Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 136 The Clouds and Mist Collapse, and the Rampaging Frost

The Royal Central Psionic Academy of Qiyue has never had a summer vacation.

News of the war in the south had long been a hot topic on campus. Every now and then, various official and unofficial, formal and informal battlefield intelligence would become the subject of heated discussions among the students.

Occasionally, there were also some true and false messages coming from unknown sources, stirring up the nerves of these passionate young men and women.

For example, the news that the Third Heavy Cavalry Regiment of Qiyue, the Silver Spears, was heading south to participate in the war yesterday instantly set the entire academy ablaze.

The young trainees' faces flushed red as they confirmed information with each other, slapping their still-not-so-strong bodies loudly. Some of the more excited trainees even jumped onto the instructor's lectern, shouting, "Kill those Southerners!"

A burst of frenzied screams and roars erupted from the audience.

Only a few direct descendants of truly noble families, high in line to the throne, stood far away from the crowd.

They exchanged views in low, calm, and rational voices, looking down at these "ignorant and ignorant children" with a touch of pity, using the "holistic perspective" they had learned from their parents.

Sure enough, by evening, the definite news came that the Third Heavy Cavalry Regiment had only sent a battlefield observation team, with a total number of less than one hundred people.

Feeling cheated, the trainees angrily overturned the tables in the cafeteria, shouting curses at those "weak thieves" and "traitorous parasites"!
Days passed by, and during this time, Liushuang received two letters from the territory.

The document was stamped with the seal of the territory. Although it contained only a few lines of text, its meaning left the little girl at a loss for words.

This is a formal letter from the territory, as well as an authorization document, declaring that Liushuang, who holds this authorization, as the twenty-second in line to inherit the title of Lord of Cloud Mist Territory, will automatically inherit the position of Lord of Cloud Mist Territory in the event of the Lord's death and the inability of all the previous twenty-one heirs to fulfill their duties.

This means the territory has prepared for the worst.

However, soon after, a handwritten letter from her father arrived.

In the letter, Earl Liuyun was full of confidence and told Liushuang not to worry, as he had already begun preparations after the last war and had even borrowed an elite cavalry force from the Duchy of Emerald in advance.

The first battle has been a resounding success. The enemy is now holed up in defense and has temporarily lost its offensive capabilities, so the territory is safe and secure.

At the end of the letter, Earl Liuyun revealed the true purpose of the letter.

"I previously arranged a good marriage for you. The other party is the offspring of a local noble family in the Sky Dome. Although he is just an ordinary heir, he is guaranteed at least a viscount title in the future."

"I've seen him; he seems honest enough that he can't bully you."

“I had brought it up a few times before, but they never agreed or disagreed, which suggests they looked down on us. However, a while ago, an elder from their family passed through Yunwu and brought it up again with me.”

"I guess they heard about your unicorn. I never imagined that our little princess would be more famous than her father."

"Although the other party has some interests to consider, which noble family doesn't act this way? In any case, the sky is always much safer than clouds or emeralds."

"As for Chen Mo, I can't see through him, but I always feel that he is soft-hearted and impulsive. Moreover, he lives in a drought-stricken area where there is no peace in the north or south, so he is not a suitable marriage partner."

"In short, I think you can get to know this arranged marriage first. If you don't dislike it and can finalize the matter, you can get some support from the Heavenly Vault from Father."

"Of course, if you really don't want to, then let's just drop this matter."

The little princess didn't catch a single word of what Earl Liuyun rambled on about afterward.

If it weren't for the final "that's it," Liushuang would probably have torn up the letter.

However, Earl Liuyun's impressive record brought Princess Liushuang a lot of popularity within the academy. Many students, having heard of the "Iron Wall of Clouds and Mist," would often come over to greet Liushuang during their free time.

With each battle report, the moment of truth finally arrived.

The academy's curriculum usually alternates between theoretical and practical courses. Because in the little princess's memory, the history course had been distorted beyond recognition by the Qiyue Dynasty, she stopped attending it long ago.

As a result, she missed the latest battle reports from the south.

Until the second practical lesson, when Liu Shuang entered the training ground on time and began to put on her protective gear, she had not yet noticed the strange looks and whispers behind her.

After her equipment was ready, she faced an unexpected opponent.

Lucia.

That disgusting guy who bullied himself terribly because his younger brother punched him, wanting to ruin his hair in foot combat and damage his warhorse in mounted combat.

He only got his revenge after acquiring a new mount.

This annoying girl disappeared from his sight. Not only did she avoid him on horseback, but she also avoided him on foot. She would even slip away silently wherever Liu Shuang appeared.

Liu Shuang had almost forgotten that this person existed.

Although a hint of doubt crossed her mind, Liu Shuang still maintained basic etiquette and gave her opponent a standard sword salute.

She gripped her training sword tightly with both hands, and just as she assumed a textbook starting stance, she saw Lucia slowly raise her mask, revealing a half-smile.

"I really underestimated you, little girl. Your country has already fallen and your family is destroyed, and instead of going to mourn your father, you still have the mood to practice your sword here?"

Liu Shuang was slightly taken aback, then replied in a cold voice, "Shut your filthy mouth! Cloud Mist Territory is fine, and my father is fine too! If you keep spouting nonsense, even if you're not wearing protective gear, I'll tear it to shreds!"

Lucia was taken aback for a moment, then looked at Liu Shuang a few more times before suddenly laughing.

"So you didn't know that!"

"Cloud Mist City is over. The battle report just came in today, it's official. Cloud Mist City has fallen. Cloud Mist Lord, your father is gone!"

"Poor little girl, don't you have many good friends at the academy? Didn't anyone tell you?"

The training ground suddenly fell silent.

Liu Shuang looked up at the group of classmates. The sympathetic looks they gave her made her suddenly realize that this might not be a malicious joke.

Finally, Liu Shuang turned her expectant gaze to her mentor.

This was a middle-aged swordsman. Because of his long face and the fact that he had lost most of his hair, the students secretly nicknamed him "Bald Big Horse."

Although this mentor was skilled in combat and taught quite diligently, he was timid and cowardly, and somewhat obsequious to noble and wealthy families.

When Lucia bullied Liu Shuang time and time again, he only dared to mutter quietly from the sidelines, "Between classmates...be mindful of boundaries..."

Seeing Liu Shuang's questioning gaze, "Bald Big Horse" hurriedly avoided eye contact, his Adam's apple bobbing a few times, his voice dry and trembling as he struggled to squeeze out a few words:
"Military...military headquarters battle report, Cloud Mist...Cloud Mist City...has indeed fallen, and the Lord of Cloud Mist...is dead..."

Liu Shuang felt a little dizzy, and everything around her suddenly seemed very far away.

The world seemed to lose weight and distort in an instant. The noisy sounds of the training ground, the metallic clang of armor, and even the instructor's stuttering words seemed to come through a thick water curtain, blurry, intermittent, and distorted.

It felt as if I was submerged in a sea, with the figures and sounds on the shore slightly distorted and blurred by the waves.

"Hey, hello!"

Several shouts from nearby pulled Liushuang back from her daze.

"Little girl, seeing how pitiful you look, I don't want to teach you a lesson today. Just admit defeat!"

"Your old man's gone, but you still have that little lover, right? I wonder how long his shabby territory will last..."

"Shut up!" Liu Shuang suddenly shouted, interrupting Lucia's mocking words, which seemed to carry a hint of pity.

"Come on, let's fight!"

"beat!"

Lucia sneered, pushed up her mask, and provocatively beckoned with her finger.

Unsurprisingly, Liu Shuang pounced on it like a raging little lion.

Seeing Liu Shuang's swordplay becoming completely chaotic, Lucia took a nimble step and unleashed a fierce horizontal slash with her training sword, aiming directly at Liu Shuang's wide-open abdomen.

Liu Shuang's figure vanished suddenly!
No, it didn't disappear! It was an eruption at the absolute limit! Like a volcano that had been accumulating energy for a long time finally finding an outlet!
"boom!"

A muffled sound!
Lucia's sword missed its mark. Liu Shuang had already crouched down and lunged in front of her, his shoulder armor slamming into her chest like a battering ram! Lucia felt an immense force surge through her, her vision went black, and she staggered backward uncontrollably, almost dropping her training sword!

Before she could even stand firm, Liu Shuang's attack came down like a storm!
The training sword, already an unsharpened blunt weapon, was now being used by Liu Shuang as a primal killing machine! Chopping, slashing, smashing, sweeping! No fancy moves, just the most direct and violent outburst of power!
Each strike was accompanied by a heavy thud, landing one after another on Lucia's protective gear—helmet, breastplate, arm guards—with a cacophony of impacts.

The protective gear deformed slightly, groaning under the strain! Lucia was completely stunned! Her prized skills were as fragile as paper toys in the face of absolute speed and ferocious power! She could only parry and retreat in vain, each collision leaving her arms numb and her internal organs trembling!
"Clang!"

A swift and cunning upward slash struck Lucia's hastily swung arm, the intense pain causing her to lose her grip on the hilt, and the training sword flew out in a spinning motion.

According to the rules, the outcome is already decided!
But Liu Shuang's movements did not stop at all! She used the hard end of the sword hilt to stab Lucia in the chest like a heavy hammer!

"Cough!" Lucia let out a short cry of pain, her body curling up like a shrimp.

Frost swooped in like a cheetah pouncing on its prey! This time, instead of using a sword, she punched her opponent directly in the chin below the neck guard with her left fist, sending him flying with a powerful uppercut.

Lucia let out a shrill scream, her whole body flying up and falling down, crashing heavily onto the cold, hard floor like a tattered sack, rolling several times before coming to a stop.

Ignoring the screams of the surrounding students and the fearful look in the instructor's eyes, Liu Shuang stepped forward and stomped on the other person's chest.

"I practice swordsmanship every day!"

"While you were playing and frolicking, I was practicing; while you were learning those hypocritical lies, I was practicing; while you were flirting with little boys, I was practicing my sword; and while you, you piece of trash, were laughing at me, I was still practicing my sword!"

"You! What do you have to compare with me?!"

With a low roar, Liu Shuang hooked her right foot, kicking Lucia's body halfway up from the ground, followed by a fierce whip kick that sent Lucia flying again.

“I have seen people who work harder than me. He led me out of the enemy's ranks, and I believe his territory will stand strong and outlive your dilapidated dynasty!”

"Liu Shuang, stop!"

The instructors on site shouted repeatedly, trying to persuade the enraged princess with words. According to the academy's combat rules, once one side discards its sword, it must stop attacking.

However, this "bald-headed Malaysian" couldn't persuade Lucia in the past, and naturally he can't persuade Liu Shuang now either.

Liu Shuang ignored her. She strode forward, grabbed Lucia by the neck guard, and lifted her off the ground like a chick! Then, a knee strike imbued with all her strength slammed into Lucia's ribs like a cannonball!

"Well--!"

Lucia's wailing stopped abruptly, her eyes rolled back, her body convulsed violently, and she slumped down limply.

This brutal beating caused all the trainees to take a few steps back, holding their breath and remaining silent, not daring to utter a sound.

Liu Shuang bent down, picked up Lucia by the neck and shook her to make sure she was no longer responding before casually letting go.

Lucia's head slammed heavily against the ground again, making a crisp "thud".

The trainees shrank back into the corner again.

So cruel!

This is like beating someone to death and then whipping their corpse!

"Bald Horse" watched as Liu Shuang went to remove her armor and neatly placed her training sword back on the weapon rack before tiptoeing over to Lucia and observing her.

Thankfully, he seems to still have a breath left.

A few minutes later, Liu Shuang walked out of the martial arts hall, and the healer who had been squatting in the corner rushed up to her.

The "bald-headed big horse" instructor followed closely behind, jogging a few steps along the tree-lined path of the academy before catching up with Liushuang.

He bent slightly, rubbing his hands, his face showing anxiety and unease, and whispered his advice:
"Um, Liu...Liu Shuang, your opponent is incapacitated. Your continued attack is definitely against the rules, and the academy might...may punish you!"

"However, the vice dean knows you well, so it shouldn't be a big problem. I'll testify for you then. It was... it was Lucia who provoked you with your father's matter, and you lost control of your emotions... and accidentally..."

"No need, teacher!"

Liu Shuang wrinkled her nose: "You've misunderstood. I didn't accidentally hurt her. I just wanted to beat her up!"

"I used to want to learn more at the academy, but now that I've decided to leave, what are we waiting for? Give me a good beating!"

The tutor was stunned: "You...where are you going?"

"Go home!" Liu Shuang looked up and gazed south.

"Actually, when my father died, I... wasn't particularly sad."

The girl's voice was very soft, like a feather slowly falling, drifting gently.

"He wasn't very good to me. Well... he wasn't good to my mother either."

"He only remembered his sons and his people. He didn't even remember my name until my elven aunt found me."

Two figures, one tall and one short, walked slowly along the tree-lined path of the academy, the setting sun casting dappled light and shadow through the dense foliage.

Having made the decision to leave, Liu Shuang let go of her inner turmoil and chatted casually with the mentor in front of her, who, although somewhat snobbish, had indeed taught her a lot.

“My mother was the best to me, but she died.”

“My father wasn’t very good to me before, but he got a little better later, and now he’s dead.”

“I used to have Aunt Linda and Uncle Peiwen who were very kind to me, but they are both dead.”

Liu Shuang stopped and gazed southward for a long time, her eyes sparkling with a light completely different from before.

"But I have to go back."

"When I left, Uncle Peiwen's brother had just joined the guard, Grandpa Locke's granddaughter had just started learning to read, Aunt Annie said she would make me new shoes, and Little Mushroom and the others promised to take good care of my mother's grave for me..."

"They are all people I need to take care of."

The bald mentor advised in a low voice, "Cloud Mist Territory has already been captured and is now enemy territory. It's too dangerous for you to go back!"

"Don't you know a very wealthy lord? He's been quite kind to you. Why don't you go find him and ask him to help you find the person, or to ransom the person you're looking for..."

Liu Shuang twirled her hair, which had just reached her ears, with her fingers: "Yes, he's been very good to me, but he's not from Cloud Mist Territory."

She raised her head, looked at her mentor, and said seriously, "Cloud Mist Territory is my home, not his. How can I drag him into this?"

She took a step forward and continued walking, her tone carrying an almost naive resolve.

"I'll go take a look myself first. I've been learning swordsmanship for so long, and I haven't even used it when the enemy comes to my door. When will I ever use it again?"

After walking a few more steps, and seeing that they were about to reach the girls' dormitory area, the bald-headed instructor stopped.

“Go back…be careful. You went too far today. Those people…they might retaliate. I’ll go find the vice dean later and ask him to send a female teacher to keep you company. Don’t go out without a tutor these next few days!”

Liu Shuang suddenly realized that her usually timid and obsequious mentor had unusually followed her for such a long distance today because he was worried that she would be targeted for revenge by those noble children.

"I'm leaving now. I'll go back and grab my things and leave. I probably won't be coming back again. Don't worry, I won't run into those people."

"Thank you!"

Liu Shuang bowed, said goodbye, and turned to leave when "Bald Big Horse" suddenly called him back.

"Frost Flows!"

Liu Shuang turned around in confusion.

"Ok?"

The bald mentor slowly crossed his hands, a solemn expression he had never shown before. He took a deep breath, as if making a firm decision, and slowly began to speak:
"Although I have taught you many classes, they were all formal swordsmanship classes in the academy."

"I... I have some 'tricks' that I learned from fighting on the battlefield. They're not exactly honorable things, and the academy doesn't allow them to be taught. But if you go back to such a dangerous place, maybe... maybe you'll find them useful."

"Would you like to learn?"

Liu Shuang's eyes blinked a few times, and she bowed deeply to her mentor.

"Please advise!"

(End of this chapter)