Chapter Text
Once Xiao Jing’s wedding was out of the way, Xiao Jue had to return to school. He was now seated in the classroom, interested in his lessons for once rather than bored. His classmates all looked intrigued, too; they were all listening to the story of General Zhang. Most of his classmates were already nodding off to the story and even writing down important things. But as the story progressed, he realised how inhumane General Zhang was. Sure, he did his service, but he raised his sword upon the ones whom he was supposed to protect. And it made him a very grey hero, in his viewpoint, not even deserving of the fame he has gotten. Sure, he may have been outnumbered and surrounded, but surely there were better ways than putting innocents in danger to change the tide of the war.
“General Zhang used a few citizens as bait,” Master Wei narrated, his face grim. “It lacked compassion, but compared to losing the city, it was minor.”
“So, in crisis, we must make such a trade-off,” the Master advised the students, as many of them also accepted that theory. But Xiao Jue was dissatisfied, and when he subtly swept his gaze across the room, he noticed that yet another person seemed to be disappointed as well.
He Yan always wanted to fight for her nation, for the people, but making such a sacrifice was impossible for her. Not because she didn’t like people being harmed, but also because it went against everything she stood for. If one day she were given the chance to serve the country, she would do it even at the cost of her own life, because in her opinion, leaders were meant to lead by making themselves an example. Not by sacrificing unarmed and untrained civilians for the victory of the battle, because he could’ve used more wiser choices and more shrewd plans to change the tide.
Unbeknownst to her, Xiao Jue also mirrored the thoughts that went through his friend’s mind, because that is also what his father, General Xiao Zhongwu, taught both of them. Xiao Jue thought about how and what to do in such a situation; he would never hurt unarmed innocents. But his thought process was disturbed by the soft-spoken He Rufei’s voice, which held a sharper edge than usual. His posture was straighter than usual, and his doe-like eyes hid the rising anger that seemed to spill. No matter his inner turmoil, Xiao Jue saw that his “friend” was trying to be polite even at this moment.
“Sir, I hold a different view,” He began, “ I understand General Zhang, but if it were me, I would never act this way. I’d lead the remaining soldiers to fight the rebels at the city gates. The one who wields the sword must know whether the blade is meant for the enemy in front or the weak behind them.” He Rufei continued his boice growing more and more ambitious as his voice grew firmer with his flow of speech.
“I will never draw my sword against the weak!” He Rufei said in a voice that he always used whenever he talked against injustice. Xiao Jue felt proud to see how much his father’s teachings had left a mark on his friend’s mindset. Even Master Wei became more impressed with the innocent student who had a thirst for justice.
“That is an impressive mindset to have, young master He, I approve of it!” Master Wei said, his eyes showing a rare pride for the young boy, “If you become a general, there is no doubt you’ll be a marvelous one!” He praised, already knowing it would be true one day for sure, with the boy’s current strength.
Xiao Jue kept looking at his friend, could he even call him that, because they hadn’t talked much, even during their classes, but they often did study and train together, so he could consider him a friend, right? Even he didn’t know the reason why accepting this annoying, stubborn, tiny boy was as easy as breathing to a person like him, who was often introverted and hated interactions with others. But when he looked at He Rufei, who just spoke some of the most inspiring words, he felt his heart beat a little louder than usual; maybe it was the rousing of his patriotic spirit, which was inherited by his father, a general, or maybe it was some other reason. He also saw how other students turned to look at the Young master He, in a different light, after the utterance of that comment.
Because, despite whatever resentment they have towards him, it could not be denied that what the boy told was wrong; in all honesty, it was one of the most inspiring things they’ve ever listened to. And it earned their respect, even in a small fraction. However, He Rufei didn’t seem to notice the stares; he went back to his book and kept studying the text to familiarize himself with the details of the lesson. And all Xiao Jue could think was how humble this classmate of his was, and he certainly did not focus on the way his head subtly tilted to the side and how his lips were curved into a slight pout while he concentrated. It made the boy's features look even softer than usual. Xiao Jue shook his head and scolded himself for thinking about such things. Why would he even be attracted to a person of his own gender? Was he not right? He was simply observing; anyone with eyes could see the fact that the young master had softer features, that’s it.
After the class was over, Xiao Jue observed how much like the earlier days He Rufei was practicing his sword skills; there were still a lot of errors, but it was definitely better than it was two weeks ago. Since He Rufei’s stature was small, his father decided that the normal skills would not be enough for him. So he started to teach He Rufei a fighting style utterly unique to the Xiao family, ‘The Qinlang swords fighting style’. Even though he was still unused to the remarkable weight of the gifted sword, which he treasured like his firstborn, much to Huaijin and his father’s amusement, he was now definitely improving. However, Xiao Jue never thought he’d have to stoop so low as to sneakily open another’s room to sneak in tutorial lesson papers to reference the fighting style his friend had to learn.
Callback to a week earlier
It was a week after Xiao family welcomed their new daughter-in- law, and Xiao Jue was already back in the academy, always the diligent student. General Xiao also came weekly to train He Rufei and his own son personally, and even the trainers and masters say nothing because there is no doubt that He Rufei can improve upto the point where he will be able to go toe-to-toe with the second young master of the Xiao family.
The boys were taught the art of Qinlang sword style; Xiao Huaijin was ofcourse flawless as the jade he’s named after, but He Rufei’s skills were still a bit rough and not polished enough. But Xiao Zhongwu saw the swiftness in the young boy's movements; if his footwork was improved, he would be swifter than a storm. He also observed the subtle sense of strategic thinking Rufei showed, and immediately decided that the boy needed to be taught battle strategies and formats more, as well as secret communication methods. His intuition told him that he would thrive in creating masterful strategies and swiftly executing them.
After the General left, giving the two students his blessing, and advising He Rufei to read more books regarding battle strategies and techniques, and advising his son to remain humble and learn at every instance possible. Even after the General left, He Rufei kept training, but Xiao Ju,e who had been watching from a distance, saw recurring flaws in his movements. Unable to watch it longer, he sneaked back into the dormitories, grabbed his illustrated version of the footwork, the movements of arms, and the control of the body when training for the art of Qinlang. He went as silently as he could to He Rufei’s after double-checking the fact that he was still training and absent from his room.
As a martial artist trained from a young age, Huaijin excelled at stealth and had no problem opening the side window of He Rufei’s quarters to place the references for He Rufei. And he sneaked back outas quickly as he could, he also placed a while ceramic bottle with the medicine he always used for instant relief, in which the pill had to be crushed and applied, not taken directly. He also sneaked a note stating the instruction, because he knew that his impulsive classmate would definitely swallow it. He knew that He Rufei was still adjusting to the sword’s weight and getting cramps in his muscles in his arms, because he kept wincing all the while he was training that day, and hoped this medicine would relieve them.
And when He Yan came to her room, she thought this was a kind gesture from her masters and expressed her sincere gratitude for the thoughtfulness. She did use the medicine, which worked like a charm. And she also used the reference material, and within a week, she did refer to them and train, making a lot of progress.
(back to present…)
Xiao Jue’s proud admiration was cut short by their classmate, Yan He, who was the only one who came close to Xiao Jue’s level. He was the one who always became the second in ranks only bc the latter could not easily be dethroned from his first position. He had an admiring view of Xiao Jue and could not understand why someone like him would go into such trouble to teach the lowest in the class. He had come across Xiao Jue sneaking in notes about sword fighting to He Rufei’s rooms and confronted Xiao Jue. But don’t reveal it under the promise that he will be able to spar with the best of the class often.
“Seriously, Huaijin!” Yan He began, “What do you see in him so much? He hasn’t improved in his grades ever since the last examination,” he complained in an exasperated tone.
“Mind your own business now, will you?” Xiao Jue snapped back in his usual cold voice, “Grades or ranks will not judge our future careers; he’s already full of potential, it’s not his fault that he was born to a scholarly family!” he defended.
“Whatever you say, Little Ice Cube.” Yan He scoffed as he walked away unbothered by Xiao Jue’s comments because he knew that the second young master Xiao had a soft spot for He Rufei, he’d always defend him no matter what. He walked away, leaving Xiao Jue to continue his observation of He Rufei, who was already showing rapid growth in his skills.
He observed that he no longer slouched, his face now radiated confidence, and his stances were all correct and stable. The footwork he displayed was genuinely breathtaking, especially for a student who had started training in such a short time. Qinglang was no longer just a weapon in He Rufei's hand; it moved swiftly in sync with his limbs. Of course, it wasn't flawless yet, but it was genuinely astonishing.
What was even more delightful to see was the excited little jump He Rufei made whenever he executed his moves correctly; it reminded Xiao Jue of a young foal, causing his lips to twitch upwards in a smile. He couldn't wait to tell his father about He Rufei's growth as a warrior; his father would undoubtedly be proud. Xiao Jue felt a surge of pride flow through him whenever he witnessed He Rufei's improvement.
As if on cue, He Rufei stopped his practice, reverently sheathed the sword, and stretched his arms and legs. His eyes snapped in Xiao Jue's direction, likely sensing someone was watching. Quickly, Xiao Jue moved into the shadows to avoid being seen, as the young master He’s awareness of his surroundings had noticeably improved, driven by his desire to master every skill as soon as possible. Truly, He Rufei exemplified the idea that effort is often more valuable than the goal itself; if you diligently follow the process, the goal will always be within reach.