Chapter 6: Taken Away Right After Registration?

Even though Fang Qingyun was ranked near the bottom in cohort, he was quite popular among his peers, with a huge circle of friends.

He was a very honest and upstanding person, and many people were fans of his personality.

He most likely wasn't going to amount to much, inhibited by his limited aptitude, but it was still nice to befriend someone so honest and reliable.

Hence, whenever Fang Qingyun made his daily trip to check if his cousin had arrived, he would always be accompanied by a large group of friends.

"How handsome is he?" one of the girls asked. "Let's say compared with Dong Yunyu, Wu Zhibing, Hua Kaixie, and Jun Hefang?"

These four were all top-tier prodigies of White Cloud Warrior Academy, and they possessed looks and aptitude in equal measure, having already forged stellar reputations for themselves.

It was said that Dong Yunyu would be able to directly join the Protection Army following his graduation next year, and the sky was the limit as far as he was concerned.

These four men were also idolized by countless female warriors, who, despite their warrior status, weren't much different from the average young woman when it came to personality.

A wry smile appeared on Fang Qingyun's face as he replied, "He doesn't lose to them in the looks department, but when it comes to confidence, disposition, cultivation base..."

His voice trailed off there, but the point had already been made.

There were countless handsome men in the world, but very few who had it all.

Judging from Fang Qingyun's description, his cousin was just an ordinary person that had been blessed with a handsome exterior.

Right at this moment, a black-robed young man approached the entrance of the warrior academy from afar.

This was the academy's southern entrance, and the sun had just risen in the early morning.

The golden embroidery on the young man's black cloak was rippling under the light of the rising sun as he walked along.

His skin was as fair and flawless as jade, his brows resembled sharp swords, his eyes deep ponds filled with starry light. He had a proportionate and athletic build, and there was a longsword hanging from his waist.

There was an aura of unshakeable calmness about him, but it was accompanied by a sense of peerless sharpness and determination.

He was like a man who had walked straight out of a dream, and all of the female students present instantly had their attention drawn to him.

Truly, it was as if they were seeing the perfect male protagonist of their dreams.

"Who's that?"

"Is he a newbie here for registration?"

"Oh my God, I'm about to die..."

"Which newbie is he? Surely we would've heard of someone like him!"

"Cousin!" Fang Qingyun called out in an excited manner.

He had completed the mission assigned to him by his father, which meant that he would be spared a beating.

He jogged toward Fang Che, calling out his name while waving to catch his attention, leaving behind all of his stunned friends.

This was the cousin that was supposed to have had nothing but looks, the same one that Fang Qingyun was always talking about beating some sense into once he grew up?

Everyone turned to Fang Qingyun with puzzled expressions.

Wasn't he renowned in the cohort for his honesty and reliability? Why had he told such a blatant lie?

Of course, it was impossible to tell his cultivation base and aptitude just by looking at him, but his physical appearance and disposition were both near unmatched.

In fact, while the likes of Jun Hefang, Wu Zhibing, and Hua Kaixie had a noble aura about them thanks to their privileged upbringings, in terms of disposition alone, they were nowhere near as confident and composed as this cousin of Fang Qingyun's.

It was the confidence and composure of a man who had seen it all, and it was not something that one could simply replicate.

In fact, everyone was struck by the feeling that they were in the presence of the dean or some other top-ranking figure of the academy.

People like him were all destined to reach unmatched heights!

***

A warm smile appeared on Fang Che's face at the sight of Fang Qingyun.

"It's been a while, Cousin."

"What did you just call me?" Fang Qingyun asked as his eyes widened in shock.

Was this still the same cousin that he had always known and not necessarily loved? Why was he suddenly so polite and warm?

"Cousin, of course," Fang Che replied with his brows slightly furrowed. "What am I supposed to call you? Uncle?"

There it is! That's the type of snarky response I expect to hear from him!

"You're still my cousin, after all. I thought you were someone else just now," Fang Qingyun said with a relieved smile.

“......”

As they were chatting with one another, the dozens of students behind Fang Qingyun had already gathered around the two of them, and all of them were looking at Fang Che with intrigued expressions.

In particular were the female students, of which there were only a few present, but they looked as if they wanted to gobble Fang Che up there and then.

"You must be Fang Che, right? My name is Liu Xueyun, and I'm in the same cohort as your cousin," one of the female students said with a pair of flushed cheeks.

"Nice to meet you, Senior Sister Liu," Fang Che greeted.

A wide smile appeared on Liu Xueyun's face as she replied, "There's no need to be so formal with me, just call me Big Sister Yun or Big Sister Xueyun."

Another girl puffed out her chest slightly, then said in a timid manner, "Hello, Fang Che, my name is Wang Bingbing. You can call me Big Sister Bingbing."

Before long, around thirty to forty people had either introduced themselves to him, or were introduced to him by Fang Qingyun.

He was starting to grow quite weary of the introductions, but of course, he didn't show it, and his manners and etiquette remained immaculate.

There was one girl that merely watched him with a smile this entire time and didn't make an effort to introduce herself.

Initially, Fang Che paid her no heed, merely nodding and smiling in her direction to be polite, but he quickly noticed that even though she was smiling, it didn't reach her eyes, which were very cold and inhospitable.

In his past life, Fang Che had become very proficient at noticing the emotions of everyone around him in complex situations, and this small detail certainly didn't escape his notice.

After taking another glance at the girl, he discovered that she seemed to have been mindfully keeping her distance from everyone, but not to a point that it was unnatural.

It seemed that she really wanted to fit in, but was unable to, not because she was being ostracized, but instead because she was ostracizing herself.

In the eyes of the average seventeen-year-old boy, they would've only regarded her as a little cold and aloof, but in Fang Che's eyes, this woman was very abnormal. She was among friends, yet she seemed to be averse to all of them.

Humans were social creatures, so everyone at least had a desire for friendship.

If someone were hanging out with a group of people, but remained unable to fit in, then it was often the case that they were the problem, not the group at large.

It was like a wolf infiltrating a pack of dogs. Regardless of how much they disguised themselves and wanted to fit in, they always knew deep down that they were not the same kind, and Fang Che had spotted her right away.

Compared with the spies that he had dealt with in his past life, these academy students were still far too inept.

After greeting everyone, he intentionally approached the girl as he smiled and said, "Did you bring everyone here just for me, Cousin? I have to say, I'm really honored. Big Sister Xueyun, Big Sister Bingbing, and... This is the first time that I've been welcomed by so many beautiful women!"

He was looking at the girl of interest as he spoke, sending a signal to everyone that he still didn't know her name.

A chorus of laughter rang out, while Fang Qingyun introduced, "This is Wan Zhimei. She's a classmate of mine."

"Nice to meet you, Big Sister Wan," Fang Che greeted with a smile.

Wan Zhimei merely smiled and nodded in response.

Fang Che committed this name to memory, then jibed, "I didn't think my cousin would be so popular at the academy. Before I came here, my uncle was really worried, telling me that my cousin's aptitude and personality are both not that great, so he probably doesn't have many friends. I better go tell him next that he has nothing to worry about!"

Fang Qingyun was completely rooted to the spot.

What happened to that sharp tongue of yours? You're making me look like a liar right now!

"You seem to have grown a lot taller," Fang Qingyun remarked with a hint of envy in his voice, suddenly noticing that Fang Che had outgrown him.

"I'm about 183 centimeters right now," Fang Che replied with a smile as he made a show of looking down at Fang Qingyun.[1]

Fang Qingyun was rather disgruntled by this, and he took a few steps backward, suddenly struck by the urge to give Fang Che a beating.

With that, everyone accompanied Fang Che to the registration office.

"I'm here for registration."

"Name?"

"Fang Che."

"Fang Che?"

The administrative staff in the office instantly fell silent, much to the surprise of Fang Qingyun and all of his friends.

What's going on?

This was the first time they had seen something like this happen.

Immediately thereafter, they saw several figures rise up from within the academy before flying onto the scene from afar.

It was a group of administrators led by the superintendent, and shortly after their arrival came none other than the assistant dean.

Everyone hurriedly extended respectful bows toward the dean, not daring to raise their heads.

What is he doing here? Did something happen?

"Which one of you is Fang Che?" the superintendent asked.

Fang Che was rather taken aback, but he still stepped forward as he declared, "I'm Fang Che."

"Alright, get him registered."

After the registration process was complete, the assistant dean instructed, "Come with me, Fang Che."

With that, Fang Che was taken away before he even had a chance to say anything to Fang Qingyun.

Fang Qingyun and all of his friends were left in a state of shock.

What just happened? Isn't this a little too grand a welcome? Hold on, something's not right... Why does it look like they're escorting a fugitive? Has he done something wrong?

1. Pretty much exactly six feet. ☜