Yan Wentao into their room.
Upon entering, they saw an unhappy Yan Wenxiu waiting for them.
Yan Wenkai and Yan Wentao exchanged glances, their hearts skipping a beat. Their eldest brother was akin to a father to them, and they were quite intimidated by him.
âBig brother, it really wasnât our fault this time. You know what Dong Xiangrong is like, he always loves to pick on us. If it werenât for him breaking our elder sisterâs grape wine, we wouldnât have gotten into a fight,â Yan Wenkai quickly defended themselves.
Seeing their bruised faces, Yan Wenxiu sighed, the scolding words turning a few corners in his mouth before being swallowed back down: âYou two didnât hesitate to take on seven or eight people.â
Seeing that Yan Wenxiu wasnât blaming them but instead looked at them with concern, Yan Wenkai relaxed and said with a smile, âDonât worry, big brother. Despite them having more people, their fists arenât as hard as mine and the third brotherâs. We didnât suffer a loss!â
Yan Wenxiu glared at his smug younger brother: âHad the Little Prince not arrived in time, who knows how things wouldâve ended?â
Yan Wenkai snorted coldly, âDong Xiangrongâs family background may be good, but he shouldnât be allowed to do whatever he pleases in the Academy, should he?â
Yan Wenxiu replied irritably, âBut they can make things difficult for you, tarnish your reputation!â
Yan Wenkai shook his hand and sat on his bed, âAh, big brother, donât worry. He wonât dare to provoke us anymore.â
Upon hearing this, Yan Wenxiu didnât continue. The incident of the Little Prince spending half the day with his younger brothers was already spread throughout the Academy, and with that connection, no one would dare to provoke them openly anymore.
âYour injuriesâ¦â
Yan Wenkai said dismissively, âItâs just a minor wound, no big deal.â
Yan Wentao chimed in, âEarlier, Brother Dong had already called a doctor to examine us. Itâs just some bruising, and we got some ointment to apply.â
Hearing this, Yan Wenxiu finally relaxed.
âBy the way, big brother, youâre okay, right?â Yan Wentao asked, rubbing his arm.
Yan Wenxiu nodded lightly, âDonât worry, I can handle it.â Scholars, ah, even if they donât get along, itâs just verbal sparring, bickering. Physical confrontations are rare.
He wasnât afraid of a war of words.
Yan Wenxiu glanced at the sky, stood up to leave: âIâm going. Remember to stay calm in the future when facing trouble.â
â¦
The next day, Yan Wenkai and Yan Wentao entered the classroom with their bruised faces.
Though martial students mainly focused on training, they still learned quite a bit from their textbooks on a regular basis.
As they walked in, they received the stares of all the students in the classroom.
To this, neither of them felt embarrassed.
Although fighting was prohibited in the Academy, a special sparring ring area was set up for the martial arts students.
These martial arts students were a group of young lads with energy to spare, and when they sparred, they often couldnât hold back, or theyâd get carried away by their temper. It was too normal to see someone with a bruised nose and swollen face.
Just look around, it wasnât just the two of them with bruised noses and swollen faces in the classroom.
Instructor Dong Xiangrongâs head was twice as big as theirs!
âSit down. Today weâre going to discuss human anatomy. Only by becoming familiar with oneâs own body can one better control its power.â
The person teaching the class was exactly Instructor Fang whom Yan Wenkai had tried to bribe.
Instructor Fang gave the two brothers a glance as they entered the classroom.
He had heard that the reason they got into a fight with Dong Xiangrong and his group was because theyâd smashed the grape wine intended for him.
Thinking of the studentsâ covert discussions, which said the grape wine was fragrantly tempting, his heart gave a fiery throb; he didnât have many hobbies but he did enjoy a good drink.
What a pityâ¦
Thinking of the wine that had slipped through his lips, Instructor Fang gave Dong Xiangrong a harsh glare.
Dong Xiangrong, clueless about what had happened, looked back innocently.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Seeing this, Instructor Fang shook his head. Those who studied martial arts seldom had much sense.
You broke the wine intended for your old man, so you should replace it, shouldnât you?
Those two young men from the Yan Family were no better. The wine was broken, couldnât they have sent another gift?
A class passed with Instructor Fangâs mutterings and scowling, and as soon as it ended, Yan Wenkai and Yan Wentao prepared to leave. However, as soon as they stepped out of the classroom, they saw Zhao Ergou.
âErgouzi, what are you doing here?â Yan Wentao ran over excitedly and casually slung an arm around otherâs neck, looking like the best of brothers.
They had developed a deep bond during their struggles against the human traffickers and while fleeing from disaster.
âThird Brother, what are you calling me? It should be âGuardian Zhaoâ!â Yan Wenkai also approached with a smile.
Other students standing by, upon seeing the bodyguard from the Little Princeâs retinue come to find the Yan brothers, all paused and pretended to look at the sky or to step on ants, all to eavesdrop on why the Little Prince had sent someone.
Even Instructor Fang slowed his pace, ears pricked up.
Zhao Ergou, having learned proper conduct around Xiao Yeyang, wouldnât dare act so familiarly with Yan Wentao. He peeled Yan Wentao off himself, smiling and saying, âThe Little Prince has summoned you to the Martial Training Hall!â
Yan Wenkai appeared troubled. âFor what? To spar? But we just fought yesterday, and fighting again today isnât good for the body!â He wasnât being delicate; he really was sore all over from yesterdayâs intense brawl.
Yan Wentao nodded in agreement.
Instructor Fang, standing nearby, almost stumbled upon hearing this, internally crying out at the Yan brothersâ lack of tact.
The Little Prince had come over personally to call them, and yet these two acted so reluctantly.
Dong Xiangrong, who had been looking up at the sky, also lost patience, his face filled with disdain as he looked at the Yan brothers. Coming from a lowly household, they just couldnât make it to the higher echelons.
âLetâs go. If you perform well, maybe in the future youâll attend martial arts classes with the Little Prince,â Zhao Ergou said, not bothering to explain further, taking one by the hand and quickly leaving.
Could the person teaching the Little Prince be just anyone? Thatâd be a real expert, one whom, before the Prince left, was specially dispatched to find from all over.
He, a person who used to know nothing about martial arts, only possessing brute strength, had become formidable after instruction from a few instructors; now he could take on five or six people by himself.