Chapter Thirty-One: The Scorpion Tattoo

Hei Yu nearly stumbled, “What? You broke through as well!” His plan to humiliate Yi Xin had clearly fallen through.

“Our class’s Shen Zai Guo, has broken through to the mid-stage?” Teacher Shi’s face lit up with joy when he heard this, turning to say, “Yi Xin, Shen Zai Guo, you two are the earliest in the entire grade to reach the mid-stage! Truly worthy of being my students!” His thick brows arched upward, full of pride.

“Wow… The mid-stage already, that’s so fast, and it’s only been a few days since the semester started.” The students cast envious glances their way.

Yi Xin was used to such looks, paying them no mind. From a young age, he had always been outstanding among his peers—whether in exam scores or the speed of his progress, he always amazed others. Yet he knew well that these achievements were far from enough.

“Compared to that person, I’m still worlds apart…” he thought to himself, the silhouette of a man with long black hair flashing through his mind. “My breakthrough is still too slow—according to my plan, by the end of the first academic year, I must reach the late-stage of Mage. My goal is far beyond anything these people could imagine.”

As they walked, Shen Zai Guo’s face looked pale, as though she was exhausted from today’s exertions.

“Brother Hei Yu, you and Sister Xiao Lei go ahead and have dinner. I’d like to return to the dorm to rest a bit,” she said softly.

“Oh, alright.” Hei Yu noticed something was off about her, but didn’t press further.

After dinner, intending to train in Twilight Forest, Hei Yu—along with Ling Xiao Lei as usual—headed toward Shen Zai Guo’s “luxury dormitory.”

The dragon clan’s guards had gradually become more comfortable with the magic academy’s environment, and most had withdrawn. Uncle Shen Mu, with his two drooping mustaches, had returned to Dragon Island, leaving only one or two guards standing duty below.

Yet as the two reached the door, they encountered Bai Sheng Ye emerging from the first-floor entrance.

He carried a medical kit, closed the door behind him, and walked with his head down, muttering incessantly, not noticing them at all:

“Detox herbs, Ice Mountain Snow Lotus, Ice Soul Flower—I do have some on hand… Illusion Spirit Herb, that’ll clear toxins lingering in the body… As for replenishing vitality, Soul Grass will do… Only, Soul Grass is hard to find, and there’s nothing to substitute…”

Ling Xiao Lei had never seen him so obsessed with anything, and gently cleared her throat:

“Ahem! You lecherous doctor, sneaking out of the princess’s chamber—what exactly were you doing?”

Bai Sheng Ye looked up, his brow arching as he spotted them. The previous thoughtful expression vanished, replaced by his usual flippant demeanor.

“Well, well, the dark elf beauty, and that guy pretending to be the princess’s friend. Hey, stop right there, where are you going? Planning to disturb the princess’s rest again?” He spread his arms, blocking their path.

“How come you can visit the princess, and we can’t?” Ling Xiao Lei straightened her back, speaking with righteous indignation.

“I’m the princess’s private physician, of course I can come and go as I please. Unless you don’t mind throwing yourself into my arms, you’re welcome to try another step forward.” Bai Sheng Ye’s narrow eyes gleamed with mischief.

Ling Xiao Lei took a step back, unwilling to argue with him.

Hei Yu spoke in a low voice, “We have something important to discuss with Fire Dragon Fruit. Please step aside.”

Bai Sheng Ye raised a finger, wagging it left and right. “The princess just took my restorative herbal soup and has gone to sleep. There’s a sedative in it, so she’ll likely sleep until dawn. She’s my patient—I have to take responsibility for her well-being. You two should give up any plans of seeing her tonight.”

Hei Yu and Ling Xiao Lei exchanged glances.

“What did you say—Fire Dragon Fruit is ill?” Hei Yu pressed.

“And you call yourselves her friends? You didn’t even notice her health deteriorating.” Bai Sheng Ye’s eyes were reproachful. “I kept wondering why she was suddenly so weak—turns out you’ve been dragging her into training all day. Though she’s a dragon, the princess has always been frail. The blood sacrifice technique she uses in battle drains her vitality most of all. To keep up with your progress, she’s been pushing herself beyond her limits these days—her body can’t take it anymore.”

Hei Yu finally realized that Shen Zai Guo’s pallor today was due to exhaustion from training.

“If you’re truly her friends, you should know what to do now.”

With that, Bai Sheng Ye strode past them.

Ling Xiao Lei was filled with guilt. She gazed at the second-floor balcony, where the soft drapes swayed gently at the window. “No wonder I’ve sensed Shen Zai Guo forcibly using blood sacrifice to boost her strength lately. She’s growing weaker each day, afraid of holding us back, so she kept silent.”

“Let her rest for a day. We’ll talk to her tomorrow. And today, we can finally deal with the vermin who’ve been tailing us.”

Ling Xiao Lei immediately understood—her senses had long detected pursuers behind them. With Shen Zai Guo present and their focus on Twilight Forest, they hadn’t addressed the issue.

Hei Yu and Ling Xiao Lei left through the school gates, their hands already conjuring staffs. They exchanged a meaningful glance, each knowing the other’s intent. Instead of heading for the hills, they purposely walked toward a secluded neighborhood, hoping to lure their enemies there.

Under the twilight’s golden glow, the streets were peaceful, the residents living unhurried lives. They passed through a block of homes, arriving at the rear, and stopped in a cramped alley. High walls flanked them, piled with clutter and garbage bins—few people ever came this way.

“Come out,” Hei Yu said.

Several swift figures flashed into the alley.

“Hehehehe…” A chilling, sinister laughter echoed, tinged with manic excitement. “My long-sought specimens—I’ve finally found you again! Come with me, together we’ll create the strongest potion!”

Hei Yu’s brows furrowed. He turned to see three people behind him, all clad in laboratory white coats. The leader’s cheeks were gaunt, his face stretched tightly over bone, eye sockets sunken, skin sickly pale, and his gray-white hair wildly unkempt.

The other two were more muscular, each gripping a gleaming scalpel, and both bore identical scorpion tattoos on their faces.

Seeing their attire, Hei Yu’s mind reeled, but he quickly regained composure. Everything before him awakened the darkest, most terrifying memories buried deep within his soul.

“A laboratory, scalpels, and that familiar laughter… I can’t recall exactly who they are, but they must be connected to the mystery of my origins,” he thought.