Volume Two: The Youth of a Thousand Faces—Truth in Disguise Chapter Thirty-Nine: Adding Brick and Tile

“My name is Jiang Feng, an information broker, and right now I’m completely at a loss.”

Huo Ye also saw that his opponent was Jiang Feng, and naturally Jiang Feng’s first action was to check who he was up against. What he discovered left him dumbfounded... Night Rain, Cold Crow?

What on earth? Was this the Night Rain, Cold Crow? Must be a fan, surely. How could a famous writer like Night Rain, Cold Crow possibly be at Bancroft?

This was the genuine reaction of the masses upon encountering celebrities. People instinctively believed that those luminaries, whose faces filled the newspapers and screens each day, lived in a different world altogether. When faced with them in person, the mind insisted they couldn’t possibly be real, but the truth stood unyielding before their eyes. Whether or not they believed, reality would not be denied.

Huo Ye, upon seeing that his opponent was Jiang Feng, felt secretly delighted. After all, it was Jiang Feng—hardly a threat.

Huo Ye’s abilities in the Holy Light school were weak, but only by comparison to his other talents. In truth, he was among the top students at Bancroft; even his weakest power was above the academy average. Dealing with Jiang Feng would be more than manageable.

Jiang Feng, on the other hand, was bewildered. Who was this guy? Where did he come from? Why had he never appeared in any of Jiang Feng’s files? The edge he had always taken pride in had suddenly vanished.

What was Jiang Feng’s strength? Intelligence. His mind stored information on every student above the average line at Bancroft. Within the academy, he prided himself on knowing both friend and foe.

But this person before him—forget the ID, even his face was hidden behind a mask. What was he trying to hide? Would he dare take it off so Jiang Feng could see who he really was?

The two of them had yet to meet in person, only glimpsing each other’s details in the match dossier. The first to identify his opponent would gain the initiative.

Jiang Feng had once commented that Huo Ye was a top-notch assassin, and this wasn’t mere flattery. Huo Ye seemed to possess a natural talent for concealing lethal intent beneath a gentle exterior. Until the cold blade was pressed to your throat, you would never suspect the danger he represented.

Just like that time when, even as Huo Ye trailed him and chatted on Feixun, Jiang Feng, usually hyper-alert, hadn’t noticed a thing. Only when the icy blade brushed his carotid artery did Jiang Feng feel the presence of death itself.

Huo Ye hadn’t brought any blades with him. Few ability users wielded twin blades—such weapons prioritized offense, yet lacked the stability and defense of a single blade held in both hands. Only someone as confident and reckless as Huo Ye, willing to trade injury for injury with disaster itself, would dare overlook the importance of defense.

For that reason, using twin blades would be too revealing. Now, in the guise of Night Rain, Cold Crow, Huo Ye had to erase every trace connecting this identity to his true self, down to even altering his voice.

Jiang Feng was hiding in a shabby hut, observing the scene outside. He had come here to become stronger, knowing full well that Huo Ye’s earlier offer to let him join the Reaper Hunt Squad was just a chance—if his strength didn’t keep pace, he’d only become a burden on the battlefield, forcing his teammates to protect him. How could the Reaper Hunt Squad possibly accept such a liability?

Originally, he had planned to muddle through his student years, then follow his father’s footsteps to become a teacher at Bancroft. After all, he was at home in this academy.

But what youth doesn’t burn with dreams? When Huo Ye offered him that olive branch, Jiang Feng saw a stairway rising from the dust to the heavens, blessed by holy light. Climbing it meant reaching glories he’d never dared imagine—and it was up to him to lay each stone.

He needed to win this first battle, to make a strong start. But unfortunately, his opponent was the very pillar he had just clung to for support.

Huo Ye had long since pinpointed Jiang Feng’s location. With his ability to track by sound, finding someone was child’s play. Huo Ye’s goal was to train his Holy Light powers, not rely on them alone. As long as he wasn’t discovered, it didn’t matter if he used other abilities.

He crept silently to the door of the hut, positioning himself in Jiang Feng’s blind spot, ready to attack.

Clenching his fist, Huo Ye targeted Jiang Feng’s position and drove it through the door. His fist opened into a palm, from which a dazzling white light burst forth, making Jiang Feng’s eyes sting with pain.

He saw only white—he’d been struck blind by the flash.

Seizing the moment, Huo Ye kicked open the door and swept a leg at Jiang Feng’s midsection. The powerful blow sent Jiang Feng flying through the wall and out of the hut.

Watching from outside, Ke Zhen couldn’t help but sigh, “Just his physical strength alone is enough to crush ninety-nine percent of humanity. Why bother fighting at all?”

Huo Ye didn’t let up his pursuit. His fist, imbued with Holy Light, drove straight for Jiang Feng’s face.

Though blinded, Jiang Feng’s other senses remained sharp. Sensing the danger, he rolled away like a slippery eel, narrowly dodging Huo Ye’s attack. He drew his long blade and slashed horizontally, forcing Huo Ye back.

Huo Ye grinned—so, he used a blade too. Not surprising; blades and swords were the most commonly wielded cold weapons. The only question was, how skilled was Jiang Feng?

Unarmed, Huo Ye wouldn’t charge recklessly. Taking advantage of Jiang Feng’s temporary blindness, he slipped back into the shadows.

Jiang Feng’s sight slowly returned as the aftereffects of the flash faded. Yet his opponent was nowhere to be seen.

He thought to himself, “Those attacks just now were so powerful—if you can stand toe-to-toe with me, why be so cautious? At least leave me a clue or something!”

Jiang Feng’s analytical mind worked quickly. As he dusted himself off and rose to his feet, he drew several conclusions from the brief skirmish.

First: the opponent was an ability user of the Holy Light school. That much was certain—the blinding flash was a low-level Holy Light art, comparable to a military-grade flashbang. Against disasters or ability users with rapid recovery, it was almost useless—a technique relegated to elementary school textbooks.

Second: the opponent possessed exceptional physical prowess—both in strength and combat skill. Such a person could hardly be unknown at the academy. If he were a student, Jiang Feng should have been able to match him to someone he knew.

Third: the opponent was cautious, striking and vanishing, willing to give up a clear advantage for the uncertainty of the shadows. This style... where had he seen it before?

Jiang Feng looked around and shouted, “Hey, fellow student, why don’t you come out and meet me face to face? This isn’t a real battlefield—you don’t have to be so nervous!”

Hiding in the shadows, Huo Ye could only smile wryly at these words. If Jiang Feng had said this to anyone else, it might have worked. But for Huo Ye, the instant they stood on opposite sides, every inch of ground between them became a battlefield thirsty for their blood.

Jiang Feng’s words were merely tactics—and Huo Ye understood that all too well.