I Shall Steal the Heavens 111 Chapter 110: The Green Dragon's True Nature

"Do you surrender?"

Li Chun Long glared at me defiantly, but realizing that he was at my complete mercy, he didn't do anything stupid.

"…I surrender," he snarled resentfully. I watched cautiously as he eyed his Sacred Dragon Sword, but when he did nothing to pick it up I relaxed a fraction. Not totally, of course. Just a tiny fraction. Obviously I kept my sword near his neck.

"The match is over!" Teacher Cai declared, his voice booming over the speakers. "The winner is Fei Wu!"

There was muffled applause from behind the soundproof window. Unlike the time with Feng Tian Yong, there weren't many girls cheering for Li Chun Long. That was understandable – he had a crush on Qing Xin Xia, and probably wasn't as handsome as Feng Tian Yong, so it would be difficult for a female fan club to form around him.

At least we both had friends or sect mates who would cheer for us. Now that Teacher Cai had declared the match my victory, I could finally relax. Withdrawing my sword, I sheathed both of them and turned away.

"Hmph!"

"!!!!"

Before I could react, Li Chun Long snatched up his Sacred Dragon Sword and stabbed me from behind. It was only my instincts that saved me, but even so I was not able to completely dodge his attack. His blade pierced my lung and exited through my chest, causing me to stagger as excruciating pain overwhelmed me. I clutched at my chest, blood dribbling down my mouth and pouring profusely from the wound.

"Kuh!"

Falling to my knees, I just barely managed to duck under a swing from Li Chun Long's Sacred Dragon Sword. However, he didn't plan on letting it end there. Grounding his foot against the floor, he halted the momentum of his sword before mercilessly slashing it downward.

I tried to roll away, but knew I wouldn't be able to get away in time. Knew I wouldn't be able to draw my swords in time. I had made a terrible mistake, thinking that Li Chun Long would abide by the rules and stay true to the code of honor ingrained into the students by the teachers and principal of Wu Ling Academy.

Thankfully, with my footwork techniques, I should be just able to avoid a fatal blow. That wouldn't change the fact that I would inevitably receive a severe injury, but even so it was much better than losing my life…

Clang!

"!"

"!!"

Both of us froze in shock when we saw Teacher Cai standing between us. He had caught Li Chun Long's Sacred Dragon Sword with nothing more than two fingers. Unarmored fingers, unequipped with anything, and he caught Li Chun Long's blade cleanly.

"I believe the match is over and you've already surrendered," he said. His tone was so cold I almost felt as if I would freeze to death. Li Chun Long had turned completely pale with fright. Ignoring both of our reactions, Teacher Cai continued as if nothing had happened. "Attacking your opponent after the end of a match is against the rules."

"So what?" Li Chun Long sneered, defiant again after a few seconds of getting used to Teacher Cai's intimidating presence. "I'm going into isolation training after this anyway. Getting my punishment lengthened is no big deal."

So that was why he was so bold. Li Chun Long had already resigned himself to facing six months of isolation training. He wanted to deliver a final cheap shot before his imprisonment, because he knew the worst that could happen was an extension of his already detemined punishment. A sentence that was imposed upon him because of me ratting him out. That was why he was so determined to have his revenge before he went into the isolation chamber.

"You'll regret letting me leave," he growled at me. I merely stared at him while clutching my chest.

"No," I replied with a faint smile. "But I'll be prepared next time."

That wasn't to say I would let him live. Now that Teacher Cai had intervened, I had lost any justification to kill him. However, the next time he attacked me, I would counterattack and slay him without mercy.

I was sick and tired of having to watch my back and be wary around all these bullies and murderers. Whether it was Qi Fu Ren, Ba Yun or Li Chun Long…if they attacked me, I would kill them. As simple as that.

I had no intention of suffering under the hands of a psychotic bully again.

"You had better watch out when I get out of isolation training!" Li Chun Long was yelling as he was hauled away by the school authorities. He fought against their grip and jabbed a finger in my direction. "I'll kill you once I get out! I swear! I'll definitely kill you once I get out of isolation training!"

"Keep that up and you'll be in isolation training forever," Teacher Cai told him coldly. He then turned to the two staff who were restraining the Green Dragon Sect successor. "Take him away. And make sure he doesn't have his sword."

"Yes, sir!"

I watched quietly as Li Chun Long was hauled away, screaming and kicking. That guy was someone I had to watch out for, and if I didn't take care of him, he might kill me first. I wasn't going to allow that to happen.

Withdrawing to my own thoughts, I began formulating a plan that covered several contingencies to deal with what Li Chun Long might pull when he got out.

*

"Wu! Are you all right?"

The first people I saw when l limped outside the coliseum were my friends. Tang Qi Hong, Tong Xue, Lian Rou, Ban Zhang and Zhu Jiao were all running toward me. I waved weakly at them before staggering to a stop.

"You're hurt! Badly!"

"No shit," I replied bitterly as I clutched my chest. The bleeding had stopped after I temporarily froze my wounds, but that was no solution. I needed to seek treatment from Teacher Yi as soon as possible.

Damn, but I was really going to the infirmary too often. I was getting sick of going there whenever I got injured…though to be fair, the only reason why I would ever need to go to the infirmary in the first place was when I was injured. That said, it had been happening a lot more frequently, so I needed to find a way to fight without getting injured.

This was where being a God Mode Mary Sue protagonist like Li Fu Chen or Lin Feng would have helped a lot. They never got injured, they defeated every single opponent in just a single move (or in less than five moves), they were invincible and unbeatable, and…okay, the arrogant and overbearing parts were completely unnecessary. Never mind.

Needless to say, I envied them for the ability to never get injured in a tournament or battle. Unlike them I had to frequent the infirmary every time I fought someone, because I didn't have some cheat code that allowed me to neutralize all damage from my opponents. If only I could use Power Overwhelming or a similar cheat, but alas, this was real life.

"You should be more careful."

Tang Qi Hong took one of my arms and supported me while Tong Xue took the other. I leaned on them gratefully and sighed.

"Yeah, I'll try."

"Do or do not! There is no try!"

Zhu Jiao did his best impression of Master Yoda and failed terribly. Probably because no one here watched Star Wars in my original timeline and hence didn't catch the reference.

Wait a minute…then how did Zhu Jiao know about that line?! Was he from my original timeline too? or was this merely a coincidence?

As we strolled toward the infirmary, I glanced at Zhu Jiao. Not caring about whether he was from my original timeline or not (it made no difference if he was, and really, given that he was supposed to be the protagonist, I wouldn't be surprised if he was), I shot straight to the main topic.

"How are your preparations for the match against Bai Ning Xue tomorrow?"

"Hmm…good, I guess?"

"You guess?" I repeated incredulously. "Seriously?"

"What did you expect?" Zhu Jiao replied. "There's nothing more I can do other than show up for the match tomorrow and do my best."

"…that's true."

I sighed as I continued to limp forward with the help of Tong Xue and Tang Qi Hong. Before we could reach the infirmary, however…

"Wait!"

"??"

All of us turned around when we heard the familiar voice. Behind us, Qing Xin Xia ran up to our position, pausing and bending over to catch her breath as she did so. Straightening up, she clasped her hands imploringly.

"Please allow me to heal you!"

"Are you talking to me?" I asked, puzzled. Well, duh. I was the only one injured here. As I expected, Qing Xin Xia nodded.

"I apologize deeply for what First Senior Chun Long did to you." She hesitated for a moment. "Please know that it wasn't the will of the Green Dragon Sect. the other seniors disapprove of his actions, and I'm sure Master will punish him when he hears of this."

"N…no need for that." I was getting embarrassed when I heard this was turning into a big deal. I honestly didn't care. In fact, I was looking forward to Li Chun Long attempting his revenge after he got out of jail…I mean isolation training. It would give me a perfectly valid excuse to slaughter him and end his existence once and for all.

There were way too many characters in this story and I should start trimming down the roster before even I begin to forget who was who.

"A…anyway, as a sign of apology please allow me to treat your injuries." Qing Xin Xia bowed sincerely.

Tang Qi Hong regarded her suspiciously. "How do we know this isn't a trap?"

"I trust her," Zhu Jiao spoke up. Qing Xin Xia smiled slightly at that, her ears going a little red. Seeing her reaction, I sighed.

"If Jiao believes Qing Xin Xia, then I will too."

"Thank you! I swear, I won't do anything suspicious!" she took a deep breath and sent a glare in the direction where Teacher Cai and the other staff had taken Li Chun Long. "The true nature of the Green Dragon Sect is healing! The reason why we wield the benevolent wood element is because we are healers! We do not seek to slaughter, we seek to rejuvenate! That is what Master has taught us, but First Senior Chun Long's actions have blemished our name!"

"…yeah, a lot of the other schoolmates are condemning Li Chun Long's postmatch sneak attack." Tong Xue nodded thoughtfully. "And I also heard them criticizing the Green Dragon Sect. you guys are taking a lot of flak because of one guy's actions."

"That's not fair," I grumbled.

"Nothing is fair in this world," Ban Zhang replied sagely. Everyone had to suppress the urge to roll their eyes at his statement. Fortunately, he had a less cringe-worthy follow-up. "We can only work with the hand that Heaven dealt us."

"For now, let's find a place for Xin Xia to do her work," Zhu Jiao suggested when he noticed that she was still waiting. Tang Qi Hong nodded, but she was still skeptical.

"I'll be keeping my eye on you."

"Qi Hong," Lian Hou reprimanded. Her tone wasn't very harsh, but she wasn't approving her best friend's lack of tact either.

"I'll be fine," I assured Tang Qi Hong. Plastering a smile across my face, I added, "I have you to watch over me, after all."

"I…I'm glad you know that!" Trang Qi Hong turned around, flustered, and folded her arms. I could imagine her pouting as she went, "hmph!"

Why the fuck was she behaving like some cliché tsundere from a Japanese anime? This was the wrong genre to begin with.

We settled down in a nearby, empty classroom. Qing Xin Xia directed me to sit at a desk before she stood in front of me and began her treatment. As before – I still recalled the day when she healed me after I fought the Spirit Tiger almost three years ago – she raised her hand and conjured a green glow of qi. Muttering an incantation under her breath, she closed her eyes and focused, channeling her innate qi into her hand and placing it on my chest.

I felt the warm qi suffuse gently into my wound, closing it up. The blood remained – unlike animation where healing was indicated by blood disappearing, such convenient things did not occur in reality. My uniform remained bloodstained, and traces of blood remained on my chest, which would only be washed away when I took a shower later. However, the torn flesh knitted together, and within seconds there was no trace of any injury, not even a scar, save for the bloodstains that colored my otherwise pale flesh red.

It wasn't just the injury that Li Chun Long dealt me in his sneak attack after the match had ended. Qing Xin Xia proceeded to heal every injury on my body, both internal and external. The numerous cuts I sustained while exchanging blows with Li Chun Long, the damage I sustained to my internal organs after we both hurled massive waves of qi at each other, even slight bruises that I received when I desperately dodged about during combat. All of them were gone in an instant.

Whatever pain I experienced earlier vanished immediately, replaced by a warm, comfortable feeling that ran soothingly across my body.

"Thanks."

I tried to conceal my astonishment and bowed my head gratefully.

Qing Xin Xia might not be as experienced as Teacher Yi, but her healing skills were close. I dare say she was second after Teacher Yi. None of the other Green Dragon Sect disciples were as adept as her at healing.

"No, not at all," Qing Xin Xia assured me with a faint smile. She almost collapsed from the exhaustion, something Teacher Yi wouldn't have problem with. Fortunately, Zhu Jiao was on hand to catch her. "It's only to be expected…after all, First Senior Chun Long was the one who did this to you in the first place."

"Even so, you're not obliged to heal me." I bowed my head deeper. "Thank you very much."

I made a mental ntoe to remember this favor. Qing Xin Xia had healed me not once but twice. I ought to return her compassion in future. If this was a typical wuxia or xianxia story, I would have assmed that Qing Xin Xia was somehow in love with me. Fortunately, I wasn't deluded enough to think reality would conveniently work out in the same way. For one thing, Qing Xin Xia was in love with my friend, Zhu Jiao – the real protagonist of any wuxia or xianxia story. And for another, she was just feeling guilty for what her senior did. Furthermore, I knew from years of being her classmate what kind of person Qing Xin Xia was.

She was among the kindest, most gentle and nicest girls in class…no, even in Wu Ling Academy. She would not hesitate to help anyone, not only me.

"Are you all right?" Zhu Jiao asked, concerned, as he helped her up.

Qing Xin Xia staggered for a moment before she straightened up and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm all right. I just need a bit of rest."

"Xin Xia used most of her qi to heal Wu," Tang Qi Hong explained, her tone somewhat grudging. No doubt she wished she could have done more, and she felt a little guilty for doubting Qing Xin Xia. "She's exhausted. We should take her back to the dormitory to rest."

"Yeah, let's do that," Lian Rou agreed.

"Thanks again," I told Qing Xin Xia, who smiled weakly.

"I'm just glad that you're all right."

"Yeah."

I wasn't sure what else to say.

"All right," Tang Qi Hong cut in before we could prolong the conversation pointlessly. "Xin Xia needs to rest, so Lian Rou and I will bring her back."

"I'll count on you two then," Zhu Jiao said as he relinquished his support of Qing Xin Xia to the other two girls.

"We should return to the dormitory too," Ban Zhang proposed. "Wu still needs to rest, and I think Jiao should want to prepare for his match against Bai Ning Xue tomorrow."

"Good point!" Tong Xue agreed.

"Then we'll see you tomorrow!" Lian Rou waved with one hand while using the other to support a tired Qing Xin Xia.

"Make sure you win tomorrow!" Tang Qi Hong told Zhu Jiao, who smiled in reply. She glanced at me, and I suddenly understood her gaze.

I had promised Tang Qi Hong that I would take revenge for her against Bai Ning Xue. But if Zhu Jiao got to fight Bai Ning Xue first, then of course, it would be best if he defeated her. Zhu Jiao was our friend, and we both hoped for his victory.

Tang Qi Hong probably didn't mind who won against Bai Ning Xue as long as the latter was defeated. Even though I made that promise, it wasn't necessary that I had to absolutely fight against Bai Ning Xue.

Of course, if Zhu Jiao lost tomorrow, then it would be up to me to take revenge for both Tang Qi Hong and Zhu Jiao. However, I hoped he won. He was one of my best friends, after all. And he had his own promise that he made to Bai Ning Xue.

If he won, Bai Ning Xue would become his lover.

Of course I would be rooting for Zhu Jiao. Wasn't that romantic? Defeating your crush in a tournament final (or semifinal in this case) and winning not just the match but her heart as well. Okay, some people might find it problematic that Zhu Jiao had to prove that he was worthy of Bai Ning Xue by defeating her in a duel and proving his strength (like "why does the guy have to be stronger? Is it a problem if the girl is stronger?" or something like that). But that was the resolve and decision both Zhu Jiao and Bai Ning Xue came to, and I was in no position to criticize them.

Against that kind of romantic promise between childhood sweethearts, my promise to Tang Qi Hong about revenge seemed tiny. I didn't care if that promise was broken as long as Zhu Jiao could fulfil his promise without getting his heart broken.

I didn't want to end up in a situation where I had to get revenge for him as well.

Tang Qi Hong seemed to share that sentiment too, but she obviously couldn't voice that out. Neither of us could. We didn't want to jinx Zhu Jiao. Hell, the moment I thought about all this, I was already raising a revenge flag for myself and a defeat flag for Zhu Jiao. Then again, Zhu Jiao was the protagonist, so perhaps he could overturn fate and defeat Bai Ning Xue against all odds. I really hoped that was the case.

For now, Tang Qi Hong and I exchanged glances and nodded. She then turned away to escort the exhausted Qing Xin Xia along with Lian Rou, apologizing to the gentle, black-haired girl as she did so. She must have felt bad for doubting the Green Dragon Sect disciple, especially when the latter really intended well.

"Let's go."

I nodded as I turned toward my friends. We began our long, arduous journey back home. Or so I thought…but it was only a short journey back to the dormitory. However, never mind that, because I noticed something was amiss.

*

Bai Ning Xue pursed her lips as she watched her beloved Zhu Jiao stroll toward the dormitory with his friends. Of interest was…me, for some reason. I didn't know why, but she was staring intently at me.

Okay, I did know why. It had something to do with "that night" one month ago, when Lightning Tiger…I mean Lei Yong Chun attacked Wu Ling Academy. Of course you have no idea what I was talking about. I haven't narrated that part of the story yet. It'll come in the form of a flashback after the tournament arc, I promise.

"Why are you mumbling to yourself?" Tong Xue asked me with a frown. I waved my hands hastily, embarrassed at being caught.

"No, I wasn't talking to myself."

"Huh? Were you talking to us then?" Zhu Jiao asked. I shook my head.

"No. I was talking to those existences beyond the fourth wall."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ban Zhang demanded, annoyed. "Fourth wall? What existences?"

"You know…if this is a story, there will be people beyond this universe reading about our adventures."

Everyone stared at me as if I had gone insane. I sighed and shook my head. Of course they wouldn't believe me.

"Even if that's the case, why are you talking to people beyond the fourt wall?" Tong Xue inquired, thoroughly amused.

"The fourth wall exists to be broken," I explained.

"Uh…okay…"

Zhu Jiao didn't know how to respnd to that. He exchanged a glance with the other two, and they seemed to silently agree to stop talking about this. Evidently they assumed I was in some chuunibyou phase.

They might be right, actually. Except that I knew that you guys were real. Okay, okay. You guuys are probably getting irritated by now. Anyway, back to the main point, I could sense Bai Ning Xue watching us from far away, and so I glanced back.

"!"

Bai Ning Xue retreated out of sight, stunned that I noticed her presence. Cursing, she slid down the verdana she was perched on and slumped against the wall, blocked from my view.

Of course, that was referring only to my visual sight. In terms of my Heaven and Earth qi sense, I could continue to keep track of her presence.

"Wu? Are you all right? What are you looking at?" Zhu Jiao caught my gaze and turned his eyes toward Bai Ning Xue's position. But as well hidden as she was, he couldn't see anything. My friend then turned to grin at me mischievously. "Don't tell me you're looking at those existences beyond the fourth wall that you were talking about earlier."

"No, I'm looking at your girl. She's been staring at us for a while now."

"My girl?" Zhu Jiao's grin faded away, replaced by a perplexed frown. I sighed, wondering just how dense he could be.

"Bai Ning Xue."

"Huh? Why would she be staring at us?" Zhu Jiao asked, confused. I suppressed another sigh, wondering why I put up with this.

"Maybe she got concerned when Qing Xin Xia got too close to you?"

"Why would she be concerned about Xin Xia?"

"Dude, are you honestly asking us that?" Tong Xue blurted out in disbelief. Zhu Jiao cocked his head to the side as he stared at him.

"Um…yeah? Do you guys know something that I don't?"

"Give up, you two. He's a lost cause." Ban Zhang placed a hand on both my and Tong Xue's shoulders and led us away. He glanced at Zhu Jiao. "It's getting late, so we should just go back to the dormitory for now."

"Hey! Wait! You haven't answered my question yet! What's going on between Ning Xue and Xin Xia?"

We ignored him and walked toward the dormitory. Zhu Jiao blustered and blubbered, but none of us caved in. eventually we reached the dormitory and parted ways at the lobby. Our rooms were located in separate segments of the dormitory, so it only made sense for us to split up in the lobby. Waving goodbye, I watched as my three friends headed in their separate directions, and then I made a 180 degree turn and exited the dormitory.

"I know you're there."

"…I can't escape your notice, can I?" Bai Ning Xue signed in resignation as she slid out from the trees and landed gracefully on the ground. Folding her arms, she glared at me. Not at all intimidated, I met her gaze evenly.

"So? What does the rich little mistress of the Bai Clan want with me?"

"You…when will you fight seriously?"

"I have always been fighting seriously," I replied with an upward push of my glasses. "I don't care if you believe me or not, but I've never been holding back."

"Don't lie! I saw you use that technique against…"

"That is not a technique I can use against my schoolmates," I interrupted her. "This is a tournament, not a life-and-death battle. There is no reason for me to kill my opponents…not unless I'm cornered to the point of death."

"You were driven to that point a few times," Bai Ning Xue pointed out acidly. I merely smiled.

"No. I was never in any danger of being killed. Severely injured, yes. Losing a battle, yeah. But not to the point where I would die."

Even Li Chun Long's sneak attack wouldn't have killed me. It would have injured me seriously, but I would have survived. I had endured worse attacks and lived through them. A mere inconvenience, but not absolute termination.

"There's no point using a missile to blow an enemy up when a pistol will suffice," I added coolly. Bai Ning Xue stared at me blankly.

"Missile? Pistol?"

Oh, right. In this timeline, there was no need to develop firearms and projectiles because people could shoot qi out of their hands.

"Never mind. Anyway, unless you want me to call Zhu Jiao for you, then I'll be returning to my room."

Bai Ning Xue blushed faintly at that. "There is no need to. If I want to speak with Jiao, I will contact him directly myself."

"Ah, I see."

Actually, I didn't, but I didn't care. Bai Ning Xue's relationship with Zhu Jiao was none of my business. Of course, I'll support my friend in pursuing his romance with his childhood sweetheart, but that was as far as my interference went. Anything else, Zhu Jiao had to deal with it himself. I could be his wingman, but he had to pilot his own plane himself.

I was about to leave when something caused me to freeze. A faint rustling in the trees, a monstrous presence that seemed to permeate the atmosphere and suffocate me.

"!!!"

Bai Ning Xue seemed to have noticed it too. Whirling around, lightning ignited in both her hands and she threw a bolt of lightning at one of the trees, incinerating it. An inhuman howl screeched across the courtyard and a charred corpse tumbled out of the disintegrated tree.

"That's…"

Bai Ning Xue never got to finish her sentence. Five more of the hideous things leaped out, screeching as they slashed their claws at her. Bai Ning Xue threw both of her hands out and electrocuted another two of them, but the remaining three pounced on her.

Shing!

They never reached her. Instead, all three of them were encased in blocks of ice, suspended in space with their grotesque expressions frozen in place.

"What the fuck are those?" I murmured as I studied them. They looked like dragons, yet…they didn't seem like dragons at all. It was as if some child had tried to carve a dragon out of wood, and ended up with a monstrous puppet with claws, teeth and a semblance of a tail. Half tree and half dragon, the hybrid creatures were ugly abominations seemingly drawn from the most nightmarish imaginations of a psychotic individual.

"Treegons," Bai Ning Xue replied as she studied them. With a swing of her hand, she shattered the frozen Treegons, erasing them from existence.

"Hey!" I protested.

"You didn't need to save me. I could have handled them fine." Bai Ning Xue paused for a moment but before I could retort, she continued. "All the same, thank you for your assistance."

"No…I mean…"

Caught off guard, I stammered. However, Bai Ning Xue was no longer paying any attention to me. She was studying the charred remains of the monsters she had just obliterated, a frown crinkling her pretty face.

"You should be careful."

"Huh?" I uttered, bewildered by her sudden change in topic. She nodded and straightened up, her expression more certain now.

"They were aiming for you. In fact, they would have attacked you…but I triggred a response when I attacked one of them and they shifted their target to me momentarily." She almost smirked, the first time I saw such a human expression on the ice princess. "That was the worst mistake they made in their lives. No…" she turned to me, a hint of a smile spreading across her face. "The second-worst mistake."

"What's the worst?" I just had to ask.

"Attacking you."

I guess I should feel flattered, but at the moment I was more disturbed by the possibility that these Treegons were sent to attack me. Bai Ning Xue had a point. Prior to this, I sensed that their killing intent was directed at me, not her. As she pointed out, their killing intent only shifted to her when she slew one of them.

Just who would…?

However, before I got to that…

"How did they even get inside the academy in the first place? Shouldn't there be a barrier keeping them out?"

"They didn't come from outside," Bai Ning Xue replied as she nudged the pile of ash with the toe of her shoe. I stared at her for a moment, horror dawning on me when I realized what she meant.

"They came from inside the academy?" I blinked, trying to absorb the information. "How the hell…?"

"Treegons are a special type of familiar that can only be controlled and employed by the Green Dragon Sect leader and his successor." Bai Ning Xue looked at me gravely. "I know because the White Tiger Sect has something similar."

"The successor to the Green Dragon Sect leader…" even as I uttered those words, a figure was already appearing in my mind.

Bai Ning Xue nodded. "That's correct. In other words…it seems that Li Chun Long is trying to assassinate you."

Chapter end