"Let us go," Kazel said, turning to glance at her, then activating his wrist-mounted livestream device.
This blasted academy never ceased to create extra trouble: forcing contestants to stream every moment, then suddenly changing the rules. It was enough to fray anyone's nerves.
[Wow, what did they just discuss? They only opened the stream for a moment and then walked off together?][I also want to know what they said. How did their relationship suddenly accelerate so quickly?][Kazel, you cannot do that! Did you forget the princess? How can you be with this ugly man?][Waaah, I had just started shipping Kazel with the princess—will this end in a breakup so soon? I cannot handle this!][Kazel, give me back my CP!]
"I am going back now," Mu Qingyun said without looking back, striding off toward the cave entrance.
"All right, ugly one. Until we meet again," Kazel called after her, the emphasis on "ugly one" heavy and deliberate, as though savoring the insult.
"Hmph. More likely, we shall never meet again," Mu Qingyun retorted through gritted teeth, casting him one last gaze. She decided that, since he was a rare merman, she would not fuss over insults so trivial.
"How can it be never? I still need you to help me," Kazel muttered softly as her figure receded, a fleeting glint of cold intention in his eyes.
[Kazel, tell us what you said!][Perhaps he whispered that he has fallen for Mu Qingyun.][That is impossible. Did you hear him call Mu Qingyun "ugly one"? Besides, Kazel clearly adores the princess—his orientation seems perfectly normal. Stop inventing CPs.]
Mu Qingyun returned to the cave empty-handed. Yet this expedition had not been entirely fruitless: at least she could set a trap for those three.
With enough poison scattered in their resting spots, those who had struggled even with standard virtual creatures might find themselves ill-equipped to defend against an onslaught. And if Mu Xueyao's group were eliminated here, it would be a lifelong disgrace for a daughter of the empire.
"Cough, cough, cough…" Su Qi Luo coughed weakly, feigning illness so convincingly that he seemed on the verge of collapse.
"You all right?" Mu Qingyun asked, concern in her voice. She had just returned to find him in this state—had a virtual creature attacked the cave in her absence?
"I am feeling unwell," Su Qi Luo said plaintively, leaning against her for support.
"'Unwell'?" Mu Qingyun frowned. Yesterday he had seemed perfectly fine.
"I am not skilled in medicine," she said, attempting to take his pulse as a court physician might. She felt his strong heartbeat but could discern nothing else.
"Perhaps the damp cold air has made me ill." The sickly expression on Su Qi Luo's face was so pitiable that Mu Qingyun's heart contracted in sympathy. He looked exactly like her younger brother when he fell ill.
"Be good. Do not fret. Lean close to me, and I will keep you warm," she murmured, echoing the words she had once used to comfort her brother.
In that moment, she felt someone's gaze burning into her back. Mu Qingyun glanced up to see Kazel's eyes fixed upon them with an unreadable expression.
I was worried he might have seen through my disguise… she thought, tightening her hold on Su Qi Luo.
"Kazel, could you hold him for me?" she finally asked, though her voice still quivered with uncertainty.
"No," Kazel replied immediately, stepping back. His normally warm, almost indulgent expression vanished, replaced by visible discomfort.
He refuses? Mu Qingyun stared at him in disbelief. They had grown closer, but this was unexpected.
"Then I refuse," Su Qi Luo said, his voice suddenly firmer. "I am male, and I prefer women. I would feel sick if he held me."
[What? He prefers women? My heavens, Su, you have destroyed so many CP ships in a single line!][Hold on: if Su only accepts being held by Mu Qingyun but not Kazel, does that not suggest that he perceives her as "female," even though she is disguised as a male?][OMG, I am shipping Su × Mu now—this is so sweet!][Stop fantasizing, you lot.]
The comment section erupted, some fans cheering, others vehemently denying any romantic entanglements. Su Qi Luo paid no mind. He had only feigned illness to avoid the morning drills, and now Kazel's refusal to embrace him only furthered his irritation.
Yet Kazel's remark also startled Mu Qingyun. She, too, was in male disguise—how had Su Qi Luo become certain of her true gender?
"Su, you are cold," Mu Qingyun murmured, pressing her body closer to his and igniting a small flame to warm them both. The damp chill of the cave only deepened the warmth around them.
Watching this intimate tableau, Kazel backed away in silent astonishment. Could Su Qi Luo actually be attracted to a man?
Despite the buzzing gossip online, Su Qi Luo simply refused to allow Kazel to hold him. He bore that chilly glare as if it were inflicted by some unseen blow.
[Wait—did anyone see that look of disdain on Kazel's face?][I have it on good authority: Su × Kazel is a ship—Su only accepts such closeness from Mu Qingyun, which means he is gay?][Stop, you filthy shippers!][Whatever. Su × Mu forever!]
By dawn, Su Qi Luo had quietly swallowed a "weakness" capsule that rendered his complexion deathly pale—a trick he had prepared to avoid the early-morning drills. When Mu Qingyun awoke, she found him lying there as if gravely ill.
She sat up with a start. "Su, what has happened? Wake up! You must not die—you dying would cause our entire team to be eliminated."
Su Qi Luo cracked open one eye. "I am not dead," he said in a weak voice.
"I did not expect you to die, but surely you would at least look more pained?" he added with a touch of wounded pride.
Mu Qingyun paused, perplexed by his remark, then focused on his ashen face. "You are not well. I do not want you to risk training today."
"I am indeed unwell," Su Qi Luo whispered. "I cannot train this morning." He propped himself up against her for support.
Mu Qingyun nodded and settled back onto her makeshift bedding, concerned.
"Hide your expression. Remember that your every move is broadcast," Kazel called from the back of the cave.
Su Qi Luo stiffened for a moment before easing into a more pitiful posture, clutching his blanket and breathing with exaggerated difficulty.
Mu Qingyun turned to him. "Do not stray from the appearance of a helpless patient—especially before I wake. Your disguise must remain complete."
Su Qi Luo lifted his head slightly, noticing Kazel's presence. "But Kazel, he will see me like this."
"Does that matter? He will understand it is for the show," Mu Qingyun replied, stabbing a finger at his chest. "Just do not break character."
From a hidden vantage point, Kazel observed them both with a faint, inscrutable smile.